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Temporary U.S.-China Tariff Truce, Trump's visit to the Middle East, Coinbase hacked, and more.

May 18, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time:4 minutes

Hello!🐦‍⬛

A raven has landed with your weekly intelligence briefing. We've sifted through the global noise to bring you only what matters. Prepare for this week's essential developments—distilled, unbiased, and delivered in one swift flight.

Geneva Talks Result in Temporary U.S.-China Tariff Reduction 🇺🇸 🇨🇳 💰 🧧

  • The U.S. and China announced an agreement to cut reciprocal tariffs.

  • This agreement is for a 90-day period.

  • As part of the agreement, both sides will reduce their reciprocal tariff rate to 10%. China also agreed to remove countermeasures.

  • The changes came into force on Wednesday.

  • The agreement aims to establish a basis for negotiations in a broader potential trade deal.

  • The two sides plan to establish a mechanism to continue discussions on economic and trade relations.

  • The announcement followed two days of talks in Geneva, Switzerland.

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President Trump Visits Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE 🇺🇸 🇸🇦 🇶🇦 🇦🇪 💰

  • President Donald Trump was greeted with spectacular fanfare in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

  • The visit showcased the region's opulence and how much wealth they are willing to spend to deepen U.S. ties.

  • Historic economic exchange and investment pledges totaling trillions of dollars were announced, including commitments from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

  • These commitments included Qatar's $1.2 trillion "economic exchange," Saudi Arabia's promised $600 billion investment, and the UAE's $1.4 trillion investment framework.

  • The clear message from the Gulf states was their desire to be first in line for partnerships with the U.S. in business, military, or tech.

  • Securing access to advanced technologies, such as Nvidia chips, appears to be a primary motive for the GCC countries.

  • The warm reception and "bromance vibes" showed a stark difference in tone from visits by officials from the Biden administration.

  • Some doubt exists regarding the realism and long-term viability of the massive investment numbers pledged.

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Raven Bites🐦‍⬛

News/Events/Politics

  • Trump says he will call Putin, then Zelenskyy, to push for Ukraine ceasefire. (more)

  • Hamas has proposed releasing more hostages under a new Gaza ceasefire deal, after new negotiations were held on Saturday. (more)

  • Sudan’s civil war increased tension with drone strikes. (more)

Economics/Business/Crypto

  • Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchanger, got hacked. Bribed workers to blame. (more)

  • Microsoft laying off 6.000 people or 3% of their workforce. (more)

  • U.S. stocks are nearing record highs again after a furious rally. (more)

Technology

  • Microsoft provided AI to Israeli military for war, but denies use to harm people in Gaza. (more)

  • OpenAI to launch Codex, an AI coding agent in ChatGPT. (more)

  • South Korea delays decision on letting Google move hi-res map data overseas. (more)

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