Howard Lutnick

New Capabilities

Issued the export control directive on June 12 that forced Anthropic to suspend Fable 5 and Mythos 5 globally

Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 lasted three days in public hands. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ordered its suspension for foreign nationals on June 12; Anthropic couldn't screen users by nationality, so it pulled both Fable 5 and Mythos 5 globally.

Updated 7 days ago

Rule Changes

Oversees the renamed Center for AI Standards and Innovation

For about three years, the question of who gets to look inside the most powerful US AI systems before they ship has bounced between two answers: nobody, or the government, by force. On June 2, 2026, President Trump signed a third one. Frontier labs can hand their newest models to federal security agencies for up to 30 days before public release. They are asked to. They are not required to.

Updated Jun 2

Force in Play

Tasked with determining which countries face Cuba-related tariffs

The United States has imposed economic pressure on Cuba for 64 years. Now, for the first time, Washington is threatening to punish any country that sells oil to the island. President Trump's January 29 executive order creates a tariff mechanism targeting third countries that supply Cuban fuel—a significant escalation that goes beyond traditional bilateral sanctions to coerce allies and trading partners into joining an energy blockade. The strategy has proven devastatingly effective: Cuba's national power grid collapsed entirely on March 17, 2026, leaving approximately 10 million people without electricity and triggering ten consecutive days of street protests, the most visible civil unrest in years. Partial restoration occurred on March 18 after 29 hours, but the blackout deepened shortages of food, medicine, and water, including the vandalization of a Cuban Communist Party provincial office in Morón. On March 21, Cuba blocked a US Embassy request to import diesel for generators, escalating diplomatic tensions amid ongoing rolling blackouts.

Updated May 29

Money Moves

Leading US trade and semiconductor policy

The United States produced 37% of the world's semiconductors in 1990, but by 2024 that share had fallen below 10%, with Taiwan manufacturing over 90% of the most advanced chips. A $500 billion US-Taiwan trade framework was initiated with a January 16, 2026 memorandum and formally signed February 12.

Updated May 21

New Capabilities

Overseeing CHIPS Act renegotiation and MEP program dismantlement; facing bipartisan Senate criticism

In early 2026, America's AI manufacturing strategy is fracturing. The Trump White House released a National AI Legislative Framework on March 20, 2026, asking Congress to preempt all state AI laws. California, Colorado, and New York have pledged to keep enforcing their own rules and are preparing court challenges.

Updated May 18

Rule Changes

Facing pressure to justify and operationalize the H200 licensing framework

The Trump administration just did the thing Washington has spent years swearing it wouldn't do: let China buy a near-top-tier Nvidia AI chip again. Now a China hawk in Congress is demanding the Commerce Department explain, in detail, why this isn't a strategic own-goal.

Updated May 15

Rule Changes

Overseeing Gold Card rollout and selling it as a revenue and talent magnet.

Donald Trump is now literally selling a fast track to America. His Trump Gold Card program lets wealthy foreigners buy expedited U.S. residency for a $1 million "gift" to the government, plus a $15,000 processing fee. A corporate option costs $2 million per sponsored worker.

Updated May 11