Today’s top stories cover major moves in global trade, aerospace, and technology.
China’s chipmakers spent $38 billion on advanced US equipment despite export controls.
Boeing’s $4.7 billion Spirit AeroSystems deal nears EU approval with conditions. And in trade news, President Trump announced a 25% tariff on medium and heavy-duty trucks to protect US manufacturers.
A glance at major developments on Tuesday.
Trump imposes 25% truck tariffs
US President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on all medium and heavy-duty trucks coming into the US, starting November 1, 2025.
The proposed tariffs were supposed to start a month earlier, but now there’s a bit of a delay.
The goal? Protect American truck makers like Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, and Mack from what the administration calls “unfair competition” from overseas, and national security is part of the reasoning too.
This comes after a Commerce Department investigation under something called Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. Not everyone’s happy, though.
The US Chamber of Commerce has pushed back, pointing out that most of these trucks come from countries that are close allies, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Germany, Finland, and warning that this could mess with the economy.
Boeing-Spirit deal nears EU approval
The European Union looks ready to give the green light to Boeing’s $4.7 billion buyout of Spirit AeroSystems, but with a few strings attached, according to sources.
To ease EU competition concerns, Boeing will likely have to sell off some parts of Spirit’s business, including its struggling Europe-focused operations, facilities in Prestwick, Scotland, Subang, Malaysia that work on Airbus programs, and some operations in Belfast.
The deal, which was announced last year, is meant to help Boeing streamline its operations and tighten up quality control.
The European Commission is expected to make a final call by October 14, following the UK’s unconditional approval back in August. So far, both Boeing and Spirit have declined to comment.
China’s $38B chip equipment surge
A new bipartisan investigation by Congress found that China’s chipmakers bought almost $38 billion worth of advanced semiconductor equipment from US and allied suppliers in 2024.
The report highlights some big gaps in export controls meant to stop China from getting its hands on cutting-edge tech.
Even with restrictions in place, differences in rules between the US, Japan, and the Netherlands have allowed some non-US companies to legally sell to Chinese firms, helping China boost its semiconductor capabilities.
Lawmakers are now pushing for broader, coordinated bans on these chipmaking tools, citing both national security and human rights concerns.
To put it in perspective, these sales made up nearly 39% of total revenue for top suppliers like Applied Materials and ASML.
OpenAI launches new app store
OpenAI is stepping up its game with a new app store inside ChatGPT, taking on big players like Apple and Google.
The announcement came at DevDay, and the idea is pretty cool: you can now chat with external apps, think Spotify, Zillow, and more, right inside ChatGPT.
Developers can start building and submitting apps using OpenAI’s SDK, and monetization options are expected later this year.
There’s also going to be a browsing directory to showcase the best apps, with partners like Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, and Spotify already on board.
Basically, this turns ChatGPT into a more interactive and personalized platform, and it could open up some serious new revenue streams for OpenAI along the way.
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