🚨 Trump Targets CHIPS, Perplexity's Election Hub, $100M for Smart Cars

Good morning. It’s Monday, November 04. Today we are covering:

• Why on Earth does Trump want to cancel the CHIPS Act?? 

• Perplexity launches an elections tracker 

• China's DeepRoute.ai raises $100 mln as smart driving adoption speeds up

• Apple Finally Finds Its Gaming Console With the New Mac Mini

• X Says It Has Begun Rolling Out Controversial Change to Block Function 

Let’s dive in

---

Why on Earth does Trump want to cancel the CHIPS Act?? 

By Noah Smith via Noahpinion 

• Donald Trump and Mike Johnson's plans to repeal the bipartisan CHIPS Act risk undermining U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, which has been essential for countering China's dominance in the industry and bolstering national security.

• The CHIPS Act has catalyzed significant private investments and revitalized U.S. manufacturing in states like Arizona and Texas, addressing vulnerabilities exposed by China's rapid industrial growth and military capabilities.

• Trump's proposed actions, including opposing industrial policy and straining alliances, could jeopardize the U.S.'s position in the ongoing Cold War 2 with China, weakening American manufacturing strength and global strategic alliances.

𝕏: Trump's desire to cancel the CHIPS Act follows a very predictable pattern: Anything that would make the U.S. more capable of resisting Chinese/Russian domination is something that Trump will eventually oppose. -  Noah Smith (@Noahpinion)

---

Perplexity launches an elections tracker 

By Kyle Wiggers via TechCrunch

• Perplexity has launched an election information hub using data from The Associated Press and Democracy Works, providing live updates and AI-summarized analyses on U.S. election results and key issues.

• The move sets Perplexity apart from competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic, who have avoided similar features due to concerns over AI-generated misinformation.

• Studies have shown that AI chatbots often provide inaccurate election-related information, raising questions about the reliability of Perplexity's hub despite its promise of trustworthy updates.

---

The best way to reach new readers is through word of mouth. If you click THIS LINK in your inbox, it’ll create an easy-to-send pre-written email you can just fire off to some friends.

---

China's DeepRoute.ai raises $100 mln as smart driving adoption speeds up

Reuters

• DeepRoute.ai, a Shenzhen-based autonomous driving tech company, raised $100 million from an unnamed Chinese automaker to accelerate the adoption of its advanced assisted driving system, aiming for 200,000 vehicles on Chinese roads by the end of 2025.

• The company's technology, comparable to Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD), is set to be implemented in over 10 new vehicle models by 2025, with the first models launching under partnerships, including with Geely and Mercedes-Benz.

• DeepRoute.ai's cost-effective approach avoids reliance on high-definition maps, potentially enabling automakers to develop smart EVs priced as low as 150,000 yuan ($21,063), making it competitive in the world's largest auto market.

---

Apple Finally Finds Its Gaming Console With the New Mac Mini

By Mark Gurman via Bloomberg

• Apple's new Mac Mini, equipped with the M4 chip, is positioned as the company's answer to gaming consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox.

• The launch aligns with Apple's strategic expansion in gaming, bolstered by disappointing earnings guidance and an announcement to acquire Pixelmator, a maker of popular photo-editing software.

• The company plans to roll out new AI features in early December, marking a continued push to integrate advanced technologies across its product lineup.

𝕏: This will be the first time I upgrade since my current M1 Max 16” MacBook Pro, and it’ll be for two reason: #1: Tandem OLED display which is the best tablet/laptop display tech in the world. Also dramatically lowers pixel response time so ProMotion is smoother. #2: Redesign - Vadim Yuryev (@VadimYuryev)

---

X Says It Has Begun Rolling Out Controversial Change to Block Function 

By Thomas Maxwell via Gizmodo 

• X (formerly Twitter) has begun rolling out a controversial update to its block function, allowing blocked users to still view the profiles and posts of those who blocked them, though they cannot interact directly.

• Critics argue the change could facilitate harassment and stalking, compromising user safety, while competing platforms like Bluesky and Threads maintain traditional block features to prioritize user security.

• Concerns have been raised over potential violations of app store guidelines by Apple and Google, which mandate tools for blocking abusive users, adding to the debate over the update’s implications.

---

Trending in AI

• Meta’s plan for nuclear-powered AI data centre thwarted by rare bees

• Physical Intelligence, a Robot A.I. Specialist, Raises Millions From Bezos

• Quantum Machines and Nvidia use machine learning to get closer to an error-corrected quantum computer

• Spot AI reels in $31M for its AI-powered video processing platform

• Why You Can’t Ignore the Rise of AI in Search

---

Thanks for reading to the bottom and soaking in our Newslit Daily fueled with highlights for your morning.

I hope you found it interesting and, needless to say, if you have any questions or feedback let me know by hitting reply.

Take care and see you tomorrow!

— Jose Montes de Oca

P.S. Want to advertise with us? We’d love to hear from you.

---

How was today’s email?

🫤 Not Great  |  🙂 Good  |  🤩 Amazing