United States

• U.S. freezes new immigrant visas for 75 countries: See the full list - The U.S. said Wednesday it will pause issuing immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries over concerns that they may use public assistance in the future.
• James Luckey-Lange Among Americans Freed in Venezuela - James Luckey-Lange, 28, was released this week with several other U.S. citizens from the country’s notorious prison system after going missing in December, his family said.
• Elon Musk's xAI probed by California DOJ over Grok's deepfake explicit images - Musk's Grok AI chatbot faces investigations from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Ireland, Australia, the UK and France as well.
• Trump administration clears way for Nvidia H200 chip sales to China with a 25% surcharge - The H200's performance has been exceeded by two generations of Nvidia chips currently in production, the Blackwell and Rubin.
• U.S. Races to Sell Venezuelan Oil, Transforming Ties With Former Foe - U.S. officials brokered the sale of hundreds of millions dollars worth of Venezuelan oil to stabilize the country’s economy after capturing its president.
• Stellantis CEO: 2026 is the ‘year of execution’ as Wall Street awaits turnaround strategy - Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa views 2026 as an execution year for the embattled automaker following years of sales declines in the U.S.
• Under threat from Trump, Wall Street banks wager they can fend off credit card price controls - Five days after Trump's demand to cap credit card rates, bankers and lobbyists told CNBC they have yet to receive any formal or written guidance on the policy.
• Why Greenland Matters for a Warming World - The fate of the world’s largest island has outsize importance for billions of people on the planet, because as the climate warms, Greenland is losing ice. That has consequences.
• Trump Credits ‘Mister Tariff’ for the Country’s Strength. Economists Beg to Differ. - Many indicators appear to suggest that the United States is growing despite tariffs, not because of them.
• Russia watches as ally Iran edges closer to collapse. Here's why it matters for Moscow - The prospect of another ally falling in the Middle East will be a worrying one for Moscow, particularly after it has seen other alliances collapse recently.