Plus, Apple CEO Tim Cook calls on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to stop an online child-safety bill. And the U.S. Senate votes to end California’s EV mandate. Julie Chang hosts.
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[00:00:01] Here's your TNB Tech Minute for Friday, May 23. I'm Julie Chang for The Wall Street Journal. President Trump is threatening new tariffs on iPhones and other smartphones made overseas. In a Truth Social post Friday, Trump said he expects iPhones sold in the U.S. to be manufactured in the country, or else Apple would have to pay a levy of at least 25 percent. Trump said the tariffs would likely be imposed in late June. The White House didn't immediately provide additional comment,
[00:00:29] Apple shares fell 3 percent today. The company declined to comment. Staying on Apple, we exclusively report that last week, CEO Tim Cook called Texas Governor Greg Abbott to ask for changes to an online child safety bill or for him to veto it altogether. That's according to people familiar with the call. The legislation would require app stores to verify the ages of device users. Google is also fighting the legislation. Abbott has yet to say whether he'll sign it.
[00:00:59] A spokesman for the governor said safety and online privacy for Texas children remains a top priority for the governor. An Apple spokesman said the company wants to strengthen online safety for children, but that the Texas bill threatens user privacy. And the GOP-led Senate voted yesterday to end California's electric vehicle mandate, effectively killing the country's biggest driver of EV investment. The California measure would have banned the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
[00:01:29] U.S. carmakers and auto dealers argued that keeping the mandate could cripple the industry by forcing sales of cars the public doesn't want. California officials vowed to sue the Trump administration, calling the vote an attack on the state's fight against pollution. The bill now heads to President Trump for his signature. A quick note, we'll be off on Monday for Memorial Day in the U.S., but we'll be back on Tuesday with a new episode of Tech News Briefing.