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WASHINGTON — A powerful government panel on Monday failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel, leaving the decision to President Joe Biden, who opposes the deal. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, sent its long-awaited report on the merger to Biden, who formally came out against the deal in March. He has 15 days to reach a final decision, the White House said. A U.S. official familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private report, said some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. Monday was the deadline to approve the deal, recommend that Biden block it or extend the review process. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have courted unionized workers at U.S. Steel and vowed to block the acquisition amid concerns about foreign ownership of a flagship American company. The economic risk, however, is giving up Nippon Steel's potential investments in the mills and upgrades that might help preserve steel production within the United States. Under the terms of the proposed $14.9 billion all-cash deal, U.S. Steel would keep its name and its headquarters in Pittsburgh, where it was founded in 1901 by J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. It would become a subsidiary of Nippon Steel, and the combined company would be among the top three steelmakers in the world, according to 2023 figures from the World Steel Association. Biden, backed by the United Steelworkers, said earlier this year that it was "vital for (U.S. Steel) to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated.” Trump has also opposed the acquisition and vowed earlier this month on his Truth Social platform to “block this deal from happening.” He proposed reviving U.S. Steel's flagging fortunes “through a series of Tax Incentives and Tariffs.” The steelworkers union questions if Nippon Steel would keep jobs at unionized plants, make good on collectively bargained benefits or protect American steel production from cheap foreign imports. “Our union has been calling for strict government scrutiny of the sale since it was announced. Now it’s up to President Biden to determine the best path forward,” David McCall, the steelworkers' president, said in a statement Monday. “We continue to believe that means keeping U.S. Steel domestically owned and operated.” Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel have waged a public relations campaign to win over skeptics. U.S. Steel said in a statement Monday that the deal “is the best way, by far, to ensure that U.S. Steel, including its employees, communities, and customers, will thrive well into the future.” Nippon Steel said Tuesday that it had been informed by CFIUS that it had referred the case to Biden, and urged him to “reflect on the great lengths that we have gone to to address any national security concerns that have been raised and the significant commitments we have made to grow U. S. Steel, protect American jobs, and strengthen the entire American steel industry, which will enhance American national security.” “We are confident that our transaction should and will be approved if it is fairly evaluated on its merits,” it said in a statement. A growing number of conservatives have publicly backed the deal, as Nippon Steel began to win over some steelworkers union members and officials in areas near its blast furnaces in Pennsylvania and Indiana. Many backers said Nippon Steel has a stronger financial balance sheet than rival Cleveland-Cliffs to invest the necessary cash to upgrade aging U.S. Steel blast furnaces. Nippon Steel pledged to invest $2.7 billion in United Steelworkers-represented facilities, including U.S. Steel’s blast furnaces, and promised not to import steel slabs that would compete with the blast furnaces. It also pledged to protect U.S. Steel in trade matters and to not lay off employees or close plants during the term of the basic labor agreement. Earlier this month, it offered $5,000 in closing bonuses to U.S. Steel employees, a nearly $100 million expense. Nippon Steel also said it was best positioned to help American steel compete in an industry dominated by the Chinese. The proposed sale came during a tide of renewed political support for rebuilding America’s manufacturing sector, a presidential campaign in which Pennsylvania was a prime battleground, and a long stretch of protectionist U.S. tariffs that analysts say has helped reinvigorate domestic steel. Chaired by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, CFIUS screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors and can block sales or force parties to change the terms of an agreement to protect national security. Congress significantly expanded the committee's powers through the 2018 Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, known as FIRRMA. In September, Biden issued an executive order broadening the factors the committee should consider when reviewing deals — such as how they impact the U.S. supply chain or if they put Americans’ personal data at risk. Nippon Steel has factories in the U.S., Mexico, China and Southeast Asia. It supplies the world’s top automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp. , and makes steel for railways, pipes, appliances and skyscrapers.None

Israel launches new airstrikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to a ceasefire with HezbollahNATCHITOCHES, La. (AP) — Chris Mubiru had 13 points to lead Northwestern State to a 71-58 victory over North Alabama on Sunday. Mubiru finished 5 of 6 from the field for the Demons (3-4). Jerald Colonel scored 12 points and added six rebounds. Landyn Jumawan had 12 points with two 3-pointers. Jacari Lane finished with 14 points to lead the Lions (4-3). Will Soucie added 13 points and Canin Jefferson scored nine. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu has surgery for injury

Tajikistan puts high-profile officials on trial in secret caseSan Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will not play Sunday and head coach Kyle Shanahan said the lingering discomfort is a concern. Purdy sat out Friday after he participated in the start of Thursday's practice with the 49ers, then retreated indoors for what Shanahan said was a treatment session. Brandon Allen, 32, will start in Purdy's place, and the 49ers are also without defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique). Shanahan said players believe in Allen, even if he's an unknown. "Outside of here people haven't seen a lot of Brandon. But it's his second year (with the 49ers)," Shanahan said. "Obviously guys want Brock up, but guys are excited to see Brandon play." Shanahan said they are "a little surprised" Purdy experienced tightness and discomfort in his shoulder after an MRI exam on Monday that showed no long-term cause for concern. "The way it responded this week, it's really up in the air for next week," Shanahan said of Purdy. Allen is familiar to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who was an assistant coach with the Rams during Allen's two-year run in Los Angeles. Allen broke into the NFL in 2016 with the Jaguars and is 2-7 in nine career starts. He went 1-2 with the Broncos in 2019 and 1-5 in six starts over two years with the Bengals in 2020 and ‘21. Shanahan said Allen's confidence grew throughout the week and he doesn't anticipate a major change in how he calls the offense. Left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) also missed practice for the third consecutive day. Without disclosing the nature of the ailment to Purdy's throwing shoulder, general manager John Lynch confirmed Friday an MRI exam took place to determine the severity of any injury. Allen worked with the first team most of Thursday and Friday with Joshua Dobbs also taking snaps. Lynch described Purdy's status for the 49ers (5-5) this week as "tenuous." "Hopefully, he makes progress, and we can have a shot at this weekend, but we'll see," Lynch said in an interview with KNBR in San Francisco. "I think it's tenuous." When Purdy was on the field this week, he primarily worked on the side in position-specific drills with QB coach Brian Griese. Williams played through an ankle injury last week after being listed as questionable but exited the stadium with an exaggerated limp on Sunday. Run game coordinator Chris Foerster said the 49ers aren't where they want to be at 5-5 because they haven't won close games, not because of injuries. "Seven games left is like an eternity," Foerster said. "So much can happen. Do the math. What was our record last year? It was 12-5. I was on a 13-win team that was nowhere near as good as the team last year." With or without Purdy, Foerster said the challenge for the 49ers is not to give up the ball to a defense that has 19 takeaways. The 49ers have 13 giveaways this season. --Field Level Media

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Rumor mill: The Apple M5 SoC series will feature multiple chips, including the M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra. They will be manufactured using TSMC's advanced N3P node, which entered the prototype phase earlier this year. The M5 and M5 Pro/Max are tipped to enter production in H1 2025 and H2 2025, respectively, while the Ultra will enter mass production in 2026. Apple insider and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed a slew of new information about Cupertino's upcoming M5-series processors. The new chips are expected to power a number of next-gen products, including MacBooks, iPads, and more. Kuo added that the M5 Pro, Max, and Ultra will use server-grade 2.5D packaging called SoIC-mH (System-on-Integrated-Chips Molding Horizontal), which will feature separate CPU and GPU designs to increase yield and improve thermal performance. Apple will be TSMC's largest SoIC customer, but other major chip designers, including AMD, AWS (Amazon), and Qualcomm, are also expected to use the new technology in their next-gen processors. The M5 lineup is expected to offer better performance than the M4 chips despite sticking to a 3nm process instead of upgrading to a 2nm node. They are also said to be more power efficient than their predecessors, meaning users can expect better battery life from their devices in addition to faster performance. Rumors suggest that the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and OLED iPad Pro will all get the M5 treatment between spring 2025 and H1 2026, but it's unclear whether the next-gen Mac mini will also be upgraded with the new chip at some stage. Devices powered by the flagship M5 Ultra are expected to hit store shelves in the second half of 2026. Apple launched its latest MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini powered by M4-series chips earlier this year, while the next-gen MacBook Air is expected to debut next spring. The Mac Studio and the Mac Pro with the M4 Ultra are tipped to launch later in 2025. The company is also expected to upgrade its AI servers to the M4 chips next year. These are currently powered by the M2 Ultra.AP Business SummaryBrief at 1:12 p.m. ESTAchilles Therapeutics plc ( NASDAQ:ACHL – Get Free Report ) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 90,300 shares, a decline of 33.9% from the November 30th total of 136,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 163,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Achilles Therapeutics Price Performance Shares of ACHL opened at $1.13 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $0.91. The stock has a market cap of $46.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.68 and a beta of 1.37. Achilles Therapeutics has a one year low of $0.63 and a one year high of $1.76. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Achilles Therapeutics A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Achilles Therapeutics stock. XTX Topco Ltd grew its holdings in Achilles Therapeutics plc ( NASDAQ:ACHL – Free Report ) by 239.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,660 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,441 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd owned approximately 0.13% of Achilles Therapeutics worth $42,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. 56.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Achilles Therapeutics Achilles Therapeutics plc, a biopharmaceutical company, develops precision T cell therapies to treat solid tumors. Its platform identifies mutations formed early in the development of cancer. The company offers PELEUS, a proprietary AI-powered bioinformatics platform, used to identify clonal neoantigens in a patient. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Achilles Therapeutics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Achilles Therapeutics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

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United States President-elect Donald Trump is bringing Silicon Valley’s influence to the forefront of his administration, by appointing tech Titans for prominent positions. Recently, Trump announced the appointment of a managing partner at Venture Capital (VC) firm Andreessen, Scott Kupor, for the Office of Personnel Management. This key agency oversees recruitment and provides resources for federal employees. Speaking on his appointment, Trump said, Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025 ) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts. Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here. Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and i nvest in Africa’s finest startups here . “Scott will bring much needed reform to our federal workforce”. Scott Kupor is an investing partner focused on growth-stage companies building in the bio and healthcare industries. He manages the firm’s investor relations team, and is responsible for the firm’s growth initiatives. He was the first employee at Andreessen Horowitz and managed the firm’s growth from $300 million in AUM to more than $40 billion. Prior to joining the firm, Scott worked as vice president and general manager of software-as-a-service at Hewlett Packard. Before that, he held numerous executive management positions at Opsware, including senior vice president of global field operations, vice president of financial planning and vice president of corporate development. In another high-profile appointment, Trump named Indian-American internet entrepreneur, Sririam Krishnan, as senior policy advisor for artificial intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Krishnan, a former general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, has an extensive tech background with roles at companies such as Microsoft, Meta, Twitter, Snap, and Yahoo. He also has a close working relationship with Musk, having temporarily managed Musk’s social media platform, X, following its acquisition in 2022. Trump’s administration has also seen the appointment of seasoned technology expert and former Uber executive Emil Michael, as undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Trump highlighted Michael’s background in his announcement, stating, “Emil has lived the American Dream by building several successful Tech companies. He will ensure that our Military has the most technologically sophisticated weapons in the World, while saving A LOT of money for our Taxpayers.” Tech industry leaders have praised Trump’s appointments, with former Meta executive David Marcus calling them “remarkable picks” and Box CEO Aaron Levie describing them as “very strong.” In a twist of event during which several tech leaders often clashed with Trump, many of these Silicon Valley executives have now shown their support for the president-elect. Major tech leaders which include Meta, and OpenAl’s Sam Altman, have donated $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural committee, and many Silicon Valley leaders have made visits to His residence in Palm Beach, Florida, in recent weeks. The appointment of tech leaders to key positions in Trump’s administration signals a strong shift toward incorporating Silicon Valley’s influence into government operations. By selecting prominent figures from major tech companies, Trump is emphasizing a more business-oriented and innovation-driven approach to governance. These appointments suggest that the administration will prioritize government efficiency, cutting regulations, and leveraging technology to improve federal operations. Additionally, his close ties with Billionaire Tech Entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has become one of his closest advisors, could lead to stronger collaboration between the government and tech giants, potentially reshaping policies related to Al, cryptocurrency, and other emerging technologies. These appointments also reflect a more business-friendly environment, which could attract further support from the tech industry, shifting the administration’s stance from its earlier, more adversarial approach. Overall, the selection of Silicon Valley executive positions m Trump’s administration to drive tech-driven reforms, streamline government processes, and foster closer connections between the private sector and public policy.Nvidia's stock dips after China opens probe of the AI chip company for violating anti-monopoly laws