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• Das U.S. House of Representatives hat am Donnerstag ein Homeland Security-Finanzierungsgesetz verabschiedet und damit den Weg zur Beendigung eines zweimonatigen Shutdowns der Behörde geebnet, der Teile der federal Einwanderungs-, Grenz- und Cybersicherheitsoperationen lahmgelegt hatte. • President Donald Trump unterzeichnete die Maßnahme kurz darauf, stellte die volle Finanzierung für das Department of Homeland Security wieder her und wendete potenzielle Störungen der Flughafensicherheit, der Deportationsoperationen und des Grenzschutzes bis zum Ende des fiscal year ab. • Der Shutdown-Konflikt führte zu einer Auseinandersetzung zwischen Trump-Verbündeten sowie zentristischen Republikanern und Demokraten über das Ausmaß der Grenzdurchsetzung, doch das endgültige Gesetz bewahrte zentrale Grenzinitiativen der Trump-Ära, während einige hard-line Ausgabenforderungen abgemildert wurden.

• Überparteiliche Maßnahme enthält Mittel für Secret Service und TSA, schließt jedoch Operationen zur Durchsetzung der Einwanderungsbestimmungen aus • Teilweiser Government Shutdown endet, nachdem der Kongress für die Finanzierung des DHS gestimmt hat • Das US-Repräsentantenhaus hat dafür gestimmt, große Teile des Department of Homeland Security zu finanzieren – mit Ausnahme von Operationen zur Durchsetzung der Einwanderungsbestimmungen – und den längsten Shutdown einer Regierungsbehörde in der Geschichte zu beenden.

Der Kongress bringt die Homeland-Security-Finanzierung voran, nachdem die Republikaner ein Verfahrensinstrument genutzt haben, um bis zu 75 Mrd. $ für ICE und Border Patrol zu verabschieden. Melden Sie sich für die Breaking News US E-Mail an, um Newsletter-Warnungen in Ihrem Posteingang zu erhalten. Ein historisch langer, 75-tägiger teilweiser Regierungsstillstand ist zu Ende gegangen, nachdem das Repräsentantenhaus knapp dafür gestimmt hat, die Finanzierung für das Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nach einer nächtlichen Mobilisierung der Republikaner zur Unterstützung eines GOP-Haushaltsentwurfs voranzutreiben. Das Blatt wendete sich am Mittwochabend, als das Repräsentantenhaus die republikanische Resolution nach einem Last-Minute-Deal über sachfremde Ethanol-Kraftstoff-Bestimmungen verabschiedete, der genug Abweichler umstimmte, um sie über die Ziellinie zu bringen. Lesen Sie weiter...

• Das US-Repräsentantenhaus verabschiedete am 29. April 2026 eine vom Senat genehmigte Haushaltsresolution, die Finanzmittel in Milliardenhöhe für Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) und Customs and Border Protection (CBP) freigibt. • Die Republikaner nutzten ein Verfahren zur Umgehung des Filibusters, um den Entwurf voranzutreiben, was von Demokraten wie der Kongressabgeordneten Doris Matsui kritisiert wurde, da dies die Durchsetzung gegenüber anderen Bedürfnissen prioritär behandle. • Dieser Schritt unterstützt die Einwanderungspolitik der Trump-Administration inmitten laufender Debatten über die Grenzsicherheit und des Drucks durch die Zwischenwahlen.

• Das US-relevante Cross-Border-Paytech-Startup Latitude hat diese Woche den Stealth-Modus mit einer von NEA angeführten Seed-Finanzierung in Höhe von 8 Millionen US-Dollar verlassen, um langsame und kostspielige geschäftliche Geldtransfers anzugehen. • Die Finanzierung unterstützt Latitudes Mission, internationale Zahlungen zu rationalisieren, und positioniert das Unternehmen als Herausforderer im Fintech-Sektor angesichts der steigenden Nachfrage nach effizienten B2B-Überweisungen. • Der Start fällt mit einem Fintech-Aufschwung im April 2026 zusammen, was das Vertrauen der Investoren in Paytech-Innovationen trotz wirtschaftlicher Unsicherheiten aufgrund von Energiepreisen und der Fed-Politik unterstreicht.

• Ein politisch ambitionierter Demokrat aus Connecticut brach überparteiliche Verhandlungen über die Regierungsfinanzierung aufgrund von Parteidruck auf Einbeziehung ab. • Der Ausstieg verschärft die Spannungen über die Prioritäten des Bundeshaushalts und Ausgabenkürzungen. • Dies könnte Finanzierungsgesetze verzögern, die für anstehende Haushaltsfristen entscheidend sind.

• Skye AI, eine KI-gestützte Home-Screen-App für das iPhone, hat während der privaten Testphase 3,58 Millionen US-Dollar an Pre-Seed-Finanzierung erhalten. • Die Finanzierung unterstützt die Entwicklung der App, die darauf abzielt, das iPhone-Nutzererlebnis durch KI-gesteuerte Funktionen zu verbessern, die direkt vom Home Screen aus zugänglich sind. • Diese Investition unterstreicht das wachsende Interesse der Investoren an mobilen KI-Anwendungen inmitten des Wettbewerbs im Smartphone-Ökosystem.

Companies are now seeking refunds on tariffs after supreme court ruled Trump’s emergency levies were illegalSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxGeneral Motors is expecting a $500m tariff refund after the US supreme court struck down some of Donald Trump’s most sweeping levies.That has boosted the Detroit automaker’s outlook for 2026. On Tuesday, GM said it’s now looking to rake in $13.5bn-$15.5bn in earnings before interest and taxes this year – up from previous forecasts of $13bn-$15bn. Continue reading...

• SkyfireAI Inc., a US-based autonomous drone startup, raised $11 million in new funding to advance dual-use technology. • The investment targets AI autonomy for public safety, defense, and commercial drone applications. • This funding accelerates development amid rising demand for intelligent unmanned systems in critical sectors.

• Google announced a $750 million fund on April 27, 2026, targeting startups developing AI agents. • The fund aims to accelerate innovation in AI agent technologies amid intensifying competition. • This initiative underscores Google's commitment to fostering the AI ecosystem, potentially challenging rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic.

• Months after restoring federal family planning funding, Missouri's only Title X grantee program now confronts fresh challenges from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley. • The program provides essential reproductive health services amid ongoing political debates over federal support for family planning initiatives. • This development underscores persistent tensions in U.S. public health policy regarding access to contraception and reproductive care funding.

• A leading AI startup focused on enterprise AI solutions secured $150 million in Series B funding on April 25, 2026. • The round was led by Lightspeed Ventures and SoftBank, signaling strong investor confidence in scalable AI technologies for businesses. • This funding underscores accelerating growth in the US enterprise AI sector amid rising demand for efficient AI deployment tools.

• Toronto-based Cohere Inc. and Germany's Aleph Alpha GmbH announced plans to merge, supported by a $600 million structured financing commitment from Schwarz Group. • Cohere, which has raised $1.6 billion since 2019 from Nvidia and others, offers multiple AI models; the Series E deal expects additional investors and closure later in 2026. • The merger combines expertise in enterprise AI, potentially accelerating development amid US-China tech tensions and boosting competitive edge for Western AI firms.

• Anthropic announced a $4 billion Series E funding round on April 25, 2026, with lead investments from Amazon and Google, valuing the AI safety firm at $61.5 billion post-money. • The capital will accelerate development of Claude 4 models and expand enterprise AI infrastructure across US data centers in California and Virginia. • This funding underscores intensifying competition in AI amid regulatory scrutiny, positioning Anthropic as a key challenger to OpenAI's dominance.

Auditor found Sarah Wedl-Wilson approved payments of public money to groups that had not been fully vettedBerlin’s top culture official, British-born Sarah Wedl-Wilson, has stood down over a funding scandal involving the the irregular distribution of €2.6m in public money for programmes to fight antisemitism.As culture senator for the Berlin regional government, Wedl-Wilson had already sacked a state secretary in her department, Oliver Friederici, over the affair this week, but the opposition called him a mere scapegoat. Continue reading...

• VisionWave Holdings (NASDAQ: VWAV) closed a $20 million senior loan in late February and subsequently completed a $60 million–valued acquisition of AI video intelligence intellectual property, strengthening its technology portfolio. • The acquisition adds significant video AI capabilities to VisionWave's platform and positions the company for expanded market presence in computer vision applications. • These transactions demonstrate continued investor confidence in AI video technology sectors and emerging opportunities in automated visual intelligence.

Bill clears 50–48 vote to boost ICE and CBP funding as Democrats oppose and shutdown continuesUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailSenate Republicans on Thursday approved a plan to fund Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants for the remainder of his term and pave the way for an end to the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).The budget resolution adopted along a near party line vote in the early morning hours sets the stage for Congress to craft legislation allocating as much as $140b to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), two agencies at the forefront of Trump’s mass deportation agenda that have been without funding since mid-February, when the DHS shutdown began. Continue reading...

• Port, an AI startup in cybersecurity, raised $100 million in its third funding round led by General Atlantic, achieving an $800 million valuation. • The funding supports expansion in cloud infrastructure protection technologies. • This round reflects investor confidence in AI-driven defenses against evolving cyber threats in the US market.

Program portrayed efforts to wean Australia off fossil fuels as morally bankrupt, trashing rainforests and enslaving Australia to ChinaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChildren sieve mud, workers drop down claustrophobic hand-cut mine shafts, men grimace while others carve out rock with chisels in bare feet to recover cobalt “for our renewable green dream”.These were the dramatic scenes from the Democratic Republic of Congo in a “special investigation” from Channel Seven’s Spotlight program, aired in prime-time on Sunday evening. Continue reading...

Labor says cuts to disability scheme mean elderly will get more help. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Nick Visser will be your guide through the morning.Today the health minister, Mark Butler, will detail major changes to the NDIS including significant funding “savings”. The government says the savings, in part, from the national disability insurance scheme will go to funding improved aged care including showering and dressing. Continue reading...

Victory for abortion rights groups as court finds state’s constitution guarantees a right to abortionA Pennsylvania court on Monday said that the state’s constitution guarantees a right to abortion while striking down a decades-long law banning the use of state Medicaid funds to cover abortion costs.The ruling by a divided seven-judge panel of the appellate-level commonwealth court is a major victory for Planned Parenthood and abortion clinic operators who first sued Pennsylvania over its Medicaid funding restrictions in 2019. Continue reading...

Schools say Colorado violated their rights by excluding them from state-funded program over admission policiesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe supreme court will hear from Catholic preschools that say Colorado violated their religious rights by excluding them from a state-funded program over their admission policies.The court agreed on Monday to take up the appeal from St Mary Catholic Parish, which is supported by the Republican Trump administration. Continue reading...

Bets placed on Middle East conflict has led to US firm experiencing big increase in volumePolymarket, the online prediction platform that hosts bets on events such as the Iran war, is in talks to raise $400m (£296m) at a valuation of up to $15bn.The company has gained notoriety in recent months over wagers placed on the Middle East conflict, including on the timing of US-Israel strikes against Iran, and on a US-Iran ceasefire, some of which appeared to bear signs of insider trading. Continue reading...

Claims system launches months after supreme court ruled Trump had no legal authority to impose tariffsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration began on Monday accepting applications from businesses seeking refunds for more than $166bn in tariffs, months after the supreme court ruled that the president had no legal authority to impose them.The administration launched on Monday the digital claims system, named Cape, which they said in court filings could handle about 63% of affected import filings, with the remainder to follow. Continue reading...

Trump administration to launch online portal on Monday after supreme court struck down tariff policy earlier this yearDonald Trump said US negotiators will be in Pakistan on Monday, and he again threatened to destroy its power plants and bridges if no deal is reached.Trump did not say who would lead the delegation, but a White House official said it was vice-president JD Vance. Continue reading...

• A partial U.S. government shutdown continues, with furloughed federal workers facing delayed paychecks amid congressional deadlock on funding. • The standoff centers on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations, affecting air travel and federal operations. • Senators discuss a potential deal pairing government funding with long-term bills and a vote on health care tax credit extensions.

• Databricks announced a Series H funding round of $10 billion at a $43 billion valuation on April 18, led by existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, to accelerate development of its AI and data platform. • The funding will support expansion of Databricks' lakehouse architecture, which integrates data warehousing and data lakes, and fund aggressive hiring in engineering and sales across North America. • The round positions Databricks as one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies and signals strong investor confidence in the competitive data infrastructure market dominated by Snowflake and others.

• Perplexity AI announced a Series D funding round of $500 million at an $8.5 billion post-money valuation on April 19, led by prominent venture capital firms and strategic investors including Nvidia and Saudi PIF. • The funding will support expansion of Perplexity's AI search engine capabilities, development of enterprise API offerings, and geographic expansion into European and Asian markets with localized language models. • The round positions Perplexity as a serious challenger to Google Search and reflects growing investor confidence in AI-powered search alternatives and conversational information retrieval platforms.

• Satark AI, an India-based cybersecurity startup, raised pre-seed funding at a $4 million valuation to develop an AI-driven decision layer for reducing security alert noise. • The startup focuses on a critical enterprise security challenge: alert fatigue from excessive false positives that can slow incident response and waste analyst resources. • Satark AI's funding demonstrates investor confidence in AI-powered solutions targeting operational efficiency within security operations centers across global enterprises.