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By JOEY CAPPELLETTI

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump builds a crypto empire — including hosting a private dinner with top investors at his golf club — Democrats have united in condemning what they call blatant corruption from the White House.

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But the Democratic Party’s own relationship with the emerging crypto industry is far less cut and dried.

Work in the Republican-led Senate to legitimize cryptocurrency by adding guardrails has drawn backing from some Democrats, underscoring growing support for the industry in the party. But divisions have opened over the bill, with many demanding it prevent the Republican president and his family from directly profiting from cryptocurrency. read more

As the fracas between Elon Musk and President Trump escalated last week to the point of Musk threatening to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, NASA revealed even more delays to Dragon’s alternative, Boeing’s Starliner.

“NASA is assessing the earliest potential for a Starliner flight to the International Space Station in early 2026, pending system certification and resolution of Starliner’s technical issues,” according to a statement sent to media late Friday.

Though it didn’t mention SpaceX specifically, the statement — coupled with Musk’s threat — underscored the extraordinary degree to which NASA remains dependent on the private company for many of its key endeavors. It came after the fallout between the two powerful men sparked in part by Musk’s opposition to Trump’s so-call “Big Beautiful Bill” that critics including Musk say would increase federal spending.

Trump posted a threat on his Truth Social platform last week saying, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!” read more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — After stumbling out of the starting gate in Big Tech’s pivotal race to capitalize on artificial intelligence, Apple tried to regain its footing Monday during an annual developers conference that focused mostly on incremental advances and cosmetic changes in its technology.

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The presummer rite, which attracted thousands of developers from nearly 60 countries to Apple’s Silicon Valley headquarters, was more subdued than the feverish anticipation that surrounded the event during the previous two years. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting higher on Monday as the world’s two largest economies begin talks on trade that could help avoid a recession.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3% in afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was rose 58 points, or 0.1%, as of 1:06 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.

Officials from the United States and China are meeting in London to talk about a range of different disputes that are separating them. The hope is that they can eventually reach a deal that will lower each’s punishing level of tariffs against the other, which are currently on pause, so that the flow of everything from tiny tech gadgets to enormous machinery can continue.

Hopes that President Donald Trump will lower his tariffs after reaching such trade deals with countries around the world have been among the main reasons the S&P 500 has rallied so furiously since dropping roughly 20% from its record two months ago. It’s back within 2.1% of its all-time high, which was set in February, and it’s higher than it was before Trump shocked financial markets with his wide-ranging tariff announcement on what he called “Liberation Day.” read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Warner Bros. Discovery will calve off cable operations from its streaming service, creating two independent companies as the number of people “cutting the cord” brings with it a sustained upheaval in the entertainment industry.

HBO, and HBO Max, as well as Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, will become part of the streaming and studios company, Warner Bros. said Monday.

The cable company will include CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., and Discovery, top free-to-air channels across Europe, and digital products such as the Discovery+ streaming service and Bleacher Report.

Shares jumped 11% at the opening bell.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav will become serve as CEO of the company that for right now is called Streaming & Studios. Gunnar Wiedenfels, chief financial officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, will be CEO of the cable-focused entity, for now known as Global Networks.

“By operating as two distinct and optimized companies in the future, we are empowering these iconic brands with the sharper focus and strategic flexibility they need to compete most effectively in today’s evolving media landscape,” Zaslav said in a statement. read more