President Joe Biden’s administration has officially notified Congress of its intention to forgive Ukraine’s $4.65 billion debt, a move tied to ongoing efforts to support the country amid its conflict with Russia.

This debt represents half of the $9 billion provided to Kyiv as part of the $61 billion aid package approved by Washington in April. Unlike other forms of assistance, this funding was issued as conditionally repayable loans, with provisions allowing the United States President to cancel up to 50% of the debt if deemed necessary.

In a statement, the U.S. State Department explained that the debt cancellation is intended to “help Ukraine win” and serves the national interests of the U.S., the EU, G7+, and NATO.”

According to Bloomberg, President Biden is determined to maximize aid to Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office. However, the decision to write off the debt has drawn sharp criticism from Republicans.

Republican Senator Rand Paul argued that the Biden administration’s decision places undue financial burden on the American public. He pledged to demand a vote in the Senate to challenge the proposal.

Despite this, Bloomberg notes that any effort to overturn the debt cancellation would require approval from both houses of Congress, a scenario that appears unlikely given the Democratic majority in the Senate. Furthermore, President Biden holds veto power, making reversal of the decision even more challenging.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced plans to exhaust all remaining aid approved by Congress before President Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized that one of the administration’s key goals is to position Ukraine as strongly as possible—both militarily and at the negotiating table.

Pentagon officials reported that $9.3 billion in military aid is currently in the pipeline. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh confirmed plans for weekly arms deliveries to Kyiv, with the aim of expediting aid distribution before the presidential transition.

On November 20, the Pentagon unveiled an additional $275 million military aid package for Ukraine, further underscoring the administration’s commitment to strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) may move forward with plans to force the sale of Google’s Chrome web browser as part of its ongoing antitrust case against Alphabet (Google).

According to sources familiar with the case, the department intends to ask the judge—who ruled in August that Google illegally monopolized the search market—to address concerns related to artificial intelligence (AI) and the Android smartphone operating system. This information was reported by Bloomberg.

Antitrust officials, along with participating state attorneys, are expected to recommend that federal Judge Amit Mehta impose data licensing requirements on Google. These officials have indicated that Chrome, the world’s most widely used browser, is a critical gateway for many users accessing Google Search. For this reason, they are urging the judge to mandate the sale of Chrome.

Officials stated that a Chrome sale could be considered later if other settlement measures fail to foster a more competitive market. Currently, Google Chrome commands a dominant 61% share of the U.S. browser market, according to StatCounter, a web traffic analysis service.

Over the past three months, state attorneys interviewed numerous companies to prepare their recommendations. Officials noted that some recommendations are still under review, and details may evolve before submission.

While a proposal to force Google to sell its Android platform was considered, officials have since stepped back from this more aggressive option.

If Judge Mehta adopts these recommendations, the ruling could significantly reshape the online search market and influence the emerging artificial intelligence industry.

The case, originally filed during the Trump administration and continued under President Joe Biden, represents one of the most aggressive efforts to regulate a major tech company in decades. The last comparable attempt was Washington’s unsuccessful bid to break up Microsoft in the early 2000s.

Chrome plays a crucial role in Google’s advertising business by providing user data that enhances ad targeting, a primary revenue source. Additionally, Google has been leveraging Chrome to promote Gemini, its new AI bot. Gemini has the potential to evolve from a simple answer bot to a comprehensive assistant, supporting users across the web.

Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Mandeep Singh estimates that Chrome could be worth $15–20 billion if sold, considering its more than 3 billion monthly active users. However, Bob O’Donnell of TECHnalysis Research notes that Chrome’s value depends on its integration with other services, stating: “It’s not directly monetizable. It acts as a gateway to other things. Monetization would depend on how buyers link Chrome to their services.”

Google has strongly opposed the DOJ’s recommendations. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, criticized the move as government overreach, arguing: “This agenda goes far beyond the legal issues in this case and will harm consumers, developers, and American technological leadership at a critical time.”

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt echoed this sentiment in an interview with CNBC. He emphasized the value of Chrome in enhancing the Google ecosystem, stating: “Singling out these companies won’t fundamentally solve the broader issues.”

In a blog post, Google warned that under new ownership, Chrome might no longer remain free or receive the same level of investment, potentially leading to a shift in its business model.

Muslim supporters of President-elect Donald Trump have expressed deep disappointment with his cabinet selections, according to US Muslim leaders interviewed by Reuters. These leaders are protesting the administration’s pro-Israel stance, including its support for Israel’s war in Gaza and attacks on Lebanon.

“Trump won because of us, and we are not happy with his choices for secretary of state and other positions,” said Rabiul Chowdhury, a Philadelphia investor who chaired the Abandon Harris campaign in Pennsylvania and co-founded Muslims for Trump.

Muslim support for Trump was a key factor in helping him win Michigan and may have contributed to victories in other swing states, strategists say.

For secretary of state, Trump chose Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel. Rubio has stated he would not call for a ceasefire in Gaza and believes Israel should destroy “every element” of Hamas, referring to its members as “wild animals.”

Trump also nominated former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a pro-Israel conservative, as the next ambassador to Israel. Huckabee has voiced support for Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and has dismissed the two-state solution as “unworkable.”

Additionally, Republican Representative Elise Stefanik, who has called the UN a “cesspool of anti-Semitism,” was selected as the US ambassador to the UN.

Rexhinaldo Nazarko, executive director of the American Muslim Engagement and Empowerment Network (AMEEN), stated that Muslim voters had hoped Trump would appoint cabinet members committed to peace, but so far, there are no signs of that. “We are disappointed,” Nazarko said, adding that the new administration appears filled with “neo-conservatives” and “extremely pro-Israel, pro-war individuals.” Nazarko emphasized that the community would continue to push for an end to the war in Gaza.

Hassan Abdel Salam, a former University of Minnesota professor and co-founder of the Abandon Harris campaign, said that while Trump’s staffing plans were unsurprising, they are proving “more extreme” than he feared. “Obviously, we’re still waiting to see where the administration goes, but it looks like our community has been played,” Salam said.

Some Muslim and Arab Trump supporters had hoped that Richard Grenell, Trump’s former acting director of national intelligence, would play a key role. Grenell had spent months reaching out to Muslim and Arab American communities, even being introduced at events as a potential secretary of state.

Another notable Trump ally, Massad Boulos—the Lebanese father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany—has also met repeatedly with Arab American and Muslim leaders. Both Grenell and Boulos had promised these communities that Trump was a peace candidate who would act swiftly to end wars in the Middle East and beyond.

Trump made several visits to cities with large Arab-American and Muslim populations, including Dearborn, Michigan, where he expressed his affection for Muslims, and Pittsburgh, where he called Muslims a “beautiful movement.”

Mayor Bill Bazzi of neighboring Dearborn Heights, a Trump supporter, stated that he had met the president-elect three times and still believed Trump would work to end the war, despite his cabinet appointments.

Rola Makki, the Lebanese-American Muslim vice chair of the Michigan Republican Party’s outreach arm, agreed. “I don’t think everyone will be happy with every appointment Trump makes, but the end result is what matters,” Makki said.