The day: US Attorney General blames tech giants

Secretary of Justice William Barr has warned US companies of too close ties with China. "American business leaders may not consider themselves lobbyists (…), but you should be wary of how they could be used," Barr said in a speech. And you should consider what consequences efforts in the interest of a foreign government could entail. The minister threw large technology companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo as well as the US entertainment giant Walt Disney, willing to cooperate with the communist leadership in Beijing to serve Chinese interests. Hollywood and the tech companies had allowed themselves to become the "ball of Chinese influence" – in favor of short-term profits and at the expense of the freedom and openness of the United States.