1 month ago
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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Apple has blocked Fortnite’s submission to the App Store in the U.S. and European Union (EU), preventing its release on iOS devices. The move comes just four years after a U.S. federal court found that Apple had engaged in anticompetitive behavior towards Epic Games, the parent company of Fortnite, and will likely spark a new round of litigation and antitrust allegations.
👥 Who’s Involved: Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, and Apple.
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📍 Where & When: Online platforms in the U.S. and EU; announcement made early Friday morning.
💬 Key Quote: “Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union,” according to Fortnite’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
⚠️ Impact: Fortnite will remain offline for iOS users worldwide until Apple reverses its decision.
IN FULL:
Fortnite, the globally popular video game developed by Epic Games, has been blocked from the U.S. App Store and Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union (EU) by Apple, according to a statement shared by the company on its X (formerly Twitter) account early Friday morning. The move by Apple is the first escalation in several years in an ongoing dispute between the two companies, which saw an antitrust lawsuit in 2021 conclude with a U.S. federal court determining Apple had engaged in anticompetitive behavior but did not constitute a monopoly.
The post stated, “Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union.” As a result, the game will remain offline for iOS users worldwide until Apple lifts the restriction.
Epic Games revealed that it submitted Fortnite for review last week in an effort to launch the game on the App Store in the U.S. However, Apple has not yet provided a public explanation or responded to requests for comment regarding the decision to block the submission.
Fortnite, which has millions of players globally, is currently inaccessible on iOS devices due to this development. While the tensions between Apple and Epic Games have lain dormant for several years, this move by Apple is likely to renew allegations of monopolistic behavior and, potentially, a new round of antitrust litigation.
In 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers held that while Apple’s App Store did not constitute an anticompetitive monopoly, its anti-steering policies limited competition and were ordered eliminated. Anti-steering is when an online retailer bars consumers from being directed by an app to an external, online storefront.
If the litigation proceeds, it could become one of the first significant antitrust cases under the second Trump administration.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump announced that his administration will inform U.S. trade partners as to what tariff rates their exports will face in the next several weeks.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and leaders from the Middle East, the United Kingdom, China, and elsewhere.
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📍 Where & When: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; May 16, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “We have 150 countries that want to make a deal—but you’re not able to see that many countries. So at a certain point over the next two to three weeks, I think Scott and Howard will be sending letters out essentially telling people—and we’ll be very fair—but we’ll be telling people what they’ll be paying to do business in the United States,” Trump said.
⚠️ Impact: The administration plans to dictate trade terms to numerous countries in the coming weeks, impacting global trade dynamics and continuing its ‘America First’ agenda.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump announced that his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, will inform around 150 nations within the next month regarding the U.S. tariff rate on their exports. The comments were made early Friday morning on May 16, as President Trump departed Abu Dhabi—the final leg of his Middle East tour in which he secured more than a trillion dollars in investments into the United States.
“We just reached a fantastic trade deal with the United Kingdom. And we have another big one that we reached with China. At the same time, we have 150 countries that want to make a deal—but you’re not able to see that many countries,” Trump said shortly before he departed from the Middle East. “So, at a certain point over the next two to three weeks, I think Scott and Howard will be sending letters out essentially telling people—and we’ll be very fair—but we’ll be telling people what they’ll be paying to do business in the United States.”
Trump reiterated, “It’s not possible to meet the number of people who want to see us.”
Trump: And we have.. 150 countries that want to make a deal but you’re not able to see that many countries so at a certain point over the next two to three weeks… we’ll be telling people what they will be paying to do business in the United States. pic.twitter.com/iZdCfb8ksh
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 16, 2025
Shortly after announcing a 10 percent global tariff and even higher country-specific reciprocal tariffs in early April, the Trump White House moved to pause the trade duties after most nations around the world scrambled to open talks for bilateral trade agreements. While the higher reciprocal tariffs were set aside for 90 days, the 10 percent global tariff has remained in place for nearly every country that engages in trade with the U.S.
Last week, President Trump finalized a significant bilateral trade agreement with the United Kingdom—a deal that had been sought by the United States ever since Great Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU). Under the terms of the agreement, the United States has been given unprecedented influence over the United Kingdom’s supply chains, with provisions regarding ownership structure and security guarantees appearing to be targeted at excluding Chinese suppliers.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, the United States and China agreed to dramatically lower the trade barriers the two nations had erected against one another for 90 days. Under the agreement, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods dropped from 145 percent to 30 percent, while China reduced its levies from 125 percent to 10 percent. The move aims to de-escalate tensions from the ongoing trade dispute.
While the renewed possibility of higher tariff rates on U.S. trade partners is likely to stoke a new round of market volatility, recent hard data has clearly indicated that the tariffs have had little to no impact on inflation and, in fact, appear to be deflationary.
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English (US) ·