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Trump’s Chip Deal Sets New Pay-to-Play Precedent for U.S. Exporters  (Gerrit De Vynck and Jacob Bogage, Washinton Post)
The president expanded his unorthodox trade policy and reversed his previous national security stance by having top chipmakers pay the government for permission to sell to China.
In one fell swoop, the president indicated that he believes companies can be expected to pay their own government a slice of overseas sales despite a constitutional prohibition on export taxes, and overrode years of bipartisan concern about China’s threat to American leadership in artificial intelligence.
The deals will see Nvidia, the world’s top producer of chips for AI, and competitor Advanced Micro Devices hand the U.S. government 15 percent of their revenue from selling certain chips in China. Trade and national security experts expressed concern Trump might use similar deals to wring concessions from other American tech firms or exporters.
Liza Tobin, who was appointed China director on Trump’s National Security Council in 2019 and continued in that role under President Joe Biden until 2021, called the deals “a dangerous precedent.
“These are national security restrictions on sensitive technology, and now we are basically putting them up for sale where major corporations can pay a fee and get rid of them, she said.

Why Doesn’t the U.S. Government Know How Many People Die in Custody?  (Josie Norton, The Marshall Project)
Under the Death in Custody Reporting Act, the government is supposed to track how many people die in law enforcement custody —but the data is a mess.

To Find People to Deport, ICE Is Increasingly Turning to Old, Low-Level Arrests by Local Police  (Philadelphia Inquirer)
The number of illegal reentry prosecutions filed in Philadelphia’s federal courthouse this year is at its highest level in at least two decades, data show.

Texas, Florida Hit with Far More ICE Arrests Than California. But That’s Not the Whole Story  (Los Angeles Times)
California arrests lag behind states such as Texas and Florida, because those states started with more arrests. They also have a stronger record of cooperation.

Kari Lake’s Attempt to Deport Her Own Employees  (Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic)
“Their time here is up,” she said of J-1 visa holders who worked for Voice of America.

The Black Market for Fake Science Is Growing Faster Than Legitimate Research, Study Warns  (Fernanda González, Wired)
A small but growing number of academics are improperly taking credit for articles, citations, and authorships, allowing them to appear prestigious without having conducted their own research.

How Far Does the US Military Have to Go to Catch Up on Drones?  (Jeff Schogol, Task & Purpose)
The Defense Department is just now trying to play catchup to Ukraine and Israel in using small drones on the battlefield, but it has its work cut for it.

California Woman Who Led White Supremacist Terror Group Pleads Guilty to Several Charges  (Richard Ramos, CBS News)
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that a California woman who led a transnational white supremacist terror group has pleaded guilty to a sweeping list of charges, including soliciting both hate crimes and the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Dallas Humber, 35, of Elk Grove, is the leader of the Terrorgram Collective. She faces up to 30 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5.