Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story  Musk emerges as Trump foreign policy wild card Elon Musk has increasingly waded into foreign politics from the perch of his social platform X — a development that experts say likely raises questions for U.S. allies about his role in foreign policy in the incoming Trump administration.  © AP Photo/Evan Vucci Musk, who has become a central player in President-elect Trump’s inner circle since backing his presidential bid last year, has thrown his weight behind far-right parties in both the United Kingdom and Germany in recent weeks.    “Certainly there’s an interdependent relationship between Musk and Trump, as we saw during the U.S. presidential election,” said Garret Martin, co-director of American University’s Transatlantic Policy Center.   “I think Musk has a rather large megaphone with X. He has a large number of followers, and he has deep pockets. So I think it’s a rather helpful tool.”    “But, you know, Musk is a bit of a loose cannon. I mean, he seems to be following his own ambitions and his own goals, which may not always be exactly identical to those of Trump. So for that reason, I think it’s really a double-edged sword.”   Since pouring at least $250 million into Trump’s campaign, Musk has become a fixture at Trump’s side. The tech billionaire is set to co-chair the brand-new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) in the incoming administration, dedicated to slashing government costs.    However, Musk’s role seems to go far beyond the cost-cutting commission, with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO reportedly joining Trump on calls with foreign leaders since the election.    “I think that foreign governments are watching it and trying to figure out where the balance of power is within Trump World. They take Musk more seriously than just a billionaire mouthing off, but they don’t regard it necessarily as policy,” said former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried.     Read more in a full report at TheHill.com on Thursday morning.   Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   Biden: Biggest regret failing to counter misinformation, including from Trump President Biden in an interview published Wednesday reflected on the highs and lows of his administration, stating his biggest regret was failing to challenge misinformation — including claims touted by President-elect Trump about the New Year’s Day attacks. “I mean, again, it’s the nature of the change in the way information is transmitted,” Biden said in an exclusive interview with USA Today. “And …  Full Story   Port strike looms ahead of Trump inauguration Tens of thousands of longshoremen could walk off the job from Maine to Texas next week if their union and management can’t resolve long-running contract issues. A damaging strike that kicks off a few days before President-elect Trump takes office could be his first economic test, with big business bristling at the economic toll that’s been threatened by the head of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), who …  Full Story   Some Facebook users now allowed to see eBay listings in Marketplace Meta on Wednesday announced some Facebook users will be able to view eBay listings on its Marketplace features just months after the European Commission slammed the social media company with a hefty anti-competition fine. The test is slated to begin Wednesday for some Facebook users in Germany, France and the United States, who will be able to browse eBay listings directly on Facebook Marketplace and complete the transition …  Full Story   Meta changes hate speech rules, dropping LGBTQ protections Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, dropped some LGBTQ protections from its hate speech rules Tuesday amid a wider overhaul of the social media giant’s content moderation practices.  Under its newly updated policies on hateful conduct, Meta will allow users to accuse LGBTQ individuals of being mentally ill despite otherwise prohibiting such content.  “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality …  Full Story   The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:   Political recs coming to Threads, Insta CEO says Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said Wednesday political content will be added to recommendations on both Instagram and Threads as part of Meta's content moderation changes, The Verge reports.    FTC's Khan confident Big Tech scrutiny will last Outgoing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan told The Washington Post on Wednesday she expects the scrutiny of Big Tech companies to remain after she departs the agency later this month.    On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The Brookings Institute will host a virtual conversation about how artificial intelligence will impact security relations between the U.S. and China on Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET.    In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: California authorities warn of Amber alert scam targeting parents The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is warning parents about scammers using the fear of child abduction to gain sensitive information. CHP officials said scammers are posing as “AMBER Alert representatives” and contacting parents with an offer to register their children in a database in the event that the child goes missing or is taken. These scammers are also requesting personal information and even requesting meetups at parents’ … Full Story   What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Germany warns Trump after Greenland takeover threat German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sent a warning to President-elect Trump over border rules as the incoming president continues his threat of taking over … Read more Mexico’s president hits back at Trump over ‘Gulf of America’: ‘We’re going to call it Mexican America’ Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum dove into President-elect Trump’s chatter of geopolitical rearrangement Wednesday, proposing a name change for … Read more     You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!