The Senate will look different in 2025. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has led the chamber's Republicans for nearly a generation, but he's stepping down from leadership — and leaving a divisive legacy behind.

McConnell used his power to "shift the country to the right during his 17-year tenure," said the Financial Times. He blocked Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court during Barack Obama's presidency, paving the way for conservatives to cement a 6-3 supermajority on the court that ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade. He also pulled back from voting on Donald Trump's impeachment after the Jan. 6 attack. 

Preferring 'pragmatic Reaganism'
As GOP leader, McConnell was a key figure in passing bipartisan legislation, including bank bailouts during the Great Recession, military aid to Ukraine, and Joe Biden's infrastructure bill. But he did "considerable damage to democratic norms, practices and institutions" in Washington, notably helping clear the way for massive campaign spending by billionaires and special interests, said Glenn C. Altschuler at The Hill. 

The GOP leader "struggled with the rise of populism in his party," said Kevin R. Kosar at The Washington Examiner, preferring "pragmatic Reaganism." He and Trump never liked each other, and the Jan. 6 insurrection "appalled McConnell." But he felt he couldn't break with Trump's "fervid supporters" and refused to endorse an impeachment. 

McConnell is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, but he remains unpopular with Americans. His generation of politicians, including Nancy Pelosi and Biden, "calcified American politics," holding onto power too long, said Malcom Kyeyune at UnHerd. That helped make the system "immune to reform." 

'Ready to pick fights'
McConnell will remain in the Senate even though he's leaving leadership. He's "ready to pick his own fights," said The New York Times, and perhaps ready to scrap with Trump. McConnell said he's "liberated" from having to keep GOP senators together and can now strike out on his own. 

He seems particularly inclined to combat Trump's willingness to pull America back from NATO and the defense of Ukraine. "America's national security interests face the gravest array of threats since the Second World War," McConnell said in a recent speech.

China just escalated its so-called chip war with the U.S. Beijing is launching an antitrust investigation of Nvidia, the American chipmaker whose products power the AI revolution.

The new investigation may be "seen as a retaliation" against recent U.S. moves to limit the sale of AI technology to China, said Axios. China has a "long history" of using antitrust investigations to retaliate against American regulations. One wrinkle: The U.S. government is also reportedly investigating Nvidia for possible antitrust violations.

What did the commentators say?
China has "trade weapons to fight back," Stephen Bartholomeusz said at The Sydney Morning Herald. The U.S. has been working to "close off China's access to the most advanced semiconductors." 

The Nvidia investigation is a sign that Beijing has the power to "hit back" by targeting "one of America's most valuable companies." Nvidia is an easy target: It controls 90% of the advanced semiconductor market around the world.

The world's economic superpowers are now "locked in a battle over computer chips," Ian King and Debby Wu said at Bloomberg. China is vulnerable, so despite a "spending spree" on chip-making, the country's manufacturers "still depend on U.S. and other foreign technology." America has used export controls and import tariffs to try to cement its advantage. That tactic might continue, King and Wu said. 

What next?
The antitrust investigation is a signal from Beijing that China is showing its "capacity to retaliate and deter potential further U.S. aggressive actions," Angela Zhang, a law professor at the University of Southern California, said to The Wall Street Journal. The investigation could "boomerang" by pushing the U.S. and China to accelerate the "economic decoupling" between the two countries.

Indeed, business groups are now calling for Chinese companies to quit buying American chips altogether, said The New York Times. American chip products are "no longer safe and reliable," the China Semiconductor Industry Association said in a statement. That may be tough, said the Times. "No Chinese company has been able to make chips as advanced as Nvidia's."