Companies Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel are engaged in active discussions aiming to maintain their potential merger valued at $14 billion. This development could lead to significant investments by the Japanese steel giant into the economy of the American Rust Belt. According to Semafor's report, recent negotiations with representatives from the White House revealed that Nippon Steel plans to increase its investments in modernizing American steel plants from $2.7 billion to $7 billion.