Tuesday briefing: US to crack down on TikTok
Republicans are planning the American TikTok crackdown
Republicans in the House of Representatives plan to vote this week on legislation that would force TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest or be banned from the US, even after Donald Trump spoke out strongly against banning the platform.
“We must ensure that the Chinese government cannot weaponize TikTok against American users and our government through data collection and propaganda,” said Representative Steve Scalise, House Majority Leader.
Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, said the House would try to expedite passage of the bill. The approach reflected the growing momentum behind the bill during an election year when members of both parties want to show they are tough on China. President Biden has said he would sign the legislation.
But Trump, who as president once promised to ban the platform, now vocally opposes the bill. He gave a lengthy explanation for his about-face yesterday, saying he did not want to alienate young voters or give more power to Facebook, which he views as an arch enemy. The fight will test his ability to continue leaving bipartisan legislation off the campaign trail.
Context: The bill is one of several attempts over the past year to restrict TikTok over concerns that its parent company’s relationship with Beijing poses national security risks.
Fight back: Last week, TikTok asked its users to flood Congress’ phone lines and ask members not to shut down the platform.
A manipulated royal photo
Catherine, Princess of Wales, apologized yesterday for faking a photo of herself with her three children shared by Kensington Palace. News media withdrew the photo from their articles hours later, citing the edits.
It was Catherine’s first official photo since before she underwent abdominal surgery two months ago. And it turned out to be a royal blunder, writes our London bureau chief. Even before her apology, memes of “non-manipulated” photos filled the internet. One showed a bored-looking Catherine smoking with a group of children.
If the photo was intended to quell speculation about Catherine’s health – she hasn’t been seen in public since last year – it had the opposite effect. It sparked even more rumors and conspiracy theories and set off a new storm for a royal family that has gone from one self-created crisis to another.
Some significant edits: Catherine did not appear to be wearing her wedding ring. Part of one of her daughter’s sleeves was missing or misaligned.
Ukraine could soon fly some F-16s
Ukraine could deploy F-16 fighter jets this summer. But despite promises from European allies, delivering the planes and training the pilots has proven difficult. Ukraine could start with just six F-16s, out of about 45 promised.
The jets could help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, which has used more aggressive air support in recent weeks to gain ground in the east. The F-16s would also likely be armed with missiles and bombs, which would partially offset Ukraine’s shortage of ground munitions.
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