Can TikTok be saved from a U.S. ban?
Also: Japan's focus on sustainability, Paris Hilton's child abuse bill and Justice Jackson's broadway debut
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President Biden signed a bill giving TikTok a 270-day ultimatum: either it gets sold to a non-Chinese company or it’s banned in the U.S. entirely. That January 19 deadline is fast approaching, and the Supreme Court now holds the app’s fate in its hands. Here’s what you need to know:
Why is TikTok facing this ban?
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. U.S. officials are worried that sensitive user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. Yep, it’s all about national security.
What have the efforts been so far to reverse the impending ban?
TikTok sued the federal government, arguing that the ban violates First Amendment rights. However, on December 6, a panel of federal judges denied TikTok’s request to overturn the law, citing national security concerns. TikTok has now turned to the Supreme Court, which will review the case on January 10. The law would not go into effect until the Supreme Court makes a ruling.
What happens if the ban takes effect?
If the ban goes through, it’s game over for new downloads and updates—Apple and Google won’t carry TikTok in their app stores. Internet service providers will be prohibited from distributing or maintaining TikTok, which would eventually make it pretty much unusable in the U.S.
Can Trump stop this?
Trump once championed banning TikTok but has recently done a 180. He even said he has a “warm spot” for the app (weird, but okay?) and hinted he might help. He also met with TikTok’s CEO at Mar-a-Lago earlier this week.
Trump has a few potential options to stop the ban. He can ask the Justice Department to refrain from prosecuting violations of the law, though companies like Apple and Google could still face civil penalties. Trump could also try to push Congress to delay or repeal the law, or say that TikTok has divested from ByteDance, even if it’s not true.
Can TikTok be saved by a sale?
Technically, yes. But ByteDance says it has no plans to sell. Billionaire Frank McCourt and former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s investor group have shown interest, but, so far, no deals are in sight.
What would the impact be of a TikTok ban?
With 170 million U.S. users, the platform is huge. More Americans are getting their news from TikTok and many creators rely on it for income—whether through sponsorships, the Creator Fund, or TikTok Shop sales. A ban would force them to pivot to other platforms, like Instagram and YouTube, to keep their businesses afloat.
How are individual creators and journalists preparing for the worst?
Smart creators are already diversifying their presence. Take Vitus “V” Spehar of @underthedesknews, for example. They’re growing their YouTube, Instagram, and Substack followings while also running a podcast and dabbling in BlueSky and Snapchat.
So, what’s next for TikTok? All eyes are on the Supreme Court. Stay tuned—and maybe start bookmarking your fave creators on other platforms, just in case.
Dig deeper:
↪ TikTok’s long-shot strategy to escape US ban is down to SCOTUS and Trump (Yahoo Finance)
↪ Will The U.S. Ban TikTok? Here's The Latest—And What We Know (Forbes)
↪U.S. TikTokers are preparing for a ban by promoting their YouTube and Instagram channels (TubeFilter)
🌎 Around the world
➤ Iran pauses controversial new dress code law
The proposed new law - which would introduce harsher punishments for women and girls for exposing their hair, forearms or lower legs - had been heavily criticized by rights activists. (BBC)
➤ Bashar Assad is finished but Syria’s fight for democracy is just beginning
The country’s fragile, post-revolutionary landscape doesn’t inspire confidence. (Politico)
➤ Dozens of men are found guilty in mass rape case of French woman drugged by her husband
A French panel of judges found dozens of men guilty of raping a woman whose then-husband had drugged her unconscious over the course of a decade. The court sentenced the husband to a maximum 20 years of imprisonment. (NPR)
🗳️ Politics
➤ Government shutdown nears after Trump and Musk kill compromise
The federal government is careening toward a weekend government shutdown deadline as congressional Republicans, egged on by President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk, feud over legislation to keep agencies open over the Christmas holiday. (Washington Post)
➤ Biden just unveiled America’s ambitious new climate goal. Trump will assuredly undo it
The Biden administration just announced an aggressive target for the US to cut its planet-warming pollution over the next decade – a goal that will all but assuredly be reversed by President-elect Donald Trump in his first days in office. (CNN)
➤ Paris Hilton-backed bill targeting institutional child abuse passes Congress
"This moment is proof that our voices matter, that speaking out can spark change, and that no child should ever endure the horrors of abuse in silence," Hilton said in a post on Instagram. (USA Today)
🗞️ In other News
➤ New details emerge as the search for a motive drives Wisconsin school shooting investigation
The Abundant Life Christian School remains a crime scene Thursday as detectives search for a motive in the deadly Monday morning shooting carried out by a student and probe her possible links to a man who – according to an Associated Press report – authorities believe was planning another mass shooting in California. (CNN)
➤ FAA bans drone flights in much of New Jersey
The restrictions, which are in effect until January 17, impact more than 22 communities across the Garden State and prevent drones from flying within one nautical mile and up to 400 feet within the restricted areas. The news comes after thousands of reports of "mystery drones" over the US East Coast for the past month have sparked concern from locals and lawmakers. (Business Insider)
⚕️Health and wellness
➤ Over two-thirds of US teens don’t drink, smoke or use marijuana — but this one vice is gaining ground: survey
Roughly two-thirds of high school seniors said they hadn’t drunk alcohol or used marijuana or tobacco products in the past month — marking the greatest percentage of sober teens since the annual survey began documenting substance use in 2017. But the one outlier among illicit substances teens are turning to at a higher rate is nicotine pouches such as the popular brand Zyn. Still, the amount of 12th graders using Zyn and other pouches increased from just 3% in 2023 to 6% this year, according to the survey. (New York Post)
➤ What we just found out about the possible tie between microplastics and cancer
When a car rolls down a freeway, a fine spray of microplastics spews out from its tires. When you wash your clothes, millions of tiny synthetic microfibers spill into waterways. And those tiny pieces of plastic may be harming our health, a new study shows. (Washington Post)
👩💻 Technology
➤ Google Street View captures a man loading a bag into a trunk. arrests follow
The image, from northern Spain, showed a man with a white bag in the trunk of a car. The National Police said it helped them solve a missing-person case. (New York Times)
More about our sponsor:
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⭐ Gen Z in the Spotlight
➤ Montana Supreme Court affirms decision in historic youth climate case
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a district court ruling in the nation’s first constitutional climate change trial, affirming that the youth plaintiffs have a “fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment” while revoking two Montana statutes. (Stateline)
➤ National anti-violence activist David Hogg launches bid for DNC leadership
Hogg is running for DNC vice chair. He gained national notoriety after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. (NBC News)
🎓 College Corner
➤ “Please Admit”: New lawsuit filing alleges Georgetown President creates list of wealthy applicants to receive admission
Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Georgetown and 16 other universities filed a new motion in federal court on Dec. 16, alleging that former President John J. DeGioia created a list of wealthy or legacy students to be admitted to Georgetown. (Georgetown Voice)
➤ Share of Black Harvard Law students drops in first class after affirmative action ruling
The share of Black students enrolled in Harvard Law’s J.D. Class of 2027 fell by more than 4 percentage points compared to the previous year, according to enrollment data released by the school on Monday. (Harvard Crimson)
🍿Pop Culture
➤ Disney Pulls transgender storyline from Pixar’s ‘Win or Lose’ streaming series
A spokesperson for Disney confirmed that the story arc was removed and provided the following statement to THR: “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.” (Hollywood Reporter)
➤ Caitlin Clark responds After Megyn Kelly attacks her comments on white privilege as ‘fake’
"One of my best skills is just blocking things out," the basketball star said at an event in New York City on Dec. 11 (People)
➤ Cynthia Erivo just opened up about why it was so important for Elphaba To have micro braids In “Wicked”
In the stage show, Elphaba traditionally has long and wavy black hair, but Cynthia said that in the movie, she “wanted something more connected to the person underneath” the green makeup — herself. The star wanted to honor not only herself but also Black women everywhere by giving them something meaningful to connect with, which is why she requested Elphaba be given micro braids. (Buzzfeed)
➤ Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Supreme Court justice on Broadway: ‘We have dreams’
Jackson made her Broadway debut Saturday with a one-night-only role in the jukebox musical “& Juliet,” which, according to Playbill, “flips the script on the William Shakespeare classic, imagining what would happen next if Juliet hadn’t ended it all over Romeo.” (LA Times)
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