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President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated support for TikTok has sparked speculation about potential solutions to prevent the app’s impending ban in the United States, though the path forward remains unclear. “We got to keep this sucker around for a little while,” Trump told supporters on Sunday, just days after meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in Florida. Trump, who credits the wildly popular platform with delivering him a large young user base, opposes banning TikTok partly because he believes it would primarily benefit Meta, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company behind Instagram and Facebook. The situation is complex, according to University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias, given the various potential solutions and Trump’s unpredictable nature. Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation, signed by President Joe Biden in April, that would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless Beijing-based ByteDance sells its stake by January 19. US officials and lawmakers grew wary of the potential for the Chinese government to influence ByteDance or access the data of TikTok’s American users. President-elect Donald Trump once argued for a US ban on TikTok, but has recently expressed support for the popular video sharing platform – Copyright AFP JOSH EDELSON Even with Trump’s decisive election victory and incoming Republican-led Congress, acquiescing to the president-elect’s desire and preventing the ban faces significant hurdles. The law enjoyed rare bipartisan support in a divided Washington, making its outright repeal through a vote in Congress politically unlikely even with Trump’s influence over Republicans. The Supreme Court may offer the clearest path forward. TikTok has appealed to the nation’s highest court, arguing the law violates First Amendment rights to free speech. The court, which is dominated by Trump-aligned conservatives, will hear the case on January 10, just nine days before the ban takes effect. This follows a lower appeals court’s unanimous decision to uphold the law in December. Another possibility, according to Tobias, is that a Trump-led Department of Justice could determine ByteDance has addressed the law’s national security concerns. However, such a move would likely be seen as caving to China by Congress and others. The final option is ByteDance selling to a non-Chinese buyer, though the company has consistently refused this possibility. With 170 million monthly active users, acquiring TikTok’s US operations would require substantial resources. As president, Trump could extend the ban deadline by 90 days to facilitate a transaction. – ‘Deal of the Century’ – Few potential buyers have emerged, with major tech companies likely deterred by antitrust concerns. Former Trump Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, who runs a private equity fund backed by Japan’s SoftBank Group and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala sovereign wealth fund, has expressed interest. During a recent event with Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son pledged to invest $100 billion in the US economy, though specific investments weren’t detailed. Other contenders include US real estate billionaire Frank McCourt, who aims to make social media safer through his Project Liberty organization. Elon Musk, given his proximity to Trump and ownership of X, could also have a role to play, as he has expressed plans to transform the text-focused platform into something more like TikTok. A senior Republican lawmaker recently suggested Trump might orchestrate a “deal of the century” satisfying both US concerns and ByteDance’s interests. The chairman of the US House committee on China, John Moolenaar, told Fox News Digital that once ByteDance accepts it must comply with US law, the situation could progress rapidly. Any agreement would need Beijing’s approval, with US-China relations expected to remain tense during Trump’s upcoming term. This isn’t the first attempt to resolve TikTok’s US status. In 2020, Trump also threatened a ban unless ByteDance sold its US operations. While Oracle and Walmart reached a preliminary agreement with ByteDance for ownership stakes, legal challenges and the transition to the Biden administration prevented the deal’s completion. With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
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The Edo State Chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress are at loggerheads over allegations of party secretariat destruction. The Publicity Secretary of the Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, Chris Osa Nehikhare, in a statement on Thursday, alleged that the APC thugs invaded his party secretariat destroying and carting away properties worth millions of naira. He said the thugs also destroyed doors, windows, and office equipment at the Secretariat, adding that several electronics, computers and other valuable items were also carted away by the thugs, who ransacked the building with the plan to attack any person found in it. Nehikhare condemned the attack, describing it as a desperate and reckless attempt by the APC to intimidate the PDP and frustrate the party’s efforts at reclaiming its mandate stolen at the September 21 governorship election. He said, “It is quite disappointing and unfortunate that the APC, on Thursday, mobilised thugs to attack our party Secretariat in their desperation to frustrate and halt efforts by our great party to reclaim the mandate duly given to it by the Edo people at the September 21 governorship election. “The thugs invaded the secretariat, destroying and carting away properties worth millions of naira. “If the APC are confident that they won the election free and square, and have nothing to hide, why are they jittery and mobilising thugs to attack the PDP Secretariat? “This is barbaric and condemnable and we urge relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate the attack and ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to book. Related News PDP NWC rejects suspension of Cross River chairman DSS releases Adebutu from detention, says allegations baseless Ogun LG poll: PDP decries late distribution of materials “The PDP remains resolute and will not be intimidated or deterred in its pursuit for justice and the restoration of our mandate.” He charged party members and supporters to remain calm and resolute in the face of the provocations as the party explored every legal channel to reclaim its mandate. Responding in a phone interview with our correspondent, the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, described the allegation as baseless and urged the PDP to settle its internal problems, warning them not to drag the APC into their messy affair. He said it was absurd to label those who allegedly attacked the PDP office as APC thugs wondering if the thugs wore APC uniform or had APC paraphernalia on them. He noted that the APC government in the state has already embarked on a project the PDP government failed to carry, adding that his party was still basking in the euphoria of their victory and putting the state in the right part. He said, “How can the PDP say that the thugs that attacked their party secretariat are that of APC? Did the people have anything on them to show that they were APC members? The allegation is baseless and there is no proof. “The allegation is weighty and criminal in nature so the PDP should be sure they have proof before making the allegation. We will urge the PDP to sort out its internal problem and not drag the APC into it. “The APC government in the state is already embarking on a project that the PDP failed to do. These are projects that will better the lives of the people.”Ransomware attack on software supplier disrupts operations for Starbucks and other retailers
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