A bipartisan bill that could see TikTok banned in the United States has passed the US House of Representatives by a vote of 325-65. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would demand that TikTok divest from its Chinese parent company. If the company refused, the app would become unavailable in the United States. The bill was proposed on the basis of protecting the data of American users from the Chinese. However, many opponents have labeled the bill as Sinophobic fearmongering.
However, the popular short-form video app is safe for the time being. The bill must now pass the Senate, where there is much less clear-cut support for the legislation. A spokesperson for Tiktok has already urged senators to reject the bill. "This process was secret and the bill was jammed through for one reason: It's a ban. We are hopeful the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents, and realize the impact on the economy. Seven million small businesses and 170 million Americans use our service," the spokesperson told the BBC.
Read More: TikToker Roasted After Trying To Shame Steph Curry For "Ignoring" 8-Year-Old
Joe Biden's Energetic State Of The Union Has Republicans Pedaling Cocaine Conspiracies
Of course, it's been a busy week in US politics. After months of theories claiming that President Joe Biden had dementia, Republicans pivoted to a new attack after an energetic State of the Union address last week. Several Republican influencers, highlighted by Media Matters For America's Matthew Gertz, began suggesting that Biden was under the influence. "I think I just got to the bottom of the untraceable little baggie found at the White House," wrote Fox host Julie Banderas.
Biden, who finds himself between right-wing critics attacking him on border control and left-wing critics attacking him on Gaza, came out swinging in his annual address to Congress. Furthermore, amongst the topics addressed were a warning to Vladimir Putin, a promise to restore Roe v. Wade, and the announcement of a temporary seaport to circumvent the Israeli blockade of Gaza. However, the official Republican response, delivered by Alabama Senator Katie Britt, took aim at Biden's immigration record and tried to champion the GOP as the "defenders of women".
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