Lauren Spencer Smith released the music video for her song “Best Friend Breakup,” which features her looking at mementos from a friendship that ended and falling into an emotional spiral.
Kelly Clarkson threw it back to 1995 by covering the Smashing Pumpkins‘ “1979” on her daytime talk show. The singer opted for a simpler performance, with just her backing band and select lights to illuminate the stage.
Nick Jonas is taking dad duty very seriously and gave his baby, Maltie,the grand backstage tour of the Jonas Brothers‘ Las Vegas residency. Wife Priyanka Chopra shared the adorable moment to her Instagram.
Taylor Swift released the Through the Eras merchandise on her online store to further hype fans for her tour, which kicks off in a few weeks. Taylor is selling T-shirts that celebrate each of her albums, as well as hoodies, sweatpants, blankets, nail gems, activity books and more.
Lewis Capaldi has been called several things, but the singer revealed on TikTok a “random guy came up to me and said I looked like Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter.” Lewis then shared an image of the character actor Brendan Gleeson played in the film and deadpanned, “I kinda get it.”
Ed Sheeran surprised the St Kilda Football Club Saints in celebration of their 150th anniversary. The club shared a video of Ed meeting the team, who gifted him — and his daughters — some team merchandise.
Ava Max dropped the music video for “Weapons,” which fans can watch on her official Facebook.
John Mellencamp is continuing his very public support of farmers. The Farm Aid co-founder and board member is set to join farmers, ranchers and farmworkers in Washington, D.C., on March 7 at the Rally for Resilience: Farmers for Climate Action.
Mellencamp, who is currently on his Live and In Person tour, is expected to perform and offer some remarks at the rally, which kicks off at Freedom Plaza at 11 a.m. ET.
The rally comes as Congress begins work on the 2023 Farm Bill. It is part of a three-day gathering starting March 6, which also includes cultural events and a demonstration of climate-friendly farming practices.
“As a Farm Aid board member, I’ve been to Washington a few times to ask for farmer voices to be heard. I hope on March 7, members of Congress hear farmers and ranchers loud and clear,” Mellencamp shares. “If we want a better world, it starts with us.”
He adds, “Farmers know this. They have the tools and know-how to better our climate future, but they can’t do it alone. Policymakers — and all of us — need to support the solutions they can deliver.”
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Republicans, joined by some Democratic colleagues, may soon send legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk to rescind changes to Washington, D.C.’s criminal code that were opposed by the district’s mayor but overwhelmingly supported by its city council.
The Senate legislation, being led in the chamber by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., would roll back a newly-passed package that, among other things, expands the requirement for jury trials and reduces penalties for some violent crimes, including robberies and carjackings, while punishments for other crimes would increase.
The so-called crime bill, which has been worked on for more than 16 years by local officials and was unanimously passed by the city council last year, has come under fire from some lawmakers and activists in D.C. — including Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat.
Under the district’s unique status, Congress has ultimate jurisdiction over its laws.
Congressional republicans say the new criminal code will worsen public safety in the nation’s capital while its supporters, including on the city council, have said it is a necessary and nuanced set of revisions to century-old laws. (Experts say the underlying data shows the reality of how criminal sentencing is imposed is more complicated than it may appear when comparing the new and old criminal codes.)
The House’s Republican majority, along with 31 House Democrats, last month approved a bill to block the new criminal code.
On Monday, Senate Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia breathed new life into the legislation’s prospects of passing the chamber, narrowly controlled by Democrats, by announcing his intention to support it.
“You’ve got to send a signal you’re not going to slap them [criminals] on the wrist. They know exactly what they can get by with all over the country,” Manchin said.
The proposal is expected to come to the Senate floor under a special procedural tool that exempts it from some of the usual hurdles. It will only require a simple majority of votes to pass.
With Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., out for an indefinite length of time while he receives treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Manchin’s support coupled with that of all Republicans in the chamber clears a pathway for passage.
Separately, when asked if he would support the GOP effort to quash the new criminal code and oppose his party’s leadership, Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester said, “It’s not looking good.” But he did add that he needed to get briefed by his staff.
Joe Biden’s administration has said it opposes such a move without guaranteeing a veto. That sets up a potentially fraught political predicament for the president, who is expected to soon announce his 2024 campaign, given how Republicans have and continue to emphasize public safety and crime as major concerns.
Both Manchin and Tester are also up for reelection next year in states where the GOP dominates.
“Democrats want to debate anything and everything besides violent crime itself, because the modern Democratic Party and its coalitions have decided it’s more important to have compassion for serial violent felons than for innocent citizens who just want to live their lives,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said during a floor speech on Monday focused on the D.C. law. “That’s the issue here: a binary choice. Should we be softer on crime, like Democrats want, at the local, state and federal levels? Or should we be tougher on crime, like Republicans and the American people want?”
Hagerty said Tuesday he expects a vote on his bill could come up in the Senate as soon as next week. He’s confident it will pass, with the support of perhaps even more than one Democrat, he said on Tuesday.
“I think a number of Democrats are looking at this very hard,” he said. “The attempt by some to conflate D.C. statehood and what should be just public safety concerns I think is very misguided, and I think some of my colleagues are waking up to that.”
Hagerty was referring to a renewed push among some in D.C. to grant the district statehood so that it would not be subject to Congress’ authority over its laws.
The White House previously issued a statement decrying congressional action on D.C.’s criminal code.
“Congress should respect the District of Columbia’s autonomy to govern its own local affairs,” read an administration statement issued last month, which advocated for D.C. statehood.
During a press gaggle on Tuesday, White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton referred reporters back to that statement.
“But broadly speaking, the president has been clear that we have to do more to reduce crime and save lives and he has outlined how he anticipates we should do so in his ‘safer America’ plan,” Dalton said.
Many Senate Democrats share the administration’s view that D.C. ought to be able to govern itself.
“I’m a home rule guy,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Tuesday. “I tend to believe we shouldn’t be micromanaging what D.C. does. D.C. elects a city council and mayor and they have the complete capacity to judge their actions and decide if they want different people.”
The public safety issue has divided D.C.’s local government as crimes like carjacking have been on the rise. Mayor Bowser vetoed the council’s bill in January. But her veto was overridden.
ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson, Ben Gittleson, Alexandra Hutzler and Trish Turner contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Tuesday appeared deeply skeptical of the legality of a White House plan to forgive $400 billion in federal student loans during the pandemic, even as the Biden administration vigorously defended its power and attacked the ability of six states to block it.
Oral arguments in a pair of cases challenging the Biden plan, which remains on hold pending the litigation, stretched well past their scheduled two hours, as the justices wrestled with key questions of legal standing and legal authority under a 2003 education law.
The court’s conservative justices seemed most concerned about the scope and scale of the administration’s action, which was not specifically authorized by Congress.
“We’re talking about half a trillion dollars and 43 million Americans,” said Chief Justice John Roberts. “I think most casual observers would say, if you’re going to give up that much amount of money, if you’re going to affect the obligations of that many Americans on a subject that’s of great controversy, they would think that’s something for Congress to act on.”
After the relief program was announced in August 2022, more than 26 million Americans signed up; 16 million were approved for relief before federal courts put it on hold pending the litigation, according to the White House. More than 90% of the financial benefit would accrue to individuals making less than $75,000 a year, an administration official said.
“In effect, this is a grant of $400 billion,” posited Justice Clarence Thomas, “and it runs headlong into Congress’ appropriations authority.”
Justice Samuel Alito suggested it’s unlikely Congress could have imagined implicitly authorizing a plan of such a large scale. “A trillion dollars here, a trillion dollars there, it doesn’t seem very sensible,” he said. “Is this the sort of thing Congress is likely to address expressly?”
“Congress did address this expressly here,” replied Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, arguing for the Biden administration. She said the HEROES Act, which Congress approved 20 years ago, explicitly grants the Education Secretary authority to “waive or modify” the terms of existing federal student loans during a national emergency.
“It’s perfectly logical for Congress to broadly empower the executive to provide benefits, especially in a crisis situation or an emergency like we’ve seen with COVID-19,” Prelogar said. The administration says financial fallout from the COVID pandemic had “profound” effects on student borrowers.
“This is not a situation where the secretary is acting outside the heartland of his authority,” she said. “This is the student loan program. That falls within the wheelhouse of the secretary of education.”
The three liberal justices relentlessly zeroed in on the legal standing of six GOP-led states suing the administration, suggesting none would suffer direct harm from federal loan cancellation and therefore have little grounds to sue.
The court’s precedents say a plaintiff must suffer an “injury in fact” directly flowing from a policy or program in order to challenge it in court.
“We really do have to be concerned about jumping into the political fray, unless we are prompted to do so by a lawsuit that is brought by someone who has an actual interest,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who suggested the alleged harm to states was “attenuated.”
Jackson added that she “worries” about the government’s ability to operate if states can sue over the “most minor state interests.”
A key focus of the questions on standing was the state of Missouri, home to the nation’s largest loan servicer, the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, or MOHELA. It alleges that eliminating loans on the company’s books would in turn harm its ability to contribute student aid to Missouri.
“About half of MOHELA’s operating revenue from direct loans will be cut and overall that amounts to about forty percent of its operating revenue,” said James Campbell, Nebraska’s solicitor general, arguing on behalf of the states. “The state’s interest is directly implicated.”
“MOHELA is not here, General Crawford [sic]; isn’t that correct?” responded Justice Elena Kagan. “Usually we don’t allow one person to step into another’s shoes and say I think that that person suffered a harm, even if the harm is very great.”
Added Justice Sonia Sotomayor: “It’s hard to imagine how the state of Missouri can claim an injury … when it’s not responsible for the debts of MOHELA.”
Justice Amy Coney Barrett appeared to share some of the concerns about standing related to MOHELA, which is notably not a party to the case.
“If MOHELA is an arm of the state, why didn’t you just strong-arm MOHELA and say you’ve got to pursue this suit?” Barrett asked skeptically.
A second, related challenge to the Biden debt forgiveness plan, brought by two individual borrowers who are ineligible for relief, accuses the administration of acting arbitrarily without sufficiently considering the interests of all Americans as required by law.
While federal law ordinarily requires a public “notice and comment” period for significant regulatory changes, the administration argues emergency circumstances allowed them to bypass that process.
Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh suggested the administration overlooked questions of fairness.
There may be “deficiency” for not considering costs to “in terms of fairness, for example, people who have paid their loans, people who don’t — plan their lives around not seeking loans, and people who are not eligible for loans in the first place,” Gorsuch said. “I didn’t see anything in the [secretary’s] memorandum that dealt with those kinds of questions.”
“There are going to be winners and losers, and that raises similar questions about individual rights, individual liberty,” said Kavanaugh.
Justice Alito added: “Why is it fair to the people who didn’t get comparable relief?”
“Congress has made the judgment that when an emergency affects borrowers in this way, the secretary can provide relief,” Prelogar said.
A decision in the cases is expected by the end of June.
(EAST PALESTINE, Ohio) — A freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed on Feb. 3 near East Palestine, Ohio, sending toxic chemicals into the air, soil and creeks in the area.
The incident has caused lingering concerns and anxiety for residents of the town, located near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, as well as increased scrutiny of railway regulations and calls for reform.
Here’s a look at what’s unfolded so far.
Feb. 3
About 50 cars of a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed in a fiery crash on the outskirts of East Palestine around 8:54 p.m. local time. Security camera footage from a local residence captured roughly 40 minutes before the derailment showed sparks and flames under one of the 149 railcars — which could have been a wheel bearing overheating, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Eleven of the derailed cars were transporting hazardous materials, five of which contained vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colorless gas produced for commercial uses. Several cars were also carrying ethyl acrylate and isobutylene, which are considered to be very toxic and possibly carcinogenic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes for Health.
First responders started evacuating residents within 1 mile of the derailment site, impacting up to 2,000 residents. There were no injuries reported from the accident, according to officials.
Feb. 5
Amid concerns an explosion could take place, authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of homes and businesses within a mile of the derailment site.
Feb. 6
Authorities expanded the evacuation zone to within 2 miles of the derailment site.
Around 4:40 p.m., responders began an hourslong controlled release and burn of vinyl chloride in five derailed tanker cars, which were carrying 115,580 gallons of the flammable gas, that lasted for several hours. A large ball of fire and a plume of black smoke filled with contaminants could be seen billowing high into the sky from the smoldering derailment site as the controlled burn took place, prompting concerns from residents about the potential effects.
Feb. 8
A mandatory evacuation order was lifted after air and water samples taken the day before were deemed safe, officials said.
Feb. 10
The EPA reported in a letter to Norfolk Southern that vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether were released during the incident and have been detected in samples from several creeks near the derailment site.
Feb. 13
In an open letter, Norfolk Southern Railway President and CEO Alan Shaw stated that the company was committing $1 million to a community support fund as a “down payment” on its contribution to rebuilding the village.
“I hear you, we hear you,” Shaw said. “My simple answer is that we are here and will stay here for as long as it takes to ensure your safety and to help East Palestine recover and thrive.”
Feb. 15
Residents confronted local, state and federal officials during a town hall, where many voiced health and safety concerns a week after the evacuation order was lifted and called for assurances that the testing will protect themselves and their loved ones before moving back into their homes.
State and federal officials have maintained that the air, soil and water surrounding the crash site remain safe enough for residents to return — and that contaminated waterways were contained.
Feb. 16
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine spoke with White House officials and requested on-the-ground federal assistance in East Palestine, according to his office.
Feb. 17
A plume filled with contaminants that floated over the Ohio River in the wake of the incident had “completely dissipated,” DeWine told reporters.
Feb. 18
The Federal Emergency Management Agency deployed a team to East Palestine to help support the ongoing operations.
Feb. 19
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg sent a three-page letter to Norfolk Southern Railway’s president, accusing the company of repeatedly prioritizing profit over safety.
“The future must not resemble the past when it comes to your company’s and your industry’s follow-through on support for stringent safety policies,” Buttigieg wrote. “Major derailments in the past have been followed by calls for reform — and by vigorous resistance by your industry to increased safety measures. This must change.”
Feb. 21
U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced that his agency ordered Norfolk Southern “to conduct all necessary actions associated with the cleanup from the East Palestine train derailment.”
The rail operator will be required to continue cleaning up the contaminated soil and water and transport it safely; reimburse the EPA for cleaning services; and attend public meetings at the EPA’s request and share information. If Norfolk Southern does not comply, the company will be ordered to pay triple the cost, according to Regan.
Meanwhile, amid residents’ health concerns, a medical clinic opened in East Palestine run by the Ohio Department of Health and the Columbiana County Health Department and supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Feb. 22
Former President Donald Trump visited East Palestine, during which he delivered remarks at the East Palestine Fire House and toured an Ohio River tributary near the site of the derailment.
Feb. 23
The National Transportation Safety Board released preliminary findings from its ongoing investigation into the derailment, noting the surveillance video that showed “what appeared to be a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment.” During a press conference, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy called the derailment “100% preventable” and said it was “no accident.”
Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced that the number of aquatic life killed as a result of the derailment — including small fish, crayfish, amphibians and macroinvertebrates — is estimated to be around 5,500.
Buttigieg also visited East Palestine for the first time in the wake of the crash.
Feb. 24
In an exclusive interview, President Joe Biden told ABC News anchor David Muir that he’s “made it clear” to officials on the ground that “anything they need, we’ll make it available to them.” The comments came after East Palestine’s mayor called it a “slap in the face” that Biden traveled to Ukraine while his town felt forgotten in the weeks after the crisis.
Meanwhile, Norfolk Southern announced additional donations to the community of East Palestine, including $300,000 for the school district “without condition.”
Feb. 27
In letters sent to Norfolk Southern and other major U.S. freight rail companies, Buttigieg said he expects the industry to work in tandem with Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve safety, strengthen accountability and prevent future disasters in the wake of the East Palestine derailment, while calling on Norfolk Southern to join a program that would allow its employees to voluntarily and confidentially report close calls.
So far, approximately 4,832 cubic yards of contaminated soil and 1.8 million gallons of liquid waste have been collected for disposal from the derailment site, according to the Ohio governor’s office, which cited the Ohio EPA.
ABC News’ Morgan Winsor, Sasha Pezenik and Emmanuelle Saliba contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday defended giving Fox host Tucker Carlson exclusive access to nearly 42,000 hours of previously unreleased surveillance video from the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
He said other networks and the American public would get access to the video as “soon as possible” but would not commit to a timeline.
“Well, first of all, we didn’t hand over anything. Tucker was interested. You had videos for more than two years. I didn’t hear anybody concerned about that when CNN was given exclusive,” McCarthy told reporters.
While CNN was given access to similar videos, no outlet ever exclusively was given access to all the surveillance footage until now.
“Have you ever had an exclusive?” McCarthy said. “Because I see it on your networks all the time. So, they have exclusive, then I’ll give it out to the entire country.”
When asked about concerns about handing the video to Carlson, who has downplayed the attack on the Capitol, McCarthy took aim at the news media.
“Well, I get concerned about CNN giving exit routes out when they have the footage. I’m concerned about Nancy Pelosi’s daughter’s showing whether we went to Fort McNair when we weren’t supposed to say we were there, made a documentary — CNN put those out. That was a security problem. I was concerned about showing the exit route of Pence on the January 6, I was concerned in my own office, they showed the exit route — never talked to me either. We won’t play politics like that,” McCarthy said.
Asked when other news outlets and the American public would be able to see the same footage that he is providing exclusively to Fox News, McCarthy said, “As soon as possible.”
“I think sunshine matters so everybody could be able to see it. We’re walking through it. It’s many more hours of tape than we were ever told,” he said.
McCarthy said he did not consult with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on giving Fox access to the footage and pushed back that doing so was a concession to win over GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz’s vote in his quest for speaker.
McConnell, who himself was hustled to a secure location during the attacks, dodged when asked point blank Tuesday if he’s comfortable with McCarthy giving access to Carlson, who has downplayed what happened on Jan. 6.
“Going back to when Speaker Pelosi was speaker, my main concern is the security of the Capitol,” he said.
Earlier Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also defended the plan to provide Carlson and his producers unfettered access to the video footage but said the release is being coordinated and that the video will go through vetting before it is ultimately released.
It’s still not clear when Carlson plans to air the footage or what specific footage he intends to show, but his team does not have the ability to record it and is required to view the material in a controlled environment and cannot take footage with them.
Without elaborating, Scalise said at a news conference that what gets released “is going to obviously be scrutinized” and accused former Houser Speaker Nancy Pelosi of exposing sensitive information through the footage that was played during the Jan. 6 hearings.
The Jan. 6 investigators didn’t release the video without close consultation with the Capitol Police and their general counsel, however, according to sources familiar with their work. The general counsel would review footage that the committee wanted to show and then come back with specific requests of what video to trim or what video they did not want to be used publicly. Committee investigators also had to view the video in a dedicated terminal set up by the Capitol Police.
“Well, of course, if you watch what the January 6 committee did, under Speaker Pelosi, they actually released a lot of video that was very sensitive,” Scalise said. “I mean, they literally released video of Vice President Pence exiting the Capitol showing the route that he takes. I didn’t hear a lot of concern about that back then. We were concerned how selective they were.”
“So, people should ask the J6 committee if they were concerned about national security aspects when the released a ton of footage,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said.
Behind closed doors during a conference meeting on Tuesday, McCarthy defended the arrangement with Carlson and the importance of “transparency,” according to sources in the room.
McCarthy has previously ignored reporters’ questions regarding the Jan. 6 tapes, including a number of times before he spoke to reporters Tuesday.
A lawyer representing media outlets, including ABC News, has sent a letter to congressional leaders requesting that the footage be made available to additional media outlets and not just the opinion arm of Fox News.
The Justice Department has already made public hundreds of hours of surveillance and body camera footage as part of its more than 900 prosecutions of rioters charged in the attack on the Capitol. But at times, the DOJ has joined with the Capitol Police in expressing concerns over the release of some footage that could disclose sensitive areas in the Capitol, the location of closed-circuit cameras, and other sensitive security movements.
Separately, a coalition of media outlets, including ABC News, has also fought in court for the release of exhibits from those prosecutions, in many cases over the objections of defendants.
Justin Bieber has pulled the plug completely on the Justice World Tour.
Justin canceled the North American portion of his tour in September; on Tuesday, the remainder of the tour was scrapped. The singer originally postponed 70 dates across the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia so he could focus on his health.
“Justin Bieber has officially CANCELLED the remaining dates of his ‘Justice World Tour’. Check in with your point of purchase for refunds for your show dates,” the tour’s official Twitter page said.
When announcing the tour’s postponement in September, the singer said in a statement, “Earlier this year, I went public about my battle with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, where my face was partly paralyzed. As the result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North American leg of the Justice Tour.”
The singer continued, “After resting and consulting with my doctors, family and team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour. I performed six live shows, but it took a real toll on me.”
The singer said he was going to “make my health the priority” and “take a break from touring for the time being.”
This is the latest tour Justin was forced to end early. He rescheduled his Changes Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic and canceled his 2017 Purpose World Tour due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
(WASHINGTON) — The backlash against China-owned TikTok in the U.S. and other Western countries escalated in recent days, as some U.S lawmakers pushed to give President Joe Biden the authority to impose a ban on the app for all users.
Canada banned TikTok on government-issued mobile devices on Monday, following a similar ban from the European Union last week.
TikTok, which has more than 100 million monthly active users in the U.S., has faced growing scrutiny from government officials over fears that user data could fall into the possession of the Chinese government and the app could ultimately be weaponized by China to spread misinformation.
However, the fight to ban TikTok risks imposing undue limits on free speech and private business, mimicking the type of censorship for which some Western countries have faulted China, according to some experts and civil liberties advocates.
Here’s what to know about why TikTok is being banned, and whether government officials would eventually prevent everyday users from accessing the app:
Why is TikTok being banned?
The primary concern raised by officials banning TikTok centers on data security, especially fears that user information could end up in the hands of the Chinese government.
Such concerns focus both on potential risks posed to U.S. national security, as well as business advantages afforded to Chinese companies that may gain access to the information, Aynne Kokas, professor of media studies and the director of the East Asia Center at the University of Virginia, told ABC News.
“There are significant national security concerns about Chinese firms that are gathering data in the U.S. and what they can do with that,” Kokas said. “TikTok has a lot of users.”
Companies that operate in China must comply with laws that require them to share data with the government, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said at a panel event earlier this month.
“The bottom line is China has been quite clear that they are trying to mold and put forward the use and norms around technologies that privilege their interests,” she said. “There’s a reason we need to be very concerned.”
In addition, some officials have raised alarm that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spread false information, possibly influencing political discourse and election outcomes.
“There are concerns about the lack of algorithmic transparency on TikTok, and the potential for mis- and disinformation,” Kokas said.
Which countries have banned TikTok?
A slew of countries have imposed restrictions on TikTok.
In 2020, India imposed a full ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, citing data privacy and national security concerns. TikTok has faced temporary bans for all users in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan over the spread of content deemed inappropriate by government officials.
Some countries have joined the U.S. in banning TikTok on government-issued devices. Canada and the European Union imposed such measures in recent days. Taiwan also banned the app from government devices last year.
In response to the government-device bans, TikTok told ABC News in a statement: “We appreciate that some governments have wisely chosen not to implement such bans due to a lack of evidence that there is any such need, but it’s disappointing to see that other government bodies and institutions are banning TikTok on employee devices with no deliberation or evidence.”
“We share a common goal with governments that are concerned about user privacy, but these bans are misguided and do nothing to further privacy or security,” the company added.
Will the U.S. ban TikTok entirely?
So far, restrictions of TikTok in the U.S. at the state and federal level have solely focused on banning the app from government-issued devices and currently no further bans have been put in place.
“There’s a huge amount of logic for government-device bans,” Kokas said. “It doesn’t fall victim to the same conversations about free speech because these are government-owned devices.”
The Biden administration said on Monday that it is giving federal agencies 30 days to guarantee they do not have TikTok on any federal devices.
“We’ll continue to look at other actions that we can take,” Olivia Dalton, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday. “That includes how to work with Congress on this issue further.”
In response to the U.S. ban of the app on government-issue devices, TikTok told ABC News: “The ban of TikTok on federal devices was passed in December without any deliberation, and unfortunately that approach has served as a blueprint for other world governments. These bans are little more than political theater.”
“We hope that when it comes to addressing national security concerns about TikTok beyond government devices, Congress will explore solutions that won’t have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans,” the company added.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in March about the company’s data security practices, the committee said last month.
More than half of U.S. states have taken steps toward a partial or full ban of TikTok on government devices.
Some lawmakers and advocates, however, have sought to extend the ban to all U.S. users. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is weighing a measure that would grant Biden new authority to ban TikTok.
TikTok has undergone a yearslong review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which could result in a ban of the app or a forced sale of the company’s U.S. operation.
Despite momentum among lawmakers for a full U.S. ban, the likelihood of such a move remains low, experts told ABC News. citing the dramatic intervention into the private sector that it would require. Moreover, if such a move did take place, it would face a challenge in the courts, they added.
“I’m skeptical that a ban would survive constitutional scrutiny in the U.S.,” Anupam Chander, a professor of law and technology at Georgetown University, told ABC News. “Because we have a First Amendment right to receive information, even information from adversary countries.”
In a letter to federal lawmakers on Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union voiced opposition to a full ban of TikTok.
“Congress must not censor entire platforms and strip Americans of their constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression,” said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU.
(BOSTON) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating another close call involving two jets at Boston Logan International Airport. The FAA said a Learjet took off from a runway without clearance from air traffic control while a JetBlue flight was preparing to land on an intersecting runway.
The agency said air traffic control instructed the Learjet pilot to line up and wait on runway 9 while the JetBlue plane landed on an intersecting runway. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions, “but began a takeoff roll instead,” the FAA said in a statement.
The JetBlue pilot “took evasive action and initiated a climb-out as the Learjet crossed the intersection,” the FAA said.
The agency did not say how close the planes were to each other.
In a statement to ABC News, JetBlue said, “Safety is JetBlue’s first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this. We will assist authorities as they investigate this incident.”
The incident, first reported by NBC News, is the latest in a series of recent close calls under investigation by the FAA.
In December of last year, a United Airlines flight bound for San Francisco experienced a sudden loss in altitude over the Pacific Ocean. Shortly after takeoff from Maui, the Boeing 777 dropped to just 775 feet above the water in less than 20 seconds, according to data from FlightRadar24. The plane was then able to regain altitude and continue on to its final destination.
In January, an American Airlines flight crossed a runway at New York’s JFK Airport without clearance from air traffic control. A Delta Air Lines flight was taking off from that same runway and was forced to abort its takeoff, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The two aircraft came within about 1,400 feet of each other, according to a preliminary report from the NTSB.
In another January incident, a United Airlines flight crossed a runway at Honolulu International Airport without clearance from air traffic control. A Cessna was landing on the same runway at the time, the FAA said. The Cessna came to a stop approximately 1,170 feet from the United flight, according to the agency.
In February, a FedEx cargo plane was cleared to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, just as a Southwest flight was cleared to take off from the same runway, according to the FAA.
As the FedEx plane was landing, the Southwest plane began its takeoff; the planes came within 100 feet of each other, according to the NTSB.
Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen announced earlier this month the agency would establish a safety review team to examine the nation’s aerospace system — saying the group will look at structure, culture, systems and integration of safety efforts.
“We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted,” Nolen said in a hearing on Capitol Hill. “Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent. Now is the time to stare into the data and ask hard questions.”
If there’s one person proud of Michael B. Jordan, it’s Dr. Dre. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the producer praised MBJ for starring in his directorial debut, Creed III — though he thought the actor was crazy for taking on the extra responsibility.
“Mike actually came to my house and screened the film for me, and I thought he was out of his mind,” Dre said on the red carpet of the film’s LA premiere. “First-time director and starring in the film? It’s like, you gotta be crazy to do that, because it’s extremely difficult.”
After watching the film, however, he said he was proud and excited to see what else Michael has in store as a director.
“I was so proud of him,” said Dre. “I said, ‘Listen, man, I can’t wait to see what’s gonna come out of your mind next, as far as the direction goes,’ you know? It was amazing.”
“I thought they did an amazing job,” he continued. “I’m really proud of it.”
Creed III premieres in theaters March 3. At the LA premiere, Michael told ET about apologizing to his mother before photos from his Calvin Klein’s Spring/Summer 2023 campaign, in which he only sported underwear, surfaced on the web.
“I was like, my mama gon’ have to see this. Let me call her and be like, ‘I’m sorry. It’s out here,'” Michael shared. “My business all out in the streets — literally.”
The actor’s set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 1.
