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Top Story

Participants hold signs in support of TikTok at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol Building on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Let’s Tok About It

The Story

TikTok’s fate is up in the air again.

Catch me up.

As part of a $95 billion foreign aid package, the House approved a bill over the weekend that could potentially ban TikTok. The legislation, which mirrors an earlier measure that stalled in the Senate, would give China-based ByteDance up to a year to sell the app or face a ban. This time around, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the upper chamber could vote on the package as soon as tomorrow. President Biden, who applauded the bipartisan House effort, signaled he would sign the bills into law.

Is this really going to happen?

TBD. By tacking on the TikTok bill to funding for Ukraine and Israel, House Republicans put pressure on the Senate to fast-track approval of the package. Even if the upper chamber gives it the green light, expect a battle in the courts. TikTok, users, and some lawmakers have questioned the bill’s constitutionality. China has also indicated it would block any forced sale of the app. Meanwhile, US officials maintain a sale or ban is necessary to protect the data of the roughly 170 million Americans who use TikTok.

theSkimm

For years, US lawmakers have tried to ban TikTok in the name of national security. If the bill is approved in the Senate, it would be the first time the government passes a measure that threatens to pull the plug on a social media platform.

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What people are watching...

Columbia University. Today, its president moved its classes online after protests over the Israel-Hamas war continued for the fifth straight day on campus this weekend. The demonstrations are raising safety concerns, with one rabbi at the school urging hundreds of Jewish students to stay home amid reports of antisemitic harassment. In a statement, the White House said calls of violence and physical intimidation against Jewish students and the Jewish community are “blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous.” Meanwhile, at least one Republican lawmaker is calling on Columbia University’s president to step down, saying the school’s leadership “lost control” of the campus. Just last week, police arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters at the university.

What’s entering a new phase...

The hush money trial. Today, opening statements in former President Trump’s trial are set to begin. Prosecutors will start presenting their case to the main jury of seven men and five women, laying out Trump’s alleged scheme to cover up negative stories in efforts to protect his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison. The trial, which is expected to last six weeks, won’t be televised. Witnesses like Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen and adult-film star Stormy Daniels are expected to testify.

What turned heads for a second time…

Coachella. Over the weekend, artists came back to the desert for a second round. Grimes reportedly poked a little fun at her previous performance. Lana Del Rey and Camila Cabello had fans ‘luv-ing’ their collab. Sabrina Carpenter splashed some bathwater onto her outro. Oh, and this baby experienced it all before knowing how to sing along.

Where a tour went off track...

Universal Studios.

Who’s teaming up again...

Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian.

While the AI Mona Lisa is spitting bars…

AI Salvador Dalí is waiting by the lobster phone.

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