The Morning: Should China own TikTok?

Plus, the Biden documents case, Malaysia and a mysterious monolith.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story March 13, 2024 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We're covering a bipartisan effort to end TikTok's Chinese ownership — as well as the Biden documents case, Malaysia and a mysterious monolith. Matt Cardy/Getty Images Magnifying divisions To understand why the House of Representatives will vote today on a bipartisan bill to force TikTok's Chinese parent company to sell the platform, it helps to look at a few recent news stories: Despite low unemployment and falling inflation, TikTok is full of viral videos bemoaning the U.S. economy. One popular group of posts uses the term "Silent Depression." The posts falsely suggest that the country is in worse shape today than it was in 1930. (My colleagues Jeanna Smialek and Jim Tankersley reported on the posts late last year.) After Hamas's Oct. 7 terrorist attack, TikTok flooded users with videos expressing extreme positions from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, tilted toward the Palestinian side, a Wall Street Journal analysis found. "Many stoked fear," The Journal reported. In November, videos praising an old Osama bin Laden letter also went viral. In December, a Rutgers University research group concluded that videos about topics the Chinese government dislikes — including Tibet, Uyghurs, Hong Kong protests and the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown — were strangely hard to find on TikTok. All were more prominent on Instagram. "It's not believable that this could happen organically," a Rutgers expert told my colleague Sapna Maheshwari. On Monday, the top U.S. intelligence official released a report saying that the Chinese government had used TikTok to promote its propaganda to Americans and to influence the 2022 midterm elections. This year, the report warned, China's ruling Communist Party may try to influence the presidential election and "magnify U.S. societal divisions." There does not seem to be any historical precedent for TikTok's role in the United States today. The platform has become one of the country's biggest news sources, especially for people younger than 30, and has collected vast amounts of information about Americans. TikTok is also owned by a company, ByteDance, that's based in a country that is America's biggest rival for global power: China. A Soviet NBC? ByteDance executives say that they operate separately from China's government and that they regularly remove misleading content from TikTok. But many independent experts are skeptical that ByteDance is truly independent. China's government has a well-documented history of treating companies as extensions of its ruling party, especially under Xi Jinping, the current leader. And Xi has made clear that he views the U.S. as a threat to China's interests. The most likely scenario, experts say, is that officials aligned with the Chinese government shape TikTok's algorithm to influence what content Americans see. In Beijing. Greg Baker/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images With any one viral video or trending hashtag on TikTok, it is impossible to know whether China's government is playing a role. Some of the videos go viral on Instagram too, for instance. But there does seem to be a pattern. The most sensitive subjects for Beijing — such as Tibet and the Uyghurs — are hard to find on the platform. Information that is consistent with Beijing's narratives — such as its pro-Hamas tilt and its criticism of the U.S. economy — circulates more widely than the opposite. (Related: After experts noted the platform's apparent bias in the Israel-Hamas war, TikTok curtailed the tool that had made the analysis possible.) As an analogy, imagine if a U.S. company with close ties to Washington were a leading source of news in China today. Or imagine if a Soviet organization owned a U.S. television network in the 1960s — and it was a leading news source for Americans under 30. 50-0 For all these reasons, bipartisan support has grown for a bill that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok. Without a sale, the platform would effectively be banned. Last week, a House committee voted unanimously, 50 to 0, to advance the bill, and the full House is scheduled to vote on it today. President Biden has said he will sign the bill if Congress passes it. Already, many federal workers are not allowed to use the TikTok app on government phones. There are still big hurdles to the bill's becoming law. Donald Trump has reversed his previous support for a ban and now opposes one. A ban would anger younger Americans, Trump said, and help Facebook (which Trump doesn't like). Journalists have pointed out that Trump's flip-flop came after he met with a Republican donor and TikTok investor who might lose money if the bill passes. Others object to the bill because it would interfere so aggressively in the private sector. This opposition could complicate passage in the Senate or lead to later legal challenges. It's not clear what will happen. But the chances of the U.S. government acting against TikTok have risen significantly in recent months. Make up your mind: The A.C.L.U. and Tyler Cowen make the case against forcing a sale. Noah Smith and Matthew Yglesias make the case in favor. Related: Read how the legislation to ban TikTok would work. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS 2024 Election Biden and Trump swept last night's primary elections. They both have enough delegates to win their parties' presidential nominations. On social media, Trump wrote that if elected he would free people convicted over their role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, whom he called "hostages being wrongfully imprisoned." Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running for president as an independent, approached the N.F.L. quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura as possible running mates. Trump has used racist stereotypes against Black Americans. Yet his campaign courts those voters with some success, polls suggest. Representative Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican who broke from his party over impeaching Biden's homeland security secretary, plans to leave Congress next week. Republicans will have a tiny majority. The Biden Documents Case Special Counsel Robert Hur Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times House Democrats released the transcript of an interview with Biden about his handling of classified documents. The investigation's report said Biden was "elderly man with a poor memory." The transcript tells a more nuanced story. The report said Biden did not remember when his son died. In the transcript, Biden remembered the date of Beau's death, May 30. Other people in the room specified the year. The special counsel leading the investigation, a registered Republican, testified to Congress yesterday. He rejected Democratic claims that politics had colored his report and pushed back on Republicans who selectively quoted it. Read more takeaways. Stephen Colbert discussed the testimony on "The Late Show." Israel-Hamas War Trucks brought food into northern Gaza, where the humanitarian crisis is especially acute, using a gate the Israeli military had not previously opened for aid convoys. A ship carrying 200 tons of food for Gaza departed Cyprus. It's the first test of that route for aid. The Israeli government restricted West Bank Palestinians' entry to Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan. Muslims and Jews have frequently clashed over access to the site. The White House denied that President Biden had set any "red lines" for Israel but warned against an attack on the city of Rafah without protecting civilians there. The Lebanese militia Hezbollah fired more than 100 rockets into northern Israel. Russia and Ukraine Part of a new railroad in Azerbaijan. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times Russia was once dependent on Europe for trade. It now uses routes with China and India to skirt sanctions. The U.S. will send Ukraine up to $300 million in weapons. The funding will likely last only a few weeks. House Republicans have blocked more from passing. Aleksei Navalny's chief of staff was attacked with a hammer and tear gas near where he lives in Lithuania. The Kremlin fired its top naval commander after a series of Ukrainian strikes on Russia's Black Sea Fleet. More International News A plant in Malaysia. Jes Aznar for The New York Times Malaysia has become a tech manufacturing hub as Western companies try to reduce reliance on China. Kenya paused a plan to deploy 1,000 police officers to Haiti to combat gang violence. Social media gave Kate, Princess of Wales, a way to connect directly with the public. That may have backfired, Mark Landler writes. After years of controversy, an Indian law will grant citizenship to people from persecuted faiths who come from nearby countries. Muslims are pointedly excluded. A court ruled that Andrew Tate could be extradited to Britain after his trial in Romania over allegations of sexual aggression. Business A day before the door plug blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight, technicians called for the plane to come out of service. A Boeing whistle-blower who reported problems at the company's 787 Dreamliner factory in South Carolina was found dead. Officials said the cause appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Airbnb will ban the use of indoor security cameras in its listings. The company's current policy allows the devices in common areas like living rooms. Other Big Stories Overall inflation in the U.S. sped up slightly last month. It's likely to reinforce the Federal Reserve's caution in deciding when to lower interest rates. Migrant children are illegally selling candy on the New York subway. Several government agencies said it was not their place to stop the practice. The University of Texas will again require applicants to submit standardized test scores, joining a growing list of selective public and private colleges. Opinions The Justice Department should stop using special counsels, who allow attorneys general to avoid public scrutiny for their role in U.S. elections, Jack Goldsmith writes. Here are columns by Bret Stephens on why Israel must continue its war against Hamas and Thomas Friedman on Israel's planning for a postwar Gaza. Discover more of the insight you value in The Morning. The Times is filled with information and inspiration every day. So gain unlimited access to everything we offer — and save with this introductory offer. MORNING READS In Wales. Craig Muir Mystery: A shiny silver monolith was found in Wales. It is similar to the mysterious objects placed around the world in late 2020. The heavier sex: There's a longstanding narrative that male mammals are generally larger than female ones. A new study dispels that notion. Four years: Readers shared memories of the first time they realized Covid would change their lives. Lives Lived: Eric Carmen was the preternaturally melodic frontman of the Raspberries, pioneers of the genre known as power pop. After the group broke up, Carmen found success as a soft-rock crooner with hits like "All By Myself" and "Hungry Eyes." He died at 74. SPORTS Dog days: Dallas Seavey, who was penalized last week for failing to properly gut a moose, won a record sixth Iditarod sled race. N.F.L.: The Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott accused a woman of extortion in a lawsuit. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ARTS AND IDEAS The Miami Marlins pitcher Sixto Sánchez. Jeff Roberson/Associated Press The new white: Preseason conversation among baseball fans has been dominated by the apparent translucence of new uniform pants designed by Nike and produced by Fanatics. "Buying my wife Fanatics baseball pants instead of lingerie," one social media poster joked. Fanatics says the pants are made from the same material as last year's uniforms, but many players are dubious. More on culture At Paris Fashion Week. Carlo Scarpato/Gorunway, MONIC Older women have become more common on the runway. Sarah Snook and Sarah Jessica Parker are up for Olivier Awards, Britain's equivalent of the Tonys. See who else was nominated. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Julia Gartland for The New York Times Make a boozy Irish cream coffee cake. Play one of these video games. Back up your digital life. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was confirm. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. 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