House Republican leaders said today that they were planning to vote this week on legislation demanding that the video app TikTok cuts ties with its Chinese parent company or face a ban in the U.S. Lawmakers in both parties have described the app as a national security threat.
The House majority leader, Steve Scalise, said the chamber would try to quickly approve the bill through special procedures that are reserved for noncontroversial legislation. That approach reflected the effort’s growing momentum during an election year in which both Republicans and Democrats are eager to show they’re willing to be tough on China. President Biden has committed to signing the bill if it passes.
But the Republican push flies in the face of the party’s de facto leader, Donald Trump. Trump had pushed to ban TikTok while he was in office, but he has recently reversed course. Today, he said a ban would make young people “go crazy,” and also benefit Facebook, which he called an “enemy of the people.”
The House vote will test Trump’s ability to use his influence to help tank legislation in Congress, as he recently did with a bipartisan immigration bill. In the Senate, the majority leader has not yet committed to holding a vote.
Biden proposed new taxes and larger social programs
President Biden sent to Congress today a $7.3 trillion budget for the next fiscal year. It included increased government aid for workers, parents and students, offset by tax increases on corporations and high earners.
Biden’s plan reiterated his request for about $100 billion for border security and aid to Israel and Ukraine. But it stands almost no chance of becoming law, given that Republicans control the House.
Instead, the document serves as a draft of Biden’s policy platform as he campaigns for re-election in November. It includes principles, such as cutting taxes for people earning less than $400,000 and covering the cost by raising taxes on corporations, that are intended to draw a distinction with his presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
A doctored image fueled royal speculation
Catherine, the Princess of Wales, apologized today for doctoring a photograph of her with her three children, which was recalled by several news agencies after they determined the image had been manipulated. In a statement, she chalked up the alteration to an innocent desire to retouch the image.
If the photograph was meant to quell speculation about Catherine’s health after abdominal surgery in January, it instead achieved the opposite, fueling the spread of rumors and conspiracy theories.
A glamorous evening at the Oscars
The big winner of last night’s Academy Awards was Christopher Nolan’s biopic “Oppenheimer,” which took home seven Oscars, including best picture. The most competitive race of the night, best actress, was won by Emma Stone of “Poor Things.”
Avoid the multitasking trap
Many of us try to do two or more tasks at once: chatting with colleagues while checking emails, or cooking dinner while watching TV. But the fact is, we’re not great at multitasking, and it’s also not great for us. Some studies have found that multitasking can make our hearts race, raise our blood pressure and anxiety, and dampen our mood. It can also negatively affect our perception of the work at hand.
Breaking a birding record
Peter Kaestner now stands alone at the top of birding’s “big listers,” the small group of people who travel the world in an effort to document as many different species as possible. He cemented that position last month when he spotted an orange-tufted spiderhunter, a banana-loving songbird in the Philippines.
The spiderhunter was the 10,000th bird that Kaestner documented — an achievement once considered unreachable.
Have an unrivaled evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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