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A federal appeals court recently ruled to uphold the TikTok ban signed by President Joe Biden earlier this year. They determined, after review, that the parent company ByteDance’s access to the data of American users still poses a threat to the safety of the United States. Simultaneously, anti-ban users have brought up Freedom of Speech rights. With over 170 million users in the United States, the social media platform has even issued campaigns regarding its impact for small business owners. Still, it’s been ruled that if ByteDance does not sell to an American company, the platform will be banned, without further review, come January 19, 2025. Here’s a bit more about what’s happening with the TikTok ban. 

President-Elect Donald Trump Plans To Save TikTok After Originally Supporting the Ban 

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Despite originally supporting the TikTok ban in 2020, four years later on TruthSocial, Trump asked TikTok supporters to vote for him to “save TikTok.” It’s undetermined how he aims to execute this plan, but there are a few ways that he could make it happen. One could be through brokering a deal for the platform owners, where they sell to an American company. However, the ByteDance owner has already confirmed that it will remain the owner of TikTok. Trump’s Project Texas plan also maps out ways that TikTok could stick around like blocking off access to American user data. And, upon being sworn into office, in 2025, he could also strongly advise his attorney general not to enforce the TikTok ban law. 

The reversal of Trump’s position on the TikTok ban is in part motivated by the idea that TikTok could continue to outshine Meta, who he believes hurt his election run in 2020. What would actually happen to the TikTok platform, from the perspective of its American users, if the ban was upheld without review beyond January 2025? Here are some possibilities.

What Would Happen If The TikTok Ban Was Upheld?

TikTok users could possibly still see the apps on their phones. Although app platforms like Google and Apple have not yet commented on whether they would remove the app from the platform, web-hosting providers would no longer be able to support updates. Without those updates, the app could become slower and full of glitches. 

Next Steps For ByteDance, Owners of TikTok and the United States

While it’s possible that Biden could issue a onetime extension of the January 2025 deadline, the consequences of not meeting it (for ByteDance) would be heavy fines. TikTok owners hope that the Supreme Court will step in to change the trajectory of their social media app in America. The 6-year-old app hopes that the government will shift their perspective on the platform.

As the threat of international cyberattacks grow, the FBI is warning of a danger that most people are probably not aware exists: texting between different brands of cell phones. Specifically, while iPhone users are safe texting other iPhones, and Android users can securely text other Androids, sending messages between the two devices may be vulnerable to hacking, the feds warn.

Words related to insurance terms found on the bullets used in the shooting According to CBS News, the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on the shell casings recovered at the shooting scene, according to law enforcement officials. While […]

Jordan Neely’s father has filed a lawsuit against Daniel Penny, who has been on trial for fatally choking Neely in a 2023 New York subway incident. This news came before Friday’s development that the jury in Penny’s trial was deadlocked and unable to come to a unanimous decision, per NBC New York.

Deliberations stretched into Friday, and as NBC New York reported, “the jury is not permitted to consider the second count, criminally negligent homicide, until it has reached a unanimous decision on the manslaughter count.”

Keith Lee clarifies suicide attempt and reflects on repaired bond with his father In a clip shared on the show’s X (formerly Twitter) account, Sharpe initially believed Lee, 28, had only contemplated suicide, but Lee clarified that he had followed […]

Two kindergarten students were shot at a small Christian school in Northern California on Wednesday.

The victims, boys aged 5 and 6, remain in “extremely critical condition” following the shooting at the Feather River Adventist School, according to CNN. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said the suspect was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. As a result of an ongoing, FBI-assisted investigation, the man could not be immediately identified.

The school did not have a security officer

The news outlet reported authorities received details that the suspect targeted the school because of its connections with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. CBS noted Honea said a security officer wasn’t stationed at the school because “that’s not part of the everyday routine.

Authorities discovered the suspect had talked to a school administrator about enrolling a family member earlier in the day. No concerns were raised during the encounter, and investigators are working to determine whether the meeting was a ploy to get on campus, which includes about 35 students from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Here’s what the district attorney said at a news conference

CNN published a statement from a Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists communications director who said they were “deeply saddened” by the shooting. 

“Join us as we lift up these children and their families in prayer,” the statement said. “We are grateful for the brave officers of the Butte County Sheriff’s Department who acted quickly to protect our students.”

In a news conference, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said he was working with the students and their families affected by the incident. 

CNN reported a student’s parent said, “That will be going on now for weeks, obviously months.” He continued, “Not only the children that were previously injured, but those children that saw their classmates gunned down in front of them.”

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield‘s new policy will limit anesthesia coverage for extended surgeries, impacting patients in Connecticut, New York and Missouri, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

The health insurance provider announced it will no longer cover anesthesia costs for surgeries exceeding a specific time limit, leaving patients in these Midwest and East Coast regions responsible for the remainder of the bill.

President Joe Biden continues to receive wide criticism after pardoning his son Hunter Biden on Sunday. Per NBC News, U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi criticized the president for mischaracterizing the charges against Hunter.

“The Constitution provides the President with broad authority to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, but nowhere does the Constitution give the President the authority to rewrite history,” Judge Scarsi wrote.

Charlamagne tha God found himself in a heated debate with The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg as he appeared as a guest on Wednesday’s episode. Charlamagne criticized the Democratic party for standing on a “moral high ground all the time” and acting “so self-righteous.” He specifically took issue with Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter despite previously stating that no one is above the law, Deadline reported.

On Nov. 30, U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin ruled that McDonald’s possibly violated by placing Allen’s networks in low-tier ad spots meant for content aimed at Black audiences, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Allen, who owns one of the largest […]

A recent search warrant from the Minnesota Police Department led to speculation that there could be a confession from the late O.J. Simpson surrounding the infamous 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman, TMZ reported.

In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the charges following an eight-month-long trial that captured the attention of millions across the nation. Simpson, who died from cancer at age 76, has always maintained his innocence.

The search warrant obtained by the Minnesota Police Department was tied to the arrest of Simpson’s former bodyguard Iroc Avelli in May 2022 for an unrelated investigation case. During Avelli’s detainment, a search warrant was carried out by law enforcement. One of the items seized included a green backpack containing ammunition.

Shortly after Simpson’s death in June 2024, police in Bloomington were contacted by an LAPD detective who informed them that Avelli and his attorney met with the police and disclosed that the green backpack contained thumb drive containing a recording of O.J.’s confession. Avelli’s attorney argued in court that the thumb drives contained “very sensitive, delicate information which shouldn’t be in the public, period.”

In addition, there was a mention of a third party involved in the crime. However, following a review of the audio recording by the police department, it’s been determined that no such recording exists.

“The City of Bloomington, Minnesota Police Department examined the drives in question and determined they contained nothing of evidentiary value. The LAPD has never listened to, or been in possession of, these drives,” the LAPD told TMZ.