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☆ TikTok CEO to face tough questions as support for U.S. ban grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearing will be chaired by Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican who says she is unconvinced by TikTok's security commitments. Some political experts say a TikTok ban could be damaging to Democrats who have used the platform to reach younger voters. Three House Democrats rallied with TikTok creators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday in opposition to a ban. Last week, TikTok said President Joe Biden's administration demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential ban. Democratic Senator Mark Warner said on Wednesday two additional senators backed his bipartisan legislation with Republican John Thune to give the Biden administration new powers to ban TikTok - raising the total to 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans.

☆ TikTok pile-on opens two cans of worms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yet the bipartisan attack on the short-form video app, owned by China-based ByteDance, really points to two different complications – and each, in turn, opens up a much bigger can of worms. The overarching reason for Chew’s appearance is that President Joe Biden’s administration, and many in Congress, think TikTok’s Chinese backing makes it a dangerous tool of the People’s Republic. Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers accused TikTok of collecting biometric data and manipulating what information users see. It’s not just TikTok that potentially vacuums up consumer details while having close links to China. Follow @jennifersaba on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSTikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23.

☆ TikTok CEO set for grilling in House hearing. But U.S. lawmakers also face questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

U.S. tech platforms including Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Google's YouTube , Twitter and Snap's Snapchat have raised similar fears for lawmakers and users. Evaluating a potential banThere's little appetite in Washington to accept the potential risks that TikTok's ownership by Chinese company ByteDance poses to U.S. national security. The interagency panel tasked with reviewing national security risks stemming from ByteDance's ownership has threatened a ban if the company won't sell its stake in the app. Trahan said members should ask about national security risks of the app, but those questions should be substantive. Bowman noted lawmakers haven't received a bipartisan congressional briefing from the administration on national security risks stemming from TikTok.

☆ The TikTok hearing was an ugly political theater
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Despite lacking evidence for their belief that TikTok is a spying tool for the Chinese Communist Party, US lawmakers from both parties on Thursday carried out an ugly political theater to advance that narrative. But — and I cannot stress this enough — the national security concerns are purely hypothetical. And against that tense (not to mention deeply xenophobic) backdrop, everyone in Washington is bolstering their “tough in China” credentials. “We see this handwringing about TikTok as a big distraction from the conversation that we really need to be having,” Greer said. “It’s a national embarrassment that we have no basic data privacy law in the United States.”Enjoying Nightcap?

☆ TikTok can't be trusted with our data or children's mental health: Rep. McMorris Rodgers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTikTok can't be trusted with our data or children's mental health: Rep. McMorris RodgersRep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss what McMorris Rodgers hopes to accomplish from TikTok CEO's testimony in Congress, the future of TikTok in the United States, and more.

☆ How TikTok’s CEO prepared for his first grilling on Capitol Hill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Shou Zi Chew is getting ready for his inaugural trip to Congress. In prep sessions, which have taken place in Washington, D.C. ahead of the high-stakes hearing, TikTok personnel have worked to sharpen and polish Chew’s presentation. The Biden administration demanded earlier this month that the company’s Chinese owners divest from the company or be exiled from the country. The app has raised bipartisan national security concerns and growing worries that its sophisticated algorithm poses a danger to young people. “Americans deserve to know the extent to which their privacy is jeopardized and their data is manipulated by ByteDance-owned TikTok’s relationship with China,” McMorris Rodgers said.

☆ TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew to Face Skeptical Lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( John D. Mckinnon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Photo: Alyssa Schukar for The Wall Street JournalTikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is set to testify before lawmakers this week. WASHINGTON—TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew can expect a chilly reception when he testifies before the powerful House Energy and Commerce committee this week, Republican aides said Monday. Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.) and other lawmakers plan to lay out the threat posed by TikTok to Americans’ national security and privacy, and particularly its potential to harm children, aides said.

☆ TikTok CEO says company at 'pivotal moment' as some U.S. lawmakers seek ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - Chinese-owned short video app TikTok faces a "pivotal moment" as a growing number of U.S. lawmakers seek to ban the popular app over national security concerns, CEO Shou Zi Chew said. On Wednesday, TikTok creators and New York Representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat, will hold a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol to oppose a TikTok ban. Bowman described the push to ban TikTok as "fear mongering" in an interview with Reuters. On Friday, six more U.S. senators backed bipartisan legislation to give Biden new powers to ban TikTok. On March 1, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted along party lines to give President Joe Biden new powers to ban TikTok.

☆ NCAA Tournament roundup: Fairleigh Dickinson makes history against Purdue
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Kobe Johnson supplied 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while the Trojans' usual leading scorer, Boogie Ellis, was held to six points. Vermont (23-11) was led by Robin Duncan, Dylan Penn and Matt Veretto who each scored 11 points. Jamarius Burton added 11 points and Greg Elliott had 10, as the Panthers advanced to face No. Jordan Hawkins chipped in 13 points, Donovan Clingan posted 12 and Andre Jackson Jr. supplied 10. Adrian Baldwin Jr. paced the Rams (27-8) with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

☆ U.S. lawmaker wants TikTok CEO to detail actions to protect kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

McMorris Rodgers and other Republicans in December wrote TikTok saying said "many children are exposed to non-stop offerings of inappropriate content that TikTok’s algorithm force-feeds to them." They also raised concerns that TikTok livestreamed events allow adult TikTok users to offer monetary rewards to "persuade children to perform sexually suggestive acts." TikTok and the Biden administration have been negotiating for more than two years on data security requirements. TikTok said it has spent more than $1.5 billion on rigorous data security efforts and rejects spying allegations. The Biden administration demand for divestiture was the most dramatic in a series of recent steps by U.S. officials and legislators.

☆ At the Oscars, Diamonds May Be a Man’s Best Friend
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Jacob Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

At the Oscars, only a few will venture home with a little gold statue. Yet out on the red carpet, there is sure to be a bounty of little gilded brooches pinned to the glittery guests’ lapels. The male brooch has been an inescapable sight this awards season, highlights of which include Irish swooner Paul Mescal with a feathery Cartier pendant at the Baftas, Marvel star Simu Liu sporting a blossoming two-toned brooch to the Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards and kingpin producer Nile Rodgers sporting not one, but two double-C Chanel pins to the Grammys.

☆ Aaron Rodgers, a Jet? Lamar Jackson, a…? The NFL Quarterback Carousel Takes a Strange Spin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/aaron-rodgers-lamar-jackson-nfl-quarterback-carousel-jets-ravens-d02566d8

☆ Biden budget would cap monthly insulin prices at $35 for people with private insurance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

President Joe Biden's federal budget proposal would cap insulin prices at $35 per month for people with private insurance plans. Biden called on Congress in his State of the Union speech to finish the job and cap insulin at $35 a month for everybody. Drugmaker Eli Lilly got ahead of a potential federal mandate, announcing earlier this month that it would cap insulin at $35 per month for people with private insurance at certain retail pharmacies. About 40% of people with diabetes have private insurance while 5% are not insured, according to the American Diabetes Association. Some Republicans in Congress oppose to the move to cap insulin prices.

☆ Lilly to cut insulin prices by 70%, cap prices at $35 per month for people with private insurance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin prices for Medicare beneficiaries at $35 per month but did not protect people with private insurance or who don't have coverage from higher prices. In President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech, he called on Congress to cap insulin prices at $35 a month for everyone. Lilly said it will cap out-of-pocket costs at $35 per month effectively immediately at certain retail pharmacies for people with private insurance. One in five people with diabetes who have private insurance pay more than $35 per month for insulin, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Democrats in Congress had pushed to cap insulin at $35 per month last summer for people with private insurance, but Senate Republicans killed the measure.

☆ MediaMath seemed destined for a $1B fairy-tale exit. Instead, most early investors got nothing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

At its Halloween party in 2015, the adtech startup MediaMath seemed on the brink of greatness. The machine-learning revolution that took over the financial industry was finally happening in marketing, and many industry insiders considered MediaMath to be the hottest adtech company of the time. "We never came close to consummating such a deal with MediaMath nor entertained the purported valuation," said a representative for Singtel. The Trade Desk, the most comparable independent DSP company to MediaMath, was riding high after its 2016 initial public offering. The quasi-equity agreement was structured to protect Searchlight if MediaMath didn't perform to certain quotas or if things went south financially.

☆ Unapologetic Aaron Rodgers promises decision 'soon enough'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 1 - Aaron Rodgers plans to deliver a decision about his 2023 plans "soon enough" he said on a podcast with Aubrey Marcus released Wednesday. Rodgers, 39, met with the Packers two days after the end of the regular season in January. General manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that he hasn't had a chance to continue conversations with Rodgers. Favre didn't have a final decision, he would later say, but retired and then decided he wanted to continue playing. "It's best for anybody who has an interest in this to make a decision sooner rather than later," Rodgers said on the podcast.

☆ An Aaron Rodgers Trade Finally Makes Sense. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets have been mentioned as possible destinations if the Green Bay Packers were to trade Aaron Rodgers. Ken Ingalls, an accountant from Wisconsin, is obsessed with them. Ingalls maintains a massive spreadsheet with every player on his beloved Green Bay Packers along with the arcane details of each of their contracts. It’s his personal blueprint for what the team can afford now and years into the future. So when the Packers inked star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a three-year extension worth over $150 million last year, Ingalls wasn’t simply excited as a lifelong fan of the team.

☆ Aaron Rodgers emerges from darkness retreat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

February 23 - Aaron Rodgers returned to the light. The Green Bay Packers star quarterback emerged from his four-day darkness retreat Wednesday in Oregon, the facility's owner told ESPN. The NFL world awaits Rodgers' decision, with the Packers and other interested parties eager to be enlightened regarding his football future. Scott Berman, owner of Sky Cave Retreats, told ESPN that Rodgers' repose was spent in a 300-square-foot room that is devoid of natural light. Rodgers is due $59.5 million in guaranteed money in 2023 and $49.25 million in 2024.

☆ Lawyer spent over $10 million in loans for fake clients to live in a Las Vegas hotel and gamble '24/7' for six months, lawsuit alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A California lawyer allegedly spent $10 million in loans for fake clients to fund a Las Vegas lifestyle for six months. LDR International, the company claiming to have funded the loans, sued Sara Jacqueline King this month. LDR claims King provided falsified documents to secure 97 loans in 2022. LDR claims this prevented them from ever knowing for sure whether the loans they thought they were funding were actually given to the intended client. King allegedly served as an intermediary in the loan process separate from her law practice, King Reuben, starting when she formed the King Family Lending LLC in February 2020.

☆ Meet the GOP leaders in charge of critical House environmental committees
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Westerman, a representative for Arkansas's fourth congressional district, has a background in engineering and is a licensed forester. He's also introduced legislation to plant 1 trillion trees globally by 2050 in order to pull carbon out of the atmosphere. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of House Committee on Energy and CommerceRep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) during a House Energy and Commerce Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on April 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. "We'll be focusing on promoting innovative technologies to facilitate our clean energy transition," Lucas told CNBC. Lucas said the committee would also conduct "robust oversight" of the spending being distributed to advance the country's clean energy sector.

☆ Aaron Rodgers Is Going on a Darkness Retreat. What Is That?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Suryatapa Bhattacharya | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is about to make one of his biggest decisions. Literally in the dark. “I’ve got a pretty cool opportunity to do a little self-reflection in some isolation, and then after that I feel like I’ll be a lot closer to a final, final decision” on his career, he said last week on the Pat McAfee Show, a sports talk show. He is deciding whether to play again next season, either with the Packers or another team, or if he will retire.

☆ Biden proposal to cap all insulin prices at $35 a month has little chance of passing Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Biden's signature legislative achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act, has capped insulin prices for Medicare recipients at $35 per month but the law does not shield younger diabetes patients with private insurance or without insurance from higher prices. Let's cap the cost of insulin for everybody at $35," Biden told Congress Tuesday night. As the president spoke, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., called on Congress to pass the Insulin Act which would expand the $35 price cap to people with private insurance. Even when Democrats controlled both chambers last summer, Senate Republicans managed to kill a measure that would have capped insulin prices at $35 a month for people with private insurance. Should the Senate pass the Insulin Act, it would still face a House that's now in GOP hands.

☆ Navas steals limelight on mixed weekend for January signings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

January signings can be hit and miss and it was a mixed weekend for new recruits. "But I loved his composure and game management and decision making, I really enjoyed that part of his performance. He came close to a debut goal too, but ultimately it was a frustrating debut as Chelsea's attack misfired yet again. Leicester's Souttar, signed from Stoke City, enjoyed a winning debut as his side overcame Aston Villa 4-2, although scoring an own goal was hardly ideal. But Souttar, along with fellow new signing Victor Kristiansen, impressed, although not as much as another new recruit Tete, who marked his debut with a goal.

☆ Super Bowl a showcase for next generation of quarterback talent
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The next-youngest quarterback duo was Joe Montana and Dan Marino, who faced off at Super Bowl 19 at a combined age of 51 years and 350 days, according to ESPN, in 1985. Hurts will become the first member of Gen-Z to start in a Super Bowl, with Pew Research Center defining his generation as those born in 1997 or later. He has plenty of company among high-achieving young quarterbacks. "To find some stability in that position is like finding a massive gold nugget," ESPN analyst and retired twice Super Bowl champion Rob Ninkovich told Reuters. The Kansas City Chiefs play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57 on Feb. 12.

☆ Elon Musk scheduled meetings with many Republicans but no Democrats on his visit to US Capitol, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk missed Democrats off his meeting agenda when visiting the US Capitol, per Politico. Musk said he met with the Dem House leader but reports say this wasn't a scheduled meeting. Rep. Jan Schakowsky told Politico it was "seriously a mistake" and he should go back to explain why. Following Musk's visit, McCarthy told reporters: "He came to wish me a happy birthday," Bloomberg reported at the time. Democrats told Politico they were unimpressed at Musk arranging meetings only with conservatives.

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