Lawmakers in Washington are considering a ban of TikTok despite Trump's opposition, and the former and current presidents pursue Black voters in Georgia primaries.
Lawmakers advance proposal to ban TikTok
The House is expected to vote on a bill that would likely ban the social media service TikTok in the United States.
The legislation was unanimously approved by a House committee last week, but now former President Donald Trump has come out against it, even though he tried to ban TikTok when he was in office.
TikTok users have been hounding members of Congress after a House committee voted 50-0 last week for a bill that would essentially banish TikTok from the U.S. unless the Chinese company that owns the popular app sells it.
Trump told CNBC Monday said there are positives and negatives to TikTok, but added: “The thing I don’t like is that without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people along with a lot of the media."
A Republican House staffer said Republicans were blindsided by Trump’s opposition, and that it could influence the votes of some Republicans when the full House votes on the legislation.
There are bipartisan concerns that TikTok’s Chinese ownership poses a national security threat.
“No one in that room that voted for that bill was voting to ban TikTok. What they were voting to do is to separate TikTok from the People’s Republic of China, which is controlling that data and using it in ways that could be dangerous to the national security of the United States,” Rep. Debbie Dingell said.
Hedge-fund manager Jeff Yass, who has a huge stake in TikTok, has hired former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway to lobby against the bill. Trump has met with Yass but says the billionaire played no role in his opposition to the measure.
In a statement, TikTok said: “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression.”
The House is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday, and despite his campaign recently joining the app, President Joe Biden says he would sign the legislation if it reaches his desk.
Biden, Trump aim to turn out Black voters in Georgia
As President Joe Biden campaigned in Atlanta, Ga., over the weekend, just days before the Peach State’s March 12 presidential primary, his reelection bid was endorsed by three national organizations that represent Black, Asian, and Latino voters.
“This endorsement isn’t just deserving, it’s been earned,” said Quentin James, the president of The Collective PAC, a committee which helps to elect Black officials nationwide, at Saturday's Biden campaign stop. During the event, he hailed Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' accomplishments related to job creation, lowering health care costs and elevating Black women to the federal judiciary.
James' group announced it is partnering with the AAPI Victory Fund and the Latino Victory Fund to launch a $30 million organizing effort to turn out communities of color for Biden.
In Georgia, more than 33% of the population is Black, a voting bloc that was key to Biden’s narrow victory (less than 12,000 votes) over then-President Donald Trump in 2020.
At Biden’s event Saturday, Black Georgians told Spectrum News they feel his campaign is doing ample outreach as the general election picks up.
“I think that there could be more, always," conceded Sherry Martin. "But I think that a lot of attention has been put there just because Black women show up in large numbers all the time, because we do see that our democracy’s on the line.”
Anita Hendricks felt similarly.
“Enough is being done, but there’s always more that can be done,” she said. “The Black base here in Georgia’s behind President Biden and we will continue to do so, particularly Black women.”
Trump was also in Georgia on Saturday, a dueling visit which highlighted the all but unofficial kickoff to the general election rematch between the former president and Biden. Trump rallied thousands of mostly white supporters in the small city of Rome, about 75 miles from Biden’s event.
While a majority of non-Black voters in Georgia favored Trump in 2020, several supporters told Spectrum News on Saturday they hope the former president tries to make inroads with the Black community this time around.
“I think just reaching out to the minorities and to the working class, the middle class, because we have to be built back up again,” said Bonnie Griffith, who is white.
As she waited in line to enter Trump’s event, Elaine Dawson, who is also white, applauded the Trump campaign’s efforts thus far.
“I think he’s reaching out to every genre of the population," she said. "Not just my age, but to the younger ones, to the Black population, the African Americans, every genre."
Vivian Childs, a former chair of the Georgia Black Republican Council, told Spectrum News there is outreach underway on behalf of Trump’s campaign by Black conservatives in the state.
“We are reaching people wherever they are, whether it be in the church, on the playground, in the schools. So we’re out there, and we’re carrying his words with us,” said Childs, who previously served as a director on the National Diversity Coalition for Trump.
Mykel Barthelemy, a Georgia-based Republican commentator who wrote the book, "TRUMP IS NOT A RACIST! Here's Why," said she believes it’s harder for Republicans to engage with Black voters.
She also thinks Trump should visit inner cities to be more visible and believes Trump’s legal troubles present an opportunity.
“Ever since Trump has been arrested and he got that mug shot, a lot of Black people have softened their hearts, for some reason, towards Trump,” she claimed. “Some people say because, ‘Oh, he’s just like us. He’s been treated unfairly by the justice system the same way that we were.’”
Eligible Black voters accounted for nearly half of Georgia’s electorate growth since 2000, according to the Pew Research Center. In order to win the state in November, both candidates will need Black voters’ support.
Biden touts jobs numbers
The Biden Administration is touting the February jobs report, saying the economy is showing tremendous resilience.
The unemployment rate rose by two-tenths of a point, to 3.9%, but it remained below 4% for the 25th straight month.
“That’s the longest stretch in 50 years, and we continue to see labor force participation rate being strong, especially for women,” Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su said.
Average hourly wages rose just one-tenth of a percent from the previous month, and 4.3% from a year ago.
That’s still better than the inflation rate, which has been easing, a good sign to economists.
Su says the job growth was seen across multiple industries.
“We saw certain government groups, but also health care, so hospitals had a lot of hiring," Su said. "We saw transportation, warehousing, we saw social assistance, restaurants and bars."
Su attributes the positive report to Biden’s policies, but many Americans still are sour on the economy because of inflation and high interest rates, a potential danger sign for the president as he seeks re-election.
“A few years ago, $10 would buy you a couple of bags of groceries," Rep. Mike Waltz said. "Now, the Biden administration saying, 'Well, but you got $15,' but it only gets you one bag of groceries in reality, and that’s where there’s a real disconnect between this data they keep showing and how it’s impacting people’s lives.”
The numbers provide more evidence the economy is gliding to a soft landing, after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to cool it down just enough to temper inflation without triggering a recession.
Experts say they still expect the Fed to begin lowering interest rates at some point this year.