TikTok Goes Dark In Less Than 24 Hours

Less than 24 hours to go.

It’s official: we are now less than 24 hours away from TikTok going dark in the United States of America. TikTok released a new statement saying that the Biden Administration has not given sufficient assurances to its partners like Apple and Oracle that the companies will not face enforcement action if they keep working with TikTok starting tomorrow, the date of the ban. As a result, TikTok is now calling on the Administration to issue a more forceful statement assuring the companies that it will not enforce the ban.

Whether the Biden Administration does so, however, is an open question. The incoming Trump Administration has signaled that it will likely re-open TikTok operations by signing a 60 or 90 day pause on Monday. But, there are questions over whether that pause is legally effective such that TikTok could remain open. In any event, right now, there is a massive game of chicken being played between Donald Trump, Joe Biden, TikTok, and its partners. Who is going to blink first?

Hopefully one of them does soon so that TikTok does not go dark.

No matter what happens to TikTok, I want to assure you that these daily newsletters, and my presence on Substack, is only going to grow. As an independent journalist, this platform, which is not owned by billionaires, gives me full editorial control of my work and allows me to communicate with you all through video and text. If you want to support my work and get access to exclusive perks, please click the button below and become a paid subscriber:

While legacy media companies like the Washington Post are dying. Independent journalism on Substack is thriving. And better yet, we don’t have billionaires telling us who to endorse, what stories to publish, or when to publish. I have full editorial control over my posts, and I encourage you to make your own pages too. With that, I’m not going anywhere. Expect Substack posts twice per day with my thoughts like the ones I shared above, and also with snippets of all the news you missed from the day. Stay tuned for my video breakdown this evening.

Here are your snippets from overnight:

• The Trump Administration plans on beginning mass deportations on Tuesday beginning with a week long raid in Chicago.

• The 5th Circuit Court of appeals once again invalidated the DACA program, although the decision is stayed pending further litigation.

• Republicans who bought flights to DC for the Trump inauguration are reportedly upset now that it's no longer outdoors.

• The ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is expected to begin implementation tomorrow.

• Donald Trump has faced ridicule for moving his inauguration ceremony inside the Capitol Rotunda. All tickets to the inauguration are no longer working.

There will be much more news coverage over the next four years, so get ready.

If you enjoy this content, let me know, and please consider becoming a paid subscriber today to support my independent journalism:

Thank you for everything,

Aaron