https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/chewshou_013124gn03_w.jpg?w=640&h=360&crop=1

TikTok CEO attending Trump inauguration

by Miranda Nazzaro and Alex Gangitano - 01/16/25 10:38 AM ET

TikTok CEO Shou Chew

Greg Nash

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew reacts to a question during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 31, 2024, in Washington

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration Monday, one day after a potential ban of the video sharing platform could take effect in the U.S., according to a source familiar with the plans.

Chew joins a growing list of technology executives expected to attend the inauguration as they seek to court Trump as he heads back to the Oval Office. Trump ally and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are among the tech leaders reportedly expected at the event Monday.

The inauguration will take place one day after a ban on TikTok could take effect if the platform’s Chinese parent company ByteDance does not sell the app or the Supreme Court stops the divest-or-ban law from being implemented.

The ban, which passed Congress with a wide bipartisan majority and was signed by President Biden in April, gave TikTok until Jan. 19 to either divest from ByteDance, or face a ban in the U.S.

TikTok has not publicly announced what users could expect on Sunday should the ban go into effect, though a report from The Information on Tuesday claimed the company intends to immediately shut off its app for U.S. users if the ban goes through.

The Supreme Court took up TikTok’s challenge to the law on an expedited timeline and heard oral arguments last week. The justices signaled sympathy with the government’s national security concerns about ByteDance but have yet to issue an opinion on the matter.

Trump, for his part, has offered praise for the platform and his incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said Wednesday the president-elect intends to take action to preserve TikTok once back in office.

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“TikTok itself is a fantastic platform,” Waltz told Fox News. “I wish I could have it on my phone. The algorithm is amazing. We’re going to find a way to preserve it but protect people’s data. And that’s the deal that will be in front of us.”

Waltz appeared on Fox News’s “Special Report” with Bret Baier shortly after The Washington Post reported Trump was considering different options to save TikTok in the face of a looming ban, including via an executive order.

Chew met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., last month.

TikTok did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Tags Amazon ByteDance Donald Trump Elon Musk Fox News inauguration Jeff Bezos Joe Biden Mark Zuckerberg Meta Mike Waltz Shou Zi Chew Supreme Court Tesla The Information The Washington Post TikTok

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/chewshou_013124gn03_w.jpg?w=640&h=360&crop=1

TikTok CEO attending Trump inauguration

by Miranda Nazzaro and Alex Gangitano - 01/16/25 10:38 AM ET

TikTok CEO Shou Chew

Greg Nash

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew reacts to a question during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 31, 2024, in Washington

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration Monday, one day after a potential ban of the video sharing platform could take effect in the U.S., according to a source familiar with the plans.

Chew joins a growing list of technology executives expected to attend the inauguration as they seek to court Trump as he heads back to the Oval Office. Trump ally and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are among the tech leaders reportedly expected at the event Monday.

The inauguration will take place one day after a ban on TikTok could take effect if the platform’s Chinese parent company ByteDance does not sell the app or the Supreme Court stops the divest-or-ban law from being implemented.

The ban, which passed Congress with a wide bipartisan majority and was signed by President Biden in April, gave TikTok until Jan. 19 to either divest from ByteDance, or face a ban in the U.S.

TikTok has not publicly announced what users could expect on Sunday should the ban go into effect, though a report from The Information on Tuesday claimed the company intends to immediately shut off its app for U.S. users if the ban goes through.

The Supreme Court took up TikTok’s challenge to the law on an expedited timeline and heard oral arguments last week. The justices signaled sympathy with the government’s national security concerns about ByteDance but have yet to issue an opinion on the matter.

Trump, for his part, has offered praise for the platform and his incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said Wednesday the president-elect intends to take action to preserve TikTok once back in office.

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The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox.

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By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use, have reviewed the Privacy Policy, and to receive personalized offers and communications via email, on-site notifications, and targeted advertising using my email address from The Hill, Nexstar Media Inc., and its affiliates

“TikTok itself is a fantastic platform,” Waltz told Fox News. “I wish I could have it on my phone. The algorithm is amazing. We’re going to find a way to preserve it but protect people’s data. And that’s the deal that will be in front of us.”

Waltz appeared on Fox News’s “Special Report” with Bret Baier shortly after The Washington Post reported Trump was considering different options to save TikTok in the face of a looming ban, including via an executive order.

Chew met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., last month.

TikTok did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Tags Amazon ByteDance Donald Trump Elon Musk Fox News inauguration Jeff Bezos Joe Biden Mark Zuckerberg Meta Mike Waltz Shou Zi Chew Supreme Court Tesla The Information The Washington Post TikTok

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5089193-new-orleans-homeless-sweep-super-bowl/

Louisiana governor relocating homeless people ahead of Super Bowl

by Lauren Irwin - 01/16/25 10:35 AM ET

Tyler Kaufman, Associated Press

An aerial overall exterior view of Caesars Superdome and the Smoothie King Center is seen with the New Orleans skyline in the background.

Louisiana authorities are clearing homeless encampments around the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans ahead of next month’s Super Bowl.

Gov. Jeff Landry (R) announced the sweep in an executive order Monday, framing the “strategy on homelessness” as a way to secure areas in the state ahead of the big event.

The news comes after the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, when a man drove a pickup truck down busy Bourbon Street, killing 14 people.

In his announcement, Landry said the executive order will provide emergency funding to assist homeless people living in public spaces near where the activities will take place, including the Caesars Superdome, French Quarter, Interstate 10 and U.S. 90.

Landry noted the Bourbon Street attack, a recent fire under the interstate, frigid temperatures and the destruction of a streetcar line in his reasoning for the homelessness measures.

“It is in the best interest of every citizen’s safety and security to give the unhoused humane and safe shelter as we begin to welcome the world to the City of New Orleans for both Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras,” Landry said in a statement.

Last week, the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned a restraining order that banned police from clearing encampments in the city. People were given “relocation notices” near the football stadium, with warnings for noncompliance, The Associated Press reported.

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As of Wednesday morning, state police gathered people at the encampment, told them to pack possessions into boxes and said there were buses to take them to a “transitional center.” The AP noted the center was miles away at a fenced-in warehouse.

Critics argue the pricy relocations to the center are a Band-Aid solution, since the state is spending more than $16 million on the warehouse and not providing permanent housing.

Some people who “have means” will be given bus or train tickets “out of state,” Landry’s announcement said.

Mike Steele, a spokesperson for the governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, told the AP that details surrounding the out-of-state relocation plan are still unclear, but it would be voluntary.

In Landry’s announcement, he said homeless people who have jobs will be prioritized for housing vouchers.

“Our administration will be working with stakeholders around the state to enact legislation reforms that should produce the framework needed to properly move people from homelessness to housing in a coherent, stair stepped plan,” the governor’s release said.

The Associated Press contributed.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5089193-new-orleans-homeless-sweep-super-bowl/

Louisiana governor relocating homeless people ahead of Super Bowl

by Lauren Irwin - 01/16/25 10:35 AM ET

Tyler Kaufman, Associated Press

An aerial overall exterior view of Caesars Superdome and the Smoothie King Center is seen with the New Orleans skyline in the background.

Louisiana authorities are clearing homeless encampments around the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans ahead of next month’s Super Bowl.

Gov. Jeff Landry (R) announced the sweep in an executive order Monday, framing the “strategy on homelessness” as a way to secure areas in the state ahead of the big event.

The news comes after the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, when a man drove a pickup truck down busy Bourbon Street, killing 14 people.

In his announcement, Landry said the executive order will provide emergency funding to assist homeless people living in public spaces near where the activities will take place, including the Caesars Superdome, French Quarter, Interstate 10 and U.S. 90.

Landry noted the Bourbon Street attack, a recent fire under the interstate, frigid temperatures and the destruction of a streetcar line in his reasoning for the homelessness measures.

“It is in the best interest of every citizen’s safety and security to give the unhoused humane and safe shelter as we begin to welcome the world to the City of New Orleans for both Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras,” Landry said in a statement.

Last week, the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned a restraining order that banned police from clearing encampments in the city. People were given “relocation notices” near the football stadium, with warnings for noncompliance, The Associated Press reported.

Sign up for the Morning Report

The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox.

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By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use, have reviewed the Privacy Policy, and to receive personalized offers and communications via email, on-site notifications, and targeted advertising using my email address from The Hill, Nexstar Media Inc., and its affiliates

As of Wednesday morning, state police gathered people at the encampment, told them to pack possessions into boxes and said there were buses to take them to a “transitional center.” The AP noted the center was miles away at a fenced-in warehouse.

Critics argue the pricy relocations to the center are a Band-Aid solution, since the state is spending more than $16 million on the warehouse and not providing permanent housing.

Some people who “have means” will be given bus or train tickets “out of state,” Landry’s announcement said.

Mike Steele, a spokesperson for the governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, told the AP that details surrounding the out-of-state relocation plan are still unclear, but it would be voluntary.

In Landry’s announcement, he said homeless people who have jobs will be prioritized for housing vouchers.

“Our administration will be working with stakeholders around the state to enact legislation reforms that should produce the framework needed to properly move people from homelessness to housing in a coherent, stair stepped plan,” the governor’s release said.

The Associated Press contributed.