House Republicans Delay Vote on Iran War Powers Resolution Amid Growing Congressional Debate 
Trump Says Iran Peace Deal Could Reopen Strait of Hormuz as Nuclear Talks Advance 
World Bank Emergency Funding Demand Surges as 27 Countries Seek Crisis Support Amid Iran Conflict 
Iran-U.S. Talks Continue as Strait of Hormuz and Uranium Dispute Stall Peace Efforts 
Trump-China Summit Yields Limited Progress on Trade and Tech Cooperation 
U.S. Military Drill Over Caracas Raises Tensions in Venezuela 
Trump Sends 5,000 Additional U.S. Troops to Poland Ahead of NATO Talks on Iran War 
Rubio Says NATO Must Benefit All Members Ahead of Sweden Meeting 
Marco Rubio Visits India to Rebuild U.S.-India Ties Amid Trade and Geopolitical Tensions 
Trump-Lai Call Remains Uncertain as U.S.-China Tensions Over Taiwan Intensify 
Trump Signals Tough Stance on Iran Uranium Stockpile as Nuclear Talks Show Limited Progress 
US Approves $108 Million Hawk Missile System Support Package for Ukraine 
White House Shooting Reports Prompt Major Security Response in Washington, D.C. 
Iran Pushes Nationalist Propaganda as Economic Crisis and War Deepen 
Israel Faces Global Backlash Over Gaza Flotilla Activists’ Treatment 
Trump Announces 5,000 Additional U.S. Troops to Poland Following Nawrocki Election Victory 
Russia Launches Massive Missile and Drone Strike on Kyiv Amid Oreshnik Threat 
Among the issues between the US and China is trade, with relations taking a hit in recent years under the previous administration. The trade conflict between the two countries remains, and now GOP Senator Marco Rubio is calling on the administration of US President Joe Biden to block the video app TikTok in the US.
Rubio issued a statement calling on Biden to block the short-form video app that has become one of the most used smartphone apps from the US. The Florida Republican Senator cited that China has taken an ownership stake in a key subsidiary of TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, which is based in Beijing. The Biden administration previously reversed some Trump-era executive orders placing a ban on new downloads of TikTok and another app, WeChat.
“Beijing’s aggressiveness makes clear that the regime sees TikTok as an extension of the party-state and the US needs to treat it that way,” said Rubio in the statement. “We must also establish a framework of standards that must be met before a high-risk, foreign-based app is allowed to operate on American telecommunications networks and devices.”
Biden has already ordered the Commerce Department to conduct a review on security concerns posed by the two apps along with others.
Corporate records have shown that the Chinese government has taken an ownership stake in a ByteDance entity in 2021. The move has raised questions on how much influence Beijing looks to have in the tech sector of the country that already faces regulatory action. Despite having a one percent stake in the entity, the Chinese government so far does not have any share in TikTok, according to people knowledgeable of the matter.
TikTok is also not available in China.
Biden is still facing mounting criticism and pressure over the chaotic situation in Afghanistan even after defending his decision to withdraw the US troops from the ground of the war-torn country. In an interview with ABC News Wednesday, Biden said that chaos was inevitable when it came to leaving Afghanistan.
“The idea that somehow there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” said the US leader in the interview.
