🇺🇸 Chew’d Out

Plus, here’s where the term “March Madness” came from…

March 27, 2023

The Flag

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Good morning, and happy Monday! Have you ever wondered where the term "March Madness" came from? Here's the amazing story.

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FLAG POLLS

📉 Thursday, March 23: President Biden Job Approval: Approve 44, Disapprove 55 (CBS News/YouGov)

📉 Thursday, March 23: President Biden Job Approval: Approve 47, Disapprove 50 (Rasmussen Reports)

🐘 Tuesday, March 21: 2024 Republican Presidential Nomination: Trump 44, DeSantis 36, Pence 7, Haley 6, Cruz, Pompeo, T. Scott, Noem, Sununu (Monmouth)

📉 Tuesday, March 21: Congressional Biden Job Approval: Approve 21, Disapprove 69 (Monmouth)

TRENDING

Left: What Really Broke the Banks James Surowiecki, The Atlantic

Left: It Could All Backfire and Benefit Trump Chauncey DeVega, Salon

Left: The Fed's Silicon Valley Bank Cover-Up Won't Work David Dayen, American Prospect

Right: Hey, Where Did That Trump Grand Jury Go? Stephen Green, PJ Media

Right: Lessons Unlearned Sumantra Maitra, The American Conservative

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QUICK CLICKS

Biden's Nominee Backs Out, AI's Impact, Trump in Texas

US: Biden issues emergency declaration for Mississippi after tornado kills dozens (CBS News) + More storms feared after Mississippi tornado (BBC)

US: Biden's stalled pick to head turbulent FAA makes 'remarkable' decision, stirring strong reactions (Fox News)

World: Israeli political crisis deepens as Netanyahu fires judicial overhaul dissenter (CNN)

Business: Up to 80 percent of workers could see jobs impacted by AI (NY Post)

US: Awaiting possible indictment, Trump rallies in Waco and vows to 'destroy the deep state' (CNBC)

World: Putin says he'll move nukes to Belarus, prompting Ukrainian alarm; US says no sign of imminent risk (ABC News)

US: Death toll in Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion climbs to 7 (NBC News)

US: Italian mayor defends Florida principal forced out over ‘David’ statue (The Hill)

MEDIA

Chew'd Out

Last week, US lawmakers from both sides of the aisle grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at a Congressional hearing, ahead of a potential nationwide ban of the app. TikTok has already been banned on Federal Government cell phones and tablets.

From the Flag: Lawmakers asked questions about the app’s connection to the Chinese Communist Party, privacy concerns, and troubling trends like the “blackout challenge” that put kids at risk. Chew said the CCP has never asked for data and discussed efforts to move that information to domestic servers in the US. Here’s more from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Take Your Eyes Off TikTok: We Need a Federal Digital Privacy Law

  • Before rushing to ban TikTok, the Federal Government should start focusing on digital privacy – no matter who is storing the data.

  • China’s surveillance apparatus goes far deeper than just TikTok, and Congress banning it would be a mostly showy act.

  • TikTok is just a source of entertainment to millions of young internet users, but it’s also a Trojan horse for the CCP.

“Should Biden ban TikTok? Not so fast” Editorial Board, Washington Post: “Even the most credible arguments in favor of exiling TikTok because of parent company ByteDance’s Chinese ownership have been focused not on what has happened but on what could happen: President Xi Jinping’s regime could request specific data… The Chinese Communist Party could pressure the company to censor material… or promote posts that serve its interests… Concerns about the platform have always been worth the country’s attention — yet there’s also reason to dial down the alarmism. It is true, for instance, that China’s national security law would require the company to turn over information about its users to the government… and that employees there have accessed US user data. But it’s also true that the United States’ lack of a federal privacy law means most data with potential value to an adversary is already available for purchase on the Internet from a broker.”

“Banning TikTok Should Be Just the Beginning” Peter Harrell and Tim Wu, New York Times Op-ed: “The security concern is not that we’ll be corrupted by goofy videos but rather that the Chinese government could use the TikTok apps installed on millions of American phones as a form of spyware — collecting sensitive data and personal information, including where we go and what we do. (On Friday, The Times reported that the Justice Department is investigating the surveillance of Americans by ByteDance.) Congress is focused on TikTok for an obvious reason: It’s wildly popular and everyone’s heard of it. Banning it or forcing it to be sold off wouldn’t be a bad idea; the app does present serious privacy and security threats. But focusing just on TikTok would be a showy, inadequate response that would do far too little… Instead, Congress should pass a law to comprehensively protect American data and security.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: When it comes to TikTok, the US is blind Alex Stamos, CNN Opinion

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

TikTok Is a Treasure Trove for China, but Trouble for Our Kids and Privacy

  • It’s frightening when you consider how much sensitive data is being captured by TikTok, which highlights why it’s a security risk.

  • TikTok poses a threat to kids by promoting dangerous trends and indirectly discouraging them from seeking treatment for real conditions.

  • America has a digital dichotomy on its hands: privacy hawks and business interests are at odds when it comes to social media.

“The dark side of TikTok” Michelle Giuda, The Hill Op-ed: “Both Democrats and Republicans view the Chinese Communist Party as America’s foremost national security threat. They recognize the CCP is playing the long haul and its endgame is global domination. To achieve its mission, Beijing is using a four-dimensional strategy of military, economic, diplomatic and cultural aggression with technology as its core. That includes TikTok. No matter how strenuously Chew pleads independence from the Chinese government, he and his company are bound by China’s National Intelligence Law, which compels every Chinese citizen and company to surrender all data to the Chinese Communist Party upon request and perform surveillance activities on behalf of the CCP. … A recent BuzzFeed report, citing leaked audio from 80 internal TikTok meetings, revealed that ‘Everything is seen in China.’ TikTok tracks users’ keystrokes… credit card information, passwords, and location. In fact, TikTok is being used by the Chinese government to track reporters’ and whistleblowers’ physical movements.”

“TikTok is harming kids, and parents need to step up” Editorial Board, New York Post: “Want answers about the mental-health crisis sweeping America’s teens? Look no further than TikTok, a social video app that pushes the worst in human behavior. … Log on as a 14-year-old girl? Get bombarded with content glorifying violence and sex… And that’s to say nothing of the minutely detailed ‘how to’ guides on college-style binge drinking, including around a jug-chugging trend that sent tons of kids to the ER at UMass recently. Yet more troubling may be the fact that sad and lonely teen girls around the country use the platform to unburden themselves, detailing depression, eating disorders and anxiety — along with the unhealthy coping strategies they prefer, like drinking and acting out. Yes, kids need to vent. But adolescents in real pain need real help, not the phony connection and self-destructive advice that infest social media.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: America's TikTok challenge is not what you think Adonis Hoffman, Fox News Op-ed

FLAG THIS

Majority Support TikTok Ban, but Not Gen Z

A recent poll found 56% consider TikTok’s links to the Chinese government a risk to national security.

Asked about a potential ban, 61% were in favor, while 39% were opposed.

Answers differed with age, as just 39% of respondents aged 18-29 would support a ban, while 83% of those 65+ say it should be banned.

Overall, 83% said they were either “somewhat” or “very” concerned about foreign influence on social media, with 79% falling within the same categories when asked about social media and data privacy (CBS News/YouGov).

Do you think Congress should ban TikTok?

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FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

Cherry Tree Gift, Turning Butter into Sculptures, Sargassum Belt

On This Day in 1912: In Washington, D.C., Helen Taft, wife of President William Taft, and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, plant two Yoshino cherry trees on the northern bank of the Potomac River, near the Jefferson Memorial. The event was held in celebration of a gift, by the Japanese government, of 3,020 cherry trees to the U.S. government.

Today I Learned Tracy Chapman sued Nicki Minaj for copyright infringement. According to the complaint, Chapman repeatedly refused to give Minaj permission to sample one of her songs, but Minaj did it anyway. Minaj settled and agreed to pay Chapman $450K.

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