logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
23m 38s

TikTok might get banned. For real this t...

THE WASHINGTON POST
About this episode

The Senate is expected to pass a bipartisan bill that would force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or face a national ban. How did Congress finally achieve consensus on this?


Read more:


The Senate spent the day debating a bill that would provide billions of dollars in aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. But something else is also tucked into the bill: an ultimatum to TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the popular app or see it effectively banned in the United States.


Tech policy reporter Cristiano Lima-Strong says this is the latest attempt by Congress to force a sale of TikTok, which some lawmakers say poses a national security threat by putting the data of roughly 170 million Americans in the hands of the Chinese government. While a previous version of this bill had stalled in the Senate, this time the legislation is on the path to becoming law.


Cristiano joins Post Reports to break down the latest developments surrounding this bill as well as its potential consequences.


Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, with help from Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Sean Carter and edited by Monica Campbell. 


Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Up next
Today
The Supreme Court opens the door to mass federal layoffs
On Tuesday the Supreme Court lifted an order by a lower court that prevented the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers. While the order was unsigned – meaning that the justices have not yet ruled on its legality – this is one of several recent decision ... Show More
18m 12s
Yesterday
How Trump's media war came for CBS
Donald Trump has spent the past decade waging war on the media. That has included filing frequent lawsuits against media organizations whose coverage he views as unfavorable. Those lawsuits have been largely unsuccessful, until recently. Last week, Paramount announced it was sett ... Show More
29m 28s
Jul 7
Why devastation struck Texas's 'flash flood alley'
In just three hours, water levels in Central Texas rose over 30 feet, surprising local communities that say they had little time to prepare and no warning. What ensued was one of the most destructive floods the region has seen in decades.Colby Itkowitz speaks with extreme weather ... Show More
24m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
The Truth is coming out and THEY'RE P*SSED | Redacted with Clayton Morris
The debate on Senate bill 686 is one of the most important pieces of legislation to watch as Republican Senators debate its merits. The bill would put a ban on the Chinese social media app Tik Tok, with Rand Paul schooling Josh Hawley on exactly why the legislation won’t fly. 
1h 41m
Jan 2025
The TikTok Ban Goes to the Supreme Court
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments challenging the federal law that requires TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, to either shut down or find a new owner. WSJ’s Jess Bravin breaks down the arguments from each side. Further Listening: -How TikTok Became ... Show More
20m 57s
Mar 2025
Click Here: The TikTok Ban, China, And National Security
The story of TikTok in the U.S. is one that's had many chapters, to say the least. First, then-President Donald Trump called for its ban in 2020. Then, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan law in 2024 requiring the company in charge of the video-sharing platform to sell the ap ... Show More
39m 15s
Jun 3
One-on-One: Senator Markwayne Mullin
The Senate returned to Capitol Hill on Monday with a new mission at the top of their agenda: uniting behind President Trump's "one big, beautiful bill." It took Congress weeks to narrowly agree on the legislation, passing it with a thin 215-214 vote. Many Senate Republicans have ... Show More
26 m
Jul 1
Big Beautiful Bill's Senate pass, heat domes and Dalai Lama
The U.S. Senate has passed President Donald Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill. The development is likely to irk Elon Musk whose company subsidies have been threatened because of his criticism of the bill. Europe and the US have suffered under recent heat domes - what are ... Show More
11m 25s
Jul 2
House GOP Threaten to Sink Trump Megabill
A.M. Edition for July 2. A day after its passage in the Senate, House Republicans are lining up to oppose the president’s “big, beautiful bill,” with fiscal conservatives and centrists leading the charge. Plus, Trump threatens Japan with tariffs as high as 35% ahead of a looming ... Show More
13m 3s
Aug 2024
How Anti-Trans Laws Hurt Everyone
As we've been covering on the show for a while now, Republican-led states across the country are attacking trans communities by banning or attempting to ban everything from life-saving healthcare to sports participation for school-aged youth. In South Carolina Thursday, a trans m ... Show More
17m 46s
Jun 20
The current reconciliation bill will raise the deficit. Could it pass anyway?
This week, we’ve looked at the budget reconciliation bill and its effects on student debt, taxes, health care and social programs. The bill is currently moving through the Senate. Today, we discuss the reconciliation bill and the national deficit. And we dig into other proposals ... Show More
28m 43s
Oct 2021
ITT Sound Off: The Congress Mess
Julio and guest co-host Jamilah King, deputy inequality editor at Buzzfeed News, talk about the latest in Congress, including Thursday’s vote to temporarily stop a government shutdown, and the infrastructure and budget reconciliation bills. They hear from Representative Jamaal Bo ... Show More
19m 32s
Jan 2025
How Trump ended the TikTok blackout
Donald Trump has brought the social media app TikTok back to life in the United States after an outage lasting less than 24 hours. The platform run by Chinese-owned ByteDance went offline for US users, with the firm saying it acted to comply with a law that banned it unless it so ... Show More
14m 13s