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TikTok Restores Service In US After Trump Comments

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TikTok restored service in the United States Sunday after briefly going dark, as a law banning the wildly popular app on national security grounds came into effect.

TikTok credited President-elect Donald Trump, who retakes power on Monday, for making the reversal possible — though the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden had earlier said that it would not enforce any ban.

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The video-sharing app had shut down in the United States late Saturday as a deadline for its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its US subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers loomed.

Earlier Sunday, as millions of dismayed users found themselves barred from the app, Trump promised to issue an executive order delaying the ban to allow time to “make a deal.”

He also called in a post on his Truth Social platform for the United States to take part-ownership in TikTok.

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The president-elect said he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” arguing that the app’s value could surge to “hundreds of billions of dollars — maybe trillions.”

READ ALSO: TikTok Plans Full Shutdown In US As Ban Deadline Nears

“By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands,” wrote Trump, who had previously backed a TikTok ban and during his first term in office made moves towards one.

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In a statement posted on X following Trump’s comments, TikTok said it “is in the process of restoring service.”

“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans.”

TikTok, which was back online in the United States by Sunday afternoon, did not address Trump’s call for part American ownership of the app.

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The law allows for a 90-day delay of the ban if the White House can show progress toward a viable deal, but so far ByteDance has flatly refused any sale.

The Biden administration said it would leave enforcement of the law to Trump.

READ ALSO: TikTok Deletes 2.1 Million Videos In Nigeria Over Guideline Violations — Report

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From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, TikTok has been embraced for its ability to transform ordinary users into global celebrities when a video goes viral.

But it is also rife with disinformation, and its Chinese ownership has long spurred national security fears, internationally as well as in the United States.

Sunday’s blackout came after the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld the legislation banning it pending any sale.

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Trump, who signed an executive order stepping up pressure on ByteDance to sell in 2020, has since credited the app with connecting him to younger voters.

It is unclear what the incoming president can do to lift the ban unless ByteDance ultimately sells, however.

READ ALSO: TikTok Fights US Govt In Court To Avoid Nationwide Ban

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“Congress wrote this law to be virtually president-proof,” warned Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of industry trade group Chamber of Progress.

– ‘I love TikTok’ –
Besides removing TikTok from app stores, the law requires Apple and Google to block new downloads, with the companies liable for penalties of up to $5,000 per user if the app is accessed.

Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s servers, would also be legally obligated to enforce the ban.

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Other social media platforms such as X were flooded with memes and comments mourning Sunday’s temporary shutdown — though some posts were more cynical, with many pointing to Trump’s own previous efforts to ban TikTok.

In Europe, TikTok’s suspension drew praise from the foreign minister of Estonia — among the countries most resilient to disinformation, according to the European Media Literacy Index.

“Banning TikTok must be considered in Europe as well,” Margus Tsahkna said on X.

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READ ALSO: Tiktok Bans Nigerian Content Creator’s Account After Completing 24-hour Buried-alive Challenge [VIDEO]

The ban even became a hot topic at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where American tennis player Coco Gauff scrawled “RIP TikTok USA” on a courtside camera.

I love TikTok, it’s like an escape… hopefully it comes back,” the world number three told reporters.

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Offers for TikTok –
A last-minute proposal made Saturday by the highly valued start-up Perplexity AI offered a merger with the US subsidiary of TikTok, a source with knowledge of the deal told AFP.

The proposal did not include a price but the source estimated it would cost at least $50 billion.

Frank McCourt, the former Los Angeles Dodgers owner, has also made an offer to purchase TikTok’s US activities.

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Netanyahu Says Israel’s Strikes On Iran Have ‘Clear Support’ Of Trump

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel’s air strikes on Iran had the “clear support” of US President Donald Trump.

Our enemy is your enemy… We’re dealing with something that will threaten all of us sooner or later. Our victory will be your victory,” Netanyahu said in a video statement addressed to Trump on the US leader’s birthday.

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READ ALSO: Netanyahu Vows No Mercy After Deadly Hezbollah Drone Strike

This is what Israel is doing with the support, the clear support of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the American people and many others in the world.”

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US Lawmaker Shot Dead, Another Wounded In Targeted Attack

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A gunman shot two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota early Saturday, killing one and her husband and wounding the other, in what the northern US state’s governor said were politically motivated attacks.

The shootings came at a moment of deep political divisions in the United States, as thousands took to the streets in protest at the policies of Republican President Donald Trump.

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The suspected assailant was still at large, officials said, with a massive manhunt underway.

Trump and US Attorney General Pam Bondi decried what they called “horrific violence” and said the perpetrators would be prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law.”

State representative Melissa Hortman — the former speaker — and her husband Mark were killed at their home near Minneapolis, Governor Tim Walz told a press conference.

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State senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot and wounded, the governor said, his voice breaking with emotion. He said officials remained “cautiously optimistic” they would recover.

READ ALSO: Most Followed Tiktoker Khaby Lame Deported From US Over Visa Violation

This was an act of targeted political violence,” Walz told reporters.

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Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.”

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Hoffman and his wife were shot first, and as police investigated, Hortman and her husband were shot about 90 minutes later.

The suspected gunman was able to escape during an exchange of gunfire with officers near Hortman’s residence, Evans told reporters.

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We’re actively searching for that individual right now,” he said.

– Impersonating law enforcement –

In both cases, authorities believe the assailant was impersonating a law enforcement officer.

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READ ALSO: US-Iran Nuclear Talks In Oman Cancelled

“The suspect exploited the trust that our uniform is meant to represent,” said Bob Jacobson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

An anti-Trump rally in Minneapolis — part of the national wave of “No Kings” protests planned for Saturday — was canceled after police issued a shelter-in-place order because of the shootings.

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Flyers for the protests were found in the suspect’s car, as well as a manifesto that named numerous politicians and state officials, police said.

Police are looking for a white man with brown hair, wearing black body armor over a blue shirt and blue pants, local TV station KSTP said.

“We do have the suspect’s car. Suspect is on foot,” said Mark Bruley, the police chief in Brooklyn Park, where Hortman lived.

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The United States has been deeply divided since Trump returned to the White House in January.

READ ALSO: Four Docked Over journalist’s Murder

The Republican president has drawn criticism from Democrats over his harsh deportation policy, his assault on universities and the media and a perceived flouting of limits on executive power as he pushes his agenda.

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At this precipice moment we’re on, this tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us,” Walz said.

The democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.”

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar remembered Hortman as a friend who entered politics at the same time as her and dedicated her life to serving the state, working on issues such as women’s rights and clean energy.

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Let me be absolutely clear: this was an act of targeted political violence, and it was an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “We must all condemn it.”

Minnesota’s other US senator, Tina Smith, also issued a statement condemning the shootings.

Former House member Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting to the head in 2011 and is now a prominent advocate for the prevention of gun violence, described herself as “devastated” by the death of Hortman.

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We must protect our democracy from those who try to destroy it with a gun,” Giffords wrote on X.

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Diplomat, Wife Injured In Iran Strikes On Tel Aviv

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Croatia’s consul in Israel and his wife were lightly injured in Iran’s missile strikes on Tel Aviv, Croatia’s Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Saturday.

“I am shaken by the news that our consul and his wife were injured in the attack on Tel Aviv. The building they live in was hit,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

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“I spoke with them and, fortunately, their injuries are minor and they are not in any life-threatening condition.”

READ ALSO: Tension Heightens As UK Moves Warplanes To Middle East Amid Iran, Israel’s Heated Crisis

Grlic Radman added that his ministry was in constant contact with the Croatian embassy in Israel and was taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of its staff.

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We strongly condemn attacks on civilians and diplomatic facilities. We call for immediate de-escalation and restraint,” Grlic Radman said.

Israel on Friday launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, hitting scores of targets across the country, including nuclear and military sites and residential buildings.

READ ALSO: Israeli Strikes Kill 13 In Gaza

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Iran said 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in the first wave of Israeli strikes.

Iran retaliated with barrages of drones and missiles at Israel, killing three people and wounding dozens.

AFP

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