The Daily Signal - TikTok's Uncertain Future, Biden's Preemptive Pardons, Trump's Pentagon Pick | Dec. 6, 2024

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Starting point is 00:00:24 Get the yes you've been waiting for at Capital One.ca.ca. slash yes. Terms and conditions apply. A federal appeals court upholds a U.S. law banning TikTok. I'm Joseph Von Spakovsky filling in for Rob Bluey, and this is the Daily Signals Top News in 10 for Friday, December 6th, 2024. TikTok is facing an uncertain future in the United States after a federal appeals court upheld a law that would ban the app. The TikTok ban goes into effect January 19th unless the company's Chinese owner, BiteDance, sells it to a non-Chinese company. TikTok said it would

Starting point is 00:01:10 appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The company contends that the law president Joe Biden signed earlier this year violates the First Amendment. TikTok's Chinese roots make it a national security threat, potentially exposing American user data to the Chinese Communist Party. The app has also come under fire for manipulating content and harming the mental health of children and teens. There are currently more than 170 million Americans using TikTok, including President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to save TikTok. Repealing the law would require an act of Congress, although Trump could also ask the Justice Department not to enforce it or negotiate with Bight Dance to change the ownership structure. Brendan Carr, Trump's pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, is one of TikTok's leading critics. He previously spoke with the Daily Signal about how the app poses a threat.

Starting point is 00:02:02 has said they want to dominate the world in artificial intelligence or AI by 2030. And their version of artificial intelligence is for authoritarian purposes, for malign purposes. And every single time a U.S. user swipes on TikTok, you know, looks at a paragraph. What you're really doing is you're feeding, training, and improving Beijing's AI. If the ban goes into effect next month, it means app stores run by Apple and Google would face penalties for hosting TikTok. President Joe Biden's reported plans to preemptively pardon friends and allies

Starting point is 00:02:40 has Washington a buzz. Biden granted his son Hunter a sweeping pardon Sunday which drew swift backlash from across the political spectrum. Some of his fellow Democrats were among the harshest critics. Now there's talk

Starting point is 00:02:54 that Biden could pardon potential targets of retribution from the incoming Trump administration. Three of the most prominent names on that list include Senator-elect Adam Schiff, of California, former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and Anthony Fauci, the retired director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has squared off against Fauci over his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul spoke to Fox News about

Starting point is 00:03:21 Fauci's possible crimes. I think it's a real possibility that Anthony Fauci could get a pardon. He is at risk. I've referred him twice to the Department of Justice. The Biden administration has ignored it, but we have a great deal of evidence that he lied to Congress, which is a felony punishable by five years. The proof that we have that he's lying is from his own emails. So we have his private emails gotten by court order, and they contradict what he was saying publicly in a way such that I think we could prove that he has lied to Congress, which is a felony. Biden and his aides are reportedly worried that Trump and his team could pursue criminal charges against certain individuals.

Starting point is 00:04:03 It's unclear, however, if Trump would follow on past comments once he's serving in the White House. Such pardons from Biden would likely be controversial, perhaps with members of his own party. Daily Signal President and executive editor Rob Bluie discussed the situation on the Sean Spicer Show last night. Ultimately, the Democrats are in a state of panic over this. I think that they realize that what Biden has done with Hunter has completely tarnished their reputation when it comes to this whole argument about democracy and the rule of law, they have nothing to stand on anymore. And so if Biden decides to go down this path, I mean, I would suspect that even more Democrats are going to come out and just say that he's completely lost his mind. And they're not going to give

Starting point is 00:04:46 to his presidential library. They want nothing to do with him. Stay tuned to DailySignal.com for the latest developments on this story. President elect Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense picked up a key endorsement from Senator Katie Britt and Alabama Republicans. Pete Hegseth spent the week in Washington to meet with senators who will vote on his confirmation in January. I'm a different man than I was years ago. That's a redemption story that I think a lot of Americans appreciate. And I know from fellow vets that I've spent time with, they resonate with that as well.

Starting point is 00:05:20 Hours after Brits signaled her support, Trump today posted on Truth Social to reiterate his confidence in Hegseth. Pete Hegseth is doing very well, Trump wrote. His support is strong and deep. much more so than the fake news would have you believe. Republicans control 53 seats in the U.S. Senate, meaning Hegseth can afford to lose only three votes. In 2021, all Democrats and 43 Republicans voted for Lloyd Austin's confirmation as Secretary of Defense. Since then, Austin has become a lightning rod at the Pentagon. His decision to allow taxpayer-funded abortions and impose diversity, equity, and inclusion policies have sparked widespread backlash.

Starting point is 00:06:01 Hegset served overseas in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He's led two veterans' organizations and has promised to once again make warfighting a priority for the military. Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, told reporters that he's keeping an open mind. Some of the allegations that have been made if our staff determines that they have credibility, the nominee will be asked to address them. If I were he, I would want to address them. And that's kind of where we are. I mean, my mind is completely open.

Starting point is 00:06:37 Hegset started to address those allegations this week, not only with senators directly, but also in a high-profile interview with Megan Kelly. Now for today's quick hits, where we share a brief rundown of other top news of the day. The U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in November. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2% while labor force participation held steady at 83.5%. Wages grew 0.4% in November, which beat expectations. But the retail sector shed 28,000 jobs, which means businesses so far aren't adding workers for the holiday season. Democrats in the House of Representatives are angling for new opportunities as some of the party's older leaders step aside. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of officially entered the race to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. But she'll first have to defeat Congressman Jerry Connolly to get the job. AOC is known for her far-left activism and being a member of the squad.

Starting point is 00:07:42 If she gets the oversight job, she'd be in a high-profile role to spar with the incoming Trump administration. The race against Connolly is expected to be highly competitive and consequential for Democrats. The manhunt continues in New York City for the killer of United Health Care Executive Brian Thompson. The 50-year-old was gunned down on 6th Avenue in Manhattan on Wednesday. After releasing security camera images of the hooded man Thursday, police continue to chase leads and look for more evidence. The Department of Agriculture announced it will start testing milk for the bird flu virus on December 16th. For the past year, H5N1 has circulated among

Starting point is 00:08:26 dairy cattle. Now, the government wants to test samples of unpasteurized milk from farmers and dairy producers. The Agricultural Department hopes the information will offer more clues about the outbreak among dairy cattle. And that'll do it for today's episode. Thank you for listening to The Daily Signal's Top News in 10. Coming up tomorrow, our special Saturday interview edition, Rob Bluey speaks with Eschelon Insights founding partner Patrick Rafini. They discuss the multiracial populist coalition that propelled Donald Trump to victory. In this election, what I think you saw,

Starting point is 00:09:03 was Trump aiming his message at a new generation, younger voters, many of whom are more diverse voters, going on podcasts, really changing up, you know, not necessarily changing his appeal and what he was talking about, but changing who he was talking to in a way that really paid off. Tune in tomorrow to hear the full interview. Also, make sure to subscribe to the Daily Signal wherever you get your podcasts and help us reach more listeners by leaving a five-star rating and review. We read all of your feedback. Thanks again for listening. Have a wonderful night and we'll be back with you tomorrow. The Daily Signal podcast is made possible because of listeners like you. Executive producers are Rob Louis and Katrina Trinko.

Starting point is 00:09:54 Hosts are Virginia Allen, Brian Gottstein, Tyler O'Neill, and Elizabeth Mitchell. Sound design by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, John Pop, and Joseph Von Spakovsky. To learn more, support our work, please visit dailysignal.com.

The Daily Signal - TikTok's Uncertain Future, Biden's Preemptive Pardons, Trump's Pentagon Pick | Dec. 6, 2024

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