Harris accuses Biden of ‘perceived blank check’ for Netanyahu in Hamas war
In her new book, former Vice President Kamala Harris indicates that President Joe Biden’s unpopularity harmed her 2024 presidential bid, suggesting that among the issues was the president’s “perceived blank check to [Israeli leader] Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza,” Axios reported. “I had pleaded with Joe, when he spoke publicly on this issue, to extend the same empathy he showed to the suffering of Ukrainians to the suffering of innocent Gazan civilians,” she wrote, according to the outlet. “But he couldn’t do it: While he could passionately state, ‘I am a Zionist,’ his remarks about innocent Palestinians came off as inadequate and forced.” KAMALA HARRIS SAYS SHE ‘HAD NO IDEA’ SHE ‘PULLED THE PIN ON A HAND GRENADE’ WITH ‘THE VIEW’ ANSWER ABOUT BIDEN Trump trounced Harris in the 2024 contest — she lost the Electoral College and the popular vote. Harris claimed in her book that Netanyahu “wanted [Donald] Trump in the seat opposite him. Not Joe, not me,” according to Axios. The former vice president’s book about her whirlwind presidential campaign, “107 Days,” was released on Tuesday. SEN TED CRUZ CALLS OUT VP KAMALA HARRIS FOR PALESTINIAN SYMPATHY PUSH: ‘UNDERMINING ISRAEL’ “I believe Israel was right to respond to the atrocities of October 7,” she wrote, according to Axios. “But the ferocity of Netanyahu’s response, the number of innocent Palestinian women and children killed, and his failure to prioritize the lives of the hostages had weakened Israel’s moral position internationally and created angry dissent within Israel itself.” HARRIS OFFERS TIMID ENDORSEMENT OF MAMDANI, QUICKLY PIVOTS TO OTHER ‘STAR’ DEMOCRATS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A December 2023 Politico article titled “Kamala Harris pushes White House to be more sympathetic toward Palestinians” quoted Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen claiming that “there is no daylight between the president and the vice president, nor has there been” and they “have been clear: Israel has a right and responsibility to defend itself; humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow into Gaza; innocent civilians must be protected; and the United States remains committed to a two-state solution.”
Waltz to root out antisemitism, eliminate ‘woke’ programs, get ‘back to basics’ at the United Nations
EXCLUSIVE: Newly confirmed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz will work to “Make the U.N. great again,” while working to root out antisemitism, eliminate “woke” programs and become more aggressive in telecommunications, aviation, space and more, sources familiar with his priorities told Fox News Digital. Waltz, a retired Army National Guard colonel and former Green Beret, previously served as a House Republican from Florida before being tapped to serve as Trump’s national security advisor. TRUMP’S FINAL CABINET PICK, MIKE WALTZ, CONFIRMED BY SENATE IN NARROW VOTE Waltz was confirmed as U.N. ambassador Friday, ending a nearly nine-month gap during which the U.S. was without a representative at the U.N. His confirmation also came just before the U.N. General Assembly began in New York City. A source familiar with Waltz’s plans told Fox News Digital that he will reform the U.N. by working to “clean up the woke nonsense that’s infected the U.N., like so many other government institutions.” The source told Fox News Digital that Waltz plans to reform U.N. agencies focused on climate and “woke” programs. The source stressed that Waltz will also reform the way the United States is represented at the U.N. “President Trump is the president for peace,” another source familiar with Waltz’s plans told Fox News Digital. “The U.N.’s original mandate was to bring everybody together and prevent wars or stop wars.” The source added: “We need to get back to basics.” That source also told Fox News Digital that Waltz will work to root out antisemitism at the U.N. WALTZ PROMISES US WILL DEFEND ‘EVERY INCH’ OF NATO TERRITORY AFTER RUSSIAN JETS FLEW INTO ESTONIA Waltz also has signaled that he plans to be more aggressive in international standard-setting bodies which affect U.S. businesses and the economy. For example, China has been “very aggressive” in agencies that govern how aviation, telecommunications, space and international shipping work,” a source said. “We need to be more aggressive,” the source said. Waltz also plans to support Trump’s agenda and priorities set by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During his confirmation hearing, Waltz advocated for reforms at the U.N. and argued that “we should have one place in the world where everyone can talk.” “Where China, Russia, Europe, the developing world, can come together and resolve conflicts,” he said. “But after 80 years, it’s drifted from its core mission of peacemaking.” Meanwhile, on his first day at the U.N., Waltz warned Monday that the U.S. and its allies will defend “every inch” of NATO territory after Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace. “The United States stands by our NATO allies in the face of these airspace violations, and I want to take this first opportunity to repeat and to emphasize the United States and our allies will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Waltz said during opening remarks of the U.N. General Assembly high-level week. “Russia must urgently stop dangerous behavior.” The warning marked one of Waltz’s first public statements since his Senate confirmation. It came days after three Russian MiG-31 jets flew deep into Estonian airspace — the closest such incursion to the Baltic nation’s Parliament building in years — raising fears Moscow is testing NATO’s resolve. Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Lawsuit claims baby monitors marketed as safe may be feeding data to Beijing
FIRST ON FOX: Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers will file a lawsuit Tuesday against home security camera maker Lorex, alleging the company misled consumers about the safety and privacy of its devices, Fox News Digital has learned. Few people know the name Lorex, but its cameras, sold at retailers like Costco and Best Buy, are quietly monitoring homes across the U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS RAISE CONCERNS AFTER MICROSOFT EXPOSED AS POSSIBLE AVENUE FOR CHINESE SPYING The 39-page lawsuit, filed in Nebraska state court, claims the company marketed its cameras as “private by design” and safe for places like children’s bedrooms, while concealing that the devices rely on a Chinese firm sanctioned by the U.S. over national security and human rights violations. Lorex did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitial’s request for comment. According to Hilgers, Lorex devices depend on technology from Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., a Chinese surveillance firm legally bound to assist Beijing’s sweeping intelligence apparatus. “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses a direct threat to American security, including through market actors who create or exploit security to American consumers,” Hilgers told Fox News Digital. “This is a national issue, and we are leading the fight in Nebraska against these companies who enable the CCP influence and surveillance.” CHINA IS EXPLOITING OUR GOVERNMENT’S TECH WEAKNESS. WE NEED A RAPID REBOOT The complaint notes that the Lorex 2K Dual Lens Indoor camera, sold by major U.S. retailers such as Costco, Best Buy, Kohl’s and Home Depot, closely mirrors Dahua’s “H5D-5F” and “H3D-3F” models. Hilgers said Lorex markets its surveillance products for use in highly private areas, including children’s bedrooms, without warning families of potential security risks. “This marketing is deceptive, as Nebraskans are not warned about security risks,” he said. “When it comes to products that may be used to monitor children and inside Nebraska homes, this deception is both alarming and unacceptable.” Hilgers isn’t alone in sounding the alarm. Others in the security space say Lorex’s products represent a broader national threat. Michael Lucci, CEO of State Armor, has been the leading voice pushing states to act. “Lorex products shouldn’t just say ‘Made in China,’ they should say ‘Watching from China,’” Lucci said in a statement to Fox News Digital. CHINA TARGETS US MILITARY MEMBERS IN OVERSEAS SPY OPERATIONS, FORMER CIA CHIEF WARNS He continued, “By hiding its reliance on a CCP-controlled company sanctioned for human rights abuses and national security risks, Lorex is lying to American families.” “Marketing these cameras as ‘private by design’ while all the data is back-doored by Beijing is not just false advertising, it’s a direct threat to individual privacy and American national security,” he added. Lawmakers from both parties have long raised concerns that the Chinese government exploits educational exchanges, research partnerships and business investments in the U.S. as cover for espionage activities. These warnings have intensified in recent years amid growing scrutiny of Beijing’s influence operations on U.S. soil.
New poll reveals Mamdani still holds commanding double-digit lead over rivals in NYC mayoral race
With six weeks to go until Election Day 2025, Zohran Mamdani remains far ahead of his rivals for New York City mayor, according to a new public opinion poll. Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from Queens who shocked the political world in June with his convincing win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination, holds a 20-point lead over Cuomo. Mamdani grabs 45% support in the Suffolk University CityView poll of New Yorkers very or somewhat likely to vote in November’s general election for mayor. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF THE NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL SHOWDOWN Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid multiple scandals and who is running as an independent candidate in the general election after losing the primary, stands at 25% support in the survey, which was conducted Sept. 16–18. Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee in the Democratic-dominated city, stands at 9%. And embattled incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent after deciding to skip the Democratic primary amid anemic polling, grabbed 8% support in the survey. MAMDANI LANDS CRUCIAL ENDORSEMENT IN NYC MAYORAL SHOWDOWN Three other candidates on the ballot combined for 1% support, with 9% undecided. Suffolk highlighted that theirs is the first public poll that includes all seven candidates listed on the official ballot, and the nine affiliated political parties or designations. “The official ballot lists Mamdani and Sliwa twice each because they represent multiple political parties or designations,” Suffolk University Political Research Center director David Paleologos said. “This helps Mamdani because he is listed first on the ballot as the Democratic Party nominee, and then again fourth on the ballot as the Working Families Party nominee.” Cuomo is listed once and is the eighth selection out of nine ballot choices. TRUMP REVEALS NEW NICKNAME FOR MAMDANI The Suffolk poll is the latest to show Mamdani remains the clear frontrunner in the Democratic-dominated city. Four other surveys conducted earlier this month indicated Mamdani’s lead over Cuomo and the rest of the field ranging from 15 to 22 points. Both Sliwa and Adams have repeatedly committed to staying in the race in recent weeks amid multiple reports that President Donald Trump’s advisors floated administration roles for both mayoral hopefuls if they dropped out. Trump, a native New Yorker who now calls Florida home, has urged that the field narrow in order to offer Cuomo a better chance at possibly defeating Mamdani, whom the president repeatedly derides is a communist. The Ugandan-born Mamdani, if elected, would become the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of the nation’s most populous city. Mamdani surged to the Democratic primary victory thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City’s high cost of living. It was fueled by a grassroots army of supporters and backing from top national progressive champions, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering free child care for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores. Mamdani has been heavily criticized by his rivals not only for his far-left proposals, but also for his criticism of Israel, his past negative comments regarding the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and his proposal to shift certain responsibilities away from the NYPD and focus on social services and community-based programs. The new poll indicates affordability, at 21%, is the top issue on the minds of New York City voters, followed by crime at 20%, economy/jobs at 14%, and housing at 9%. The survey also indicates voters are debunking much of the negative social media narratives about Mamdani and Cuomo. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP According to the poll, 59% of those questioned disagreed that Mamdani is antisemitic. And 52% disagreed that Mamdani, if elected, would raise taxes, causing businesses to flee the city. Additionally, 53% disagreed that Cuomo, if elected, would continue the unwanted touching and groping that were among the controversies that caused him to resign as governor.
Obama, Pelosi, other top Dems resisted instant Harris endorsement citing need to ‘earn it,’ ‘hiking’ excuse
Top Democrats stretching from former President Barack Obama to former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi resisted giving former Vice President Kamala Harris their full public endorsements in the immediate fallout of then-President Joe Biden dropping out of the race, according to Harris’ memoir detailing her 107-day presidential campaign against President Donald Trump. Harris recounted that after Biden dropped out of the race via a message posted to X on the afternoon of July 21, 2024, she made phone calls to top Democrats to feel out their endorsements. A handful offered their support right off the bat, she said, with former President Bill Clinton, for example, reportedly telling Harris he was “relieved” that Biden dropped out and called on her to, “Send me anywhere. Make this your own campaign.” Others, however, never got back to her or resisted offering her their support when she initially asked. Harris shared her “notes of the calls” in her book, “107 Days,” which hit bookshelves Tuesday. KAMALA HARRIS BREAKS SILENCE ON BIDEN DROPOUT, ADMITS SHE HAS REGRETS ABOUT HER HANDLING OF SITUATION “Saddle up! Joe did what I hoped he would do. But you have to earn it,” Obama said when Harris spoke to him, according to the book. “Michelle and I are supportive but not going to put a finger on the scale right now. Let Joe have his moment. Think through timing.” Pelosi said the nomination process should have included a primary style process, “not an anointment.” HARRIS TAPS DEM EMAILS LISTS TO MARKET NEW BOOK, SPARKING PARTY NEUTRALITY CONCERNS “I’m so sad about Joe. It’s so tragic. My heart is broken. But now it’s you! It’s important there’s a process, we have a great bench. We should have some kind of primary, not an anointment,” she told Harris, according to the former VP’s notes of the conversations. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who found himself in Trump’s political crosshairs in 2025, reportedly told Harris: “You’ve been loyal. I respect that.” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders reportedly advised Harris to avoid an overwhelming focus on abortion. BIDEN TEAM IS READY TO DROP DIRT ON HARRIS IF SHE COMES AFTER HIM, MARK HALPERIN SAYS “I supported Joe because he was the strongest voice for the working class,” he said, according to the memoir. “Please focus on the working class, not just on abortion.” A trio of high-profile Democrat governors also resisted giving Harris their endorsement, either ghosting Harris or noting concerns of timing over their endorsement. “Hiking. Will call back. (He never did.)” Harris wrote of her conversation with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the top leader of her home state. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker cited the Democratic National Committee, which was held in Chicago that year, as to why he could not offer her an endorsement. “As governor of Illinois, I’m the convention host. I can’t commit,” Pritzker said. KAMALA HARRIS TO PUBLISH BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCOUNT OF FAILED 2024 CAMPAIGN “I believe you’ll win, but I need to let the dust settle, talk to my colleagues before I make a public statement,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, according to Harris’ memoir. Harris said she went from “call to call with the clarity that comes when stakes are high, stress is through the roof, and there’s zero ambiguity.” “Some people I called would offer me support and then ask, ‘What do you think the process should be?’” she continued, before bucking any floated ideas of a primary race. “If they thought I was down with a mini primary or some other half-baked procedure, I was quick to disabuse them,” she said. “How much more time would it have taken to pull that off?” Other high-profile Democrats offered their full endorsements to Harris, including Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who offered to hop on an Amtrak ride to help her out. “We’re thrilled the president endorsed you. We’ll do whatever we can—we’ll jump on a plane, we’ll get on Amtrak. I want to be part of your war council,” Hillary Clinton told Harris, according to Harris’ memoir. Harris’ highly anticipated book follows a handful of other political memoirs on the 2024 election race, which was underscored by mounting concerns over Biden’s mental acuity before he ultimately dropped out — leaving Harris with just more than 100 days of campaigning to try to defeat Trump. The former vice president is set to begin a book tour across the nation upon the release of the memoir. Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning reached out to the respective offices of the top Democrats cited in the book for comment, including Newsom, Barack Obama, Pelosi, Whitmer, Sanders and Pritzker.
Google to reinstate banned YouTube accounts censored for political speech
FIRST ON FOX: Google vowed on Tuesday to offer YouTube accounts that were permanently banned for political speech the ability to be reinstated, and the big tech giant admitted that it once faced pressure from the Biden administration to remove content about COVID-19. Google detailed its remarkable shift in a document, first obtained by Fox News Digital, that a lawyer for the company provided to the House Judiciary Committee. The new policy from Google, also known by its parent company Alphabet, could affect both average users and well-known figures like FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, White House counterterrorism chief Sebastian Gorka and “War Room” podcast host Steve Bannon, all of whom were permanently banned in recent years for COVID-19 or election-related content. “Reflecting the Company’s commitment to free expression, YouTube will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect,” the lawyer representing Google wrote. CNN REPORTER SAYS LIBERALS SHOULD ‘ACTIVELY ACKNOWLEDGE’ THEIR ROLE IN CANCEL CULTURE Bongino ended his conservative radio show, which livestreamed on Rumble, when he joined the administration this year. He has attributed his popularity on that platform to permanently losing his YouTube account in 2022. YouTube permanently banned Bongino, who had one of the most followed accounts on the platform, for spreading what it said was COVID-19 misinformation about masks. The document from Google also noted that YouTube “values conservative voices on its platform” and acknowledged that the creators “have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse.” The document included a section about the Biden administration and said White House officials at the time pushed Google behind the scenes to remove perceived misinformation related to COVID-19. The lawyer for Google also noted that the big tech platform censored content independently of the Biden administration based on its internal policies but that the company has since rolled back those policies. “Senior Biden Administration officials, including White House officials, conducted repeated and sustained outreach to Alphabet and pressed the Company regarding certain user-generated content related to the COVID-19 pandemic that did not violate its policies,” the lawyer wrote. The administration “created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on their concerns regarding misinformation,” the lawyer added. Reached for comment, a Google spokesperson told Fox News Digital it did not have anything more to add besides what was in the document. Google’s revelations came in response to a yearslong Republican-led investigation by the committee into big tech companies, including Google, that censored and suppressed content on their platforms related to COVID-19, the 2020 election and Hunter Biden. YouTube’s posture follows Meta similarly shifting last year toward denouncing the Biden administration’s pressure tactics, which were well-documented in emails provided to the committee. Meta revealed at the time that it was doing away with third-party fact-checkers, a move then-President Joe Biden called “really shameful.” YouTube has not used outside fact-checkers and vowed that it “will not empower fact-checkers to take action on or label content” on the platform. Parallel to the congressional investigations was a lawsuit brought by two Republican attorneys general over social media censorship. Discovery in that case largely mirrored what the committee uncovered. The Supreme Court ultimately did not decide on the merits of the case, Murthy v. Missouri, and instead found that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring it. But the lower courts had largely sided with the plaintiffs, including a judge who found the federal government seemed to have “assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’” The high court’s decision disappointed Republicans, who had hoped for a landmark ruling that social media companies’ censorship practices violate the First Amendment. The case also explored jawboning, which involves the government pressuring private companies to censor their speech. WHITE HOUSE WORKED WITH YOUTUBE TO CENSOR COVID-19 AND VACCINE ‘MISINFORMATION’: HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE The term jawboning has resurfaced in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, after ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel suggested on his show that the suspect Tyler Robinson was a member of the “MAGA gang.” Authorities have said Robinson felt Kirk spread hate and that he engraved his bullet casings with gamer-inspired antifascist messaging. Kimmel also repeatedly expressed sympathies for Kirk’s family and condemned the shooting. Still, ABC and owners of its affiliate stations suspended Kimmel’s show. ABC lifted its suspension beginning Tuesday, but one of the affiliate owners, Sinclair Broadcast Group, said it will continue to replace Kimmel with other programming. Concerns with jawboning arose because Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr made a veiled threat about Kimmel’s remarks ahead of ABC pulling him off air. The FCC has regulatory authority over broadcasting networks, including ABC, but still must abide by the First Amendment. “Frankly, when you see stuff like this, I mean, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Carr told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” In addition to the censorship concessions, Google also criticized the European Union’s Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act and told the House Judiciary Committee it will remain “vigilant” in the face of legal obligations from other countries. The EU laws have drawn bipartisan scrutiny in Congress over concerns the foreign laws will force big tech companies to follow more expansive regulations and to ramp up content moderation in a way that could affect American users. Google agreed on Tuesday that the EU laws “place a disproportionate regulatory burden on American companies.”
For China, TikTok becomes bargaining chip amid tensions with US
China railed for years against the United States’s bid to force the sale of TikTok, once accusing Washington of demonstrating “robbers’ logic” in response to the platform’s success. Now, Beijing is touting talks on how the video-sharing platform’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, might relinquish ownership of its US operations. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The turnaround has raised questions about what China might expect in return, with analysts suggesting that Beijing has come to view TikTok as a useful bargaining chip to win concessions on more pressing issues. China has yet to confirm a deal on TikTok, which Washington has cast as a propaganda tool of Beijing and a threat to privacy, and there are numerous outstanding questions about what a sale would entail. Most crucial of all is the question of who would own and control TikTok’s recommendations algorithm, which has been credited with powering the platform’s explosive popularity in the US, where it claims more than 170 million users. Under Chinese export controls introduced in 2020, companies are prohibited from transferring sensitive technologies like TikTok’s algorithm without government approval. As recently as last month, the state-run China Daily warned in an editorial that the export restrictions presented a “red line for the TikTok transaction”. If China is willing to hand over control of the algorithm, it will expect major concessions on such issues as trade, curbs on Chinese tech, and Taiwan, said Dexter Roberts, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub. Advertisement “If anything changed on the Chinese side that makes them now more willing to do a deal on TikTok, I think it’s because they sense that they can get a lot more out of the Trump administration than they originally thought, and they may be contemplating using TikTok as a bargaining lever,” Roberts told Al Jazeera. On the US side, President Donald Trump seems eager to reach an agreement on TikTok quickly as part of an effort to lock down his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since returning to the White House, Roberts said. “And in order to get that sit-down and that ‘deal,’ it seems as if he’s willing to give a lot in return,” he said. While both China and the US have hailed the prospects of a resolution to the standoff over TikTok, the sides have offered substantially different accounts of where things stand. In a briefing on Monday, an unnamed senior White House official was quoted as telling media outlets that the Trump administration was confident that China was on board with a deal that would see TikTok’s algorithm licensed out to a new joint venture in the US. Under the terms of the deal, Texas-based Oracle, whose billionaire cofounder Larry Ellison is a staunch backer of Israel, would oversee and retrain the licensed algorithm using US data, according to reports of the official’s comment. Since the start of the 2023 war in Gaza, in which Israel’s attacks have killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, Ellison has committed cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure support to Israel. Oracle’s growing role in TikTok’s future comes after several Republican lawmakers have, since 2023, accused the platform of promoting pro-Palestinian content. The latest White House briefing came after Trump, who has repeatedly extended the deadline for forcing a sale of the platform, said on Friday that he had secured a deal during a nearly two-hour-long phone conversation with Xi. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday that the spin-off would see TikTok controlled by a seven-member board, filled with six Americans, and would ensure that its algorithm is “controlled by America”. “Both the US and China now support ‘info-nationalism’,” Jeffrey Towson, a digital strategy consultant formerly based in China, told Al Jazeera. “China has long insisted information flows be controlled domestically, and not by foreign companies or entities. The US has now come to the same conclusion. Digital platforms create powerful control points. They can shape and limit what can be said, read and watched.” Advertisement While it is unclear how the sale of TikTok might proceed under Chinese law, an agreement on the platform could mark a de-escalation in trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, said Heiwai Tang, director of the Asia Global Institute in Hong Kong. “If the current additional 30 percent US tariffs on China could be lowered, the gain for China would be significant,” Tang told Al Jazeera. China has only gone as far as to say that the sides have reached a “basic framework consensus” on TikTok. “China’s position on the TikTok issue is clear: The Chinese government respects the wishes of the company in question, and would be happy to see productive commercial negotiations in keeping with market rules lead to a solution that complies with China’s laws and regulations and takes into account the interests of both sides,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement after Xi’s call with Trump. China’s language about a “framework” for resolving the TikTok dispute leaves room for negotiations, and “details like who actually gets the algorithm – which, of course, Washington has said the US gets – could still very much be up for grabs,” the Atlantic Council’s Roberts said. Chunmeizi Su, a media and communications lecturer at the University of Sydney, who researches platforms such as TikTok, expressed doubt that the full details of TikTok’s algorithm would be provided in any licensing deal. “TikTok’s algorithm is not just about TikTok; it’s a core technology that has been used among other apps under ByteDance. There is a red line here for the company. I believe they would rather shut down TikTok US altogether than reveal the details of their algorithms,” Su told Al Jazeera. “If this is the bottom line, it means that the licensing deal will only provide surface-level technologies, or, in other words, a shell of TikTok US. And even this will take a long time to achieve.” Though a deal on TikTok would lower the temperature between the
Super typhoon heads to Taiwan, Hong Kong, China after lashing Philippines
Hong Kong is bracing for hurricane force winds from Super Typhoon Ragasa as southern China prepares for heavy flooding. A super typhoon that caused thousands of people to evacuate from northern Philippine villages is now making its way towards Hong Kong, the southern parts of mainland China, and Taiwan, where people are preparing for more extreme weather. In Hong Kong, officials warned of a “serious threat” from Super Typhoon Ragasa, comparing the risk with some of the most destructive storms in the city’s recent history. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “Ragasa will pose a serious threat to Hong Kong, which could reach the levels of Hato in 2017 and Mangkhut in 2018,” Hong Kong’s number-two official Eric Chan said on Monday, referring to two super typhoons that each caused significant damage. Ragasa was generating winds with maximum sustained speeds of 220 kilometres per hour (137 mph) at its centre as it churned across the South China Sea early on Tuesday, according to Hong Kong’s weather service. Hong Kong’s airport will remain open, but there will be “significant disruption to flight operations” from 6pm (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday until the next day, the airport authority said. More than 500 Cathay Pacific flights are expected to be cancelled. In Taiwan, the state weather service predicted “extremely torrential rain” in the country’s east. “Its storm radius is quite large, about 320 [kilometres, or 199 miles]. Although the typhoon’s centre is still some distance away, its wide, strong wind field and outer circulation are already affecting parts of Taiwan,” it said. Officials in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese tech hub, planned to evacuate about 400,000 people, including residents living in low-lying and flood-prone areas. Shenzhen’s airport said it would halt flights, starting Tuesday night. Advertisement China’s National Meteorological Centre forecast the typhoon would make landfall in the coastal area between Shenzhen city and Xuwen county in Guangdong province on Wednesday. Protests over non-existent flood controls in Philippines Ragasa, which is known locally as Nando, forced the evacuation of several villages in the northern Philippines on Monday, a day after thousands of people took to the streets to protest alleged corruption over non-existent flood control projects. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr suspended government work and all classes in the capital, Manila, and 29 provinces in the main northern Luzon region, on Monday. Power was knocked out on Calayan Island and in the entire northern mountain province of Apayao, disaster-response officials said, as the super typhoon caused wind gusts of up to 295 kph (183 mph) in some areas. There were no immediate reports of casualties or further damage, according to the Associated Press news agency. More than 8,200 people were evacuated to safety in Cagayan province, which includes Calayan, while 1,220 fled to emergency shelters in Apayao, which is prone to flash floods and landslides. Domestic flights were suspended in northern provinces lashed by the typhoon, while fishing boats and inter-island ferries were prohibited from leaving ports due to rough seas. On Calayan Island, at the storm’s centre, information officer Herbert Singun told the AFP news agency that chunks of a school roof had been ripped off and landed on an evacuation centre about 30 metres (98 feet) away, causing one minor injury. “Can you see those coconut trees swaying in the distance?” he asked during a video chat. “There were eight of them before. Now only four are still standing. That goes to show how strong this typhoon is.” Scientists have warned that climate change is already making tropical storms more intense, causing stronger winds and more flooding. A police officer arrests a protester during anticorruption demonstrations on Sunday in Manila, the Philippines [Ezra Acayan/Getty Images] Ragasa, the 14th weather disturbance to batter the Philippines this year, comes as authorities and both chambers of Congress investigate a corruption scandal involving alleged kickbacks that resulted in substandard or non-existent flood control projects. Thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday to protest the scandal involving an estimated 118.5 billion pesos ($2bn) in projects, even as the typhoon affected the weather. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump urges pregnant women to avoid Tylenol over unproven autism risk
US president’s remarks on the popular painkiller, better known as paracetamol globally, prompt outcry from doctors and medical bodies. United States President Donald Trump has urged pregnant women to avoid Tylenol, also known as paracetamol, over the painkiller’s unproven links to autism, prompting swift backlash from doctors and scientists. Trump issued the warning on Monday as the US drug regulator announced plans to add a label to paracetamol warning of an increased risk of autism and ADHD in children. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it,” Trump said during a news conference at the White House while flanked by top public health officials. “Fight like hell not to take it,” Trump said. “There may be a point where you have to, and that you’ll have to work out with yourself.” Trump also cast doubt on the medical consensus on childhood vaccines, suggesting that inoculations for measles, mumps and rubella should be administered separately instead of in the combined MMR shot. “This is based on what I feel. The mumps, measles – the three should be taken separately,” Trump said. “And it seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem.” Trump’s comments drew condemnation from medical bodies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), which have long recommended paracetamol as one of the few painkillers that is safe for women during pregnancy. About half of pregnant women worldwide are estimated to take paracetamol – which is sold in different countries under brand names including Dyman, Panadol and Panamax – for pain relief and to reduce fevers, which can be potentially dangerous to both the foetus and the expectant mother. Advertisement ACOG president Steven J Fleischman called the suggestions of a link between paracetamol and autism “irresponsible”. “When considering the use of medication in pregnancy, it’s important to consider all potential risks along with any benefits,” Fleischman said in a statement. “The data from numerous studies have shown that acetaminophen plays an important – and safe – role in the well-being of pregnant women.” While some research has found evidence of an association between paracetamol and neurological conditions such as autism, medical experts have cautioned that more robust studies have found no link, and that causation remains unproven. One of the biggest population-based studies, published by Swedish researchers last year in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found no link when comparing children who had been exposed to the painkiller with siblings who had not. Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, described the Trump administration’s moves as “hugely negative” for public health. “The big reveal about autism was a total bust full of misinformation, a lack of evidence, bad advice and a bogus answer about the cause,” Caplan told Al Jazeera. “I think mainstream medicine will ignore what he said today,” Caplan said. “I think patients can’t trust federal science in the USA and must turn to other reputable sources.” In its updated guidelines announced on Monday, the US Food and Drug Administration cited evidence of a “correlation” between paracetamol use and autism, and noted studies suggesting a heightened risk when the drug is taken “chronically” throughout pregnancy. Still, the drug regulator was notably less emphatic than Trump, noting that a causal relationship had yet to be established, and the existence of “contrary studies in the scientific literature”. “It is also noted that acetaminophen is the only over-the-counter drug approved for use to treat fevers during pregnancy, and high fevers in pregnant women can pose a risk to their children,” the regulator said. Autism has no known single cause, but is believed to be related to an interplay of genetic and environmental factors, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Adblock test (Why?)
Good news for Noida-Gurugram residents: New Namo Bharat train corridor to cut NCR travel time between these two cities, check distance, stoppages, ticket price
The Namo Bharat train will operate at speeds of up to 180 kilometers per hour, reducing travel time significantly. Read here to know more details.