WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers, meet your latest lobbyists: online influencers from TikTok. The platform is once again bringing influencers to Washington, this time to lobby members of Congress to reject a fast-moving bill that would force TikTok's Beijing-based parent company to sell or be banned in the United States. On Tuesday, some influencers began a two-day advocacy event in support of TikTok, which arranged their trip ahead of a House floor vote on the legislation on Wednesday. But unlike a similar lobbying event the company put together last March when talks of a TikTok ban reached a fever pitch, this year’s effort appeared more rushed as the company scrambles to counter the legislation, which advanced rapidly on Capitol Hill. Summer Lucille, a TikTok content creator with 1.4 million followers who is visiting Washington this week, said if TikTok is banned, she “don’t know what it will do” to her business, a plus-sized boutique in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It will be devastating,” Lucille said in an interview arranged by the platform. In an unusual showing of bipartisanship, a House panel unanimously approved the measure last week. President Joe Biden has said he will sign the legislation if lawmakers pass it. But it’s unclear what will happen in the Senate, where several bills aimed at banning TikTok have stalled. The legislation faces other roadblocks. Former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, who holds sway over both House and Senate Republicans, has voiced opposition to the bill, saying it would empower Meta-owned Facebook, which he continues to lambast over his 2020 election loss. The bill also faces pushback from some progressive lawmakers in the House as well as civil liberties groups who argue it infringes on the First Amendment. TikTok could be banned if ByteDance, the parent company, doesn’t sell its stakes in the platform and other applications it owns within six months of the bill’s enactment. The fight over the platform takes place as U.S.-China relations have shifted to that of strategic rivalry, especially in areas such as advanced technologies and data security, seen as essential to each country’s economic prowess and national security. The shift, which started during the Trump years and has continued under Biden, has placed restrictions on export of advanced technologies and outflow of U.S. monies to China, as well as access to the U.S. market by certain Chinese businesses. The Biden administration also has cited human rights concerns in blacklisting a number of Chinese companies accused of assisting the state surveillance campaign against ethnic minorities. TikTok isn’t short on lobbyists. Its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance has a strong lobbying apparatus in Washington that includes dozens of lobbyists from well-known consulting and legal firms as well as influential insiders, such as former members of Congress and ex-aides to powerful lawmakers, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will also be in Washington this week and plans to meet with lawmakers, according to a company spokesperson who said Chew’s visit was previously scheduled. But influencers, who have big followings on social media and can share personal stories of how the platform boosted their businesses — or simply gave them a voice — are still perhaps one of the most powerful tools the company has in its arsenal. A TikTok spokesperson said dozens of influencers will attend the two-day event, including some who came last year. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about how many new people would be attending this year’s lobbying blitz. The company is briefing them ahead of meetings with their representatives and media interviews. Lucille, who runs the boutique in North Carolina, says has seen a substantial surge in revenue because of her TikTok page. The 34-year-old began making TikTok content focusing on plus-sized fashion in March 2022, more than a decade after she started her business. She quickly amassed thousands of followers after posting a nine-second video about her boutique. Because of her popularity on the platform, her business has more online exposure and customers, some of whom have visited from as far as Europe. She says she also routinely hears from followers who are finding support through her content about fashion and confidence. JT Laybourne, an influencer who also came to Washington, said he joined TikTok in early 2019 after getting some negative comments on videos he posted on Instagram while singing in the car with his children. Laybourne, who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, said he was attracted to the short-form video platform because it was easy to create videos that contained music. Like Lucille, he quickly gained traction on the app. He says he also received more support from TikTok users, who reacted positively to content he produced on love and positivity. Laybourne says the community he built on the platform rallied around his family when he had to undergo heart surgery in 2020. Following the surgery, he said he used the platform to help raise $1 million for the American Heart Association in less than two years. His family now run an apparel company that gets most of its traffic from TikTok. “I will fight tooth-and-nail for this app,” he said. But whether the opposition the company is mounting through lobbyists or influencers will be enough to derail the bill is yet to be seen. On Tuesday, House lawmakers received a briefing on national security concerns regarding TikTok from the FBI, Justice Department and intelligence officials. AP Journalist Didi Tang contributed to this report. This story was originally published on March 12, 2024. It was updated on December 23, 2024 to clarify a quote by TikTok content creator Summer Lucille.
Police deny sitting on evidence as Netflix doc brings renewed attention to JonBenet Ramsey's killingAs the Lions lick their wounds, Singapore’s national football coach Tsutomu Ogura wants his players to be fearless when they attempt to do what no team have ever done at the Asean Championship – overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit in the knockout stage. Ahead of the Dec 29 second leg of their semi-final tie against Vietnam at the 20,000-seater Viet Tri Stadium in Phu To, he compared the two-legged affair to a game of two halves. “We finished the first half in Singapore, it’s about how we prepare for the second half. Zero-two is a dangerous score. If we score one, who knows what could happen?” On Dec 26, Singapore conceded twice in stoppage time of the first leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium, despite putting up a creditable display against their world No. 114 opponents, who are ranked 46 places higher. Understandably, the mood in the dressing room post-match and on the flight to Vietnam the next day was sombre, as the players reflected on the loss, which featured controversial video assistant referee decisions at both ends. Defender Safuwan Baharudin said: “We took the game to them and deserved at least one goal. I’m proud of our performance, but that’s not enough because football is about results and we owe that to the fans.” Midfielder Hami Syahin added: “It’s hard to lose with a performance where we felt we did well. We matched the vibrant atmosphere, fed off the fans’ energy and tried to go for the win. So, it’s definitely disappointing. “The decisions of the referee were not within our control. Now that game is over and we look forward to the second leg. On their chances of making the final of the tournament, also known as the Mitsubishi Electric Cup, Hami said: “It’s a difficult job, but it’s not an impossible job. “We will go out there with full belief, and in full throttle to get the win, because that’s all that matters. “The boys believe that we can do it.” While they have improved over the course of the tournament – from unconvincing wins over Cambodia and Timor-Leste to gallant displays in the 4-2 loss to Thailand and 0-0 draw in Malaysia – the Lions will need to end their two-game goal-less streak. But that will not be easy against a Vietnam side who have conceded just twice in five matches. Furthermore, Singapore have not beaten Vietnam since a 1-0 win in the 1998 final, when it was known as the Tiger Cup. But the Lions have shown they are capable of comebacks under Ogura, rebounding from two goals down for a 2-2 draw with China in a World Cup qualifier in March and overcoming a 1-2 deficit to beat Myanmar 3-2 in a friendly in November. The 58-year-old Japanese said: “Against Vietnam, there were good and bad moments. “There were spells when we were not afraid to play our football, but I always ask how many minutes we can play our own football. That is our problem. “There is not only one reason (for the loss). Maybe some players don’t have enough stamina, maybe some players lose concentration. “Against Thailand, it was like this also, but when we played against Malaysia, we kept going and we finished at 0-0.” The Lions will welcome Japanese-born playmaker Kyoga Nakamura back from suspension, as the players work to make set pieces count, having failed to score from any of their 24 corners in the competition. While forwards Faris Ramli and Taufik Suparno have staked their claims for starting places after positive displays as second-half substitutes in the first leg, Ogura is keeping his cards close to his chest. He said: “It is important for us to recover physically, because the next game will be our sixth game in three weeks. “I have never used the same starting line-up in this tournament, and we will prepare mentally and physically, and pick the best players with good condition for the next match.” Skipper Hariss Harun, meanwhile, is staying positive ahead of the daunting task. “Throughout the campaign, not only in this game, we have shown if we believe enough in ourselves, we can achieve something,” said the 34-year-old. “This tie is played over two games, we have to believe that it’s not over.” In the other semi-final, the Philippines stunned Thailand in added time of the first leg in Manila on Dec 27 to take a 2-1 lead to the second leg in Bangkok on Dec 30.
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