Should TikTok Be Banned? + Elon Musk vs Don Lemon
The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (03/14/2024):
3:05pm- On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act—a bill that would force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to divest its ownership in the social media application, citing its ties to the Chinese government. If they did not divest, the application would be banned in the United States. The legislation passed with bipartisan support 352 to 65, with those in support expressing fear that the Chinese government may be able to access American user data. But notable politicians in opposition—like former President Donald Trump, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY), and House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-PA)—have all cited fears that the bill could be used as tool for government officials to interfere with speech on all social media companies. The bill will now head to the Senate—though, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has not committed to putting it up for a vote. President Joe Biden has vowed to sign the bill into law if it ultimately arrives at his desk. Shouldn’t individuals be allowed to choose which products they use? Or is the risk of the Chinese government gaining access to American user data too great to respect individual autonomy and free markets in this instance? Senator Elizabeth Warren has suggested that the bill doesn’t go far enough to prevent social media’s influence, explaining that she wants “curbs in place on social media across the board,” according to Politico.
3:35pm- Matthew Petti of Reason writes: “The Biden administration has used the specter of ‘disinformation’ to push social media moderation in line with their policies. Meta has censored Middle Eastern content that opposes U.S. foreign policy, while Twitter has created loopholes for the U.S. military to run its own propaganda accounts. Of course, American law (unlike Chinese or Iranian law) limits how much the government can censor social media. Last year, courts banned and then unbanned the Biden administration from pressuring social media moderators. But the decision ultimately lies in Washington; it's not like European or Latin American voters have any say over the U.S. Supreme Court. Competition is the strongest force keeping the internet free. Whenever users find a topic banned on TikTok, they can escape to Twitter or Instagram to discuss the censored content. And when Twitter or Instagram enforce politically motivated censorship on a different topic, users can continue that discussion on TikTok. Forcing TikTok under American control is a way to block that escape route. Instead of protecting Americans from Chinese censorship, it would bring Chinese-style censorship home.” You can read more here: https://reason.com/2024/03/13/tiktoks-opponents-want-chinese-style-censorship-in-america/
4:05pm- Nate Benefield—Senior Vice President of the Commonwealth Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D) announced plans for a new carbon tax. You can learn more about the Commonwealth Foundation here: https://www.commonwealthfoundation.org
4:30pm- Listener’s call-in and voice their opinions on the House of Representatives voting in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act—a bill that could force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to divest its ownership in the social media application, citing its ties to the Chinese government. If they did not divest, the application would be banned in the United States. Shouldn’t individuals be allowed to choose which products they use? Or is the risk of the Chinese government gaining access to American user data too great to respect individual autonomy and free markets in this instance?
4:40pm- While appearing on Meet the Press Now with host Yamiche Alcindor, Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA)—who cosponsored the House bill that could potentially ban TikTok—explained: “So, the first step is ‘ok TikTok you’re subject to U.S. law.’ The second step ‘ok all social media corporations, you’re going to have to answer to Congress.’”
4:55pm- Shayna Jacobs and Devlin Barrett of The Washington Post report: “Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is suggesting a one-month delay in the pending March 25 trial of Donald Trump, a surprising twist in what is expected to be the first criminal trial of a former president.” You can read the full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/14/trump-trial-hush-money-delay/
5:05pm Dr. Victoria Coates— Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to respond to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s outlandish call for Israel to replace Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister. Schumer has regularly condemned foreign nations for meddling in American elections—isn’t he now guilty of interfering in the election process of a democratic ally? Plus, new memos indicate Hunter Biden may have partnered with a Chinese energy firm to acquire Westinghouse, an American-based nuclear technology company. And could former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin buy TikTok? Dr. Coates is the author of “David’s Sling: A History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art.” You can find her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Sling-History-Democracy-Works/dp/1594037213
5:30pm- Elon Musk has informed Don Lemon that he will not compensate the former CNN host for his new X-based social media show, “The Don Lemon Show.” Musk said that Lemon remains free to post the show on X. In response to the news, Lemon appeared on CNN with Erin Burnett—accusing Musk of using the same rhetoric as “radicalized shooters.”
5:50pm- Was True Detective Season 4 the worst season of the series? Rich and Matt hated it—and Henry couldn’t even get through the second episode!
6:05pm- While speaking with Greg Kelly on Newsmax, former President Donald Trump insisted that he legally retained classified documents after he left the White House.
6:10pm- On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act—a bill that would force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to divest its ownership in the social media application, citing its ties to the Chinese government. If they did not divest, the application would be banned in the United States. The legislation passed with bipartisan support 352 to 65, with those in support expressing fear that the Chinese government may be able to access American user data. But notable politicians in opposition—like former President Donald Trump, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY), and House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-PA)—have all cited fears that the bill could be used as tool for government officials to interfere with speech on all social media companies. The bill will now head to the Senate—though, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has not committed to putting it up for a vote. President Joe Biden has vowed to sign the bill into law if it ultimately arrives at his desk. Shouldn’t individuals be allowed to choose which products they use? Or is the risk of the Chinese government gaining access to American user data too great to respect individual autonomy and free markets in this instance? Senator Elizabeth Warren has suggested that the bill doesn’t go far enough to prevent social media’s influence, explaining that she wants “curbs in place on social media across the board,” according to Politico.
6:15pm- While speaking with Brian Kilmeade on Fox News, Senator Rand Paul reacted to a House bill that could potentially ban TikTok in the United States. Paul explained his opposition to the legislation: "You cannot take people's property without due process. If you believe there is a national security exception to the Constitution, then you believe that Fox News could be shut down and that Twitter could be shut down."
6:20pm- While appearing on Meet the Press Now with host Yamiche Alcindor, Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA)—who cosponsored the House bill that could potentially ban TikTok—explained: “So, the first step is ‘ok TikTok you’re subject to U.S. law.’ The second step ‘ok all social media corporations, you’re going to have to answer to Congress.’”
6:30pm- Rebecca Davis O’Brien of The New York Times reports: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has recently approached the N.F.L. quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura about serving as his running mate on an independent presidential ticket, and both have welcomed the overtures, two people familiar with the discussions said. Mr. Kennedy confirmed on Tuesday that the two men were at the top of his list. It is not clear if either has been formally offered the post, however, and Mr. Kennedy is still considering a shortlist of potential candidates, the people familiar with the discussions said. Mr. Kennedy said that he had been speaking with Mr. Rodgers ‘pretty continuously’ for the past month.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/us/politics/rfk-jr-aaron-rodgers-jesse-ventura.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
6:40pm- Futurist Ray Kurzweil recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience where he predicted that artificial intelligence would achieve human-level intelligence by 2029. Rich says the clip is boring and Matt unsuccessfully attempts to defend it as “interesting.”
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