Mediaboss Marketing

A graphic showing a phone screen canceling the TikTok logo with the American flag in the background. It is speculated that TikTok has been used to disseminate misinformation and share private user data with the Chinese government. ILLUSTRATED BY BRITTNEY DIETZ/THE STATESMAN

I have always firmly believed that ensuring the safety of American citizens and the national security of the United States surpasses individual liberties, and this is no different when it comes to my unwavering support for banning TikTok.

Joseph Moreno, a Stony Brook University alumnus who formerly served as a federal prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice National Security Division, believes TikToks problematic nature, in the eyes of the U.S. government, lies with its parent company ByteDance.

For several years, the U.S. Defense Department and the Department of Justice both members of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States have alleged that TikTok has been used to disseminate misinformation and share geolocation and other private user data with the Chinese government, Moreno said. While ByteDance denies these allegations, it has admitted that employees accessed data on American journalists TikTok accounts in the past.

From COVID-19 origins to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) buying U.S. farmland, China has taken advantage of the U.S.s unwillingness to address their questionable actions; if the U.S. bans TikTok, American dominance in world affairs will be demonstrated, intimidating the CCP at a vital time when China may be invading Taiwan.

Unfortunately, many libertarians such as those in the Republican Party who are nationally known to embrace individual liberties, have not taken the threat of TikTok seriously. For example, Senator Rand Paul blocked legislation that would result in a nationwide TikTok ban, citing freedom of speech as his reasoning. However, banning TikTok does not necessarily constitute an attack on the First Amendment, as other social media platforms are not being banned.

Additionally, current presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy who has claimed to be tough on China has backed down from being against TikTok and now supports it.

Ramaswamy said he changed his mind to reap young Americans votes, which includes compromising and engaging with Generation Z on TikTok. As Ramaswamy has said in an interview with The Hill, I have a radical idea for the Republican Party: We need to win elections. And part of how we win elections is reaching the next generation of young Americans where they are.

No one who prefers to compromise our national security in order to further themselves politically is fit for public office.

We have already seen a ban on the use of TikTok from government devices and systems [in] the United States, many of its states and municipalities (including New York City) and several of its global allies including Australia, Canada, the EU and the U.K., Moreno said. In response, ByteDance claims to be conducting an effort referred to as Project Texas to house U.S. user data in domestic services managed by a U.S.-based team.

China is arguably the most powerful of Americas adversaries. As it is, China has developed alliances with other U.S. adversaries like the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and Russia. If the U.S. bans TikTok, a message will be sent to the world that we will no longer turn a blind eye to China, or any of our other global competitors who intend to harm our way of life.

Follow this link:
There must be a complete ban on TikTok in the U.S. - Stony Brook Statesman

This weeks CEO Summit: Networking the Nations at Liberty University treated students and guests, including hundreds of influential business leaders, to three days of panels and presentations featuring over 60 prominent national figures in business, entertainment, international trade, technology, politics, sports, and many other fields.

On Tuesday, several African leaders joined a Dialogue with Africa panel discussion that focused on the diverse opportunities that the continent offers to U.S. businesses who wish to invest internationally. Speakers included Tanzanian Ambassador Elsie S. Kanza, Zambian Ambassador Chibamba Kanyama, acclaimed journalist and South Africa native Lara Logan (previously with CBS 60 Minutes), Nigerian Gov. Caleb Mutfwang, who represents the Plateau State, two more ambassadors, and a host of other African guests and U.S. business leaders. Discussions focused on enabling African countries to tap into and trade their abundance of natural resources and human capital with the rest of the world and the ethical and Christian importance of supporting African businesses.

That afternoon, Liberty School of Music hosted and moderated a panel discussion on music, industry, and culture. Guest panelists included Todd Dupler with the Recording Academy, Mitch Glacier with Recording Industry of America, and Greg Ham from OneEight Entertainment.

Later that evening, students were invited to a Future CEO Dinner where they could network with business representatives and hear from keynote speaker former U.S. Secretary of State and newly appointed Distinguished Chair of Libertys Helms School of Government Mike Pompeo.

Wednesday opened with morning sessions on living an intentional life, taking back culture, education, and business. Libertys Cinematic Arts, Zaki Gordon Center hosted a panel featuring actors and producers Kevin and Sam Sorbo, screenwriter Dan Gordon, and Chad Gunderson and Chris Juen, producers of the hit series The Chosen.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida addressed the student body at Convocation, speaking on the intersection of faith and politics. Rubio spoke on the recent atrocities affecting Israel and shared how Christians should stand on their faith in the face of evil. Other political figures who made appearances at Convocation were Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Pompeo.

Wednesdays afternoon panels included topics such as forecasting Supreme Court decisions in 2024, implementation of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, education, and more. These dialogues included guests such as several Supreme Court clerks; Tom Gruber, the creator of the Siri virtual assistant technology; and multiple CEOs of technology companies.

Wednesdays keynote dinner featured Rubio, The Chosen producers, and the CEO of one of the nations largest home improvement retail stores. Guests also heard from Logan, who shared more about how her faith carried her through her career as a journalist and charged Christians to boldly stand up for their faith. She highlighted the current persecution of Christians in America and internationally.

Liberty President Dr. Dondi Costin thanked the business leaders in attendance for being a part of the summit and investing in the lives of Liberty students.

I love the fact that there are nametags, some of which say CEO and others of which say future CEO, Costin said. Liberty University Trains Champions for Christ. We do it in all kinds of ways, but our job and the mission that God has given us is to take students and over the course of four years pour into them so that they understand completely that their job for the rest of their life is to go into their sphere of influence wherever God leads them, and in that sphere of influence to be Jesus Christ in that place.

Rubio again addressed the current horrors facing Israelis. He spoke about the depravity of human nature as well as the important role that ones faith plays in keeping them on the right path.

Human knowledge without principles and without values rooted in a system of truth is dangerous because it places powerful tools and positions of power in the hands of people who are slaves of human nature, he said.

He said America is not perfect, yet it should serve as a blueprint for how a nation should operate. He attributed the historical success of the United States, as well as the current decline, to the role of family in society.

I always tell people the most important house is not the White House but your house, Rubio said. The most important role that those young people that were there today will ever have in their lives is not their career, their title, how much money they make, or the number of things they have when they die. The most important and influential role they will ever have is the role of a husband or a wife, and the role of a mother or a father.

Several of Thursday mornings panels hinged on governmental issues such as patriotism and national security. Guest panelists included Liberty Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Scott Hicks, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, retired National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United Stated Keith Kellogg, retired U.S. Army General Bob Dees, and Heritage Foundation Executive Vice President Derrick Morgan, among others.

Other panels on Thursday centered on how to incorporate faith into the workplace as a CEO, strategies for business growth, solutions to current financial challenges, empowering the powerless through business, and combatting Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing and cancel culture.

Thursdays keynote dinner featured U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and the CEO of one of the nations largest soft drink bottlers.

Paul spoke on governmental and ethical failures surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasized his desire to uncover the truth about what caused the virus as well as prevent future viral outbreaks. He concluded by acknowledging his willingness to serve the American public through his office.

I will honestly critique either party, either president, Paul said. I have in the spending bills, whether they were republican or democrat. I work for you, I work for the people, I work for the Constitution. Im going to continue trying to do that for you.

Prior to the keynote messages, the Sorbos discussed the release of their new movie Miracle in East Texas, and Morgan and American Association of Christian Counselors President Tim Clinton also made speaking appearances.

The annual CEO Summit provides students with access to Libertys extensive network of world-class CEOs, government leaders, innovators, and influencers. Students have the opportunity to build relationships with fellow students and alumni, engage in discussion on major issues in a variety of disciplines, and interact with hundreds of influential leaders across many different industries who provide a Christian perspective on leadership. Students often obtain jobs and internships from the direct networking opportunities available to them at the summit.

This was the best CEO Summit yet because the students played a major role, and all of the deans and the provost expanded the scope and reach of the summit as seen by the great roster of guests, Vice Provost for Engagement and Public Relations Dr. Dave Brat said. Many great testimonials have already come in, noting the role of faith and the final culmination of what faith can look like in the world of business. The closing address shared a profound vision of what business can look like if God truly leads the CEO and the business, making all the difference for the soul and the bottom line.

Brat said that President Costin provided the grand finale to the summit and noted that although next years speakers are yet to be determined, We know God will be here.

See the original post here:
Hundreds of national industry leaders converge at Liberty ... - Liberty University

Reading Time: < 1 minute No.

The position of U.S. ambassador to Israel wasvacantas of Oct. 11, 2023.

Its one of39ambassador vacancies as of Oct. 2 for which nominees from President Joe Biden are awaiting Senate confirmation, according to the American Foreign Service Association.

The ConstitutionrequiresSenate confirmation. Tom Nidesleftthe Israel ambassadorship in July.

Biden on Sept. 28nominatedformer Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to succeed Nides.

Nine days later, the Palestinian group Hamas,designatedby the U.S. as a terrorist organization,attackedIsrael. Israel, a U.S.ally, in turndeclaredwar.

The Senate Foreign Relations CommitteeannouncedOct. 9 it would hold a confirmationhearingfor Lew on Oct. 18.

In July, Secretary of State Antony BlinkensaidSenate diplomatic confirmation delays were undermining national security.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., hasheldbackthe diplomatic nominations while seeking information from the Biden administration on the origins of COVID-19.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such asthis one.

Sources

Archive.is:Tracker: Current U.S. Ambassadors

AP News:Biden nominates former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to serve as ambassador to Israel

U.S. Senate:U.S. Senate: About Nominations

AP News:Biden nominates former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to serve as ambassador to Israel

White House:Nominations Sent to the Senate

U.S. Department of State:Foreign Terrorist Organizations

New York Times:Heres a timeline of Saturdays attacks and Israels retaliation.

U.S. Department of State:Major Non-NATO Ally Status

AP News:Israel declares war, bombards Gaza and battles to dislodge Hamas fighters after surprise attack

Reuters:U.S. Senate moves quickly toward confirming Lew as ambassador to Israel

senate.gov:United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing

Reuters:Biden administration amps up pressure on US Senate over nomination delays

NBC News:Senate Foreign Relations chairman criticizes Sen. Rand Paul for holding up nominations

Republish This Story

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Read more:
Did U.S. have Israel ambassador at start of Israel-Hamas War? - WisconsinWatch.org

Obnoxious. Annoying. Disrespectful. Inexperienced. Conspiratorial.

Those are just a few of the adjectives one could use to describe Republican upstart Vivek Ramaswamy at the first GOP debate of the 2024 presidential election.

It didnt take long for the relatively unknown businessman-turned-candidate to make his presence known, earning applause and cheers early on, but hardly ingratiating himself to his fellow opponents.

He sparred with many, and seemed to revel in the spotlight, but, to what end? Was this a real star turn that could position Ramaswamy to actually vie for the nomination? Or was it just another attention-seeking performance meant to make him Fox-famous, the likes of which seem to define the new American right?

While all of the descriptors I used above annoying, obnoxious, conspiratorial, etc. are hugely off-putting for moderate, issues-based conservatives like me who are desperate to move past Trumpism, tribalism, denialism and demagoguery, we are clearly not the audience. If Ramaswamys audience was MAGA world, it seems he put on the perfect show.

He adopted Donald Trumps pugnacity he was cocky, aggressive, and dismissive of his competitors, baselessly calling them all bought and paid for, suggesting former Gov. Chris Christie was just there to become an MSNBC contributor, and that former Gov. Nikki Haley was destined to be on the board of defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. He frequently feigned confusion over whatever former Vice President Pence whom he called Mike more than once had just said.

Their obvious exasperation over Ramaswamys insults, interruptions, and gaslighting recalled the 2016 Republican primary, where seasoned politicians like former Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Rand Paul and others had to dodge and endure Trumps petulant wrench-throwing while hoping to run serious campaigns.

They managed to land some good one-liners against him, though. Pence said now wasnt the time to elect a rookie, Christie joked that Ramaswamy sounded like ChatGPT, while Haley declared definitively, You have no foreign policy experience and it shows.

Like Trump, Ramaswamy also courted quackery. Fresh off some controversial comments he made about Jan. 6 and Sept. 11 maybe being inside jobs, he sprinkled in some other conspiracies about climate change, and also went where crank voices like Alex Jones and Lara Logan have gone in rooting for Putin in Ukraine.

And he did the most important part of the job to please MAGA, which was to go to cartoonish lengths to suck up to Trump, at one point calling him the best president of the 21st century and demanding his opponents join him in pledging to pardon Trump if hes convicted on any of the 90-plus charges hes facing.

Which begs the question, of course, if Trump is so great and must be protected at all costs, why are you running against him, then?

Thats what leads to the assumption that, as Christie said on stage, Vivek just wants to be famous. Afterwards he went on ABC News and called the debate an unambiguous success for him.

Trump agreed, posting his appreciation for Ramaswamys obsequious words:

This answer gave Vivek Ramaswamy a big WIN in the debate because of a thing called TRUTH. Thank you Vivek!

Weekdays

Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon.

By these metrics getting attention and especially Trumps Ramaswamy certainly won. What he won, though, was unclear.

Most headlines focused on his ability to take center stage, grab the spotlight, and break through, admittedly important things for a newcomer to do.

And in a political environment like the new Republican Party, where attention, celebrity, and sucking up to Trump are much more valuable currency than things like experience, seriousness, and competence, the rapping, topless tennis-playing, conspiracy-theorizing Ramaswamy is well-positioned to go far in this primary.

But how far does he want to go? Does he want to beat his idol? Trump wont allow that, presumably. Or is he secretly hoping Trump goes to prison so he can step into his shoes and become the nominee? Does he then truly believe his extremist positions and unserious campaign antics could win in a general election? (Hey, its been done before.)

Or, more likely, is he just using the American democratic process to line his own pockets, sell books and merch, see his name splashed across a media he insists is corrupt, and ultimately land a cushy job alongside Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro on Fox, where hell get paid to professionally push lies and conspiracy theories to an unwitting audience?

In this Republican Party, few things still surprise. While he wont have my vote, based on his performance Wednesday night Vivek Ramaswamy makes a terrific MAGA candidate unqualified, unserious, unlikableand therefore utterly electable.

secuppdailynews@gmail.com

Go here to read the rest:
Vivek was unbearable, so his future in GOP is bright - New York Daily News

A few weeks ago, Politicos Florida Playbook ran a story revealing what hundreds of people, groups, and journalists in the state were asking for: texts, emails, calendars, letters, and receipts to or from Floridas governor, presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.

In Politicos telling, many of the requesters were affiliated with the Democratic Party, making demands under the states open-records law to get damning material against political enemies. And, in DeSantis case, Floridas public records certainly marked the best starting point to look for muck. The list that Politico received of requesters targeting DeSantis in his home state was 222 pages long.

Unsurprisingly, mostly Democratic-aligned groups asked for dirt on DeSantis and his inner circle, Politico wrote. Oddly, no one tied to Trump or other 2024 candidates asked for such records, though its possible that GOP campaigns used an untraceable proxy to avoid angering a future Republican president.

Why didnt the Trump campaign file such requests? Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, bluntly told Politico: We have information that no opposition researcher can ever find.

Opposition research oppo in the vernacular of politicians is a basic building block in every political campaign. Oppo is the ammunition behind every negative campaign ad; every gut punch in a debate. The higher the stakes, the deeper the research. And many more players are in the opposition-research game now, following the Supreme Courts 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC.

The Courts 5-to-4 decision in Citizens United opened the door to unlimited election spending by so-called independent political action committees, aka Super PACs. Super PACs spend big on negative ads, and oppo is their ammo. According to OpenSecrets.org, which tracks the flow of money in politics, spending in the 2020 presidential and congressional races totaled $14.4 billion, more than double the total cost of the record-breaking 2016 presidential election cycle. That huge influx of money led to more negative campaign advertisements across all media, which in turn juiced the need for more opposition research. (Full disclosure: I am a longtime board member of OpenSecrets).

Not surprisingly, those conducting opposition research turn early and often to the Freedom of Information Act. So we decided to dig into PoliScio Analytics competitive-intelligence database FOIAengine, which tracks FOIA requests in as close to real-time as their availability allows, to see what the players are up to.

With so many candidates vying for the Republican nomination, the Republican National Committee is staying on the sidelines, leaving opposition research to the affiliated PACs and super PACs of the various candidates. Next week, well take a closer look at some of the thousands of FOIA requests from Republican proxies acting on behalf of, or in synch with, the Republican candidates.

With the Democrats, its the GOP story in reverse. The Democrats know who their probable standard bearers will be. But, with more than a dozen declared Republican candidates and an even greater number of undeclared long shots, Democratic oppo researchers must throw a dragnet, systematically spreading an array of FOIA requests across a broad swath of agencies and departments.

President Bidens main super PAC, Future Forward, which spent more than $130 million in 2020, doesnt show up as a requester in FOIAengine at all. Instead, the Democratic National Committee appears to be taking the oppo-research lead. According to FOIAengine, the DNC has filed more than 300 recent FOIA requests with federal agencies, covering the wide range of candidates who could end up as the eventual presidential or vice presidential nominee on the Republican presidential ticket.

FOIA requests to the federal government can be an important early warning of bad publicity, litigation to come, or uncertainties that must be hedged or gamed out. In this case, the DNCs FOIA requests appear to reflect a calculus that even if the race for the top of the ticket is settled early, the vice-presidential spot will end up being a wild card. Hence, the DNC must place a lot of early bets on the table.

Over the past year or so, the Democrats have filed extensive FOIA requests with various federal agencies seeking detailed information on at least 19 present or former Republican officeholders. The list includes some who have stated flatly that theyre not running for president, but who could end up as a running mate. There are some dark horses: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mike Pompeo, Ben Carson, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) are among the DNCs targets. And a few surprises: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) are on the DNCs list; Vivek Ramaswamy isnt yet.

Following are highlights from the DNCs opposition-research FOIA requests thus far:

To see all the DNC opposition-research requests, log in or sign up to become a FOIAengine beta user.

Next: Thousands of opposition-research requests from Republican-affiliated PACs.

John A. Jenkins, co-creator of FOIAengine, is a Washington journalist and publisher whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, GQ, and elsewhere. He is a four-time recipient of the American Bar Associations Gavel Award Certificate of Merit for his legal reporting and analysis. His most recent book is The Partisan: The Life of William Rehnquist. Jenkins founded Law Street Media in 2013. Prior to that, he was President of CQ Press, the textbook and reference publishing enterprise of Congressional Quarterly. FOIAengine is a product of PoliScio Analytics (PoliScio.com), a new venture specializing in U.S. political and governmental research, co-founded by Jenkins and Washington lawyer Randy Miller. Learn more about FOIAengine here. To review FOIA requests mentioned in this article, subscribe to FOIAengine.

Write to John A. Jenkins at JAJ@PoliScio.com.

The rest is here:
The DNC Goes Fishing What Will it Catch? - Law Street Media