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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) got into a heated debate Thursday morning regarding who owns the social media platform TikTok.

Paul was discussing his opposition to banning TikTok and how people need to be more clear on who owns ByteDance, the parent company of the platform. It comes after the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to pass legislation to force TikTok to separate itself from ByteDance or risk getting banned in the United States.

This is the most important fact of all of this, and it needs to be debated, not assumed as a fact, Paul said on Fox Newss Fox & Friends. The companys owned 60% by international investors, 20% by the two Chinese software engineers who developed it, the entrepreneurs who began the business, and 20% by their employees, 7,000 of whom are American. So, its a very diverse ownership. Its not owned by the Chinese government. In fact, on TikToks board, there are no Chinese nationals that control this or are associated with the government at all. Theyre CEOs from Singapore. So, this is an international corporation, and like every other international corporation, they deserve their day in court. You cant just take their property. Look, I have a lot of arguments with the Chinese communists. I have a lot of arguments with the Saudi authoritarians. But Im not saying we should allow banning anybody to do business with the Saudis because they have an unsavory government as well and because they spy on their people.

Host Brian Kilmeade then asked Paul if he went to a congressional hearing attended by TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Paul said he did not but stated he was aware that TikTok has been working with the U.S. government to stay open in the country, including transferring most of its data to a cloud service in Texas.

Kilmeade then suggested that nobody thinks the Texas project is up and running, to which Paul argued that he himself believes this, claiming that the host was making allegations against TikTok instead of facts. The two then got into a back-and-forth disagreement over who owns ByteDance, with Kilmeade claiming that it was owned by China and Paul reiterating that the companys ownership is a mix of investors, engineers, and TikTok employees.

Banning TikTok in the U.S. has been a divisive topic among Republicans, with Paul being one of several to speak up against the legislation. Earlier in his Thursday interview, Paul suggested that banning TikTok could open the door to get other platforms where news is shared banned, such as X.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Former President Donald Trump is among the people who have spoken out against the move to ban TikTok, reversing his previous stance on the platform.

On Friday, President Joe Biden stated thathe would sign the bill should it ever reach his desk. Despite this,his campaign is still using TikTok, likely as a move to reach younger voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

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Rand Paul gets in heated debate over ownership of TikTok parent company ByteDance - Washington Examiner

Breonna Taylor's mother joined Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey on Monday to announce the filing of legislation to ban no-knock search warrants in the U.S.You can watch the entire press conference in the player below.The bill is named the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act.""It's been four years," said Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, during a press conference in Louisville. "It's been hard. It continues to be hard. But I still fight, and I still make sure that what happened to Breonna doesn't happen again. And that's really what's important here."The bill would apply to federal law enforcement, as well as any state and local agencies that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Justice which the sponsors said includes most police departments in the country.Taylor was killed on March 13, 2020, while police were serving a no-knock search warrant on her Louisville apartment in connection with an ex-boyfriend who was being investigated for drug dealing.LMPD officers entered her apartment late at night and Taylor's then-current boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said he fired one shot at them because he believed they were burglars and said they had not knocked or announced they were police officers. One LMPD officer, Jonathan Mattingly, was shot in the leg.The officers returned fire, killing Taylor."There's a better way of doing things," Paul said during the press conference. "I do this not only because I care about the people behind the door. I also care about the police. I think it's a very dangerous risk for police to take. And, you know, there's a lot of better ways to arrest people that don't involve going in in the middle of the night."Paul introduced the bill in June 2020, but it failed to get any traction. He said he hopes partnering with McGarvey and another Democrat, Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey, will increase the bill's chances for success. "I think all of our community is trying still to heal from this," McGarvey said. "It's hard for me right now standing here with Tamika Palmer, with Breonna Taylor's mom, who endured a pain that, while many of us share, cannot fathom."Similar legislation has been passed by the Louisville Metro Council and Kentucky state legislature.Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, and Amber Duke, executive director of the ALCU-KY, also appeared at the press conference. No-knock warrants have been banned in Louisville and Lexington and severely restricted in the Commonwealth of Kentucky following Breonna Taylors death, Duke said in a statement. After working on this issue locally and statewide, the ACLU of Kentucky proudly supports this federal effort to limit these legalized home invasions that put lives at risk on either side of a door. We know it was Breonna Taylors dream to save lives, and this proposed legislation would do just that. We applaud Congressman McGarvey and the bills co-sponsors for taking this bold step toward healing and justice. The full bill text of the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act" can be found here.

Breonna Taylor's mother joined Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey on Monday to announce the filing of legislation to ban no-knock search warrants in the U.S.

You can watch the entire press conference in the player below.

The bill is named the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act."

"It's been four years," said Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, during a press conference in Louisville. "It's been hard. It continues to be hard. But I still fight, and I still make sure that what happened to Breonna doesn't happen again. And that's really what's important here."

The bill would apply to federal law enforcement, as well as any state and local agencies that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Justice which the sponsors said includes most police departments in the country.

Taylor was killed on March 13, 2020, while police were serving a no-knock search warrant on her Louisville apartment in connection with an ex-boyfriend who was being investigated for drug dealing.

LMPD officers entered her apartment late at night and Taylor's then-current boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said he fired one shot at them because he believed they were burglars and said they had not knocked or announced they were police officers.

One LMPD officer, Jonathan Mattingly, was shot in the leg.

The officers returned fire, killing Taylor.

"There's a better way of doing things," Paul said during the press conference. "I do this not only because I care about the people behind the door. I also care about the police. I think it's a very dangerous risk for police to take. And, you know, there's a lot of better ways to arrest people that don't involve going in in the middle of the night."

Paul introduced the bill in June 2020, but it failed to get any traction. He said he hopes partnering with McGarvey and another Democrat, Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey, will increase the bill's chances for success.

"I think all of our community is trying still to heal from this," McGarvey said. "It's hard for me right now standing here with Tamika Palmer, with Breonna Taylor's mom, who endured a pain that, while many of us share, cannot fathom."

Similar legislation has been passed by the Louisville Metro Council and Kentucky state legislature.

Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, and Amber Duke, executive director of the ALCU-KY, also appeared at the press conference.

No-knock warrants have been banned in Louisville and Lexington and severely restricted in the Commonwealth of Kentucky following Breonna Taylors death, Duke said in a statement. After working on this issue locally and statewide, the ACLU of Kentucky proudly supports this federal effort to limit these legalized home invasions that put lives at risk on either side of a door. We know it was Breonna Taylors dream to save lives, and this proposed legislation would do just that. We applaud Congressman McGarvey and the bills co-sponsors for taking this bold step toward healing and justice.

The full bill text of the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act" can be found here.

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Breonna Taylor Act to be reintroduced by Rand Paul, Morgan McGarvey - WLKY Louisville

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 11, 2024

Contact:Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343

WASHINGTON, D.C.Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) will reintroduce the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act in the U.S. Senate. Congressman Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03) will introduce the House version of the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would prohibit no-knock warrants, which allow law enforcement officials to forcibly enter a home without announcing their authority or purpose.

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is an original cosponsor of the Senate version of the legislation. You can read the Senate version of the bill HERE.

Its long past time to get rid of no-knock warrants. This bill will effectively end no-knock raids in the United States, and Im pleased to work with Rep. McGarvey and Sen. Booker on this important legislation,said Dr. Paul.

Louisvillians remember Breonna Taylor and are still grieving the tragedy of her inexcusable killing by police. After Breonnas death, we passed a ban on no-knock warrants at the state and local level if we can do this in Kentucky, we can do this nationally,said Rep. McGarvey.Im proud to partner with Senators Rand Paul and Cory Booker to move this important bill forward in the House and Senate. The Justice for Breonna Taylor Act is going to protect people and keep our communities safe.

Breonna Taylors horrific death nearly four years ago was a flashpoint in our countrys conscience for the need for policing reform. No knock entries where police barge into a home unannounced are one of the most inherently dangerous, and often deadly, law enforcement practices for communities and for officers,said Sen. Booker. No one should ever experience the horror of being startled from their sleep by police executing a no-knock warrant. Many cities and states, including Louisville, Kentucky where Breonna was fatally shot, have already taken steps to enact legislation prohibiting these unlawful procedures, but we must take action at the federal level. I am proud to work with Senator Paul to introduce and pass the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, a crucial, long-overdue public safety bill to ensure that such tragedies never occur again in our nation.

The bill is named in memory and honor of Breonna Taylor, a Louisville resident and EMT who was killed during a police raid on her home in March 2020, which was conducted under the authority of a no-knock warrant.

The Justice for Breonna Taylor Act would require federal law enforcement officers to provide notice of their authority and purpose before they could execute a warrant, and it would require the same of any state or local law enforcement agency that receives funds from the Department of Justice.

Dr. Paul previously introduced the legislation in2020after working with the family of Breonna Taylor, Game Changers Executive Director Christopher 2X, and others fighting for criminal justice reform.

Kentucky is a leader nationwide in addressing this issue with the State Legislature passing a limit on the use of no-knock warrants in 2021. Dr. Paul and Rep. McGarvey are continuing those efforts on the federal level. Ahead of traveling to Washington, D.C. this week, Sen. Paul and Rep. McGarvey hosted a press conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Dr. Paul to Reintroduce Justice for Breonna Taylor Act with Rep. McGarvey Introducing House Version - Senator Rand Paul

WASHINGTON On Monday morning, Tamika Palmer reflected on the four years since she lost her daughter Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police serving a no-knock search warrant at her Louisville home.

It continues to be hard, but I still fight, and I still make sure that what happened to Breonna doesnt happen again," she said at a news conference with state and federal leaders in Louisville. "And thats really whats important here."

Police said they knocked and announced themselves before breaking down the door during the 2020 raid at Taylors home. But her boyfriend, who fired a shot that struck an officer, said he didnt know who was there.

Police fired back, killing Taylor.

Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., are teaming up to try to pass the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, banning no-knock warrants on the federal level.

It says federal officers executing a warrant, as well as state and local agencies that receive funds from the Department of Justice, must first announce who they are and why theyre there.

Paul first filed the bill in 2020, but it did not have a Democratic co-sponsor and did not move forward.

Im very hopeful that this will move forward, Paul said Monday. Im sorry that it took the death of Breonna to get everybody unified, but people say, Why is there no bipartisanship? Well, we had a terrible tragedy, and now there is.

Since the night of the deadly raid, the city of Louisville banned no-knock warrants, and the Kentucky Legislature passed a law saying the warrants can only be used under certain conditions.

Were saying we are tying this law enforcement money to banning no-knock warrants, McGarvey said. We think it will be very effective in truly minimizing the practice except for the most exigent and egregious circumstances where it can be justified.

Democrats control the Senate and Republicans control the House, and Paul and McGarvey said theyre working to move this forward with bipartisan support in both chambers.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is co-sponsoring the bill, Paul said. McGarvey added he knows of some Republican members who are interested, including from Kentucky.

Excerpt from:
A look at the bipartisan effort to ban no-knock warrants - Spectrum News 1

WASHINGTON A Senate panel Wednesday passed a bill aimed at preventing certain Chinese companies from doing business in the United States. The sole no vote was by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who worries that Congress is using anger toward China as a cover for advancing parochial interests.

Many in Congress are worried the Chinese government and military are using the rising dominance of national companies to gather Americans genetic information, which could be used for reasons that range from creating bioweapons to giving China a leg up in drug development.

The Biosecure Act, by Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.), is a response to those concerns. The bill would block the U.S. government from contracting with companies that do business with Chinese biotechnology companies of concern, and it names four companies that must be on that list: BGI Genomics, MGI, Complete Genomics, WuXi AppTec, and any subsidiary, parent affiliate, or successor of these companies.

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Senate panel advances bill to ban some Chinese biotechs, with Sen. Paul taking up industry's cause - STAT