Donald Trump announces a White House bid for 2024 | CNN Politics

CNN —

Former President Donald Trump, aiming to become only the second commander-in-chief ever elected to two nonconsecutive terms, announced Tuesday night that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump told a crowd gathered at Mar-a-Lago, his waterfront estate in Florida, where his campaign will be headquartered.

Surrounded by allies, advisers, and conservative influencers, Trump delivered a relatively subdued speech, rife with spurious and exaggerated claims about his four years in office. Despite a historically divisive presidency and his own role in inciting an attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump aimed to evoke nostalgia for his time in office, frequently contrasting his first-term accomplishments with the Biden administration’s policies and the current economic climate. Many of those perceived accomplishments – from strict immigration actions to corporate tax cuts and religious freedom initiatives – remain deeply polarizing to this day.

As Trump spoke to a roomful of Republicans who expect him to face primary challengers in the coming months, he also claimed the party cannot afford to nominate “a politician or conventional candidate” if it wants to win back the White House.

“This will not be my campaign, this will be our campaign all together,” Trump said.

Trump’s long-awaited campaign comes as he tries to reclaim the spotlight following the GOP’s underwhelming midterm elections performance – including the losses of several Trump-endorsed election deniers – and the subsequent blame game that has unfolded since Election Day. Republicans failed to gain a Senate majority, came up short in their efforts to fill several statewide seats, and have yet to secure a House majority, with only 215 races called in their favor so far out of the 218 needed, developments that have forced Trump and other party leaders into a defensive posture as they face reproval from within their ranks.

Trump’s paperwork establishing his candidacy landed with the Federal Election Committee shortly before he delivered his announcement at Mar-a-Lago.

To the delight of aides and allies who have long advised him to mount a forward-looking campaign, he spent only a fraction of his remarks repeating his lies about the 2020 election. Though he advocated for the use of paper ballots and likened America’s election system to that of “third world countries,” Trump also tried at times to broaden his grievances – lamenting the “massive corruption” and “entrenched interests” that in his view have consumed Washington. Many of Trump’s top advisers have expressed concern that his fixation on promoting conspiracies about the last presidential election would make it harder for him to win a national election in 2024.

Throughout the hour-long speech, Trump made clear that he wants his campaign to be seen by Republicans as a sacrificial undertaking.

“Anyone who truly seeks to take on this rigged and corrupt system will be faced with a storm of fire that only a few could understand,” he said at one point, describing the legal and emotional toll his presidency and post-presidential period has taken on his family members.

On the heels of last week’s midterm elections, Trump has been blamed for elevating flawed candidates who spent too much time parroting his claims about election fraud, alienating key voters and ultimately leading to their defeats. He attempted to counter that criticism on Tuesday, noting that Republicans appear poised to retake the House majority and touting at least one Trump-endorsed candidate, Kevin Kiley of California. At one point, Trump appeared to blame his party’s midterm performance on voters not yet realizing “the total effect of the suffering” after two years of Democratic control in Washington.

“I have no doubt that by 2024, it will sadly be much worse and they will see clearly what has happened and is happening to our country – and the voting will be much different,” he claimed.

Beating others to the punch

Trump is betting that his first-out-of-the gate strategy will fend off potential primary rivals and give him an early advantage with deep-pocketed donors, aides say. He is widely expected to be challenged by both conservative and moderate Republicans, though the calculus of some presidential hopefuls could change now that he is running. Others – like his former Vice President, Mike Pence – may proceed anyway.

Trump’s third presidential bid also coincides with a period of heightened legal peril as Justice Department officials investigating him and his associates revisit the prospect of indictments in their Trump-related probes. The former president is currently being investigated for his activities before and during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left office. While Trump is counting on an easy path to the GOP nomination with his sustained support among the party’s base, his announcement is likely to dash the hopes of party leaders who have longed for fresh talent. In particular, top Republicans have been paying close attention to the next moves of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won his reelection contest with a 19-point margin of victory and considerable support from minority and independent voters. Some Republican leaders may try to scuttle Trump’s campaign by elevating or encouraging alternative candidates, including DeSantis, who has been quietly laying the groundwork for a possible White House bid of his own.

Of course, any countereffort to inhibit Trump’s path to the nomination is likely to prove difficult. Despite his myriad legal entanglements and the stain of January 6, the twice-impeached 45th president remains immensely popular among most Republican voters and boasts a deep connection with his core backers that could prove difficult for other GOP hopefuls to replicate or weaken. Even leading conservatives who disliked Trump’s pugnacious politics and heterodox policies stuck with him as president because he helped solidify the rightward shift of the US Supreme Court with his nominations – one of the most far-reaching aspects of his legacy, which resulted in the conservative court majority’s deeply polarizing June decision to end federal abortion rights. In fact, while Trump ended his first term with the lowest approval rating of any president, Republicans viewed him favorably, according to a May NBC News poll. That alone could give Trump a significant edge over primary opponents whom voters are still familiarizing themselves with.

Among those potential competitors is Pence, who would likely benefit from high name recognition due to his role as vice president. Pence, who has been preparing for a possible White House run in 2024, is sure to face an uphill battle courting Trump’s most loyal supporters, many of whom soured on the former vice president after he declined to overstep his congressional authority and block certification of now-President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. Trump could also find himself pitted against DeSantis, who has risen to hero status among cultural conservatives and who is widely considered a more polished version of Trump. Even some of the former president’s advisers have voiced similar observations to CNN, noting that DeSantis also made inroads with major Republican donors during his quest for reelection and built a mountain of goodwill with GOP leaders by campaigning for federal and statewide Republican candidates in the middle of his own race.

Beyond his potential rivals, Trump has another roadblock in his path as the House select committee continues to investigate his role in January 6, 2021, and Justice Department officials weigh whether to issue criminal charges. The committee, which subpoenaed him for testimony and documents in October and which Trump is now battling in court, held public hearings throughout the summer and early fall featuring depositions from those in Trump’s inner circle at the White House – including members of his family – that detailed his public and private efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results through a sustained pressure campaign on numerous local, state and federal officials, and on his own vice president.

But Trump’s desire to announce his campaign early can be especially traced to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, which advisers say further emboldened his decision to mount what he believes will be a triumphant political comeback. The day after the search, the former president fielded calls from allies advising him to accelerate his 2024 timeline. That night, he huddled with House lawmakers in the Republican Study Committee and told them he’d “made up his mind” about launching a bid, though some of those same House Republicans later convinced him to wait until after the midterm elections to announce his next move.

Few of those lawmakers were present for Trump’s speech on Tuesday, choosing to remain in Washington as House Republicans conducted their leadership elections and the party continues to grapple with its failures in highly prized midterm races. Rather, the room was filled with prominent election deniers like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, several of Trump’s attorneys, and past and present aides. Before he entered the room on Tuesday alongside former first lady Melania Trump, several members of the ex-president’s family were also seen filtering into the ballroom, including Eric and Lara Trump, his son Barron, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr. His eldest son was notably missing, along with daughter Ivanka, , who has since said she will no longer be involved in the political arena. A source close to Donald Trump Jr. said he was stuck on a hunting trip in the mountain west and unable to catch a flight back to Florida in time for his father’s announcement. Other guests included longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone; outgoing North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn; former congressman and the current CEO of Trump’s Truth Social app Devin Nunes; and his chief political adviser Susie Wiles.

Preparing for 2024

From the moment Trump left Washington, defeated and disgraced, in January 2021, he began plotting a return to power – devoting the bulk of his time to building a political operation intended for this moment. With assistance from numerous former aides and advisers, he continued the aggressive fundraising tactics that had become a marker of his 2020 campaign, amassing a colossal war chest ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, and worked diligently to elect steadfast allies in both Congress and state legislatures across the country.

While maintaining a home base in Florida, he also regularly jet-setted across the country for campaign rallies that afforded him crucial face time with his base and with candidates he bet would become valuable allies in the US Senate and House.

Through it all, Trump continued to falsely insist that the 2020 election was stolen from him, indulging in far-flung conspiracy theories about voter fraud and pressuring Republican leaders across the party’s election apparatus to endorse changes that would curtail voting rights.

Trump’s aides were pleased earlier this fall when his public appearances and rally speeches gradually became more focused on rising crime, immigration and economic woes – key themes throughout the midterm cycle and issues they hope will enable him to draw a compelling contrast with Biden as he begins this next chapter. Allies of the former president have long said that he views the 2024 contest as an opportunity to regain what he believes is his: another four years in the Oval Office.

But there is no guarantee that Trump will glide easily to a nonconsecutive second term. In fact, it could be quite difficult.

Not only does history offer just one example of such a feat (defeated in 1888 after his first term, President Grover Cleveland was elected again in 1892), no previously impeached president has ever run again for office. Trump was first impeached in 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice, and then again in 2021 for inciting the riot at the US Capitol. Though he was acquitted by the Senate both times, 10 House Republicans broke with their party the second time around to join Democrats in a vote to impeach him. Seven Republican senators voted to convict him at his Senate trial.

Trump has also been the subject of a bevy of lawsuits and investigations, including a New York state investigation and a separate Manhattan district attorney criminal probe into his company’s finances, a Georgia county probe into his efforts to overturn Biden’s election win in the state, and separate Justice Department probes into his campaign’s scheme to put forth fake electors in battleground states and his decision to bring classified materials with him to Mar-a-Lago upon leaving office.

Trump’s actions since he left Washington have, for the most part, signaled his interest in an eventual return. While most former presidents go quietly into retirement – resurfacing to assist their parties during midterm cycles or for the opening of their presidential libraries – Trump bucked tradition to instead plot the comeback he now hopes to make. Despite its distance from Washington, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club has transformed into a new hub for Republicans and a home base for his political machine. Assisted by a small group of paid staffers, he has hosted numerous candidate and committee fundraisers and seen a rotating cast of party leaders and congressional hopefuls filter through its gilded hallways in the hopes of nabbing his endorsement or reingratiating themselves with his base. Trump’s schedule has enabled him to build close relationships with party leaders and fringe figures – from House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia – whose support in a contested primary could ultimately help him clear the field. Many of the aides who have been with him since he left the White House are expected to continue on as campaign hands, as the former president and his de facto chief of staff, longtime Florida GOP strategist Wiles, aim to maintain a lean operation much like the early days of his 2016 presidential campaign. Among those who are likely to be involved are Wiles, Taylor Budowich, Chris LaCivita, Steven Cheung, Justin Caporale and Brian Jack. Brad Parscale, who managed part of Trump’s failed 2020 campaign will not be part of his 2024 operation, nor will Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was deeply involved in his quest for reelection.

Time in office

As president, Trump faced criticism over several of his actions, especially his management of the worst public health crisis in nearly a century – the Covid-19 pandemic – though his administration helped facilitate the development of vaccines to treat the novel coronavirus in record time. He also was blasted by critics over his handling of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017; the White nationalist rally, also in 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Heather Heyer was killed while walking with a group of counterprotesters; and Black Lives Matter protests.

While in office, Trump signed sweeping tax cuts into law, enacted controversial hard-line immigration policies, including a policy that separated migrant children from their families and one known as “Remain in Mexico,” which the US Supreme Court ruled in June could be ended by his successor, and appointed hundreds of federal judges with deep conservative credentials. He also successfully nominated three Supreme Court justices, whose decisions this year as part of the court’s majority have shifted American society and laws rightward on issues such as abortion, guns, religious freedom and climate change.

The former real estate businessman and reality TV star was first elected to office in 2016, beating out a wide field of more than a dozen GOP candidates in an ugly primary, and then prevailing over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a contentious general election, despite sexual misconduct allegations that would have typically been campaign-ending.

As president, Trump was an impulsive leader, who dispensed with long-standing norms, often announcing policy and Cabinet personnel changes on Twitter. (He was ultimately banned from the platform following the US Capitol riot and was later barred from Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube as well.)

He pushed an “America First” foreign policy approach, pulling the US out of international agreements such as the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal, a pair of controversial moves that were decried by many of America’s top European allies.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mistakenly said who was likely to be involved in the Trump campaign. Brad Parscale will not be involved in the 2024 operation. It has also been updated to correctly characterize former President Donald Trump’s position on paper ballots, fix the spelling of Justin Caporale and reflect additional developments.

Gaborr Kristen Holmes Veronica Stracqualursi

Why did Apple Watch get banned in US? Latest news on controversy

The most advanced Apple Watch models will be back on sale this week after a federal appeals court temporarily blocked a sweeping import ban on the devices amid a dispute with the Biden administration.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are now available at U.S. stores and can be purchased online starting Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, according to the tech company. The device's blood oxygen feature is still included.

Here's everything to know about the controversy surrounding the Apple Watch models.

Why did Apple Watch get banned?

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 were banned after California health tech companies, Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories, accused Apple of infringing on its patent for a blood-oxygen tracking technology. Masimo's 2021 complaint led to the Oct. 26 ITC order.

"The decision to exclude certain foreign-made models of the Apple Watch demonstrates that even the world's most powerful company must abide by the law,” Masimo previously said in an emailed statement.

Apple filed two lawsuits against Masimo last year accusing the company of infringing patents with its own smartwatch.

Why did Biden administration uphold ban?

Ambassador Katherine Tai declined to reverse the ITC decision on Tuesday after finding that Apple infringed Masimo's and Cercacor's patents "after careful consultations", according to a release by the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Apple filed an emergency request to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban, Reuters reported.

When will the Apple Watch models be back on sale?

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 were made available at U.S. stores Wednesday and can be purchased online starting Thursday at 3 p.m. ET, according to the tech company.

“We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year," Apple said in a statement Wednesday.

The return follows the Biden administration announcement Tuesday it would uphold the U.S. International Trade Commission order banning the sale of the two smart watches.

"Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop technology that empowers users with industry-leading health, wellness and safety features and we are pleased the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full appeal," Apple's statement added.

What is the blood oxygen feature?

The Apple Watches' Blood Oxygen app, only available in certain regions, allows users to measure oxygen levels of their blood on-demand directly from your wrist, according to the company.

"Measurements taken with the Blood Oxygen app are not intended for medical use and are only designed for general fitness and wellness purposes," Apple said on their support website.

Contributing: Kinsey Crowley & Bailey Schulz

TikTok might be too big to ban, no matter what lawmakers say | CNN ...

CNN —

In July 2020, the same month former President Donald Trump said he would ban TikTok in the United States, Callie Goodwin of Columbia, South Carolina, posted her first video on the app to promote the small business she had started out of her garage during the pandemic.

Inspired by a neighbor dropping off some brownies and a handwritten note for her while she was in quarantine, Goodwin decided to launch a pre-stamped greeting cards company called Sparks of Joy Co. A few months later, a TikTok influencer with some two million followers shared one of Goodwin’s cards on her account and Goodwin saw her business take off.

Goodwin, now 28, told CNN that more than 90% of her orders currently come from people who discover her business through TikTok. “If it were to get banned, I would see business plummeting,” Goodwin told CNN. “I would lose most of my sales.”

For much of the past two years, talk of an outright TikTok ban seemed to recede. TikTok outlasted the Trump administration and only saw its popularity continue to grow. It was the top downloaded app in the United States last year, and remains the top downloaded app year-to-date in 2022, according to data from analytics firm Sensor Tower. In the process, TikTok, which said it had 100 million US users as of 2020, became even more central to American culture and to livelihoods of influencers and business owners like Goodwin.

But suddenly, the future of TikTok in the United States appears more uncertain than at any point since July 2020. A growing number of Republican governors have recently announced bans on TikTok for state employees on government devices, including from multiple states on Thursday alone. State attorneys general and a Republican commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission have each pressured Apple and Google to take tougher measures with the app. And a trio of US lawmakers led by Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, introduced a bill earlier this week that once again seeks to block TikTok in the US due to the parent company’s base in China.

Callie Goodwin launched a small business shortly before Trump first said he would ban the app. Two years later, she said a TikTok ban would cause her to "lose most of my sales." Courtesy Callie Goodwin

The renewed political scrutiny comes amid a broader, ongoing reckoning over the impact that TikTok and other social media platforms have on their youngest users. There have been recent debates over whether TikTok’s content is age-appropriate for teens as well as fears that its algorithms may lead users to potentially harmful subject matter, including posts related to suicide and eating disorders.

At the same time, TikTok has come under fire in Washington for its ties to China through its parent company. The criticism ramped up earlier this year after a Buzzfeed News report said some US user data has been repeatedly accessed from China, and cited one employee who allegedly said, “Everything is seen in China.” TikTok, for its part, has confirmed US user data can be accessed by some employees in China.

TikTok has been negotiating for years with the US government and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) on a potential deal that addresses the lingering national security concerns and allows the app to continue operating in the United States. Recently, there have been reports of delays in those negotiations.

The tremendous reach of TikTok may only make it harder to ban the service outright, some national security experts say. Even some TikTok critics have hedged on whether a ban is the right approach. Sen. Josh Hawley, who authored a bill to ban TikTok from US government devices, said this week he would be “fine” if the US government and TikTok reached a deal to safeguard US users’ data. “But if they don’t do that,” Hawley said, “then I think we’re going to have to look at more stringent measures.”

As lawmakers have renewed calls for tougher action to be taken with the app, some of its users who have built their livelihoods and found a sense of community on the app say they can’t imagine an America without it.

TikTok now drives culinary habits (including a 200% jump in Feta sales at one grocery store after a baked pasta dish went viral); countless fashion and beauty crazes (from “skin cycling” to “glazed donut nails”), and propels new and old music (including the 1980s song “Break My Stride”) to the top of streaming charts. A significant percentage of US politicians campaigned on the app ahead of the midterm elections. And legacy news organizations like the 176-year-old Associated Press have recently joined TikTok to reach new audiences.

Kahlil Greene. Laurie Gomez

“So many people, myself included, are always on TikTok,” Kahlil Greene, 22, of New Haven, Connecticut, told CNN. “That’s where we get our entertainment from, our news from, our musical taste from, our social inside jokes we make with friends come from memes that started on TikTok.”

Greene, who is known as the “Gen Z historian” across social media, has amassed more than 580,000 followers on TikTok by documenting social and cultural issues. Greene’s following on TikTok even garnered the attention of the Biden administration. Greene was among the handful of TikTokers who were recently invited to a White House press briefing on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“So much of our culture and lives are driven by TikTok now that it’s not just something you can rip away easily,” he said.

“Too big to fail”

TikTok has simultaneously tried to ease concerns about its impact on Americans and their data while also working to expand its footprint in the country.

The company, which is owned by Beijing-based Bytedance, has committed to moving its US user data to Oracle’s cloud platform and to taking other steps to isolate US user data from other parts of its business. TikTok said last week that it would restructure its US-focused content moderation, policy and legal teams under a special group within the company led by US-based officials and walled off organizationally from other teams focused on the rest of the world.

In response to the bill calling for a ban, a TikTok spokesperson said: “It’s troubling that rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review of TikTok, some members of Congress have decided to push for a politically-motivated ban that will do nothing to advance the national security of the United States.”

A growing number of state and federal lawmakers are attempting to crack down on TikTok, including some who are calling for an outright ban. Tom Brenner/Reuters

“We will continue to brief members of Congress on the plans that have been developed under the oversight of our country’s top national security agencies—plans that we are well underway in implementing—to further secure our platform in the United States,” the statement added.

The company is also stressing its broad popularity. “TikTok is loved by millions of Americans who use the platform to learn, grow their businesses, and connect with creative content that brings them joy,” the spokesperson said.

Now, the company is taking steps to keep growing its reach. At a time when major tech giants including Meta and Twitter are slashing staff, TikTok is still hiring American engineers. TikTok also appears be to taking aim at a chunk of Amazon’s e-commerce empire by seeking to build out its own warehousing network in the United States, a flurry of recent job postings indicates.

The challenge for the federal government “is it’s almost like TikTok is too big to fail,” said Rick Sofield, a partner at Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., who focuses on national security reviews, export controls and economic sanctions. “I think their minds are made up that ByteDance owning TikTok is a national security concern – the reason that we’ve been hung up is it’s too big to fail, and they’re trying to figure out a soft landing.”

“There’s a whole lot of things I think that would have to happen first, before there’s a ban,” he added.

A livelihood and a lifeline

For Adrianna Wise, 30, TikTok hasn’t just been “essential” for building her bakery in Columbus, Ohio, it’s also been a critical tool that lets her reach young Black and brown people in her community and share knowledge and tips on how to build a business.

“I see the impact that I’m having when I go out into the community and people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, I follow you TikTok,’” Wise, who is co-founder of Coco’s Confectionary Kitchen, told CNN. “I had a little girl a few weeks ago tell me, ‘It was just so cool because you have hair like me, and you’re on TikTok and you have so many views!’”

Adrianna Wise says TikTok allows her to reach young Black and brown people in her community. "A lot of them are learning the skills and the tools they need to be able to create and cultivate their own businesses on platforms like TikTok, if not exclusively on TikTok," she said. Courtesy Adrianna Wise

“A lot of them are learning the skills and the tools they need to be able to create and cultivate their own businesses on platforms like TikTok, if not exclusively on TikTok,” she said.

Goodwin, the Sparks of Joy Co. founder, similarly says a TikTok ban would not only be devastating for her business, but also for her sense of community. She candidly documents her mental health journey via TikTok and has built a support system via the platform. “My best friend in the world right now, I met on TikTok,” she said. “We’re practically family at this point.”

“TikTok is way more than just dancing videos or lip-syncing videos. It really has so many different niches, and you can find community in any of them,” Goodwin told CNN. “So if it were to go away, it would be it would be a great loss.”

Despite the hullaballoo, Greene, the Gen Z historian, says he is not particularly worried about a potential TikTok ban – even though he acknowledges it could cause a hit to his income and sponsorship deals. If anything, he says the folks in government calling for a ban don’t seem to be aware of how central it is to the lives of people in his generation.

Hootie Hurley, 23, a Los Angeles-based full-time creator with more than 1.3 million followers on TikTok, told CNN that he now makes most of his income through his TikTok following. Courtesy Hootie Hurley

“Generally speaking, the side of the argument that’s like super against TikTok, super alarmist about what it means, hasn’t done a great job communicating that message,” he said. Greene views “data privacy concerns” as “more of a buzzword than a tangible fear.”

“We grew up in a generation where our data was always public,” he said, “and we always put our lives on social media.”

Hootie Hurley, 23, a Los Angeles-based full-time creator with more than 1.3 million followers on TikTok, told CNN that he now makes most of his income through his TikTok following. While a ban would be “very scary” for him and his livelihood,” Hurley said he and other TikTok creators are more focused on entertaining their audience than stressing about it – especially after weathering the first ban threats back in 2020.

“If the government ever did ban it,” he said, “everybody would actually be very, very surprised.”

TikTok's ties to China are once again under fire in Washington ...

CNN Business —

Two years after then-President Donald Trump said he would ban TikTok in the United States through an executive order, the short-form video platform is once again under scrutiny in Washington. And the underlying issue remains largely the same: TikTok’s ties to China through its parent company, Bytedance.

A growing number of US lawmakers are calling for the Biden administration to take action against TikTok, citing apparent national security and data privacy concerns. The criticism stems from a Buzzfeed News report in June that said some US user data has been repeatedly accessed from China. The reporting cited leaked audio recordings of dozens of internal TikTok meetings, including one where a TikTok employee allegedly said, “Everything is seen in China.”

In a response to the report, TikTok previously said it “has consistently maintained that our engineers in locations outside of the US, including China, can be granted access to US user data on an as-needed basis under those strict controls.” A TikTok executive testified before a Senate panel last year that it doesn’t share information with the Chinese government and that a US-based security team decides who can access US user data from China.

The renewed pressure on TikTok comes as the platform’s influence continues to grow in the United States. After Trump left office, the Biden administration revoked the executive order and largely walked back official attempts to ban TikTok. Last year, TikTok said it topped 1 billion monthly active users globally, and more than 100 million users are said to be in the United States, according to some market research estimates. Activity on the app continues to shape the news cycle, popular music, culinary trends and more in the country. Meanwhile, other US social media giants continue to imitate TikTok’s features in an effort to compete.

Former President Donald Trump sits during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Some critics previously blasted Trump’s crusade against the fast-growing video app as political theater rooted in xenophobia, and called out Trump’s odd suggestion that the United States should get a “cut” of any deal if it forced the app’s sale to an American firm. But the latest round of pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle shows how the national security issue continues to plague TikTok in the United States, even under a new administration.

Here’s what you should know about the latest scrutiny of TikTok and Bytedance along the Beltway.

What lawmakers are saying about TikTok

A range of US lawmakers and officials have in recent months called for new investigations into TikTok’s data storage practices or even for the app to be yanked off US app stores.

A coalition of GOP senators led by Tom Cotton of Arkansas sent a letter in June to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen calling for answers about actions the Biden administration is taking to combat the “the national security and privacy risks posed by TikTok.” A separate group of Republican senators led by Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee also sent a letter of questions to TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew. The senators said the recent media reports “confirm what lawmakers long suspected about TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance — they are using their access to a treasure trove of US consumer data to surveil Americans.”

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence urged the Federal Trade Commission to formally investigate TikTok and ByteDance. “In light of repeated misrepresentations by TikTok concerning its data security, data processing, and corporate governance practices, we urge you to act promptly on this matter,” the letter signed by Mark Warner of Virginia and Marco Rubio of Florida stated.

A logo of ByteDance at its office in Beijing, China July 7, 2020. Thomas Suen/Reuters

In a letter, a member of the Federal Communications Commission urged Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr claimed that ByteDance was “beholden” to the Chinese government, and “required by law to comply” with the Chinese government’s surveillance demands. The letter was widely reported on, despite the fact that the FCC has no role in overseeing app stores.

In a letter responding to Blackburn and others, Chew said: “We have not provided US user data to the [Communist Party of China], nor would we if asked.”

How TikTok has responded

Amid the recent uproar, TikTok announced that it has moved its US user data to Oracle’s cloud platform so that “100% of US user traffic” is now hosted by the cloud provider, potentially addressing national security concerns.

In his letter to lawmakers, which mentioned the shift to Oracle, Chew said the broader goal for the company’s data security efforts is to build trust and “make substantive progress toward compliance with a final agreement with the US Government that will fully safeguard user data and US national security interests.”

Adobe Stock

Chew didn’t name any specific groups within the US government, but the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has been investigating TikTok since 2019. The government body, however, has not provided any recent updates on its investigation. Citing anonymous sources, Reuters recently reported that CFIUS has been in “extensive discussions with TikTok on security issues.” Representatives for CFIUS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

TikTok also recently pledged to offer researchers more transparency about activity on the platform, including access for a select group to its API, or application programming interface.

“We know that just saying ‘trust us’ is not enough,” TikTok chief operating officer Vanessa Pappas said in a blog post announcing the planned update. “That’s why long ago we made an important commitment to transparency, particularly when it comes to how we moderate and recommend content.”

Why the national security concerns won’t go away

While TikTok has long pushed back at the national security concerns as “unfounded,” the concerns persist.

“The fact that the Chinese government, if it really wants to, can make any company in its borders comply with data access requests, I think is really at the root of a lot of these concerns about TikTok,” said Justin Sherman, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative.

“There are real national security questions being asked,” Sherman added, but there are also issues with galvanizing much of the conversation around anti-China rhetoric.

Focusing too narrowly on the national origin of an app’s owner, or just on a single company, only looks at one way that data can be accessed, Sherman said. As a result, it loses all the other ways that data flows through advertisers, brokers and much more.

“It’s good to have this kind of attention” on data privacy and security issues, Sherman said. “But if all you’re doing is writing letters about specific companies and not actually writing and testing laws and regulations to control for risks, in the long run, nothing’s really going to change too much.”

What is the Supreme Court and why does it have so much power ...

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story appeared on March 26, 2012.

CNN —

With recent decisions on abortion, gun control, religious freedom and the environment, the US Supreme Court once again reasserted its central role in America.

The nine justices are unelected, serve for life and until recently were all White men. But their actions have helped define the American way of life for more than two centuries.

Here are several common questions about the court, its makeup and its power:

What does the Supreme Court do?

In essence, the court decides if laws and government actions are constitutional and outlines the breadth and limits of government.

When a case reaches the Supreme Court, typically through a process of several years, it’s important because the precedent the majority opinion sets is then the standard by which future laws are measured. That’s due to the principle of “stare decisis,” Latin for “to stand by a decision,” where a current court should be bound by previous rulings.

Are Supreme Court decisions final?

Yes, in the sense that they can’t be overturned by another body.

But no, in the sense that the court can overturn or change its own precedent over time, as it did with odious decisions allowing racial segregation or with last month’s reversal of the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which had guarantee the constitutional right to obtain an abortion.

Can Congress overrule decisions?

Not directly, but Congress can pass laws that respond to rulings.

For instance, the court ruled in 2007 that Lilly Ledbetter had not filed an equal pay discrimination complaint within the allowed time period (because she had not discovered the discrepancy until years later). President Barack Obama signed a law in 2009 that eliminated those previous restrictions.

What about amending the Constitution?

The Supreme Court interprets the Constitution, so amending the document changes how the court is able to rule. But amending the Constitution is a herculean political task requiring, in theory, mass public support, which doesn’t exist for either party at the moment.

Are Supreme Court justices elected?

No. They’re appointed by the president, and then sent to the Senate to be confirmed.

How many justices are there and who appointed them?

Nine. Each has an equal vote.

Chief Justice John Roberts (George W. Bush, 2005).

Justice Clarence Thomas (George H.W. Bush, 1991).

Justice Samuel Alito (GWB, 2006).

Justice Sonia Sotomayor (Barack Obama, 2009).

Justice Elena Kagan (Obama, 2010).

Justice Neil Gorsuch (Donald Trump, 2017).

Justice Brett Kavanaugh (Trump, 2018).

Justice Amy Coney Barrett (Trump, 2020).

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (Joe Biden, 2022).

Why do some presidents get to appoint more than others?

Luck and politics. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama each served for eight years and got two justices confirmed each.

Trump served one term and appointed three: one because Obama’s final nominee in 2016 was blocked by Republicans, one due to a retirement and one, just before the 2020 presidential election, due to the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Are there any requirements to be a justice?

No. It’s most common for nominees to now have strong legal pedigrees (Ivy League law school, experience clerking for previous justices or experience on federal appeals courts) but none of that is required.

Kagan was a Harvard Law professor and solicitor general (a top Justice Department attorney) but was never a judge. The late Chief Justice Earl Warren had been the governor of California.

Are Supreme Court justices appointed for life?

Yes, as are the judges for other federal courts, and they can serve until death or retirement. It means they’re in theory insulated from the whims of the political branches. But it doesn’t make the justices popular: Current polls show that fewer than one-third of Americans have confidence in the court.

Can Supreme Court justices be removed?

Yes, via impeachment – the same process used to remove a US president. The House would vote to impeach, and the Senate would have a trial and vote on whether to remove the justice. It’s never happened for a Supreme Court justice, however.

What is ‘court packing’?

The Constitution doesn’t say how many justices the court must have, but the number has been set at nine since the mid-19th century and codified into law since. In theory, the president can nominate and the Senate can confirm more justices to swing the court in a desired direction.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt suggested this in the 1930s after the court had struck down many of his “New Deal” policies. Recently faced with a court that has six conservatives and three liberals, Democratic politicians have suggested adding several more justices to tilt the balance of power.

How does the court work?

The Supreme Court first met in 1790, as the highest court in the judicial branch of government. The justices are led by the chief justice of the United States (that’s the official title). The court has occupied its current building in Washington only since 1935. Previously, it borrowed space in Senate chambers in the US Capitol.

Traditionally, each term begins the first Monday in October, and final opinions are usually issued by late June. Justices divide their time between “sittings,” where they hear cases and issue decisions, and “recesses,” where they meet in private to write their decisions and consider other business before the court.

In the courtroom, justices are seated by seniority, with the chief justice in the middle and the junior-most justices on the outside. Before public arguments and private conferences, where decisions are discussed, the nine members all shake hands as a show of harmony of purpose.

As the gavel sounds and the justices are seated, the marshal shouts the traditional welcome, which reads: “Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! All persons having business before the honorable, the Supreme Court of the United States, are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the court is now sitting. God save the United States and this honorable court.”

Since most cases involve appellate review of decisions by other courts, there are no juries or witnesses, just lawyers from both sides addressing the bench. The arguments usually last about an hour, and lawyers from both sides very often have their prepared oral briefs interrupted by pointed questions from justices. In recent years, the court has given each justice five minutes to ask questions, going in order from the chief justice to the most junior.

This give-and-take, question-and-answer repartee requires lawyers to think concisely and logically on their feet. And the tone of the questioning often gives insight into a justice’s thinking, a barometer of his/her decision-making.

After the arguments, conferences are scheduled, where justices discuss and vote on the cases. In these closed-door sessions, the nine members are alone. No clerks or staff are allowed. No transcripts are kept.

Justices spend much of their time reviewing the cases and writing opinions. And they must decide which cases they will hear in open court. When asked just before her 2006 retirement what the jurists do most of the time, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said bluntly, “We read. We read on average 1,500 pages a day. We read. Sometimes we write.” Added Justice Antonin Scalia: “We try to squeeze in a little time for thinking.”

Cameras are not allowed, and until the Covid-19 pandemic, live audio for oral arguments wasn’t available either, meaning that the actions of nine men and women that can impact every aspect of American life happen in the shadows.

Apple Watch ban remains in US after Biden admin ruling: What to ...

The Biden administration announced Tuesday it will uphold a U.S. International Trade Commission order banning the sale of certain Apple Watches.

According to a release by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai declined to reverse an Oct. 26 ITC decision that found a blood-oxygen tracking feature in Apple Watches infringed on existing patents.

Apple did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment, but Reuters reported that Apple filed an emergency request to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban.

Here is what else to know about the Apple Watch ban.

More:Apple announces new MacBook Pros, chips at 'Scary Fast' event

Why are Apple Watches banned?

The ban comes after two California-based health technology companies, Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories, accused Apple of infringing on its patent for a blood-oxygen tracking technology.

Masimo filed a complaint in 2021, leading to the ITC order.

"The decision to exclude certain foreign-made models of the Apple Watch demonstrates that even the world's most powerful company must abide by the law,” Masimo said in an emailed statement, USA TODAY previously reported.

Apple has also accused Masimo of infringing patents and filed two lawsuits against the company last year after Masimo launched its own smartwatch.

What Apple Watch models are banned?

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

The watches, which launched in September, were no longer available in the U.S. online Dec. 21 and were yanked from shelves Dec. 24.

The Blood Oxygen feature is available on the Apple Watch Series 6 or later, excluding the Apple Watch SE.

The order will have no impact on Apple Watches already purchased.

What will happen next?

According to Reuters, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is set to decide whether or not redesigined watches infringe on Masimo's patents by Jan. 12.

"We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible," Apple said in a Tuesday statement shared with Reuters.

Trevor Reed: American released from Russia in prisoner swap ...

Washington CNN —

American Trevor Reed, a US citizen and former Marine who had been detained in Russia since 2019, is back in the United States, his mother Paula Reed tweeted early Thursday.

Reed was released in a prisoner swap Wednesday.

“It’s been (a) very exciting day for the Reed family,” Paula Reed tweeted. “Trevor is back in the USA.”

The release ended a nearly three-year ordeal for Reed, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020 for endangering the “life and health” of Russian police officers in an altercation. Reed and his family have denied the charges against him.

In her tweet, Paula Reed also advocated for the release of Paul Whelan, a US citizen and former Marine who was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and arrested on espionage charges, which he has consistently and vehemently denied.

Reed’s release will not impact the US approach to the war in Ukraine, senior administration officials said.

His release came after months of effort by the US government, officials said, and was particularly urgent given concerns about Reed’s health. It was ultimately secured through a prisoner swap for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko.

The exchange took place in Turkey on Wednesday, Trevor’s parents, Paula and Joey Reed, previously told CNN.

The couple, who spoke to their son by phone shortly after the prisoner exchange, said he had been subdued. “The first phone call we got, he did not sound like himself,” Paula Reed said Wednesday evening at a news conference outside their home in Granbury, Texas.

She said his spirits seemed better by the time they received a second call from him later in the day: “He still looks terrible, but he sounded better. He sounded more like himself.”

Trevor Reed, who was detained in Russia for nearly three years, saw Yaroshenko on the tarmac during the prisoner swap but did not say anything to him, according to his father.

“Trevor quickly told us that they – the American plane pulled up next to the Russian plane, and they walked both prisoners across at the same time like you see in the movies,” Joey Reed said earlier on CNN’s “New Day.”

The Reeds said they had also spoken to President Joe Biden on Wednesday and expressed their gratitude.

“I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence,” Biden said in a statement. “And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom.”

Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday whether he had been surprised by Reed’s release given Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Biden said: “I did it.” The President, pressed on how, continued, “I raised it,” adding, “Three months ago.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told Collins earlier Wednesday that the President waited to notify the Reed family of their son’s freedom due to “not wanting to put anyone in a position of putting that at risk – even people who are excited and joyful and looking forward to the news.”

Pressed on whether Russia was able to extract any other conditions from the US aside from a one-to-one prisoner swap, Psaki told CNN, “There were no other conditions that I’m aware of,” later adding, “This was about one issue and topic and I don’t think we should read into it further.”

‘Months and months’ of negotiations

Reed’s release was the result of “months and months of hard careful work across the US government” on the matter, a senior administration official said, noting that “the conversations on this particular issue have accelerated recently to get us to this point.”

One driving factor was concern for Reed’s health. His family has expressed worry about his likely exposure to tuberculosis as well as lingering effects from having Covid-19.

The official, speaking to reporters on a background call Wednesday, said that “ultimately, those negotiations led the President to have to make a very hard decision with a decision to commute the sentence of Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian smuggler convicted of conspiring to import cocaine.”

Yaroshenko is a Russian pilot who had been detained in Liberia by undercover US Drug Enforcement Agency agents on May 28, 2010, and brought to the US, according to Russian state news agency TASS. He was convicted of drug smuggling in 2011 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, which he had been serving at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. He has denied the charges against him.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry had previously raised the possibility that Yaroshenko could be returned “in exchange for any American national” held in Russia.

The official did not provide details about how or why Yaroshenko was chosen for the swap, but noted that he had served the majority of his US sentence and is now in Russian custody.

“This is a tough call for a President. President Biden made it to bring home an American whose health was a source of an intense concern, and to deliver on his commitment to resolve these hard cases and reunite Americans with their loved ones,” the official said.

Paula Reed spoke Wednesday with CNN’s Brianna Keilar on “New Day.”

“I’m going to try not to cry, because he doesn’t want me to cry,” Reed’s mother, Paula, told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on “New Day” Wednesday. “Obviously, I’m going to cry a little bit, give him a big hug, and just, you know, give him hugs, and it will be the four of us together again (for the first time) in a few years, so it’s going to be great.”

Reed’s father previously told CNN he believed it was likely Reed was suffering from tuberculosis, that he was coughing up blood and also had a broken rib. He said Reed went to a prison hospital but did not receive treatment and was then sent back to solitary confinement.

As Reed started a second hunger strike in protest of his treatment by Russian authorities, Reed’s parents went to protest outside of the White House in the hopes of securing a meeting with the President.

The Reeds ultimately did meet with the President at the White House for about a half hour last month.

2 other Americans still detained in Russia

Wednesday’s release also brought renewed attention to the case of Whelan. He was convicted and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison in a trial US officials denounced as unfair.

Last June, he told CNN of the grim conditions of the remote labor camp where he works in a clothing factory he called a “sweatshop” and said obtaining medical care is “very difficult.”

In his statement welcoming Reed’s release, Biden said his administration “won’t stop” until Whelan is home.

The Whelan family expressed happiness at Reed’s release but said it was a day of “varied emotions” and questions for them.

“Unfortunately, time is not on Paul’s side. Our parents are literally not getting any younger. Our hope remains that Paul will be home so they may see him once more. But each day that hope dims,” his brother David Whelan said in a statement Wednesday.

Meanwhile, US basketball star Brittney Griner remains detained in Russia after she was arrested in February on allegations of drug smuggling. A Moscow court recently extended her detention until May 19, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

While her legal team has had access to her and was able to see her several times a week throughout her detention, a US official from the US embassy in Moscow was finally granted consular access to Griner in late March, and said they found her to be in “good condition.”

Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, told CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Wednesday that the cases remain top priorities for the US.

Psaki echoed Price’s sentiment, saying Wednesday that the White House will “continue to do everything they can” to secure the release of Whelan, Griner and other Americans still detained in Russia.

This story has been updated with additional background information and reaction.

Jennifer Hansler Kylie Atwood Radina Gigova Anna Chernova

Why US gas prices are at a record and why they'll stay high for a ...

New York CNN Business —

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a major reason that US drivers are paying record prices for gasoline. But it’s not the only cause of the spike.

Numerous factors are pushing prices up, with regular gasoline hitting a record $4.40 a gallon Wednesday according to AAA’s survey.

Gas prices were already expected to breach the $4 a gallon mark for the first time since 2008, with or without shots fired in Eastern Europe or economic sanctions imposed on Russia.

“I think we reach $5 somewhere between this weekend and Juneteenth/Father’s Day weekend,” he said.

It was back in March that prices first broke the record of $4.11 a gallon, which had stood since 2008. That now seems like the good old days: The national average has been rising steadily for the past month, setting 27 records in the last 28 days.

More than one out of every five gas stations nationwide is now charging more than $5 a gallon for regular, and just more than half are charging $4.75.

There are 10 states, plus Washington, DC, where the average price is already at $5 or more: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Several more are within a penny of $5, so those states’ prices are likely only a day or two at most from crossing the mark.

But prices aren’t likely to fall much whenever they do start to retreat. And Kloza expects they could once again set a record after schools let out and drivers start hitting the road for vacations next month.

“Anything goes from June 20 to Labor Day,” Kloza said. “We could certainly see the national average approach $6.”

Here’s what’s behind the record price surge:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russia is one of the largest oil exporters on the planet. In December it sent nearly 8 million barrels of oil and other petroleum products to global markets, 5 million of them as crude oil.

Very little of that went to the United States. In 2021 Europe got 60% of the oil and 20% went to China. But oil is priced on global commodity markets, so the loss of Russian oil affects prices around the globe no matter where it is used.

The concerns about disrupting global markets led Western nations to initially exempt Russian oil and natural gas from the sanctions they put in place to protest the invasion.

But in March the United States announced a formal ban on all Russian energy imports. The UK government, too, said it will phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2022 and also explore ways to end natural gas imports. And Germany announced earlier this month it will support an EU ban on Russian oil. Russia’s oil is slowly and steadily being removed from global markets.

China lockdowns ending

One factor keeping oil prices somewhat in check has been the surge of Covid cases, and strict lockdown rules in much of the country. That was a major drag on demand for oil.

But as the Covid surge has started to retreat, the lockdowns are being lifted in major cities such as Shanghai. And more demand without increased supply can only drive up prices.

Video Ad Feedback This is what determines the price of gas 01:57 - Source: CNN

Less oil and gas from other sources

Oil prices plunged when pandemic-related stay-at-home orders around the world crushed demand in the spring of 2020, and crude briefly traded at negative prices. In response, OPEC and its allies, including Russia, agreed to slash production as a way to support prices. And even when demand returned sooner than expected, they kept production targets low.

US oil companies don’t adhere to those types of nationally mandated production targets. But they have been reluctant or unable to resume producing oil at pre-pandemic levels amid concerns that tougher environmental rules could cut future demand. Many of those stricter rules have been scaled back or failed to become law.

“The Biden administration is suddenly interested in more drilling, not less,” Robert McNally, president of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group, said earlier this spring. “People are more worried about high oil prices than anything else.”

It takes time to scale up production, particularly when oil companies are facing the same supply chain and hiring challenges as thousands of other US businesses.

“They can’t find people, and can’t find equipment,” McNally added. “It’s not like they’re available at a premium price. They’re just not available.”

Oil stocks have generally lagged the broader market over the last two years, at least until the recent run-up in prices. Oil company executives would rather find ways to boost their share price than increase production.

“Oil and gas companies do not want to drill more,” Pavel Molchanov, an analyst at Raymond James, said earlier this spring. “They are under pressure from the financial community to pay more dividends, to do more share buybacks, instead of the proverbial ‘drill baby drill,’ which is the way they would have done things 10 years ago. Corporate strategy has fundamentally changed.”

One of the starkest examples: ExxonMobil (XOM) last month announced first quarter profits of $8.8 billion, more than triple the level of a year ago when excluding special items. It also announced a $30 billion share repurchase plan, far more than the $21 billion to $24 billion it expects to spend on all capital investment, including searching for new oil.

Not only is oil production lagging behind pre-pandemic levels, US refining capacity is falling. Today, about 1 million fewer barrels of oil a day are available to be processed into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum-based products.

State and federal environmental rules are prompting some refineries to switch from oil to lower carbon renewable fuels. Some companies are closing older refineries rather than investing what it would cost to retool to keep them operating, especially with massive new refineries set to open overseas in Asia, the Middle East and Africa in 2023.

And the fact that diesel and jet fuel prices are up far more than gasoline prices shows that refiners are shifting more of their production to those products.

“Economics mandate you make more jet and diesel fuel to the detriment of gasoline,” said Kloza.

And with prices in Europe even higher than in the United States, both Canadian and US oil producers have increased exports of oil and gasoline to the continent. That has also limited the US supply.

Strong demand for gas

But supply is only part of the equation for prices. Demand is the other key, and while it’s very strong right now, it’s still not back to pre-pandemic levels.

Video Ad Feedback How to save money on gas by being more fuel efficient 01:40 - Source: CNN

The US economy had record job growth in 2021, and while those gains have slowed, they remain historically strong. Demand is getting another boost as the many employees who have been working from home for much of the last two years return to the office.

The start of the summer travel season on Memorial Day weekend is likely to spark the typical annual increases in demand for gas and jet fuel. US airlines all report very strong bookings for summer travel, even with airfares climbing above pre-pandemic levels.

The end of the Omicron surge and the removal of many Covid restrictions is encouraging people to get out of the house for more shopping, entertainment and travel. US trips in passenger vehicles have increased 10% since the beginning of this year, according to the mobility research firm Inrix.

“Come hell or high gas prices, people are going to take vacations,” said Kloza.

Commuting may remain down slightly. Many who plan to return to the office will be there only three or four days a week, and the total number of jobs is still slightly below 2019 levels. But there will be periods, most likely this summer, with higher demand for gas than during comparable periods before the pandemic, Kloza predicts.

“Even before Ukraine, I was expecting to break the record,” Kloza said. “Now it’s a question of how much we break the record by.”

iPhone 12 radiation level prompts ban in France. Don't freak out yet.

A French watchdog agency says Apple’s iPhone 12 emits too much electromagnetic radiation and should be withdrawn from the market, a claim the tech giant disputes.

Tests conducted by France's National Frequency Agency (ANFR) found the iPhone 12's specific absorption rate (SAR) ‒ which measures radiofrequency energy absorbed by a body ‒ exceeds standards set by the European Union, prompting the agency to order Apple to halt iPhone 12 sales and update the iPhone 12 devices in use.

“Instruction has been given to the ANFR’s sworn officers to check that the iPhone 12 is no longer offered for sale in all distribution channels in France,” reads a Tuesday statement from the agency. If Apple fails to "deploy all available means" to comply with the SAR limit, the agency threatened to recall every iPhone 12 sold in France.

The news was announced the same day Apple unveiled the iPhone 15.

A potential 'snowball effect'

European regulations say a phone that is handheld or in a pants pocket should have no more than 4 watts per kilogram of electromagnetic energy absorption, but testing by the ANFR found the iPhone 12 exceeded the limit by more than 40% at 5.74 watts per kilogram. The phone met the radiation threshold for devices kept in a jacket pocket or bag.

France’s digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the newspaper Le Parisien that the agency's data would be shared with regulators in other EU member states, which could have a “snowball effect,” according to Reuters. He told the paper that Apple is expected to respond within two weeks.

Apple did not immediately respond to a comment request from USA TODAY but told Reuters that the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies and said it provided several internal and third-party lab results that showed the phone complied with the French agency’s standards.

New iPhone 15 will use USB-C chargers:What to know about Apple's charging cord switch

Should I be worried about cell phone radiation?

Testing found the iPhone 12 was emitting radiation levels "slightly above" the allowed threshold, with levels more than 10 times lower than the level at which there could be a health risk, according to a post that France’s digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot made on X, formerly Twitter. Even so, he said France wants Apple to comply with its rules.

The World Health Organization notes that “to date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use.” In 2011, the organization classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” ‒ a category for agents where there is limited or inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.

While the human body does absorb energy from devices that emit radiofrequency radiation, research so far suggests cellphone use does not cause brain or other kinds of cancer in humans and the radiofrequencies are too low to damage DNA, according to the National Cancer Institute, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

How do I check my iPhone radiation?

Smartphone users can find information about the SAR of cellphones produced and marketed within the previous one to two years on the Federal Communications Commission’s website by entering the phone’s FCC ID number, which can typically be found on the phone’s case, in the phone’s settings or by contacting the manufacturer.

Technobubble Wrap: Costumed kids, sleeping dogs & Moto X

Reno

After I get home from work, I usually pick up my dog in my arms, open the front door and just stand on the porch for a couple of minutes.

Why? I'm not sure, to be honest.

All I know is that I did it at first because my dog was pawing the sliding door to the backyard one time, but I couldn't let him out because the sprinklers just finished, well, sprinkling.

So, I carried him to the front door, stepped on the porch and just stood there for a bit to calm him down.

Since then, he would always greet me when I arrive and then motion toward the front door. So, I go ahead and carry the little bugger to the porch while he calmly plots world domination or whatever it is dogs think of when they wistfully look in the distance.

Realizing that I just got peer-pressured by a dog to do this little ritual is, admittedly, kind of sad. Then again, the thought that my neighbors likely are creeped out by the sight of a strange dude looking out in the distance while carrying a toy poodle that's also looking into the distance makes it all worth it.

You don't mess with crazy.

Now, onward to this week's game and gadget reviews.

I WANT CANDY: 'COSTUME QUEST 2'

Not to brag but I must say I looked pretty cool when I went trick or treating for the first time. Yes, I know that sounds like an oxymoron but I was a freaking ninja, darn it. I practically blended with my environment like pepperoni on pizza sauce.

Looking back, however, dressing with a costume that makes you hard to see by motorists on a sugar high probably isn't the smartest decision for Halloween. Heck, I'm just glad I didn't get hit by car.

I'll also admit that as cool as my ninja costume was, it doesn't lay a candle in the wind to the costumes used by the kids in "Costume Quest 2." The followup up to Double Fine Production's adorable game from 2010, Costume Quest 2 retains a lot of the charm of the original. Once again, you play as cheeky siblings Reynold and Wren as they unravel yet another Halloween mystery that involves the future. This time, a candy-hating dentist manages to alter time and get Halloween costumes banned. I have got to make sure I tell this story to my dentist.

Like the first game, Costume Quest 2 uses a turn-based system that's similar to the one employed by classic Japanese RPGs. Costumes also remain a source of power, allowing you to transform into either powerful warriors or, uh, an overgrown piece of candy corn. The much maligned candy corn remains a hoot as it pretty much just stands there doing nothing while providing excellent battle commentary. It'll make you laugh, even as you curse its uselessness in the face of battle.

The regular costumes, meanwhile, have varying skills depending on the type, which include a superhero, pterodactyl and the kind of clown Joe Pesci was talking about in Goodfellas. Timing moves to match a screen prompt play a big role in the game, allowing you to dish out stronger attacks or reduce damage. Special moves are also timing-based and vary from damage to healing. Although the prompts add an extra layer of interactivity to the game, they can be tiring after extended play. The general RPG grindiness also can feel repetitive after some time.

Still, funny dialogue, charming characters, a solid RPG mechanic and things to do on the side make Costume Quest 2 a good game. If you enjoyed the original or love classic JRPGs, you'll want to take a bite out of this one.

*Review based on PS4 version of "Costume Quest 2."

Rating: 4 out of 5

Cost: $15; consoles and PC

HERE, BOY: SLEEPING DOGS' BARKS AGAIN

Being more of a lover than a fighter, I absolutely abhor violence.

Then again, that did not stop me from naming the original "Sleeping Dogs" as one of my top games of 2014. Part "Grand Theft Auto" and part "True Crime, Sleeping Dogs" chronicled the tale of Wei Shen, an undercover cop who infiltrates the Hong Kong triad Sun On Yee. It doesn't take long before Shen is deeply embedded in the gangs and finds himself walking a fine line between being a cop and a criminal.

Fast forward to today and "Sleeping Dogs" wakes up yet again in the form of "Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition." Like the "Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition," Sleeping Dogs re-release features fine-tuned graphics to take advantage of the extra muscle of the PS4 and Xbox One, in addition to the PC. It also includes the DLC released for the original game.

The combat system remains one of the highlights for "Sleeping Dogs." In fact, I still consider it the best combat system I've seen in an open world game by far, to the point that engaging in combat in "Grand Theft Auto V" feels quite lacking.

Unlike the Tomb Raider re-release, however, "Sleeping Dogs' Definitive Edition" doesn't come with the same level of graphical polish for characters and environs. Granted, the game still looks nicer than it did on previous-gen consoles. Character faces look crisp with rain effects at night looking especially impressive. At the same time, some of the environs also can look bland and lack detail. I also noticed some occasional screen shaking during cut scenes that involve closeups of characters' faces.

Overall, "Sleeping Dogs" remains a solid title but whether or not you should get it really depends on your situation. Although Tomb Raider added enough changes to make it worth getting even for those who already had the original, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition might not have enough new stuff to make it worth a return visit. For folks who have never played the game before, however, the Definitive Edition provides a great chance to experience a good open world action game for the first time.

*Review based on Xbox One copy of "Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition"

Cost: $60; PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

MOTOROLA'S FLAGSHIP MOTO X IMPRESSES

Hello, again, Moto.

With a lot of entries in the Android smartphone pool, standing out from the rest of the pack is like trying to look unique at Burning Man.

You've got Samsung's perennial bestsellers such as the Galaxy S5, flashy lookers such as the HTC One M8 and favorites among Android geeks such as the Nexus 6.

In comparison, Motorola has yet to produce a phone that comes close to the mindshare that its original Razr garnered. A catchy marketing campaign and slogan helped with its Droid phones. Ultimately, however, Motorola's tenuous financial position in the first decade of the new millennium impacted its ability to consistently produce compelling phones.

This makes the arrival of the second-generation Moto X much welcome news for fans of the brand. Thanks to an excellent build combined with a solid feature set, Motorola's flagship phone does a great job in elbowing its way into the upper echelon of Android smartphones.

Although its face employs the basic design seen in phones such as the Galaxy, viewing the 2014 Moto X from other angles reveals a unique look. Wrapping the sides of the phone is a curvy metal frame that looks quite nice compared to the plain rounded edges of the iPhone 6. Meanwhile, the review unit I tested came with a bamboo back, which provides an almost therapeutic feel that makes the Moto X a joy to hold.

Audio is excellent as well for the Moto X which places its speaker on the front of the phone as opposed to the more unnatural spots employed by the Galaxy and iPhone 6. It's not quite as robust as the M8's BoomSound speaker but it's plenty powerful and provides a better overall audio experience than Samsung's or Apple's current flagship phones.

The display is also top notch, serving up crisp video and tack-sharp images. The Moto X also uses a motion sensor to display the lock screen from sleep mode if you wave your hands over it. About the only gripe I really have with the phone from a hardware perspective is the camera. Although the camera does a good job in taking photos or video outdoors during the day, it isn't quite as solid as say, the iPhone 6 in low-light situations. In terms of software, the Verizon Moto X unit I reviewed came with Android 4.4 KitKat, so it wasn't rocking the new Android 5 Lollipop yet. Speeds were quick and zippy on Verizon's 4G LTE network in my area and played YouTube videos with no lag. Outgoing and incoming calls also sounded good. Motorola's interactive 3D Spotlight Stories also were fun to watch and should please fans of Pixar and old Warner Bros. shorts.

Ultimately, the Moto X marks Motorola's return to making compelling phones. Not only is it a solid device. It's easily one of the best Android smartphones out there.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5