#Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi

[luulapants]

Where Illinois politicians stand on Palestine

I sent a letter to Senator Tammy Duckworth today. Illinois is a solidly blue state, and I've dutifully voted blue no matter who since I started voting. Droves of people here have been writing to her and our Congressional Representatives, begging them to support a ceasefire, and all we will get back is a canned party-line response about Israel's right to "self defense" and the need to eradicate Hamas.

They are able to do this, to disregard the outrage of their constituency, because they feel certain that no matter how many letters we send, we will show up and vote for them when the time comes. They are certain their actions have no consequences, and even if they did, they would tell us that it's all our fault for failing in our democratic duty to vote.

Senator Dick Durban received about $154.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He has publicly called for ceasefire anyway. Their money was not worth a genocide.

Senator Tammy Duckworth received over $212k from Israeli lobby groups. She refuses to call for ceasefire. This was her going rate to enable genocide.

In my letter, I told her that I could not see pictures of dead Palestinian babies and turn around and vote for someone, like her, who had their blood on her hands. I told her that "vote blue" cannot extend to genocide. My ethics do not stretch this far.

14/17 representatives for the state of Illinois are Democrats. Of these, only 5 have called for ceasefire.

Jonathan Jackson: $3k from Israeli lobby groups. He has publicly called for ceasefire anyway. Their money was not worth a genocide.

Robin Kelly: $21.5k from Israeli lobby groups. She refuses to call for ceasefire. This was her going rate to enable genocide.

Delia Ramirez: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. She has publicly called for ceasefire. They knew she could not be bought.

Jesus "Chuy" Garcia: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. He has publicly called for ceasefire. They knew he could not be bought.

Mike Quigley: $43.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Sean Casten: $61.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Danny Davis: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. Yet he refuses to call for ceasefire. You can have his cowardice for free.

Raja Krishnamoorthi: $61.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Jan Schakowsky: $58.5k from Israeli lobby groups. She has publicly called for ceasefire anyway. Their money was not worth a genocide.

Brad Schneider: $54k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Bill Foster: $65.5k from Israeli lobby groups. He refuses to call for ceasefire. This was his going rate to enable genocide.

Mike Bost is a Republican. $14.5k and obviously no ceasefire talk. He will not be moved.

Nikki Budzinski: $25.5k from Israeli lobby groups. She refuses to call for ceasefire. This was her going rate to enable genocide.

Lauren Underwood: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. She has publicly called for ceasefire. They knew she could not be bought.

Mary Miller is a Republican. $0 - they don't even have to pay her to toe the party line. She will not be moved.

Darin LaHood is a Republican. $27.5k and obviously no ceasefire talk. He will not be moved.

Eric Sorenson: $0 from Israeli lobby groups. Yet he refuses to call for ceasefire. You can have his cowardice for free.

The Republicans will be trash regardless, but we cannot let our Democrats skate by thinking there are no consequences for supporting a genocide. They are slaughtering people with your tax dollars, Americans. It's time to get serious. It's time to tell these people that they cannot have our votes for free. It's time to start talking about primary opposition and third party voting. It's time to start exercising our power as voting citizens.

[tomorrowusa]

At its Friday hearings, the US Supreme Court sounded like it was likely to go ahead with approving the suspension of TikTok until it changes ownership.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) spoke with MSNBC's Chris Jansing about the case. The congressman also commented on Trump's sentencing in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial.

The government of China is notorious for its hacking and digital espionage activities. Giving China a direct pipeline to half of all Americans' digital pockets is a security risk to those individuals and to the country as a whole.

China wants a back door to your data but hypocritically bans US digital companies like Google, Yahoo, Fandom, Zoom, Meta, Reddit, LinkedIn, and even DeviantArt – to name just a small percentage.

Prof. Shaomin Li of Old Dominion University has written extensively about international business and China in particular. In an article at The Conversation he has this to say about the relationship between ByteDance (parent company of TikTok) and the Communist Party of China.

I’m not convinced by TikTok’s argument that American users’ data is safe because it’s stored outside of China, in the U.S., Malaysia and Singapore. I also don’t think it’s relevant whether the party has members on the ByteDance board or gives explicit orders to TikTok. Regardless of whether ByteDance has formal ties with the party, there will be the tacit understanding that the management is working for two bosses: the investors of the company and – more importantly – their political overseers that represent the party. But most importantly, when the interests of the two bosses conflict, the party trumps.

In China, the ruling Communist Party has a say in everything.

US TikTok users should contact ByteDance and urge it to divest TikTok ASAP.

[darkmaga-returns]

Hands Off My Social Media!

by Norman Singleton | Nov 4, 2024

Democrats have found a new superstar to help get out the progressive vote: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan. Khan has done town halls with Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Mark Pocan (D-WI), Senate candidate and current Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

Khan’s appearances are official government events—not campaign rallies. However, politicians would not appear at an event in an election year unless they where sure it would appeal to a key constituency. It may seem odd that politicians would consider it helpful to appear with an FTC chair. However, Lina Khan is no ordinary agency head. Khan has been a star in progressive circles since, while still a law student, she penned “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.” This article argued that the rise of Big Tech companies like Amazon and Google required government to take a more aggressive approach to antitrust. Khan has brought high-profile antitrust cases against Amazon and META (parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and What’s App), as well as attempts to block mergers and acquisitions in areas ranging from  handbags to grocery stores.

Khan advocates a “holistic” approach to antitrust that recognizes how “workers and independent businesses, in addition to consumers, can be harmed by antitrust and consumer protection violations.” She has also called for the FTC to consider how certain business practices can help facilitate antitrust violations. This holistic approach gives federal antitrust enforcers justification for second-guessing almost any decision made by almost any American business.

The FTC chair has a number of fans on the “populist-nationalist” right. These “Khanservatives” want Republicans to embrace a Lina Khan-like approach to antitrust. Khanservatives want to use antitrust to punish Big Tech for manipulating their algorithms to suppress conservative news and opinions. Some Khanservatives believe the Big Tech companies influenced the outcome of the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

[radiogreen]

(Source: Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2024/tiktok-ban-house-vote/)

All 435 seats in the House are on the ballot in November.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who chairs the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is a lead author of the bill.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), who also worked on the bill, described the calls to reps from their constituents opposing the bill as a "public relations stunt."

A Democratic Rep's office said that the experience of being contacted by the people whom they have been elected to represent "was so bad we had to turn off the phones."

The most popular overall social media sites are Facebook (Myanmar genocide, voter manipulation, etc), YouTube (Alt-right pipeline), and Instagram (CSM, youth mental health).

The majority of TikTok users are 18 - 34.

S.686 - RESTRICT Act

[vivamwanahip]

Congress Pressures Apple and Google to Prepare for TikTok Ban by January 19

U.S. lawmakers have instructed Apple and Google to be ready to remove TikTok from their app stores by January 19, citing national security concerns over its parent company, ByteDance. This comes after a federal appeals court upheld a law requiring ByteDance, a China-based firm, to divest TikTok in the United States or face a ban. Representatives John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi…

[allthenewzworld]

U.S. lawmakers are escalating efforts to have Tik Tok removed from Apple and Google app stores by January 19, following a federal court ruling that requires China-based ByteDance to divest the platform or face a ban.

Leading representatives, including John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi, have urged Tik Tok's CEO to comply, pointing to national security risks associated with Chinese government oversight.

In retaliation, ByteDance and TikTok have filed for an emergency injunction with the Supreme Court to halt the ban temporarily.

What are your thoughts?!

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra met several top US leaders, and discussed the further strengthening of Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership between the two nations. Kwatra met Congresswoman Deborah Ross, Congressmen Andy Barr and Rick McCormick as well as Indian-origin Congressmen Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Shri Thanedar and Raja Krishnamoorthi on Wednesday (local time). In his discussions with Ami Bera, Kwatra discussed the deepening of India-US partnership across various sectors and global developments of mutual interest. Bera has been one of the longest-serving Indian American members of the US Congress. “Pleasure to meet Congressman @RepBera Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific today. Discussed deepening of India-US partnership across various sectors and global developments of mutual interest. Value his long standing contribution to the IndiaU.S. partnership. Pleasure to meet Congressman @RepBera Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific today. Discussed deepening of partnership across various sectors and global developments of mutual interest. Value his long standing contribution to the India-U.S. partnership. pic.twitter.com/JeMnG4tQtT — Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 14, 2024 The Ambassador met Ro Khanna, the Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, and held “enriching discussions” on further strengthening the Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership between the two nations. “Delighted to meet Rep@RoKhannaCo-Chair of the House India Caucus. Enriching discussions on working together to further strengthen the Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Appreciate his role and support in building the India-U.S friendship!” he stated. Delighted to meet Rep @RoKhanna Co-Chair of the House India Caucus. Enriching discussions on working together to further strengthen the Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Appreciate his role and support in building the India-U.S friendship! pic.twitter.com/N7XlfruwVC — Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 14, 2024 Kwatra met Andy Barr, the vice-chair of the India Caucus and appreciated his continued support for the India-US partnership. “Pleasure to meet @RepAndyBarr earlier today. Productive discussion on further strengthening bilateral relations. Appreciate his continued support for a stronger partnership!” he said. Pleasure to meet @RepAndyBarr earlier today. Productive discussion on further strengthening bilateral relations. Appreciate his continued support for a stronger partnership! pic.twitter.com/n3yt5xuEMK — Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 14, 2024 Notably, Khanna had introduced a stand-alone bill in the US House o Representatives to give India specific waivers from the punitive CAATSA sanctions for signing the S-400 air defence missile systems deal with Russia. Additionally, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi along with Ro Khanna, Andy Barr and Mike Waltz — slated to the US National Security Advisor under Trump 2.0 — introduced a bipartisan legislation to allow weapon sales to India from the United States to be fast-tracked. Thank you Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi @CongressmanRaja for sparing your time. Insightful discussion on deepening bilateral ties and strategic issues of mutual interest. https://t.co/gT4TrLGrOj — Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 13, 2024 (With ANI inputs) [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra met several top US leaders, and discussed the further strengthening of Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership between the two nations. Kwatra met Congresswoman Deborah Ross, Congressmen Andy Barr and Rick McCormick as well as Indian-origin Congressmen Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Shri Thanedar and Raja Krishnamoorthi on Wednesday (local time). In his discussions with Ami Bera, Kwatra discussed the deepening of India-US partnership across various sectors and global developments of mutual interest. Bera has been one of the longest-serving Indian American members of the US Congress. “Pleasure to meet Congressman @RepBera Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific today. Discussed deepening of India-US partnership across various sectors and global developments of mutual interest. Value his long standing contribution to the IndiaU.S. partnership. Pleasure to meet Congressman @RepBera Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific today. Discussed deepening of partnership across various sectors and global developments of mutual interest. Value his long standing contribution to the India-U.S. partnership. pic.twitter.com/JeMnG4tQtT — Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 14, 2024 The Ambassador met Ro Khanna, the Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, and held “enriching discussions” on further strengthening the Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership between the two nations. “Delighted to meet Rep@RoKhannaCo-Chair of the House India Caucus. Enriching discussions on working together to further strengthen the Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Appreciate his role and support in building the India-U.S friendship!” he stated. Delighted to meet Rep @RoKhanna Co-Chair of the House India Caucus. Enriching discussions on working together to further strengthen the Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Appreciate his role and support in building the India-U.S friendship! pic.twitter.com/N7XlfruwVC — Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 14, 2024 Kwatra met Andy Barr, the vice-chair of the India Caucus and appreciated his continued support for the India-US partnership. “Pleasure to meet @RepAndyBarr earlier today. Productive discussion on further strengthening bilateral relations. Appreciate his continued support for a stronger partnership!” he said. Pleasure to meet @RepAndyBarr earlier today. Productive discussion on further strengthening bilateral relations. Appreciate his continued support for a stronger partnership! pic.twitter.com/n3yt5xuEMK — Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 14, 2024 Notably, Khanna had introduced a stand-alone bill in the US House o Representatives to give India specific waivers from the punitive CAATSA sanctions for signing the S-400 air defence missile systems deal with Russia. Additionally, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi along with Ro Khanna, Andy Barr and Mike Waltz — slated to the US National Security Advisor under Trump 2.0 — introduced a bipartisan legislation to allow weapon sales to India from the United States to be fast-tracked. Thank you Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi @CongressmanRaja for sparing your time. Insightful discussion on deepening bilateral ties and strategic issues of mutual interest. https://t.co/gT4TrLGrOj — Amb Vinay Mohan Kwatra (@AmbVMKwatra) November 13, 2024 (With ANI inputs) [ad_2] Source link

[tfgadgets]

U.S. Elections 2024 results: Suhas Subramanyam wins Congressional race from Virginia

Virginia State Senator Suhas Subramanyam joins the Samosa Caucus in the Congress that currently comprises five Indian Americans — Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar. | Photo Credit: AP Suhas Subramanyam created history by becoming the first Indian American to be elected from Virginia and the entire East Coast. Running for the U.S. House of Representatives…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Allison Janowski at DNC:

5:30 PM Call to Order Minyon Moore Chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee Gavel In The Honorable Veronica Escobar Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Invocation Everett Kelly National President of the American Federation of Government Employees Imam Muhammad Abdul-Aleem Masjidullah Mosque, West Oak Lane, PA Presentation of Colors Illinois State Police Honor Guard Pledge of Allegiance Luna Maring 6th Grader from Oakland, California Welcome Remarks The Honorable Veronica Escobar Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Joint Remarks Becky Pringle President of the National Education Association Randi Weingarten President of the American Federation of Teachers Remarks The Honorable Alex Padilla United States Senator, California

6:00 PM

Remarks The Honorable Marcia L. Fudge Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Remarks The Honorable Ted W. Lieu Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, California Remarks The Honorable Tammy Baldwin United States Senator, Wisconsin Remarks The Honorable Katherine Clark U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Whip Remarks The Honorable Joe Neguse U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Democratic Leader Remarks The Honorable Leonardo Williams Mayor of Durham, North Carolina Remarks The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois Remarks The Honorable Bob Casey United States Senator, Pennsylvania Remarks The Honorable Elizabeth Warren United States Senator, Massachusetts Remarks: “Project 2025—Chapter Four: Making America Weaker and Less Secure” The Honorable Jason Crow Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Colorado Remarks The Honorable Elissa Slotkin Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Michigan Remarks The Honorable Pat Ryan Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, New York Remarks Reverend Al Sharpton Civil rights leader Joint Remarks from representatives of “the Central Park Five” The Honorable Dr. Yusef Salaam Member of the New York City Council Korey Wise Activist Raymond Santana Activist Kevin Richardson Activist

7:00 PM

Joint Remarks Amy Resner Former prosecutor and friend of Vice President Harris Karrie Delaney Director of Federal Affairs at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Lisa Madigan Former Attorney General of Illinois Marc H. Morial President of the National Urban League Nathan Hornes Former student at Corinthian Colleges Tristan Snell Former New York State Assistant Attorney General Remarks The Honorable Maura Healey Governor of Massachusetts Remarks Courtney Baldwin Youth organizer and human trafficking survivor Remarks The Honorable Deb Haaland Remarks John Russell Content creator Remarks The Honorable Maxwell Alejandro Frost Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Florida Remarks The Honorable Colin Allred Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Joint Remarks on “A New American Chapter” Anya Cook, Florida Craig Sicknick, New Jersey Gail DeVore, Colorado Juanny Romero, Nevada Eric, Christian, and Carter Fitts, North Carolina

8:00 PM

National Anthem The Chicks Host Introduction Kerry Washington Joint Remarks Meena Harris Ella Emhoff Helena Hudlin Remarks D.L. Hughley Remarks The Honorable Chris Swanson Sheriff of Genesee County, Michigan A Conversation on Gun Violence The Honorable Lucy McBath Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Georgia Joined by Abbey Clements of Newton, Connecticut, Kim Rubio of Uvalde, Texas, Melody McFadden of Charleston, South Carolina, and Edgar Vilchez of Chicago, Illinois. Remarks The Honorable Gabrielle Giffords Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Arizona Performance P!NK Remarks The Honorable Mark Kelly United States Senator, Arizona Remarks The Honorable Leon E. Panetta Former United States Secretary of Defense Remarks The Honorable Ruben Gallego Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Arizona Remarks The Honorable Gretchen Whitmer Governor of Michigan

9:00 PM

Remarks Eva Longoria American actress and film producer Remarks The Honorable Adam Kinzinger Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois Remarks Maya Harris Remarks The Honorable Roy Cooper Governor of North Carolina Remarks The Honorable Kamala Harris Vice President of the United States

The speakers list for the 4th and final night of the DNC is here. The main speaker is Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

There could be a surprise guest or two.

Other notable speakers: Elizabeth Warren, Gretchen Whitmer, Ted Lieu, Tammy Baldwin, Al Sharpton, Roy Cooper, Gabby Giffords, Mark Kelly, and Maxwell Alejandro Frost

Performers: The Chicks, P!nk.

Illinois: Lisa Madigan, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Adam Kinzinger

[pierre-mikhiel]

Tick Tock, TikTok

Earlier this week, Representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi introduced a bill aimed at addressing national security concerns arising from foreign ownership of social media apps. The bill aims to compel ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to sell the platform to American entities. This move is intended to prevent the potential transfer of U.S. user data to China, where the Chinese Communist Party (C.C.P.) could theoretically access it for political purposes.

The House is set to vote on a potential ban of TikTok to safeguard U.S. national security from threats posed by foreign-controlled applications, including TikTok and any future offerings from ByteDance Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

While data access of this nature may not be a primary concern for most TikTok users, there exists a hypothetical risk that Chinese government operatives could exploit TikTok user data to identify government employees and their families, potentially using it as leverage to influence those users.

This concern has led to TikTok being banned on government devices in nearly every Western nation. For instance, there's a scenario where a high-ranking diplomat's child posts controversial content, which could be accessed by the C.C.P.

However, there is currently no evidence to suggest direct access by the Chinese government to TikTok data. TikTok maintains that it operates independently and would not be required to share such information at any stage.

The bill takes a two-pronged approach. Firstly, it mandates that ByteDance Ltd., headquartered in Beijing, divests from TikTok and other controlled applications within 180 days of the bill's enactment, or face prohibition in the United States. Secondly, it establishes a specific process enabling the executive branch to block access to apps owned by foreign adversaries if they pose a national security threat.

Former President Donald Trump previously attempted to ban TikTok through executive order, but the courts blocked the action after TikTok sued, arguing that such actions would violate free speech and due process rights.

Despite security concerns, President Biden's reelection campaign has embraced TikTok as a means to engage with young voters. However, his administration continues to raise concerns about whether the popular social media app might be sharing user data with the Chinese government.

Word Count: 359

[phonemantra-blog]

In a significant move, a bipartisan House committee unanimously approved the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, potentially leading to the exclusion of TikTok from U.S. app stores. This legislation, introduced by Representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi, garnered a 50-0 vote, igniting debates on constitutional rights and national security. Background of the Bill: The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, initiated this month, is gaining momentum. The bipartisan support behind the bill raises concerns about TikTok, owned by ByteDance, as the legislation aims to bar the app's availability on Apple and Google app stores in the U.S. Specifics of the Legislation: If enacted, the bill necessitates ByteDance to divest TikTok within 180 days of its enactment. Failure to comply would result in a ban on new downloads of the app. On a broader scale, the legislation empowers the White House to restrict access to apps owned by foreign adversaries if they pose a threat to national security. TikTok's Response and Constitutional Concerns: TikTok swiftly responded to the bill's advancement, asserting that it infringes on the constitutional rights of 170 million Americans. The platform's statement emphasizes the potential damage to businesses, the denial of audience to artists, and the disruption of countless creators' livelihoods across the country. ACLU's Critique of the Bill: The ACLU condemned the proposed legislation, criticizing elected officials for potentially compromising First Amendment rights for political gain. The statement underscores the importance of platforms like TikTok for individuals to share thoughts, ideas, and opinions globally, spanning from cooking tutorials to livestreaming protests. White House Involvement and President Biden's Stance: The White House, involved in drafting the bill, hints at potential revisions. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged that the legislation requires further refinement before President Joe Biden could consider endorsing it, indicating ongoing complexities in the decision-making process. TikTok's Influence in Hollywood: TikTok's impact on Hollywood remains undeniable. HBO CEO Casey Bloys acknowledges the platform's role in keeping shows in the cultural conversation, underscoring the ecosystem of discussion, criticism, and praise facilitated by the app. Recent TikTok Successes: Highlighting TikTok's cultural influence, recent examples include the Barbenheimer trend and the song "Anyone But You." While the latter faced critical failure, its popularity on TikTok showcases the app's ability to propel content into the limelight. FAQs: Q1: What is the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act? A1: It's legislation aiming to restrict apps owned by foreign adversaries, potentially excluding TikTok from U.S. app stores. Q2: How does the bill impact TikTok users and creators? A2: If enacted, TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, must divest within 180 days, or the app faces a ban on new downloads, affecting users and creators. Q3: What constitutional concerns does TikTok raise in response to the bill? A3: TikTok argues that the bill infringes on the constitutional right to free expression for millions of Americans and disrupts various businesses. Q4: Why is the ACLU critical of the proposed legislation? A4: The ACLU condemns elected officials for potentially sacrificing First Amendment rights for political gain, asserting the importance of platforms like TikTok. Q5: How is TikTok influencing Hollywood, according to HBO's CEO? A5: TikTok plays a crucial role in keeping shows in the cultural conversation, creating an ecosystem for discussion, criticism, and praise, as noted by HBO CEO Casey Bloys.

[indiawestnewsjournal]

Politics | With High Profile Politicians Present, IAIP Event Explores Political Engagement | India West

Politics - The Indian American Impact Project brought on June 6 brought together over 350 South Asian American attendees from across the country for its 2023 summit and gala, ‘Next 100 Years’ featuring distinguished guests such as Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, civil rights activist Valarie Kaur, Mayor Aftab Pureval, Senators Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker, U.S. Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Shri Thanedar.

[xtruss]

China Isn’t Buying Biden’s Balancing Act! Antony Blinken’s Frosty Reception Demonstrates the Limits of Washington’s China Strategy.

— By Robbie Gramer | June 20, 2023 | Foreign Policy

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from the left, attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, sitting at the head of the table, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19. Leah Millis/POOL/AFP Via Getty Images

When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stepped down from his plane on Chinese soil over the weekend, he was greeted with a chilly reception that set the tone for a series of tense and high-stakes meetings between the world’s two superpowers.

He was greeted at the plane by a midlevel Chinese official (as well as U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns), seen as a calculated diplomatic snub by Beijing. What followed was a series of tense public exchanges and hourslong closed-door meetings with his counterparts—as well as a brief meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping—that showed that the Biden administration’s stated efforts to ease tensions with China aren’t making much headway.

But it’s little surprise that any olive branch might be spurned, given how Washington’s approach to China is hardening as it ramps up public and military support for Taiwan, works to create a new anti-China security architecture in the Asia-Pacific, and levies harsh new trade restrictions and sanctions on Beijing.

Blinken didn’t have much room to maneuver going into the visit, and the Biden administration’s efforts to simultaneously turn down the temperature and dial up the pressure illustrate the administration’s dilemma. Namely, the hard power confrontation against China is firing on all cylinders back in Washington, while at the same time the Biden administration says it wants to compete “responsibly” with China, cooperate on issues like climate change, and shield U.S. businesses from the fallout of great power competition. It’s not yet clear if the administration can do that, but what is clear is that China isn’t buying the strategy.

Xi seemingly rebuked the U.S. framing of responsibly managed competition between the two countries, declaring that said “major-country competition does not represent the trend of the times.”

Some of Biden’s most important allies on Capitol Hill still cheered the trip as a critically important step for managing tensions, and it’s also clear that the visit was also aimed at easing U.S. allies’ fears that Washington and Beijing may stumble from a new Cold War into a hot one.

“Overall it’s a promising restart to our dialogue, which is very much needed in order to stabilize the relationship,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the influential new House select committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “There is room to [ease tensions], provided that we are also undertaking sufficient preparations to deter conflict and aggression.”

Other experts, including former top Republican foreign-policy officials, said the trip didn’t achieve anything other than giving Beijing new ways to slight American officials on their home turf.

“This is a symptom of the old way of approaching China, where we thought, well, if we just keep asking them at the right level or in the right way, if we find the magic formula and the right person to talk to in their system, then we’ll get a different response,” said Kelley Currie, a former top State Department official during the Trump administration. “When we keep asking them to do these meetings—it tells them this is more important to us than it is to them, and they use it as leverage.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Reuters/Leah Millis

“The concern is not that there was a [Blinken-Xi] meeting at all—many recognize the need to engage with adversaries—but that the visit took place thanks to extensive lobbying on the part of the United States,” said Carrie Filipetti, the executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition, a conservative foreign-policy group. “That means we’re entering the discussion from a position of weakness when we need to be projecting strength.”

The practice of diplomacy rarely results in sweeping victories or stunning defeats, and this trip was no different. Even with low expectations, given the paltry state of U.S.-China relations, Blinken came away from the trip with a few tangible victories, including setting up a joint working group on tackling the fentanyl drug crisis and agreeing to expand “people-to-people” contacts, academic exchanges, and flights between the two countries.

But he failed to net any major wins on some of the most important issues nagging the U.S.-China relationship, such as getting China to publicly address arbitrarily detained Americans in China or the war in Ukraine. More worrisome, Blinken was unable to get China to agree to reestablish military channels of communication in the event of accidents or miscalculations. The risk only seems to be going up, after news of a Chinese fighter jet buzzing a U.S. surveillance plane flying over the South China Sea last month and China reportedly looking to build new military training and spy bases in Cuba.

“The fact that the Chinese declined to revive mil-mil channels is disappointing and worrisome. They apparently don’t buy into this framework at all,” Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund, said on Twitter. “That begs the question, is it then possible to stabilize relations?”

Direct military lines between the United States and China are “essential for de-escalating potential crisis situations,” Krishnamoorthi said. “The CCP is wildly off-base if they think that a lack of military-to-military communications coupled with their dangerous maneuvers in the region is going to lead to self-deterrence,” he said. “I think it’s going to lead to the opposite.”

Refusing to reopen military channels could give Beijing more leverage over the United States, according to some experts. “In keeping Washington guessing, Beijing hopes U.S. policymakers think twice about taking any steps that could further destabilize the relationship,” said Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a conservative-leaning think tank.

But this is precisely why Biden administration officials have touted the importance of such talks. They also say the fact the trip even happened is something of a minor diplomatic achievement—a bragging point that only underscores the dismal state of bilateral ties.

Chinese officials were infuriated by Blinken’s decision to cancel his first visit to China earlier this year, after they were caught floating spy balloons above U.S. soil, leading China to halt high-level talks with the United States. Beijing pushed the administration to send Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen or Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to Beijing first, before Blinken, according to several officials and congressional aides familiar with behind-the-scenes planning of the trip. China wanted talks focused on the economy first, but the Biden administration insisted on sending Blinken, since unlike some of his counterparts, he could address the full scope of hang-ups in U.S.-China relations, including human rights, military tensions, and the war in Ukraine. Beijing eventually relented.

Prior to Blinken, “no secretary of state had been to China in five years. That’s an extraordinary period,” said Evan Medeiros, a professor at Georgetown University and former National Security Council official during the Obama administration. “I think there’s probably a lot of misunderstanding, misperception that has accumulated in that time period.”

A key marker of whether Blinken’s trip will have any diplomatic staying power is whether China will continue to engage in high-level talks with their U.S. counterparts. Blinken and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang plan to schedule a reciprocal visit to Washington, and other top U.S. officials, including Raimondo, Yellen, and U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, are expected to follow suit with their own trips to Beijing. Biden administration officials are also hoping the renewal of talks will convince Xi to attend a major gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco in November.

“At the moment, the core goal isn’t to restore trust,” said Scott Kennedy, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It is to restore a sense of frankness and honesty and credibility on both sides that allows them to still interact despite the very low levels of trust that they have.”

— By Robbie Gramer, a diplomacy and national security reporter at Foreign Policy, and Christina Lu, a reporter at Foreign Policy.

[pcfieldersz]

Is YouTube OK for kids to watch

Others have had comparative stories. Courtney, a mother whose last name is being kept to safeguard her youngster's protection, told Recode that in 2019, pcfielders.com YouTube Children autoplay drove her 6-year-old little girl to a vivified video that energized self destruction."First I thought it was an extraordinary application," Courtney said. "That is the way things were for some time until we tracked down that horrendous video."

Now and again, the framework can simply prompt substance that is bad quality. Benjamin Burroughs, a teacher of media at the College of Nevada Las Vegas, says his 2-year-old child is knowledgeable in utilizing the receiver based voice search in YouTube Children. His youngster says words like "ball" and "stunt" to find stunt shot recordings and recordings from Fella Great, a games channel that he enjoys.

"That simply leads down a way of this sort of marked content through these and family video blogs that get auto-produced for youngsters," Burroughs says of the autoplay highlight, noticing that kids can turn out to be presented to what has all the earmarks of being marked substance that isn't plainly named as publicizing.

That YouTube Children has a substance balance issue isn't news. In any case, specialists told Recode that without an approach to for all time switch off autoplay, clients of YouTube Children have even less command over the substance their kids see."Safeguarding children and families is a first concern for us.

We make a solid effort to guarantee the recordings in YouTube Children are age-proper, and immediately eliminate recordings disregarding our strategies when hailed by clients," a YouTube representative told Recode. YouTube eliminated five of a few recordings hailed by Recode from the Children application.

In the interim, YouTube is chipping away at porting much more standard YouTube content into YouTube Children. In February, the organization said it will add a component to permit parent account holders to move recordings and channels from normal YouTube into the YouTube Children application, adding to how much satisfied as of now present.

Sometime thereafter, the organization likewise said it's trying a directed Google account highlight that would permit guardians to open their kids to a greater amount of normal YouTube step by step.Some invite the change from YouTube. "YouTube Children's constrained autoplay capability expanded kids' experience on the application and prompted their openness to more vacuous substance.

I'm satisfied that YouTube answered one of the central worries I brought up in my examination, and is changing this element accordingly," Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi told Recode. "Giving guardians more control will prompt improved results for our children."Precisely the way that YouTube Children will refresh the autoplay highlight is not yet clear.

Golin, of the Mission for a Business Free Youth, cautions if autoplay stays a choice, that the most secure choices should be YouTube Children's default setting. Adding a gainful choice that isn't the default setting can wind up adding another step that guardians may not decide to do, "particularly in these insane times."

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Some good news for the Democrats: Indian-origin Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi was re-elected to the US House of Representatives, representing Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, for the fifth consecutive term.  Krishnamoorthi, born in New Delhi, won the election against Republican candidate Mark Rice. Krishnamoorthi played a crucial part in urging the Indian American community to come out and vote for Harris-Walz.  He visited several places of worship, including a Hindu temple, and participated in a South Asian American town hall with Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Senate candidate. Who Is Raja Krishnamoorthi? Krishnamoorthi’s parents, hailed from Tamil Nadu, and he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016.  Raised in Peoria, Illinois, Krishnamoorthi went to Princeton University to study mechanical engineering and graduated from Harvard Law School.  He resides in Schaumburg, Illinois, with his wife, Priya, a physician, and their three children. In February 2023, Krishnamoorthi was appointed as Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Krishnamoorthi also serves on the Intelligence and Oversight Committees, is Vice-Chair of the Equality Caucus, Co-Chair of CAPAC’s Immigration Task Force, and founded bipartisan caucuses focused on youth vaping and solar energy. In August 2024, Krishnamoorthi had condemned the violence in Bangladesh. Krishnamoorthi urged Secretary of State Tony Blinken to engage directly with the interim Bangladeshi government to end these attacks. [ad_2] Source link