☕️ Will the U.S. actually ban TikTok?

Good morning!

I just learnt that Justin Timberlake is today releasing a new album and I have one question: Is there any artist that is not releasing an album this year?

Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Zayn Malik, Taylor Swift, Chance the Rapper, Kacey Musgraves, Ice Spice, Charli XCX, Camila Cabello, Lana Del Ray, and Cardi B are just some of the other artists also releasing (or who have already released) an album this year.

Closer to home, we have the Veronicas, Jessica Mauboy and Middle Kids who also all have albums out this year.

Next year's Grammys will be busy!

I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“We need to go back to… outback camps, 200 or 300 kilometres from towns. You don’t need barbed wire – if they want to run away, they have to dodge the king brown [snakes] and wild dogs, but every morning they’re up with a purpose.”
Nationals Leader David Littleproud’s suggestion to replace juvenile detention.

Stat of the day

€140 million ($AU231m)
How much Adidas has donated to charities and anti-hate groups since severing ties with Kanye West. It followed a series of antisemitic comments by the rapper. The company is actively trying to sell off all remaining inventory from its ‘Yeezy’ collaborations with West.

Today in history

44 BCE
Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the Roman Senate floor by around 40 senators on the Ides of March. It led to the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire under Augustus Caesar.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• The NSW Government is planning to increase penalties for asbestos breaches after the toxic material was found in dozens of parks and schools. Asbestos has now been found in mulch across NSW as well as in soil samples in QLD. Proposed new regulations from the Environmental Protection Authority would see the maximum fine for asbestos-related offences double to $4 million for companies or $1 million for individuals. NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said these reforms will “improve the protection of human health, the environment, and the community”.

• The Danish Government has announced it will begin conscripting women for its military. Neighbouring countries Norway and Sweden began conscripting women in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Now, women in Denmark will be issued mandatory service notices, too. Women currently make up around 25% of the Danish military. Its defence minister said: “More robust conscription, including full gender equality,” would contribute to its defence challenges and targets.

I’ve got 1 minute

A man has died and another is in a critical condition after a mine collapse in Victoria

One man has died and another is in a critical condition after a mine collapse in Ballarat, Victoria.

29 workers took refuge in the mine’s specialised safety pod during the incident before they were evacuated by emergency crews last night.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the collapse.

Mine collapse

The Mount Clear gold mine is located just outside of Ballarat, an area famous for its historic gold fields.

Emergency services were called to Mount Clear just before 5pm after reports of a collapse.

Two workers, who were around 500 metres underground and three kilometres deep into the mine, became pinned under fallen rocks.

29 people made it to the mine’s safety pod — a reinforced, insulated chamber with breathable air.

Rescue crews were able to free a 21-year-old man who was airlifted to hospital. He is being treated for “life-threatening” injuries to his lower body.

A 37-year-old man from East Gippsland died. His body was recovered from the mine yesterday.

Union response

Australian Workers Union (AWU) representative Ronnie Hayden alleged the trapped miners were manually drilling under “unsupported ground” before the collapse.

Hayden said they were using a “cheap and easy way to chase gold” with a tool called an “airleg”. He said mine operators should have banned the practice.

Hayden claimed the AWU has previously raised concerns about the potential dangers of “airlegging”, and said the practice should’ve been banned at Mount Clear.

Hayden called on the Victorian Government to enforce its industrial manslaughter laws. These apply when an employer fails to meet its safety obligations to staff, resulting in the death of an employee.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Could the U.S. actually ban TikTok?

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell it or face being banned in the country.

The bill still needs to pass a few more steps before it can become a law.

So what does this all mean? And could it happen in Australia?

TikTok

TikTok is owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance. There are about 170 million users in the U.S. alone (roughly half of its population).

Some countries have raised concerns that data from TikTok is being shared with the Chinese Government, which would be a security risk.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew addressed these concerns during a U.S. Committee hearing last year, saying: “TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, U.S. user data with the Chinese government. Nor would TikTok honour such a request if one were ever made.”

Legislation

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok, or see it banned in the U.S.

As well as TikTok, the bill says it will apply to any other social media company “that is controlled by a foreign adversary and has been determined by the President to present a significant threat to national security”.

The bill was passed with broad bipartisan support — both Democrat and Republican politicians were in favour of it.

Opinions

Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, one of the bill’s authors, said the intention “is for TikTok to continue to operate, but not under the control of the Chinese Communist Party”.

Maxwell Frost, also a Democrat politician, is against the bill. He said: “Am I concerned about Americans’ data? Yes I am... But this bill does not fix this problem.”

What happens next?

The bill now needs to pass the Senate. It is not clear what will happen, as Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer has not confirmed if he will bring the legislation to the floor. His role allows him to determine the schedule of bills in the Senate.

If it passes the Senate, President Joe Biden must approve it. He has said he will do that.

If it does become law, it may still face challenges over whether it complies with the country’s Constitution.

TikTok response

The CEO of TikTok Shou Chew has criticised the bill and called it “disappointing”.

In a video posted to TikTok, Chew said: “Over the last few years, we have invested to keep your data safe, and our platform free from outside manipulation...

“This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media companies. It will also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses.”

Australia

In Australia, all Federal Government devices are already banned from having TikTok. This doesn’t impact the broader population’s access to the app.

In an interview this morning, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian Government has “no plans” to introduce similar legislation to the U.S..

“You've always got to have national security concerns front and centre, but you also need to acknowledge that for a whole lot of people, this provides a way of them communicating,” Albanese said.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has criticised the Government for not doing more on the issue.

“The Prime Minister has to act, and so far, the Prime Minister hasn’t done that...

“If the intelligence agencies here are advising the Prime Minister that young people online... [are] being compromised... then that’s not a safe place for young people to be.”

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As mentioned above, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell it or face being banned in the country.

We explore what it all means in today’s podcast.

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Give me some good news

More than 100 new species have been discovered off the south-east coast of New Zealand.

Researchers spent three weeks collecting thousands of samples from as deep as 4.8 kilometres underwater near an area off NZ called the ‘Bounty Trough’.

The team on board the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) vessel identified new fish, snail, coral and sea cucumber species from the ocean floor.

A team of experts, including Australian scientists, are now working to confirm the discoveries.

TDA tidbit

Earlier this week, singer Olivia Rodrigo gave out boxes of free morning-after pills and condoms at her concert in Missouri.

Abortions are illegal in Missouri. The state passed a law to ban the procedure after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion in 2022.

This isn’t the first time Olivia Rodrigo has taken a stand on reproductive rights. At Glastonbury in 2022, shortly after the decision, Rodrigo brought Lily Allen onstage for a performance of‘F**k You’ dedicated to the Supreme Court judges.

She’s also partnered with local reproductive health-care centres in the cities where she’s performing on her GUTS world tour.

TDA asks