The TikTok ban, a forced Israel peace plan, and central bank digital currencies

Tipping Point Quick Hits (04.25.24)

What’s Next? AI & the Antichrist
Mark Hitchcock and I just released a new book that details what the Bible says about the Antichrist and how AI is paving the way for his rise to power.

Paid subscribers can download a free digital version using the link at the bottom of this post. Physical copies will need to be ordered.

Biden Signs TikTok Ban into Law. Now What?

Congress has actually been taking some encouraging steps lately, with bipartisan legislation led by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. One of those was the passage of a funding bill over the weekend that, thankfully, will deliver foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. President Biden signed the bill yesterday. This is important, and will help these nations stand up to terrorists and authoritarian regimes like Russia and China.

But the bill also included a stipulation that ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, divest from the app by next January. Otherwise, it will be banned on U.S. devices and networks. Supporters of the legislation say the ban, or divestment, is necessary to protect U.S. data and and keep China from unduly influencing or manipulating users of the app.

The Tipping Point community may not be heavy users of TikTok, which is primarily used by younger generations. But consider these statistics:

• Right now, there are around 50 million daily users of TikTok in the United States.

• Compare that to the number of people who watch major broadcast networks: NBC averages 4.5 million viewers each day, leading the traditional networks. Fox News averages nearly 2 million viewers a day.