The DC: Time to ban TikTok? and... šŗ Do you want to see a fourth presidential debate?
Join us and tell your reps how you feel!
Welcome to Friday, August 7th, squares and circles...
President Trump signed an executive order that will effectively ban TikTok in the U.S. if it's not sold by its Chinese-owned company.
Earlier in the day, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to ban the use of the social media video app on government-issued mobile devices.
TikTok is headquartered in China and isĀ cited as a national security threatĀ because of concerns that data is funneled to the Chinese Communist Party, which censors content.
Several federal agencies ā including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and State ā haveĀ already banned the use of TikTok on government-issued devices.
TheĀ No TikTok on Government Devices ActĀ would prohibit federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices. The restriction would apply to members of Congress, federal employees and officials, and employees and officers of government corporations. It would include an exception for conducting activities like cybersecurity research.
Should the House also pass the No TikTok on Government Devices Act?
For a politics-free guide to how to protect you and your loved ones from corona, click on over to ourĀ Coronavirus Info Center.
On the Radar
Should There Be a Fourth Presidential Debate?
In a letter to President Donald Trumpās private attorney, Rudy Giuliani, theĀ Commission on Presidential Debates responded to Trumpās request that an additional presidential debate be scheduledĀ in early September before mail-in ballots are sent to voters.
Both Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden have agreed to participate in the three currently scheduled presidential debates on September 29th in Cleveland, October 15th in Miami, and October 22nd in Nashville.
Trump has argued that voters should have the opportunity to see the leading presidential candidates debate before theyāre able to cast a mail-in ballot. Giuliani wrote to the Commission on Presidential Debates to inquire about adding a fourth debate to the schedule, which Giuliani called "an outdated dinosaur" because "as many as eight million Americans in 16 states will have already started voting" by September 29th.Ā
The Commission notes in itsĀ reply to the requestĀ that while some states may send out ballots before the first currently scheduled debate, that doesnāt mean voters have to complete and return their ballot before the first debate.
Do you want to see a fourth presidential debate?
Under the Radar
House Spending Package Preserves Protection for State Marijuana Programs
Before the House of Representatives completed its consideration of theĀ $1.3 trillion āminibusā spending packageĀ last week, it adopted an amendment that would prohibit the Dept. of Justice from using law enforcement grants to interfere with medical and/or recreational marijuana programs administered by states, tribes, and territories.Ā
The inclusion of the amendment in the funding package comes as the debate over marijuana policy emerges as part of coronavirus relief negotiations.
Introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), the amendment would prohibit the use of federal law enforcement grant funding from being used to interfere with the marijuana programs of states that have legalized the substance for medical or recreational use.Ā
A similar amendment was adopted for the spending package that is funding the federal governmentās operations in the current fiscal year, so if Blumenauerās amendment is enacted it would continue that policy for FY2021.
Do you agree with preventing the use of DOJ funds to interfere with state marijuana programs?
Also Worth a Click
And, in the Endā¦
On this date in 1782, George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart...
Have a blessed National Sea Serpent Day,
āJosh Herman
Talk to us via email at contact [at] countable.us. And donāt forget to keep in touch @Countable.
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