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[20200803_012617 UTC UTC Update 2:]
tl;dr version: Trump threatened to ban TikTok. Then Microsoft said it was in talks to buy TikTok. Then Microsoft said the talks were in doubt after Trump's threats. Now, Microsoft is "continuing discussions."
Microsoft to continue discussions on TikTok purchase after talking to Donald Trump:
After reports US President Donald Trump is considering an order to force Beijing-based tech company ByteDance to divest ownership of popular social-video app TikTok, Microsoft has announced it will be "continuing discussion" on a potential purchase of TikTok after a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the President.
"Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President's concerns," said Microsoft, in a statement. "It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury.
[20200802_144217 UTC Update 1; added:]
Microsoft pauses talks on TikTok US deal - reports:
A possible sale of Chinese-owned TikTok's US operations to Microsoft is reportedly on hold after Donald Trump vowed to ban the video-sharing app.
A sale was thought close to agreement, but was put in doubt after the US president's warning on Friday.
The Wall Street Journal said Microsoft had now paused talks despite TikTok owner ByteDance making last ditch efforts to win White House support.
It comes amid criticism of Mr Trump's threat as an attack on free speech.
[...] Late on Friday, Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: "As far as TikTok is concerned we're banning them from the United States."
[Original story follows.--martyb]
TikTok: Trump says he will ban Chinese video app in the US
President Donald Trump has announced he is banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok in the US.
He told reporters he could sign an executive order as early as Saturday.
US security officials have expressed concern that the app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, could be used to collect the personal data of Americans.
[...] Microsoft has reportedly been in talks to buy the app from ByteDance, but Mr Trump appeared to cast doubt that such a deal would be allowed to go through. If the deal went ahead reports say it would involve ByteDance shedding TikTok's US operations.
A TikTok-Microsoft Deal Might Solve Everything (archive)
On Friday, Bloomberg News reported Trump plans to order ByteDance Ltd. to divest its ownership of TikTok. Then later in the afternoon, several media outlets reported Microsoft Corp. is in talks to purchase TikTok's U.S. operations.
[...] There seem to be two active bidders for the app. One is Microsoft. As for the other, Reuters reported earlier this week that some of Bytedance's U.S investors have proposed a bid for a majority stake of TikTok, valuing the company's non-China operations at $50 billion. The offer would be about 50 times TikTok's forecast sales of $1 billion this year, Reuters reported.
Previously: Bytedance: The World's Most Valuable Startup
Lawmakers Ask US Intelligence to Assess If TikTok is a Security Threat
TikTok and 53 Other iOS Apps Still Snoop Your Sensitive Clipboard Data
India Bans TikTok, WeChat, and Other Chinese-Owned Apps
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @03:18PM (17 children)
Somehow, American Christian heritage coexisted with— or even enabled— the American institution of slavery.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @04:10PM (4 children)
Well slow down there cowboy. There is zero evidence of racism in the Bible. It's not God's fault that the lesser races chose the path of sin and were tainted with a dark complexion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @04:55PM (2 children)
According to the Bible, "all the kings of the earth are controlled by the great whore."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @05:58PM (1 child)
That's why I follow King Neptune, King of the Sea.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday August 02 2020, @08:55PM
Bad news, Neptune has been sued by Poseidon for copyright violation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @08:58PM
That's Mormonism, you idiot! And the Church has apologized [sorrywatch.com].
(Score: 0, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Sunday August 02 2020, @05:47PM (11 children)
And, American Christian heritage coexisted with and even enabled the Emancipation of slaves, not to mention women's suffrage, gay rights, and all the civil rights we enjoy today. Now, kindly pull your head out.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @06:40PM (3 children)
So it's completely amoral? I don't get your point.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday August 02 2020, @07:49PM (2 children)
It surprises you to learn that an amoral person might use moral teachings to justify his ends? FFS, Adolph Hitler could quote the Bible.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @08:23PM (1 child)
Different AC, but you might want to look up "amoral" in a dictionary and compare it to "immoral." I think the GP was making a different point then you thought they did.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @09:00PM
We call this, "Runaway reading comprehension."
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @06:45PM (6 children)
They were different Christians who were pro-slavery (majority) and abolitionists (tiny minority).
The mainstream Christians, in the US, at the time, were far-right, as today. They were vehemently opposed to converting slaves to Christianity since their justification for slavery, at the time, was that the slaves were not Christians (yes, they quoted bible verse to support this assertion). Progressive Quakers, Shakers, etc. went against the mainstream far-right pro slavery church, and converted enslaved humans to Christianity. This was the origin of non-whiteness as a reason for being enslaved. The right-wing pro-slavery Christians invented race to continue to justify slavery.
Christianity (as it has been practiced in the Americas, Europe, and Australia) has been used to justify every sort of evil deed by its far-right practitioners. Some years ago, a far-right Christian church took to the streets protesting about the arrest of one of their members for beating the shit out of his children-- turns out the far-right Christians believe the bible says that parents should beat the fuck out of their children, and picketed with signs quoting bible verse they said supported this claim.
I tried to find a reference, but the google search just brought up page after page of Christian sexual abuse of children: https://www.google.com/search?q=christians++protest+church+member+being+arrested+for+child+abuse [google.com]
Chris Hedges (a progressive Christian, who went to seminary) refers to these far-right Christians as, "Christian-fascists". The far-right Christians were for enslaving humans, they were for genocide of the indigenous, and they have not changed their world view today-- these are Trump's base.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @07:38PM
Great summation, sadly that will require runaway to do some introspection thus he will completely ignore reality and continue speeing his preferred version of 'reality'.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday August 02 2020, @07:47PM (3 children)
You are looking for Proverbs 13:24
He that spareth his rod hateth his son: But he who loves him chasteneth him betimes.
Note that it says nothing about beating.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @10:35PM (2 children)
He that spareth his rod hath no son.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 02 2020, @10:56PM
He that beats his rod may not get one either.
(Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Monday August 03 2020, @12:42PM
He that spanketh his rod hath no son. FTFY
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Sunday August 02 2020, @10:57PM
How mainstream abolitionism was depended a lot on where you were and when you're talking about, both within Christianity and in secular law. For example, the Quakers weren't universally anti-slavery until the late 1700's, mostly due to the influence of a fellow by the name of John Woolman who wrote a piece condemning slavery in the 1750's and convinced congregations one at a time to end it. Meanwhile, by the 1840's, lots of Christian sects were quite anti-slavery, including Methodists and Presbyterians, and it was common among Protestant revivalists of the Second Great Awakening. And of course John Brown was devoutly Christian.
But yeah, it's all driven by a moral idea that slavery is wrong. Which it is.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.