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WHAT’S UP WITH TRUMP’S ORDERS ON TIKTOK AND WECHAT?
NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping but vague ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of popular apps TikTok and WeChat, saying they are a threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy and the economy. But it’s far from clear what the administration intends to actually do. Uncertainty also surrounds what effect the orders will have on the apps’ users, whether the administration will face legal challenges, and what the companies — or China — will do next. Microsoft is in talks to buy parts of TikTok, in a potential sale that’s being forced under Trump’s threat of a ban.
HUAWEI: SMARTPHONE CHIPS RUNNING OUT UNDER US SANCTIONS
BEIJING (AP) - An executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei says it is running out of processor chips to make smartphones due to U.S. sanctions. The executive says production of Huawei’s own chips will stop next month because its contractors are barred from using U.S. manufacturing technology. Huawei is at the center of growing U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and security. The company, one of the biggest makers of smartphones and nextwork equipment, denies accusations it is a security risk and might facilitate Chinese spying. Washington cut off Huawei’s access to U.S. components and other technology last year. The White House tightened those controls in May by barring vendors worldwide from using U.S. technology to make chips or other components for Huawei.
PRO-RUSSIA VACCINE MISINFO FINDS HOME IN US FACEBOOK GROUPS
CHICAGO (AP) - A false report claiming five Ukrainians had died after taking an American-made vaccine spread in just a matter of days from a small Kremlin-friendly Ukrainian website to an audience of thousands in U.S.-based Facebook groups. The falsehood has spread online, despite the fact that the World Health Organization says a vaccine is not even being tested in Ukraine. This type of misinformation could raise distrust and fear around a successful vaccine, threatening hopes of ending the pandemic, especially as the U.S. readies plans to deliver 300 million doses to Americans starting next year.
CHICAGO SCIENCE MUSEUM GETS GRANT TO DIGITIZE ARTIFACTS
CHICAGO (AP) - The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is getting a grant to digitize thousands of its artifacts. Museum officials say the roughly $225,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services will help build an online collections website with free public access to 7,000 artifacts. The digital collections will include high-resolution 360-degree photographs. Kathleen McCarthy is the museum’s director of collections and says the artifacts are a “hidden resource” that’ll become accessible globally. The artifacts cover a wide range of items, from a treadmill for dogs used to power farm equipment to a WWII German U-505 submarine.
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