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** TikTok and U.S. National Security
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In his first term, President Donald Trump tried to force TikTok’s parent company to sell its popular app or cease operating in the U.S., citing the need to “take aggressive action … to protect our national security.” But Trump's view of the app has changed since then.

The president has now delayed enforcement of a law that would have forced TikTok to shut down in the U.S. on Jan. 19. Trump said in a Jan. 22 Fox News interview that he is “starting to have a very warm spot” for TikTok because he did well with young voters.

“You know, the interesting thing with TikTok though is you’re dealing with a lot of young people,” Trump said. “So, is it that important for China to be spying … on young kids watching crazy videos?”

Some members of Congress and cybersecurity experts say yes, TikTok is still a national security concern, even if it's popular with young people.

This week, our former director, Eugene Kiely, looked at the rise of TikTok and why some have concerns about a Chinese company operating the app in the U.S.

Lindsay Gorman, managing director and senior fellow of the German Marshall Fund’s Technology Program, told Eugene the app poses “two key threats”: One is the massive amount of data TikTok can collect and the fact that it must give China its user data upon request, and the second is the potential for the Chinese Communist Party to use TikTok's data for propaganda campaigns aimed at U.S. citizens.

Read more in Eugene's story: "TikTok and U.S. National Security ([link removed]) ."
HOW WE KNOW
The Trump administration said it blocked $50 million in U.S. funding for condoms to be sent to Gaza, but provided no evidence. The contractor identified by the State Department said it provides hospital services and has not used government funds “to procure or distribute condoms.” USAID does deliver contraceptives worldwide. But that agency’s 2024 report said only one country in the Middle East, Jordan, received a shipment valued at $45,681. Read more: "Trump Administration Makes Unsupported Claim About $50 Million for Condoms to Gaza ([link removed]) ."
FEATURED FACTS
Wind is the largest renewable source of electricity generation in the U.S., providing over 10% of the country’s electricity. The U.S. installed wind power generating capacity was just 2.4 gigawatts in 2000 and reached 150.1 gigawatts in April 2024, when electricity generated from wind established a new record in the U.S. and exceeded coal-fired generation for a second month in a row, according to the Energy Information Administration. Read more: "What to Know About Trump’s Executive Order on Wind Energy ([link removed]) ."
REPLY ALL

Reader: Did former President Joe Biden issue a statement saying that he thought the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered part of the Constitution?

FactCheck.org Director Lori Robertson: Yes. We answered this question last week in a feature we call Ask FactCheck. Our short answer: "On his last full day in office, Biden published a statement supporting the ERA, but it has no legal effect."

Staff writer Saranac Hale Spencer goes into detail in our full answer about what Biden's statement means and the history of the ERA.

Sara wrote:

In his Jan. 17 statement, Biden said, “I affirm what I believe and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex.” ...

It’s easy to think that the statement — which says, “I agree with the [American Bar Association] and with leading legal constitutional scholars that the Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution” — could mean that some action would be taken to establish the amendment as part of the Constitution. But the president doesn’t have the authority to do that.

In fact, Article V of the Constitution — which lays out the amendment process — doesn’t assign any role to the president, legal experts explained to us.

“While presidents have a lot of power, they’re conspicuously absent from Article V,” Wilfred Codrington, a professor at Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, told us in a phone interview.

Julie Suk, a professor at Fordham University’s School of Law who has written a book on the ERA, made the same point in an email to us. She also said, “Constitutional law experts have reasonable disagreements about whether or not the ERA’s unique and unprecedented ratification trajectory makes it a valid amendment under Article V.”

Read the full Ask FactCheck for more, “What Does Biden’s ERA Statement Mean? ([link removed]) ”


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* FactChecking RFK Jr.’s Other Health Claims During HHS Confirmation Hearings ([link removed]) : We explain the facts behind several more of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims during his two Senate hearings as nominee for Health and Human Services secretary.

* RFK Jr. Cites Flawed Paper Claiming Link Between Vaccines and Autism in HHS Confirmation Hearing ([link removed]) : In his second day of confirmation hearings, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, refused to say that vaccines do not cause autism — despite a large body of evidence showing there is no link. He also pointed to a flawed paper to suggest that there is credible evidence to claim vaccines cause the disorder.

* No Evidence for the Political Finger-Pointing Over D.C. Plane Crash ([link removed]) : After the deadly collision between a passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., politicians and political commentators were quick to cast blame. President Donald Trump suggested diversity initiatives within the Federal Aviation Administration were at fault for the crash, and his critics pointed to a hiring freeze that Trump instituted on Jan. 20.

* Social Media Posts Misidentify Pilot Killed in Midair Collision Over D.C. ([link removed]) : The U.S. Army identified one of the Black Hawk helicopter pilots killed in the midair crash with a passenger jet on Jan. 29 as Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach. But social media posts have falsely identified two different women to claim the pilot was either a transgender woman or a former White House press aide.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* Kennedy repite afirmaciones falsas y engañosas en audiencia de confirmación ([link removed]) :
En su primera audiencia de confirmación en el Senado para ser secretario del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repitió afirmaciones sobre las que ya hemos escrito anteriormente sobre las vacunas y las enfermedades crónicas.

* RFK Jr. cita un estudio defectuoso que afirma que existe un vínculo entre las vacunas y el autismo en la audiencia de confirmación del HHS ([link removed]) : En su segundo día de audiencias de confirmación, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., el candidato del presidente Donald Trump para dirigir el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos, se negó a decir que las vacunas no causan autismo, a pesar de que hay una gran cantidad de pruebas que demuestran que no existe un vínculo. También señaló un estudio defectuoso que sugiere que hay evidencia creíble para afirmar que las vacunas causan el trastorno.

* La administración Trump hace afirmación infundada sobre 50 millones de dólares para condones en Gaza ([link removed]) : El presidente Donald Trump afirmó que su administración bloqueó 50 millones de dólares destinados a enviar condones a Gaza al pausar la ayuda exterior. Sin embargo, no ha proporcionado evidencia de que alguna vez se destinaran 50 millones de dólares para condones en Gaza y el contratista identificado por el Departamento de Estado dijo que no ha utilizado ayuda de Estados Unidos “para adquirir o distribuir condones”.

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