Unity Politics

TikTok takes off the gloves with a lawsuit over potential ban in U.S.

TikTok has filed a lawsuit seeking to stave off a potential ban in the U.S. if the social media platform isn’t sold from its China-based parent company. The suit against the U.S. government, which is largely staked in First Amendment claims regarding free speech, is certain to prolong what was already going to be a protracted legal fight over the bipartisan TikTok-related legislation, signed by President Joe Biden last month. I’ve been a staunch critic of lawmakers focusing exclusively on TikTok in their quest to crack down on social media networks, but I have also criticized the ridiculous cries about an imminent ban from TikTok’s fiercest defenders, whose arguments seem to ignore the app’s legitimately bad impacts on society.

Why Trump's campaign is tapping Democrats charged with corruption for help

Democrats with criminal pasts (and one who was recently indicted) have begun to feature prominently in Donald Trump’s campaign for president. And I can think of several reasons why. Last weekend, it was former Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who appeared at a Republican National Committee event hosted at Mar-a-Lago. The New York Times reported that Trump spent an extended period of time discussing the former fraudster, who was convicted of corruption but was released after Trump commuted his sentence in 2020.

This year's Met Gala theme is a scathing rebuke of the ruling class

On Monday, people will tune in to ogle and judge the red carpet looks of the most elite fashion event of the year, hosted by the closest you can get to American royalty — mega celebrities Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth and Bad Bunny. Ironically, the dress code for this year’s Met Gala is inspired by a haunting piece of literature with biting commentary on the ruling class.

Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle for the soul of hip-hop

If your Wi-Fi wasn’t out this weekend, then you probably know that it’s been a busy few days for two of the biggest stars in rap music. The back-and-forth rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake got even more intense than it had already been as they made insidious accusations about each other. Lamar and Drake accused one another of illegal and immoral behavior and dipped into the well of rumors to try to humiliate and shame one another.

Comparisons between 1968 and 2024 are all the rage. They’re also wrong.

Perhaps the most challenging thing about having written a book about the 1968 presidential election is that every time there is political violence or student protests in America, people compare those events to that ill-fated year — and they are pretty much always wrong.

Why the pro-Palestinian college protests have been a success

Pro-Palestinian protests have sprung up at over 150 colleges across the country to object to the U.S.’s backing of Israel’s brutal military operation in Gaza. The protests, many of which have involved outdoor Gaza solidarity encampments and civil disobedience, have faced severe repression. At over 80 of them, police have surveilled crowds, arrested thousands of protesters, dismantled the encampments, and put an end to protester occupations of buildings. These crackdowns, often initiated by the universities themselves, have sometimes involved police clad in riot gear, using tasers, stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas. Police have on some occasions beaten and pinned down peacefully protesting students and faculty. President Joe Biden on Thursday acknowledged protesters' right to free speech, but primarily aligned himself with police crackdowns when he characterized trespassing as non-peaceful protest and declared that “order must prevail.”