TikTok received help from President Trump but Senate GOP still wants ban
TikTok is back online for 170 million American users. The company restored service following President Donald Trump’s promise not to enforce a law banning the app.
The Chinese-owned social media app went dark Sunday morning to comply with a bipartisan law banning it since it did not sell to an American buyer. However, even with a reprieve from President Trump, TikTok faces a threat from Trump’s Republican allies in the Senate.
Top Republican senators, including Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rick Scott of Florida, met yesterday as they prepared to take a hard line against Chinese ownership of TikTok, according to reporting by Fox Business.
Cotton objected over the weekend to block the advancement of a Democratic-led bill to undo the TikTok ban before it took effect.
In a statement published Sunday, Cotton said, “Now that the law has taken effect, there’s no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date.”
His colleague Sen. Graham also accused TikTok of having what he called a “golden share structure.” Graham alleges Chinese President Xi Jinping controlled the company. He said he would introduce a bill blocking any company with this structure from being listed on U.S. exchanges.
It puts both of them on the opposite side of the issue, compared to President Trump, who addressed it at a pre-election rally on Sunday.
“As of today, TikTok is back,” Trump said at a rally on Sunday, January 19th. “The United States will do what we call a joint venture. And there’s no risk. We’re not putting up any money. All we’re doing is giving them the approval without which they don’t have anything.”
The law banning TikTok allowed a president to issue one 90-day extension if there was a buyer. The Justice Department certified one bid, a $20 billion offer led by businessmen Frank McCourt and Kevin O’Leary.
It’s unclear whether TikTok is interested in selling to them or any other buyer. It’s also unclear what the app’s future looks like after the 90-day window.
There’s a leadership change in Washington that will have a massive impact on business. As President Donald Trump enters the Oval Office, he signals a changing of the guard at the Federal Trade Commission, which has made a flurry of moves in the final weeks of the Biden administration.
The tactic is used in many modern games and is often compared to gambling. Ferguson voted in favor of the action but did dissent on a few specific points.
The regulator also cleared the way for ExxonMobil’s $60 billion merger with Pioneer Natural Resources and Chevron’s $53 billion deal for Hess. The FTC did prohibit the CEOs of Pioneer and Hess from serving on their respective boards.
Ferguson voted against the decision, joining Commissioner Melissa Holyoak in her dissent of the ruling, which she called a “pre-inauguration swan song.”
“When firms like Pepsi give massive retailers a leg up, it tilts the playing field against small firms and ultimately inflates prices for American consumers,” Khan said in a statement.
Ferguson was not in favor of action against PepsiCo.
“On the eve of its eviction from power at the hands of the American voters, the Commission’s Democratic majority offers one final insult to the Commission, its staff, and the rule of law,” he wrote in his dissent. “In a cynical attempt to tie the hands of the incoming Trump Administration, the Democratic majority launches a major lawsuit on little more than a hunch.”
The FTC, along with Illinois and Minnesota, also filed a lawsuit against tractor giant John Deere, claiming it prevents farmers from being able to repair their own equipment or use independent shops, which the regulator said boosted the company’s profits.
Ferguson was against the lawsuit, saying it “appears to be the result of brazen partisanship,” “lends to the suit the stench of partisan motivation,” and appears to be “taken in haste to beat President Trump into office.”
Khan’s FTC ordered H&R Block to overhaul its advertising and customer service practices, claiming it made “deceptive claims about ‘free’ tax filing.” H&R Block will also need to pay $7 million to compensate customers harmed by those practices.
While it didn’t take any action on this, the regulator issued its second big report claiming the “Big 3” Pharmacy Benefit Managers raised prices on generic drugs at their affiliated pharmacies, generating $7.3 billion in added revenue from 2017 to 2022.
“After having already issued one rare interim report, what’s one more,” he asked in his concurring statement. “Were it up to me, I would have preferred the Commission take the time needed to complete its work and issue a final report when it is ready to do so.”
It also blocked a $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons while attempting to stop others, like Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Moving forward, Ferguson is expected to take a different direction with the regulating agency when it comes to mergers, which Wall Street welcomes. Still, he has previously promised to be tough on Big Tech.
“At the FTC, we will end Big Tech’s vendetta against competition and free speech,” he said in an X post after Trump announced he would be the FTC’s next chair. “We will make sure that America is the world’s technological leader and the best place for innovators to bring new ideas to life.”
“He will clearly roll back Khan’s head-scratching anti-tech agenda, including ending efforts to regulate AI and abandoning a brutal standard for any merger of any size for the tech world,” Wedbush Securities Analyst Dan Ives wrote in a December note.
TikTok restores service after Trump promises to issue executive order
TikTok restored its U.S. service after the company temporarily shut down access to its app and website for its 170 million American users, shortly before a nationwide ban on the platform went into effect at midnight Sunday, Jan. 19. TikTok’s announcement comes after President-elect Donald Trump earlier in the day said he would issue an executive order on his first day in office –– Monday, Jan. 20 –– giving the platform’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, more time to work out a deal.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order,” Trump said.
“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.”
Trump added he would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture to keep the video-sharing app active. The president-elect said, “My initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose.”
Following Trump’s announcement, TikTok issued a statement saying it would be restoring service to the 170 million Americans who use its platform.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,” TikTok said.
“It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
Despite President Joe Biden signaling that he would not enforce the ban, and would instead leave the decision to President-elect Trump, the platform shut itself down to avoid the risk of potentially heavy fines for hosting access to the platform in the U.S.
During the shutdown, a notice in the app directly credited President-elect Trump, saying “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.”
TikTok
TikTok going dark for its American users was the culmination of a years-long bipartisan push to ban the app. During Trump’s first term in 2020, he threatened to ban the app over its ties to the Chinese government.
In 2024, Biden signed the law that put the current ban in place, which gave the app’s owners until Sunday to either shut down or sell to a buyer not defined as a “foreign adversary of the United States.”
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., introduced the original bill and it passed with veto-proof majorities and support from both Democrats and Republicans.
But as the ban neared, multiple lawmakers changed their stances. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who initially voted for the ban, joined Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., in their push for a last-ditch bill to rescind the ban.
Despite Trump saying it was likely he would work to develop a solution that would restore Americans’ access to the app, Republican Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., blocked the bill from advancing by objecting to it.
The Supreme Court unanimously rejected TikTok’s challenge to the ban, saying that the national security concerns underpinning the law took priority over its role as a speech platform. The court ruled that the ban did not infringe on the First Amendment rights of the company or its users.
Trump has signaled that tech issues, including the future of TikTok, are top priorities for his incoming administration. Executives from the largest apps and tech companies will be present for his inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, including TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
(Disclosure: Sen. Pete Ricketts is the son of Joe Ricketts, CEO and Founder of Straight Arrow News.)
Thousands of Capital One customers locked out before 3-day weekend
A tech glitch has caused thousands of Capital One customers to be unable to access their accounts. The issues reportedly popping up on Thursday, Jan. 16, and lingered into Friday, Jan. 17. It left many people unable to access everything from direct deposits to paychecks across the United States.
Some customers said the outage had left them worried that they wouldn’t be able to make essential purchases or pay bills.
During its peak on Thursday, more than 2,000 people reported issues with the Capital One banking system. The problems reportedly dipped slightly on Friday, with still more than 1,700 outages reported.
Capital One posted on social media on Friday morning, saying that the issue came from a third-party vendor. However, the bank did not specify what caused the glitch, adding that it was working on issues customers were facing.
Customers took to social media to express their displeasure with the credit card giant, with some threatening to close their accounts once the problem is resolved.
It is unclear when the company will have the problem fixed, but some social media users did point out that Monday, Jan. 20, is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday during which banks are closed, putting customers in a pinch if there are further delays to restoring the banking system’s functions.
The outage could reportedly present the biggest trouble for customers with direct debits, also known as automatic payments, through Capital One.
Biden administration closes on over $6.5 billion loan to EV-maker Rivian
The Biden administration closed on a more than $6.5 billion loan to electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian. The move comes after some questioned whether the deal announced on Tuesday, Jan. 14, could get done before the Trump administration takes over.
The closure on Thursday, Jan. 16, comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to scale back on climate-related spending, is inaugurated on Monday, Jan. 20.
The White House says the loan will help fund an EV plant in Georgia that focuses on vehicles made for the “mass market” as opposed to Rivian’s luxury line of vehicles.
One of Trump’s picks to head the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Vivek Ramaswamy, who will work alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk, criticized the move.
Ramaswamy posted on X, “This smells more like a political shot across the bow of @elonmusk & @Tesla.”
Biden is forking over $6.6B to EV-maker Rivian to build a Georgia plant they’ve already halted. One “justification” is the 7,500 jobs it creates, but that implies a cost of $880k/job which is insane. This smells more like a political shot across the bow at @elonmusk & @Tesla. https://t.co/YYLW3fk1jX
The Biden administration said the Rivian plant will create around 7,500 jobs through 2030, and eventually the facility will produce 400,000 vehicles per year.
Under the conditions of the loan, at least a quarter of the employees at the Georgia plant must be from the local community.
The U.S. Department of Energy said government financing will be a major boost to electric vehicles in the United States, and help President Joe Biden with his goal of having zero-emission vehicles make up half of U.S. auto sales by 2030.
The loan program for Rivian was created in 2007, and under the Biden administration, the program has announced deals totaling more than $33 billion, including a more than $9 billion loan for large-scale EV battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky for Ford vehicles.
Rivian has worked to secure the loan since 2022, and in March of 2024, the company said it was pausing construction on the Georgia plant.
However, that’s now changed, as the once-struggling manufacturer has been given a lifeline through the government loan and an investment from German automaker Volkswagen of $5 billion in June of 2024.
Biden warns of ‘oligarchy’ and ‘tech-industrial complex’ in farewell speech
President Joe Biden’s farewell speech to America on Wednesday included several warnings. And a ceasefire deal to end more than a year of fighting in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas hit a snag. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
Biden warns of ‘oligarchy,’ ‘tech-industrial complex’ in farewell speech
Speaking from the Oval Office one last time, President Joe Biden delivered his farewell address Wednesday night, Jan. 15. Biden spoke on reforms he would like to see in Washington and issued a stark warning detailing his concerns about what he sees as a concentration of power among the ultra-wealthy and the risks of technology.
In what is likely his final address to the nation after a political career spanning five decades, Biden opened his speech with the ceasefire deal in Gaza announced earlier in the day. He said he kept the incoming administration fully informed during the process.
He said some of his top accomplishments in office include job growth following the pandemic, infrastructure modernization and Medicare reform, telling Americans it will take time to feel the full impact of what has been achieved.
With the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump just days away, Biden said he would ensure a peaceful transfer of power, but he did have a warning.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” Biden said. “We see the consequences all across America, and we’ve seen it before. More than a century ago, the American people stood up to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts. They didn’t punish the wealthy. They just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had. Workers want rights to earn their fair share.”
Referencing former President Dwight Eisenhower’s concerns about a military-industrial complex six decades ago, Biden said he’s equally concerned about the dangers of a potential rise of a tech-industrial complex.
“Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the abuse of power,” he said. “The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. We must hold the social platforms accountable to protect our children, our families and our very democracy from the abuse of power.”
Biden remarked on the rise of artificial intelligence, calling it the most consequential technology of our time. He emphasized that the U.S., not China, must lead the race.
The president also spoke of his hopes for change in the nation’s capital, calling for an end of hidden funding called “dark money” from campaign contributions, a ban on stock trading from members of Congress and for the U.S. to enact an 18-year term limit on Supreme Court justices. He also called for the U.S. Constitution to be amended.
“We need to amend the Constitution to make clear that no president, no president is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office,” Biden asserted. “The president’s power is not limit[less] — it is not absolute. And it shouldn’t be.”
In closing, Biden called on Americans to stay engaged in democracy. Telling the story of a veteran who worked at the Statue of Liberty, known as the Keeper of the Flame, he said America will always be defined by one word: “possibilities.”
“My eternal thanks to you, the American people,” Biden said. “After 50 years of public service, I give you my word, I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands [for] — a nation where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure. Now it’s your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it, too.”
Republicans, Democrats react to Biden’s farewell address
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote on X, “Joe Biden discussing democracy, a free press, institutions and the abuse of power in his final farewell speech is rich.”
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., also weighed in, writing, “Joe Biden’s going out of office the same way he went in: petty, partisan and frankly not telling the truth.”
“President Biden’s ‘farewell address’ should have been a formal apology for the endless lawfare, inflation-fueling policies and reckless decisions made during his administration,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida added.
Democrats responded differently.
“Tonight, President Biden delivered his farewell address to a nation that is stronger because of his leadership,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “In doing so, he honored the vision of founders, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and the aspirations of our children.”
Former President Barack Obama also responded to his former vice president.
“Four years ago, in the middle of a pandemic, we needed a leader with the character to put politics aside and do what was right. That’s what Joe Biden did… I’m grateful to Joe for his leadership, his friendship and his lifetime of service to this country we love,” Obama said.
Netanyahu says cabinet won’t meet over ceasefire deal with Hamas yet
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said his cabinet will not meet to approve the deal for a ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas ends a “last-minute crisis.” The decision comes after Netanyahu’s office said Hamas retracted on some of the terms of the agreement but did not specify which.
Even as a deal seems close or even imminent, Israeli strikes continued in the Gaza Strip, with the territory’s health ministry reporting at least 48 people killed over the past day.
Under the three-phase ceasefire agreement, fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days. Thirty-three Israeli hostages, including two Americans, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed during the first phase. It is set to go into effect Sunday, Jan. 19.
The remainder of the hostages, including Israeli male soldiers, are to be released during the second phase. Hamas said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
Israeli troops will pull back to the edges of Gaza and many Palestinians will be able to return to what remains of their homes — something many people took to the streets to celebrate. Israel is also set to allow a flood of humanitarian aid into the region.
The Associated Press reported Thursday morning that mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. will meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the deal.
On Truth Social, Trump said his administration will continue to work closely with Israel to make sure Gaza never again becomes what he called a “terrorist safe haven.”
Crews work to control Los Angeles area wildfires as winds die down
The National Weather Service lifted the red flag warning for the Los Angeles area Wednesday night as winds died down. Strong winds have made it harder for fire crews to battle the flames.
However, dangerous fire and weather conditions are expected to return next week.
Good news: We are expecting a much-needed break from the fire weather concerns to close this week. Bad News: Next week is a concern. While confident that we will NOT see a repeat of last week, dangerous fire weather conditions are expected. #cawx#PalisadesFire#EatonFirepic.twitter.com/zhXmHUWtgp
This comes as firefighters still work to contain the two biggest, deadliest and most destructive fires in Southern California. The Palisades and Eaton fires continue to rage in the Los Angeles area.
Plus, a new vegetation fire broke out in the San Bernardino area Wednesday afternoon.
The Eaton and Palisades fires have not grown much over the past few days, but they are both still largely uncontained. Fire officials reported some progress in the desperate fight to extinguish the flames.
Meanwhile, the Little Mountain fire in San Bernardino spans over 30 acres at 0% containment. Police arrested a man in connection with that fire on two felony charges, including one of reckless burning.
Senate confirmation hearings continue as Inauguration Day nears
Senate confirmation hearings continue Thursday, Jan. 16, as President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for interior secretary, EPA administrator, housing and urban development secretary and treasury secretary answer questions from lawmakers.
“To my knowledge, Donald Trump has never acknowledged the legal results of the 2020 election,” Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said to Bondi. “Are you prepared to say today, under oath without reservation, that Donald Trump lost the presidential contest to Joe Biden in 2020?”
Bondi replied, “Ranking Member Durbin, President Biden is the president of the United States. He was duly sworn in, and he is the President of the United States. There was a peaceful transition of power. President Trump left office and was overwhelmingly elected in 2024.”
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, also had his hearing Wednesday. Straight Arrow News political correspondent Ray Bogan has a complete breakdown of what happened here.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket lifts off on first space flight
Thursday morning saw a big win for billionaire Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, as its New Glenn rocket blasted off into orbit.
The company’s first rocket powerful enough to launch satellites into space took off just after 2 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. All seven of its engines fired successfully.
Blue Origin marked the mission a success after demonstration technology on board, called the Blue Ring Pathfinder, was safely carried to orbit.
However, the company did not reach its bonus goal of guiding part of the New Glenn rocket back to a safe landing on a platform in the middle of the ocean after takeoff.
It took rival SpaceX four tries to get a similar maneuver right.
Still, Blue Origin stressed its most important goal was for the test satellite to reach orbit. NASA intends to use the New Glenn rocket to launch two orbiters to Mars in the future.
Americans frown upon AI, but many don’t realize they already use it: Poll
A new poll finds that although Americans don’t like artificial intelligence very much, nearly all use it. The catch? Most don’t realize they’re using it.
A poll by Gallup and tech advocacy group Telescope found that nearly two-thirds of all Americans don’t realize that many of the features of their everyday lives –– social media, online shopping, navigation apps, etc. –– are AI-enabled.
Most Americans believe AI will have a net negative impact on U.S. national security, opportunities for Americans to get good jobs, social connections among people and the spread of false information.
Americans split evenly on whether AI would have a positive, negative or neutral effect on detecting nonviolent crimes. A majority said they expected it to be a positive for medical diagnosis and treatment.
The poll found higher rates of AI usage among younger adults and those with higher incomes. However, while the poll gauged usage of products that include AI, it didn’t specifically ask how many Americans actively used AI tools in those products, such as Apple Intelligence or Meta’s AI search prompts.
The poll also found that by and large, Americans feel both the government and businesses bear responsibility for addressing some of AI’s biggest risks, with some of the broadest support for the government stepping in to address threats to national security that AI might pose.
Chinese drone company won’t stop users from flying over sensitive US sites
The United States’ top-selling hobby drone producer, DJI, is implementing a major change to its drone technology. The company announced on Monday, Jan. 13, it is abandoning its previous “geo-blocking” feature, which locks up a drone and initiates a mechanism forcing it to hover in place around a “geofenced” area if it entered a sensitive U.S. airspace.
Now, when users enter a no-fly-zone, in-app alerts will pop up and warn the operator that they are near U.S. Federal Aviation Administration controlled space.
The new feature leaves the choice to continue into restricted areas up to the operator of the drone, but banks on the alert discouraging users from going any further over fears of the legal consequences.
The company said the move puts the “final responsibility” on the person using the drone, and its initial move to implement geo-blocking over a decade ago was strictly voluntary. The FAA said it does not require “geofencing from drone manufacturers.”
The move to give users more control to go where they want, when they want is raising safety concerns.
A recent example of that was a collision involving a firefighting aircraft and a DJI drone in restricted airspace over the Palisades Fire, which forced the plane, known as a “Super Scooper,” to be grounded with a damaged wing.
The FBI said it is looking into the incident.
U.S. authorities are also concerned about DJI drones for other reasons. DJI is a Chinese company, and the United States is already concerned that Beijing is spying on sensitive military sites.
The U.S. is blocking some of the company’s imports through an essential ban over these concerns soon, and has called DJI a “Chinese military company.” DJI denies that it gives any data to China, but may be forced to, under Chinese law.
They said even though the law is meant to keep kids from accessing sexually explicit content online, it’s vague and “imposes significant burdens on adults’ access to constitutionally protected expression.” Opponents also said it also presents privacy and security concerns because adults are forced to share personally identifying information to access the sites.
The law, signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023, requires porn sites to verify official documentation like government-issued IDs or face large fines. The law says any website that contains “one-third” sexual material is considered a site that requires age verification, though social media sites are exempt.
The Texas law also requires sites to display health notices on their landing page that says viewing pornography is potentially addictive, weakens brain function and is associated with low self-esteem and body image, among other issues.
A U.S. district judge temporarily blocked the law in September 2024, but then the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals undid that, saying requiring age verification does not violate the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court’s ruling will impact more than just Texas. Multiple other states have passed laws mandating age-verification for porn sites including Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Apple pushes back against pressure to end DEI policies
At least one Big Tech company is pushing against pressure to roll back policies on diversity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI. Apple’s board is recommending investors reject a proposal to cease DEI efforts at the company.
Rebuffing calls to unwind DEI would go against a recent trend seen in tech. Meta announced during the week of Jan. 6 that it was immediately ending DEI efforts, citing the changing legal and policy landscape, and noting the term was “charged.” Later, it came out that Amazon was in the process of rolling back some of its diversity and inclusion programs.
While the changes at Meta and Amazon have come to light since President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, other companies acted prior. Microsoft laid off its DEI team in summer 2024 due to “changing business needs,” according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider. Google-parent Alphabet also downsized its DEI staff.
Ahead of Apple’s shareholder meeting in February 2025, Apple told investors the right-leaning National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) is submitting a proposal to end DEI at the world’s largest company.
“It’s clear that DEI poses litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders, and therefore further risks to companies for not abiding by their fiduciary duties,” the supporting statement reads.
The NCPPR cited the recent Supreme Court case SFFA v. Harvard. That was the landmark affirmative action case that ruled race-based admissions violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
The NCPPR argued that, should Apple continue its DEI programs, the legal landscape could open the company up to lawsuits that “could reach tens of billions of dollars.” Apple’s market capitalization is valued at around $3.5 trillion.
Apple’s board is recommending investors reject this proposal from the NCPPR.
“The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program,” the board wrote. “The proposal also inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple’s ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies.”
The board said Apple does not discriminate in hiring or promoting on any basis protected by law, and accused the NCPPR of inappropriately seeking to micromanage the company on legal compliance. Apple shareholders will get to vote on this and other proposals at the annual meeting on Feb. 25.
