Republican Infighting on COVID Relief, TikTok Security Concerns, and More

August 4, 2020

Amid growing pressure to hash out a deal, Senate Republicans have still not solidified their positions on various aspects of the next COVID-19 aid package. Molly Reynolds explains the motivations of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Trump administration, and congressional Republicans during a time in which Americans badly need financial relief.

Partly in response to congressional worries about the Chinese government using TikTok as a vector for espionage and election interference, President Trump announced that he is considering banning the app from the United States. Jordan Schneider outlines the security concerns and their merits given China’s past actions with technology companies.

Mexico’s criminal market is out of control and increasingly brazen in its displays of violence. Vanda Felbab-Brown writes that it’s well past time for Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration to recognize the country’s frail rule of law and to start taking meaningful actions against Mexican criminal groups.

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