Here we are again, with the clock ticking down on TikTok.

Saturday is the deadline for the social media company to either be sold by its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or face a ban in the U.S. — something that fewer and fewer people, including President Donald Trump, seem to want.

​​The U.S. government fears the Chinese government could force ByteDance to hand over data that would compromise U.S. users. TikTok has said it has not shared U.S. data with the Chinese government and would never do so.

And so, after deadlines and delays and Supreme Court hearings, we are back where we started: a fast-approaching deadline that will determine the fate of a very popular platform that has 170 million users in the U.S. each month.

Trump reportedly spent some of his day Wednesday meeting with advisers to go over the various scenarios and recommendations.

The easiest solution for the U.S. would be for TikTok to be sold.

CNN’s Kayla Tausche and Alayna Treene reported that technology giant Oracle and private equity firm Blackstone could be involved in a potential deal. Last week, The New York Times’ Lauren Hirsch and Theodore Schleifer reported that Blackstone is “weighing taking a small stake in TikTok.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that mobile technology company AppLovin has put in a bid and wants casino magnate Steve Wynn to help back it.

Then the Times reported Wednesday that Amazon — yes, Amazon — has “put in a last-minute bid to acquire all of TikTok.” However, the story did say, “Various parties who have been involved in the talks do not appear to be taking Amazon’s bid seriously, the people said. The bid came via an offer letter addressed to Vice President JD Vance and Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, according to a person briefed on the matter.”

It would seem like a lot of things are still very much up in the air.

The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell, Cat Zakrzewski and Naomi Nix reported, “The White House has considered a menu of options in recent weeks, including a scenario where investors outside of China would increase their ownership of TikTok while Beijing-based ByteDance would retain ownership of the powerful algorithm that recommends what people see on the popular video app, according to two people familiar with the deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal. Under this scenario, ByteDance would lease the algorithm to the new entity operating TikTok in the United States, the people said.”

It’s hard to see that plan gaining much traction.

The Post wrote, “That plan, one of several options that has been considered, would probably face resistance from China hawks in Trump’s own party, who have warned that the Chinese government could leverage the algorithm to influence the 170 million U.S. accounts that turn to TikTok for news and entertainment. TikTok’s critics may also allege that such a deal would flout the requirements of the law if ByteDance maintains a relationship with TikTok in the U.S.”

The Post went on to note, “The proposal to keep the algorithm under ByteDance control would satisfy Trump’s promises to young Americans to keep TikTok ‘alive.’ … The app’s critics would probably be deeply unsatisfied by any outcome that allows China to still exert influence over TikTok. But they could face steep odds to summon the political clout or legal standing to block such a deal if it ultimately wins Trump’s support.

As Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute who previously worked for Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, told the Post, “It all comes down to the algorithm. That is where the national security threat emanates from.”

What remains totally unclear is whether or not ByteDance and/or the Chinese government are looking for any kind of deal. But it should be noted that side from Indonesia, there are more TikTok users in the U.S. than in any other country, and a ban would be bad for TikTok’s business.

What does seem clear is that Trump wants to do what he can to keep TikTok going in the U.S.

Speaking to reporters over the weekend on Air Force One, Trump said, “We have a lot of potential buyers. There’s a lot of interest in TikTok. The decision is going to be my decision. I’d like to see TikTok remain alive.”

Bringing it

While many news organizations across the country are backing away from strongly opinionated editorials about politics, especially presidential politics, The Wall Street Journal continues a solid stretch of robust takes from the editorial board.

The Journal rose to the occasion again in an editorial late Wednesday night: “The MAGA Backlash Arrives.” The board wrote about special election results this week where Democratic Judge Susan Crawford easily won her race in the Wisconsin Supreme Court against a Republican heavily endorsed by President Donald Trump and, especially, Elon Musk, who spent millions of dollars (some reports are around $25 million) in that race. And in Florida, Republicans held two seats in conservative districts, but the races were closer than expected.

The Journal’s board wrote that the Wisconsin results are “a warning to the GOP that the Trump-Musk governing style is stirring a backlash that could cost them control of Congress next year.”

The board added, “But the elections are a warning to Mr. Trump to focus on what got him re-elected — especially prices and growth in real incomes after inflation. His willy-nilly tariff agenda undermining stock prices and consumer and business confidence isn’t helping.”

The board concluded by writing, “The MAGA majority may have a shorter run than advertised.”

Strong stuff.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake smartly pointed out, “It was a good election night for Democrats, full stop. But how good? We’ve seen before that Trump voters just aren’t as likely to show up for races that don’t feature Trump, after all.”

But, clearly, it was not a good night for Trump and, especially, Musk. Blake writes that it’s looking more and more like Musk is a “political liability for Republicans,” adding, “Yes, he has gobs of money he can throw at these races. But his efforts to shrink the government through his work with the U.S. DOGE Service have clearly alienated Americans. Most polls show Americans dislike him by double digits.”

I bring all this up because this is the kind of smart, what-does-it-all-mean analysis that audiences want during these chaotic times.

And this is an excellent recap of what happened in Wisconsin from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Molly Beck: “Elon Musk proved ‘more of an anvil than a buoy’ in GOP’s massive Wisconsin Supreme Court loss.”

Speaking of Musk …

Elon Musk, wearing a cheesehead while at a town hall in Wisconsin last week. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

There are reports that you might see Musk soon step back and take a lesser role in the Trumpverse. Politico’s Rachael Bade first reported that Trump has told his inner circle that Musk will be stepping back, writing, “The president remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative, but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role, according to three Trump insiders who were granted anonymity to describe the evolving relationship.”

For the record, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the report “garbage,” writing on X, “Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete.”

But that might be sooner rather than later. As Bade noted in her Politico story, Musk’s transition to more of an adviser to Trump “is likely to correspond to the end of Musk’s time as a ‘special government employee,’ a special status that temporarily exempts him from some ethics and conflict-of-interest rules. That 130-day period is expected to expire in late May or early June.”

While one senior administration official told Bade that anyone who thinks Musk will disappear entirely is “fooling themselves,” Bade did note that others in Trump’s circle see Musk’s drastic cuts at DOGE and his unpredictability make him a political liability. And Wednesday’s special elections results, especially the result in Wisconsin, lend some credence to that belief.

In an on-air report, CNN’s Harry Enten said, “If you are a Republican candidate running in a swing state, you don’t want Elon Musk anywhere near you. Yes, maybe you like the money. But you don’t want his presence in your state. Why is that? Elon Musk, simply put, is an unpopular guy. He is political poison!”

Remembering John Thornton

For this item, I turn it over to Rick Edmonds, Poynter’s media business analyst.

Venture capitalist and nonprofit journalism entrepreneur John Thornton died last weekend — far too soon at 59.

You could sum up a formidable legacy Thornton leaves in just five words: Texas Tribune (of which he was a founder and first funder) and the American Journalism Project (of which he was also co-founder and a lead donor). Talented leaders from the Tribune and AJP, who knew him and his accomplishments well, offered eloquent tributes Tuesday. (Here, and here).

I can’t top those close-ups, but would add just a bit more from a 30,000-foot view, formed while covering the nonprofit sector from its first green shoots 20 years ago to its full bloom today.

I spoke with Thornton only once, interviewing him in spring 2019, three months before AJP’s full launch was set to occur. There were surprises. I had the impression he had bought into the ideas of his co-founder, Elizabeth Green, CEO of Chalkbeat. She had a plan for a broad new venture philanthropy to plug “the information gap” left as legacy commercial news precipitously declined. I thought Thornton’s contribution was money and some financial savvy — his own and others.

But he was also deep into details, firing off rapid, aphoristic responses to every question I asked. The piece is worth a look if you would like to hear Thornton’s vision of local news in his voice.

Four samples:

• “Right now, it’s all a spreadsheet … the video game version (of the real thing.) … Or to mix clichés, battle plans don’t survive the first shot.”
• “For $1 in the first year, (we expect) a return of 50 cents; for year two you expect to get $1 back; somewhere between two and five years, each dollar should get double that rate of return.”
• Thornton told me that ventures with strong early records needing a business staff boost would be picked for the first 25 grants without much regard to judgments about their location. “I expect that we will receive some criticism … but we are not going to be making judgments about the neediest places.”
• He did not expect AJP’s well-funded portfolio and operating philosophy to supplant other approaches. “The hope would be that in combination, hitting from different angles … we would be aligned (with other similar efforts). If we can’t jointly move the agenda, we ought to go home and do something else.”

I would also credit Thornton with early insight into what have become truisms for nonprofit startups. A few of those:

• THINK BIG: Most begin comparatively small and stay that way. But a regular flow of much more ambitious ventures is essential, too, producing high-impact journalism at scale and varying routes to sustainability. Thornton and Green said going in that their goal was to raise $1 billion. AJP is not there yet but has hit $250 million.
• BEGIN WITH AT LEAST ONE BIG DONATION: That creates critical breathing room for a startup before more grants or other revenue streams kick in. Thornton provided seven-figure support to both The Texas Tribune and AJP with the understanding that his gifts would taper off after a few years.
• HIRE THE BEST PROS YOU CAN FIND AND GIVE THEM FREE REIN: Stewart Bainum Jr., who pledged to give or raise $50 million launching The Baltimore Banner, told me once that he spent a great deal of time interviewing editor candidates. Once he had picked Kimi Yoshino, formerly of the Los Angeles Times, Bainum said he needed to do little more. Thornton partnered with superstar Evan Smith as CEO from the start for The Texas Tribune launch in 2009. The outlet has remained a talent magnet, even after Smith and editor-in-chief Emily Ramshaw departed.
• JUMP THE HURDLE: As a body of experience builds in the sector, it has been clear that years three to six are often critical. The first wave of grants is expiring. Renewals, new grants or alternative revenue must take up that slack.

AJP passed that test spectacularly in February. At its annual conference, the Knight Foundation, which had initially provided $20 million over five years, announced that it had reupped for another $25 million investment.

Sports media updates

• Joon Lee was caught up in the ESPN layoffs in June 2023. He is now returning with his own thing. Here’s his announcement on YouTube. He called sports media “broken” and said, “For decades, it felt like sports were always about more than who won, who lost and the box score. Sports were a place to tell stories about underdogs and dynasties and heartbreak and redemption. And it feels like, at least right now, the entire industry has lost sight of that.” He added, “I believe we can make sports media fun again. I can’t do this alone — I mean, I don’t want to do it alone. So if you are tired of all the noise, if you miss feeling connected to sports, join me.” I’m not sure I totally agree with his assessment that sports media is broken and no fun is being had, but I look forward to seeing what Lee has in store.
• Wow, that was quick. Peter Schrager left his job as co-host of NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Monday. On Wednesday, he made his ESPN debut. His first appearance for ESPN was on the morning show “Get Up.”
• TNT is about to start its new 10-year, $650-million deal to air the tennis’ French Open, and it announced a big hire to its announcing team. Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi has been picked as a studio analyst, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. Agassi won the French Open in 1999. As far as match announcers, TNT is expected to go with play-by-play man Brian Anderson and longtime TV tennis analyst and former No. 1 player John McEnroe. Writing for The Athletic, tennis writer Charlie Eccleshare wrote, “This role at TNT Sports should elevate its French Open coverage, because Agassi remains one of the sharpest minds in the sport.”

Media tidbits

• The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin writes about Chuck Todd starting a new chapter as a media entrepreneur in “Chuck Todd Wants You to Meet the Pods.”
• Variety’s Brian Steinberg with “CBS Put ‘Evening News’ Through Massive Overhaul. Now It Needs People to Watch.”
• The New York Times’ Kellen Browning with “How a Black Progressive Transformed Into a Conservative Star.”
• For Nieman Lab, Laura Hazard Owen with “How to leak to a journalist.”

Hot type

• Part 1 of a series in the Tampa Bay Times from reporters Zachary T. Sampson, Shreya Vuttaluru and Bethany Barnes: “Wasting Away. Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse.”
• Actor Val Kilmer died on Tuesday. The cause of death is being reported as pneumonia. He was 65. For The New York Times, Esther Zuckerman with “Val Kilmer Brought a Wonderfully Weird Sensibility to Every Role.”

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