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** OPINION
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** A TikTok deal ticks closer to done
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President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order regarding TikTok in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

After months of delays and extended deadlines, it appears a deal that would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States on a permanent basis is in its final stages.

That’s good. And, well, maybe not so good.

For months, ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, faced an ultimatum: either divest the platform’s American business or be shut down. That’s because of the U.S. government's fears about ByteDance sharing Americans' personal data with the Chinese government — something ByteDance said it would never do.

Since the beginning of his term in January, President Donald Trump has signed several orders delaying the deadline for divestment. On Thursday, however, he signed an executive order readying the platform for sale — moving a step closer to a final deal.

CBS News’ Caitlin Yilek reported ([link removed]) , “According to a senior White House official, under the deal, ByteDance's content recommendation algorithm that powers TikTok will be copied and retrained to run solely on the data of its U.S. user base.”

Vice President JD Vance says the U.S.-based version of TikTok will be valued at $14 billion.

And who will take control? CNBC’s David Faber reports that Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX will be main investors in TikTok’s U.S. business. CNBC also reported ([link removed]) , “Those three entities will control roughly 45% of TikTok USA. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, will own 19.9%, with the remaining 35% in the hands of ByteDance investors and new holders.”

Trump is going to take credit, of course, for saving TikTok. It’s something he waffled on during his 2024 presidential campaign. He was stuck in the middle of the millions upon millions of people (especially young people) who wanted TikTok to continue and those who were concerned about security issues. Eventually though, Trump settled on wanting to keep TikTok alive in the U.S.

Aside from being able to say he “saved” TikTok, he has other reasons to see that this deal goes through. Among the potential investors are tech and media giants Larry Ellison, Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, and Michael Dell. Ellison is founder of Oracle. The Murdochs own several media outlets, including Fox News. Dell is the chief executive of Dell Technologies. And all of these people are close with Trump.

The New York Times’ Lauren Hirsch and Emmett Lindner recently wrote ([link removed]) , “The potential investments also raise questions about whether the new owners would have the power to influence the tone or content on the app. The Murdochs have run their media businesses with a firm conservative tilt. Mr. Ellison is a supporter of Mr. Trump’s. He and his family are also increasingly interested in media; he helped finance a bid by his son, David, to buy the entertainment giant Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery could be next.”

Trump claims Chinese president Xi Jinping has approved the TikTok deal.

However, CNN media reporter Brian Stelter made a strong point in his “Reliable Sources” newsletter Thursday: “At the risk of repeating myself, China has the final say in this TikTok matter, so Xi Jinping's signature matters more than Trump's in this case. But the US vision for TikTok is clear: The app would be controlled by Trump-aligned businessmen.”

That raised the antennae of many liberals. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted earlier this week ([link removed]) , “This should not be treated lightly. The GOP are buying up platforms to control the news and information you receive. They are censoring you in real time.

After signing the order, Trump was asked if he’d like to see the algorithm suggest more MAGA-related content. He said ([link removed]) , “I always like MAGA-related. … If I could make it 100 percent MAGA I would, but it's not gonna work out that way unfortunately. No, everyone is going to be treated fairly. Every group. Every philosophy. Every policy will be treated very fairly.”

However, The Guardian’s Blake Montogomery writes ([link removed]) , “The power centralized in the Murdoch and Ellison families would be enormous should the TikTok deal and David Ellison’s purchase of Warner Bros Discovery go through. They would command media outlets that reach both young and old audiences, with high degrees of authority and influence. The only age groups perhaps immune to their sway would be gen X, so suspicious of their parents’ viewing habits, and millennials, just too old for TikTok.”


** BREAKING NEWS: Comey indicted
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In yet another stunning example of political intimidation, something becoming more common under a president who seeks revenge on his perceived enemies, former FBI director James Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday on allegations of lying to Congress in 2020.

What was noticeable was how major news outlets framed their stories to show just how outlandish the whole thing appears to be.

The Washington Post wrote ([link removed]) the indictment came after “an extraordinary demand from President Donald Trump for the Justice Department to prosecute a man he has long considered a political foe.”

The New York Times was even more pointed. Here’s is what the outlet reported ([link removed]) :

The indictment, filed in Alexandria, Va., came over the objection of career prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia who found insufficient evidence to support charges but were overruled by Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump defense lawyer handpicked by Mr. Trump to run the office a few days ago.

It represents the most significant legal step yet by the Trump administration to harry, punish and humiliate a former official the president identified as an enemy, at the expense of procedural safeguards intended to shield the Justice Department from political interference and personal vendettas.

The bare-bones, two-page indictment was signed only by Ms. Halligan, a Trump loyalist who had no previous prosecutorial experience. Typically such filings are also endorsed by career prosecutors who have gathered the evidence in the case.

Trump celebrated on Truth Social, writing ([link removed]) , “JUSTICE IN AMERICA” and calling Comey “One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to.”

Comey says he is innocent and looks forward to a trial, saying, “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”

The Atlantic’s David Frum wrote ([link removed]) , “… the charges against Comey are not just about the president’s abuse of his power for personal retribution. They represent a test of the president’s plans for the future.”

We’ll have more on this developing story in the days to come.


** Kimmel comeback: night two
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ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel had a pretty good response for President Donald Trump after Trump posted on social media that he couldn’t believe ABC gave Kimmel his job back.

On Wednesday night’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” his second show since returning from suspension, Kimmel said, “You can't believe they gave me my job back? I can't believe we gave you your job back.”

On the night Kimmel returned to the air, Trump also turned to social media to threaten a lawsuit against ABC.

Kimmel said Wednesday night, “Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn't threatening ABC by threatening ABC. You almost have to feel sorry for the people who work for him, who try to clean up the messes.”

Kimmel added, “There are still a lot of people who think I should be pulled off the air for making fun of Donald Trump, so I want to explain. I talk about Trump, more than anything, because he's a bully. I don't like bullies. I played the clarinet in high school, OK? So I just don't like them. Donald Trump is an old fashioned, '80s movie-style bully, taking your lunch money, and if you give it to him once, he'll take it again. Rooting for this bully, I don't care what side you're on, it's like rooting for Biff from ‘Back to the Future.’ Literally, Donald Trump was the model for Biff in ‘Back to the Future,’ and this is who people are cheering for? I don't know about you. I'm with Marty McFly.”


** Still hope for journalism
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Last week, I attended a really cool journalism event in Washington D.C. as Poynter honored Axios’ Mike Allen and Jessica Yellin, founder of News Not Noise, with the Poynter 50 Make a Mark Leadership Award.

Allen is the co-founder and editor of Axios and, previously, the co-founder of Politico. Yellin is the former chief White House correspondent for CNN.

With all the depressing news these days and the media often in a state of turmoil, it really was comforting and inspiring to listen to two influential media mavericks talk about their work and where journalism is right now. The dinner and salon featured a conversation between Allen, Yellin and Poynter president Neil Brown.

This week, Poynter published the first of two conversations that Brown had with the two leaders. Here’s the Q&A ([link removed]) with Allen. (Yellin’s conversation will be published soon.)

Brown asked Allen, “You are the co-creator of not one, but two journalism enterprises that can safely be called ‘disrupters.’ What were you trying to disrupt with the creation of Politico? What were you trying to disrupt with the creation of Axios?”

Allen said, “Politico was aimed at bringing more speed, voice and expertise to a topic with a passionate, savvy audience. The technology existed, but it wasn’t being maximized. Axios makes you smarter, faster about what matters: With Smart Brevity, we don’t waste your time … and we don’t insult your intelligence. Very few outlets get both the smart and the brevity right.”


** Hey. Y’all good?
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For this much-needed item, I turn it over to my Poynter colleague Nicole Slaughter Graham.

In January 2024, the people’s favorite puppet tweeted a simple question, and it went a little viral ([link removed]) . That four-word inquiry was a collective gut check and exposed that no, actually, we were not OK.

I’d venture to say that this is probably still true for many of us, especially those of us whose jobs are enmeshed with the news cycle. Those of us who are worried about loved ones. Those of us who see an uncertain future. It’s been a rough two and a half weeks. More accurately, it’s been a rough nine months. Five years? Longer?

So, ya know … here’s your periodic reminder to do something, anything, to take care of yourself right now.

Stand up and stretch.

Roll your shoulders back and unclench your jaw.

Take one of those brisk little mental health walks.

Call a friend.

Write it out in a brain dump in one of your notebooks (you know what I’m talking about — one of those new ones sitting in a pile that you keep buying that you don’t need.)

Log off.

Log off.

Log off.

Log off.

For real, though, put that phone on DND. Turn off the TV. Go outside for a bit.

Below, I’m sharing a few things that are keeping me afloat right now, in hopes that one might inspire you to find a thing — whether that’s a new thing, a thing you’re going to devote more time to, or an old thing you want to reacquaint yourself with — that’ll do the same for you.

A weekly yoga sesh. I’ve been doing yoga on and off since I was 22. At that time, I went three times a week religiously, and that was great. But now, at nearly 40 with two kids and endless commitments, that kind of cadence is laughable. That said, I am begrudgingly coming to understand just how important movement is for my mental and physical health. Right now, I’ve got bandwidth for a once weekly, full-on, hourlong session. I’m letting that be enough.

I’m reading cozy fantasy. Past-me would be a bit appalled by this development. Reading has always been a safe haven for me, but I defined myself as a nonfiction/literary fiction kind of girl. Lately, though, I’ve not had the brain power to dig into something serious or weighty. I’m not much of a television person (don’t come for me), so cozy fantasy it is.

I’m gardening? The question mark comes because anyone who knows me also knows that back in 2012, I killed bamboo. No, I don’t want to talk about it. Yes, I did swear off plants back then. But two years ago, my youngest child begged and begged for a garden. I finally relented, thinking I’d kill everything we planted and then he’d leave me alone about it. I have a friend who is an actual gardener, though, and I consulted her. She held my hand through the setup and installation of a small raised bed, and to my surprise, my son and I grew green onions, spinach and butterfly pea flowers ([link removed]) .

Anyway, whatever it is that helps you, I hope you can find the bandwidth to do more of it right now. We all deserve a little respite.

My thanks to Nicole for that item. Now for more media notes, tidbits and interesting links for your weekend review. Talk to you again on Monday …
* Check out the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast” ([link removed]) with my guest Chuck Todd.
* The New York Times’ David Streitfeld and Theodore Schleifer with “Larry Ellison, a Media Mogul Like No Other.” ([link removed])
* The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf with “What Republicans Can Do If They Really Want to Protect Free Speech.” ([link removed])
* Audrey Cooper, a well-respected newsroom leader, has been named editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Banner. Cooper has been senior vice president of news and editor-in-chief of WNYC in New York since 2020. Before that, she was the top editor at the San Francisco Chronicle. Cooper formerly served on Poynter’s National Advisory Board from 2017 to 2020. Here’s more ([link removed]) from the Banner’s Liz Bowie. The Banner won its first Pulitzer Prize ([link removed]) earlier this year.
* Writing for The Free Press, NewsNation chief Washington anchor Leland Vittert with “How My Dad Helped Me Master My Autism.” ([link removed])
* I found it amusing that with everything going on in the world, this was the “Most Read” story for a bit on Thursday on the Associated Press website: “After mechanical challenges, UN says Trump’s team to blame for nonworking escalator and teleprompter.” ([link removed])
* As I often like to do, I want to close out today’s newsletter with something light and fun. Remember all the controversy from Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad for American Eagle? Well, legendary journalist Katie Couric is out with a new public service announcement for colon screening and it’s an entertaining spoof of the Sweeney ad. Couric shows her acting chops in this one. USA Today’s Taijuan Moorman has the story ([link removed]) , as well as a video of the ad.


** More resources for journalists
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* Stop wasting hours on repetitive tasks — automate them instead. Learn how ([link removed]) .
* Get training to track federal climate policy rollbacks and their local impacts. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Deepen your coverage of incarcerated women and women with incarcerated family members and get the chance to apply for one of five $10,000 reporting grants. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Turn your life story into a memoir in this pioneering virtual workshop led by Poynter's Director of Craft Kristen Hare, featuring accomplished authors as guest instructors. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Master the tools to connect Washington decisions to local stories — essential coverage as the 2026 elections approach. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Access ([link removed]) Poynter’s comprehensive mental health reporting resources.
* New manager? Gain the critical skill

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here ([link removed]) . And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast ([link removed]) for even more.
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