WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States and China have a deal that would keep TikTok operating in the United States, transferring its U.S. assets to U.S. owners from China&#8217;s ByteDance, potentially resolving a saga that has lingered for nearly a year.
A deal on the popular social media app, which counts 170 million U.S. users, stands as a breakthrough in months-long talks between the world&#8217;s No. 1 and No. 2 economies that have sought to defuse a wide-ranging trade war that has unnerved global markets.
&#8220;We have a deal on TikTok &#8230; We have a group of very big companies that want to buy it,&#8221; Trump said.
He lauded the trade deal reached with China, calling it an upgrade for both countries, and said it would preserve tens of billions of dollars of value.
&#8220;The kids want it so badly, I have parents calling me up. They don&#8217;t want it for themselves. They want it for their kids,&#8221; Trump said.
Any agreement could require approval by the Republican-controlled Congress, which passed a law in 2024 during the Biden Administration that required divestiture due to fears that TikTok&#8217;s U.S. user data could be accessed by the Chinese government, allowing Beijing to spy on Americans or conduct influence operations through the app.
The Trump administration has repeatedly declined to enforce a law requiring the app to shut down due to worries it would anger users and disrupt political communications, instead extending the divestiture deadline on three separate occasions.
Trump has credited the app with helping him win re-election last year, and his personal account has 15 million followers. The White House launched an official TikTok account last month.
CNBC reported Tuesday that the deal is expected to be closed within the next 30 to 45 days, and that the agreement will include existing investors in TikTok&#8217;s China-based parent ByteDance and new investors.
Reuters has not independently verified CNBC&#8217;s report. However, the details are in line with Reuters&#8217; reporting in April that the deal would spin off TikTok&#8217;s U.S. operations into a new company based in the U.S. and majority-owned and operated by U.S. investors.
Tariffs And TikTok
A deal for TikTok had been in the works in the spring, but was put on hold after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump&#8217;s announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.
Washington has maintained that TikTok&#8217;s ownership by ByteDance makes it beholden to the Chinese government, and Beijing could use the app to collect data on Americans.
The company has said U.S. officials have misstated its ties to China, arguing its content recommendation engine and user data are stored in the U.S. on cloud servers operated by Oracle, while content moderation decisions that affect American users are also made in the U.S.
CNBC also reported on Tuesday that Oracle will keep its cloud deal with TikTok as part of the agreement. Reuters reported earlier this year that the White House was working on a plan to tap Oracle, along with a group of outside investors, to take control of the app&#8217;s operations.
As part of the plan, Oracle would have been responsible for addressing national security issues, Reuters had then reported.
Shares of Oracle pared some gains on Tuesday following the news on TikTok and were last up nearly 3%.
A framework agreement was reached by officials from both countries on Monday, marking a breakthrough after months of intense talks. The White House has been involved to an unprecedented level in the closely watched deal talks.
Amid escalating trade tensions, U.S. and China delegations discussed the divestment as part of broader disputes over tariffs and tech export control regulations.
A final confirmation on the deal is expected on Friday in a call between Trump and President Xi Jinping.
Several suitors, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, a startup run by OnlyFans founder, and Amazon, had expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion.
(Reporting By Andrea Shalal and Jarrett Renshaw, Deborah Sophia, Jaspreet Singh; Editing by Anil D&#8217;Silva)

Trump Says U.S. Has A Buyer For TikTok

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China

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Bestselling author Jodi Picoult went on a full TikTok tirade over the reactions to Charlie Kirk’s murder.
The 59-year-old fiction writer, who has sold more than 40 million copies of her 28 published novels and short stories, is receiving a significant amount of backlash for her angry rant.
“An undeserved violent death does not negate the terrible pain that he inflicted on others,” <a href="https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1967347462051704996">Picoult said</a>. “I&#8217;m not buying into the hypocrisy.”
“You won&#8217;t trick me into believing it&#8217;s just about respect for life when your side has cheered families being ripped apart, when your side has proudly supported Alligator Alcatraz merch,” the “My Sister’s Keeper” author continued.
Picoult went on to accuse conservatives of “immediately jump[ing] to blame trans people and targeting HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), even though — shocker! — the shooter was a cis, white man from a Trump-supporting family who was raised to love guns.”
“I have always condemned all gun violence and I will continue to do so, but, as usual, the right only cares about violence when it happens to them. So, you know what? Miss me with the fake self-righteousness.”
Her rant spread quickly on X, sparking fierce opposition. By Monday morning, the TikTok was still public, but once it went viral, Picoult locked it down to private.
“Totally unhinged,” Libs of TikTok replied to the clip.
“Jodi, you write novels where the bad guy always gets exposed in the end. Congratulations, you’ve just made yourself the villain in real life,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/merikuh/status/1967347960976654797">wrote</a>.
“Another brainwashed liberal spreading lies about Charlie Kirk. You can guarantee these people never watched any of Charlie’s videos. They live in their echo chambers believing each other’s lies,” a third agreed, vowing to boycott Picoult’s books.
This isn’t the first time the woke side of the publishing industry has shown its blatant bias regarding Kirk’s assassination. Author Stephen King was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-king-walks-back-lie-about-charlie-kirk-with-half-hearted-apology">forced to apologize</a> after falsely accusing Kirk of advocating for gay people being stoned to death. 
The horror writer admitted his statement was untrue and deleted the original after social media comments flooded in, with followers proving him wrong.

Jodi Picoult

Author Jodi Picoult Melts Down On TikTok, Lashes Out At Charlie Kirk Supporters

Author Jodi Picoult Directs TikTok Tantrum At Charlie Kirk Supporters

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Books

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MADRID (Reuters) &#8211; The United States and China have reached a framework agreement to switch short-video app TikTok to U.S.-controlled ownership, top U.S. officials said on Monday, with President Donald Trump set to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the agreement after a meeting between senior U.S. and Chinese officials in Madrid, but declined to give any of the commercial terms of the agreement.
Bessent told reporters that further details would wait to be determined in a call on Friday between Trump and Xi.
Trump said on Monday that trade talks with China had gone very well and hinted that a deal had been reached to resolve issues the U.S. has over TikTok ownership.
&#8220;The big Trade Meeting in Europe between The United States of America, and China, has gone VERY WELL! It will be concluding shortly,&#8221; Trump wrote on his TruthSocial platform.
&#8220;A deal was also reached on a “certain” company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!!&#8221;
Earlier on Monday a U.S. official with knowledge of the negotiations had said that the U.S. would press ahead with a ban on TikTok if China didn&#8217;t drop its demands for reduced tariffs and technological restrictions as part of a divestiture deal.
U.S. and China delegations met to discuss the divestment from TikTok by Chinese owner Bytedance as part of a round of broader talks on tariffs and economic policy taking place in Madrid. TikTok faces being shut down as early as September 17 in the U.S. unless it moves to U.S. ownership.
Speaking to reporters earlier, Bessent and Greer said China wanted concessions on trade and technology in exchange for agreeing to divest from the popular social media app.
&#8220;Our Chinese counterparts have come with a very aggressive ask,&#8221; Bessent said, adding: &#8220;We are not willing to sacrifice national security for a social media app.&#8221;
POOR TIMING
The U.S.-China negotiations at the Spanish foreign ministry&#8217;s baroque Palacio de Santa Cruz, which began on Sunday, were the fourth round of talks in four months to address strained trade ties and a looming divestiture deadline for TikTok.
They took place as Washington demands that its allies place tariffs on imports from China over Chinese purchases of Russian oil, which Beijing on Monday said was an attempt at coercion.
Beijing separately announced on Monday that a preliminary investigation of Nvidia had found the U.S. chip giant had violated its anti-monopoly law. Bessent said the announcement on Nvidia was poor timing.
The probe is widely seen as a retaliatory shot against Washington&#8217;s curbs on the Chinese chip sector.
(Reporting by David Lawder, Pietro Lombardi and Ethan Wang,; Additional reporting by Brendan O&#8217;Brien and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Clarence Fernandez and Susan Fenton)

U.S. and China delegations visit Spain

Trump, Xi To Speak Friday After U.S.–China Reach Framework On TikTok

Communist China

Politics

Social Issues

Leftists are losing their minds over social media influencer Jeffree Star having a compassionate, human response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 
The makeup brand founder, who has more than 13 million followers on Instagram and close to 8 million on TikTok, clapped back at those who accused him of being a Republican because of his reaction. 
“Am I Republican? No, I’m a person,” Star said during his livestream, which included footage of him reacting to the news that Kirk had been shot at a college event in Utah. “Because I’m standing up for someone that passed away, I’m now being called names in the chat.”
“He encouraged everyone to speak about their beliefs, whether he believed them or not,” the pink-haired influencer and makeup enthusiast said in the TikTok clip, which has been widely circulated on X. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jeffree Star gets the news of Charlie Kirk’s passing while livestreaming #shorts" width="422" height="750" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Qwwd_PPpo0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
(Credit: @jeffreestar via TikTok)
“So a grown man that goes around the country, debating people, spitting facts, was just taken out. And I’m not over it… So no, I’m not a Republican. No, I’m not a Democrat. I’m Jeffree Star. Stop trying to label me.”
“Charlie Kirk fought … for the truth,” he added. “He debated everybody. And you guys cannot argue that.” Star mentioned Kirk’s young daughter and started tearing up, saying the tragedy makes him “so sick.” 
At another point, reacting to the comments being posted, Star said people who identify as transgender are in the wrong.
“This is what’s wrong with a lot of you people. You will never get far in life. You are sick in the head,” Star said as angry comments from viewers continued to come in. “Someone just said they’re unsubscribing from me … Thank God. Please! If you believe in they/thems, you are part of the problem. If you’re stupid enough to go against science, please unfollow me.”
The social media influencer said you can “be whoever you want to be,” but that doesn’t override physical reality. “The truth hurts a lot of you, I see,” he added.
“Yes, I am a grown ass man that wears makeup,” he said. “I will always be a male. My name is Jeffrey … I am a male that likes cosmetics.” 
“All these grown men going into women’s bathrooms and wearing wigs, you should all be in prison forever. You are the problem.”
“Politics aside, biology will never change,” Star said. “Why is that up for debate?”

Pink-Haired Makeup Artist Jeffree Star Has Unlikely Reaction To Charlie Kirk’s Murder

Pink-Haired Makeup Artist Jeffree Star Has Unlikely Reaction To Charlie Kirk's Murder

Celebrities

Entertainment

influencer

Instagram

U.S.

In a TikTok video on Monday, a Michigan Democratic legislator offered to help children access “gender-affirming” care if they contacted her office.
Michigan State Rep. Carrie Rheingans said in the video that she was specifically talking to “trans kids here in Michigan,” adding that life-altering gender procedures are still legal in the state. Wearing a “Protect Trans Kids” sweatshirt, the Michigan Democrat posted the video Monday in response to the University of Michigan’s hospital network <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2025/08/25/university-of-michigan-health-ends-gender-affirming-care-after-doj-subpoena/">ending</a> gender procedures for minors under pressure from the Department of Justice.
In her video, Rheingans told children that they could still get “care” at other places in Michigan.
“I want you to know, as trans kids here in Michigan, that this care is obviously safe and effective. That’s why it’s been approved and why it’s been used all across the country and continues to be used,” she added. “So if you need to find a new place to get care it is still legal here in Michigan, and reach out to our office, we’ll be able to connect you to what might still be available in our community.”
Rheingans, who represents Ann Arbor, urged children to “please contact our office” and provided contact information.
“We love you. We are really supportive of you as kids, and we want to make sure that you can grow up and thrive here in Michigan,” she added.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@reprheingans/video/7542692547190181151" data-video-id="7542692547190181151">
<section><a title="@reprheingans" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@reprheingans?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@reprheingans</a> 🏳️‍⚧️ <a title="transkids" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/transkids?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#TransKids</a> in <a title="michigan" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/michigan?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#Michigan</a>: we live you and want to see you grow and thrive here 🩵🤍🩷 <a title="genderaffirmingcare" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/genderaffirmingcare?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#GenderAffirmingCare</a> <a title="♬ original sound - MI State RepCarrie Rheingans" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7542692567620602655?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound &#8211; MI State RepCarrie Rheingans</a></section>
</blockquote>
&nbsp;
The federal government and medical establishment previously pushed gender procedures for children as an effective way to treat gender dysphoria, but the practice has come under intense <a href="https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/gender-dysphoria-report-exec-summary.pdf">scrutiny</a> as new research highlights the dangers of performing life-altering gender surgeries and puberty blockers. A Health and Human Services <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hhs-releases-damning-review-of-gender-treatments-for-minors-the-risks-cannot-be-ignored">review</a> released earlier this year, shortly after President Donald Trump took office, stated, “These interventions carry risk of significant harms including infertility/sterility, sexual dysfunction, impaired bone density accrual, adverse cognitive impacts, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders, psychiatric disorders, surgical complications, and regret.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Even before Trump stepped into the White House, the federal government was changing its tune on gender procedures for children. Last summer, the Biden administration opposed lowering the age minimums for hormonal treatments, mastectomies, breast augmentations, facial, and genital surgeries, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/health/transgender-surgery-biden.html">reported</a>.
The Trump administration has threatened to cut federal funding to hospitals that continue to perform gender procedures on children, resulting in many large hospitals such as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/health-care-puts-stop-to-trans-surgeries-on-kids">Kaiser Permanente</a> and <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-hospitals-ending-gender-affirming-care-minors-impact/story?id=124889031">Children’s National Hospital</a> ending the practice.
Michigan Republican state Rep. Brad Paquette, who is leading an effort in the Great Lakes State to protect children from gender procedures, told The Daily Wire that he has a “good relationship” with Rheingans and has discussed the issue with her “pretty extensively.”
“So here in the state of Michigan, one of the unfortunate aspects is my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are completely captured by this ideology, this gender theory,” Paquette said. “So I’m trying to do my best to figure out how to get my colleagues informed as to what these procedures are.”
“She has this mentality that she carries — that the trans activists carry — that there are safe spaces, that you’re an ally or you’re not,” Paquette added. “And this causes an extreme divide among families and in the political arena.”
Rheingans did not respond to a Daily Wire request for comment, but she did address some criticism of her video on social media.
“Horrifying because I told children that I love them. Calm down,” she <a href="https://x.com/RepRheingans/status/1960364046546244058">replied</a> to one post from conservative communicator Steve Guest, who said it was “one of the most horrifying videos that I’ve ever seen posted by a politician.”
“Kids need to see that some grownups love them, and not all are bullies,” she <a href="https://x.com/RepRheingans/status/1960373622473691545">wrote</a> in another post.
Rheingans has made LGBT issues a significant part of her political agenda, saying earlier this year that she was “proud to vote YES to expand Michigan’s civil rights law,” which added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🫶🏻 Thank you to our many constituents and advocates from @equality_michigan for sharing your stories and being your beautiful selves! I was proud to vote YES to expand <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Michigan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Michigan</a>&#8216;s civil rights law &#8230; 1/2 <a href="https://t.co/2M3mtsfooo">pic.twitter.com/2M3mtsfooo</a>
— Rep. Carrie Rheingans (@RepRheingans) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRheingans/status/1923327547858731264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
In 2024, Rheingans spoke at the Ann Arbor Pride Festival and <a href="https://archive.ph/VU0Dl#selection-1603.0-1606.0">urged</a> gay people to run for office.
“If you have never thought about running for office, we need more gays in office, go run for office,” she said. “We need to have a bigger LGBTQ caucus.”

Trans flag

‘Please Contact Our Office’: Dem Lawmaker Tells Kids That She’ll Help Them Undergo Gender Procedures

Children

Democrats

LGBT

Michigan

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transgender surgery

The White House launched an official TikTok account on Tuesday, taking advantage of its more than 150 million U.S. users to spread the messages of President Donald Trump.
Trump has a soft spot for the popular app, crediting it with helping him gain support among young voters when he defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the November 2024 presidential election.
Past intelligence assessments have said the short video app&#8217;s owners are beholden to the Chinese government and that it could be used to influence Americans.
“The Trump administration is committed to communicating the historic successes President Trump has delivered to the American people with as many audiences and platforms as possible,&#8221; White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said as the site went live.
&#8220;President Trump’s message dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign, and we’re excited to build upon those successes and communicate in a way no other administration has before,” she said.
The account, @whitehouse, began operation on Tuesday evening, with the aim of communicating the president&#8217;s policies, a White House official said.
(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Leslie Adler, Rod Nickel)

White House Launches Official TikTok Account

Karoline Leavitt

White House

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham still know how to make a scene.
Earlier this month, the former lovers and Fleetwood Mac stars <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/07/18/stevie-nicks-lindsey-buckingham-fleetwood-mac-reunion/85269775007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caused a stir</a> when they posted complementary lyrics on their respective social media pages.
“And if I go forward,” Nicks posted, just as Buckingham shared “I’ll meet you there.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
LOVE IS REAL <a href="https://t.co/VJwK2ATM5D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/VJwK2ATM5D</a>
— stevie nicks manager (@kajolswife) <a href="https://twitter.com/kajolswife/status/1945901728492097540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
The twin halves form the refrain of the couple’s song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6sfWg386yg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Frozen Love,</a>” from the album “Buckingham Nicks,” which they recorded before joining the band that would make them famous.
Were they teasing that they would be releasing a remastered version of the album, as of yet not available on Spotify? Or were the famously on-again, off-again duo announcing that they were reuniting in their twilight years, as Nicks had once <a href="https://x.com/fleetwood_memes/status/1946160101259145418" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> they would do?
The fact is, it doesn’t matter what they were teasing. The world perked up when they teased.
Weirdly, today, that&#8217;s not entirely unsurprising.
Buckingham and Nicks rose to fame, not with their titular album, but when they joined Mick Fleetwood and John McVie’s blues rock band in 1974 — seven years after it formed — and lent their sound to the otherwise average project, propelling Fleetwood Mac into stardom.
After “Rumours” dropped in 1977, it was clear that Fleetwood Mac would forever be famous. By the time Bill Clinton replaced the Democratic Party’s theme of “Happy Days Are Here Again” — chosen by Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 — with the band’s “Don’t Stop,” it was clear that the Fleetwood Mac had made it.
But that’s not why people cared about Buckingham and Nicks’ posts. In recent years, the band — and its tumultuous lead duo — has become a bit of a phenomenon among millennials and Gen Z.
It started, perhaps, with a viral <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=dreams+cranberry+juice+tiktok&amp;oq=dreams+cranberry+juice+tiktok&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQABjvBdIBCDY3MjFqMGo0qAIAsAIB&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:23d42a8b,vid:OtzVKUCZE5w,st:0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 TikTok</a> in which Nathan Apodaca filmed himself longboarding down the road while drinking cranberry juice and listening to “Dreams.” It continued as denizens of “BookTok” fell in love with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s “Daisy Jones And The Six,” a novel inspired by the band that became an equally popular Amazon Prime series.
Still, that’s not enough to explain the Fleetwood Mac renaissance among a generation whose parents grew up thinking of the band as a staple of classic rock radio. Really, the revival has to do with a single performance of a song the band never actually released.
“Silver Springs” was cut from “Rumours,” though contemporary fans of the song likely struggle to understand why. In it, Nicks chides a former romantic partner, “Time cast a spell on you, but you won&#8217;t forget me/I know I could have loved you/But you would not let me.”
It’s clear to anyone who knows the tangled romantic history of Fleetwood Mac that Nicks is singing to Buckingham, a point made abundantly clear by the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDwi-8n054s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now-viral clip</a> from the band’s 1997 concert film “The Dance” in which she stares down the guitarist, who almost fumbles his solo as she spits “you’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eDwi-8n054s?si=iaCyorUA6PlGMEMg" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It’s a striking scene, and an incredible performance. But why, one wonders, did this particular clip gain so much traction in recent years? For as long as Fleetwood Mac has been famous, it’s been known that its members had been cheating on each other — often with each other — and writing their romantic vicissitudes into their songs.
Why is it that, almost half a century after the release of a best-selling album that contained the  biting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozl3L9fhKtE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Go Your Own Way”</a> and the cheeky <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJo3Rq5Fubc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“You Make Loving Fun”</a> — a song that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/12-of-the-biggest-names-who-died-in-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">late Christine McVie</a> wrote about having an affair with the band&#8217;s lighting director and told her husband and bandmate John McVie was about their dog — a single music video ignited an entirely new fervor for the band with a generation that would have otherwise viewed these songs as their parents’ music?
At first glance, it’s easy to write the Fleetwood Mac revival off as another TikTok phenomenon. The cranberry juice-swilling longboarder lit the match, and the fire spread throughout social media.
But there is something about young people’s embrace of “Silver Springs” and the entire Fleetwood Mac oeuvre that makes it different from, say, the recent popularity of Connie Francis’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pretty-little-baby-singer-connie-francis-dead-at-87" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Pretty Little Baby.”</a> Teenagers who adopted the late crooner’s hit as a TikTok sound didn’t do so because they yearned for the chippy vibes of the 1950s — they did so because, like so many other social media trends, someone started it and they followed.
No, the re-embrace of Fleetwood Mac is more earnest. New fans delight not just in the music, but in the rawness of the performance, the expression of emotion performed by jilted lovers, yearning hearts, once and future friends,
Perhaps we should not be surprised that Gen Z embraced Fleetwood Mac for these reasons. After all, this is a generation that is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/06/23/1254614599/carter-sherman-gen-z-sex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not having sex</a>, <a href="https://time.com/7203140/gen-z-drinking-less-alcohol/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drinking</a>, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/gen-z-drug-use-record-lows-study-alcohol-marijuana-2004327" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doing drugs</a>, or even <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/gen-z-choosing-not-drive-1861237" target="_blank" rel="noopener">driving their own cars</a>. It’s understandable that they would yearn for something more real, more primal, more exciting than what they’re used to. Smothered by helicopter parents and numbed by antidepressants, it makes sense that young people today would latch onto a band known for its almost comical licentiousness, fueled by drugs meant to exacerbate emotions, not control them.
It helps, of course, that Fleetwood Mac is an incredible band. Stevie Nicks is a generational performer, her voice made for belting in an arena while doing a witchy dance. Lindsey Buckingham is one of the great guitarists, and his solos, both passionate and elegant, never distract from his vocal prowess.
And then there’s the rest of the band, who are made all the more likable by the fact that they exist in the shadows of their leaders’ steely glares and rocky pasts. As one fan <a href="https://x.com/lornashawty/status/1815371603321962995" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put it on X</a>, during the aforementioned performance of “Silver Springs,” “Lindsay stares at Stevie to get a rise and a also better performance out of her…Christine looks like she wants to murder them both and Mick Fleetwood is just like ‘I LOVE DRUMS!!!!!’”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
thinking again about the performance of Silver Springs where Lindsay stares at Stevie to get a rise and a also better performance out of her in a Dennis Reynolds kind of way, Christine looks like she wants to murder them both and Mick Fleetwood is just like &#8220;I LOVE DRUMS!!!!!&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/P0uzHZ4GN4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/P0uzHZ4GN4</a>
— chatpile roan (@lornashawty) <a href="https://twitter.com/lornashawty/status/1815371603321962995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">July 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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That of course is to say nothing of John McVie, who plucks his bass guitar with a workmanlike fervor unencumbered by the fact that he’s standing just feet from his ex-wife.
It’s tempting to say that Buckingham and Nicks know what they’re doing. And of course, to a certain extent, they do. Whether they’re announcing a romantic reunion, a tour, a remaster, or some combination of the three, the pair is certainly aware of their image as a couple, and use it to their advantage.
Watch Fleetwood Mac perform, however, and it quickly becomes clear that the fiery core of the band that has spawned a new generation of fans has little to do with the band’s performative element. Of course Buckingham and Nicks glare at each other while performing “Silver Spring,” a song entirely about their breakup.
But watch their performance from the same concert of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBYHwH1Vb-c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The Chain”</a> — the only song on “Rumours” for which the entire band is credited, a hodgepodge of various songs each member was working on at the time they recorded — and you’ll see why the memes have made such an impact.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kBYHwH1Vb-c?si=HKuToy9HGRiUW8k-" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Nicks is glaring at Buckingham like she hates him. Christine McVie looks morose behind her keyboard, while her ex plucks the bass, emotionless. And all the while, Mick Fleetwood bangs on his kit with a wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression that really cannot be described better than “I LOVE DRUMS!!!!!”
True rockstars are dying. Most of those still performing, like the Rolling Stones, have become punchlines because they are so clearly superannuated. But not Fleetwood Mac.
Mick Fleetwood is 78. Stevie Nicks is 77. Lindsey Buckingham a sprightly 75. They’re not jumping around like Bruce Springsteen, nor are they aging into respectable rocker tenure like Paul McCartney.
No, the members of everyone’s favorite transatlantic blues rock pop band are simply doing their thing, musically and personally. It’s why a bunch of twenty-somethings are as excited about their coquettish trysts as they are about their now-classic tracks.
Fleetwood Mac is simply, unequivocally, unchangeably real. They began as a totem of a rollicking and troubled generation. They became a cautionary tale for the same cadre as they aged. And now, in their golden years, they are a beacon for a new generation removed enough to see their promiscuity as fascinatingly anachronistic as their honest instrumentation.
So, are Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham getting back together? It really doesn’t matter. They’ve been given a new life, and their music has inspired a new generation to go their own way. That’s a legacy that means more than any of their songs or personal squabbles. And boy does it still sound great.

Fleetwood Mac In Concert – San Jose, CA

Why Is Gen Z So Obsessed With Fleetwood Mac?

Bill Clinton

Gen Z

Music

Rock and Roll

Rolling Stones

As the internet continues to obsess over the alleged affair between the CEO of tech company Astronomer and its head of human resources, the woman who initially shared a video of the two appearing to show a public display of affection at a recent Coldplay concert is defending her actions.
&#8220;I had no idea who the couple was. Just thought I caught an interesting reaction to the kiss cam and decided to post it,” New Jersey resident Grace Springer <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/35903214/coldplay-cheating-concert-fan-filmed/">told</a> The Sun of her video clip, which amassed tens of millions of views and became the talk of social media after being posted in the early morning hours on Thursday. 
&#8220;A part of me feels bad for turning these people’s lives upside down, but, play stupid games… win stupid prizes,” she added. &#8220;I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them.”
&#8220;I hope, for them, my video was a blessing in disguise,&#8221; Springer added.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@instaagraace/video/7527910323681070367" data-video-id="7527910323681070367">
<section><a title="@instaagraace" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@instaagraace?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@instaagraace</a> trouble in paradise?? 👀 <a title="coldplay" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/coldplay?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#coldplay</a> <a title="boston" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/boston?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#boston</a> <a title="coldplayconcert" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/coldplayconcert?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#coldplayconcert</a> <a title="kisscam" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kisscam?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#kisscam</a> <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#fyp</a> <a title="♬ original sound - grace" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7527915447535307550?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound &#8211; grace</a></section>
</blockquote>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
The viral video shows married Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot embracing one another, as was shown on the big screen at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, when the kiss cam landed on them. The couple reacted immediately, with Byron letting go of Cabot and stepping out of frame. Cabot had a similar reaction as she immediately hid her face and turned away from the camera.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin called out their reaction. “Oh look at these two,” the singer can be heard saying. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”
As of Friday, the original TikTok video has more than 55 million views.
The popularity of the video spurred many fake reactions, including a faux statement attributed to Byron and images of a fake social media post attributed to Coldplay<a href="https://x.com/MikeBeauvais/status/1945865732748722537"> saying</a>, “Starting with our next show, we’re introducing camera-free audience sections for people and their sidepieces.” 
Byron has served as CEO of Astronomer since 2023, and Cabot was hired nine months ago. 
Byron’s wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, removed her last name from her Facebook account before deactivating it entirely. Byron was on LinkedIn but appears to have removed his profile as of Friday. They reportedly have two children together. 
Neither the exec nor the company has issued a public statement. Ry Walker, Astronomer&#8217;s former CEO, did address the situation with an X <a href="https://x.com/rywalker/status/1945894506160648514">post</a>. 
&#8220;For those asking—I&#8217;m no longer involved in @astronomerio—yes I was co-founder and early CEO—not on the team or board since 2022, and have no information on ColdplayGate.&#8221;

Byron

Coldplay Fan Who Posted Video Of CEO Embracing His ‘Chief People Officer’ Speaks Out

Coldplay Fan Who Posted Video Of CEO Embracing His 'Chief People Officer' Speaks Out

cheating

concert

Massachusetts

viral video

While the nation mourns the devastating floods that wreaked havoc in Texas, some are taking to TikTok to use the disaster as a jumping off point for shocking racial commentary.
Sade Perkins, a former member of the Houston Food Insecurity Board, posted a video on TikTok pointing out the “double standard” between attitudes towards the girls at Camp Mystic and children of families being deported.
&#8220;Camp Mystic is a Whites-only girls Christian camp. They don&#8217;t even have a token Asian, they don&#8217;t have a Token Black person, it is an all White, White-only conservative Christian camp,&#8221; Perkins claimed.
&#8220;They want you to have sympathy for these people. Meanwhile, they are deporting your family members. And I need you all to keep that in mind before you all get out there and put on your rain boots and go find these little girls.&#8221;
Houston Mayor John Whitmire&#8217;s office <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-houston-appointee-claims-flood-ravaged-camp-mystic-whites-only-viral-video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a> Perkins’ comments: &#8220;The comments shared on social media are deeply inappropriate and have no place in a decent society, especially as families grieve the confirmed deaths and the ongoing search for the missing,&#8221; the statement from the mayor&#8217;s office read.
The mayor’s office told FOX News they would not reappoint Perkins and would be “taking immediate steps to remove her permanently from the board.”
She’s not the only one trying to politicize the flood, which has claimed the lives of at least 82 people.
Another TikToker, who goes by the username <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bossysptenstarsimon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bossysptenstarsimon</a>, implied that some higher power sent the floods to target white people in particular in a video under the caption “I hope this is a lesson 2 ppl in the floods.”
“I find it ironic that it was the deep southern [sic] of Texas that it happened to,” the user, who is black, says. “Are we not paying attention to the certain” — at this point, she stops speaking and brushes her face, to suggest skin tone —&#8221;that’s on the videos?”
“Hopefully this is opening up some eyes and showing people that he watches,” she adds.
A number of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/libs-dragged-for-blaming-texas-flood-disaster-on-trump?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Libs+Dragged+For+Blaming+Texas+Flood+Disaster+On+Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leftwing celebrities</a> and political figures have also politicized the flooding, with many implying that Texas — a largely Republican state — brought the disaster upon itself by voting for President Donald Trump, who they say cut disaster response funding. But meteorologists agree that the devastation in Texas was in no way caused or made worse by the administration&#8217;s cuts, as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/theres-no-evidence-to-suggest-doge-cuts-caused-texas-flood-devastation-meteorologists-say?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Sam+Korkus+and+Isabel+Garcia&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=There%E2%80%99s+No+Evidence+To+Suggest+DOGE+Cuts+Caused+Texas+Flood+Devastation%2C+Meteorologists+Say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

Storm Helene Causes Massive Flooding Across Swath Of Western North Carolina

TikTok Users Try To Make Texas Floods All About Race

Floods

Liberals

Texas

President Donald Trump will give TikTok’s owner more time to comply with a federal law mandating that it cannot be owned by a Chinese company because of national security concerns. 
The extension will give ByteDance, the Chinese-based company that owns TikTok, another 90 days to find an American buyer. TikTok was first set to go dark in January 2025, but Trump has extended that deadline multiple times. 
&#8220;As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. &#8220;This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.”
Trump has previously expanded the deadline twice, once in January and then again in an April <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/extending-the-tiktok-enforcement-delay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> that directed the Justice Department not to enforce the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” until June 19. 
TikTok will now have until September to facilitate a deal with an American company or investor. 
During his first term in office, Trump first moved to ban TikTok via executive order, a move that was later blocked. Several years later, President Joe Biden signed a bill mandating the sale of TikTok into law in April 2024 after broad Congressional support. 
Days before Trump took office in January, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-allows-tiktok-ban-to-take-effect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that Congress was justified in passing the ban because of concerns about the Chinese government using TikTok to harvest the private data of millions of Americans. 
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the court wrote. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
The court was unconvinced that the ban amounted to restrictions on free speech. 
“It is not clear that the Act itself directly regulates protected expressive activity, or conduct with an expressive component. Indeed, the Act does not regulate the creator petitioners at all. And it directly regulates ByteDance Ltd. and TikTok Inc. only through the divestiture requirement,” the court wrote.

Chinese Social Media App TikTok To Be Banned Unless Sold To US Company

White House Says Trump Will Extend TikTok Ban Deadline For 3rd Time

Executive

Joe Biden

National Security

Social Media

Technology

World

Latin R&amp;B singer Nezza made waves before a Los Angeles Dodgers game on Saturday when she sang “The Star Spangled Banner” in Spanish despite being told not to.
The 30-year-old recording artist, whose full name is Vanessa Hernández, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@babynezza/video/7515995487342824734?lang=en">mocked</a> the controversy in a post on her TikTok account. “para mi gente [for my people]; I stand with you,” she wrote in the video caption, which has almost 8 million views.
“Watch the Dodgers tell me I can’t sing the Spanish ‘Star Spangled Banner that Roosevelt literally commissioned in 1945,” she gloated in a text overlay.
The video clip attached shows Nezza smiling and wearing a Dominican Republic jersey. A team representative can be heard telling her, “We are gonna do the song in English today. I’m not sure if that wasn’t relayed.” Nezza immediately stops smiling and says, “Ohhhh.” 
The video then cuts to a shot of her singing the anthem in Spanish with a text overlay that says, “so I did it anyway.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Singer Nezza was told by the Dodgers to sing the National Anthem in English but she sang it in spanish to protest ICE.
She then gets very emotional and cries over ICE deporting criminals who are in our country illegally. <a href="https://t.co/1sTDbXx3aT">pic.twitter.com/1sTDbXx3aT</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1934370251510309052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Nezza followed up with <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@babynezza/video/7516015340464262431?lang=en">another TikTok</a> on Saturday night, saying through tears, “Safe to say I’m never allowed in that stadium ever again.&#8221; 
“Bear with me ’cause I’m still very shaken up and emotional,” the singer said in the follow-up before trying to justify her decision. “You can Google it, (but) I’ll just read it to you really quick: ‘It was officially commissioned in 1945 by the U.S. State Department as a part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s good neighbor policy to foster a better relationship with Latin America.”
“Because of this, I didn’t think I would be met with any sort of, like, no, especially because we’re in L.A., and with everything happening. And I’ve sung the national anthem many times in my life, but … today, out of all days, I could not, I’m sorry,” Nezza added.
“I just could not believe when she walked in and told me no. I just felt like I needed to do it. For anyone who’s been following me for a while, you know everything I do is out of love,” she continued. “And I am proud of myself for doing that today. Because my parents are immigrants, and they’ve been citizens my whole life at this point. They got documented really early, but I just can’t imagine them being ripped away from me, just even at this age, let alone [as] a little kid. What are we doing?”
On Sunday, a Dodgers team official told <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-06-15/nezza-sang-the-national-anthem-in-spanish-at-dodger-stadium-despite-teams-objection">The Los Angeles Times</a> that “there were no consequences from the club regarding the performance and that Nezza would be welcome back at the stadium in the future.”
Videos of Nezza’s Spanish rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” began circulating on social media, where it received mixed but mostly negative reactions. 
“Can you imagine what would happen if you did that in another country? The entitlement and disrespect is off the charts,” one reaction on X <a href="https://x.com/SKDoubleDub33/status/1934370881704227241">said</a>. 
“Kinda loses its virtue when you start posting about it for likes and attention without letting the recognition and praise happen organically. Shows you did it for the wrong reasons,” another commenter <a href="https://x.com/getwreckednerds/status/1934410660278042633">chimed in</a>.

Nezza

OFF PITCH: National Anthem Sung In Spanish At Dodgers Game In Protest Of ICE

Singer Belts National Anthem In Spanish At Dodgers Game Despite Being Warned Not To

Baseball

California

Los Angeles

Los Angeles Dodgers

National Anthem

singer

“Harry Potter” author JK Rowling is calling out a trans activist trying to justify taking photos of himself inside women’s restrooms.
Rowling responded to a post describing the behavior of Lilly Tino, a man who identifies as a woman and frequently posts videos of himself being “misgendered” at restaurants and complaining to wait staff and his followers about it.
Tino has over 400,000 followers on TikTok and 15.8 million likes on his posts.
Lately, the activist has been <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lillytino_/video/7514325434583076139?lang=en">ranting</a> about how “trans men” shouldn’t be criticized for taking photos of themselves in the women’s restroom because celebrities do it all the time. But commenters pointed out that many of the influencer photos Tino refers to only show one person, whereas his photos from the bathroom include people in the background who are having their rights violated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This man’s bathroom photos are trophies. He wants women and girls in the background because it proves he’s violating women’s boundaries. Without actual females there as props all he’s got is a selfie of a scary-looking creep in mouse ears, which isn’t remotely what he’s after. <a href="https://t.co/2ff9od3qMN">https://t.co/2ff9od3qMN</a>
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) <a href="https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1932749439908667690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
“This man’s bathroom photos are trophies. He wants women and girls in the background because it proves he’s violating women’s boundaries. Without actual females there as props all he’s got is a selfie of a scary-looking creep in mouse ears, which isn’t remotely what he’s after,” Rowling wrote in response to a post about Tino taking bathroom selfies at Disney.
She also responded to followers who called her out for giving him attention.
“He&#8217;s getting publicity for being a gigantic male creep who takes pictures of women and girls in what should be protected spaces. Now men will know exactly who to be on the watch for in Disneyland, while waiting for their female partners and daughters. I&#8217;d call that a win,” the billionaire British author added in a follow-up post.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
“He has zero interest in a greater cause. He&#8217;s using &#8216;activism&#8217; as a fig leaf and a free pass for what excites him, as is the case with a load of these men. If it gives him a sexual kick he&#8217;ll keep doing it until he&#8217;s stopped,” Rowling wrote.
Rowling&#8217;s comments were in response to a post about some of the bathroom selfies Tino has been sharing with followers.
“Lilly Tino, a man who presents as a woman, has come out in defense of a series of selfies he took inside a women’s restroom at Disney World, after facing backlash from both LGBTQ+ and heterosexual communities,” the <a href="https://x.com/ImMeme0/status/1932463761312330079">original post</a> says. 
“Tino justifies his actions by comparing himself to celebrities who have previously taken photos in women’s restrooms. However, he conveniently omits that his images captured women and young girls in the background without their consent—an act that constitutes a violation of Florida’s privacy and voyeurism laws.”
The original post said there’s a “growing petition” to have Tino banned from TikTok.

JK Rowling

JK Rowling Calls Out Trans Activist ‘Creep’ Over Women’s Bathroom Selfies

Bathrooms

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