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Black influencers, including the owner of a plus-size boutique, are among those lobbying Congress not to ban TikTok

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TikTok, TikTok ban, theGrio.com

WASHINGTON (AP) – Lawmakers, meet your newest lobbyists: online influencers from TikTok.

The platform is once more inviting influencers to Washington, this time to lobby members of Congress to reject a quickly passed bill that will force TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company to be sold or banned in the United States. On Tuesday, some influencers kicked off a two-day event in support of TikTok, which organized their trip ahead of the House vote on the bill on Wednesday.

But unlike a similar lobbying event the company held last March, when talk of banning TikTok got here to a head, this yr’s motion seemed more rushed as the company tried hard to counter laws that was moving quickly on Capitol Hill.

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“If they ban it, I don’t know what that will do” to the company, Summer Lucille, a TikTok content creator with 1.4 million followers who’s visiting Washington this week, said in an interview organized by the platform. “It will be devastating.” The laws enjoys extraordinary support in Congress.

Content creator Summer Lucille poses for a photo in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. She is among the influential people lobbying lawmakers against a bill that will force TikTok to sell its platform or face a ban in the United States. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)

Last week, a House panel unanimously approved the measure in an unusual display of bipartisanship. President Joe Biden has said he’ll sign the bill whether it is passed by lawmakers. However, it’s unclear what is going to occur in the Senate, where several bills geared toward banning TikTok are stalled.

The laws faces other obstacles. Former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, who holds sway over Republicans in each the House of Representatives and the Senate, has expressed opposition to the bill, saying it will strengthen the position of Meta-owned Facebook, which he continues to sharply criticize for its defeat in elections in 2020. The bill also faces opposition from some progressive lawmakers in the House, in addition to civil liberties groups who say it violates the First Amendment.

TikTok may very well be banned if parent company ByteDance fails to sell its stake in the platform and other apps it owns inside six months of the law’s entry into force.

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The fight over the platform comes at a time when U.S.-China relations have turned strategic competition, especially in areas resembling advanced technologies and data security, seen as necessary to each country’s economic prowess and national security. The change, which began under Trump and continued under Biden, imposed restrictions on high-tech exports and the outflow of US money to China, in addition to access of some Chinese firms to the US market.

The Biden administration also cited human rights concerns in blacklisting a number of Chinese firms accused of helping the state’s surveillance campaign against ethnic minorities.

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There is not any shortage of lobbyists on TikTok. Its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, has a powerful lobbying apparatus in Washington that features dozens of lobbyists from well-known consulting and law firms, in addition to influential figures resembling former members of Congress and former advisers to influential lawmakers, according to the Defense Foundation Democracy.

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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew may even be in Washington this week and plans to meet with lawmakers, according to a company spokesman who said Chew’s visit was previously planned.

But influencers who’ve a strong following on social media and may share personal stories about how the platform has empowered their businesses – or just given them a voice – are still arguably one of the strongest tools a company has in its arsenal.

A TikTok spokesperson said the two-day event can be attended by dozens of influencers, including some who got here last yr. A spokesman did not immediately respond to questions on what number of recent people will take part in this yr’s lobbying foray. The company informs them about this before meetings with representatives and media interviews.

Lucille runs a plus-size boutique in Charlotte, North Carolina, and according to her, she has seen a significant increase in revenue thanks to her TikTok page. The 34-year-old began creating content on TikTok, specializing in plus-size fashion, in March 2022, greater than a decade after founding the company. She quickly gained hundreds of followers after posting a nine-second video about her boutique.

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Due to her popularity on the platform, her company has more online visibility and more customers, some of whom have even visited from throughout Europe. She says she also frequently hears from followers who find support in her content about fashion and self-confidence.

JT Laybourne, an influencer who also got here to Washington, said he joined TikTok in early 2019 after receiving negative comments on videos he posted on Instagram singing in the automotive together with his children.

TikTok, TikTok ban, theGrio.com
Republicans in the House of Representatives are backing a bill that will require Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the United States. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Laybourne, who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, said he was drawn to the short video platform since it was easy to create videos that included music. Like Lucille, he quickly gained popularity on the app. He says he has also received more support from TikTok users who’ve responded positively to the content he has created about love and positivity.

Laybourne says the community he built on the platform rallied around his family when he had to undergo heart surgery in 2020. He said that after surgery, he used the platform to raise $1 million for the American Heart Association in lower than two years. His family now runs a clothing company that gets most of its traffic from TikTok.

“I will fight tooth and nail for this application,” he said.

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But it’s unclear whether the opposition the company gathers through lobbyists or influencers will likely be enough to derail the bill. On Tuesday, House lawmakers received a briefing from the FBI, Justice Department and intelligence officials about national security concerns about TikTok.


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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com

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New Orlean Entrepreneur enters the success in the footwear industry

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New Balance, Joe Freshgoods, Chicago


An entrepreneur from Nowy Orleans achieved a brand new success because of the idea for the online footwear business, DsneAkerxpress.

Darrick Jones began to find his entrepreneurial dreams during the Covid-19 pandemic. He took his passion and knowledge in all sneakers to attach with latest clients and satisfy demand.

In the case of many sneakerhead, “bots” shopping often buy the latest drops, taking possibilities from consumers. Now Jones falsified the system back in hand real people. He doesn’t do it to make a profit, but to bring a smile on the faces of his clients with a brand new pair of kicks.

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“Love of this. I do not do it for money. I love to help people get the necessary shoes, or like a child who is looking for their first pair of Jordan … I love to provide them, appearance on their faces,” said Jones.

His botting system led to an expansive collection of footwear, which he uses to take care of his resale and calm latest customers. Its composition even includes celebrities equivalent to Lil Baby and Rob49 rappers.

“You once heard about tennis bots where you get online shoes and they automatically caught them. I bought Jordan 5s and did $ 1500. Then he began to grow and grow, and Boom, we are where we are,” said Jones.

However, not only technical skills led to its development. Jones still builds his network by participating in the conventions of sneakers, which ends up in even greater sales for the entrepreneur. He says that the experience of learning from other sellers or wholesale sneakers are crucial when scaling their activities.

“I find out how this person gets shoes from this particular website, or has this specific buying plugin or wholesale, and then I can interact with other people in the same space as me,” said Jones.

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Although every little thing is in his love of playing sneaker, Jones also thank his family and friends who supported him on this journey. It encourages all business enthusiasts to start out, because all good things require time.

“Go, never stop. Rome was not built at night. You can write like a thousand reels or publish a thousand photos, and no person buys. But someone should purchase a thousand, 2000, 3000, 4.

His range of things on the market extends to Very desirable clothing. From a limited edition to designer jackets, Dsneakerxpress enters the size.

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(Tagstranslate) latest Orlean

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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40,000 employees thank Marriott CEO for defending Dei among political pressure

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DEI, Marriott, CEo

During the right place for the highest of labor, the overall director of Marriott Anthony Capuano divided his sentiments about how the corporate that the captains reacted to attacks on diversity, own capital and integration released by the Trump administration. Although privately he wondered if he made the correct phone, he soon received confirmation from 1000’s of employees, which he actually selected the correct path.

According to Capuano told the stakeholders At the highest, which took place on April 8-10 in Las Vegas, that Marriott wouldn’t hesitate to create a chance for everyone who crossed the corporate’s door, whatever the political pressure of the White House.

“The winds blow, but there are some basic truths for these 98 years,” Capuano told the audience. “Welcome to everyone in our hotels and create opportunities for everyone – and they will never change in principle. The words can change, but that’s what we are as a company.”

https://twitter.com/arevamartin/status/191475286650743400?s=19

Within 24 hours of his comments, he received a litany of emails from the corporate’s most significant resources: its employees, and furthermore, over 40,000 messages thanked him for coping with diversity, equality and inclusion, because they were also the values ​​during which they believed.

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Marriott, which employs over 800,000 people around the globe, was consistently placed on the list of “best companies for work”, this 12 months the hotel network took eighth place on the list and as a consequence of its strong commitment to its employees, 90% of the worker retention index within the industry, which has a mean of 57% retention index.

According to comments, Capuano represent a position Diversity, justice and integration are usually not a social programFlooding that has been supporting the White House and other Republican countries for several years. Instead, it is an element of the corporate’s operational infrastructure, and the consistency between what the corporate says and creates a culture of consistency.

Indeed, in line with Great Place is Work, jobs with great trust on the a part of their employees They often outweigh the competition by almost 4 times. Companies for their 100 best firms also exchange their results on the stock exchange greater than thrice; This signifies that the trust of employees, as attributable to Marriott, translates directly into profitability.

According to Michael C. Bush, the General Director of the Great Place to Work: “The 100 best companies have built the foundation of employees’ trust, that it drives performance in all areas of their activities – not only in some areas, and not only for some people. They are more profitable and productive because they have consistently positive professional experience, lower firing indicators and higher levels of psychological and emotional health compared to typical jobs. “

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He continued: “These leaders be certain that that every one employees have the opportunity of special recognition and be certain that that they imagine that what they do, they’ve meaning as people in the primary place, and the employees second. They built organizations during which transparency, well -being and high level of cooperation are foundations. interested parties.

Related content: Justification for a thoughtful approach to Dei: Taking a mistaken belief and reality

(Tagstranslat) diversity

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Tourism to the USA is refueling. As a result, the center Flight is in the face of a $ 100 million hit

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Flight Center, one of the world’s largest travel agencies, warned that perhaps lose over $ 100 million earnings This 12 months, citing the weakening of the demand for a journey to the United States.

In a statement This week, the Company pointed to “unstable trade conditions” related to changes in the principles of entry in the USA to the Australian Security Stock Exchange (ASX).

This is the first essential indication of the Australian company that traveling to the USA is becoming a major problem. This is due to the growing fears of consumers related to American immigration controls, reports of arresting tourists and rising costs.

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Australian numbers of visitors to the USA fell by 7% in March Compared to the same time last 12 months – the sharpest fall from Covid Pandemic.

Australians should not the only ones who avoid afar. New data in the USA In March, they show sharp declines of visitors from key markets: Germany (decrease by 28%), Spain (25%), Great Britain (18%) and South Korea (15%) to mention only a few. In total, incoming tourism dropped by 11.6%.

Even Canadian travelers, traditionally the most reliable US market, fell by greater than 900,000 or 17% in March, because the growing number of Canadians select Vacation boycott.

What once was a reliable flow of high international travelers becomes a much calmer stream.

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America’s welcome mat is wearing thin

The United States, long sold as a land of possibilities and adventures, are increasingly perceived as unique. Closer control of borders, aggressive enforcement of immigration and a sharp change in the political tone They made travelers careful.

International arrival terminal at the airport in Atlanta: Tourists are considering travel plans in the USA.
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While the statement of the flight center used a cautious language, its general director Graham Turner was clear, saying:

People from Europe, Great Britain and Australia really are not looking for to go to the States, taking into consideration what is happening there. We hear increasingly people are not looking for to undergo passport control.

Reports about tourists arrestedIN Rugged AND deported At airports in the USA over small alleged visa problems or misunderstandings, they increased widely. In some cases, guests had Their phones and electronic devices searched for no clear reason. For many travelers it is Risk is not price taking.

The governments began to answer. Several countriesIncluding New Zealand, Germany, France, Denmark and Finland, updated the official advice on travel for the USA, calling residents Being caution during the visit. Filtering messages by international media is clear: the US is not as easy, protected or friendly because it once seemed.

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But while diplomatic warnings develop into louder, the economic costs of America’s attitudes are only starting to register.

Tourism: Forgotten America’s export

While President Donald Trump hit the tariffs to import goods from most countries, he ignored the contribution of services to the economy. The US actually conducts a surplus of services corresponding to education and tourism. Trump rejected the inheritance of guests as “This is not a big deal“.

Trade wars focused on goods – Cars, steel, agricultural products – but the service sector, which is a greater share in the economy, bears hidden costs.

Tourism is The largest service exports of the USAbringing over $ 2.3 trillion to the economy and one in ten jobs. This is a greater contribution than production tasks that they include about 8% total employment in the USA.

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As a driver economic prosperityTourism is not only free time; He maintains local firms, rural economies and thousands and thousands of maintenance.

Double blow for tourism

While the decline in arrivals has been widely reported, experience for many who still determine to visit, might also change.

Tourism is based on global supply chains, from food to hotel facilities to rented automotive fleets. Commercial war tariffs have increased expenditure costs common. Hotels, restaurants, airlines and attractions are handing over these higher costs to customers.

Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Miami Beach, Florida: Tourism is one in ten American jobs.
MDV Edwards/Shutterstock

Working deficiencies intensify the problem. Almost (*100*)20% of the American hotel strength He was born abroad. Cuts for seasonal work visas AND Increased concerns about deportation I left many firms fighting for locating staff, combining existing labor shortages.

. The weight is the heaviest on small and medium -sized enterprises, which Form the US economy background And play a key role in accommodation, restaurants and native tourist experiences.

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Quiet but expensive erosion

Tourism is not only a large part of the economy; It’s also Soft powerBy shaping the way the world perceives the nation through its culture, values ​​and hospitality.

Every visitor who feels undesirable, controlled or dissatisfied is not only lost sales, but Lost connection.

The research group forecasts the economy economics lose to $ 10 billion In the case of international travel in 2025, if current trends are continued.

And although advertisements about production work are approaching headers, the slow erosion of the American tourist brand can leave a longer, deeper scar on its culture, communities and place in the world.

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Lowering the flight center is not an isolated warning. This is a symptom of a wider change, which is a good risk by reversing visitors.

And for hundreds of American firms, employees and communities – and now also Australian – losses might not be so easily rejected.

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This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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