Daily Briefing: Congress goes after TikTok

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
·5 min read

A bill that could lead to a ban of social media phenom TikTok is expected to pass the House. Also in the news: Wins in presidential primaries gave former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden the necessary delegates to become their parties' nominees. At least 50 people were injured when a Boeing aircraft suddenly made a "strong movement."

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Here's how to get the viral Trader Joe's mini tote.

Here's the news to know Wednesday.

Congress plows ahead with bill targeting TikTok

A bill that would force TikTok's Chinese parent company to sell the social media app or face a ban is expected to pass a House vote Wednesday with sizable bipartisan support. Lawmakers say the app's owner poses a risk to national security by allowing the Chinese government to "surveil and influence" Americans. Despite unsuccessful attempts to ban the platform when he was president, Donald Trump has come out against the House bill, raising concerns it would push users to Facebook instead. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has expressed he would sign the legislation if it makes it to his desk. Read more

Trump and Biden are the presumed presidential nominees

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are their parties' presumed presidential nominees, foreclosing an election rematch many Americans did not want.

The return of a Trump-Biden race comes against a vastly different political landscape compared to 2020: Mounting legal cases for Trump, heightened pressure to secure the border, attacks on reproductive rights and wars in Ukraine and Gaza are just a few of the distinctions setting 2024's Biden-Trump contest apart.

Related: Opponents of $6.4 billion mental health plan Prop 1 conceded it's likely to pass.

More news to know now

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FAA finds multiple quality control issues in Boeing audit

A six-week Federal Aviation Administration audit of Boeing and subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems discovered "multiple instances" in which the companies did not adhere to quality control standards. The update comes amid an ongoing investigation sparked by the January Alaska Airlines flight where a Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a door plug mid-flight. The FAA said areas of non-compliance included Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control. Boeing responded the company would continue to "implement immediate changes" in response to the audit's findings. Read more

Are inflation rates going down?

Since hitting a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022, inflation has slowed substantially to 3.2% in February. But after swift progress in the fall, price increases have become more volatile. Many goods, such as used cars, furniture and appliances, have gotten cheaper in the past year as pandemic-related supply chain snags have resolved. But the cost of services, such as rent, car insurance and transportation keep advancing, in part, because of sharply rising employee wages. And the Federal Reserve has said it will likely trim its key interest rate this year but not until officials see more evidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward the Fed’s target. Read more

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Third dog death reported in Alaska's 1,000-mile Iditarod race

A dog died during the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska on Tuesday, becoming the third canine death of the event and drawing criticism from animal advocates. Henry, a 3-year-old male on the team of musher Calvin Daugherty, collapsed 10 miles before the Shaktoolik checkpoint, according to the Iditarod Trail Committee. Henry's death comes after two other dogs died over the weekend, renewing calls by PETA to shut down the race. Read more

Dogs in Riley Dyche's team mush along Cordova Street during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race on Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Anchorage, Alaska.
Dogs in Riley Dyche's team mush along Cordova Street during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race on Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Anchorage, Alaska.

Photo of the day: The 'Kenergy' was real at SXSW

Fresh of his performance of "Barbie" Oscar-nominated anthem "I'm Just Ken" at the Academy Awards, Ryan Gosling joined Emily Blunt and the rest of his "The Fall Guy" costars at the SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas. The film was one of the most anticipated premieres at SXSW, which features music, film and media through Saturday. Check out more photos from SXSW.

(L-R) Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Stephanie Hsu, Ryan Gosling, Hannah Waddingham, Kelly McCormick, and David Leitch attend the SXSW premiere of "The Fall Guy" presented by Universal Pictures at The Paramount Theater on March 12, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
(L-R) Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Stephanie Hsu, Ryan Gosling, Hannah Waddingham, Kelly McCormick, and David Leitch attend the SXSW premiere of "The Fall Guy" presented by Universal Pictures at The Paramount Theater on March 12, 2024 in Austin, Texas.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TikTok ban vote, Trump, Biden, election, FAA, Boeing, inflation, Iditarod, SXSW: Daily Briefing