Republican Senators clashed on floor Wednesday over a bill proposing a ban on the Chinese social media app Tik Tok, with Rand Paul schooling Josh Hawley on exactly why the legislation won’t fly.

Hawley’s legislation would prohibit TikTok from operating in the U.S. and ban all commercial activity with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.

The topic has become one of contention, being connected with enhanced efforts on China’s part to carry out surveillance.

Paul immediately expressed opposition, however, noting “There are two main reasons why we might not want to do this. The one would be the First Amendment to the Constitution. Speech is protected whether you like it or not. The second reason would be that the Constitution actually prohibits bills of attainder.”

Bills of attainder allow the government to punish individuals or groups without a trial.  

“This fails on two egregious points, pretty obvious points. I think we ought to think about that,” Paul added.  

Paul further stated “I think we should be aware of those who peddle fear. I think we should be aware of those who use fear to coax Americans to relinquish our liberties.”

“Every accusation of data-gathering that’s been attributed to TikTok could also be attributed to domestic Big Tech companies,” he pointed out.  

Hawley responded to Paul, asserting “I have never before heard on this floor a defense of the right to spy.” 

“I didn’t realize that the First Amendment contained a right to espionage. The senator from Kentucky mentions the Bill of Rights. I must have missed the right of the Chinese government to spy on Americans in our Bill of Rights,” Hawley added, ignoring Paul’s wider point.

“In a free country, I don’t have the right to tell The New York Times to publish by op-ed or YouTube to publish my speech,” Paul hit back, adding that Americans can easily quit using Tik Tok.

“But don’t disenfranchise 150 million Americans who are using a social media app and just say it’s no big deal,” Paul said.

He later asked “Which is more dangerous: Videos of teenagers dancing or the precedent of the U.S. government banning speech?”

“For me it’s an easy answer. I will defend the Bill of Rights against all comers, even if, need be, from members of my own party,” Paul emphasised.

The full exchange is below:

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Appearing Hannity Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz expanded on his comments earlier in the week to the head of the Department of Homeland Security, charging that Democrats are ignoring serious criminality at the border in the hope that illegal immigrants will become future voters.

“They are allowing it because they made a political choice,” Cruz said, asserting that the plan only works with the complicity of the establishment media to also ignore the crisis.

“At the beginning of the Biden administration, they decided unlimited illegal immigration, open borders, they view everyone of those 5.5 million illegal immigrants that have come in under Joe Biden as a future Democrat voter,” Cruz urged.

He added, “And so they’re perfectly willing to turn a blind eye, they don’t care about the children that are physically assaulted, that are sexually assaulted.”

“They don’t about the women who were raped. They don’t care about the dead bodies that are piling up,” the Senator proclaimed.

Watch:

On Tuesday, Cruz told DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to his face “your refusal to do your job is revolting,” adding “you’re willing to let children be raped to follow political orders.”

“This is a crisis, it’s disgrace, and you won’t even admit this human tragedy is a crisis,” Cruz continue, calling for Mayorkas to resign.

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The transgender shooter’s manifesto will be released publicly, but only after the FBI has combed through it to build a psychological profile of the killer.

28-year-old Audrey Hale was shot dead by police after killing three children and three adults at The Covenant School, a private Christian school for students aged three to 11.

Authorities say Hale deliberately targeted the school after considering but then rejecting two other public school targets because they had better security.

Police initially said Hale’s transgender identity was a factor in motivating her rampage, but it seemed the manifesto she left might remain secret after lobbying from LGBT groups.

However, Nashville Council Member Robert Swope told the New York Post that the manifesto will be released publicly after all.

“The manifesto is going to be released. It’s just a matter of when. There are some incredibly brilliant psychological minds and psychological analysts combing through her entire life,” said Swope.

Nashville shooter Audrey Hale’s manifesto to be released: official https://t.co/IaSgbj2Fan pic.twitter.com/Z58OQcEmUW

— New York Post (@nypost) March 29, 2023

The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit is working “in tandem with” the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) to complete “a very in-depth analysis of certain aspects of the shooter’s life,” Swope added.

Speculation has raged as to whether Tennessee’s ban on hormone treatments and puberty blockers for children, as well as its restrictions on drag queen shows, were motivating factors for Hale.

As we highlighted yesterday, the media narrative has switched to there being “no known motive” behind the attack, an explanation presumably based on the expectation that the manifesto would remain hidden.

This would conveniently absolve the press from having to scrutinize whether elements of the trans activist movement has become violently radicalized in recent years.

However, a new narrative has emerged that Hale’s rampage was a backlash to her trans identity being rejected by her parents, another callous angle that borderline attempts to justify the attack.

EXCLUSIVE: Nashville mass school shooter was rejected by her Christian parents https://t.co/hQMxipernF pic.twitter.com/xzmpcvo3r9

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) March 28, 2023

A Daily Mail report suggests Hale’s parents refused to respect her new ‘he/him’ pronouns and that the shooter would leave the home to change outfits.

According to the report, Hale’s parents “just didn’t accept” her new lifestyle.

Respondents to the story savaged the Daily Mail for appearing to place more blame on the parents than on Hale herself.

“Ah yes, blame the Christians for the mass shooting. FFS can media like @DailyMail get anymore disgusting and deranged?” one Twitter user asked.

“You’re not even trying to hide your anti-Christian bigotry,” responded another.

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