A team of volunteer archivists has recreated the Centers for Disease Control website, called RestoredCDC.org, as it appeared the day President Trump was inaugurated.

The big picture: A federal judge last month required the HHS to restore webpages and datasets that had been altered or taken offline to comply with executive orders that Trump issued on DEI and gender identity, but several links are broken and the pages are not easy to locate through web searches.

• Some restored health pages come with a note that states the "Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children."

Zoom in: The Restored CDC site provides the same public health data, information and user experience as the agency's own website did on Jan. 20.

• The team said that it's "re-building the links between the pages, to create a site that can be navigated the same way."
• The site indicates that it is not an official government website and includes a button to report problems users encounter in the header.
• The volunteer-based, unfunded project is made possible by a group that includes public health professionals, experienced web developers and experienced Python coders.

What they're saying: "I felt that we could restore any data sets that people might not have access to anymore because these were publicly funded data," an epidemiologist on the team told Axios.

• "That information is necessary to make informed health decisions," the person said.
• "We still have some work to do and we want to make a comparison tool where you could compare what the site used to say and compare it to what it says now," the person added.
• The team does not plan on updating information that originates from CDC, such as new reports on measles outbreaks.

Zoom out: Restored CDC is among a handful of archiving projects directed at saving government websites after the Trump administration began changing them.

• Other archiving projects that have saved government websites include the End of Term Archive and the Wayback Machine.

Context: A staggering amount of commercial and research activity hinges upon free access to reliable government data. The sudden disappearance or unreliability of that data jeopardizes business plans, scientific research, medical developments and more, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reported.

• That Trump's orders targeted data around vulnerable groups will make it even harder for researchers, lawmakers and others to understand those populations' makeup and needs.

Go deeper: What we all lose in Trump and Musk's attack on government data

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday sent federal disease experts to assist in the response to the intensifying measles outbreak in Texas

Why it matters: The move indicates that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and the Trump administration are starting to prioritize the response after Kennedy downplayed the threat last week, describing such outbreaks as "not unusual."

Driving the news: The CDC announced on X that it is partnering with the Texas Department of State Health Services to respond to the measles outbreak.

• The partnership, known as an Epi-Aid, is a rapid-response effort in which the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service provides local officials onsite support for one to three weeks.

Zoom in: At least 159 measles cases have been confirmed, with 22 of the patients been hospitalized, state officials said Tuesday.

• Texas announced last week that a school-age child who was not vaccinated and had no underlying health conditions was the first death in the outbreak.

What they're saying: "The measles outbreak in Texas is a call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health," Kennedy said.

• "By working together — parents, healthcare providers, community leaders, and government officials, we can prevent future outbreaks and protect the health of our nation," he added.
• Kennedy also claimed on Fox News Channel Tuesday that doctors treated "over 108 patients" and are "getting very, very good results" from unconventional treatments, including the steroid budesonide and cod liver oil.
• The steroid is more commonly used to treat asthma, mild to moderate active Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, and other inflammatory conditions.

Zoom out: Kennedy, a leading vaccine critic, wrote in an Fox News Digital on Sunday that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine "is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease."

• But Kennedy emphasized that the decision to vaccinate is "a personal one."

Go deeper: RFK Jr. urges people to get vaccinated amid deadly Texas outbreak

OpenAI said on Wednesday that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's open-source models may have "inappropriately" based its work on the output of OpenAI's models, an OpenAI spokesperson told Axios.

Why it matters: China's DeepSeek has taken the AI industry by storm with its R1 reasoning model that competes with OpenAI's o1, but at what the company says is a fraction of the cost and with fewer resources.

Driving the news: OpenAI told Axios that it had seen some evidence of "distillation" from groups based in China to try to replicate advanced U.S. AI models.

• "We are aware of and reviewing indications that DeepSeek may have inappropriately distilled our models, and will share information as we know more," an OpenAI spokesperson said.
• "We take aggressive, proactive countermeasures to protect our technology and will continue working closely with the U.S. government to protect the most capable models being built here," the spokesperson added.

Zoom in: Distillation is a common technique developers use to train smaller AI models to replicate the performance of larger, more complex models by training the smaller models on the output of the larger models.

• Developers can use distillation legitimately to improve their own applications, but OpenAI's terms of use forbid users from using outputs from its models to develop other AI models that compete with the company's products and services.

What they're saying: President Trump's AI czar David Sacks said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that "it is possible" that intellectual property theft had occurred.

• "There's substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled knowledge out of OpenAI models and I don't think OpenAI is very happy about this," he said.
• "I think one of the things you're going to see over the next few months is our leading AI companies taking steps to try and prevent distillation … that would definitely slow down some of these copycat models," he added.

Between the lines: AI makers have long been dogged by controversies over their use of "publicly available" data to train their models.

• OpenAI has been sued by The New York Times and other news publishers and creators over claims that the AI maker infringed copyrights in training its models without permission or payment.

Catch up quick: DeepSeek helped wipe out nearly $600 billion in market cap for Nvidia Monday, as its cost-effective AI approach sparked fears that it could reduce the reliance on Nvidia's advanced chips.

Go deeper: Altman calls DeepSeek's R1 "impressive" and promises better models

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Monday called Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's R1 an "impressive model" and pledged his company would "deliver much better models" in the future.

Why it matters: DeepSeek's announcement that its new model that's cheaper than U.S. competitors is on par with them sent some tech and energy stocks tumbling and alarmed the likes of Meta Monday — though President Trump called it a "positive development" and "a wakeup call for our industries."

What he's saying: Altman on X praised DeepSeek's R1 model that's particularly good at problem solving, performing on par with OpenAI's o1 reasoning model, for what it was able to deliver at its price point.

• But he said "the world is going to want to use a LOT" of AI and he believes that "more compute is more important now than ever before to succeed at our mission."
• Altman said OpenAI "will obviously deliver much better models" and that the world is going to "really be quite amazed by the next gen models coming."
• He added that he looks "forward to bringing you all AGI and beyond."

The big picture: DeepSeek said it used only a fraction of the computer chips that leading Western AI companies, such as OpenAI, rely on to train their systems, showcasing a more efficient method of analyzing data using the chips.

• The company has open-sourced its model, allowing anyone to build and distribute products using the same technology.
• Many experts believe that generative AI will become a commodity, growing more efficient and increasingly accessible.

Between the lines: DeepSeek rose to the top of Apple's App Store over the weekend and remained at the no.1 one spot late Monday despite users reporting concerns that it censors politically sensitive content on topics.

• These include the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Uyghur camps in China's in Xinjiang province, where China's government has been accused of genocide, and posts on Taiwanese independence.

Zoom in: DeepSeek's privacy policy makes it clear that the company "store the information we collect in secure servers located in the People's Republic of China."

• The privacy policy also outlines that the company collects IP addresses, unique device identifiers and states that "we may collect your text or audio input, prompt, uploaded files, feedback, chat history, or other content that you provide to our model and services."
• It's owned by hedge fund High-Flyer, which has donated $53 million to charity last year as Beijing pushed firms to do more in the name of "common prosperity," according to Bloomberg.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said, apparently alluding to DeepSeek, that "they're now trying to get a leg up on us in AI as you've seen in the last day or so."

The Elon Musk-Sam Altman feud entered a new hot phase this week on X following President Trump's announcement of Stargate, a new $500 billion AI infrastructure joint venture funded in part by OpenAI, the AI giant Altman leads.

Why it matters: Musk's public questioning of the financial strength of a venture that Trump had just blessed from the White House marked the first public sign that the "First Buddy's" relationship with the president might be turning rocky.

Driving the news: Trump, joined by Altman, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, announced at a White House briefing on Tuesday that Stargate "will invest at least $500 billion" in AI infrastructure in the U.S. by 2029 and create "over 100,000 American jobs almost immediately."

• The initial investment of $100 billion will be used to construct AI data centers, starting in Texas, with plans to expand to other states.

Hours after the announcement, Musk cast doubt on the ambitious Stargate project, claiming lead investor SoftBank Group has "well under $10B secured."

• "They don't actually have the money," Musk wrote on X. "SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority," he added.
• Musk also attacked Altman personally as a "swindler" and a "liar."

Altman countered Musk's claims about the project, replying, "wrong, as you surely know," and suggested he was more worried about his personal ambitions than the national interest.

• Altman also stated that he doesn't think Musk is a "nice person or treating us fairly but you have to respect the guy and he pushes all of us to be more ambitious."
• He later posted on X, seemingly alluding to Musk: "just one more mean tweet and then maybe you'll love yourself."

What they're saying: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that "the American people should take President Trump and those CEOs' words for it."

• "I don't know if they do, but you know they're putting up the money," Trump said Thursday, responding to a reporter's question about whether he was bothered by Musk's public criticism of the investment commitment.

Between the lines: Musk has been at odds with Altman ever since the two had a falling-out over the destiny of OpenAI in 2018.

• Musk sued Altman and OpenAI in August, alleging that Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman abandoned the company's founding agreement as a nonprofit by prioritizing business growth over the public interest.
• Musk has also founded a rival AI firm, xAI, so the feud is grounded in commercial rivalry as well as apparent personal animosity.

Our thought bubble: Musk and Altman have long been very public enemies, so it's hardly surprising that Trump's offering a White House spotlight to Altman on day two of his administration might miff Musk.

• "Elon, one of the people he happens to hate," Trump told the press. "But I have certain hatreds of people too."
• Trump is shrugging it off for now, but both Trump- and Musk-watchers have long assumed that neither of these billionaires will be able to share a spotlight for that long.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed Friday that Democratic senators had sent him a letter alleging "he has a clear and direct interest in obtaining favors" from Donald Trump and is using his donations "to cozy up" to the incoming administration to avoid regulatory scrutiny.

Why it matters: Altman was one of several tech titans who donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration. In a statement to Axios in response to the senators' letter, an OpenAI spokesperson said: "Sam believes that President Trump will lead our country during a pivotal moment for AI and American innovation, and looks forward to working with him and his administration."

• Altman posted the letter on X, adding: "funny, they never sent me one of these for contributing to democrats."

Driving the news: The letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) stated that "million-dollar gifts" to Trump's inaugural fund by Altman and tech firms like Google, Meta, Microsoft and Uber, "raise questions about corruption and the influence of corporate money" on the Trump administration.

• Altman was one of a few tech CEOs who donated personally, rather than via their companies. Apple CEO Tim Cook did the same, as Axios scooped.
• Representatives for Warren and Bennet didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

What they're saying: In the letter, lawmakers said that "the industry's efforts suggest that Big Tech companies are trying to curry favor and skirt the rules."

• The letter includes a list of questions, with a Jan. 25 deadline for Altman to respond. They include: "What is your rationale for these contributions?" and "When and under what circumstances did your company decide to make these contributions to the Trump inaugural fund?"
• In his response, Altman noted that he'd made a personal contribution and thus "i am confused about the questions given that my company did not make a decision."

Flashback: Altman told Fox News in December he would donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, saying he was "eager to support" Trump's efforts to "lead our country into the age of AI."

• He's changed his tune since 2016, when he stated in a post on X that "I am voting against Trump" as "he is unfit to be President and would be a threat to national security."

Between the lines: Trump has vowed to repeal President Biden's AI executive order from 2023 that outlined the steps companies and the government will be directed to take to foster responsible AI.

A handful of potential buyers have emerged, as the deadline for TikTok to be banned in the U.S. is a few days away.

Why it matters: A sale is an option that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, could exercise if it wants the app to be a part of the U.S. media landscape.

• Biden could push the ban's deadline by 90 days if he learns that ByteDance is making progress toward a divestiture.
• If the company chooses not to sell, TikTok will be banned as early as Jan. 19 if the Supreme Court upholds a bipartisan law.

Zoom in: YouTuber James "Jimmy" Donaldson, famously known as MrBeast, announced on Wednesday in an Instagram post that he had a meeting with several billionaires and has "an offer ready" for TikTok.

• Donaldson did not share further information about who the billionaires are or what the plan looks like.
• He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Billionaire Frank McCourt in December pulled together participants for a consortium of investors interested in pursuing a "peoples bid" for TikTok, Axios' Sara Fischer reported.

• McCourt believes Project Liberty, an internet advocacy group, "is uniquely positioned to assume stewardship of TikTok" because of the tech and governance protocols it has built to prioritize user privacy and safety.
• The bid has been joined by Kevin O'Leary, one of the hosts of "Shark Tank."
• Project Liberty announced last week that it submitted a proposal to buy TikTok from ByteDance.

Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard, expressed interest to ByteDance co-founder Zhang Yiming about buying TikTok, the Wall Street Journal reported last year.

• Kotick floated the idea to a table of people that included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
• Kotick has not commented publicly on the offer.

By the numbers: TikTok has a stunning 170 million users in the U.S., and just 32% of Americans support a ban, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

The bottom line: All of TikTok's interested buyers may want to purchase the platform, with its price tag estimated in the billions, but ultimately, the Chinese government will effectively hold veto power over any sale.

More from Axios:

• What will happen to TikTok on Jan. 19
• Meta, Google stand to win ad share from TikTok ban
• TikTok Supreme Court takeaways

OpenAI is rolling out a beta feature called Tasks to ChatGPT that lets users schedule future actions and reminders.

Why it matters: Tasks is a step toward making ChatGPT a more helpful AI companion, reducing reliance on other apps such as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa for reminders.

• This comes amid reported plans to release an autonomous computer-controlling agent called "Operator."

Zoom in: Tasks, which is available to some ChatGPT Plus, Team and Pro users starting today, lets subscribers schedule actions ahead of time.

• OpenAI plans to roll the feature to everyone with a ChatGPT account "eventually."
• If a free user asks ChatGPT to set a reminder, it suggests they use Siri, Google and Alexa.

How it works: Select the "GPT-4o with scheduled tasks" model from the menu and then send a message about what you'd like it to do and when. This will create the task.

• Some examples of tasks could be "give me a daily weather report for Queens, NY every morning at 7am" or "remind me three months from now that I have a dentist appointment at 4pm."
• ChatGPT will send push notifications on the web, desktop (macOS) and mobile. It also sends an email notification of the task.
• A user can have up to 25 active reminders at a time.
• Users can manage and name tasks by selecting the Tasks option in the profile menu on web. ChatGPT may also suggest tasks based on a user's chats, and users can choose to accept them or not.

Editor's note: This story was updated with additional features about email notifications and active reminders.

The future of accessing TikTok in the U.S. will be decided by the Supreme Court any moment now. So far, the justices seem inclined to uphold a bipartisan law that would ban the app as soon as Jan. 19.

Why it matters: The wildly popular short-form video app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, could imminently vanish from Google and Apple app stores. Beyond disappointing devoted users, the move would also disrupt influencers' multibillion-dollar creator economy.

• During oral arguments last week, most of the high court's justices homed in on the central point that under the law, TikTok could continue operating with a different algorithm than ByteDance's. And as a Chinese company, ByteDance lacks First Amendment protections.
• Reuters reports that TikTok plans to shut off its app for U.S. users on Sunday if the Supreme Court upholds the law. If that happens, the app will become instantly useless.
• Users who open the app would reportedly see a pop-up message that directs them to a website with information about the ban.

State of play: Regardless of what TikTok does, the app could also quickly go dark if Oracle decides to immediately stop hosting TikTok's massive video library. A ban could send Oracle's stock plunging since it hosts the company's U.S. data.

• TikTok will also not be accessible from an internet browser in the U.S. unless a user employs a VPN, which encrypts internet traffic and hides the user's IP address. VPNs are easily attainable online, but a user may not be able to download updates if their app store account is tied to the U.S.

Between the lines: If TikTok didn't take action, the app wouldn't instantly disappear from a device where it's already downloaded on Jan. 19. But ByteDance wouldn't be able to issue updates to the app — eventually rendering it useless.

Zoom in: Some TikTok users and creators are already flocking to other social media apps, based on Axios' review of some newly trending apps.

• Lemon8, which has the same owner as TikTok and is being promoted by the company as a potential alternative for users, features a mix of Instagram-like photo sharing and TikTok-style short videos. This app and other ByteDance apps would be part of the ban.
• Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote in English, is a short-form video app that has surged to the first place in the social networking category in the U.S. Apple app store. It also has a mix of video and live-streaming features.
• Other platforms that have similar vertical video features are YouTube with its YouTube Shorts and Instagram with its Reels. Some users have been posting TikTok content to both of these platforms.

By the numbers: TikTok has a stunning 170 million users in the U.S., and just 32% of Americans support a ban, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

The big picture: The push to ban TikTok in the U.S. stems from the "Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act," signed into law last April by President Biden.

• The law mandates that ByteDance sell the app by Jan. 19 or face a ban. It gave TikTok up to a year to find an approved buyer for the U.S. version of the app.
• The law stems from the U.S. government's concerns for national security over its ties to China, including the spread of misinformation and espionage.
• ByteDance has contested this law, arguing that forced divestment is unconstitutional and infringes on First Amendment rights.

What's next: The Supreme Court could issue an order at any time.

• President-elect Trump during his first term led initial efforts to ban the app in the U.S. But he's indicated more recently that he's open to trying to save it.

Go deeper: TikTok Supreme Court takeaways

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional developments.

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, in an appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast, criticized the Biden administration for pushing for censorship around COVID-19 vaccines, the media for hounding Facebook to clamp down on misinformation after the 2016 election, and his own company for complying.

Why it matters: Zuckerberg's three-hour interview with Rogan gives a clear window into his thinking during a remarkable week in which Meta loosened its content moderation policies and shut down its DEI programs.

Driving the news: The Meta CEO said a turning point for his approach to censorship came after Biden publicly said social media companies were "killing people" by allowing COVID misinformation to spread, and politicians started coming after the company from all angles.

• Zuckerberg told Rogan, who was a prominent skeptic of the COVID-19 vaccine, that the Biden administration would "call up the guys on our team and yell at them and cursing and threatening repercussions if we don't take down things that are true."
• Zuckerberg said that Biden officials wanted Meta to take down a meme of Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at a TV, with a joke at the expense of people who were vaccinated. Zuckerberg said his company drew the line at removing "humor and satire."
• But he also said his company had gone too far in complying with such requests, and acknowledged that he and others at the company wrongly bought into the idea — which he said the traditional media had been pushing — that misinformation spreading on social media swung the 2016 election to Donald Trump.

What he's saying: Zuckerberg said his own company's fact-checking process was "something out of 1984," and led to a broad belief that the fact-checkers his own company employed "were too biased."

• "It really is a slippery slope, and it just got to a point where it's just, OK, this is destroying so much trust, especially in the United States, to have this program."
• He said he was "worried" from the beginning about "becoming this sort of decider of what is true in the world." Zuckerberg praised X's "community notes" program as superior to Facebook's model.
• He later suggested that social media creators are replacing the government and traditional media as arbiters of truth, becoming "a new kind of cultural elite that people look up to."

The flip side: Under Meta's newly relaxed moderation policies, women can be compared to household objects, ethnic groups can be called "filth," users can call for the exclusion of gay people from certain professions, and people can refer to a transgender or non-binary person as an "it," Axios' Ina Fried reports.

• That policy change unleashed outrage within the company, even before Zuckerberg announced Meta would also be ending DEI programs, as Axios scooped.

Zoom in: In justifying the content moderation rethink, Zuckerberg told Rogan that Facebook's policies would not have allowed someone to post that women should not be allowed in combat roles in the military — even though Trump's pick to run the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, has publicly called for such a change.

• "If it's OK to say on the floor of Congress, you should probably be able to debate it on social media," Zuckerberg said.

The Federal Communications Commission lacks the authority to restore net neutrality rules that prevented broadband providers from slowing or blocking access to internet content, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday.

Why it matters: The all-Republican panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit handed a blow to the Biden administration, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats who've pushed for fair and open internet measures.

Zoom in: Judge Richard Allen Griffin said in the ruling in Cincinnati, Ohio, that broadband internet is an "information service" instead of a "telecommunications service," meaning the FCC lacked authority to impose rules under Title II.

• The judges declared that the FCC did not have the authority to prohibit telecommunications companies from blocking or stifling internet content and creating "fast lanes" for certain web companies that pay a fee.
• The panel pointed to a Supreme Court decision in a 2024 case known as Loper Bright, which overturned Chevron deference that gave deference to government agencies on regulations.
• "Applying Loper Bright means we can end the FCC's vacillations," the court ruled.

Between the lines: Brendan Carr, the incoming FCC chair, has advocated for rolling back net neutrality rules and is a staunch proponent of deregulating legacy industries.

• He said in defense of his vote to end net neutrality rules in 2017 that the decision brought a "great day for consumers, for innovation and for freedom."

What they're saying: "Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair," said Jessica Rosenworcel, Democratic FCC chair, in a statement.

• "With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality, and put open internet principles in federal law."
• Schumer said in an emailed statement Thursday evening, "Republican appointed judges are choosing to protect profits over middle-class people who rely on the internet for work and entertainment."
• He called the decision a "disappointing consequence of the Republican agenda" and promised that Senate Democrats will "push for a vote to enshrine Net Neutrality into law."

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

A handful of conservative critics of Elon Musk are alleging censorship and claiming they were stripped of their verification badges on X after challenging his views on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

Why it matters: The H-1B issue and an X post by Musk ally Vivek Ramaswamy about America's culture of "mediocrity" have sparked an online MAGA civil war over immigration and race. Some supporters of President-elect Trump are now turning on Musk and the tech bros Trump has tapped for key administration roles.

Between the lines: The claims of "censorship" on X are difficult to verify.

• Since Musk purchased Twitter and implemented sweeping staff cuts, it's often been difficult to get answers as to whether or why certain accounts or posts have been minimized. X did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
• Conservatives have long blamed "shadow bans" for censoring them on social media even when there hasn't been explicit proof. However, Musk's X has often been hailed by conservatives as a bastion of free speech.

Driving the news: Trump's conspiracy-minded ally Laura Loomer, New York Young Republican Club president Gavin Wax and InfoWars host Owen Shroyer all said their verification badges disappeared after they criticized Musk's support for H-1B visas, railed against Indian culture and attacked Ramaswamy, Musk's DOGE co-chair.

What they're saying: In response to a user who said replies were being hidden from her posts, Loomer stated that there is a "full censorship of my account simply because I called out H-1B visas. This is anti-American behavior by tech oligarchs."

• "Insane that blue checks are being removed from accounts that have been vocal in their criticism of the H1B racket," Wax said.
• "I just lost my verification...was told my account is 'under review,'" Shroyer said.
• Those updates from the three critics were posted around the same time Thursday night. There has been no official response from Musk or X.

The other side: A few hours before those posts, Musk shared in a post that the X "algorithm is trying to maximize unregretted user-seconds."

• "If far more credible, verified subscriber accounts (not bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will decline significantly."
• He later said that "any accounts found to be engaged in coordinated attacks to spam target accounts with mute/blocks will themselves be categorized – correctly – as spam."

How it happened: Loomer helped spark the H-1B debate earlier this week by criticizing a Trump appointee's previous support for allowing more highly skilled workers to enter the U.S.

• Musk weighed in Wednesday, saying America had too few "talented" and "motivated" engineers and needed "to recruit top talent wherever they may be."
• Loomer's stream of posts since then has included criticisms of Musk and racist claims about Indian people. She has also been backed up by Trump-world allies like Steve Bannon in her efforts to split Big Tech and MAGA.
• "Loomer is trolling for attention. Ignore," Musk posted on X.

Flashback: Musk has a history of punishing news organizations and journalists he doesn't like, ostensibly for policy violations.

• He threatened to reassign NPR's account handle last year and marked some links to the site as "unsafe" when users click through.
• Musk also removed the verification badge of The New York Times in 2023.
• X also suspended independent journalist Ken Klippenstein's account after he shared Sen. JD Vance's vetting document from the alleged Iranian hack of Trump's campaign.

Go deeper: MAGA civil war breaks out over American "mediocrity" culture

TikTok asked the Supreme Court on Monday to temporarily block a law that would effectively ban the social media app in the U.S.

Why it matters: This is TikTok's last resort as the request follows a denial by a U.S. Appeals Court to grant an injunction on the ban law until the Supreme Court decides whether or not to take up the case.

Driving the news: TikTok's emergency appeal says the law violates the company's First Amendment rights and its over 170 million American app users.

• "Because TikTok Inc. is a U.S. company exercising editorial discretion over a U.S. speech platform, the First Amendment fully protects it from Congress's attempt to ban its operation of the platform based on its purported susceptibility to foreign influence," lawyers for TikTok wrote.

Zoom out: The TikTok ban law is set to go into effect on Jan. 19. Barring an appeal, tech companies like Google and Apple will be legally required to remove TikTok from their app stores.

• Congress could also choose to repeal the law, but that seems unlikely. President-elect Trump, who has flip-flopped on the issue, could try to urge his DOJ not to enforce the ban.

The law requires TikTok to sell the app to a U.S. company by Jan. 19 to prevent the ban from taking effect, but no potential buyers appear poised to complete a deal by the deadline.

What to watch: Trump said he has a "warm spot" in his "heart for TikTok" and would look at whether to stave off the looming ban.

• However, he doesn't take office until Jan. 20.
• Trump is expected to meet with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago today.

Go deeper: What to know about TikTok's future under Trump