Up First from NPR
Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
Sat, 28 Dec 2024
President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay implementation of the law banning TikTok. Western officials say North Korean soldiers are dying in high numbers along the Ukrainian front. The FDA says Zepbound is no longer in shortage, raising its cost.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What does President-elect Trump want regarding the TikTok ban?
He's asked the Supreme Court to delay implementation of the law banning the app until after his inauguration. I'm Scott Simon. I'm Daniel Estrin, and this is Up First from NPR News. The law forces TikTok to be shut down or sold next month.
We'll have more on that story. Also, North Korean soldiers fighting with Russia against Ukraine.
U.S. officials say they're dying in high numbers.
These North Korean soldiers appear to be highly indoctrinated, pushing attacks even when it is clear that those attacks are futile.
And mixed feelings after the FDA declares the end of an obesity drug shortage.
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Chapter 2: What legal actions is Trump taking with the Supreme Court?
And I talked to legal scholars about this request, and they said Trump seems to be acting as if he is president before he is even sworn in. Experts also noted to me that Trump is citing no legal authority for this request.
Bobby, this case has been gathering steam for a number of years. How did it come to this?
Yeah, it really has. You know, since TikTok became a global sensation during the pandemic, Washington has been very worried about the company's ties to China. And those fears really escalated in April when Congress passed a law banning TikTok unless it sheds its Beijing parent company, ByteDance. And TikTok has been fighting this law.
It lost in a lower court and appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case on this lightning-fast schedule today. But looming over the legal saga has been President-elect Donald Trump. Remember, he started the TikTok ban movement during his first term, and now he is the very one promising to save the app.
Any indication of why he changed his mind?
Yeah, you know, Trump had an active TikTok account during his presidential campaign, and he has credited the app with helping drive young people to the polls. So that's what he's saying publicly about why he now supports the app. But TikTok observers have also pointed to influential donors who are in touch with Trump's orbit and who are big investors in ByteDance.
They include Jeff Yoss, whose investment firm, Susquehanna Investment Group, has a large stake in ByteDance. Yoss has never Donated directly to the Trump campaign, but he was a major donor to conservative super PACs this past election. And then there's Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, which also has a significant investment in TikTok's owner.
And Son has promised Trump that SoftBank will invest $100 billion in the U.S.
Bobby, how might this affect the millions of Americans who use the app each and every day?
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Chapter 3: What are the consequences of the TikTok ban for users?
Yeah, it seems surprising on the face of it, doesn't it? Russian soldiers already outnumber Ukraine's army, which is much smaller. But Military analysts have been talking to point out you need a lot more soldiers when you're on the offense, as Russia is now. They're trying to gain ground. I spoke about this with George Barros at the Institute for the Study of War.
They track fighting in eastern Ukraine. He says, Scott, Russia is now burning through roughly 30,000 troops every month that's killed and wounded. So Moscow needs reinforcements.
The Russians are struggling to offset that 30,000 casualties per month figure. They basically have a system that's allowed them to be able to withstand and sustain that for the last two and a half years. But it's not working anymore. The North Koreans provided 10 days worth of casualties with that initial 10K investment.
Now, what's interesting is Barros believes that as many as 3,000 of those North Korean soldiers have already been killed or wounded. I should say that's a high estimate. U.S. officials put the number of North Korean casualties around 1,000.
And what do these assaults by North Korean troops look like?
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Chapter 4: Why are North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russians?
Well, the description's pretty horrific. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby spoke about this yesterday, describing what are basically suicide missions. North Koreans are sent on foot over open ground without necessary support or equipment to attack heavily fortified Ukrainian positions.
These North Korean soldiers appear to be highly indoctrinated, pushing attacks even when it is clear that those attacks are futile. We also have reports of North Korean soldiers taking their own lives.
Now, Kirby does acknowledge these attacks are putting a strain on the Ukrainians, who also face a very serious manpower shortage. And Russia has been gaining ground in Kursk and other areas along the Eastern Front, but that progress is slow. And Russia and now North Korea, they're paying a huge price in manpower.
Brian, what can you tell us about those reports of North Korean soldiers taking their own lives?
Yeah, this is pretty grim. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke about this yesterday. The North Koreans do everything, so it's impossible for us to capture them alive, Zelensky said. Their own soldiers killed them off. NPR, I should say, hasn't been able to independently verify this.
But the theory shared by Ukrainian officials and the White House is North Korean soldiers fear for their families. They think they'll face reprisal and punishment back home if they're taken prisoner. So they choose to take their own lives.
You did say Russia is gaining ground. What does it look like for Ukraine?
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Chapter 5: What challenges do North Korean troops face in Ukraine?
Chapter 6: What is the impact of the FDA declaring an end to the obesity drug shortage?
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A law forcing TikTok sale or closure is set to go into effect January 19th, just one day before President-elect Trump's inauguration.
But Trump has asked the Supreme Court to delay its implementation so he can resolve the issue.
And here's Bobby Allen joins us. Bobby, thanks for being with us. Thanks, Scott. What is Donald Trump asking the Supreme Court to do?
Yeah, as you mentioned, Trump is urging the court to pause the start date of a law that would shut down TikTok nationwide unless it is sold away from its China-based parent company. And in the filing, Trump says he possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise to broker a sale of the app.
How might this affect the Supreme Court's review of TikTok?
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