| The struggle to keep TikTok videos online is going into overtime, putting it right in the middle of a trade war. President Donald Trump, a foe-turned-fan of the social media app, is giving its Beijing-based parent company a second extension of 75 days to agree to a deal that would put TikTok in American hands. For Trump, saving TikTok would be fulfilling a campaign promise, made after it became clear that there was a horde of young voters up in arms over a law passed by Congress that would banish it from the US unless ByteDance divests itself of the app. The law provided only one extension to arrange a sale, but there’s been no uprising in Congress so far against Trump granting another.  The TikTok app page in the Apple App store. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg After months of resistance, ByteDance confirmed it’s in discussions with the US to keep TikTok operating, my colleagues Annmarie Hordern, Stephanie Lai and Josh Wingrove reported. A consortium of Americans investors including Oracle, Blackstone and VC-firm Andreessen Horowitz are top contenders to buy the app, they wrote. That deal would likely see the algorithm remain in ts parent -company ByteDance’s control, raising a sticking point for complying with the bipartisan law that banned the app. There are some key matters outstanding. The biggest of those is getting approval from the Chinese government. Tension between the US and China came to a head after Trump raised duties on Chinese imports to at least 54%. China retaliated by hitting all American goods with a 34% duty, drawing an all caps response from the US president — “CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG” — on his Truth Social platform. Still, Trump has suggested that securing the app’s future in the US could be a point of negotiation on tariffs, floating the idea of lowering levies on Chinese imports in exchange for cooperation on a deal. “We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after his initial response to China. “This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security!” Other developments this week: - Ukraine negotiations: Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff met with Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev after the US president expressed frustration with Vladimir Putin over the lack of progress in negotiations for a ceasefire in Russia's war on Ukraine, Bloomberg's Kate Sullivan and Natalia Drozdiak reported. What appeared to be a breakthrough last week over a partial truce in the Black Sea evaporated after Russia made it contingent on sanctions relief. The US is now waiting for Dmitriev to report back to Putin before any next steps.
- Legal fallout: A group linked to the conservative Heritage Foundation wrote to several major law firms suggesting they provide $10 million-worth of pro bono work for the group and its allies to avoid being put in the crosshairs of the White House, my colleague Emily Birnbaum wrote. The letter from Oversight Project Executive Director Mike Howell cited “recently taken executive actions against certain law firms for what the executive branch found was (and is) their role in the weaponization of the legal system.” It wasn't clear whether anyone in the Trump administration was aware of the letter.
- Tax plans: Senate Republicans unveiled their budget outline, which is designed to fast-track renewal of Trump's 2017 tax cuts along with other reductions the president promised to voters and increase the nation's debt limit, Bloomberg's Erik Wasson reported. Lawmakers still face have yet to face some of the most difficult decisions, such as which spending to cut and which tax reductions to prioritize. That will be negotiated in the coming weeks after the House and Senate come up with matching budget resolutions as part of a multi-step process.
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