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Survey finds lukewarm support for old-growth forests

Survey finds lukewarm support for old-growth forests

E&E News5 days ago
Saving the nation's oldest forests remains a priority among a wide range of forest policy groups — but there are cracks in that support, an industry survey suggests.
Attendees at a forest policy conference, including environmental groups, forest owners and government employees, agreed that the U.S. should seek to reverse the loss of old-growth areas and recognize federal land as the forefront of that effort.
But a quarter of respondents said they disagreed with that position and less than half said they were 'strongly' supportive — the weakest showing for any of the 16 resolutions adopted at the American Forest Congress organized in July by American Forests and other groups in Washington.
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The old-growth issue has proved complicated since the Biden administration tried — and failed — to restrict logging in areas it defined as old growth, a term that itself stoked arguments among conservationists, timber interests and others.
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Why China Is Dunking On The Trump Administration's New TikTok Account
Why China Is Dunking On The Trump Administration's New TikTok Account

Forbes

time11 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Why China Is Dunking On The Trump Administration's New TikTok Account

As TikTok fast approaches another potential ban in the U.S., the Chinese government is refusing to let its algorithm be sold. Future Publishing via Getty Images As the Trump administration approaches the end of its third legally dubious extension of the TikTok sale-or-ban law, the Chinese Communist Party is making one thing very clear: the app's For You algorithm, developed by the app's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, will not be sold anytime soon. That's because last time ByteDance tried to sell the algorithm — under threat of a TikTok ban during President Trump's first term — the Chinese government changed its export rules at the last minute to prevent the company from making the sale. Today, the CCP reiterated its stance on a TikTok sale in an editorial in the state-owned media outlet China Daily. The editorial began by applauding the Trump White House for creating an official TikTok Account — and gloating at the inconsistency between the White House's actions and Congress's ban of TikTok for national security reasons last year. 'TikTok's appeal and effectiveness as a communication channel has not been lost on even the White House,' it opened. 'That the White House launched its own account on the app less than one month before the third extended deadline expires only serves to expose the hypocrisy of the U.S. side's alleged 'security' charges against TikTok.' Then, the editorial went on to remind readers that ByteDance, as a Chinese company, 'must comply with Chinese laws and regulations,' and that Chinese law 'prohibits the export of core technologies such as short video algorithms, drawing a red line for the TikTok transaction.' The editorial expressed hope that Trump would indefinitely extend his non-enforcement of the binding U.S. law that requires TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese company or banned in the U.S. The Chinese government's stance does not necessarily mean that Trump and ByteDance will abandon efforts to make some kind of a deal. But it does mean that sale of the For You algorithm — which is core to TikTok's function and appeal — won't be on the table. TikTok has been planning for this eventuality. In May, Reuters reported that the company was working on creating a U.S.-only clone of the For You algorithm, which could be used in a potential separation of U.S. TikTok from the existing app. (It is unclear whether the Chinese government would take issue with TikTok launching a U.S. only algorithm, if that algorithm is based in whole or in part on the Chinese asset whose sale the CCP has barred.) In July, The Information reported that the company was working on a separate U.S. TikTok app, to be launched in early September, before Trump's impending September 17 deadline. If TikTok does proceed with launching a U.S.-only app, it will have to be powered by an algorithm of some kind. The Chinese government is suggesting that algorithm can't be ByteDance's trademark For You Page. The status of a clone algorithm is still up in the air, both technologically and legally. So TikTok may be — at least in the short-to-medium term — somewhat stuck. In the meantime, Trump may do what he has done before and grant yet another extension, allowing the company to continue operating in the U.S. in violation of binding U.S. law. But Trump's own Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, has been singing a different tune, saying that TikTok will go dark in September unless the Chinese government approves a sale. Trump and the Chinese government might also agree to a non-sale sale: an agreement that allows functional Chinese control over TikTok to continue, but gives Trump the cosmetic win of closing a deal of some kind. Such a deal would likely violate the law that Congress passed last year — but the burden would fall on Congress and the courts to require compliance. As the third extension moves toward expiration, one of two things seems certain: either Trump will continue to flout the law and allow TikTok to remain under Chinese control, or TikTok will change — somewhat dramatically — because the tech that has defined it will be out of reach. More From Forbes Forbes With Trump's TikTok Ban On Hold, ByteDance Is Quietly Launching AI Apps By Emily Baker-White Forbes TikTokers Are Claiming Credit For Trump's Parade Attendance By Emily Baker-White Forbes Trump's Deadline For A TikTok Deal Is Almost Up. Here Are 5 Things To Watch By Emily Baker-White

The PlayStation 5 Is About to Get More Expensive
The PlayStation 5 Is About to Get More Expensive

WIRED

time11 minutes ago

  • WIRED

The PlayStation 5 Is About to Get More Expensive

Starting August 21 in the US, every edition will cost $50 more than it did the day before, thanks to Trump's tariffs. People walk past a display case (L) showing a new PlayStation 5, in the lobby of the Sony headquarters building in central Tokyo. Photograph: RICHARD A. BROOKS; Getty Images Tech companies are continuing to feel the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs, this time in the gaming sector. Sony announced today that all editions of the PlayStation 5 will now cost $50 more in less than 24 hours. New prices take effect August 21. Under Sony's new pricing, a standard PlayStation 5 will cost $549.99; a digital edition $499.99; and the PlayStation 5 Pro, the most powerful of the bunch, will soon be $749.99. Those changes only apply to the United States; accessories will not be affected. 'Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment,' wrote Isabelle Tomatis, Sony Interactive Entertainment's vice president of global marketing, in a brief announcement. Daniel Ahmad, , director of research and insight at Niko Partners, tells WIRED that although Sony has been proactive in taking steps to avoid tariff impacts on its consoles—including stockpiling units in the US and diversifying its manufacturing sources—the company is still affected. 'With stockpiles running low, the company is making the decision to pass on the cost of these tariffs and additional costs to consumers in the US,' Ahmad says. Tariffs on those consoles range from 15 percent in Japan to up to 30 percent in China. Since Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, game companies have scrambled to keep up. Microsoft announced higher prices for Xbox consoles and games in May due to 'market conditions.' In an unprecedented move, Nintendo temporarily delayed pre-orders on the Switch 2 days after its official unveiling. Although the Switch 2 price has not yet been affected by tariffs, Nintendo raised the price of the original Switch on August 3, also citing the market. Sony's decision 'mirrors' Xbox and Nintendo's recent increases for its own consoles, Ahmad says. 'It's worth noting that tariff negotiations are still ongoing for some countries,' he says, pointing to a 90 day pause on China tariffs. 'If a deal is not signed between the two countries, it could lead to an increase in the tariff rate.' In other words, more increases could be on the way.

DC residents feel less safe after Trump takeover: poll
DC residents feel less safe after Trump takeover: poll

CNN

time41 minutes ago

  • CNN

DC residents feel less safe after Trump takeover: poll

Roughly 8 in 10​​ Washington, DC, residents oppose President Donald Trump ordering the federal government to take control of the city's police department as well as his deployment of the National Guard and FBI to patrol the city, a new Washington Post-Schar School poll finds. Notably, more than half of those living in the capital city have noticed the increased federal presence and 61% of those people feel less safe as a result of Trump's action. The figures go against the narrative Trump and other top administration officials have touted about the impact of the federal takeover. 'We went from the most unsafe place anywhere to a place that now people, friends are calling me up, Democrats are calling me up, and they're saying, 'Sir, I want to thank you. My wife and I went out to dinner last night for the first time in four years, and Washington, DC, is safe. And you did that in four days,'' Trump said at the White House on Monday. Overall, a 79% majority of DC residents oppose Trump's order, according to the survey, with just 17% supportive of the decision. Most, 69%, say they're strongly opposed. DC residents say, 65% to 20%, that they don't think Trump's actions will reduce the amount of violent crime in the city. By contrast, majorities say they think increased economic opportunities in poor neighborhoods (77%), stricter national gun laws (70%), an increased number of Metropolitan Police officers patrolling communities (63%) and using outreach workers to resolve disputes (57%) would help to reduce violent crime. Trump, who was supported by just over 6% of DC voters in last year's presidential election, remains broadly unpopular in the District, the poll finds, with his overall job approval rating now standing at just 15% among all residents. The poll also finds a significant shift in DC residents' attitudes toward crime since this spring, perhaps reflecting the changing political context of the question — just 31% now describe crime as an extremely or very serious problem in the District (down from 50%) and a 54% majority say they believe the problem of crime in the city is improving (up from 29%). Among the 35% of residents who say they, a family member, or a close friend has been a victim of crime in the past five years, support for Trump's actions stands at 34%, compared with 8% support among those who do not know a recent crime victim. About half of residents say Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser should be doing more to oppose Trump, with 30% saying she is handling things about right and 12% that she should be more supportive. A 71% majority also say DC police should not help the federal government much or at all to deport undocumented immigrants living in the city. Local police officers have been seen participating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement checkpoints over the past week. Bowser's rating stands at 53%, unchanged from a May survey, with 54% saying that DC police are doing a good or excellent job. The Washington Post-Schar School poll was conducted August 14-17 and surveyed 604 DC residents through a combination of live phone interviews and online surveys. Results for the full sample have a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points.

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