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Hard Numbers: Trump meets with TikTok, Europe investigates it, Morales investigated for sexual abuse, Mexico charges Walmart for monopoly

December 17, 2024
Riley Callanan
​TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2024.
TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2024.
REUTERS/Nathan Howard
34: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew met President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago amid a potential ban of the app if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance by January 19. TikTok has appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the ban would cause "irreparable harm," and Trump indicted at a press conference he may overturn the ban because it would benefit Facebook, a platform that once banned him.He also claimed he “won youth by 34 points," despite the fact that the majority of 18 to 29-year-olds backed Trump's Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, in November — but Trump has never been one to miss an easy political win.

6: Speaking of TikTok, it is also in hot water in the EU, where it is under investigation for potentially breaching digital regulations during Romania's presidential election. After Romania's top court canceled the first-round voting results, authorities alleged a Russian-organized social media campaign boosted far-right candidate Calin Georgescu through paid influencer promotions. The investigation will examine TikTok's content recommendation systems and could result in mandatory platform changes or fines up to 6% of the company's global revenue.

15: Bolivian prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for former President Evo Morales in a sexual abuse investigation involving an alleged relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2016. Morales, who denies the allegations, claims this is a political conspiracy to prevent him from running in next year's election. A conviction would not only result in criminal charges but also potentially ban him from political office, effectively ending his political career.

2.5%: Mexico's anti-monopoly regulators imposed 10-year special conditions on Walmart's Mexico subsidiary for allegedly pressuring suppliers and engaging in monopolistic practices. The Federal Competition Commission accused Walmart of using market power to force suppliers to offer exclusive discounts and prevent them from giving better prices to competitors. Walmart was fined $4.6 million and plans to appeal, claiming the case is unfair. The company's shares fell 2.5% following the announcement.

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