Trump’s TikTok Ban Blocked by Judge Hours Before It Was to Take Effect

Joe Biden and Donald Trump had town halls at the exact same time on Thursday (October 15) (despite petitions and protests from Hollywood stars to stagger the time slots), and Biden easily won in the ratings department.

During President Donald Trump's town hall on Thursday, current and former showrunners, producers and stars — including a handful of current and former NBC talent — who signed aletter of protest against the event continued to criticize the network for its decision and how the event played out. More than 100 top figures in the industry had criticized the network on Wednesday for choosing to air the town hall during the same day and time as ABC'stown hall with former vice president Joe Biden.

Tonight was to have been the second of three presidential debates between incumbent Donald Trump and challenger Biden. When Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, the debate commission changed the format to a virtual debate.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorPresident Trump wanted to run and ramble. Savannah Guthrie wouldn’t let him.In what may be the performance of a career, the popular “Today” anchor kept a tight rein on the proceedings of a controversial town-hall event with President Donald Trump that put NBC in the cross-hairs of critics and Hollywood A-listers.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorJust as Twitter traffic was set to surge on a night of dueling presidential town hall events, the social media platform stopped working for many users.“Something is technically wrong,” a message on the company’s corporate website said.

Zing! Conan O'Brien on Thursday had a striking (and personal) takedown of NBC, which is under heavy criticism for scheduling a town hall event with President Donald Trump during an ABC town hall with former Vice President Joe Biden. "I can’t remember the last time I was this shocked by an NBC programming decision,"O'Brien quipped Thursday.

Peter White Television EditorConan O’Brien has poked fun at his former employer NBC over its handling of President Donald Trump’s town hall – a dig that drew comparisons to the way the network bungled The Tonight Show succession.The late-night host tweeted, “I can’t remember the last time I was this shocked by an NBC programming decision.”This comes ten years after O’Brien left The Tonight Show in January 2010, a mere seven months after he got the gig.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe Department of Justice filed an appeal on Thursday of a judge’s order blocking a ban on TikTok downloads from going into effect.The government is trying to bar users from downloading the app on the grounds that China could obtain data on U.S. citizens, posing a security threat.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe federal judge who blocked the White House’s ban on TikTok downloads in the U.S. Sunday night said that the Trump administration “likely exceeded the lawful bounds” of the powers afforded to the president under the the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.President Trump invoked the IEEPA in his executive order to ban TikTok, the short-form video app owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance, in the United States.

Dominic Patten Senior Editor, Legal & TV CriticDonald Trump suffered another blow on Sunday as a federal judge hit the pause button on the former Celebrity Apprentice host ban on the Chinese created widely successful video app.Coming just as the New York Times dropped a bombshell expose on Trump’s long hidden taxes and debts, the partial injunction granted by U.S.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorA U.S. government order banning TikTok from app stores imposed by the Trump administration — which had been set to kick in Sunday, Sept.

an American-owned company, after voicing concerns that the app, which is owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, was misusing user information and jeopardizing national security. If a sale isn’t approved by that date, Trump said, he’ll ban new downloads of the app in U.S.