National

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) calls Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" in a new interview with British journalist Piers Morgan airing on Fox News.

Why it matters: The potential 2024 presidential contender's comments are in stark contrast to statements made by former President Trump, who last year called Putin "genius" and "very savvy" for recognizing two breakaway "republics" in eastern Ukraine as independent.

What they're saying: In the interview airing Thursday, Morgan asked DeSantis if Putin should be held responsible for war crimes and genocidal activity in Ukraine.

"I think he is a war criminal ... I do think that that he should be held accountable," DeSantis replied.

"I think he's got grand ambitions. I think he's hostile to the United States," he continued.

"We'll see what ends up happening with his longevity in power. But ... this has been a loss for them."

Yes, but: Just last week, DeSantis said in a statement aired by Fox News that it is not in the "vital national interests" of the U.S. to become "further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia."

Several Republican lawmakers, including Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), rebuked his comments shortly after.

Of note: Trump escalated attacks on DeSantis in recent months as it became clear the latter held a substantial bloc of conservative voters and could win the GOP nomination for the presidency. 

Go deeper: The deepening GOP divide on Ukraine

DeSantis calls Putin a "war criminal" who must be "held accountable"

His are in a stark contrast to statements made by Trump, who's referred to Putin's Ukraine strategy as "genius."

Photo of Ron DeSantis speaking into a microphone on stage

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to voters on March 10 in Des Moines, Iowa. Photo: Scott Olson via Getty Images

Ron DeSantis

Donald Trump

Russia

Ukraine

2024 Elections

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday passed a strict anti-gay bill that criminalizes identifying as LGBTQ and imposes severe punishments for violations related to same-sex relations, including the possibility of the death penalty, Reuters reported.

Why it matters: More than 30 countries in Africa, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations, but the Anti-Homosexuality Bill goes further by criminalizing merely identifying as LGBTQ, the BBC reported.

While Uganda's penal code already calls for life imprisonment for same-sex relations, the provision was a holdover from the colonial era and was rarely enforced, according to Human Rights Watch.

Details: The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, states that any person that "holds out as a lesbian, gay, transgender, a queer, or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female,” could face up to 10 years in prison, per Human Rights Watch.

The ban prohibits the "promotion of homosexuality" by individuals or organizations. It also targets persons seen as aiding and abetting homosexuality — a provision which HRW says could affect social support networks,  including friends and family.

The law calls for sentences of life in prison for anyone engaging in gay sex and the death penalty would be given to those convicted of “aggravated homosexuality,” a broad term that could include gay sex with a minor or with someone who is HIV positive, Reuters reported.

Even “attempted homosexuality” would become punishable with up to 10 years in prison, per AP.

State of play: The bill now heads to the desk of President Yoweri Museveni, who previously expressed support for the legislation, to be either vetoed or signed it into law, AP reported.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Wednesday denounced the law, saying that if signed, it would, "render lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Uganda criminals simply for existing, for being who they are."

"It could provide carte blanche for the systematic violation of nearly all of their human rights and serve to incite people against each other," he added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday urged Uganda to "reconsider the implementation" of the bill, saying it would "undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS."

The big picture: Anti-LGBTQ sentiment is widespread in Uganda and public figures often use "disparaging language" with regards to LGBTQ people, per the Washington Post.

Anti-LGBTQ policies have been on the rise in several African nations in recent years, per the New York Times.

Uganda passes anti-gay bill, imposing death penalty for some offenses

The bill now heads to the desk of President Yoweri Museveni, who can veto or sign it into law.

A Ugandan transgender woman who was recently attacked and currently being sheltered watches a TV screen showing the live broadcast of the session from the Parliament for the anti-gay bill

A Ugandan transgender woman watches a TV screen showing the live broadcast of the session from the Parliament for the anti-gay bill on March 21. Photo: Stuart Tibaweswa/AFP via Getty Images

LGBTQ

A group of Jewish Democratic members of Congress held a tough meeting with Israeli Ambassador to Washington Mike Herzog two weeks ago and expressed grave concern about the Netanyahu government’s plan to weaken the Supreme Court, two Israeli officials briefed on the meeting and two members of Congress who attended the meeting told Axios.

Why it matters: The private meeting reflected the high level of anxiety among Democrats who are staunch supporters of Israel and represent large Jewish constituencies about the judicial overhaul plan and how it could affect the U.S.-Israel relationship.

It also echoed similar concerns expressed by the Biden administration over what the plan could mean for Israel's democracy. President Biden expressed concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. 

Catch up quick: The judicial overhaul plan, presented by the most right-wing government in Israel's history, has deepened political divisions in Israel and prompted protests, including within the ranks of the Israeli military, against Netanyahu's government.

Behind the scenes: The meeting, which included more than 20 Democrats, included harsh criticism over the plan, according to the two Israeli officials with direct knowledge of the meeting. 

One member of Congress who attended the meeting told Axios that the discussion was “frank and candid” with all the attendees expressing concerns that reflected what many are hearing from their Jewish constituents. It "was not argumentative," the lawmaker said. 

Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), who helped organize the meeting, described it as "emotional."

"We did raise the specter that some of the changes being discussed, if taken to their extreme, could have an adverse impact on Israeli democracy," Schneider said, stressing that those who attended the meeting have a very close connection to Israel and a strong commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

"There is a special aspect to Israel as the democratic Jewish state. And that has always had a special place in the U.S.-Israel relationship," he told Axios.

Schneider added that the members of Congress didn’t give the Israeli ambassador an “if, then” threat but stressed that if the judicial overhaul plan is implemented without changes, it will be harder “to talk about Israel in the same way."

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) stressed during the meeting that he has heard concerns from every corner of the Jewish community in his district and added that his constituents are alarmed by these reforms and their potential harm to Israeli democracy, a congressional aide with knowledge of the meeting said.

The aide added that other lawmakers expressed concerns that moving forward with these judicial reforms could have negative consequences for the U.S.-Israel relationship.

A member of Congress who attended the meeting, but asked to remain anonymous, said the attendees raised concerns that the judicial plan would hamper the independence of the Israeli Supreme Court and, as a result, there will be fewer protections for the rights of minorities.

"The ambassador listened very carefully and committed that he would take all of our concerns back directly to the prime minister," the member of Congress said. 

"There were members in the room who represented … significant Jewish populations within their districts and they wanted to make sure that the prime minister understood that this is not a few lone voices and that many members of the Jewish community across the country are deeply concerned," the lawmaker said.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

What to watch: The Netanyahu government announced on Monday it will move ahead with one of the key elements of the judicial plan, which includes changing the process of appointing judges and giving the government full control over Supreme Court appointments.

If implemented, it will be the first time since the committee was formed in 1953 that Supreme Court judges will be appointed by only politicians from the coalition.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that one lawmaker (not two) told Axios the discussion with Herzog was "frank and candid" with all the attendees expressing concerns that reflected what many are hearing from their Jewish constituents.

Scoop: U.S. Dem lawmakers hold "emotional" meeting with Israeli ambassador

The Jewish lawmakers expressed concerns they and their constituents have about Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan.

Rep. Brad Schneider. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Israel

The Israeli government sees the recent agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran not as a threat, but as an opportunity for Israel’s efforts to normalize relations with the Saudi kingdom, a senior Israeli diplomatic official directly involved in the efforts told Axios.

Why it matters: Netanyahu said in his inauguration speech three months ago that his main foreign policy objective is to broaden the Abraham Accords and reach a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.

Driving the news: The senior diplomatic official said the war in Yemen has been a major "irritant" in U.S.-Saudi relations in recent years, hampering efforts for Israel-Saudi normalization steps. 

If the Saudi-Iran agreement leads to the end of the war, "this irritant will go away and relations between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. will improve," the official said. "The more relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia improve, the easier it will be to work on promoting normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel."

Behind the scenes: The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Center for Political Research last week issued a classified report analyzing the Saudi-Iranian deal, a Foreign Ministry official who read the report said.

The report concludes that the Saudi-Iran agreement will not block the normalization process between Gulf countries and Israel, the Foreign Ministry official told me. 

“The experience of the last two years proves that a dialogue between the Gulf countries and Iran doesn’t mean suspending the contacts with Israel," the official quoted the report as saying.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

The big picture: The White House also doesn’t think the Saudi-Iran deal will hamper the Biden administration's efforts to push for normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel nor will it lead countries that have signed on to the Abraham Accords, like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, to cool their relations with Israel, as Axios previously reported.

“We completely reject the idea that Saudi Arabia reopening an embassy in Tehran will somehow frustrate the process of Israel-Saudi normalization," the U.S. official said.

Yes, but: The efforts to push for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia appear to be facing significant hurdles from other directions, including the ongoing escalation of tensions in the occupied West Bank and the policies of Israel's right-wing government.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry has issued at least five condemnation statements against Israel since the new Israeli government was sworn in less than three months ago. 

The Saudis have escalated their rhetoric and public criticism against the Israeli government and started to again refer to it as "the occupation government." 

Scoop: Israel sees opportunity in Iran-Saudi deal, Israeli official says

The deal may be an opportunity for Israel’s efforts to normalize relations with the Saudi kingdom, an official said.

Newspapers in Tehran on March 10 feature the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Iran

BEIRUT — The Lebanese pound, or lira, sank to a new low this week, worsening conditions for people already struggling to cope with Lebanon's unprecedented economic crisis. 

Why it matters: The economic meltdown has plunged the vast majority of the population into poverty. For those who are still paid in pounds, their salaries are only worth a fraction of their value before the crisis hit in 2019, leaving many unable to afford basic necessities.

The crisis has also degraded the quality of public services. The country’s public schools have been closed for the past three months, as teachers strike against their no-longer-livable salaries. And the once-thriving health care sector and security apparatus are under immense pressure as medics and soldiers leave Lebanon in search of better opportunities.

Driving the news: The Lebanese currency hit another all-time low on Tuesday of 140,000 pounds to $1, losing more than 15% of its value in one day. 

Several hundred protesters, including army retirees and angry depositors, gathered in front of the country's parliament on Wednesday to speak out against the deteriorating living conditions. The protests grew tense as security forces dispersed crowds with tear gas. 

“The Lebanese lira is dead,” said Layal Mansour, an economist who specializes in dollarized countries, “It has no value, it has no trust, and people are not attracted to use it."

For months, banks have been imposing strict restrictions on withdrawals. Angry depositors recently burned and ransacked banks in protest. Banks this week called off an open-ended strike, which had blocked public- and private-sector employees from retrieving their salaries.

Meanwhile, the government recently allowed supermarkets to begin pricing in dollars, a sigh of relief for many shop owners who couldn't keep up with the spiraling currency.

The big picture: Unsustainable borrowing and financial mismanagement by Lebanon’s sectarian elite coupled with virtually nonproductive economic growth has fueled one of the worst economic crises the world has seen in centuries, economists say. 

The International Monetary Fund has offered a $3 billion bailout package to Lebanon, conditional on a host of structural and financial reforms. But with the country in a double executive vacuum since October — without a president or a fully empowered Cabinet — no progress has been made on the reforms that could help revive the deteriorated economy.

What’s next: The country has been “highly dollarized” since the 1980s, meaning the dollar has made up most of the transactions. After over four decades, “we have to admit the Lebanese pound is dead and we have to replace it with another currency," Mansour said.

This would mean either adopting U.S. dollars at a fixed exchange rate, known as “full dollarization," or creating a new currency altogether, which would be fully covered by dollars, known as “currency board." Both moves would significantly reduce the central bank’s ability to issue and regulate the currency.

But without institutional action, Mansour argued, Lebanon’s currency crisis “will have no end."

Lebanon's economic woes worsen

The economic meltdown has plunged the vast majority of the population into poverty.

 A Lebanese couple sits outside a closed fortified local bank branch in Beirut on March 14. Photo: Marwan Naamani/picture alliance via Getty Images

A fortified Bank of Beirut branch in Lebanon's capital. Marwan Naamani/picture alliance via Getty Images

Lebanon

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

Israel told the Biden administration and several European countries that Iran would be entering dangerous territory that could trigger an Israeli military strike if it enriches uranium above the 60% level, a senior Israeli official told Axios.

The big picture: Increasingly concerned about advances in Iran's nuclear program, Israel has in recent months ramped up its private and public threats of military action against Tehran in an apparent attempt to deter the country from escalating its nuclear program even further, according to Israeli officials. 

State of play: Iran has amassed 87.5 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency report from late February. Experts say that if that uranium is enriched to 90% weapons grade, it would be a sufficient quantity to produce at least one nuclear bomb. 

The IAEA is continuing to investigate Iranian activity in its underground nuclear facility in Fordow, which included enriching at least small amounts of uranium to 84% purity.

Israel, however, doesn't consider the small amounts of uranium enriched at 84% purity as meaningful because Tehran didn't amass any of the material at that level, the Israeli official said.

A top U.S. defense official told lawmakers last month that Iran will need only 12 days to enrich enough weapons-grade uranium to build one nuclear bomb, though the U.S. has also said it doesn't believe Iran has made the decision to resume its weaponization program.

Behind the scenes: The Israeli government is not defining a public “red line” at the moment as Netanyahu did in his UN speech in September 2012, the senior Israeli official said. 

The official added that Israel didn’t want to set 90% enrichment as a “red line” because officials believe Iran will feel it can begin enriching and amassing uranium at a level just short of weapons grade.

That is why Israel is telling U.S. and European countries that any Iranian progress above 60% enrichment would be a step that could trigger military action against Tehran's nuclear program, the Israeli official said.

Israeli officials believe that Netanyahu's message on the issue has been passed on to Iranian officials, according to a second senior Israeli official, who recently spoke to reporters on background. “The Iranians totally internalized our position and they know what our [red] line is," the official said.

What to watch: The Israeli government is continuing to prepare for a possible military strike in Iran, Israeli officials said.

Two Israeli officials said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asked U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during his recent visit to Israel to expedite the delivery of the four KC-46 tankers that Israel had purchased from the U.S. last year.

The officials said Israel needs the tankers, which are used for air refueling, to prepare for a possible military strike in Iran. Israel wants to get at least some of them by the end of 2024.

During the previous Israeli government’s term, then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz had also asked Austin to expedite the delivery of the tankers.

The officials said Austin told Netanyahu and Gallant that the U.S. will try to deliver the planes earlier but stressed it will be difficult due to U.S. military needs.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect Lloyd Austin is the U.S. secretary of defense (not secretary of state).

Scoop: Iran enriching uranium above 60% could trigger strike, Israeli official says

“The Iranians totally internalized our position and they know what our [red] line is," the official said.

The flags of Iran and Israel outside the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, in May 2021. 

The flags of Iran and Israel outside the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Photo: Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images

U.S.-Israeli relations are in full crisis mode less than three months after Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

Driving the news: The U.S. summoned Israeli Ambassador to Washington Mike Herzog on Tuesday to protest an Israeli law passed earlier that day that repealed the 2005 Israeli disengagement from the northern occupied West Bank.

The rare U.S. rebuke of one of its closest allies came after weeks of bubbling tensions between the two countries.

How we got here: Biden administration officials told Axios they knew a crisis with the Israeli government was going to happen at some point, but they tried to postpone it as much as possible.

The administration had expressed concerns even before Netanyahu was sworn in, including over the ministerial posts the prime minister was set to give to certain far-right coalition partners. But at the time, U.S. officials say, the Biden administration wanted to avoid confrontation so it could directly work with Netanyahu on countering Iran and expanding the Abraham Accords.

Netanyahu also sought to reassure international concerns about his government, telling U.S. news outlets that he "will have his hands on the wheel" and not his far-right extremist coalition partners.

Still, tensions began to bubble just weeks after the Israeli government was sworn in when the ruling coalition presented its plan to weaken the Supreme Court and other democratic institutions. U.S. officials, including President Biden, expressed concerns over what the plan would mean for Israel's democracy.

Tensions also bubbled over several incidents in the occupied West Bank, including Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's call to "wipe out" the Palestinian village of Hawara — a call he has since tried to walk back.

The comment led the White House to publicly announce that the Biden administration would boycott Smotrich during his visit to Washington. The State Department considered not issuing a visa. 

Tensions continued to surface when the White House again condemned Smotrich — this time for his claim that the Palestinian people were “an invention” and don't exist.

Then, on Tuesday, those tensions boiled over when the Israeli Knesset repealed the 2005 disengagement law. The move allows Israeli citizens to enter the area between the cities of Jenin and Nablus, which Israeli settlers had evacuated in 2005.

The move could dramatically increase the potential for friction between settlers and Palestinians in the most sensitive and volatile area of the occupied West Bank.

The U.S. called the move a "provocation" and a violation of commitments given to the U.S. by the Israeli government.

Behind the scenes: Herzog was summoned on short notice for a meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, two Israeli and U.S. sources said.

The last time an Israeli ambassador was summoned to the State Department was in 2010 when Israel approved a new building in an East Jerusalem settlement during then-Vice President Biden's visit to the country.

Sherman and Herzog's meeting was very tough, with Sherman saying the new law is a violation of the commitment the Israeli government made to the U.S., Egypt and Jordan just last Sunday during the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, a source with knowledge of the meeting said. That commitment included avoiding steps that could escalate the situation in the West Bank. 

What they're saying: The summoning of Herzog was "a result of the Israelis going too far — the judicial overhaul, Smotrich and now this law — it was just too much," a U.S. official told Axios.

An Israeli official claimed the summoning wasn't a sign of a crisis but just a way for the State Department to reiterate its concerns

Netanyahu on Wednesday pushed back on the Biden administration’s criticism, saying the new law “brings an end to a discriminatory and humiliating law that barred Jews from living in areas in northern Samaria, part of our historic homeland."

At the same time, the Prime Minister’s Office stressed that the government has no intention of establishing new settlements in the parts of the West Bank the new law addresses.

What to watch: Netanyahu is a veteran of dealing with tensions and crises with a Democratic president after eight years of working with the Obama administration.

Some of his aides recently started using a phrase reminiscent of the Obama-era days. “Let's talk again in 2024," one aide told Axios, hinting at the next U.S. presidential election.

"wipe out" the Palestinian village of Hawara

Palestinian people were “an invention”

U.S.-Israel relations in crisis mode as tensions boil over

A rare U.S. rebuke of one of its closest allies came after weeks of bubbling tensions between the two countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

DHS launches major border operation targeting fentanyl trafficking

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas hailed "Operation Blue Lotus" as a "monumental shift" during a visit to the border.

A US Customs and Border Protection agent weighs a package of Fentanyl at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on October 2, 2019 in San Ysidro, California. 

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent weighs a package of fentanyl at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Ysidro, California, in 2019. Photo: Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

Fentanyl

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Japan won the World Baseball Classic after beating defending champion the U.S. 3-2 in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday night.

Of note: It's Japan's third W.B.C. title and it's first since 2009.

Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan applauds fans after being awarded the MVP following Japan's World Baseball Classic Championship win at loanDepot park on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. 

Shohei Ohtani, #16 of Team Japan and the Los Angeles Angels in Major League Baseball, applauds fans after being given the MVP award by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred (left), following Japan's defeat of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic Championship on March 21. Photo: Eric Espada/Getty Images

Tetsuto Yamada #1 of Team Japan steals second bae as Trea Turner #8 of Team USA attempts to make the tag in the eighth inning during the World Baseball Classic Championship on March 21, 2023 in Miami.

Tetsuto Yamada, #1 of Team Japan, steals second base as Trea Turner, #8 of Team USA, attempts to make the tag in the eighth inning of the World Baseball Classic Championship game on March 21. Photo: Eric Espada/Getty Images

Kyle Schwarber #12 of Team USA reacts after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against Team Japan during the World Baseball Classic Championship on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. 

Kyle Schwarber, #12 of Team USA, reacts after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against Team Japan during the World Baseball Classic Championship game on March 21. Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Shohei Ohtani #16 of Team Japan stretches for first base as Paul Goldschmidt #46 of Team USA attempts to make the out in the seventh inning during the World Baseball Classic Championship on March 21.

Ohtani stretches for first base as Paul Goldschmidt, #46 of Team USA, attempts to make the out in the seventh inning of the World Baseball Classic Championship game. Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Go deeper: Sign up for the Axios Sports newsletter

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more photos.

Miami

blue

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Miami.

Axios Miami

Standard

Miami Alerts

Alert

Axios Miami Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Miami Members

Membership

In photos: Japan beats U.S. to win 2023 World Baseball Classic

: Team Japan celebrates after the final out of the World Baseball Classic Championship defeating Team USA 3-2 at loanDepot park on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida.

Team Japan celebrates after the final out of the World Baseball Classic Championship defeating Team USA 3-2 at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on March 21. Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Baseball

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

Sports

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will tell lawmakers Thursday that banning the app in the U.S. would hurt American businesses and the country's economy, according to newly released remarks prepared for his testimony before Congress.

Driving the news: The Biden administration has warned the firm that it faces a ban in the United States if its parents company, ByteDance, doesn't sell its stake in the U.S. version of the app amid national security concerns, per Axios' Sara Fischer and Ashley Gold.

What he's saying: "We do not believe that a ban that hurts American small businesses, damages the country's economy, silences the voices of over 150 million Americans, and reduces competition in an increasingly concentrated market is the solution to a solvable problem," Chew states in the prepared testimony, released by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Tuesday night.

"Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country. ... Rather, our approach has been to work transparently and cooperatively with the U.S. government and Oracle to design robust solutions to address concerns about TikTok’s heritage," Chew continues.

TikTok CEO to tell Congress app ban would hurt U.S. economy

"ByteDance is not an agent of China," he said of TikTok's parent company in his testimony.

Wednesday's world stories