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Steve Mnuchin is angling to partner with an AI firm that can quickly rebuild TikToks algorithm as he looks to orchestrate a blockbuster bid to acquire the China-owned app, The Post has learned.

The former Treasury secretary first revealed last month that he was exploring a bid to buy TikTok after House lawmakers voted to pass a bill requiring its Beijing-based parent ByteDance to divest within six months or face a total US ban.

Now, insiders say Mnuchin is pitching a plan to rebuild TikToks algorithm in the US as the only likely way to satisfy Congressional concerns that the app poses a national security risk, as well as Chinas strict export laws that could block a sale.

The Senate is expected to hold hearings on the House bill later this year, although no vote has yet been scheduled.

Mnuchin believes that any effort to rebuild TikToks sophisticated algorithm would require a partner with access to advanced AI capabilities and expertise, the sources said. Given the size and complexity of the undertaking, the ex-Trump Cabinet member could partner with more than one tech firm, the sources added.

A spokesperson for Mnuchin declined to comment. TikTok did not return a request for comment.

Mnuchin has already said publicly that TikTok would need to be rebuilt in the US after an acquisition, arguing on CNBC that China will be fine selling it so long as theres not a technology transfer along the way.

Multiple experts told The Post that Oracle — the software giant headed by billionaire Trump donor Larry Ellison — is a logical candidate to join his bid. TikTok has already committed to storing the data of US users in servers operated by Oracle as part of “Project Texas,” a plan to satisfy national security and user privacy concerns.

Oracle did not return a request for comment.

When Mnuchin was Treasury secretary, Oracle nearly bought TikTok as part of the Trump administrations effort to force ByteDance to divest. Experts note that an Oracle deal wouldn’t likely to draw as much regulatory scrutiny as a deal with Big Tech firms like Google, Meta and Apple.

Oracle would make sense, given how involved theyve been in the history of this saga, according to Tobin Marcus, a former economic adviser to then-Vice President Biden during the Obama administration.

Microsoft, which is the chief investor in OpenAI, is another logical candidate. The Big Tech giant also came close to buying TikTok in 2020, with CEO Satya Nadella later remarking the aborted bid was the “strangest thing I’ve ever worked on.

Last month, the Washington Post reported that Mnuchin has told potential partners that he was in touch with Oracle as well as former Activision-Blizzard chief Bobby Kotick, who is also reportedly interested in buying the app.

A Kotick representative did not return a request for comment.

The app, which has more than 170 million American users, is sure to carry a hefty price tag. Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that its US business could be worth up to $40 billion, while others have put the price at $100 billion or beyond.  

While some critics have blasted Mnuchin’s plan as far-fetched, rebuilding the algorithm is really the only option given Chinas strict export controls on AI, according to Andrew Grotto, the former senior director for cybersecurity policy under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

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I dont think its easy, but I also think given the right level of resource expenditure, the skys the limit in some sense, Grotto said. Whether the product is any good or not at least as good as the original underlying algorithm of TikTok, thats a different question. It seems like a minimally viable product is achievable.

Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation think tank and a member of TikToks content and safety advisory council, agreed.

I dont know if its an irreplaceable algorithm, Atkinson said. It seems like with all the AI capabilities today, you could get a really good algorithm that would be maybe not 100% as good, but pretty good and over time would probably evolve to where it is today, if not better. So I dont think that would be the issue.

Rebuilding the app would be just one challenge for Mnuchins bid, which would need to secure approval from both the US and Chinese governments.

The road to the Senate floor is likely to be bumpy, according to Marcus, who views a vote as unlikely before the election. Calls for a ban swelled in March 2023 after TikTok CEO Shou Chews disastrous testimony on Capitol Hill, only to fizzle for more than a year, he noted.

The Senate certainly does not seem eager to just pick up the House bill and ram it through as-is, so theres definitely a possibility to make changes, Marcus said.

On the other side of the Pacific, critics say its a long shot for Mnuchin or any other potential buyer to secure the necessary approval from the Chinese government, which has repeatedly vowed to block any forced sale of TikTok.

One tech executive told The Post last month that a Beijing would see it as a huge besmirchment of their honor and integrity as a sovereign nation if the US government got its way.

Still, the Chinese government might find it difficult to turn down a huge market-value deal for TikToks US operations especially as its President Xi Jinping works overtime to reassure Western business leaders that the country is open for business.

I think theres a path for them signing off on it. I dont think Congress is bluffing, Atkinson said. You would diminish the value of a leading Chinese technology company by a significant amount. I think the Chinese government realizes they would be much better off if ByteDance can get a giant infusion of cash and use it to expand and do other things.

Critics also warn that delaying the sale-or-ban timeline for TikTok ensures that the Chinese Communist Party could use the app to meddle in the presidential election — one of the key reasons that lawmakers have pursued the legislation in the first place.

“The longer it remains under Beijings influence, the more control [Chinese President Xi Jinping] has over the news and information Americans under thirty-five consume and digest,” said Chris Fenton, a trustee at the US-Asia Institute. “Supporting a fair market sale to an American buyer as quickly as possible rewards investors, satisfies users, and protects national security interests.”

As The Post has reported, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is under pressure to hold a vote on the bill, which has drawn bipartisan support even as some lawmakers raise concerns that muzzling TikTok could violate the First Amendment or set a bad precedent on the targeting of specific companies via government legislation.

Senate lawmakers are reportedly debating potential changes to the bill including extending the six-month window or broadening its scope to target social media. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, reportedly wants to hold at least one public hearing before any potential vote.

Indeed, the House bills tight six-month divestment window is viewed as a major obstacle to the plan with 12 to 18 months seen as a more realistic timeline to close a deal that includes rebuilding a working version of the software, the sources added.

Prospective buyers are likely to seek an agreement that would allow TikTok to remain operational using its current software until the new algorithm is ready to be implemented even if that means exceeding the stipulated divestment window.

Cantwell has signaled she is in favr of an extended deadline, telling reporters it “would be a good component to guarantee success.”

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A pub a day to close this year, industry body warns as it calls for cut to tax burden

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A pub a day to close this year, industry body warns as it calls for cut to tax burden

An industry body has warned that the equivalent of more than one pub a day is set to close across Great Britain this year.

According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), an estimated 378 venues will shut down across England, Wales and Scotland.

This would amount to more than 5,600 direct job losses, the industry body warns. It has called for a reduction in the cumulative tax and regulatory burden for the hospitality sector – including cutting business rates and beer duty.

The body – representing members that brew 90% of British beer and own more than 20,000 pubs – said such measures would slow the rate at which bars are closing.

BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said that while pubs are trading well, “most of the money that goes into the till goes straight back out in bills and taxes”.

“For many, it’s impossible to make a profit, which all too often leads to pubs turning off the lights for the last time,” she said.

“When a pub closes, it puts people out of a job, deprives communities of their heart and soul, and hurts the local economy.”

She urged the government to “proceed with meaningful business rates reform, mitigate these eye-watering new employment and EPR (extended producer responsibility) costs, and cut beer duty”.

“We’re not asking for special treatment, we just want the sector’s rich potential unleashed,” she added.

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The government has said it plans to reform the current business rates system, saying in March that an interim report on the measure would be published this summer.

From April, relief on property tax – that came in following the COVID-19 pandemic – was cut from 75% to 40%, leading to higher bills for hospitality, retail and leisure businesses.

The rate of employer National Insurance Contributions also rose from 13.8% to 15% that month, and the wage threshold was lowered from £9,100 to £5,000, under measures announced by Rachel Reeves in the October budget.

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US

Gaza permanent ceasefire ‘questionable’, says senior Israeli official

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Gaza permanent ceasefire 'questionable', says senior Israeli official

A senior Israeli official has issued a less-than-optimistic assessment of the permanency of any ceasefire in Gaza.

Speaking in Washington on condition of anonymity, the senior official said that a 60-day ceasefire “might” be possible within “a week, two weeks – not a day”.

But on the chances of the ceasefire lasting beyond 60 days, the official said: “We will begin negotiations on a permanent settlement.

“But we achieve it? It’s questionable, but Hamas will not be there.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to conclude a four-day visit to Washington later today.

There had been hope that a ceasefire could be announced during the trip. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that it’s close.

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Netanyahu arrives in US for ceasefire talks

Speaking at a briefing for a number of reporters, the Israeli official would not be drawn on any of the details of the negotiations over concerns that public disclosure could jeopardise their chances of success.

The major sticking point in the talks between Hamas and Israel is the status of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) inside Gaza during the 60-day ceasefire and beyond, should it last longer.

The latest Israeli proposal, passed to Hamas last week, included a map showing the proposed IDF presence inside Gaza during the ceasefire.

Read more: What is the possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal?

Israeli military vehicles stand near the Israel-Gaza border, in Israel.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

This was rejected by Hamas and by Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who reportedly told the Israelis that the redeployment map “looks like a Smotrich plan”, a reference to the extreme-right Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.

The official repeated Israel’s central stated war aims of getting the hostages back and eliminating Hamas. But in a hint of how hard it will be to reconcile the differences, the official was clear that no permanent ceasefire would be possible without the complete removal of Hamas.

“We will offer them a permanent ceasefire,” he told Sky News. “If they agree. Fine. It’s over.

“They lay down their arms, and we proceed [with the ceasefire]. If they don’t, we’ll proceed [with the war].”

On the status of the Israeli military inside Gaza, the official said: “We would want IDF in every square meter of Gaza, and then hand it over to someone…”

He added: “[We] don’t want to govern Gaza… don’t want to govern, but the first thing is, you have to defeat Hamas…”

Smoke rises in Gaza after an explosion, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

The official said the Israeli government had “no territorial designs for Gaza”.

“But [we] don’t want Hamas there,” he continued. “You have to finish the job… victory over Hamas. You cannot have victory if you don’t clear out all the fighting forces.

“You have to go into every square inch unless you are not serious about victory. I am. We are going to defeat them. Those who do not disarm will die. Those who disarm will have a life.”

On the future of Gaza, the official ruled out the possibility of a two-state solution “for the foreseeable future”.

“They are not going to have a state in the foreseeable future as long as they cling to that idea of destroying our state. It doesn’t make a difference if they are the Palestinian Authority or Hamas, it’s just a difference of tactics.”

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On the most controversial aspect of the Gaza conflict – the movement of the population – the official predicted that 60% of Palestinians would “choose to leave”.

But he claimed that Israel would allow them to return once Hamas had been eliminated, adding: “It’s not forcible eviction, it’s not permanent eviction.”

Critics of Israel’s war in Gaza say that any removal of Palestinians from Gaza, even if given the appearance of being “voluntary,” is in fact anything but, because the strip has been so comprehensively flattened.

Reacting to Israeli Defence Minister Katz’s recent statement revealing a plan to move Palestinians into a “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza, and not let them out of that area, the official wouldn’t be drawn, except to say: “As a permanent arrangement? Of course not.”

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UK

‘A constant game of cat and mouse’: Inside the police crackdown on illegal moped delivery drivers

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'A constant game of cat and mouse': Inside the police crackdown on illegal moped delivery drivers

The first thing you notice when immigration officers stop a possible illegal moped delivery driver is the speed in which the suspect quickly taps on their mobile.

“We’re in their WhatsApp groups – they’ll be telling thousands now that we’re here… so our cover is blown,” the lead immigration officer tells me.

“It’s like a constant game of cat and mouse.”

Twelve Immigration Enforcement officers, part of the Home Office, are joining colleagues from Avon and Somerset Police in a crackdown on road offences and migrants working illegally.

Police chase suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery drivers

The West of England and Wales has seen the highest number of arrests over the last year for illegal workers outside of London.

“It is a problem… we’re tackling it,” Murad Mohammed, from Immigration Enforcement, says. He covers all the devolved nations.

“This is just one of the operations going on around the country, every day of the week, every month of the year.”

Murad Mohammed from Immigration Enforcement
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Murad Mohammed, from Immigration Enforcement, says his team are attempting to tackle the issue

Just outside the Cabot Circus shopping complex, we stop a young Albanian man who arrived in the UK on the back of a truck.

He’s on an expensive and fast-looking e-bike, with a new-looking Just Eat delivery bag.

He says he just uses it for “groceries” – but the officer isn’t buying it. He’s arrested, but then bailed instantly.

A man inspects the Just Eat food delivery bag of a suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver

We don’t know the specifics of his case, but one officer tells me this suspected offence won’t count against his asylum claim.

Such is the scale of the problem – the backlog, loopholes and the complexity of cases – that trying to keep on top of it feels impossible.

This is one of many raids happening across the UK as part of what the government says is a “blitz” targeting illegal working hotspots.

Angela Eagle, the border security and asylum minister, joins the team for an hour at one of Bristol’s retail parks, scattered with fast food chains and, therefore, delivery bikes.

Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum
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Border security and asylum minister, Angela Eagle, speaks to Sky News

She says arrests for illegal working are up over the last year by 51% from the year before, to more than 7,000.

“If we find you working, you can lose access to the hotel or the support you have [been] given under false pretences,” she said.

“We are cracking down on that abuse, and we intend to keep doing so.”

A suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver being arrested

There are reports that asylum seekers can rent legitimate delivery-driver accounts within hours of arriving in the country – skipping employment legality checks.

Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat all told Sky News they’re continuing to strengthen the technology they use to remove anyone working illegally.

But a new Border Security Bill, working its way through Parliament, could see companies fined £60,000 for each illegal worker discovered, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.

“I had them all in to see me last week and I told them in no uncertain terms that we take a very tough line on this kind of abuse and they’ve got to change their systems so they can drive it out and off their platforms,” the minister tells me.

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The gig economy – so prevalent in every city – creates another incentive for those wanting to risk their lives coming to the UK illegally.

More than 20,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel to the UK in 2025 – a record number at this point of the year.

A suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver holds his helmet

For some of those who arrive, a bike and a phone provide a way to repay debts to gang masters.

There were eight arrests today in Bristol, one or two taken into custody, but it was 12 hours of hard work by a dozen immigration officers and the support of the police.

As two mopeds are pushed onto a low-loader, you can’t help but feel, despite the best intentions, that at the moment, this is a losing battle.

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