Live updates: Trump expected to sign TikTok deal

What to know today
TIKTOK DEAL: President Donald Trump is expected to sign a deal today to facilitate the sale of China-based TikTok to a group of U.S. investors, two senior White House officials said. TikTok’s current China-based owner, ByteDance, will hold less than 20% of the stock of the new company.
TRUMP-ERDOGAN MEETING: Trump is expected to discuss lifting the U.S. hold on the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, as well as the purchase of other fighters and Boeing aircraft, when he meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this morning. The visit to the White House is Erdogan’s first in six years.
U.N. ESCALATION: Trump is demanding the U.N. investigate what he is now calling a “triple sabotage” at the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week, including the unexpected halting of an escalator just as he and first lady Melania Trump were stepping on. The U.N. says a White House videographer likely triggered a safety mechanism, but it will investigate that incident and two others.
Trump demands investigation into escalator ‘triple sabotage’ despite U.N. explanation
The escalator escalation keeps escalating.
Trump has demanded an investigation into what he called a “triple sabotage” at the United Nations General Assembly, including his unsubstantiated allegation that an escalator was deliberately halted while he and first lady Melania Trump were riding it.
The U.N. says the escalator was likely stopped when a White House videographer accidentally triggered a safety mechanism. Nonetheless, Secretary-General António Guterres’ office said late Wednesday that it had ordered a “thorough investigation” into the three incidents mentioned by Trump, and was “ready to cooperate in full transparency” to find out what caused them.
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Trump to host Turkey’s Erdogan at the White House as the U.S. considers lifting ban on F-35 sales
Trump will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House this morning as the Republican leader has indicated that the U.S. government’s hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara may soon be lifted.
During Trump’s first term, the United States kicked out Turkey, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after it purchased an air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey’s use of Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.
But Trump last week gave Turkey hope that a resolution to the matter is near as he announced plans for Erdogan’s visit.
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Trump expected to sign a TikTok deal today
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Trump is expected to sign a deal today to facilitate the sale of TikTok from a Chinese-based company to a group of American investors, two senior White House officials told NBC News.
Members of the Trump administration have signaled for days that a deal was being finalized between Chinese and U.S. officials.
A senior White House official confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday that once the deal was implemented, TikTok’s U.S. operations would be run by a new joint-venture company. ByteDance, TikTok’s current China-based owner, will hold less than 20% of the stock of the new company, the official said.
Read the full story here.