TikTok, the popular social media app for making short musical videos, has popularized viral dance challenges like the 'Renegade' and has even spawned bona fide celebrities like 15-year-old influencer Charli D'Amelio. Now, 26-year-old truck driver Joshua Collins is hoping to utilize the user base to support his run for Congress.
"TikTok has been the place where my message resonates most," Collins, a self-proclaimed socialist, told Cheddar.
He's been able to amass 50,000 followers and more than one million likes with a variety of videos both about his campaign and other interests.
In campaign videos, he talks about policies he supports, complete with hashtags like "#anarchy," and "#eattherich." He supports presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, has featured videos of himself at Sanders' rallies, and is vocally opposed to former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's candidacy.
The candidate also is a supporter of LGBTQ issues, and said for young people on TikTok, "trans issues are really popular."
Collins, who describes himself as "really far-left" politically says he uses the app to give his take on issues he believes aren't being talked about enough and has compared the Iraq war to President Trump's Iran escalation last month. He also uses the platform to support agendas like the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-All.
Healthcare workforce management platform ShiftMed
recently announced a $45 million funding round.
The company's platform connects nurses and healthcare professionals to hospitals and other healthcare providers.
ShiftMed's new funding comes amid widespread labor shortages in the healthcare sector. The company's CEO Todd Walrath joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Universities like UCLA, Yale, and Duke have announced they're implementing remote learning amid the COVID omicron variant surge, despite President Biden recommending that K-12 schools should continue in-person education. Jared C. Bass, senior director for Higher Education at American Progress, joined Cheddar to break down what institutions of higher education might be considering differently. "I think some universities are allowing periods of a bit of a respite to allow students to get testing and make sure when they do return back to campus that they're healthy," he noted.
The typical holiday rush to malls and other retail outlets on "Super Saturday" fell by 26 percent compared to 2019. Melissa Gonzalez, CEO and founder of retail strategist Lionesque Group, told Cheddar that shopping habits had already been changing. "I just think there's a shift in general. And then there's just a lot more pre-planning, and I don't think that's going to go away," she said. "You saw a lot of holiday gift guides go out earlier and deals go out earlier, so I think that's just going to be a trend going forward." She also discussed how cryptocurrency is going to play a role in retail in 2022.
Jeanenne Tornatore, travel expert, media personality, content creator, and former Orbitz senior editor, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she runs through items flyers should be mindful of this holiday season as the omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread.
With only two days left until Christmas, last-minute shoppers are facing major issues caused by supply chain shortages and the rising omicron variant. Kristen Gall, president of Rakuten Rewards, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Waze launched its first-ever "Year in Rear View" survey. Andrew Stober, Waze Head of Public Partnerships and Carpool, takes a look back at the year in travel to see the places we drove the most, the books and music that kept us entertained, and what we can expect in 2022.
Juan Perez Jr., education reporter for Politico, breaks down why Black Americans are leaving Chicago and how political controversy is impacting representation.
