With help from Daniel Lippman

TIKTOK (MAYBE) NO LONGER ON THE CLOCK: The U.S. and China have agreed on the "framework" of a deal that would allow social media app TikTok to continue operating in the U.S., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced this morning in what was surely welcome news to the small army of lobbyists employed by TikTok and its parent company ByteDance.

-- TikTok and ByteDance's overall lobbying spend is down from the highs of last year when they were actively lobbying Congress not to ban the app, but the two entities have still dropped more than $6 million on influence efforts in the first half of 2025.

-- The bulk of that spending comes in the form of ByteDance's in-house TikTok public policy team which includes about 15 registered lobbyists, according to disclosure reports. Outside firms currently working for TikTok and ByteDance are K&L Gates, And Partners, Dentons, Ballard Partners, Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies and Crossroads Strategies.

-- Bessent provided few details in announcing the tentative deal but said it was subject to a final discussion between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping that will take place on Friday. TikTok will once again be banned in the U.S. on Wednesday unless Trump again extends the deadline for the app to be sold. The law banning TikTok was passed by Congress, signed by President Joe Biden and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, but has not been enforced since Trump's inauguration.

-- If all goes as planned, TikTok's stable of lobbyists will be freed up to focus on other areas of interest to the company. According to disclosures, those include typical social media company concerns like privacy, data security and localization, platform liability and moderation and legislation related to deepfakes and revenge porn. TikTok, which has an integrated e-commerce platform on the app, has also lobbied on trade issues like de minimis imports.

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FIRST IN PI -- VOGEL EXPANDS IN RICHMOND: The Vogel Group is expanding its Virginia presence with the addition of Josh Humphries, formerly a top adviser to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, as a principal and co-leader of its Richmond office.

-- Humphries joins Vogel Group after spending the last two years in Youngkin's administration, most recently as the governor's director of legislative affairs and senior adviser for public safety. He was previously the second-in-command to now-DEA Administrator Terry Cole when Cole served as Youngkin's secretary of public safety. Before joining the governor's staff, Humphries was the director of legislative affairs for Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.

-- In a statement, Vogel Group CEO Alex Vogel praised Humphries' "deep understanding" of how the Virginia government works and his "strong relationships across Richmond and Washington."

LAW & ORDER: Dallas-based GOP donor Doug Deason and public affairs strategist Justin Keener have launched Americans for Public Safety, a new 501(c)(4) organization that plans to advocate for tough-on-crime candidates and policies nationwide.

-- "APS will be active in elections and legislative bodies across America and the halls of Congress, fighting to deliver the support and resources needed to keep our streets safe," Deason said in a statement.

UNITEDHEALTH'S LOBBYING STRATEGY: UnitedHealth Group has hired lobbyists and lawyers with strong connections to Trump-world amid changes to Medicare billing policies and a federal criminal investigation of the company, Josh Dawsey, Christopher Weaver and Anna Wilde Mathews report for The Wall Street Journal.

-- The insurer has spent more on lobbying during the first half of 2025 than it has in any other six-month period, WSJ reports. Notable hires include top Trump-world lobbyist Brian Ballard and former Trump Justice Department official Jesse Panuccio, now a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner. Since May, the company has secured meetings with Justice Department Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Director of Medicare Chris Klomp.

-- "In ongoing litigation with a major shareholder, UnitedHealth in July also swapped out a team of lawyers at WilmerHale, a law firm Trump has criticized, for the president's personal lawyer, securities litigator Robert Giuffra, and colleagues from his firm, Sullivan & Cromwell."

-- Allison Blankenship is joining Michael Best Strategies as a director on the firm's federal relations team. She is leaving Capitol Hill where she most recently served as senior floor adviser to Democratic Whip Katherine Clark.

-- Kathryn "Emily" Bond has joined TD Bank as a new senior corporate communications manager for thought leadership. She was most recently public affairs lead for communications and congressional affairs at the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General.

-- Third Way has added four new hires in senior positions. Tonya Williams is now a senior fellow, joining from the Commerce Department where she most recently served as chief of staff to the deputy secretary. Caitlin Legacki joins as a senior fellow, also coming from the Commerce Department where she served as senior adviser for strategic communications. Sumona Guha, a State Department and Biden White House alum, joins as senior director for Third Way's Foreign Policy Project. Ruth Whittaker joins as the director of technology policy. She most recently served as director of civic innovation policy and the Chamber of Progress.

-- The Health & Fitness Association has hired Brandon Partridge, founder and principal of 202 Consumer Ventures, as chief operating officer. Also joining the HFA is Christine Solomon as marketing manager. She was most recently a digital marketing manager at Cloudforce. Mike Goscinski has also been promoted to chief of staff. He previously served as vice president for government affairs.

-- Brandon Pachman has joined the American Seed Trade Association as director of government affairs. He joins the association from the Department of Agriculture where he served as a legislative analyst in USDA's food safety and inspection service.

-- Tamara Syrek Jensen is joining health policy firm Rubrum Advising as vice president of federal programs. She joins the firm from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where she most recently served as director of the coverage and analysis group.

-- Brittany Argote has joined PTC Therapeutics, Inc. as a senior manager for government affairs and public policy. She was most recently at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services where she served as a health insurance specialist.

-- K&L Gates is expanding its public policy and law practice with the addition of Dr. Alexis Gutierrez as a government affairs adviser. She joins the firm after more than 20 years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration where she most recently served as supervisor for congressional and intergovernmental affairs in NOAA's office of marine and aviation operations.

-- Sarah Hutchinson is now associate manager of government relations for YUM! Brands. She was most recently at the American Hotel and Lodging Association where she served as manager for public policy and regulatory affairs.

-- Charli Huddleston has joined Brunswick Group as an associate. She was most recently director of communications for Heritage Action.

-- Elisha Tuku has joined the Investment Company Institute as senior public policy counsel. He was most recently Democratic chief counsel for the Senate Banking Committee.

None.

Conservative American Republican Leadership PAC (Leadership PAC: Jerry Lee Carl Jr.)

Hands Off PAC (Hybrid PAC)

PAC Of Apples (Leadership PAC: Kim Schrier)

Right For America Leadership PAC (Leadership PAC: Douglas Jensen)

Saronic Technologies Inc. PAC (PAC)

Trained To Go Operations (PAC)

Unite The Kingdom Party (UTKP) (PAC)

US AIM (Hybrid PAC)

Women For Common Sense (Super PAC)

World Coin Finance (PAC)

Mcdermott+ LLC: American Network Of Community Options And Resources

Ballard Partners: Detroit International Bridge Company, Inc.

Diane O'Toole LLC: Robertson Fuel Systems

The Rotunda Group LLC: Caudill Seed Company, LLC

Association Of University Centers On Disablities: Association Of University Centers On Disablities

Western Organization Of Resource Councils: Western Organization Of Resource Councils

TikTok lobbying pays off