Is TikTok’s time up in the U.S.?

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report — “Is TikTok’s time up in the U.S.?”

Date: September 15, 2025
Host: Sarah Rogers (BBC World Service)
Key Contributors: Katie Silver, Chris O’Shea, Hannah Gilbert, Joseph Aeyesu, Sami Oseng, Ruth

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Overview

This episode provides a fast-paced roundup of global business and economic news, with a focus on escalating U.S.-China tensions surrounding TikTok’s fate, new nuclear energy partnerships between the U.S. and UK, and the environmental and social impact of textile waste in Ghana. The show also briefly mentions criticism of Elon Musk's compensation plan and hints at upcoming stories on U.S. education research funding.

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Main Themes & Discussion Points

1. TikTok’s Future in the U.S. (01:30–03:04)

• Backdrop: Ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions, with officials meeting in Madrid as tariff truce extension nears expiration.
• TikTok Issue: Wednesday is the deadline for ByteDance (TikTok's parent) to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban.
• Political Dynamics: President Trump’s shifting stance on TikTok—from a vocal critic during his first term to a new influencer tapping into the youth vote on the platform.
• Ban Potential: Despite repeated delays, the threat of a ban looms, compounded by earlier incidents where TikTok was taken offline.
• Quote:

  “President Trump has told reporters we may let TikTok die or we may not, I don’t know, it depends. Up to China, it doesn’t matter too much.”
  — BBC’s Katie Silver (02:43)

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2. Global Markets Update & Nuclear Energy Partnerships (03:04–04:15)

• China’s Popmart Shares Slump: Stock falls 9% in Hong Kong, while European indexes hit new highs.
• U.S.-UK Nuclear Deal: Plans finalized to cut nuclear reactor licensing times in half (from four to two years), paving the way for billions in investment and partnerships, including a major project with X Energy and Centrica.
• Industry Confidence:

  “The UK led the way and had the first ever commercial nuclear power station over 60 years ago… It’s great that we can cooperate with our friends in the US.”
  — Chris O’Shea, Centrica CEO (03:48)

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3. Textile Waste Crisis in Ghana (04:15–07:24)

• Context: Ghana receives around 15 million garments weekly, mostly from the U.S. and UK, but 40% is unusable waste.

• Field Report: Hannah Gilbert describes scenes at Usher Fort beach where locals clean up textile debris clogging the shore and harming the ecosystem.

• Local Impact:

  • Sea turtle nesting and fishing livelihoods disrupted by fabric pollution.
  • Rise of "waste colonialism"—wealthy nations exporting their textile waste to poorer countries.
  • Upcycling solutions: Ore foundation’s project turns shredded garments into fiber boards and cushion fillings.

• Quotes:

  “Instead of catching fish they catch most of this waste.”
  — Joseph Aeyesu, Ore Foundation (05:23)

  “The issue is something we like to call waste colonialism... a more dominant and wealthier company colonizes another country with waste.”
  — Sami Oseng, Ore Foundation (05:53)

  “Most of it is waste. Then if you invest your money in it, at the end of the day you lose. We don’t want the waste anymore.”
  — Ruth, local upcycler (06:51)

• Solution Focus: Advocacy for quality production and sustainable materials from clothing brands:

  “If they can use ecological friendly materials in producing and also focus more on doing quality rather than competition and doing quantity, then there wouldn’t be more waste coming.”
  — Joseph Aeyesu (07:04)

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4. Quick Headlines (07:24–07:54)

• Elon Musk Criticized: Pope Leo condemns excessive CEO pay, citing Tesla’s $1 trillion plan for Musk as an example.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump’s ambivalence on TikTok: “We may let TikTok die or we may not, I don’t know, it depends. Up to China, it doesn’t matter too much.” (02:43, Katie Silver quoting Trump)
• Environmental impact in Ghana: “Instead of catching fish they catch most of this waste.” (05:23, Joseph Aeyesu)
• “Waste colonialism” defined: “A more dominant and wealthier company colonizes another country with waste.” (05:53, Sami Oseng)
• Local upcycler’s frustration: “Most of it is waste... We don’t want the waste anymore.” (06:51, Ruth)
• Sustainable solutions: “If they can use ecological friendly materials... and focus more on quality... then there wouldn’t be more waste.” (07:04, Joseph Aeyesu)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:30 — Sarah Rogers introduces TikTok’s U.S. deadline and ongoing trade tensions
• 02:06 — Katie Silver on TikTok, Trump, and the looming ban
• 03:04 — Markets update: Popmart, European stocks, U.S.-UK nuclear partnership
• 03:48 — Chris O’Shea talks U.S.-UK nuclear energy deal
• 04:15 — Textile waste crisis in Ghana begins
• 05:23 — Joseph Aeyesu on environmental impacts
• 05:53 — Sami Oseng on “waste colonialism” and upcycling
• 06:51 — Ruth’s perspective as an upcycler
• 07:04 — Solutions for reducing textile waste
• 07:24 — Elon Musk and CEO pay, Pope Leo’s criticism

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Episode Summary

This Marketplace Morning Report provides a whirlwind global update centered on TikTok’s uncertain fate in the U.S. amidst high-stakes U.S.-China trade negotiations. The economic report pivots across continents—from Hong Kong’s bruised markets to groundbreaking U.S.-UK nuclear deals—before focusing on the urgent textile waste crisis enveloping Ghana, amplifying voices from the local community and sustainability advocates. The show deftly weaves major headlines with ground-level perspectives, producing a brisk yet comprehensive snapshot of the business world’s pressures, politics, and possibilities.

Transcript

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[Sarah Rogers]

Is TikTok's time up in the US as a deadline looms for its Chinese owner to sell? Live from the uk, this is the Marketplace Morning report from the BBC World Service. I'm Sarah Rogers. Good morning. So we begin in Spain and Madrid where the US and Chinese officials are holding more talks in the latest attempt to end a trade war between the world's two biggest economies. In July, they struck a deal to extend their tariff truce until November. But Donald Trump has also threatened to ban social media platform TikTok over security worries. With a deadline due to expire on Wednesday. The BBC's Katie Silver's been taking a look.

[BBC Correspondent]

They are trying to keep a very fractured US China trade relationship from collapsing, especially given all of the talks that we've had in recent months when it comes to tariffs. Now, part of the conversation is definitely going to be tick tock the deadline for the Chinese owner of TikTok that is ByteDance to find a buyer in the US or face a ban is Wednesday, it's expected to be delayed for a fourth time or but that is certainly something that is looming and we have seen earlier this year TikTok taken offline for about 12 hours. Given all of these tensions when it comes to this particular part of the conversation, President Trump has told reporters we may let TikTok die or we may not, I don't know, it depends. Up to China, it doesn't matter too much. It's interesting his relationship with the platform because he was very critical of it during his first term in office, constantly calling for it to be banned or sold to an American buyer. More more recently, he credits a lot of his success with the youth vote onto the platform. He recently joined it himself and so he has changed his tune on that front.

[Sarah Rogers]

BBC's Katie Silver there. Okay, let's do the numbers. Well, sticking with China, one of the world's biggest stocks has started to tumble. Popmart, the Chinese toy maker behind the Labu Boo doll, saw shares drop 9% in Hong Kong and European shares touched a three week high. The pan European Stoxx 600 up 4 5/10 of a percent. The US and UK have lined up a string of deals aimed at speeding up nuclear power projects. The plans would mean licensing times drop from four years to just two. The plan is to unlock billions in investment. One major project is a partnership between US firm X Energy and UK Centrica to build 12 modular reactors. Centrica boss is Chris O'. Shea.

[Chris O'Shea]

The UK led the way and had the first ever commercial nuclear power station over 60 years ago and so has a very prominent position to play in developing nuclear power. But it's great that we can cooperate with our friends in the US and bring to bear the expertise we've got in the UK and the expertise we've got in the US to speed things up. And so nuclear is a big growth area for us in Centrica with the right technology and the right regulatory support. We're particularly interested in X Energy's advanced modular reactor and we're very excited by this.

[Sarah Rogers]

The deal is expected to be signed off during US President Donald Trump's state visit to the UK this week. Now to Africa and Ghana, which is the world's largest importer of used clothing with around 15 million garments arriving every week, donated from countries like the U.K. and U.S. many end up with market vendors, but around 40% are too damaged to resell and find their way into landfill or strewn across the Country's beaches where we find the BBC's Hannah Gilbert.

[Hannah Gilbert]

You can hear the waves crashing down on Usher Fort beach in Accra. All around me there are piles of waste, colourful pieces of fabric. There's a stripy sock over there, someone's hat. About 150 people in high vis jackets, rubber gloves and wellies are here for a cleanup. They pull tangles of fabric out of the sea, cutting out waistbands, tags and labels so they can name and shame fashion brands. The rest is bagged up to be taken to a rubbish dump further away. Joseph Aeyesu is from the Ore foundation and it's an environmental charity that tries to solve the problems caused by the fast fashion industry in Ghana.

[Joseph Aeyesu]

I grew up at the coast and so we wake up most of the time to see sea turtles laying eggs and stuff. Lately you don't see them coming. I think they can't find ways to dig and lay eggs. And also fishermen goes for fishing and instead of catching fish they catch most of this waste.

[Hannah Gilbert]

We've just got to the offices of the Ore foundation and I'm here with Sami Oseng who is head of fashion development. Why is it the G has so much of this textile waste that comes from countries like the uk, us?

[Sami Oseng]

The issue is something like we like to call waste colonialism. And it's when like, you know, a more richer, more dominant and more wealthier company colonizes another country with waste, they ship it elsewhere for someone else to deal with. We are working on a textile transformation technology where we shred some of the garments and then turn them into fiber boards. We turn some of the materials into cushion fillings like the ones we are sitting on right now. So these are all ways that we are trying to divert these garments into another income stream which can benefit the community as well.

[Hannah Gilbert]

It's also an important source of income. Cantamanto, just up the road is the world's largest market for secondhand clothes. Thousands of vendors and upcyclers buy bales of clothing and sell it on. But many of the items they get are unusable. Ruth is an upcycler who makes boxer shorts out of second hand cotton pillowcases.

[BBC Correspondent]

Look at this.

[Hannah Gilbert]

Most of it is waste. Then if you invest your money in it, at the end of the day you lose. We don't want the waste anymore. Back on the beach, I ask Joseph if there's anything that can be done to break the cycle.

[Joseph Aeyesu]

I think yes. So that is why it starts from the brands. If they can use ecological friendly materials in producing and also focus more on doing quality rather than competition and doing quantity, then there wouldn't be more waste coming. People buy stuffs and they wear it once and they don't wear it again. Ever.

[Sarah Rogers]

That report from Hannah Gelbart and the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, has come in for more criticism, this time from the Pope. Pope Leo took a swipe at C CEO pay packages, using Tesla's recent $1 trillion compensation plan for Musk as an example. Well, that's it from me in the UK I'm Sarah Rogers with the Marketplace Morning report from the BBC World Service.

[Emily Hanford]

The Trump administration is making deep cuts to education research.

[BBC Correspondent]

The cancellation notices started coming.

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When the contract is cut, the study just dies.

[Emily Hanford]

It's all happening just as schools are trying to make use of research to improve reading instruction.

[Podcast Advertiser 2]

There would not have been a Science of Reading without the federal funding.

[Chris O'Shea]

It wouldn't have happened.

[Emily Hanford]

I'm Emily Hanford. On our new episode of Sold a what the Trump Cuts Mean for the Science of Reading. Go to your podcast app and follow Sold a story.