TAPPER: In our "SPORTS LEAD" today, bipartisan outrage today at the NBA for apologizing to the government of China after Houston rockets G.M. Daryl Morey tweeted support for the protests in Hong Kong. The NBA which anticipates billions in revenue to come from the Chinese market sided with the authoritarian communist. Residents of Hong Kong have been protesting for months for basic democratic rights while mainland China has inaccurately portrayed them as violent separatists. Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeting today, "This is bigger than just the NBA. It is about China's growing ability to restrict freedom of expression here in the U.S., T.V. networks, airlines, hotel chains, retailers, and Hollywood self- censor. Now private citizens risk losing jobs if they offend China." I suppose the good news is that we finally found some 2019 foreign interference in the U.S. that Republican senators find intolerable. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @jaketapper. Tweet the show @TheLeadCNN. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.
NBA Apologizes To China Over G.M.'s Pro-Hong Kong Tweet.