super ace jili slot Nick Fuentes Arrested: What Did The Controversial Streamer Do?Congressional Dispute Over Release of Gaetz Ethics Report

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France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and then U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a joint-press conference in Biarritz, France on August 26, 2019. LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images French President Emmanuel Macron will unveil the gloriously rebuilt Notre-Dame Cathedral to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and 50 other world leaders on the weekend. Mr. Trump may not be so crass as to use the event to hawk copies of the “God Bless the USA” bibles that were marketed under his name during the campaign. But he may be crass enough to gloat about his victory to the many heads of state, especially the European ones, who dreaded his return. Mr. Trump no doubt views the European Union as a clapped-out, but still dangerous, museum piece in the making. He once placed the EU on his list of “foes” because of the bloc’s enormous trade surplus with the United States. To him, such surpluses translate into “stealing our jobs.” Tariffs will be his weapon of choice. “The most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff,” he told Bloomberg News in October. Mr. Trump views business and trade deals as binary – I win, you lose and vice versa. Any satisfaction he feels at Notre-Dame may be heightened by the feeling that the EU is probably incapable of presenting a united front to fight the trade restrictions he plans to implement. The leaders of the union’s two largest economies, Germany and France, are wounded animals who face political oblivion. The coalition government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed last month after failing to present a compelling strategy to make his country competitive in the face of rapid deindustrialization. He’s also struggled to bring down energy costs and justify an expensive climate policy that may be doing more harm than good. He will almost certainly lose the snap elections on Feb. 23. France, meanwhile, is embroiled in one of its biggest political crises in decades. Earlier this week, a non-confidence vote over the new budget toppled Prime Minister Michel Barnier , much to the delight of far-right leader Marine Le Pen and far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Mr. Macron is now desperately trying to find a replacement for Mr. Barnier. That new leader must pass a new budget by the end of the year and devise a plan to prevent France’s financial stress from intensifying as budget deficits climb well beyond the EU limits. Earlier this week, to the embarrassment of the French treasury and finance department, France’s borrowing costs briefly climbed above those of Greece. Mr. Macron is weakened; he could be forced to step down and call an election before the end of his presidential term in 2027. So far, he vows to stay on. Beyond Germany and France are even more obstacles to creating a united European front against any Trump trade restrictions (or any attempt to pull the United States out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) because many countries, including Canada, have yet to reach the 2 per cent of GDP military spending target). Britain is no longer in the EU and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s approval ratings are plummeting even though he was elected only last summer. Hungary and Italy are both led by populist right-wingers who support Mr. Trump. Hungary’s Viktor Orban is also the most pro-Russian EU leader. Romanian Calin Georgescu, a skeptic of the EU and NATO, won the first round of last month’s presidential election. (On Friday, Romania’s Constitutional Court cancelled those results, alleging Russian meddling, meaning the whole election process is to start again next year.) The upshot is that the EU, riven by internal weakness and burgeoning right-wing, eurosceptic forces, could be an easy target for Mr. Trump and his impending trade war. He has mused about slapping across-the-board tariffs as high as 20 per cent on all imports. European car exports, especially those of German luxury brands, could get hit harder. Mr. Trump has said he wants the Europeans to build factories in the United States. The EU does not appear to have many potentially winning options once Mr. Trump moves into the White House next month, all the more so since the United States is one of its main suppliers of natural gas and the main funder of NATO – no doubt trade and security will be linked on any transatlantic negotiations. The last big trade talks with Washington did not go well for the EU. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership died in 2019 during Mr. Trump’s first term as president after three years of discussions. The EU may decide to take the hit from any Trumpian tariffs rather than engage in an all-out trade war that could be more destructive for it than the United States, whose economy is on a roll. Or it may retaliate instead, gambling that Mr. Trump will run for cover – but he could then choose to ramp up the tariffs to inflict even more damage on the export-oriented EU economies. Mr. Trump is smart enough to know that the EU is divided and afflicted with weak leadership, and that its economy is more vulnerable than that of the United States. He will exploit these frailties. Leaders at the Notre-Dame Cathedral tour may well ask: Why is this man smiling?

Barnstable scores 23 as St. Thomas downs Bowling Green 93-68Columbus Blue Jackets (10-9-3, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (8-13-2, in the Central Division) Chicago; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Blackhawks host the Columbus Blue Jackets after Ryan Donato's two-goal game against the Minnesota Wild in the Blackhawks' 3-2 loss. Chicago has an 8-13-2 record overall and a 4-5-0 record on its home ice. The Blackhawks have a -11 scoring differential, with 57 total goals scored and 68 conceded. Columbus has gone 2-6-2 on the road and 10-9-3 overall. The Blue Jackets have a 1-2-3 record in games decided by a goal. Sunday's game is the first meeting between these teams this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Connor Bedard has scored four goals with 13 assists for the Blackhawks. Tyler Bertuzzi has one goal and five assists over the past 10 games. Kirill Marchenko has nine goals and 14 assists for the Blue Jackets. Zachary Werenski has scored five goals and added 10 assists over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Blackhawks: 3-6-1, averaging 2.1 goals, 3.1 assists, 2.7 penalties and 5.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game. Blue Jackets: 5-4-1, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.1 assists, 4.3 penalties and 10.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game. INJURIES: Blackhawks: None listed. Blue Jackets: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated PressChelsea vs. Aston Villa, Premier League: Preview, team news, how to watch - We Ain't Got No History

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The Latest: Police believe gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO has left New York CityWASHINGTON (AP) — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz , pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers only have a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg , a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison.Supermarket giant to rival Aldi after slashing price of 222 products at smaller convenience stores across UKCanadian Western Bank delays earnings release without saying why

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called on President-elect to work to further combat following the release of a study finding labor discrimination against Israeli and Jewish Americans. In an on Tuesday, Greenblatt outlined the study that found Jewish American job candidates have almost a 25% more difficult chance of receiving positive first responses from prospective employers than Americans with Western European backgrounds. Israeli Americans were at an even bigger disadvantage, needing to send 39% more applications to receive the same number of positive responses as their Western European counterparts. The field experiment, sponsored by the ADL, studied 3,000 inquiries into administrative assistant job openings across the country differing based on the name used, either sounding Jewish, Israeli, or Western European as well as changing the resume to reflect a Jewish, Israeli, or Western European background. "This data is significant because we're on the cusp of a new political administration in Washington, and we're seeing the results of unaddressed antisemitism," Greenblatt said. "We hope that the Trump administration, specifically the Trump labor department, will take action to stop this once and for all." Trump's pick for labor secretary, U.S. Rep. , R-Ore., has a record of supporting bipartisan bills to address antisemitism, including introducing a bill to protect Jewish students on college campuses in the wake of protests to the Israel-Hamas war. Harassment, violence and derogatory rhetoric targeting Jewish people have risen in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the . A staunch supporter of Israel during his first term as president, in 2019, he signed an that encouraged the application of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to antisemitic activity. In 2020, Trump's administration brokered the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations in the Middle East between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. This year, he campaigned on his continued allyship with Israel despite criticism of the . But Trump's record of supporting the long-time allied nation does not come without conflicting commentary and associations related to Jewish people. Just one month before, Trump said during an that Jewish Americans who vote Democratic in the coming election should "have their head examined." Just weeks before the presidential election, Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, Trump said that "Hitler did some good things" and showed admiration for the German dictator who was responsible for the systematic killing of 6 million Jewish people and millions of others. Greenblatt said he was "optimistic" that Trump would "step up in his new second term and take additional steps and demonstrate that antisemitism is un-American." Trump-Vance transition spokesman Kush Desai wrote in a statement that the president-elect is committed to fighting discrimination. "President Trump has repeatedly and unequivocally condemned antisemitism in all forms, both on the campaign trail and during his first administration," Desai said. "He will continue to take a stand against antisemitism and other forms of bigotry to be the president of ALL Americans and unify the country through success." To combat the discrimination found in the ADL study, vice president of the ADL's Center of Antisemitism Research Matt Williams told USA TODAY that violations of workplace practice laws need to be enforced. "It's going to be about incentivizing following existing rules," he said. "There are a lot of things on the books already that are not being enforced when it comes to issues like ." But discrimination against the Jewish community goes beyond religion, Williams said, with many people facing prejudice over their ethnic and cultural practices as well. Encouraging the Labor Department under Trump to incentivize industries and corporations to teach about the Jewish experience as a whole in the workplace, he said, could be a valuable tool in combating prejudice. As for what a new administration can do to combat antisemitism, not all are optimistic. "It feels like in the (Biden administration), no matter how much they’ve done to encourage (diversity, equity and inclusion work), Jews are still not being included in that by workplaces,” said Steven Phillips, co-founder of Jewish ERGs, a group partnered with Clal - The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership that's supportive of corporations having employee resource groups for Jewish people. Trump has been clear about the future of in his second administration: it's unwanted. Initiatives focused on fostering diversity and inclusivity in the workplace have received major backlash from conservatives in recent years as being divisive and discriminatory because they support workers who are LGBTQ+ and people of color. Spokesman and incoming head of communications told USA TODAY last month that “President Trump has been very clear about ending the woke DEI garbage infecting this country." Former Amazon employee Phillips started the company's first Jewish employee resource group to build community within the workplace and said the ADL study just confirmed what he already thought: Antisemitism is pervasive across the labor market, even before you get the job. Phillips said he's unsure if halting DEI efforts would have a negative impact on Jewish workers "when we’re so inconsistently included already."Spurs rocked as Huijsen seals Bournemouth winXavier Bell scores 29 to lead Wichita State over Friends University 87-72United States women’s head coach Emma Hayes admitted she initially grappled with how best to behave during ‘God Save The King’ ahead of her side’s goalless draw with England in their Wembley friendly. The billing of London-born former Chelsea boss Hayes against England’s Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman – arguably the best two bosses in the women’s game – had generated more buzz in the build-up than the players on the pitch, despite it being a rare encounter between the two top-ranked sides in the world. Hayes enjoyed her return to familiar shores but felt the US lacked the “killer piece” after they looked the likelier side to make the breakthrough. Asked what was going through her mind during the national anthem, Hayes said: “I was definitely mouthing (it), and Naomi (Girma) and Lynn (Williams) could see that I was struggling with where to be and all that. “I got to the end of the anthems and I thought, ‘that’s so ridiculous. I’m proud to be English and I’m proud of our national anthem, and I’m also really proud to coach America’. “Two things are possible all at once. I don’t want to fuel a nationalist debate around it. The realities are both countries are really dear to me for lots of reasons, and I’m really proud to represent both of them.” The Lionesses did not register a shot on target in the first half but grew into the game in the second. US captain Lindsey Horan had the ball in the net after the break but the flag was up, while Hayes’ side had a penalty award for a handball reversed after a VAR check determined substitute Yazmeen Ryan’s shot hit Alex Greenwood’s chest. Hayes, who left Chelsea after 12 trophy-packed years this summer, said: “I’ve been privileged to coach a lot of top-level games, including here, so there’s a familiarity to being here for me. “It’s not new to me, and because of that there was a whole sense of I’m coming back to a place I know. I have a really healthy perspective, and I want to have a really healthy perspective on my profession. “I give everything I possibly can for a team that I really, really enjoy coaching, and I thrive, not just under pressure, but I like these opportunities, I like being in these situations. They bring out the best in me. “You’ve got two top teams now, Sarina is an amazing coach, I thought it was a good tactical match-up, and I just enjoy coaching a high-level football match, to be honest with you. I don’t think too much about it.” Hayes had travelled to London without her entire Olympic gold medal-winning “Triple Espresso” forward line of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith, all nursing niggling injuries. Before the match, the 48-year-old was spotted chatting with Wiegman and her US men’s counterpart, fellow ex-Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino , who was also in attendance. England were also missing a number of key attackers for the friendly including Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Ella Toone, all ruled out with injury. Wiegman brushed aside suggestions from some pundits that her side were content to settle for a draw. She said: “I think we were really defending as a team, very strong. We got momentum in the second half, we did better, and of course both teams went for the win. “So many things happened in this game, also in front of the goal, so I don’t think it was boring. “We wanted to go for the win, but it was such a high-intensity game, you have to deal with a very good opponent, so you can’t just say, ‘Now we’re going to go and score that goal’. “We tried, of course, to do that. We didn’t slow down to keep it 0-0. I think that was just how the game went.”

WE all love a good bargain bargain buy, so it's no surprise fashion fans obsess over some of the slashed prices in retailers like TK Maxx. The shop is known for selling brand-name and designer clothing at discounted prices. Advertisement 4 The skirt had a subtle problem with the pockets Credit: Instagram / stylingwithkenzie 4 The stitching on a pair of fluffy boots wasn't up to scratch Credit: Instagram / stylingwithkenzie 4 The stylist found a shirt with uneven front pockets Credit: Instagram / stylingwithkenzie But a fashion stylist recently noticed a problem with some of the clothes on the rails and urged shoppers to think twice before picking clothes up there. Kenzie Welch took to Instagram and explained that despite her love of the budget-friendly retailer she can't un-see one major probloem. "Ever since I noticed this one thing I can never look at their clothing the same," she explained. The issue? Some of the cloths in the shop aren't quite up to scratch and have some subtle design flaws. Advertisement READ MORE ON FASHION GAME CHANGERS Top 5 Xmas gifts for football fans from a unique experience to novelty items To prove her point, Kenzie picked up a trendy silver midi skirt which looked perfectly fine at first glance. But when she turned it around the show the back of the garment she pointed out that the back pockets were unevenly spaced out, which could make it fit weird on your bum, she said. And it wasn't just the one skirt that had this subtle design problem all of the silver skirts on the rail did too. The problem continued with a cable knit jumper, which also looked totally fine at first. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous CREAM DREAM ‘Obsessed’ cry Primark fans as they spot viral jumper in snow colour for winter XMAS SPIRIT I run a Christmas market stall, people are stunned by my queue-worthy prices DEALS ON WHEELS Exact date SHEIN Christmas bus arrives in Scotland packed with freebies WOAH BABY I’m pregnant with my step-brother’s baby – people say it’s ‘gross’ But, unlike the rest of the same jumpers on the rail, one of them was missing a design feature on the top of the sleeve, which might seem like a small problem but could completely change the way the garment fits and looks. Elsewhere in the shop, a plaid shacket also fell victim to the same issue. ‘Obsessed’ cry Primark fans as they spot viral jumper in snowy colour for winter Kenzie explained: "Here on this shacket you can see the pockets are misaligned, so this one is slightly higher on the left "It's not the most obvious thing you would notice but I can't walk into a TK Maxx anymore and not notice these small details." Advertisement And if you thought the problem wouldn't continue into the show section - you'd be wrong. Kenzie also found a pair of UGG boot dupes which had been stitched up wrong, leaving some of the inside panelling of the shoe visible. Unlike the skirt, it seemed like the problem was only on one pair of the shoes though. "Make sure you are inspecting your clothing at TK Maxx," she added. Advertisement After sharing her video on social media people were left divided over the issue. One commented on the clip: "That's literally why they're at TK Maxx." A second agreed: "That's why a lot of these items end up at TK Maxx, many of them are seconds, meaning they had slaws when created so ended up in discount shops." But others thanked Kenzie for pointing the issue out. Advertisement "This is great intel , thank you," one said. "That's fascinating! Such great tips to look out for, I had no idea," another fashion fan wrote. Read more on the Scottish Sun DARR-ARGH! Weather maps reveal exact date Storm Darragh to hit Scots with rain, wind & SNOW 'SICK BEYOND BELIEF' Cops probe footage 'showing Scots woman having sex with XL Bully dog' And someone else added: "I've noticed this and have to remind myself to slow down and be more mindful when shopping! "Stop and inspect the quality of things!" Advertisement 4 Kenzie pointed out the design flaws on the clothes Credit: Alamy How Does TK Maxx Flog Designer for Cheap? TK Maxx follows an off-price business model to get designer products for cheap It buys merchandise from various brands and designers at a discount and then sells it to customers at lower prices than traditional retail stores The selection at its outlets often includes overstocked items, last season's styles and goods from cancelled orders. The Gold Label is a premium collection of designer and luxury products offered by TK Maxx. If you love designer clothes, this is the tag you want to look out for on pieces.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Xavier Bell had 29 points in Wichita State's 87-72 victory over Friends University on Sunday. Bell shot 11 of 16 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Shockers (10-3). Quincy Ballard added 17 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Corey Washington totaled 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Collin Maclin finished with 18 points for the Falcons. Cahlese Lee added 11 points and two steals. Randy Woolf Jr. recorded 10 points, five assists and two steals. Wichita State took the lead with 8:30 left in the first half and never looked back. Bell led his team in scoring with 21 points in the first half to help put them up 45-36 at the break. Wichita State pulled away with a 12-1 run in the second half to extend a nine-point lead to 20. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok’s petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company’s challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court’s opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though it’s unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, it’s also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. “Today’s decision is an important step in blocking the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to collect sensitive information about millions of Americans, to covertly manipulate the content delivered to American audiences, and to undermine our national security,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Friday. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect — a concern mirrored by the European Union on Friday as it scrutinizes the video-sharing app’s role in the Romanian elections. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republican and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three of them denied TikTok’s petition. In the court’s ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok’s main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to “suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court, issued a concurring opinion. TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators – for which the company is covering legal costs – as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Other organizations, including the Knight First Amendment Institute, had also filed amicus briefs supporting TikTok. “This is a deeply misguided ruling that reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly and gives the government sweeping power to restrict Americans’ access to information, ideas, and media from abroad,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the organization. “We hope that the appeals court’s ruling won’t be the last word.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who had pushed for the legislation celebrated the court’s ruling. “I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who co-authored the law, said “it’s time for ByteDance to accept” the law. To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data. The company has also argued the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient. Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm – the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan – would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital.None

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