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‘Failure is not an option’: Fire-torn Jasper entering new year with hope, anxietyPhoto: The Canadian Press The TikTok Inc. building is seen in Culver City, Calif., March 17, 2023. President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump’s choice for solicitor general. The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table. Trump has also reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the app during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral. He said earlier this year that he still believed there were national security risks with TikTok, but that he opposed banning it. This month, Trump also met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. The filings Friday come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The law was was signed by President Joe Biden in April after it passed Congress with broad bipartisan support. TikTok and ByteDance filed a legal challenge afterwards. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute , leading TikTok to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The brief from Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” In their brief to the Supreme Court on Friday, attorneys for TikTok and its parent company ByteDance argued the federal appeals court erred in its ruling and based its decision on “alleged ‘risks’ that China could exercise control” over TikTok’s U.S. platform by pressuring its foreign affiliates. The Biden administration has argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its connections to China. Officials say Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok’s U.S. patrons or use the platform to spread or suppress information. But the government “concedes that it has no evidence China has ever attempted to do so,” TikTok’s legal filing said, adding that the U.S. fears are predicated on future risks. In its filing Friday, the Biden administration said because TikTok “is integrated with ByteDance and relies on its propriety engine developed and maintained in China,” its corporate structure carries with it risk.

NoneWashington — Lawyers for TikTok urged the Supreme Court on Friday to find unconstitutional a new law that could lead to a ban of the widely popular app in the United States, arguing that shuttering TikTok will silence not only its speech, but also that of the platform's more than 170 million American users. President-elect Donald Trump also filed a separate brief in which he stated that he opposes the ban at the current moment and requests time to resolve the dispute via political negotiations. In an opening brief filed with the justices, which provides a first look at the arguments TikTok will make to the high court next month, lawyers for the platform urged them to reverse a decision from a three-judge appeals court panel that upheld the ban . Lawyers for TikTok said in their filing that they "do not contest Congress's compelling interest in protecting this nation's security, or the many weapons it has to do so. But that arsenal simply does not include suppressing the speech of Americans because other Americans may be persuaded." In its own filing laying out arguments for upholding the ban, the Justice Department argued the law is consistent with the First Amendment and said the government has a compelling interest in preventing threats to national security posed by control of TikTok by a foreign adversary, China. The law, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote, "addresses the serious threats to national security posed by the Chinese government's control of TikTok, a platform that harvests sensitive data about tens of millions of Americans and would be a potent tool for covert influence operations by a foreign adversary. And the Act mitigates those threats not by imposing any restriction on speech, but instead by prohibiting a foreign adversary from controlling the platform." The high court said last week that it would take up TikTok's challenge to the ban, which was passed by Congress as part of a foreign aid package in April. The company had asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block the law and urged it to intervene before Jan. 19, when the prohibition is set to take effect. The justices said they will consider whether the measure violates the First Amendment, and scheduled two hours of arguments for Jan. 10, an expedited timeline that could bring a ruling soon after. In addition to TikTok's challenge, the Supreme Court will consider a separate bid by a group of the platform's users to block the ban. The case will be argued in the final days of the Biden administration, but Trump, who will take office Jan. 20, has expressed support for TikTok. Trump tried to ban the app during his first term in office, but reversed his position during his campaign. The president-elect vowed to "save" the app, and told reporters earlier this month that he has "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok." In a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the Supreme Court, a lawyer for Trump, D. John Sauer, said he opposes banning the platform in the U.S. "at this juncture" and "seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office." Trump announced in November that he plans to nominate Sauer to serve as solicitor general in his second term. The president-elect asked the Supreme Court to pause the law's Jan. 19 effective date to allow his new administration to "pursue a negotiated resolution that could prevent a nationwide shutdown of TikTok, thus preserving the First Amendment rights of tens of millions of Americans, while also addressing the government's national security concerns." Citing the Jan. 19 deadline, Trump said it interferes with his "ability to manage the United States' foreign policy and to pursue a resolution to both protect national security and save a social-media platform that provides a popular vehicle for 170 million Americans to exercise their core First Amendment rights." Lawmakers sought to restrict access to TikTok in the U.S. amid concerns about its ties to China. The platform is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, and members from both parties, as well as intelligence agencies, have warned that the app could give the Chinese government access to data from the roughly 170 million Americans who use TikTok. They have also raised concerns that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government to covertly manipulate content on the platform and influence public dialogue. Under the law, TikTok had nine months to divest from ByteDance or lose access to all app stores and web-hosting services in the U.S. The measure allows the president to grant a one-time, 90-day delay if a sale is in progress by Jan. 19. Lawyers for TikTok have argued that divesture is not possible , and the Chinese government has vowed to block the sale of the platform's powerful algorithm, which tailors content recommendations to users. Brought in May, TikTok argued in its challenge to the law that it violates the First Amendment rights of the platform and its users. The company also said Congress targeted it with its ban, which would bar every American from participating in its "unique online community." But a panel of three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit disagreed, and found that the government's national security justification for the law is consistent with the First Amendment. "The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States," Senior Judge Douglas Ginsburg, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, wrote for the unanimous court. "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." Ginsburg, joined by Judge Neomi Rao, tapped by Trump, and Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, appointed by President Barack Obama, said that while the decision will have significant implications for TikTok and its users, "that burden is attributable to [China's] hybrid commercial threat to U.S. national security, not to the U.S. government." The dispute has attracted a range of friend-of-the-court briefs from members of Congress, civil liberties groups, former national security officials and TikTok users.Daniel Jones is free to sign with any NFL team after clearing waivers on Monday, which also means the team that signs the former New York Giants quarterback won't be on the hook for the nearly $12 million that was remaining on his contract this year or his $23 million injury guarantee. Jones was released at his request by the Giants on Saturday after the former first-round pick was benched last week. He reportedly wants to join a contender, and there are expected to be multiple teams interested. The two teams reported to have the most initial interest in Jones are also being offered as the most likely to sign him by one sportsbook. The Baltimore Ravens currently have journeyman backup Josh Johnson behind starting quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jones would potentially provide a third option, and one whose mobility could make him an intriguing fit in offensive coordinator Todd Monken's system The Ravens were installed as the 2/1 favorites to land Jones ahead of the Minnesota Vikings (5/2), who have veterans Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien behind starter Sam Darnold. They would likely view Jones as an upgrade. "I really can't get into too much about any short-term or long-term," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday when asked about Jones, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. "I can just say that I've been a big fan of Daniel's for a long time and I hope wherever his next step takes him, it's a good opportunity for him." The Las Vegas Raiders (5/1) don't fall into the category of contenders after falling to 2-9 amid a seven-game losing streak. However, they could provide the most immediate opportunity to play with Gardner Minshew suffering a season-ending broken collarbone on Sunday that is expected to end his season. Second-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell is close to returning from a thumb injury, but coach Antonio Pierce acknowledged after Sunday's game that, "We're going to need somebody, right?" If O'Connell isn't ready to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Black Friday, Desmond Ridder is expected to get the start. The Dallas Cowboys (7/1) would fall into a similar category, with Dak Prescott out for the season following hamstring surgery and being replaced by Cooper Rush. Another intriguing possibility lies with Detroit, where the 10-1 Lions' offense is rolling with Jared Goff at the helm. However, should he go down to injury the only other quarterback on the roster is rookie Hendon Hooker. That has contributed to the Lions having 7/1 odds to sign Jones. DANIEL JONES NEXT TEAM ODDS* Baltimore Ravens (2/1) Minnesota Vikings (5/2) Las Vegas Raiders (5/1) Dallas Cowboys (7/1) Detroit Lions (7/1) Miami Dolphins (7/1) San Francisco 49ers (8/1) Carolina Panthers (10/1) Seattle Seahawks (16/1) Indianapolis Colts (20/1) New England Patriots (25/1) New Orleans Saints (25/1) New York Jets (25/1) Tennessee Titans (25/1) Atlanta Falcons (28/1) Arizona Cardinals (33/1) Chicago Bears (33/1) Cleveland Browns (33/1) Denver Broncos (33/1) Jacksonville Jaguars (40/1) Los Angeles Chargers (50/1) Los Angeles Rams (50/1) Pittsburgh Steelers (50/1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (50/1) Washington Commanders (50/1) Cincinnati Bengals (66/1) Green Bay Packers (66/1) Houston Texans (66/1) Philadelphia Eagles (66/1) Buffalo Bills (75/1) Kansas City Chiefs (75/1) Any CFL Team (80/1) Any XFL Team (80/1) *Odds provided by SportsBetting.ag are for entertainment purposes only. --Field Level Media

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