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A federal appeals court has turned away a challenge to a fast-approaching nationwide ban of short-video app TikTok unless it divests from Chinese ownership, placing national security before free speech concerns and bringing the app’s 170 million U.S. users closer to losing access to the wildly popular platform. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday sided with the Justice Department, which argued that the U.S. government has the authority to ban TikTok based on the national security risk that TikTok could be pressured by the Chinese government to expose Americans’ data or influence what they see. TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, is based in China. TikTok had argued to the three-judge panel, unsuccessfully, that the ban must be struck down for infringement on the free speech rights of the app’s users and owners under the First Amendment of the Constitution. “The Government has offered persuasive evidence demonstrating that the Act is narrowly tailored to protect national security,” the court wrote in its opinion. TikTok is expected to ask the Supreme Court to take up the case before the sale deadline ends Jan. 19 or to first request that all the judges on the appeals court review the panel’s decision. “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. He criticized the ban-or-sale law as being based on “inaccurate” information and said it was “resulting in the outright censorship of the American people.” The appeals court on Friday said years-long bipartisan investigations into the app, and the government’s willingness to consider TikTok’s alternatives, weighed in favor of the law. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” Judge Douglas Ginsburg wrote for a three-judge panel. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation.” However, the judges said they rejected the government’s “ambitious argument” that the law did not “implicate the First Amendment at all,” saying that it would impose a “disproportionate burden on TikTok, an entity engaged in expressive activity.” The government had suggested that TikTok’s ownership by a foreign company left it without First Amendment rights, despite it having roughly 170 million U.S. accounts. The decision sets up a potential showdown with President-elect Donald Trump. Having backed a ban during his first term in the White House, he is expected to try to halt it, people familiar with his views on the matter told The Washington Post in early November, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. "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 John Moolenaar (R-Michigan), the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. “This went about as badly for TikTok as it could’ve gone,” said Alan Rozenshtein, a former national security adviser to the Justice Department. ,"I see no reason to think the Supreme Court will rule any differently than the DC circuit did." Given that legal situation, he said, Trump could take any of three actions to help TikTok fend off the ban: persuading Congress to repeal the law, directing his new attorney general not to enforce it, or declaring that ByteDance has satisfied the statute by performing a “qualified divestiture” of TikTok. The White House and Trump’s team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The court decision drew praise from U.S. security hawks on Friday, while free-speech advocates expressed deep dismay. Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the non-partisan Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former U.S. diplomat, called it a “warning shot to foreign companies operating in sensitive sectors.” "This ruling isn’t just about TikTok - it’s a bellwether for how the U.S. will confront tech threats from authoritarian regimes,” he said. Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, criticized the ruling as “hugely consequential for free speech” and called it “disturbing” that the court would support such curbs on speech based on an argument of protecting Americans from foreign disinformation. “Foreign disinformation is a very real thing. It can be a very real threat to the integrity of public discourse in this country,” he said. “But to jump from those propositions to ‘And therefore the government has a compelling interest in suppressing what it determines to be foreign lies’ - I think that’s a really big leap.” The D.C. Circuit’s 65-page judgment was unanimous and joined by judges from across the ideological spectrum. The opinion was written by Ginsburg, a nominee of Ronald Reagan, and joined by Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, an Obama nominee, and Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump nominee. Srinivasan wrote separately to say he agreed that the law does not violate the First Amendment, but for different reasons. TikTok has the opportunity to ask the D.C. Circuit to rehear the case sitting with a full complement of judges or go directly the Supreme Court. Because the three-judge panel was unanimous, and the opinion joined by judges spanning the ideological spectrum, it is less likely that the full D.C. Circuit would vote to review the decision. The legislation, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April, shortly after it was passed by Congress as part of a sprawling package offering aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. The law called TikTok an application controlled by a “foreign adversary” and gave ByteDance roughly nine months to sell the platform to non-Chinese ownership or face a nationwide ban. Finance experts called that time frame almost impossibly short for executing a sale, a complicated transaction that would require regulatory approval in multiple countries. The law gives the president the option to extend the divestment deadline by 90 days if the administration deems the company has made “significant progress” toward a sale. Further complicating the prospects of a sale, China has said it would block the sale and export of TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, one of the app’s most critical components. The looming U.S. ban came as a major shock to many of TikTok’s 170 million users in the United States, who have grown accustomed to using the app for daily entertainment or, in some cases, as the chief basis for marketing their small businesses. Since the end of the Cold War decades ago, the U.S. government has rarely invoked national security to impinge on the operation of media platforms. U.S. officials who backed the ban say that TikTok collects a vast trove of data on its users, ranging from their location to their contact networks and that the company would have limited ability under Chinese law to withhold such data if Beijing officials requested it. TikTok executives argued vehemently that they have firewalled U.S. TikTok user data from the parent company in China, but they failed to convince the U.S. government. The push to ban the app also came amid the backdrop of a broadly deepening U.S.-China rivalry, with Chinese technology companies facing closer scrutiny in Washington than similar firms based in other countries. TikTok filed a legal challenge against the Justice Department in May, arguing that the new law violated the First Amendment. A group of TikTok creators followed with their own parallel lawsuit. The Justice Department and TikTok presented their cases in September in the federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. While Srinivasan noted at the hearing that there would be “serious First Amendment concerns” if such a case involved a purely domestic company, the judges noted that there was legal precedent for national security concerns to override free speech considerations. The two sides had requested an expedited judgment from the court by early December to allow time for a potential appeal to be filed with the Supreme Court before the Jan. 19 deadline. In a separate legal case, more than a dozen state attorneys general filed a lawsuit in October accusing TikTok of harming the well-being of children by using addictive product features that keep them hooked on the platform. TikTok said in a statement that it strongly disagreed with the claims. - - - Aaron Schaffer and Ann Marimow contributed to this report.

Authored by Jackson Richman and Andrew Moran via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President-elect Donald Trump announced on Dec. 4 that he has selected Peter Navarro as senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. During Trump’s first term, Navarro, a staunch advocate of tariffs, served as director of the National Trade Council and as director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. Trump said the new role “leverages Peter’s broad range of White House experience while harnessing his extensive policy analytic and media skills.” Navarro’s “mission will be to help successfully advance and communicate the Trump manufacturing, tariff, and trade agendas,” the president-elect said. Navarro was released from prison on July 17 after serving a four-month sentence for refusing to appear before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Tariffs were an integral economic policy feature of Trump’s 2024 election campaign. Since his victory last month, Trump has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, slap 10 percent levies on Chinese goods, and implement a 100 percent tariff on countries engaged in anti-dollar activities. As one of the top White House economic and trade advisers in Trump’s first administration, Navarro was a leading voice in enacting tariffs on the United States’ trading partners, particularly China. Navarro said levies would help level the playing field and rectify what he viewed as unfair imbalances in international trade. “President Trump has made it clear he’s a free trader. He’s made it abundantly clear that for this administration, free trade means is free, fair, reciprocal, and balanced,” Navarro said in prepared remarks at a June 2018 Hudson Institute event outlining Trump’s policy regarding the U.S.–China trade relationship. In 2019, he also championed Trump’s threat of tariffs on Mexico in response to Mexico’s “exports” of “illegal aliens.” “ This is strictly about national security and threats to our economy from illegal immigration from a criminal enterprise ,” Navarro told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” Despite various criticisms that Trump’s tariffs would ignite inflation pressures and weigh on economic growth prospects, Navarro defended his trade agenda as “one of the most successful applications of a defense trade policy in U.S. history.” Appearing at a Harvard University event in April 2019, Navarro declared that “Ricardo is dead.” This was in reference to 19th-century economist David Ricardo, who touted that international trade is always beneficial and that nations can prosper with the theory of “comparative advantage.” However, according to Navarro, 19th-century economic philosophies have little relevance in modern global markets filled with “industrial espionage, rampant cheating, intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, state capitalism, and currency misalignments.” Navarro has been reluctant to back trade agreements supported by whom he called “globalist elites” on Wall Street. “If Wall Street is involved and continues to insinuate itself into these negotiations, there will be a stench around any deal that’s consummated because it will have the imprimatur of Goldman Sachs and Wall Street,” Navarro said in a 2019 speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Navarro will not be the only pro-tariff official in the incoming administration. Trump has been surrounding himself with staunch defenders of his trade agenda. Scott Bessent, a Wall Street financier tapped to lead the Treasury Department, has been vocal in supporting levies on U.S. trading partners. Bessent has spoken favorably about tariffs, describing the measure as a negotiating tool to accomplish the president-elect’s foreign policy objectives. “Whether it is getting allies to spend more on their own defense, opening foreign markets to U.S. exports, securing cooperation on ending illegal immigration and interdicting fentanyl trafficking, or deterring military aggression, tariffs can play a central role ,” Bessent wrote in a recent Fox News op-ed. In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Bessent also said that tariffs should be “layered in gradually” to prevent immediate inflationary pressures and allow disinflationary measures to offset higher prices. Trump selected billionaire Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary. Lutnick, the CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, has also endorsed tariffs, calling them “bargaining chips” to negotiate better trade pacts that can slash levies. “I think tariffs make sense,” Lutnick told CNBC’s “Money Movers” in September. “We should compare what people tariff us and put the exact same tariffs on them and make it equal.” The president-elect recently rounded out his economic team with Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council and international trade attorney Jamieson Greer as U.S. trade representative. Hassett was the previous head of the Council of Economic Advisers, a position that Trump has yet to announce. According to Trump, Greer was integral in his first term in replacing the decades-old North American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement and implementing tariffs on China. Greer was the chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, who served as Trump’s former trade representative.Woman suffers serious injuries after falling through ice in Stittsville

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Stanford takes aim at Andrej Stojakovic, CalRonan O'Gara said he was "more than pretty happy" with his side's opening night victory away to Bath in the Champions Cup. The French side won 24-20, holding on in the second half after an opening 40 minutes which looked to have them cruising towards a bonus point win. La Rochelle led 21-6 at the break but added just three points in the second half as the English Premiership leaders fought back. "It's just about getting started and winning," said O'Gara told Premier Sports. "We can look at the content tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday and get better for Bristol. "Brilliant first half, shocking second half. But character from the boys because we could have buckled, but some young fellas put up their hands and we've got a good team spirit. I think the better team won tonight." La Rochelle scored three first half tries through Oscar Jegou, Reda Wardi and Tawera Kerr-Barlow. "We were very accurate," O'Gara said. "It's always really pleasing when you construct a maul like that and you score off it. Then you kind of bluff them into going off the top. Obviously, Tawera showed exceptional hands to be able to control the ball and run through. I suppose the thought process involved in that is interesting. "Our first try was obviously just battering away near the line. So 21 points, which was good. And then we started the second half really poorly. "Backed up errors, discipline, scrum count. Lineout struggled a little bit, but then we got four (match) points, and in these conditions that's great because you can defend like dogs and we defended really well at the end." La Rochelle, struggling in the Top 14 this season, face Bristol at home next weekend. "You have to be smart with the different conditions," said O'Gara, "maybe it could be OK next week because tonight it's a very different rugby to potentially Bristol, how they'd like to play because they throw the ball around and their skill levels are top. "We put teams under pressure a bit and we squeeze them but we can play ball as well. If we get conditions, it's about being smart and opening your game plan or closing it up. "Tonight, for 40 minutes, that obviously won us the game. The boys should be very happy tonight. It's a good reaction from last week's Top 14, but this competition is special and we want to be involved in the knockout stages."

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At Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, more than a year of war has taken its toll. Global airlines have canceled flights, gates are empty and pictures of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip guide the few arriving passengers to baggage claim. But one check-in desk remains flush with travelers: the one serving flights to the United Arab Emirates, which have kept up a bridge for Israelis to the outside world throughout the war. The Emirati flights, in addition to bolstering airlines’ bottom lines, have shined a light on the countries’ burgeoning ties — which have survived the wars raging across the Middle East and could be further strengthened as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to office. “It’s a political and economic statement,” said Joshua Teitelbaum, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. “They are the main foreign airlines that continue to fly.” Since the wars began with Hamas’ initial Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, many international airlines have halted, restarted and halted again their flights into Israel’s main gateway to the rest of the world. The concern is real for the carriers, who remember the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine 10 years ago and Iran shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 after takeoff from Tehran in 2020. But FlyDubai, the sister airline to the long-haul carrier Emirates, has kept up multiple flights daily and kept Israel connected to the wider world even as its other low-cost competitors have stopped flights. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad has continued its flights as well. While maintaining the flight schedule remains politically important for the UAE after its 2020 diplomatic recognition of Israel, it also provided a further shot in the arm for revenues — particularly for FlyDubai. Since the Israeli’s wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon started, international carriers such as Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, Germany’s Lufthansa and other major airlines halted their flights. Some resumed, only to stop again after Iran’s Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack on Israel and Israel’s Oct. 26 retaliatory strike on the Islamic Republic. Tehran has threatened to strike Israel again. That’s brought major business to Israel’s national carrier El Al, which had struggled in the coronavirus pandemic and prior years. The airline posted its best-ever half-year results this year, recording a $227 million profit as compared to $58 million profit in the same period last year. El Al stock has risen by as much 200% over the past year, as compared to a 29% rise in the wider Tel Aviv 125 stock market index. El Al, however, lacks the routes and connections of major international carriers. Low-cost carriers as well have stopped flying into Israel during periods of the war, sending the price of El Al tickets ever higher. Passenger numbers through Ben Gurion halved compared to the same period the year before, El Al said in its second-quarter financial results. However, FlyDubai has kept flying. The carrier has operated more than 1,800 flights to Israel since October 2023, cancelling only 77 flights overall, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. In September alone, it flew more than 200 flights. As a line snaked toward the FlyDubai check-in counters at Ben Gurion Airport, UAE-bound Motti Eis said the flights were “a symbol that the Emirates countries decided to keep the peace.” FlyDubai declined to answer questions from The Associated Press about the flights. Etihad, the flag carrier for Abu Dhabi, has kept flying into Tel Aviv, but the number of its flights has been dwarfed by FlyDubai. FlyDubai had 3.6% market share at Ben Gurion, compared to El Al’s 43.2% in the second half of 2024. However, at least two of the foreign low-cost airlines with greater market, Wizz Air and Blue Bird, stopped flying for extended periods this year. Etihad said it maintains a close watch on the situation in the region, but continues its daily flights to and from Tel Aviv. “Ben Gurion International Airport remains open, employing best practices in safety and security practices, enabling Etihad and other airlines to provide essential air connectivity as long as it is secure to do so,” the airline said in a statement. Beyond the financial impact, the decision also takes root in the UAE’s decision to recognize Israel in 2020 under agreements brokered by President Donald Trump known as the Abraham Accords. While Abu Dhabi has repeatedly expressed concern and outrage at Israel’s conduct during the wars, Israel’s consulate in Dubai and embassy remain open in the country. And while Dubai, broadly speaking, remains focused on business in the country, Abu Dhabi’s focus long has been on its geopolitical aims — which since the 2011 Arab Spring have been squarely focused on challenging Islamist movements and those who back them in the wider region. The UAE, a hereditary autocracy, long has viewed those groups as serious challenges to its power. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday accused the Centre of “denying” Manmohan Singh’s family the right to perform his last rites at a befitting site for his memorial and alleged that it was an insult to the departed leader’s towering legacy and the Sikh community. In a post on ‘X’, Stalin said: “The BJP government’s decision to deny Dr. #ManmohanSingh’s family the right to perform his last rites at a befitting site for his memorial is a direct insult to his towering legacy and the Sikh community. Refusing the family’s request and relegating a two-term Prime Minister to Nigambodh Ghat reeks of arrogance, bias and a deliberate attempt to erase his immense contributions from public memory.” The BJP government’s decision to deny Dr. #ManmohanSingh ’s family the right to perform his last rites at a befitting site for his memorial is a direct insult to his towering legacy and the Sikh community. Refusing the family’s request and relegating a two-term Prime Minister to... Further, he said: “Dr Manmohan Singh’s leadership transformed India’s economy and lifted millions out of poverty. To disrespect a statesman of his stature is to disrespect India’s progress itself. The stain of dishonouring great leaders never fades from history! Stalin-led DMK is a key ally of the Congress party, which has accused the Centre of insulting Manmohan Singh, the country’s first Sikh prime minister, by carrying out his last rites at the Nigambodh Ghat instead of a designated spot that could later become his memorial.

Appeals court upholds nationwide TikTok ban-or-sale lawAfter coaching a full practice and speaking to the media for nearly 17 minutes Friday, Mike Brown received a phone call from Kings general manager Monte McNair informing him that . The . Brown was getting ready to board the plane set for Los Angeles that several players and staff already were on. But the organization maintains there was no specific purpose or malice intended with the timing or execution of his release, The reported Saturday, citing team sources. Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé had the final say and ultimately gave the green light to pull the plug after practice Friday. But the decision to fire Brown was McNair's, Amick and Slater reported, citing team sources. “This was a difficult decision and I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to the organization,” McNair said Friday in a press release. Ranadivé has had a front-row seat to the madness that resulted in a pathetic 0-5 homestand that topped off the Kings' 12th loss in 17 games. Sitting courtside at Golden 1 Center, he has been notably upset and frustrated with the team's performance. Still, team sources insisted to Amick and Slater that the decision originally stemmed from McNair. Additionally, the organization is choosing to back the front office of McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox, Amick and Slater added, who still are considered "safe" despite all of Sacramento's struggles. The Kings' depth -- or lack thereof -- led to a lot of difficult rotation issues for Brown. It's a weakness the front office acknowledged and still hopes to fix by the upcoming Feb. 6 trade deadline. So they felt comfortable parting ways with their head coach knowing they had personnel moves to make. And apparently, Thursday's loss to the Detroit Pistons was the final straw. A defensive blunder by De'Aaron Fox gave the Pistons a one-point lead that sealed their unimaginable victory. After the loss, Brown didn't hold back in his criticism of Fox and the rest of the guys. But that was no different than how Brown handled other pressers: Holding players accountable and never mincing his words. Still, Brown's press conference remarks were "beginning to wear on some players," Amick and Slater reported, citing team sources, and were part of the decision to part ways with Brown. While Brown's press conference critique was directly aimed at Fox on Thursday, Fox's wife Recee emphasized on social media that Fox had no say in the firing. False — Recee Fox (@Cee_Caldwell) This could not be more off base. — Recee Fox (@Cee_Caldwell) Now, Doug Christie will serve as the interim head coach, and the eighth under Ranadivé's ownership. The former Kings guard and current assistant coach met with the Kings brass and accepted their offer of a promotion to replace Brown on an interim basis, leaping lead assistant and former Toronto Raptors head coach Jay Triano. There's a lot to be determined moving forward, and it all begins Saturday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

TORONTO (AP) — Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official said Wednesday. has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products from Canada and as one of his first executive orders. A Canadian government official said Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official stressed no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced against the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Many of the U.S. products were chosen for their political rather than economic impact. For example, Canada imports $3 million worth of yogurt from the U.S. annually and most comes from one plant in Wisconsin, home state of then-House Speaker Paul Ryan. That product was hit with a 10% duty. Another product on the list was whiskey, which comes from Tennessee and Kentucky, the latter of which is the home state of then-Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell. Trump made the threat Monday while railing against an influx of illegal migrants, even though the numbers at Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border. The U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024. Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are happy to work with the Trump administration to lower the numbers from Canada. The Canadians are also worried about a influx north of migrants if Trump follows through with his plan for mass deportations. Trump also railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border pale in comparison to the Mexican border. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Canadian officials argue their country is not the problem and that tariffs will have severe implications for both countries. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. “Canada is essential to the United States’ domestic energy supply,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. Trump has pledged to cut American energy bills in half within 18 months, something that could be made harder if a 25% premium is added to Canadian oil imports. In 2023, Canadian oil accounted for almost two-thirds of total U.S. oil imports and about one-fifth of the U.S. oil supply. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding a emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Canada’s provinces, who want Trudeau to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her administration is already working up a list of possible retaliatory tariffs “if the situation comes to that.”

Carrier Board of Directors Announces an 18 Percent Increase in Quarterly Dividend to $0.225 per ShareToo Hot to Handle star Harry Jowsey honors late father in heartfelt announcementSebastian Mack made up for a pair of missed late free throws by converting a three-point play with 33 seconds remaining as No. 22 UCLA earned a 65-62 victory over No. 14 Gonzaga on Saturday in the West Coast Hoops Showdown at Inglewood, Calif. Eric Dailey Jr. led UCLA with 18 points and shot 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Kobe Johnson scored all 12 of his points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc for the Bruins and added eight rebounds. Skyy Clark scored 11 points for UCLA (11-2) with a game-high nine rebounds, while dishing out seven assists. Graham Ike led all scorers with 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor for Gonzaga (9-4) and snared eight rebounds. Ryan Nembhard finished with 16 points and eight assists for the Bulldogs. Tied 58-58 with 1:18 remaining, Mack drew a shooting foul on Gonzaga's Ike but missed both free throws. Ike's rebound led to Nembhard's go-ahead, pull-up jumper with 56 seconds to go as Gonzaga led 60-58. Mack earned a chance at redemption when he scored on a floater with contact from Emmanuel Innocenti. Mack's bonus foul shot put the Bruins ahead 61-60 to help make up for a rough 1-of-7 shooting afternoon. Clark made a pair of free throws after Dusty Stormer's missed 3-point attempt as UCLA grabbed a 63-60 lead with 13 seconds remaining. The Bruins needed the cushion, as Gonzaga executed a length-of-the-court play that sprung Nembhard for a streaking layup while he was fouled by Mack. But Nembhard missed the free throw that would have tied the game. Down by three in the closing seconds, Nembhard inexplicably took a shot from well beyond half court with four seconds still remaining that was off target. The victory was the Bruins' first over the Bulldogs since 2015, and the fourth game between the teams since the 2020-21 season that was decided by four points or fewer. Gonzaga lost guard Khalif Battle early in the first half when he was ejected for a flagrant foul call on a blocked-shot attempt against Dailey. Battle's ejection contributed to a rough opening for Gonzaga, which trailed by 11 before pulling within two points by halftime. Neither team led by more than six points over the final 17:12. --Field Level Media

Why some doctors are reassessing hypnosisOUR SAY: New Victorian Liberal team hopefully will hear our criesWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Wednesday to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The justices' decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by another 25 states and a range of other efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which restrooms they can use. The case is being weighed by a conservative-dominated court after a presidential election in which Donald Trump and his allies promised to roll back protections for transgender people. The Biden administration's top Supreme Court lawyer warned a decision favorable to Tennessee also could be used to justify nationwide restrictions on transgender health care for minors. Supporters of transgender rights rally Wednesday outside the Supreme Court in Washington. In arguments that lasted more than two hours, five of the six conservative justices voiced varying degrees of skepticism over arguments made by the administration and Chase Strangio, the ACLU lawyer for Tennessee families challenging the ban. People are also reading... Statesville native Tomlin leads Delaware State to MEAC volleyball title, NCAA berth Trump, Musk can learn from North Carolina, Raleigh writer says Top vote-getter Houpe: Why am I not chairman of Iredell board of commissioners? Iredell-Statesville Schools closed Tuesday due to snow, ice Letter to the editor: Charging kids to play baseball at Jennings Park is poor idea Iredell-Statesville Schools nutrition department receives award 4 pounds of marijuana, gun seized by Mooresville police officers 'The Message' religious sect sprouts destructive groups across globe Tiny, 4 more dogs seeking homes at Iredell County Animal Services North Dakota man brings shed-building expertise to Troutman New school chairman rules 2 fellow board members out of order in Iredell 3 Eagle Scouts and 1 grateful Iredell County resident Women report widespread misogyny in churches tied to religious group 'The Message' Lake Norman residents voice concerns with Marshall Steam Station changes Iredell County woman celebrates $100,000 scratch-off win Chief Justice John Roberts, who voted in the majority in a 2020 case in favor of transgender rights, questioned whether judges, rather than lawmakers, should weigh in on a question of regulating medical procedures, an area usually left to the states. "The Constitution leaves that question to the people's representatives, rather than to nine people, none of whom is a doctor," Roberts said in an exchange with Strangio. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the majority opinion in 2020, said nothing during the arguments. The court's three liberal justices seemed firmly on the side of the challengers, but it's not clear that any conservatives will go along. People attend a rally March 31, 2023, as part of a Transgender Day of Visibility, near the Capitol in Washington. Justice Sonia Sotomayor pushed back against the assertion that the democratic process would be the best way to address objections to the law. She cited a history of laws discriminating against others, noting that transgender people make up less than 1% of the U.S. population, according to studies. There are an estimated 1.3 million adults and 300,000 adolescents ages 13 to 17 who identify as transgender, according the UCLA law school's Williams Institute. "Blacks were a much larger part of the population and it didn't protect them. It didn't protect women for whole centuries," Sotomayor said in an exchange with Tennessee Solicitor General Matt Rice. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she saw some troubling parallels between arguments made by Tennessee and those advanced by Virginia and rejected by a unanimous court, in the 1967 Loving decision that legalized interracial marriage nationwide. Quoting from that decision, Jackson noted that Virginia argued then that "the scientific evidence is substantially in doubt and, consequently, the court should defer to the wisdom of the state legislature." ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio, left, and plaintiff Joaquin Carcano address reporters after a June 25, 2018, hearing in Winston-Salem, N.C., on their lawsuit challenging the law that replaced North Carolina's "bathroom bill." Justice Samuel Alito repeatedly pressed Strangio, the first openly transgender lawyer to argue at the nation's highest court, about whether transgender people should be legally designated as a group that's susceptible to discrimination. Strangio answered that being transgender does fit that legal definition, though he acknowledged under Alito's questioning there are a small number of people who de-transition. "So it's not an immutable characteristic, is it?" Alito said. Strangio did not retreat from his view, though he said the court did not have to decide the issue to resolve the case in his clients' favor. There were dueling rallies outside the court in the hours before the arguments. Speeches and music filled the air on the sidewalk below the court's marble steps. Advocates of the ban bore signs like "Champion God's Design" and "Kids Health Matters," while the other side proclaimed "Fight like a Mother for Trans Rights" and "Freedom to be Ourselves." Four years ago, the court ruled in favor of Aimee Stephens, who was fired by a Michigan funeral home after she informed its owner she was a transgender woman. The court held that transgender people, as well as gay and lesbian people, are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace. The Biden administration and the families and health care providers who challenged the Tennessee law urged the justices to apply the same sort of analysis that the majority, made up of liberal and conservative justices, embraced in the case four years ago when it found that "sex plays an unmistakable role" in employers' decisions to punish transgender people for traits and behavior they otherwise tolerate. Demonstrators against transgender rights protest Wednesday during a rally outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. The issue in the Tennessee case is whether the law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. Tennessee's law bans puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors, but allows the same drugs to be used for other purposes. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, called the law sex-based line drawing to ban the use of drugs that have been safely prescribed for decades and said the state "decided to completely override the views of the patients, the parents, the doctors." She contrasted the Tennessee law with one enacted by West Virginia, which set conditions for the health care for transgender minors, but stopped short of an outright ban. Gender-affirming care for youth is supported by every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association. 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More than 23,000 tags have been removed across Auckland city, thanks to an 'A-class' service provided by a social enterprise. Specifically, 3070 of these were removed from the Māngere- Ōtāhuhu local board area. The Beautification Trust has become a key player in South Auckland's efforts to maintain clean and vibrant communities. The Trust transitioned from an Auckland Council-controlled organisation to a South Auckland-based social enterprise in 2024. On Wednesday night, Community Programmes Manager Sterling Ruwhiu and Community Coordinator Erin Bowers presented to the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board, showcasing the Trust's ongoing contributions. "Our mission is to connect the power of communities to learn, love, and look after the environment. That's our kaupapa." "Tonight, we're also showing how our work impacts the community in three key areas: communities that take pride and feel safe, a healthier and cleaner environment, and empowered, connected communities," Bowers said. The income generated from the Trust's services is reinvested into its community programmes. Their work over the past financial year includes: Other significant initiatives include the official opening of the Manurewa Bike Hub, promoting low-carbon travel, and the success of the Manurewa Community Recycling Centre, which has diverted nearly 190,000 kg of waste from landfills in just two years. "We've had big success with our repair cafes and launched our Food Together pop-up. "Every Thursday, people can buy a $15 bag of fresh produce, which is 40-50 percent cheaper than supermarket prices. We also have volunteers at our recycling centre, as well as a small group from Spectrum Care contributing back to society," Ruwhiu said. The Trust hosted four repair cafes last year, successfully repairing 129 items and diverting 496 kg of waste from landfills, offsetting about 3400 kilograms of carbon emissions. The Trust mobilised 902 volunteer hours and engaged over 6000 children and youth in environmental education programmes like Eye On Nature and Wearable Arts. Eighteen Early Childhood Education (ECE) and primary schools participated in Eye On Nature, with 35 artworks submitted and over 200 children engaged. Additionally, 402 students from 19 schools entered 85 garments for Wearable Arts. Ruwhiu shared a story about two sisters involved in wearable art projects: "One little girl, Siruian, bio-engineered her plastic for her outfit, and her sister grew crystals to include in hers. That's the kind of innovation coming from our young people." Local board chair Tauanu'u Nick Bakulich commended the Trust's value to the community. "Every dollar is a dollar well spent in terms of the ratepayers' dollar. The responses we're getting, especially around graffiti removal, are A-class done within a very, very short time." Bakulich also suggested discussing how to increase applications from Māngere- Ōtāhuhu schools for wearable arts if funding is a limiting factor. Local Board Member Christine O'Brien praised the Trust's impact. "The impact on [graffiti removal] is just amazing," she said. She shared an example from Saleyards Road in Ōtāhuhu: "There was a guy who was going around between Vector and Auckland Transport, and the place was getting increasingly [messy]. "Within a day of me saying, 'Have you tried the Beautification [Trust]?' it's all gone, and [he was] really the happiest ... on earth. So thank you for that." Through its innovative programmes and strong partnerships, the Beautification Trust continues to promote sustainability and strengthen communities in South Auckland. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.Uncertainty in Washington should have Virginia lawmakers proceeding cautiously on the budget when the General Assembly convenes next month. 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