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Supreme Court weighs TikTok ban Friday; national security, free speech arguments are considered
The Supreme Court on Friday will hear oral arguments about a U.S. law requiring TikTok to either divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be banned from operating in the U.S. It’s a heavily followed case that pits national security concerns against free speech protections for millions of Americans. The court agreed in December to hold an expedited hearing on the case, giving it just nine days to decide whether to uphold TikTok’s request to halt or delay the ban passed by Congress before it takes effect Jan. 19. It is unlikely the court will take that long, however, and justices are expected to issue a ruling or order in a matter of days. The case comes as TikTok continues to be one of the most popular social media apps in the U.S. with an estimated 170 million users nationwide. ‘HIGHLY QUALIFIED’: FORMER STATE AGS URGE SENATE TO CONFIRM BONDI TO LEAD JUSTICE DEPARTMENT President-elect Trump has also signaled support for the app, putting the case further into the national spotlight in the final weeks before his inauguration. Ahead of Friday’s oral arguments, here’s what to know about the arguments and how the Supreme Court might act. TikTok arguments, alleged free speech violations TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, are urging the court to either block or delay the enforcement of a law Congress passed with bipartisan backing in April. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act gave TikTok nine months to either divest from its Chinese parent company or be removed from U.S. app stores and hosting services. Its owners have said repeatedly they will not do so. It also grants the president a 90-day window to delay the ban if TikTok says a divestiture is in progress. TikTok, ByteDance and several users of the app swiftly sued to block the ban in May, arguing the legislation would suppress free speech for the millions of Americans who use the platform. Lawyers for TikTok argued that the law violates First Amendment protections, describing it as an “unprecedented attempt to single out applicants and bar them from operating one of the most significant speech platforms in this nation” and noting that lawmakers failed to consider less restrictive alternatives compared to an outright ban. “History and precedent teach that, even when national security is at stake, speech bans must be Congress’s last resort,” attorneys said in a reply brief filed last month to the high court. National security concerns Congress has cited concerns that China, a country it considers a foreign adversary of the U.S., could use TikTok to download vast troves of user data and push certain Chinese government-backed content onto users, prompting it to order the divestiture last spring. The Biden administration also echoed these concerns. In a Supreme Court brief, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar noted the law focuses solely on China’s control of the app, which the Biden administration argued could pose “grave national security threats” to Americans, rather than its content. Beijing could “covertly manipulate the platform” to advance geopolitical interests in the U.S., Prelogar noted, or use the vast amount of user data it has amassed for either espionage or blackmail. Lawyers for the administration will argue Friday that Congress did not impose any restrictions on speech— much less any restrictions based on viewpoint or on content — and failed to satisfy the test of free speech violations under the First Amendment. The Biden administration also filed under seal classified evidence to the court that it argued “lends further support” to its conclusion that TikTok under ByteDance ownership should be banned. That evidence has not been released to the public. Political pressures The Supreme Court’s decision to fast-track the case comes as President-elect Trump has signaled apparent support for the app in recent months. In December, Trump hosted TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago resort, telling reporters during a press conference his incoming administration will “take a look at TikTok” and the divestiture case. “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump told reporters. Attorneys for the president-elect also filed a brief with the Supreme Court last month, asking justices to delay any decision in the case until after Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20. The brief did not signal how Trump might act. Still, attorneys for TikTok have cited that relationship directly in their Supreme Court filings. Last month, they argued an interim injunction is appropriate “because it will give the incoming Administration time to determine its position, as the President-elect and his advisors have voiced support for saving TikTok. “There is a strong public interest that this Court have the opportunity to exercise plenary review. The case also comes amid a groundswell of support from some lawmakers in Congress. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass.; and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., filed a brief Thursday urging the Supreme Court to reverse the ban, arguing the lawmakers do not have sufficient evidence needed to outweigh free speech protections granted under the First Amendment. In the brief, lawmakers referenced the nation’s longtime reliance on national security claims as a means of justifying censorship, citing examples from the Sedition Acts of the 18th and 20th centuries and Cold War-era free speech restrictions. Banning TikTok due to “speculative concerns” about foreign interference, they argued, is “unconstitutional and contradicts fundamental American values.” They argued the U.S. could adopt less drastic measures that would effectively address any data security concerns posed by the app while also not infringing on First Amendment rights. Others remained deeply opposed. Sen. Mitch McConnell blasted TikTok’s arguments as “unmeritless and unsound” in a filing of his own, noting that Congress explicitly set the Jan. 19 date for the divestiture clause to take force since it “very clearly removes any possible political uncertainty in the execution of the law by cabining it to an administration that was deeply supportive of the bill’s goals.”
Trump accuses Newsom of prioritizing endangered fish species over protecting residents from wildfires
President-elect Trump set off a fiery debate over whether Democrats should be to blame for California’s wildfires after he accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of caring more about protecting an endangered fish species than protecting the state’s residents from wildfires. The president-elect has long railed against Democrats in California for limiting the availability of water for Californians that comes from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers in the northern part of the state. He stumped on the issue during his 2016 campaign and, during his first term, Trump sought to divert more water away from a delta where the two rivers meet that is home to an endangered fish species known as smelt. But Newsom and his administration challenged this in court, arguing opinions suggesting that the water diversion would not impact the fish were wrong. Newsom also previously opposed efforts to construct a pipeline meant to divert water south. He has overseen programs in his state that annually release hundreds of billions of gallons of stormwater buildup into the Sacramento-San Jaoquin River Delta to benefit the smelt habitat — rather than redirecting the water south for use by people in the central and southern parts of the state. BERNIE SANDERS TAKES HEAT FOR BLAMING CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES ON CLIMATE CHANGE: ‘GLOBAL WARMING ATE MY HOMEWORK’ Trump set off a firestorm on Wednesday when he called out Newsom on his Truth Social platform for wanting “to protect an essentially worthless fish” over protecting the water needs of Californians. The comments are not new, however. In the run-up to the November election, Trump made the claim during an October interview with podcaster Joe Rogan. “I was in [California] farm country with some of the congressmen,” he told Rogan. “We’re driving up a highway and I say, ‘How come all this land is so barren?’ It’s farmland and it looked terrible. It was just brown and bad. I said, ‘But there’s always that little corner that’s so green and beautiful.’ They said, ‘We have no water.’ I said, ‘Do you have a drought?’ ‘No, we don’t have a drought.’ I said, ‘Why don’t you have no water?’ Because the water isn’t allowed to flow down. And in order to protect a tiny little fish, the water up north gets routed into the Pacific Ocean. Millions and millions of gallons of water gets poured.” California’s devastating wildfires have killed at least five people and driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. The Palisades Fire alone has burned through more than 17,000 acres of land, which is larger than the island of Manhattan. The damage so far has been estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars. The president-elect’s claims have been paired with reports that firefighters are running out of water as they battle the blaze, prompting the state to mobilize resources to replenish empty supplies. CAUSE OF RAGING LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES STILL UNDETERMINED AS MAYOR KAREN BASS DEFENDS HER LEADERSHIP “There’s no water in the Palisades. There’s no water coming out of the fire hydrants. This is an absolute mismanagement by the city. Not the firefighters’ fault, but the city’s,” Rick Caruso, a billionaire developer who unsuccessfully ran against Karen Bass for mayor in 2022, told Fox News. The governor’s press office said in response to Trump’s accusations that he was completely wrong, arguing the president-elect “is conflating two entirely unrelated things: the conveyance of water to Southern California and supply from local storage.” “Broadly speaking, there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump’s claims that he would open some imaginary spigot,” Newsom’s office added. “[The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power] said that because of the high water demand, pump stations at lower elevations did not have enough pressure refill tanks at higher elevations, and the ongoing fire hampered the ability of crews to access the pumps. To supplement, they used water tenders to supply water — a common tactic in wildland firefighting.” Firefighters in California made progress towards slowing the spread of the fire on Thursday, according to The Associated Press. Crews reportedly were able to eliminate a fire that broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday evening and by Thursday had lifted the area’s evacuation order. Still, the fires continue to burn and most are only partially contained as of Thursday afternoon, according to reports.
Red state AGs welcome Trump crackdown on illegal immigration after four years battling Biden
FIRST ON FOX: Twenty Republican attorneys general are prepared to bolster President-elect Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, according to a joint statement led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach shared with Fox News Digital. “The Biden Administration took dozens of executive actions that weakened border controls and sanctioned illegal immigration from around the world,” the letter states. “Republican attorneys general fought back by taking the Biden Administration to court for ending successful Trump Administration immigration policies and replacing them with new policies that violated the law and encouraged illegal immigration. The Republican attorneys general prevailed in virtually every one of these laws.” REPUBLICAN AGS DOUBLE DOWN ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION LAWSUITS AS PRESIDENT PREPARES TO LEAVE OFFICE The AGs say they’re ready to restore Trump’s “America First” policies from Trump’s first administration, particularly his “Remain in Mexico policy” and mass deportations. “As we point out in this letter, the Remain in Mexico policy is something that’s found in federal statute, and it’s been in federal statute since 1996. President Trump was the first president who actually implemented that policy set by Congress,” Kobach told Fox News Digital in an interview. “President Trump has all the statutory tools he needs,” he added. “They are already in the federal code, and that’s what we’re saying too. As lawyers who have been trying to stop the Biden administration from violating the law, we are saying, ‘President Trump, you have our support, and you have a wide open runway ahead of you to renew the enforcement of our federal immigration laws.’” BIDEN MOVING TO BAN OIL AND GAS LEASES FOR 20 YEARS IN NEVADA REGION, JUST WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP INAUGURATION The attorneys general are also anticipating Trump will “fully rescind the unlawful DACA programs,” as he promised during his first term. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, introduced in 2012 by the Obama administration, permits illegal immigrants brought to the country as children — often referred to as “Dreamers” — to temporarily remain in the country. In addition to Kobach, attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia and Tennessee signed the statement. Republican attorneys general across the U.S. have been at the forefront of filing lawsuits against the Biden administration over the last four years. This month, Texas AG Ken Paxton filed his 103rd lawsuit against the outgoing administration over its energy efficiency standards for housing. GROWING CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT IN CANADA IS FIGHTING BACK AGAINST ‘CALIFORNIA ON STEROIDS,’ SAYS STRATEGIST The Republicans have secured several legal wins. In 2021, a coalition led by then-Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry obtained a preliminary injunction against the administration’s suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land. In May 2024, Paxton achieved a significant win in a lawsuit alleging unlawful censorship by the administration, with a federal judge denying the government’s motion to dismiss and ordering expedited discovery. And a federal judge recently vacated the administration’s Title IX rule, which had expanded protections against discrimination based on gender identity, after challenges from Republican-led states. “I think what the 20 or so attorneys general signing this statement is about what the law is and what the law requires,” Kobach said. “And … we are very grateful and expect that President Trump will return us to a country where the law is enforced and the strictures that Congress has put in place are observed.”
DeSantis calls for media to hold Democratic California leaders accountable for wildfires: ‘Have not seen that’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called out a reporter on Thursday for the lack of blame being placed on California leaders for the devastating wildfires, pointing out that it’s in stark contrast to how Republican leaders are often treated in the wake of disasters. DeSantis, and all other Republican governors, had just wrapped up a dinner with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday evening when the heated exchange with a reporter took place. The reporter appeared to be asking another governor if it was appropriate for Trump to criticize Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom as deadly wildfires rage throughout the state. NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP’S CLAIMS ‘PURE FICTION’ AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT POINTS FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY The question prompted DeSantis to step forward and ask, “Is it appropriate for people in your industry to try to create division and to try to create narratives any time these things happen?” “Now, you’re not as interested in doing that because Newsom is a D. If Newsom was a Republican, you guys would go try … you would have him nailed to the wall for what they’re doing over there,” he continued. DESANTIS HALTS RIVALRY WITH NEWSOM, OFFERS AID TO BESIEGED BLUE STATE GOVERNOR The Florida governor, who has managed multiple disasters during his tenure, said he has often been criticized for things that were out of his control and has been blamed for incidents before the facts came out, referencing the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse. “I think your track record of politicizing these things is very, very bad,” DeSantis said. He said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass would be treated much differently for her trip to Ghana while fires were high risk if she were a Republican. “You should have been there preparing and doing that, and yet I don’t see a lot of heat being directed [toward her],” DeSantis said. “I’d like to see some balance on how this is done. You can criticize the president-elect, but you also have to hold these other people accountable, and I have not seen that.” ADAM CAROLLA RIPS CALIFORNIA LEADERS FOR RUNNING STATE ‘INTO THE GROUND’ AS FIRES RAGE: ‘LUNATIC NUTJOBS’ Bass returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday, and didn’t have much to say to the residents of her city outside of news conferences. While waiting to deplane, she gave the cold shoulder to Sky News reporter David Blevins, who was asking her if she had anything to say about the devastating fires. “No apology to them? Do you think you should have been visiting Ghana while this was unfolding back home?” Blevins asked as Bass continued to look at the ground. “Madam mayor, let me ask you just again, have you anything to say to the citizens today as you return?” he said. As multiple wildfires rage on in Los Angeles County, California residents have been criticizing both Newsom and Bass for past decisions related to fire-prevention efforts, including Bass’ decision to cut the LAFD budget by $17 million. The wildfires have claimed at least 10 lives since they broke out on Tuesday, scorching more than 35,800 acres total and destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Firefighters were still struggling to contain the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire – the two largest of the group – as they sit at 6% contained and 0% contained, respectively, on Thursday evening, according to data by CAL FIRE.
Pune Horror: Call centre employee hacked to death by co-worker in office parking lot, disturbing video emerges
Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, she succumbed to her injuries later that evening.
Class 12 student detained for sending bomb threats to 23 schools in Delhi
According to the police, the last 23 threat emails received by different schools in the national capital were sent by the student, who admitted that he had sent such emails previously as well.
‘Very dense fog’ in Delhi as visibility drops to zero; flight services impacted
Meanwhile, in view of the dense fog, the Delhi Airport issued an advisory for the passengers stating that there has been impact on flight departures.
Real Madrid defeats Mallorca to set up Supercopa final against Barcelona
European and LaLiga champions Real Madrid crush Mallorca 3-0 and will now play archrival Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday. Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo struck to earn Real Madrid a 3-0 win over Mallorca and set up a Spanish Super Cup final clash with rivals Barcelona. Madrid have the chance to earn revenge for their heavy Clasico defeat in LaLiga in October after Bellingham’s clinical second-half strike sent them on their way to victory on Thursday in Saudi Arabia. Backed heavily by fans in Jeddah, Madrid never looked like letting the advantage slip and a stoppage-time own goal by Martin Valjent secured their win, with Rodrygo adding a late third from close range. Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, was full of praise for the way his side claimed control of the match as an attacking force in the second half. “When those up front activate, anything can happen,” he said of his front three attackers and Bellingham. “The four [forwards] are very dangerous. That’s quite evident. Everyone can see it, the quality they have.” Real Madrid made the early running against last season’s Copa del Rey runners-up, with Lucas Vazquez and Rodrygo Goes coming close in the opening stages. Advertisement Kylian Mbappe appealed for a penalty after going down under pressure from Dani Rodriguez, but it would have been soft. Kylian Mbappe has endured a difficult start at Real Madrid after joining from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season [Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images] Jagoba Arrasate’s Mallorca found their footing and did well to restrict the Spanish and European champions to no further clear chances in the first half. Madrid lost Aurelien Tchouameni early in the second half after he hurt his head in a challenge with Cyle Larin, although he appeared frustrated to be withdrawn. Madrid broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute through Bellingham after the post, and Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif kept Rodrygo and Mbappe at bay. A blistering Madrid move bore fruit when Rodrygo’s header from Vinicius Junior’s cross hit the upright and Mbappe’s effort was parried by the scrambling Greif. Bellingham was in the right place at the right time to carefully slot home the rebound past defenders on the goal line, continuing a stunning run of individual form. Jude Bellingham, right, was a stand-out performer as Real Madrid lifted the domestic and European double last season [Pedro Nunes/Reuters] The England international has eight goals for Madrid in his last 10 games across all competitions. “Jude is a phenomenal player. He helps us win games all the time, with goals, assists or just his work,” Bellingham’s fellow midfielder Tchouameni remarked afterwards, adding that he was unharmed by the head collision that saw him withdrawn from the game. Advertisement Mallorca struggled to find a way back in and ended up contributing to Madrid’s second goal when Valjent stretched to cut out a pass but slid the ball into his own goal. Rodrygo wrapped up the win late on to set up a repeat of last season’s final, won by Super Cup holders Madrid. Madrid must wait on the availability of Luka Modric for Sunday’s final after the midfielder fell ill and missed Thursday’s match. “Our player Luka Modric is out of the game against Mallorca because of a viral illness,” said the Spanish champions in a statement only hours before the semifinal. Croatian midfielder Modric, 39, became Madrid’s oldest goalscorer when he netted last week against Valencia in LaLiga. Adblock test (Why?)
US House votes to advance bill to sanction ICC over Israel arrest warrants
The United States House of Representatives has voted in favour of a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) in retaliation for its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Legislators in the lower chamber of the US Congress passed the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” by an overwhelming margin, 243 to 140, on Thursday in a signal of strong support for Israel. Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the bill. No Republicans voted against it. The bill now heads to the Senate, where a Republican majority was sworn in earlier this month. The legislation proposes sanctions for any foreigner who helps the ICC in its attempts to investigate, detain or prosecute a US citizen or citizen of an allied country that does not recognise the authority of the court. Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. The sanctions would include the freezing of property assets, as well as the denial of visas to any foreigners who materially or financially contribute to the court’s efforts. Advertisement “America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel,” Representative Brian Mast, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a speech before Thursday’s vote. The vote, one of the first since the new Congress was seated last week, underscored strong support among President-elect Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans for Israel’s government, despite its ongoing war in Gaza. That conflict has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians since it began in October 2023, many of them women and children. United Nations experts have denounced Israel’s methods in Gaza as “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”. That prompted ICC prosecutors last May to issue the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. In response, US legislators threatened retaliation against the ICC. In a letter sent to outgoing US President Joe Biden in May, dozens of human rights groups urged him to reject calls for punitive action. “Acting on these calls would do grave harm to the interests of all victims globally and to the US government’s ability to champion human rights and the cause of justice,” the groups wrote at the time. This week, another group of human rights organisations issued another letter ahead of Thursday’s vote, denouncing the House bill as an attack on an “independent judicial institution”. Sanctioning the court, they wrote, will “jeopardize the ability of desperate victims across all the court’s investigations to access justice, weaken the credibility of sanction tools in other contexts, and place the United States at odds with its closest allies”. Advertisement The letter warned that imposing “asset freezes and entry restrictions” on ICC allies would bring the US “the stigma of siding with impunity over justice”. Nevertheless, the US Senate, under Majority Leader John Thune, has promised swift consideration of the act so Trump can sign it into law after he takes office on January 20. In 2020, during his first term in office, Trump sanctioned senior ICC leaders over the court’s investigations of US crimes in Afghanistan and Israeli crimes in occupied Palestinian territory. President Biden later lifted those sanctions. The ICC, based in The Hague, is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. The State of Palestine has been a member since 2015, and the court first announced an investigation of crimes committed there by both Israeli and Hamas officials in 2019. Though Israel is not party to the ICC, the court has jurisdiction over crimes committed on a member state’s territory, regardless of the nationality of those committing them. The US has supported the court at times, for instance, when the ICC’s top prosecutor sought an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Russia, like Israel and the US, is not a member of the court. Karim Khan, the prosecutor who issued the arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Gallant, has said that his decision is in line with the court’s approach in all its cases, and he indicated that the warrants could prevent ongoing crimes. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)