
By Hayley Miller President Donald Trump on Friday urged the Supreme Court to pause a law that could ban TikTok nationwide on Jan. 19 if its Chinese owner doesn’t sell the popular social media app to an American company. In a 25-page amicus brief filed with the court, Trump asked the justices to stay the Jan. 19 deadline — which is one day before Inauguration Day — so his administration could “pursue a negotiated resolution” that would “obviate the need” for the justices to rule on the case. “President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government — concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” the brief stated. TikTok and its parent company, China-based ByteDance, appealed to the Supreme Court last week after lower courts rejected its challenge to the law. The justices agreed to hear the challenge and set oral arguments in the case for Jan. 10. The law at the center of the case — called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — stems from bipartisan concerns that the Chinese government could access data about American users. TikTok argues the law violates free speech rights under the First Amendment rights for its roughly 170 million American users. In his brief on Friday, Trump said he takes “no position on the merits of the dispute.” Instead, he suggested he intends to personally negotiate a resolution that focus on “preserving the First Amendment rights of tens of millions of Americans, while also addressing the government’s national security concerns.” This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Hayley Miller is the senior blog editor for MSNBC. Previously, she was a senior reporter on HuffPost's breaking news team. Before she was a reporter, she was a senior editor on HuffPost's blog team.
Capricorn – (22nd December to 19th January) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, take a long leap to happiness Look for options to be happy in the love affair. Your commitment at work will bring positive results. Handle your wealth smartly and health is also positive. Have a productive love affair today and you both may be involved in exciting activities. New responsibilities in the job make you stronger. Prosperity will come with good health. Capricorn Love Horoscope Today Be specific about your needs to the partner. Your lover prefers spending more time with you. Even while you are traveling; ensure you connect over the phone to share your emotions. It is good to stay away from arguments. Single females can expect a proposal today. Some Capricorns will resolve the issues with the ex-lover to go back to the old love affair. Married females will be happy to have a great day in terms of romance. Capricorn Career Horoscope Today Express your ideas freely at meetings as they will be approved. Be concerned about the team as your behavior will work out during appraisals. Some professionals will see opportunities abroad. Avoid office politics and you should be smart enough to negotiate with the team members while handling team tasks. Businessmen will sign new partnership deals which would bring in good profits today. Some students waiting for admission to a foreign university will see positive results. Capricorn Money Horoscope Today There will also be success in getting a bank loan today. Today is also good to buy jewelry or electronic appliances for the home. You can also try the fortune in stock and speculative business today. Go ahead with the plan to buy a property, or vehicle, or to renovate the home. Businesses will succeed in raising funds through promoters while some females will pick the day to even donate money to charity. Capricorn Health Horoscope Today No serious medical issue will trouble you. However, it is good to have control over the lifestyle. The second part of the day is good to join a gym or a yoga session. Meditate in the early morning to overcome stress and start the day with positive energy. Some Capricorn females will develop migraine, gynecological issues, or viral fever today. Capricorn Sign Attributes Strength: Intelligent, Practical, Trustworthy, Generous, Optimistic Weakness: Persistent, Stubborn, Suspicious Symbol: Goat Element: Earth Body Part: Bones & Skin Sign Ruler: Saturn Lucky Day: Saturday Lucky Color : Grey Lucky Number : 4 Lucky Stone: Amethyst Capricorn Sign Compatibility Chart Natural affinity: Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces Good compatibility: Cancer, Capricorn Fair compatibility: Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, Aquarius Less compatibility: Aries, Libra By: Dr. J. N. Pandey Vedic Astrology & Vastu Expert Website: www.astrologerjnpandey.com E-mail: djnpandey@gmail.com Phone: 91-9811107060 (WhatsApp Only)
Manufacturing sector’s struggle for revival LAHORE: The decline in Pakistan’s manufacturing sector is a complex issue influenced by more than just faulty government policies. Inefficiencies within the business sector, poor governance practices and external economic pressures also play significant roles in this downward trajectory. While government policies undeniably shape the manufacturing landscape, their shortcomings often exacerbate existing challenges. For instance, complex and uneven taxation has placed undue burdens on manufacturers, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Inefficient tax collection further raises the cost of doing business, discouraging growth and innovation. Energy costs in Pakistan rank among the highest in the region, making local products uncompetitive compared to those from regional peers like India and Bangladesh. Frequent policy reversals, a lack of long-term planning and limited consultation with industry stakeholders create uncertainty and deter investment. Weak transportation networks and inadequate industrial zones disrupt supply chains and hinder production efficiency. The reliance on imports, coupled with insufficient export facilitation, further stifles the potential of local manufacturers. However, the inefficiency and governance issues within the manufacturing sector itself cannot be ignored. A lack of innovation has left many businesses unable to modernise their production processes, adopt new technologies or invest in research and development (R&D), thereby reducing global competitiveness. Many family-owned manufacturing businesses suffer from nepotism, poor transparency and inadequate succession planning. Cartels in key industries, such as cement and sugar, often prioritise short-term profits over long-term growth, distorting market dynamics and hindering fair competition. Moreover, insufficient investment in employee training and productivity improvements leads to subpar product quality and inefficiencies across the sector. A significant number of manufacturers cater exclusively to the domestic market, failing to meet international standards and thereby missing global opportunities. The state’s inability to enforce quality standards enables local producers to sell subpar products domestically, effectively barring them from entering international markets. External factors, including global recessions, supply chain disruptions and currency depreciation, further exacerbate the challenges faced by Pakistan’s manufacturing sector. Improving governance in Pakistan is a daunting challenge. The country’s governance system suffers from entrenched inefficiencies, corruption and bureaucratic inertia that cannot be dismantled overnight. Many government institutions lack the expertise, autonomy and resources necessary for effective policymaking and implementation. Frequent changes in government and policy direction erode trust, fostering a culture of short-termism among both decision-makers and businesses. Populist measures often take precedence over essential yet politically challenging reforms. Businesses, meanwhile, hesitate to voice concerns or innovate for fear of victimisation, selective taxation or unfair treatment. While challenges persist, there are promising signs of improvement. Initiatives such as digitising tax records and streamlining customs procedures have the potential to reduce corruption and inefficiency. Greater collaboration between the private sector and the government, especially in export-oriented industries, could act as a catalyst for reform. Agreements with international institutions like the IMF often push the government towards structural reforms, albeit slowly. Pakistan’s young population and rising entrepreneurial spirit hold the promise of a more efficient and innovative manufacturing environment. However, in the short term, transformative changes in governance are unlikely due to deeply rooted structural issues and political instability. With sustained efforts in digitalisation, public-private collaboration, and long-term planning, gradual improvements in governance and manufacturing competitiveness can be achieved over time.Buckle, Destination XL, Pyxis Tankers set to report earnings Friday
: I eat at one restaurant a couple times a week and tend to get one of three meals. This one waitress asks me what I want to eat, but then interrupts me to make guesses or tell me my choice. Related Articles I just put my head down and nod yes or no to the guesses. It’s frustrating, but not life-threatening. She enjoys it. I hate it. If I were to object, it would force her to make the choice of being herself — doing something she likes doing — or appeasing me so I can order the way I want to order. I don’t know if this is a big enough problem to have a “high road.” The answer will not change my life. She can easily change, and I can easily suffer. The question is who gets to be themselves? : I worked in the service industry for more than a decade. I loved it. I loved seeing regulars, meeting new people and carrying a lot of beverages in my hands at one time. The whole bit. I also loved knowing what people wanted, but I would always ask and confirm. That’s part of the job. Your server may think you’re a regular who likes to be known in this way. So, informing her that that’s not the case won’t be keeping her from being herself. It will be helping her to do her job better. You may not have the kind of temperament that easily or comfortably course-corrects in social situations. That’s just fine. But know you won’t be causing her suffering by saying something like “I’ve already decided on my meal. Let’s skip the guessing today and I’ll just tell you.” This also clears the path for the two of you to talk about something else, if you want. Ideally, it’s a conversation that you’ll both enjoy. My husband and I live on a lake and love hosting our grandnieces and grandnephews on school breaks and the entire family on vacations. We have no children. Our nieces’ families are dear to us. Our 11-year-old grandnephew has been gaming now for about a year. When he comes to visit, instead of reading or playing cards or board games with us, like in the past, he wants to disappear with his video games. We feel vacated. How do we navigate this with his parents, who think his being on a video gaming team at school is awesome (I think it is a bad omen)? What is a fair place of compromise and balance? : Let his parents parent their child. The other night I rewatched the movie “Network” from 1977 (stay with me here; it relates). In it, a character in his 60s dismisses a character played by a mid-30s Faye Dunaway by saying, “She’s the television generation. She learned life from Bugs Bunny. The only reality she knows is what comes to her over her TV set.” Every generation has anxieties about the ways that technology is changing social interactions or altering the minds of the generations below. While some of those concerns are valid, those of Faye Dunaway’s generation (now in their 70s and 80s) would argue that they’ve managed to stay quite well-rounded, despite (and often with the aid of) TV. In moderation, video games have been shown to improve a child’s cognitive function and working memory. While your grandnephew’s gaming might not be your choice, it’s important that you not seek to undermine the research and thinking that his parents have done about it. What you’re really yearning for is a sense of togetherness as a family, so try talking to your niece and her spouse about group activities you can plan to meet your grandnephew where he is. And don’t be afraid to pick up a controller and ask him to show you the ropes. : I’m not sure if about his wife buying trinkets for their adult kids and having more close conversations with them is related to my better half and myself. I think it could be, but I can’t be sure so don’t want to ask him. I never really thought about it all the time but assumed kids knew that gifts were from both of us. Related Articles If this question does relate to us, and even if it doesn’t, I will be mindful of what I haven’t been mindful of. My heart is melting if he does really care that much about the kids. Thank you for listening. : Thanks for your thoughtful note and your openness. Please also reconsider talking to your husband about the ways you interact with your kids. It could be really healing and productive.WASHINGTON NASA’s Parker Solar Probe survived its record-breaking closest approach to the solar surface on Dec. 24, the US space agency said on Friday. By flying 3.8 million miles (6.1 million kilometers) above the surface of the Sun, it broke its previous record, according to the US space agency. "Flying this close to the Sun is a historic moment in humanity’s first mission to a star," Nicky Fox, leader of NASA’s science mission directorate, said in a statement. "By studying the Sun up close, we can better understand its impacts throughout our solar system, including on the technology we use daily on Earth and in space, as well as learn about the workings of stars across the universe to aid in our search for habitable worlds beyond our home planet," Fox added. Launched in 2018, the spacecraft used seven flybys of Venus to gravitationally direct it ever closer to the Sun.Aston Villa fails in its bid to overturn Jhon Duran’s red card at Newcastle
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Empowered Funds LLC decreased its holdings in NetScout Systems, Inc. ( NASDAQ:NTCT – Free Report ) by 82.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 41,140 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 191,473 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in NetScout Systems were worth $895,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in NetScout Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in NetScout Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $60,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in NetScout Systems by 52.4% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,100 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in NetScout Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in NetScout Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock. Insider Activity In other news, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.32, for a total value of $138,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $905,865.48. This trade represents a 13.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Company insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock. Analyst Ratings Changes View Our Latest Report on NTCT NetScout Systems Trading Up 1.2 % NetScout Systems stock opened at $21.81 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.60 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.63. NetScout Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.10 and a 1 year high of $24.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $21.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.13. About NetScout Systems ( Free Report ) NetScout Systems, Inc provides service assurance and cybersecurity solutions for protect digital business services against disruptions in the United States, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers nGeniusONE management software that enables customers to predict, preempt, and resolve network and service delivery problems, as well as facilitate the optimization and capacity planning of their network infrastructures; and specialized platforms and analytic modules that enable its customers to analyze and troubleshoot traffic in radio access and Wi-Fi networks. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NTCT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for NetScout Systems, Inc. ( NASDAQ:NTCT – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for NetScout Systems Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NetScout Systems and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .None
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NoneA Baltimore judge has halted the against an Anne Arundel County gun shop, which sold thousands of untraceable “ghost guns” miles from city limits, ahead of trial because of a U.S. Supreme Court case that could determine the legal definition of a firearm. Baltimore’s case against Hanover Armory LLC had been scheduled to begin in early December, but Circuit Judge Shannon E. Avery froze it last week pending a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in . The case before the nation’s highest court is the gun industry’s challenge to one of President Joe Biden’s preeminent gun safety measures. By selling thousands of so-called ghost guns near city limits, Baltimore alleges, Hanover Armory helped flood city streets with untraceable firearms that police went on to confiscate at staggering rates in connection to crimes. “As long as people who are not legally allowed to possess a firearm — young people, known violent offenders and gun traffickers — have the opportunity to build these tools of death and destruction and violence, we will not be able to build the safer future for Baltimore that we all want,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, said when he announced the lawsuit in 2022. “These weapons will continue to be used in crimes that tear loved ones away from their families and traumatize our communities.” The city estimates Hanover Armory was responsible for selling approximately 85% of the ghost gun kits sold in Maryland from about 2016 until June 2022, when the state banned such products. Over that time, Hanover sold 2,347 such products. The 15 other gun stores for which the city got records sold a combined 415 over the same period, according to court records. In 2022, Biden’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which regulates the gun industry, also imposed further restrictions on the sale of ghost gun kits. Its new rule said the build-it-at-home gun kits amounted to firearms under the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, meaning dealers had to complete background checks on customers before selling and manufacturers had to mark the products with serial numbers. David Pucino, legal director and deputy chief counsel at Giffords Law Center, a gun violence prevention organization, said the ATF’s rule sharply reduced sales of ghost gun kits, leading the gun industry to challenge it in courts around the country. The industry won favorable rulings in Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which said the ATF overstepped its authority by making the rule. A decision from the Supreme Court could take months. Oral arguments took place in October. “The opinion will say whether that rule can be federal law. The rule says ghost gun parts are firearms,” Pucino, who is not involved in the city’s case, told The Baltimore Sun. Pucino said the Supreme Court’s ruling could have implications for Baltimore’s lawsuit, which brings claims under state and federal law. Pucino said the claims raised under federal law could be nullified if the high court ruled the ATF’s 2022 rule was improper. “Baltimore has a strong claim to win under state law no matter what happens with federal law,” Pucino said. Hanover Armory asked Avery to freeze the case, arguing that a Supreme Court ruling favoring the gun industry could end the case. Lawyers for Hanover also said going to trial against that backdrop would waste resources, potentially rendering a jury’s work “meaningless.” An attorney for Hanover declined to comment Wednesday. The city opposed a delay, saying in a court filing its case was poised for trial, “even if the U.S. Supreme Court went so far as to say ‘ghost gun kits can never be firearms.’” Baltimore’s lawyers wrote that its claims against Hanover included issues of Maryland law. “The City will put forward evidence that Hanover Armory negligently entrusted its parts and kits in a manner that foreseeably contributed to the harm suffered by the City,” the city’s lawyers wrote. “The city will also put forth evidence that Hanover Armory knowingly violated the Maryland Handgun (Roster) Law as an accomplice.” The city also said postponing the trial would exacerbate the crisis and delay a resolution. In addition to damages from the trial, the city is seeking to establish a fund to mitigate gun violence caused by ghost guns. “The City looks forward to having its day in court and remains confident that it will hold Hanover Armory accountable for its contribution to the ghost gun crisis in Baltimore City,” spokesperson Bryan Doherty said on behalf of the city’s law department. Baltimore’s argument against the gun shop mirrors its . In both lawsuits, the city alleges the companies contributed to a public nuisance that deprived residents of their rights to health and safety. To succeed in the gun case, Baltimore’s lawyers must convince a jury that the shop added to a crisis of violence fueled by untraceable firearms. If the city wins at trial, as it did in the opioid case, it advances to an “abatement phase” of the litigation with an even larger pool of money on the table. “The City continues to grapple with the destructive effects of the ghost gun crisis. The Baltimore Police Department still regularly recovers ghost guns from crime scenes,” city attorneys wrote. “Accordingly, one of the City’s primary remedies in this case will be an abatement fund to halt the crisis. Eight more months of waiting will mean eight more months without an adequate remedy for Hanover Armory’s conduct.” Avery’s order said lawyers on both sides of the case had to file a request for a status conference within 10 days of the Supreme Court’s ruling. The postponement comes after the city , overcoming an effort from Hanover to end the case without a trial. It also follows the , which was said to be the nation’s largest manufacturer of ghost gun kits, for $1.2 million.