A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court's opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting ans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, it's also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action . The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a yearslong saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits , that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect. The European Union on Friday expressed similar concerns as it investigates intelligence that suggests Russia possibly abused the platform to influence the elections in Romania. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republicans and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three denied TikTok’s petition. In the court's ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok's main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder, or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to "suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court, issued a concurring opinion. TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators — for which the company is covering legal costs — as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Other organizations, including the Knight First Amendment Institute, had also filed amicus briefs supporting TikTok. “This is a deeply misguided ruling that reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly and gives the government sweeping power to restrict Americans’ access to information, ideas, and media from abroad,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the organization. “We hope that the appeals court’s ruling won’t be the last word.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who had pushed for the legislation celebrated the court's ruling. "I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who co-authored the law, said “it's time for ByteDance to accept” the law. To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data. The company has also argued the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient. Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm — the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan — would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital.ootball fans are gearing up for an epic family affair this Monday night as take on in a high-stakes matchup in Los Angeles. But for , the emotions run deeper than just another game. In a candid moment, Jim shared his thoughts : His brother, John, couldn't agree more, during his Thursday press conference. John said, acknowledging the undeniable parallels . Despite the similarities, John emphasized that . he said, brushing aside the family ties for a moment to focus on what's at stake. In the end, is the players' game also acknowledged . he said, hinting at the chess match that will unfold under the Monday night lights. Both brothers , making this clash feel like a true reflection . But John was quick to point out the most critical factor: In classic Harbaugh fashion, , calling him He added with a smile, Football is thicker than blood With both teams eyeing playoff spots, . The Harbaugh showdown promises to be , proving that while blood is thicker than water, it's not thicker than . Who will come out on top-Jim's or John's ? One thing's for sure:
NoneDAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Nate Santos had 24 points in Dayton's 86-62 victory against Lehigh on Saturday. Santos shot 8 for 11 (6 for 6 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line for the Flyers (8-2). Malachi Smith added 17 points while shooting 5 for 8 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 4 of 7 from the free-throw line while they also had nine assists. Enoch Cheeks shot 5 for 7, including 4 for 6 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points. Keith Higgins Jr. led the Mountain Hawks (3-6) in scoring, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds. Joshua Ingram added nine points for Lehigh. Nasir Whitlock finished with nine points. Dayton took the lead with 18:32 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 41-25 at halftime, with Smith racking up 10 points. Santos scored 15 points in the second half to help lead the way as Dayton went on to secure a victory, outscoring Lehigh by eight points in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.How Patriots tackles explain disastrous performance vs. Dolphins
Musk's millions for Trump make him biggest US political donorMONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Left-wing politician Yamandú Orsi is poised to become the next president of Uruguay after his main challenger in the runoff conceded defeat Sunday and even the outgoing leader of the South American country congratulated him. His victory marks the return of a center-leftist government to Uruguay's presidency after five years of a conservative administration. But who is Yamandú Orsi? From a working-class family to heir of the left A teacher of history, folk dancer and former mayor, the 57-year-old politician is considered the political heir of former President José Mujica, who accompanied him in his campaign and praised him as a new leader able to find the right balance between the complex dynamics on the social, political and economic chessboard. Orsi was born on June 13, 1967, in the rural area of the Canelones department. His father was a vineyard farmer and his mother a seamstress. Get the latest breaking news as it happens. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . He has several similarities with his political godfather, such as the love for the countryside and a quiet lifestyle. Throughout the campaign, he was often photographed drinking mate, walking his dog and wearing casual suits. His administration is to take office next March, and like Mujica, he has said that he will not live in the presidential residence. He turned to the left after the dictatorship While living in the countryside, his sister taught him to read and write. But the young Orsi began to shape his political views and desires in the middle of the dictatorship in Uruguay, which lasted from 1973 to 1983. Yamandu Orsi, candidate for the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), addresses supporters after winning the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. Credit: AP/Natacha Pisarenko After the end of the dictatorship, Orsi joined the Popular Participation Movement led by Mujica, the ex-guerrilla leader who became president in 2010. He promises a renewed left in Uruguay Orsi focused his campaign on promoting friendly-environmental policies, promises to support small producers and social inclusion policies. He has also promised a renewal of the left by favoring dialogue with everyone, and he insisted during the campaign that he’s not planning any dramatic changing in the country of 3.5 million people. Although he says it’s important to promote social welfare, Orsi has had used a friendly tone toward the market and private sector.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Freshman wide receiver George Dimopoulos threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dane Pardridge on the first play of double overtime and Jordan Hansen ended the game on a fourth-down sack to give Northern Illinois a 28-20 victory over Fresno State on Monday in the Idaho Potato Bowl. Dimopoulos, who played quarterback in high school, also converted the two-point conversion when he passed it to quarterback Josh Holst for his second completion of the season. Holst, a freshman walk-on, was making just his third start at quarterback as NIU was without starter Ethan Hampton, who entered with 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns to go with six interceptions. Holst completed 18 of 30 passes for 182 and two touchdowns for Northern Illinois (8-5). He was also intercepted on the first play of the game. Both teams missed a 35-yard field goal in the final three minutes of regulation, including Dylan Lynch's third miss of the game on the final play to send it to overtime. Fresno State started overtime with a touchdown when Bryson Donelson was left wide open out of the backfield to haul in a 9-yard touchdown pass. NIU needed five plays, and a defensive holding penalty, to score as Holst found Grayson Barnes for a 3-yard touchdown. Donelson finished with 15 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown for Fresno State (6-7). He added three catches for 28 yards and another score. Dual-threat quarterback Joshua Wood was 16 of 23 for 180 yards and a touchdown. Mac Dalena made six catches for 118 yards to help go over 1,000 yards for the season. Fresno State was without 14 players, including starting quarterback Mikey Keene after he transferred to Michigan. Two top-three receivers, Jalen Moss and Raylen Sharpe, also did not play as the Bulldogs were forced to use five new starters. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
$HAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: The M&A Class Action Firm Continues to Investigate the Mergers of RKDA, ENLC, and SKGRDear Eric: My daughter and her boyfriend got an apartment together about four years ago. They’ve been dating about eight years. They seem committed and happy and in love, but they split their living expenses like they are two roommates 50/50. My daughter makes about half of what her boyfriend does. I know she does more of the cleaning, shopping, pet care while her boyfriend spends his money on frivolous purchases. I am protective of my daughter and want to make sure she knows that, generally, when couples are in love and living together and committed, they co-mingle their funds and don’t worry about keeping score. Is that still true in this day and age? I also know that my daughter is sometimes reluctant to stick up for herself or expect more. Should I talk to my daughter and explain that generally committed loving partners support each other emotionally, psychologically, spiritually and ... financially? Or perhaps I should talk to her boyfriend, man to man, and explain that, if he loves my daughter, he wouldn’t want her to stress about money. Another part of me says that they are both adults and can make their own decisions and I should keep quiet. – Unmarried Daughter’s Pop Dear Pop: Your concern is understandable, but you’ll want to make sure that any action you take doesn’t undermine your daughter or the decisions she’s made for herself. Many couples combine finances, but many others don’t, and it works just fine for them. The way we spend our money reflects our values. So, if you want to talk to your daughter, start with a conversation about financial goals and motivations for spending and saving. Listening to how she sees her financial landscape may offer insight into why she’s chosen to organize her household finances like this. Then ask if she’s open to advice (and heed the answer). If you feel that there’s a better way for the two of them to plan for their future, share that. Is the boyfriend contributing a portion of his income to a joint savings account or stock portfolio, perhaps? She may or may not take your advice, and that’s OK. I’d hold off on criticizing the boyfriend’s frivolous spending, though. That’s not really your concern and will muddy the waters. The chance that you’re offering is one from which we all could benefit: someone more experienced helping us to make smart financial decisions. Read more Asking Eric Asking Eric: We’re visiting family overseas for the holidays, but they didn’t include us in their plans Asking Eric: My neighbor and I enjoy going for walks, but three is a crowd Asking Eric: Is it rude to move another person’s belongings? Asking Eric: My husband politely holds the door open for others, but there’s a problem Asking Eric: How do I find a good therapist? ( Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com .)
NOVONIX and PowerCo SE Sign Binding Offtake AgreementDimopoulos shines in double OT and Northern Illinois beats Fresno State 28-20 in Idaho Potato BowlMumbai: The Congress is furious with its ally, the Shiv Sena (UBT), since the latter's MLC Milind Narvekar has openly applauded the demolition of Babri masjid. In a post on the social media X (formerly Tweet) Narvekar, who is also a long-term personal assistant to his party chief Uddhav Thackeray, quoted the late Bal Thackeray as stating that he is proud of those who demolished the masjid. For good measure Narvekar included a picture of the demolition and also photos of himself, Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray. The post was to mark the 32nd anniversary of the demolition which was followed by massive communal riots in Mumbai and other parts of the country. The post has exposed a major faultline in the MVA. It won't be surprising if the Congress decides to pull out of the MVA. pic.twitter.com/3nZYC4EK0e Senior MLA of the Congress Amin Patel told the FPJ n Saturday that the X post was not in keeping with the coalition dharma and was most unacceptable. He said the matter will be taken up at the highest level of the Congress. Senior Congress leader and former minister Arif Naseem Khan said it was shocking that Narvekar was openly applauding those who carried out the demolition. "Uddhav Thackeray should immediately clarify whether he agreed the post. I will escalate the matter with my party leadership. The Shiv Sena (UBT) cannot be a part of the MVA and yet adopt the line of the BJP." Spokesperson of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Atul Londe said "our alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT) was based on a common minimum programme aimed at ousting the BJP and defending the Constitution. We do not believe in the politics of religion." However, it is learnt that the Congress leadership is under pressure from the rank and file to snap ties with the Shiv Sena (UBT). Their fear is that the party will not get votes of Muslims in the elections to the BMC which may be declared any day now and this will adversely affect its poll prospects. According to sources, Narvekar, who is the Man Friday of Uddhav Thackeray, would not have done the controversial X post without the concurrence of his boss. The post appears to be a part of the party's efforts to reclaim the Hindutva agenda which was heavily compromised because of its alliance with the Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar). The Shiv Sena (UBT) benefited in a big way during the Lok Sabha elections when Muslims supported it and other MVA allies. However, this fact was highlighted by the BJP during the assembly election campaign. The BJP accused the Shiv Sena (UBT) of appeasing the Muslim bank a la the Congress. BJP-inspired social media was very active in the run up to the assembly elections in portraying the Shiv Sena (UBT) as another version of the Congress which has often been accused of pandering to Muslim interests in the name of secularism. BJP supporters pointed out that Uddhav even felt shy of calling his father Bal Thackeray "Hindu Hriaday Samrat" lest he lose Muslim votes. The BJP also highlighted the fact that when the Wakf Amendment Bill was introduced in Parliament Shiv Sena (UBT) members were conspicuous by their absence. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is afraid that if the narrative about the party being pro-Muslim is continued then it will have to pay a heavy price in the BMC elections. With an obvious effort to counter that narrative it appears to have asked Narvekar to go ahead with the controversial post. "Narvekar wont dare do anything without the endorsement of Uddhav. So his X post appears to have been done with the full knowledge of Uddhav," a Sena source observed. Despite the raging controversy neither Uddhav nor Aaditya, who is the second most important leader in the party have distanced themselves from Narvekar's controversial post.
25 Target Products You'll Become Obsessed With Tracking The Minute You Check OutWASHINGTON, Dec 24 — A US health boss’s murder sparked a torrent of online misinformation and calls for violence against other executives, suggesting a failure of social media moderation that analysts fear could translate into real-world harms. The posts, allowed to spread unfettered across tech platforms, came in the wake of the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York on December 4 and lay bare a Wild West internet landscape that is largely bereft of guardrails. “As much disagreement as there is about what content, if any, should be moderated — at the top of most peoples’ list would be ‘explicit threats of violence,’” Jonathan Nagler, co-director of New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics, told AFP. “So seeing posts on social media that explicitly encourage violence against anyone including CEOs of health insurance firms, suggests that content moderation has failed.” Further exemplifying that failure, disinformation security company Cyabra identified hundreds of accounts across the Elon Musk-owned X and Meta-owned Facebook that spread a host of conspiracy theories related to the murder. They included the unfounded claim that Thompson’s wife was involved in the killing as the couple was experiencing relationship issues. Other posts baselessly claimed that former House speaker Nancy Pelosi was behind the murder. Many of these narratives were amplified by prominent influencers on X such as the conservative commentator Matt Wallace, with some of them garnering hundreds of millions of views, Cyabra said. ‘Unchecked hate’ In another falsehood identified by the misinformation watchdog NewsGuard, a video swirling online purportedly showed Thompson admitting that he worked with Pelosi. But it was an old video from 2012 and the man was another Brian Thompson, who was forced to clarify on X that he was not the UnitedHealthcare chief executive. In a validation of the old axiom that a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes, his X post drew only around 150 views while the posts advancing the false claim garnered hundreds of thousands. Thompson’s murder has unleashed pent-up anger towards the nation’s health insurance companies, which patients and advocacy groups say fail to provide affordable care. Many comments taking aim at the medical system quickly spiraled into targeted threats against high-profile CEOs. Hashtags such as “CEO Assassin” gained traction and multiple posts aimed at health insurance providers brazenly asked: “Who’s next after Brian Thompson?” One post targeting insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield said: “Let your CEO know... you’re next!!!” Similar posts took aim at Humana’s CEO Jim Rechtin and Andrew Witty from the UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of Thompson’s firm. “The danger here is clear: unchecked hate and disinformation online have the potential to spill over into real-world violence,” Dan Brahmy, chief executive of Cyabra, told AFP. ‘Alarming power’ The companies did not respond to AFP when asked how they were dealing with the threats ricocheting online. With the elevated risk, US corporations are increasing security personnel at offices and residences of senior executives, many of whom have been asked to delete their digital footprints, US media reported. Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione, who is accused of Thompson’s murder, has been widely lionized online. Brahmy said this demonstrated the “alarming power of unmoderated social media” to amplify violent narratives. Social media content moderation has emerged as a political lightning rod in the United States, with many conservatives calling it “censorship” under the guise of fighting misinformation. Platforms such as X have gutted trust and safety teams and scaled back moderation, making it what researchers call a hotbed for misinformation and hate. “As platforms grapple with moderation challenges, it’s imperative for companies, governments, and users alike to remain vigilant against the disproportionate influence of bad actors, who exploit social tensions to manipulate public perceptions and conversations,” Brahmy said. — AFPFORT WAYNE, Ind., Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Do it Best announces the successful acquisition of True Value, a long-time competitor with a legacy brand that benefits both organizations. This monumental transaction represents a transformative milestone for Do it Best, True Value, and the entire independent hardware industry. The acquisition brings significant assets to Do it Best, including inventory, brand rights, and paint manufacturing facilities. By acquiring these key resources, Do it Best is poised for substantial growth and increased capability to support independent retailers and bring operational stability to current True Value retailers, along with investment in the iconic brand. Reflecting on the accelerated journey that began on October 14, Do it Best CEO Dan Starr acknowledged the hard work and dedication required to complete the acquisition. "This has been a challenging process," said Starr. "However, the shared commitment from our team and the True Value team has made today possible. We are now proud to be the world's largest cooperative in our space, and that positions us to make a real difference for all our store owners." Starr confirmed that True Value will operate as a separate subsidiary, allowing Do it Best to maintain high-quality service while carefully integrating True Value's operations. He emphasized this approach ensures a smooth transition and continued reliability for both Do it Best members and the newly welcomed True Value retailers. "We're excited to welcome True Value retailers and associates into the Do it Best family," Starr added. "Our commitment to championing the independent retailer is at the heart of everything we do, and I know our True Value team joins us in this mission. This acquisition is about ensuring our collective success, now and in the future." To support this transformation, Do it Best has established a new leadership team dedicated to stabilizing and growing the True Value business while maintaining a focus on Do it Best member growth. Starr appointed Nick Talarico as President of Do it Best and Dent Johnson as President of True Value. Johnson's True Value leadership team includes: Bill Habegger, Vice President of Information Technology Justin Hanford, Vice President of Merchandising Eric Lane, Senior Vice President of Marketing Tim Miller, Senior Vice President of Logistics & Distribution Chris Okapal, Vice President of Sales & Business Development Steve Rose, Vice President of Distribution Matt Saines, Vice President of Finance Rob Schmiedel, Vice President of Operations & Sales Enablement Ken Sorg, Vice President of Supply Chain Celeste Stevens, Vice President of Human Resources John Vanderpool, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing Jenna Grannan, Director of Marketing Randy Rusk, Director of Communications The acquisition is expected to be transformational for Do it Best, with a long-term vision that goes beyond growth for its own sake. By leveraging new efficiencies, deepening vendor relationships, and integrating key assets, Do it Best aims to position the expanded cooperative for long-term success. "This is a generational opportunity that will shape the future of our cooperative and our industry," said Starr. "We're focused on taking our time to get it right. We ask for patience as we integrate True Value and help everyone grow and achieve their dreams." For additional updates and information, Do it Best will continue sharing developments with its store owners and vendors, ensuring transparency and clear communication as the stabilization and integration process moves forward. Attachments Do it Best President and CEO Dan Starr Do it Best Champions Independent Home Improvement Stores © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.