Donald Trump has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a federal TikTok law that would ban the popular social media app or force its sale, with the Republican U.S. president-elect arguing that he should have time after taking office to pursue a "political resolution" to the issue. TikTok and its owner ByteDance are fighting to keep the popular app online in the United States after Congress voted in April to ban it unless the app's Chinese parent company sells it by Jan. 19. They have sought to have the law struck down, and the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case. But if the court does not rule in ByteDance's favor and no divestment occurs, the app could be effectively banned in the United States on Jan. 19, one day before Trump takes office. "This case presents an unprecedented, novel, and difficult tension between free-speech rights on one side, and foreign policy and national security concerns on the other," Trump said in a filing on Friday. "Such a stay would vitally grant President Trump the opportunity to pursue a political resolution that could obviate the Court's need to decide these constitutionally significant questions," the filing added. Free speech advocates separately told the Supreme Court on Friday that the U.S. law against Chinese-owned TikTok evokes the censorship regimes put in place by the United States' authoritarian enemies. Trump indicated earlier this week that he favored allowing TikTok to keep operating in the United States for at least a little while, saying he had received billions of views on the social media platform during his presidential campaign. The U.S. Justice Department has argued that Chinese control of TikTok poses a continuing threat to national security, a position supported by most U.S. lawmakers. TikTok says the Justice Department has misstated the social media app's ties to China, arguing that its content recommendation engine and user data are stored in the United States on cloud servers operated by Oracle Corp while content moderation decisions that affect U.S. users are made in the United States as well. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Oregon Coach Dan Lanning Trending After Kenny Dillingham's Brilliant Coaching Move at Arizona StateRestaurateur 'King of Mayfair' Richard Caring launching major campaign to help victims of domestic violence By JAMES REYNOLDS Published: 23:52, 26 November 2024 | Updated: 23:59, 26 November 2024 e-mail View comments Victims of domestic violence and abuse will receive a vital lifeline over the festive season - thanks to billionaire restaurant tycoon Richard Caring and his wife Patricia. The couple have teamed up as part of a major campaign to help deliver life-saving change to vulnerable women and children in desperate need. The Caring Family Foundation (TCFF) has pledged a whopping £225,000 in new grants which will be distributed by the end of the year to deliver a massive boost to a string of organisations providing frontline rescue services. It comes as charities are bracing for a spike in cases over the Christmas period when those at risk are often at their most vulnerable. In all, eight organisations will benefit from the cash boost including those who provide specialist services to the most marginalised members of the community. The £225,000 in donations will come as a massive boost to linked organisations (File) Patricia Caring, Richard Caring and children attend The Caring Family Foundation & The Birley Clubs Festive Wonderland at The Dorchester on November 24 Richard Caring, Patricia Caring and children attend The Caring Family Foundation & The Birley Clubs Festive Wonderland at The Dorchester on November 24 Richard Caring and his wife Patricia helping to cook the free meals for children across the UK It means the foundation - set up in 2019 - will have provided £400,000 in domestic abuse services in the past 12 months alone. Mr Caring - dubbed the King of Mayfair - owns The Ivy brasserie chain. His hospitality business empire also includes top-end London restaurants Scott's, J Sheekey and Sexy Fish as well as world-famous private members club Annabel’s. Read More Billionaire restaurateur 'King of Mayfair' Richard Caring to hand out one million free meals Patricia said of the initiative: ‘The services these organisations provide are nothing short of life-changing and life-saving, offering hope and healing to women and children when they need it most. ‘At The Caring Family Foundation, we are deeply committed to supporting local recovery efforts, ensuring these women receive compassionate care and the tools to rebuild their lives. ‘Our vision is a world free from violence against women - a future where every woman and child can thrive without fear or harm.’ The foundation announced the grants to mark this week’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 24). They said the pledge will help support vital services across the UK and recognises ‘the urgent need to support survivors, especially during the festive season when domestic violence is known to escalate’. According to the foundation, an average of two women lose their lives every week at the hands of a current or former partner in the UK - while police record a domestic abuse offence every 40 seconds. A spokesperson for the foundation said the renewed funding commitment ‘seeks to address this surge in need by providing life-saving resources to domestic abuse organisations’. The domestic abuse fund was first launched last year to support 16 ‘by and for black and minoritised' domestic abuse organisations in partnership with Women's Aid. In the UK in 2023, more than £250,000 was given in grants, benefitting thousands of women and children. The new cash injection will help vital and underfunded UK organisations in the coming weeks - distributed among the eight organisations that offer critical support to women and children fleeing abuse. The foundation said the donations reflect its commitment to ensure survivors ‘can live in safety, with a life free from abuse’. Donations will help fund the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by the charity Refuge, which offers emergency support and advice to thousands of survivors experiencing domestic abuse across the UK every year. Other beneficiaries include five Women's Aid member organisations such as Latin American Women’s Aid with funds going towards hiring specialist staff to provide ‘adequate trauma-informed and culturally sensitive services’ to an estimated 96 women in the coming year. Nikki Bradley, director of services at Women’s Aid, said she was ‘delighted’ the five organisations - which face ‘systemic structural inequalities which compound those faced by survivors themselves’ - will receive grants of up to £30,000 each She said: ‘These grants will ensure that the selected organisations are able to support even more survivors and increase the accessibility of their services. ‘Grant funding such as this is vital to breaking down these inequalities and delivering lifesaving change. We look forward to continuing to work with the foundation in this area.’ Another charity to benefit is Karma Nirvana which supports survivors of honour-based violence through a national helpline, professional training, and a new national counselling service. The funding will create ‘a safe and trauma-informed space’ for 52 women through virtual counselling. The Angelou centre, whose services include four dedicated bed spaces in a life-saving shelter, will also benefit along with Panahghar, which provides refuge, counselling, and immigration support for black, Asian and minority ethnic women. The Women and Grace charity, which supports women affected by female genital mutilation, Solace Women’s Aid and Advance charities, which both support to women and children suffering abuse, are also among recipients. The foundation also backs projects in Brazil where Mrs Caring hails from. Richard and Patricia Caring with staff members at the Felix Project Sabine Getty (L) and Astrid Harbord attend International Women's Day for The Caring Foundation in March 2020 Cherie Spriggs, Patricia Caring, Salma Hayek Pinault and Skye Gyngell attend International Women's Day for The Caring Foundation with Salma Hayek at Annabel's on March 8, 2020 in London, England Vanessa Redgrave attends International Women's Day for The Caring Foundation on March 8, 2020 in London, England The foundation’s funding has supported the opening of a centre offering social, legal, housing and psychological services to survivors of domestic abuse in the South American country. It has led to more than 27,000 support sessions being delivered to domestic abuse survivors in the country where eight women experience domestic abuse every minute. The TCFF says its vision is ‘to build a world free from hunger, harm, and hurt, where women and children can thrive’. It is calling on the public and businesses to join their efforts in supporting survivors and preventing violence against women. Their spokesperson added: ‘’By raising awareness and vital funds, together we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected.’ London Share or comment on this article: Restaurateur 'King of Mayfair' Richard Caring launching major campaign to help victims of domestic violence e-mail Add comment
HARRISBURG — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania conceded his reelection bid to Republican David McCormick on Thursday, as a statewide recount showed no signs of closing the gap and his campaign suffered repeated blows in court in its effort to get potentially favorable ballots counted. Casey’s concession comes more than two weeks after Election Day, as a grindingly slow ballot-counting process became a spectacle of hours-long election board meetings, social media outrage, lawsuits and accusations that some county officials were openly flouting the law. Republicans had been claiming that Democrats were trying to steal McCormick’s seat by counting “illegal votes.” Casey’s campaign had accused of Republicans of trying to block enough votes to prevent him from pulling ahead and winning. In a statement, Casey said he had just called McCormick to congratulate him. “As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last," Casey said. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick on Nov. 7, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. As of Thursday, McCormick led by about 16,000 votes out of almost 7 million ballots counted. That was well within the 0.5% margin threshold to trigger an automatic statewide recount under Pennsylvania law. But no election official expected a recount to change more than a couple hundred votes or so, and Pennsylvania's highest court dealt him a blow when it refused entreaties to allow counties to count mail-in ballots that lacked a correct handwritten date on the return envelope. Republicans will have a 53-47 majority next year in the U.S. Senate. Turkey with a side of politics? No thank you. As Thanksgiving approaches, so does the challenge of navigating political discussions with relatives. Here are some quick tips to make your Thanksgiving more enjoyable. Veuer’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Trump asks US Supreme Court to pause law threatening TikTok ban