33 jili
US stocks experience mixed fortunes on quiet day of trading
President-elect Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court to pause a controversial ban on TikTok that is set to take effect next month, telling the justices in a legal filing Friday that a delay would allow his administration to “pursue a negotiated resolution.” Trump’s request for a delay in implementing the ban puts him at odds with the Biden administration, which defended the law in its own brief Friday, warning of “grave” national security concerns about TikTok’s continued operation in the US. In one of the most significant pending cases before the Supreme Court, the justices must weigh whether the TikTok ban Congress approved in April violates the First Amendment. The court has already scheduled two hours of oral argument in the case for January 10. The court was flooded with roughly two dozen briefs Friday from groups and officials who have landed on both sides of that question. Trump is technically not a party in the case —he filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief, as did several outside groups, members of Congress and others who wanted to offer their perspective. But given that the ban is set to take effect January 19, a day before his inauguration, Trump’s position may carry significant weight with the justices. Trump eyes negotiations In his brief, Trump technically took no position on the underlying First Amendment questions posed by the case, but he urged the court to delay the January 19 effective date so that his administration could look for a way to resolve the issue without a ban. Trump suggested the court pause the ban’s effective date “to allow his incoming administration to pursue a negotiated resolution that could prevent a nationwide shutdown of TikTok, thus preserving the First Amendment rights of tens of millions of Americans, while also addressing the government’s national security concerns.” The incoming president has sent mixed signals in the past about his views on TikTok but most recently vowed to “save” the platform. Trump, who met with TikTok’s CEO this month, will be inaugurated January 20, a day after the ban is set to take effect unless the Supreme Court intervenes. Congress passed the ban with bipartisan support in response to years of concern that TikTok’s Chinese parent company poses a national security risk because, as the Biden administration warned in its own brief Friday, it can both collect data on users and manipulate the content those users see. The law allows the app to continue in the US if it divests from Chinese ownership. The law gives the sitting president broad power to decide whether the company has adequately split from its owners. Trump’s brief, his first to the Supreme Court since winning the election, claimed he is operating with a “powerful electoral mandate” and that he is uniquely positioned to resolve the TikTok controversy. At one point he described himself as “one of the most powerful, prolific, and influential users of social media in history.” “The First Amendment implications of the federal government’s effective shuttering of a social-media platform used by 170 million Americans are sweeping and troubling,” Trump’s brief stated. “There are valid concerns that the act may set a dangerous global precedent by exercising the extraordinary power to shut down an entire social-media platform based, in large part, on concerns about disfavored speech on that platform.” Biden and ex-Trump officials back ban Earlier Friday, President Joe Biden’s administration and a bipartisan group of ex-government officials — including some who once worked for Trump — urged the Supreme Court to uphold the ban on TikTok , claiming that the platform’s ties to China pose a “grave” threat to American security. “TikTok collects vast swaths of data about tens of millions of Americans,” the administration told the Supreme Court on Friday. And, it said, China “could covertly manipulate the platform to advance its geopolitical interests and harm the United States — by, for example, sowing discord and disinformation during a crisis.” The written arguments submitted to the Supreme Court on Friday underscore a tension between national security and free speech at a time when 170 million Americans use TikTok for news and entertainment. Trump acknowledged in his brief Friday that his administration had also raised concerns about the platform and had signed an executive order limiting the app. When Trump was president in 2020, he signed an executive order to effectively ban TikTok, but it was halted in the courts. But, he argued Friday, the “unfortunate timing” of the law’s effective date “interferes” with his ability to “manage the United States’ foreign policy and to pursue a resolution to both protect national security and save a social-media platform that provides a popular vehicle for 170 million Americans to exercise their core First Amendment rights.” Delaying the law’s effective date, Trump said, could “obviate the need for this court to decide the historically challenging First Amendment question.” Among the former Trump officials who filed legal briefs Friday supporting the Biden administration’s position and the TikTok ban were Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general, and Ajit Pai, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 2017 to 2021. TikTok: Ban violates First Amendment TikTok told the court in its own brief Friday that the federal government is attempting to shut down “one of the most significant speech platforms in America” and said that lawmakers were required by the First Amendment to consider other options, such as disclosures about the company’s ownership. “History and precedent teach that, even when national security is at stake, speech bans must be Congress’s last resort,” the company said. Groups advocating for First Amendment protections — including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University — urged the Supreme Court to look beyond the government’s national security claims and assess the ban’s impact on Americans’ freedom to view whatever online content they choose. “Restricting access to foreign media to protect against purported foreign manipulation is a practice that has long been associated with repressive regimes,” the Knight First Amendment Institute wrote. “The government has no legitimate interest in banning Americans from accessing foreign speech — even if the speech comprises foreign propaganda or reflects foreign manipulation.” The ACLU, similarly, warned of a “far reaching disruption in Americans’ ability to engage with the content and audiences of their choice online” if the Supreme Court upholds the ban. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court in Washington, DC, unanimously upheld the ban in a ruling that said the government had a national security interest in regulating the platform. The quick-turn timing of the briefing reflected the highly unusual speed with which the Supreme Court agreed to consider the case. The court plucked the appeal off its emergency docket — where TikTok was seeking a temporary pause of the ban — and agreed to delve into the substantive First Amendment questions about the law. Trump’s brief was filed by D. John Sauer, whom Trump has said he intends to nominate as solicitor general and who, if confirmed, would represent the Trump administration at the Supreme Court. “There are compelling reasons to stay the act’s deadline,” Sauer argued, “and allow President Trump to seek a negotiated resolution once in office.”
Percentages: FG .547, FT .725. 3-Point Goals: 12-22, .545 (Hunter 7-10, Rogers 3-6, Carter 1-2, Haggerty 1-4). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 2 (Cisse 2). Turnovers: 12 (Dainja 3, Haggerty 3, Hunter 2, Jourdain 2, Okojie, Rogers). Steals: 2 (Haggerty, Hunter). Technical Fouls: Dainja, 2:29 first. Percentages: FG .492, FT .792. 3-Point Goals: 14-30, .467 (Karaban 4-8, Ball 3-6, Stewart 2-3, Mahaney 2-4, McNeeley 2-4, Diarra 1-4, Ross 0-1). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 3 (Reed 3). Turnovers: 9 (Diarra 3, Johnson 2, Reed 2, Karaban, Mahaney). Steals: 3 (Diarra, Johnson, McNeeley). Technical Fouls: Huskies, 15:50 first; Johnson, 2:29 first; coach Dan Hurley, 00:39 first. .2024 CHAN Qualifiers: Black Galaxies coach Didi Dramani vows attacking strategy to overcome Nigeria
NoneVANCOUVER — Vancouver-based bookkeeping service Bench Accounting has announced its sudden closure, potentially putting hundreds of staff out of work. The company that has described itself as North America's largest bookkeeping service for small businesses says on its website in a "notice of closure" dated Friday that the platform is "no longer accessible." The statement acknowledges that the closure is "abrupt and may cause disruption," and says the firm is committed to helping customers "navigate through the transition." Bench has previously said it had more than 600 employees and had received investor funding of US$113 million. It said it moved to Vancouver and changed its name to Bench in 2013, having started out in 2012 as 10sheet Inc in the U.S. Calls to Bench's Vancouver office went to voice mail and did not immediately receive a response. But the company's former CEO and co-founder Ian Crosby released a statement on social media on Friday, saying he was "very sad" about the closure. Crosby, who said he was ousted by the company's board about three years ago, said there was a lesson in the fate of the company. "I hope the story of Bench goes on to become a warning for VCs (venture capitalists) that think they can 'upgrade' a company by replacing the founder. It never works," he said. The University of British Columbia Sauder Business School alumni said he had been avoiding speaking publicly about Bench since his exit, but wanted to make a statement in light of the company's demise. He said that in 2021 he had been battling with some board members over their strategy for a "new direction" that he thought was a "very bad idea." " Rather than continuing to fight with me, they opted to just replace me, thinking that they could run the company better themselves," he said. "I was totally convinced that their approach would destroy the company. I opted to resign rather than fight." Other bookkeeping companies were quick to reach out to Bench's former clients, with rivals such as Acuity and Better Bookkeeping making reference to Bench's closure in social media pitches. A spokeswoman for B.C.'s jobs ministry said they were looking into a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2024. The Canadian Press
CBC is restoring its live New Year’s Eve celebration. A year after the national broadcaster cancelled the 2024 countdown due to “financial pressures,” it says the special event is back on the TV schedule to mark the dawn of 2025. Festivities begin Dec. 31 with the one-hour “22 Minutes New Year’s Eve Pregame Special,” a satirical reflection on the events of 2024 with the cast of the political comedy series “This Hour Has 22 Minutes.” It will be followed by “Canada Live! Countdown 2025,” a special hosted by news anchor Adrienne Arsenault and singer Jann Arden broadcasting live from Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, and anchor Ian Hanomansing and comedian Ali Hassan at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden. A representative for the CBC says the coast-to-coast show will feature reporters at more than a dozen community events across the country while a countdown to the new year will take place in each of the six time zones. Throughout the seven-and-a-half-hour program, “many Canadian celebrity guests” will appear in live and pre-taped messages. “Canada Live! Countdown 2025” begins at 8 p.m. ET on CBC News Network and CBC Gem with CBC-TV and CBC Radio picking up the feed at 9 p.m. in local markets. Last year, the CBC replaced its live New Year’s Eve programming with a taped Just For Laughs special hosted by comedian Mae Martin. That left Canadians without a homegrown countdown on any of the major networks, which sparked blowback on social media from some viewers. The CBC began its annual specials in 2017 to mark Canada’s sesquicentennial year. Some of the more recent broadcasts were hosted by comedian Rick Mercer and featured fireworks and musical performances in key cities. But when CBC paused those plans last year, it said the show had become “increasingly expensive to produce.” The decision to sideline the program was made shortly after members of Parliament summoned outgoing CBC president Catherine Tait to testify about job cuts and her refusal to rule out bonuses for CBC executives.Vancouver's Bench Accounting abruptly shuts down, with 600 jobs potentially lost
ISSAQUAH, Wash., Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costco Wholesale Corporation ("Costco” or the "Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today announced its operating results for the first quarter of fiscal 2025 (twelve weeks), ended November 24, 2024. Net sales for the first quarter increased 7.5 percent, to $60.99 billion from $56.72 billion last year. Comparable sales for the first quarter fiscal 2025 were as follows: Net income for the quarter was $1,798 million, $4.04 per diluted share, compared to $1,589 million, $3.58 per diluted share, last year. This year's results included a tax benefit of $100 million, $0.22 per diluted share, related to stock-based compensation. Last year's results included a tax benefit of $44 million, $0.10 per diluted share, also related to stock-based compensation. Costco currently operates 897 warehouses, including 617 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 109 in Canada, 41 in Mexico, 36 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. A conference call to discuss these results is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (PT) today, December 12, 2024, and is available via a webcast on investor.costco.com (click "Events & Presentations”). Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified because they contain words such as "anticipate,” "believe,” "continue,” "could,” "estimate,” "expect,” "intend,” "likely,” "may,” "might,” "plan,” "potential,” "predict,” "project,” "seek,” "should,” "target,” "will,” "would,” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, inflation or deflation, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, breaches of security or privacy of member or business information, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, capital spending, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (generally including health-care costs and wages), workforce interruptions, energy and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions (including tariffs), the ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, regulatory and other impacts related to environmental and social matters, public-health related factors, and other risks identified from time to time in the Company's public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law. Comparable sales and comparable sales excluding impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange are intended as supplemental information and are not a substitute for net sales presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.CHARLESTON, S.C. , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the leading provider of software for powering social impact, today filed a Form 8-K with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stating that the Company concluded a material pre-tax noncash impairment charge, which may be up to approximately $415 million , is required for its EVERFI asset group and will be recorded during the fourth quarter of 2024. As previously disclosed, due to EVERFI performing below expectations, Blackbaud is considering a range of alternatives for EVERFI, one of which includes a potential divestiture of the business. The impairment charge was determined to be necessary as part of this process. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.