Notre Dame is on its way to making history after defeating Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night to advance to its first national championship game since the 2012 season, with the hopes of winning its first title in nearly 40 years. 

However, after the Fighting Irish’s victory, head coach Marcus Freeman was asked by ESPN reporter  Molly McGrath how much the win meant as it relates to him becoming the first Black head coach to reach a title game.

Freeman, who fielded similar questions in the lead up to this game, refocused the conversation on his team and the significance of their win. 

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"You know, I’ve said this before, I don't ever want to take attention away from the team. It is an honor, and I hope all coaches – minorities, Black, Asian, White, it doesn't matter – great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this."

He continued, "But this ain’t about me, this is about us. And we’re going to celebrate what we’ve done because it’s something special." 

Some on social media took issue with the question. Among those critics was NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre, who praised Freeman for his response. 

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"Terrible question but great response by Notre Dame head coach," Favre wrote in a post on X. "Sports should bring people together not separate." 

Freeman has fielded similar questions about his race and the significance of his achievements since defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl last week. Each time, he has recentered the focus on the achievements of the program. 

"You’re grateful to be a part of this opportunity, and you’re grateful anytime your name is mentioned with being the first, but you don’t want to take away from how we got to this point, and I’m talking about your team and everybody that put the work in to get your program to this point and those that have come before you," he said during a press conference early this week. 

"Again, this isn’t about me. This isn’t about one person. It takes a team, it takes a program, and it takes a lot of people committing to something bigger than themselves to put your team in a position to be here. I understand that, and I'm very grateful for it," he continued. 

Freeman added that his achievements creating more opportunities for the future generation of coaches is "great," but he added that "the attention on one person takes away what really gives your program a chance to get here." 

The focus for Notre Dame will now be on Friday night’s Cotton Bowl Classic. Ohio State will take on Texas and the winner will advance to the College Football Playoff national championship game where they will face Notre Dame on Jan. 20. 

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In oral arguments before the Supreme Court Friday, lawyers for the Biden administration reiterated their argument that TikTok’s Chinese ownership poses a "grave" national security risk for American users.

U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar cited risks that China could weaponize the app, including by manipulating its algorithm to prioritize certain content or by ordering parent company ByteDance to turn over vast amounts of user data compiled by TikTok on U.S. users.

"We know that the PRC has a voracious appetite to get its hands on as much information about Americans as possible, and that creates a potent weapon here," Prelogar said. "Because the PRC could command ByteDance [to] comply with any request it gives to obtain that data."

"TikTok's immense data set would give the PRC a powerful tool for harassment, recruitment and espionage," she added. 

[Oral arguments began shortly after 10 a.m. Stay here for live updates as the proceedings unfold.]

Earlier in oral arguments when TikTok was presenting its case, justices on the bench as a whole appeared skeptical of the company's core argument, which is that the law is a restriction of speech.

"Exactly what is TikTok's speech here?" Justice Clarence Thomas asked in the first moments of oral arguments, in an early sign of the court's apparent doubt that the law is in fact a First Amendment violation. 

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Noel Francisco, TikTok’s lawyer, sought to frame the case Friday primarily as a restriction on free speech protections under the First Amendment, which the company argues applies to TikTok’s U.S.-based incorporation.

First Amendment protections must be considered under strict scrutiny, which requires the government to meet a higher burden of proof in passing a law. More specifically, the law must be crafted to serve a compelling government interest and be narrowly tailored to achieve that interest— a test TikTok says the law fails to meet.

It's a difficult legal test to satisfy in court. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit used it last month in considering the divestiture law, and still voted to uphold it— meaning that justices could theoretically consider the case under strict scrutiny and still opt to uphold the law— and the looming Jan. 19 ban.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted Friday that the case before them appears to be the first one to be heard by the court centered directly on the ownership of a platform or app, rather than speech.

The liberal justice also questioned whether the court might consider the divestiture requirement under the law as a data control case, not properly a free-speech issue, as TikTok's legal team has sought to frame it.

Weighing the case as a data control case would trigger a lower level of scrutiny— a point that Francisco also acknowledged.

Francisco told justices in oral arguments Friday that the U.S. government has "no valid interest in preventing foreign propaganda," and that he believes the platform and its owners should be entitled to the highest level of free speech protections under the U.S. Constitution.

Francisco told Chief Justice John Roberts that he believes the court should grant TikTok First Amendment protections because it is operating as a U.S.-incorporated subsidiary. 

The TikTok attorney was also grilled over the Chinese government’s control over the app, and ByteDance’s control over the algorithm that shows certain content to users.

Asked by Justice Neil Gorsuch whether some parts of the recommendation engine are under Chinese control, Francisco said no.
"What it means is that there are lots of parts of the source code that are embodied in intellectual property, that are owned by the Chinese government" and which a sale or divestiture would restrict, he said.  "It doesn't alter the fact that this is, being operated in the United States by TikTok incorporated."

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Unless justices intervene, or TikTok’s owners agree to sell, the app will be barred from operating in the U.S. by Jan. 19.
Oral arguments center on the level of First Amendment protections that should be granted to TikTok and its foreign owner, ByteDance.

This is not the first time the Supreme Court has grappled with whether or not full First Amendment protections should be extended to foreign speakers. In previous cases, they have ruled that speech by a foreign government or individuals is not entitled to the full protections. 

The Biden administration, for its part, will argue that the law focuses solely on the company’s control of the app, which attorneys for the administration argue could pose "grave national security threats" to Americans rather than its content. 

Lawyers for the administration will also argue that Congress did not impose any restrictions on speech, much less any restrictions based on viewpoint or on content, and therefore fails to satisfy the test of free speech violations under the First Amendment. 

The court’s decision could have major ramifications for the roughly 170 million Americans who use the app. 

Justices agreed in December to hold the expedited hearing and will have just nine days to issue a ruling before the ban takes place on Jan. 19. 

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss weird fake furniture and shared reality (or the lack thereof).

SAM: It has been such a busy week I forgot it’s Friday until I woke up this morning, so I’ll be brief with a quick couple of thoughts about Google’s AI Overview, which I wrote about serving bizarre results that suggested people pass a Magic Wand vibrator to a child like a talking stick for counseling purposes.

Emanuel found the thread on Reddit where someone posted a screenshot of the result they got with the search term “magic wand pregnancy.” He was getting the same result as that person; I assume both he and OP were doing a lot of Googling about pregnancy related topics, as Emanuel’s wife just had a kid and this person was clearly looking for answers about what sorts of buzz buzz were safe to throw down with while pregnant. When I searched with the same term, I didn’t get that answer, and couldn’t replicate it. I could get the other one mentioned in the story—searching “what is a magic wand” showed me an AI Overview result about magicians’ “small sticks” (ouch) — but not the pregnancy one. I assumed, and mentioned in the story, that this is because of the aforementioned Googling about babies; Google personalizes search based on activity, and parents are a valuable market for advertisers. 

Stellantis' top priority for the U.S. this year is to grow its retail market share after several years of declining sales in its largest, most crucial market.

As wildfires continue to devastate parts of Los Angeles County, hundreds of thousands of residents are without power as utility crews work to restore connectivity. Mobile carriers are also taking action to keep their services online and provide relief to affected residents.

Here’s how major carriers are responding.

Verizon

In an update on Thursday, Verizon said it will waive call, text, and data usage incurred by prepaid and postpaid customers in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties from January 9th to the 18th. Verizon will automatically credit customers if they were billed for overages during this time.

Additionally, the company is extending service end dates for customers using prepaid services, including Straight Talk, Tracfone, Total Wireless, Simple Mobile, Walmart Family Mobile, Net10, GoSmart, and Page Plus, until January 18th, 2025. It’s also working with LA County officials to “aggressively deploy portable generators and mitigate impacts for those customers affected across the area.”

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is similarly offering unlimited talk, text, and data for T-Mobile and Assurance Wireless customers across Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, Los Angeles, Palisades, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre from January 8th to January 15th.

Meanwhile, the T-Mobile-owned Mint Mobile will increase the available data for users on 5GB, 15GB, and 20GB plans to 50GB through their current billing cycle, while Mint Unlimited customers in the area can use up to 2TB of high-speed data with no hotspot restrictions.

T-Mobile is also teaming up with SpaceX’s Starlink to temporarily deploy an “early test version” of its direct-to-cell satellite service, allowing people in affected areas to receive wireless emergency alerts and send SMS texts. At the same time, T-Mobile is working to deploy and refuel portable generators to keep its network online.

AT&T

AT&T will waive overage charges for prepaid and postpaid customers affected by the wildfires through February 6th. The company notes that customers in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties may experience home phone and internet disruptions due to power outages in the area.

Along with continuously deploying and refueling generators, AT&T has dispatched its disaster response team to help keep its wireless and wireline communications up and running. Its FirstNet Response Operations Group — a team led by former first responders who help during emergencies — “have been deployed to support firefighters and other first responders on the front lines where they need connectivity the most,” according to AT&T.

Starlink

Image: Starlink

Though Starlink isn’t a mobile carrier, it’s still working to provide LA County residents with satellite internet connectivity. Residents impacted by the wildfires can access Starlink for free through February 10th by placing an order through starlink.com/residential and choosing the “Disaster Relief” service plan. However, users still need to purchase a Starlink kit to access the free service.

Customers who already use Starlink will receive a one-month service credit.

The betting public is squarely behind favored Ohio State against Texas on Friday, with the overwhelming number of bets and money wagered being placed on the Buckeyes to handle the underdog Longhorns.

I’ve been waiting for a decently-powerful, but also small Android tablet for years now, and Lenovo finally delivered that at CES 2025 with its 8.8-inch Lenovo Legion Tab. And, seemingly proving that there’s an audience for these small yet powerful Android tablets, Lenovo has sold out of the Tab in barely two days.

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We’re officially less than two weeks out from the launch of Galaxy S25, and the leaks are only speeding up, and rapidly at that. Today, new leaks have surfaced with dozens of images of the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra.

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Alongside ongoing deals on M3 MacBook Air with hundreds in savings, we are now ready to cap off this week’s best Apple deals with first sizable price drop on AirPods Pro 2 of 2025. Apple’s flagship buds are now at the best price we have tracked since early December at $180, down from the regular $249. That offer joins the return of wild pricing on the official Apple Watch braided and silicone Solo Loops starting from just $20 with up to 70% off the original prices, not to mention a series of MacBook covers, Find My accessories, and much more. Head below for a closer look. 

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Now that a new year has kicked off, rumors for the upcoming iPhone 17 line are in full swing. Today, Ming-Chi Kuo has shared a new detail on the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air that reveals how surprisingly thin it may be.

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Apple’s kicking off a new Home products strategy this year, and an Apple Television is reportedly being evaluated as a future product. Recent trends in the TV space reveal how much opportunity there is for Apple to disrupt the market with a new product and better direction.

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Apple TV+ spy thriller is about to release its fifth season.

The Resurrection of Christ explores the origins of Satan in Hell.

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Juan Merchan ended the sentencing hearing with a message for the president-elect.

A video of Black men carrying items out of a house has gone viral and sparked accusations of looters, but the real story is very different than the one being spread online.

Kaitlyn Ragland told Newsweek her family were "happy" once the news sunk in, but their initial reaction was an unexpected one.