The powerful REIT plans to create what a source called a “cohesive street-level experience” on both sides of Seventh Avenue between West 33rd and 34th streets, replacing what Vornado chairman Steve Roth recently called “junky retail.”

Vornado quietly bought up one parcel after another on the nondescript but heavily-trafficked block over the past few years. The next step, our sources said, will be demolishing the unattractive small buildings on the east side, to be followed by those on the west side. The few existing tenants are all on short-term leases.

One Penn Plaza Bloomberg via Getty Images

Roth tapped a crack leasing team headed by Newmark’s global retail chairman Mark Masinter to “repopulate,” as our source put it, the old stores with merchants appropriate for the reborn district anchored by Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. Vornado spent $2.5 billion to redevelop old office towers, launch the dining and shopping options inside the Moynihan Train Hall, and install a popular  public plaza on West 33rd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues.

The Newmark leasing team also includes Karen Bellantoni, Jackie Totolo, Pierce Thomspon and Nick Masinter.

The district is now home to more than 5 million square feet of prime office space, 300,000 square feet of public plazas and scores of eating and drinking venues, including huge new Avra inside the Moynihan building and Blue Ribbon Steak & Sushi. Vornado is also landlord to Primark, the international clothing merchant opening its US flagship at 150 W. 34th St.

The new Seventh Avenue storefronts — to be installed inside three-level “retail boxes” — will aim to sign actual stores, not restaurants or fast-food operations. Demolition of old structures is to start later this year with completion of the new spaces targeted for 2027.

Roth tipped the plan, although without details, in Vornado’s third-quarter earnings call in November. He pledged to replace  “junky” retail on the avenue and to lead revitalization of the busy but “deteriorated” 34th Street/Seventh Avenue subway station.

Vornado chairman Steve Roth Bloomberg via Getty Images

Vornado EVP and co-head of real estate Glen Weiss said his company’s “transformative work is evident  across all corners of the neighborhood. With Newmark, we will make the Penn District retail environment New York’s next big event.”

An even bigger event will be a new skyscraper  to rise on the former Hotel Pennsylvania site. Vornado’s mum on plans but Roth told investors last fall he was in talks with a major tenant to anchor a 1,000 foot-tall tower.

The Big Apple’s retail world lost a true giant with the passing of C. Bradley Mendelson last week. “Brad,” as all knew him, was one of the premier dealmakers at CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield and Colliers International for over four decades.

C. Bradley Mendelson Cushman & Wakefield

Mendelson was a prime mover behind such epochal deals as the opening of Toys ‘R’ Us in Times Square — then the world’s largest toy store — and for bringing a trio of spectacular tenants to  the former 666 Fifth Ave. Landlords and tenants valued his professionalism;  journalists appreciated the inside knowledge he generously, and often amusingly, shared; his colleagues loved the homemade cookies he brought to the office every week.

 A man beloved for many reasons — and for all seasons.

The weekend opening of Milk & Honey cafe at LCOR’s 1515 Surf Ave. was the icing on the cake for the twin-towered project overlooking the Coney Island Boardwalk.

It’s Brooklyn’s third Milk & Honey, the casual eatery with locations in Ditmas Park and Bay Ridge. “It’s the perfect setting for us, right by the beach in a building that’s redefining modern living in Coney Island,” said eatery owner Yasser “Max” Habib.

Milk & Honey cafe on Surf Avenue in Brooklyn. milkandhoneycafebk/Instagram

The rental building is part of a residential development boom along Surf Avenue, which is unrecognizably transformed from what it was just 10 years ago.

The project’s 463 apartments  are 75% leased, including 139 affordable units that are 100% leased.

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The consortium would replace JLL, which checked out of the role last summer.

PIA, which answers to the Pakistani government, was recently reported by Saudi Arabia-based daily Arab News to be weighing proposals from seven potential groups to advise on the Roosevelt’s future and to facilitate any deal. The Morgan Stanley team would include CBRE, Manhattan’s most prolific commercial brokerage. 

The future of the precious Roosevelt Hotel site — which might be worth more than $1 billion —  is in limbo again. Robert Miller

Nothing about PIA’s plans could immediately be confirmed.

One source cautioned, “The Roosevelt owners have played with one scenario after another for at least 10 years and never did anything.”

A JLL team headed by the firm’s regional CEO Peter Riguardi resigned from the account last summer. A Pakistani government agency attributed JLL’s move to its wish to avoid any “perceived or actual conflict of interest,” as the firm represents several clients said to be interested in the site.

Since then, PIA has not announced a new financial adviser, a role that would include essentially brokering an outright sale of the site or a partial sale with a development partner. Arab News claimed that PIA would “fast-track” choosing a new adviser this month.

But one skeptical, prominent Manhattan investment-sales dealmaker said, “Who knows? It’s been a colossal waste of time, mostly because the property is tied to the government of Pakistan and their military leaders which turn over pretty consistently.”

While JLL’s departure was attributed to potential for “conflict of interest,” it isn’t uncommon for major Manhattan brokerages to work both sides of a deal.

“It often helps to make a sale or a lease easier,” an insider said. “They put up a so-called ‘Chinese wall’ between the two negotiating teams and it generally holds up.”

A JLL team headed by the firm’s regional CEO Peter Riguardi resigned from the account last summer. Erik Thomas/NY Post

Nor is it unheard of for brokers to rep developers hoping to build in the same areas. Moreover, JLL’s client list — which includes both leading developers and tenants — was no secret to either the brokerage or to PIA when the airline tapped JLL in February 2024.

Riguardi declined to comment. Emails to PIA seeking comment weren’t returned.

As previously reported in The Post, Pakistan’s government needs the dough from a Roosevelt sale to help support a $7 billion bailout arrangement with the International Monetary Fund.

The Roosevelt site between Madison and Vanderbilt avenues and between East 44th and East 45th streets is one of Manhattan’s most valuable pieces of land, situated in an East Midtown corridor where prestigious tenants have flocked to new office developments near Grand Central Terminal.

Migrants at the Roosevelt Hotel in 2023. James Messerschmidt for NY Post

The shuttered hotel lies amidst the new JP Morgan Chase headquarters tower at 270 Park Ave., a future Boston Properties (BXP) tower at 343 Madison Ave., and an unspecified SL Green development site on the former Brooks Brothers store at 346 Madison.

A new office tower at the Roosevelt site could have as much as 1.8 million square feet under Midtown zoning that allows large-size bonuses in exchange for significant pedestrian and transit improvements.

The 1,000-room Roosevelt Hotel has been vacant since the city in June terminated a contract with PIA to use it as a migrant shelter.

The 1,000-room Roosevelt Hotel has been vacant since the city in June terminated a contract with PIA to use it as a migrant shelter. Matthew McDermott

PIA has repeatedly changed its mind about what to do with the property since it took control in 2000. It was reported at different times that the airline would pursue an outright sale or seek a majority or minority development partner.

In the latest twist, Pakistan privatization official Muhammad Ali told Arab News earlier this month the building might not be demolished anytime soon, but would reopen as a hotel.

That suggestion drew laughs from Manhattan hotel experts who said reopening it  would take at least a year just to clean up the mess left behind by a year of migrant occupation.

“By that time, the markets for both offices and hotels might have changed,” one industry insider scoffed.

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“New U.S. tariffs will raise prices on imported Italian goods, especially pasta, olive oil and cheeses,” said Kyle Taylor, an Atlanta chef and the founder of He Cooks. 

“There’s not much margin to begin with, so when costs increase, a ripple effect is created that will be felt [all the way] down to the consumer. Conversely, Italian producers may limit their overseas supply in a proactive response to tariffs, which would also affect prices stateside.”

The products most at risk are the ones tied to strict regional rules and high-quality standards, Taylor told Fox News Digital. 

“There’s no replacement for something like Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or slow-dried Italian pasta with lower-cost alternatives without a noticeable drop in quality.”

Fortunately, pastas that use high-quality wheat and traditional techniques can fill the gap. 

American pasta brands are ready to step in amid tariffs threatening Italian imports. whitestorm – stock.adobe.com

“A few American brands are doing that well,” Taylor said.

Here are five top American-made pasta brands.

“There’s no replacement for something like Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or slow-dried Italian pasta with lower-cost alternatives without a noticeable drop in quality,” Kyle Taylor, an Atlanta chef and the founder of He Cooks, said. Drazen – stock.adobe.com

“A few American brands are doing that well,” Taylor said about pastas using high-quality wheat and traditional techniques, filling the need for pasta. Whatson – stock.adobe.com

1. Ronzoni

American shoppers should seek out pastas that use durum wheat, bronze molds and slow drying, as well as small-batch domestic sauce and olive oil producers who prioritize quality, Taylor suggested.

Ronzoni, founded in 1915 in New York, according to its website, is one of the most widely recognized durum, or semolina, wheat brands. Made without additives, the brand offers a broad range of shapes and recipes, including elbows, ziti and oven-ready lasagna sheets. It typically goes for around $2 to $2.50 per box.

Ronzoni offers different shapes, including elbows, ziti and oven-ready lasagna sheets. miro – stock.adobe.com

2. Creamette

Creamette is a long-standing American pasta brand with Midwestern roots dating back to the late 1800s, known for practical cooking, good value and being a pantry mainstay. 

“Creamette may not be the fanciest brand or have the most elaborate packaging, but what it does have is consistency,” according to a pasta ranking by the Daily Meal. 

Many supermarkets list the pasta at just over $1 per box online.

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3. Banza

Banza was founded in Detroit in 2014 by brothers Brian and Scott Rudolph, who created a high-protein, gluten-free pasta made from chickpeas instead of wheat. It quickly grew into one of the fastest-rising U.S. pasta brands, thanks to its nutritious profile, familiar texture and appeal to health-conscious consumers, according to reports.

“Tariffs will not stop Americans from cooking pasta, but they will push the market toward more domestic craft options and draw a more apparent and expensive distinction between everyday and premium products,” Taylor noted.

Banza makes high-protein, gluten-free pasta with chickpeas instead of wheat.  Jammer Gene – stock.adobe.com

4. Mueller’s

Founded in 1867 by German immigrant Christian Mueller in New Jersey, Mueller’s began with homemade egg noodles that he sold door to door and grew to be a local favorite and, eventually, a beloved national brand known as “the original American pasta,” according to Mueller’s website.

It uses North American durum semolina and offers straightforward, familiar pasta shapes and types. It can be found for as low as 56 cents and up to $1.50 per box, according to online grocery retailers.

5. Barilla

Founded in Parma, Italy, in 1877, Barilla is now the world’s largest pasta maker, and its familiar blue box pastas sold in U.S. grocery stores are made domestically in Iowa and New York.

Barilla pasta is made domestically in Iowa and New York. Berit Kessler – stock.adobe.com

Barilla is known for its consistent quality, quick cook time and reliable “al dente” texture, along with non-GMO ingredients and a wide range of whole grain, protein-fortified and gluten-free options for around $1.50 to $2.50 per box.

Fox News Digital reached out to the National Pasta Association and each of the U.S.-based brands for comment.

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The struggling mall mainstay — which sells $7 t-shirts, $12 dresses and $25 sneakers — is on the verge of filing for bankruptcy after efforts to find a buyer have floundered, according to Bloomberg.

Discount clothing chain, Forever 21, is poised to file for bankruptcy for the second time in six years. Bloomberg via Getty Images

With 350 locations, the fast-fashion brand is owned by licensing firm Authentic Brands Group, while the stores, e-commerce and manufacturing operations are run by an entity called F21 OpCo. 

The latter is a unit of  Catalyst Brands, which also runs JCPenney, Aeropostale, and Eddie Bauer, among other faded retailers.

Forever 21, which at its height operated more than 500 locations in the US and at least 800 worldwide, is preparing to shutter all 350 stores as part of a bankruptcy filing in the coming days, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.

It would be the second time in six years that the 41 year-old company files for bankruptcy protection as it faces stiff competition from Chinese competitors Temu and Shein among others. 

The 41 year-old fast fashion chain faces more competition than ever before. Getty Images

In 2020, the retailer was acquired for $81 million by its largest mall landlords, a consortium composed of Simon Property Group, Brookfield and ABG, run by Jamie Salter.

Sources with knowledge of the situation told The Post that Salter still believes the brand can go head-to-head with Chinese fast-fashion darlings Temu and Shein by hiring a new design team and signing manufacturing deals that will speed up production.

Salter is in talks with factories overseas, the source added.

One scenario being discussed by the stakeholders would keep about 100 stores open in “high customer traffic locations,” the insider said.

Forever 21’s mall landlords are co-owners of the retailer. Getty Images

Another source, who is not involved in the talks, said that 100 stores “is an inefficient number, because it is expensive to source your products below a low number of locations.”

ABG declined to comment.

In 2023, Shein joined the ownership group of Forever 21.

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The largest toy trade show in North America kicks off on March 1 at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. Hundreds of toy makers will be displaying their big bets for the upcoming season, including ZipString and anything having to do with dinosaurs and dragons, insiders said.

But to a remarkable degree this year, they’ll also be showing off their Stitch merch. The assortments will only grow in the coming months ahead of Disney’s Memorial Day release of a live-action/CGI remake of the original “Lilo & Stitch” movie from 2002, according to industry experts.

Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” movie will be out in May, but fans are already scooping up loads of Stitch merchandise. ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

“Stitch is popping up all over the place in everything from collectible phone and gaming controller holders and slime,” said Toy Book editor-in-chief James Zahn. “Expect to see Stitch and friends all over the Javits Center.”

Momentum around the yipping, grimacing character has been building on social media over the past several months, including 2.7 million likes on TikTok for the movie trailer. 

The buzz around Stitch was capped off with a viral, 30-second ad during the Super Bowl. The mischievous creature appeals to teens and tweens who are scooping up backpacks, water bottles and even bed sheets with its image, according to toy consultant Chris Byrne.

The Lilo & Stitch movie about a young Hawaiian girl and her dog is a remake of the 2002 release. REUTERS

Plush Stitch merch is in high demand at the FAO Schwarz store in NYC. Lisa Fickenscher/NY Post

At least one Stitch item won Toy Book’s “Product of the Year” award in January, a $76 electronic “Disney Stitch Puppetronic” by RealFX.

Other hot items include ZipString, that makes a loop of string appear to float in the air, which was launched two years ago and got a “Shark Tank” investment. 

It sold its 1 millionth unit by the end of the holiday season and is poised to announce new iterations of the product, sources tell The Post.

ZipString was introduced in 2023 and got a Shark Tank investment. Zipstring

An FAO Schwarz rep at the Rockefeller Center store said ZipStrings were selling out “like crazy” over the holidays and were hard to keep in stock. Its popularity has inspired dozens of knockoffs from China, the rep said.

Byrne compared the demand for ZipString to the fidget spinner craze in 2017. Even though it’s been out for a while it’s “become a craze,” he added.  Good Housekeeping named it “toy of the year,” in December 2024.

Another “toy to watch,” according to Zahn, is Loop Labs, a digital stage that comes with figurines of drummers, guitarists and vocalists that create and mix music. Loops Lab is app based, but screen-free and comes out of Tel Aviv.

It made its debut at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair in January and will be introduced in the US at Toy Fair on Saturday. It retails for $120 but is not available for purchase until later this year.

The latest ZipString glows in the dark. Zipstring

Elsewhere, dinosaurs and dragons are having a moment fueled by the upcoming movies How to Train your Dragon and Jurassic World Rebirth out this summer.

Mattel and Spin Master are expected to unveil “some incredible products” inspired by those franchises this weekend, Zahn added.

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CEO David Solomon will change course amid the threat of possible lawsuits after President Donald Trump ordered US Attorney General Pam Bondi to stamp out so-called DEI practices in the private sector, sources familiar with the matter said.

The Wall Street giant’s move, slated to be formally confirmed this week, comes as a string of its Wall Street rivals scrubbed DEI language from their annual reports to shareholders, known as 10-Ks.

Solomon, 63, was once one of the biggest champions of DEI initiatives, coming out in favor of the policies during Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. Getty Images

Those include BlackRock and Bank of America, according to 10-Ks filed Tuesday night by both companies reviewed by The Post

Larry Fink’s BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with $11.4 trillion under management, and the Brian Moynihan-led lender axed language that promoted the representation and participation of different minority groups.

The finer details of Goldman’s reversal are still being thrashed out by the bank’s top brass, the sources said, but it is expected the firm will dramatically soften any DEI terms that featured in last year’s report.

The issue was discussed by Solomon and the bank’s partners at their annual meeting in Miami earlier this month, multiple sources told The Post.

It follows the bank’s decision to scrap a policy that banned doing IPOs for companies with all-white, all-male boards.

“Our focus has been and will continue to be on attracting the best talent, which has long been the basis for our commercial success,” a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said.

The spokesperson declined to comment on any upcoming securities filings.

Solomon, who raked in $39 million last year, was one of the banking industry’s most vocal champions of the policies aimed at encouraging more representation from minority groups.

The 63-year-old wrote to Goldmanites on the topic in March 2019, one year before the worldwide Black Lives Matter movement forced the issue to the top of the agenda of boardrooms across corporate America.

“Diversity and inclusion is a top priority at Goldman Sachs. We know that the strength of our culture, the execution of our strategy, and our relevance to our clients depend on a truly diverse workforce and inclusive work environment,” Solomon wrote in the memo six years ago.

The company’s website currently pledges that Goldman is “committed to making progress toward racial equity, advancing gender equality, and increasing representation at every level of our firm.”

Support for DEI gathered pace after the brutal killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement that spread worldwide after his murder. AFP via Getty Images

The bank’s 2023 annual report, posted in February of last year, added: “We believe that diversity at all levels of our organization, from entry-level analysts to senior management … is essential to our sustainability.”

The Post has also reviewed a series of job openings with the firm at its lower Manhattan headquarters that ask candidates to state their preferred pronouns and their gender identity.

Insiders at the bank said the answers are only supplied voluntarily.

“A lot of people don’t bother with all this stuff anyway,” said one banker, who asked for their name to be withheld because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink also ditched the investment firm’s DEI policies in the company’s recent annual 10-K filing. AP

The bank’s 2023 ‘People Strategy’ Report stated Goldman wanted to achieve gender parity worldwide amongst its staff while setting targets in the US to ensure the payroll is 11% Black American and 14% Hispanic.

The sea change on Wall Street comes after pressure from the White House as well as some activist investors who have filed motions urging shareholders to demand that the measures be rolled back.

Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley have also scaled back their DEI commitments, while other major American corporate titans such as Ford and Disney have followed the same path.

Meanwhile, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon was secretly recorded earlier this month lashing out at policies such as “bias training.”

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The Supreme Court seemed inclined on Friday to uphold a law that could effectively ban TikTok, the wildly popular app used by half of the country.

Even as several justices expressed concerns that the law was in tension with the First Amendment, a majority appeared satisfied that it was aimed not at TikTok’s speech rights but rather at its ownership, which the government says is controlled by China. The law requires the app’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell TikTok by Jan. 19. If it does not, the law requires the app to be shut down.

The government offered two rationales for the law: combating covert disinformation from China and barring it from harvesting private information about Americans. The court was divided over the first justification. But several justices seemed troubled by the possibility that China could use data culled from the app for espionage or blackmail.

“Congress and the president were concerned,” Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said, “that China was accessing information about millions of Americans, tens of millions of Americans, including teenagers, people in their 20s.”

That data, he added, could be used “over time to develop spies, to turn people, to blackmail people, people who a generation from now will be working in the F.B.I. or the C.I.A. or in the State Department.”

Noel J. Francisco, a lawyer for TikTok, said he did not dispute those risks. But he said the government could address them by means short of effectively ordering the app to, as he put it, “go dark.”

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. appeared unpersuaded.

“Are we supposed to ignore the fact that the ultimate parent is, in fact, subject to doing intelligence work for the Chinese government?” Chief Justice Roberts asked.

The court has put the case on an exceptionally fast track, and it is likely to rule by the end of next week. Its decision will be among the most consequential of the digital age, as TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon powered by a sophisticated algorithm that provides entertainment and information touching on nearly every facet of American life.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly taken up cases on the application of free speech principles to giant technology platforms, though it has stopped short of issuing definitive rulings. It has also wrestled with the application of the First Amendment to foreign speakers, ruling that they are generally without constitutional protection, at least for speech delivered abroad.

Justice Elena Kagan acknowledged that TikTok, which is an American company, has First Amendment rights. But she asked, “How are those First Amendment rights really being implicated here?”

If ByteDance divests TikTok, Justice Kagan said, the American company remains free to say whatever it likes.

Jeffrey L. Fisher, a lawyer for users of the app, said his clients should not be required to move to other platforms, using an analogy involving newspapers.

“It’s not enough to tell a writer, well, you can’t publish an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal because you can publish it in The New York Times instead,” he said, adding that “TikTok has a distinct editorial and publication perspective.”

The law, enacted in April with broad bipartisan support, said urgent measures were needed because ByteDance was effectively controlled by the Chinese government, which could use the app to harvest sensitive information about Americans and to spread covert disinformation.

Saying that the law violates both its First Amendment rights and those of its 170 million American users, TikTok has urged the court to strike down the law. It has repeatedly argued that a sale is impossible, in part because China would bar the export of ByteDance’s algorithm.

TikTok has also contended that there is no public proof that the U.S. government’s concerns about Chinese interference have come to pass in the United States. But the government has claimed in court filings that the app has acceded to Beijing’s demands to censor content outside China.

Several justices seemed to be searching for a narrow ground on which to uphold the law, and they leaned toward the government’s interest in protecting Americans’ data.

Elizabeth B. Prelogar, the U.S. solicitor general, defended the law on that ground, saying that China “has a voracious appetite to get its hands on as much information about Americans as possible, and that creates a potent weapon here.”

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. expressed concerns about what he said was “an enormously powerful, popular application” that is “gathering an arsenal of information about American citizens.”

The court was more divided on the question of whether potential covert disinformation or propaganda justified the ban.

“Look,” Mr. Francisco said, “everybody manipulates content. There are lots of people who think CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, are manipulating their content.”

Outside the court, some TikTok creators streamed the live audio from arguments to their followers, answering questions, expressing fear at the looming ban and holding onto small hand warmers in the 20-degree weather.

Andrea Celeste Olde, who traveled from Bakersfield, Calif., with her husband to speak out against the law, said the platform helped her begin a new career as a social media monetization coach after she spent 10 years at home raising three children. “TikTok is where I created my community,” she said. “I have made friendships. I have business partners. That’s how we connect.”

Other avid users of the app said it gave them unique business opportunities. They rarely have to pay to gain enough followers to bolster sales with eye-catching videos, unlike on other platforms, said Sarah Baus, a beauty creator with nearly 800,000 followers. “TikTok has allowed me to grow my audience a lot faster,” she said.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in early December rejected a challenge to the law, ruling that it was justified by national security concerns.

“The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg wrote for the majority, joined by Judge Neomi Rao. “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.”

In a concurring opinion, Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan acknowledged that under the law’s ban, “many Americans may lose access to an outlet for expression, a source of community and even a means of income.”

“Congress judged it necessary to assume that risk,” he wrote, “given the grave national security threats it perceived. And because the record reflects that Congress’s decision was considered, consistent with longstanding regulatory practice, and devoid of an institutional aim to suppress particular messages or ideas, we are not in a position to set it aside.”

Echoing a point made in an appeals court ruling upholding the law, Justice Kavanaugh said the law had historical analogues. “There is a long tradition of preventing foreign ownership or control of media in the United States,” he said.

ByteDance has said that more than half of the company is owned by global institutional investors and that the Chinese government does not have a direct or indirect ownership stake in TikTok or ByteDance.

The government’s brief acknowledged that ByteDance is incorporated in the Cayman Islands but said that its headquarters are in Beijing and that it is primarily operated from offices in China.

The deadline set by the law falls one day before the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump. In an unusual brief last month, nominally in support of neither party, he asked the justices to temporarily block the law so that he could address the matter once in office.

“President Trump opposes banning TikTok in the United States at this juncture,” the brief said, “and seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.”

Justice Kavanaugh asked Mr. Francisco, TikTok’s lawyer, what would happen on Jan. 19 if the court ruled against the company in the meantime.

“As I understand it,” Mr. Fransisco said, “we go dark.” He added that the court should temporarily block the law to “buy everybody a little breathing space.”

The law allows the president to extend the deadline for 90 days in limited circumstances. But that provision does not appear to apply, as it requires the president to certify to Congress that there has been significant progress toward a sale backed by “relevant binding legal agreements.”

Ms. Prelogar, the government lawyer defending the law, said any shutdown starting on Jan. 19 need not be permanent. That idea intrigued Justice Alito.

“So if we were to affirm and TikTok were forced to cease operations on Jan. 19,” Justice Alito said, “you say that there could be divestiture after that point, and TikTok could again continue to operate.”

Minho Kim and Sapna Maheshwari contributed reporting.

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