A federal judge this week dismissed former Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn’s argument that he’s being unfairly prosecuted in a child solicitation case because of his status as a former lawmaker.

Eichorn, 41, was arrested in a Bloomington police sting operation on March 17 and resigned from the Senate on March 20 ahead of a vote to expel him. He pleaded not guilty on April 21 to federal charges of attempting to solicit a minor for prostitution.

The Grand Rapids Republican appeared in court in August, where his attorney Charles Hawkins argued that Eichorn shouldn’t be federally prosecuted. Hawkins said that of the 19 arrested in the March sting operation, four are being prosecuted federally. One of the four has a history of criminal sexual assault, whereas Eichorn has a criminal history of “failing to stop at a stop sign,” Hawkins said.

SMALL FILE — MAX. WIDTH FOR PRINT: 2.2 INCHES — March 20, 2025 courtesy photo of Justin David Eichorn. Eichorn, a former Minnesota state senator from Grand Rapids, was arrested on suspicion of soliciting a minor for sex in Bloomington on Monday, March 17, 2025. Eichorn and 13 other suspects were arrested this month in an undercover sex sting operation in which the suspects believed they were communicating with a 17-year-old girl. Eichorn resigned under fire Thursday, March 20, stepping down before the Senate could vote on whether to expel him. Eichorn was initially arrested on a state charge, but the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office has taken up the case. Eichorn appeared in federal court in St. Paul Thursday afternoon on a federal charge of coercion and enticement of a minor. (Courtesy of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office)

Magistrate Judge Shannon G. Elkins dismissed that argument in her recommendation filed on Wednesday — advancing Eichorn’s federal prosecution and trial.

“The Government’s federal indictment of three other individuals involved in the same sting — who were not public officials — suggests that the Government was not motivated to prosecute only individuals holding public office or exercising their first amendment rights,” Elkins wrote in the Wednesday order.

“The Government was not required to ignore Mr. Eichorn simply because he happened to hold public office at the time he was caught in a sting that also caught several other individuals. And although the Government specifically argues Mr. Eichorn was not charged because he held public office, ‘political prominence’ is a legitimate consideration in charging decisions because it ‘may enhance the deterrent effect of the prosecution and maintain public faith in the precept that public officials are not above the law,’” Elkins continued.

The judge also granted in part a request from Eichorn for the government to disclose the undercover officer’s date of birth, but denied Eichorn’s request for her identity.

Hawkins argued in August that the identity of the undercover officer is necessary evidence because “one of the essential elements the government has to prove is that Mr. Eichorn believed this individual was under the age of 18,” he said.

The government agreed it would not use Eichorn’s post-arrest statements in trial, but the judge denied a motion from Eichorn to dismiss evidence from his truck upon his arrest, which included $129 in cash and a condom, according to the affidavit.

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The Gophers football program picked up a commitment from big Pennsylvania running back Niko Castillo on Friday.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound athlete played linebacker and tailback at Schuylkill Haven, Pa., and had one other offer from Kent State. He does not yet have a star rating, per 247Sports.

Castillo averaged a whopping 11.8 yards per carry this fall, with 865 total rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. On defense, he had 66 tackles, 22 tackles for lost yards, 11 sacks and four forced fumbles. He helped lead Schuykill Haven to an undefeated record and to the District 11 2A Championship game.

The Gophers sought another running back after Jett Walker flipped his commitment to the Texas Longhorns last Sunday.

The Gophers have 29 total commitments for their 206 class, including two running backs: Ryan Estrada (El Paso, Texas) and Ezekiel Bates (Malvern, Pa.).

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By Jaewon Kang, Bloomberg News

This Black Friday, one class of retailers has figured out the trick of luring shoppers suffering through frigid temperatures and high inflation: teen brands.

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To tempt picky Americans, they are offering sales on products like perfume, body wash and sweatshirts. It’s seemingly paying off: The most crowded stores Friday in cities across the U.S. belonged to brands including Edikted, Kendra Scott, and Bath & Body Works.

Other mall retailers saw thin crowds and disappointed shoppers, who were expecting bigger discounts at higher-end brands like Ralph Lauren and Coach.

Kathy McFarland was at a packed New York City Edikted store that was having a 30% off sale. McFarland, a retired teacher visiting the city from Missouri, had never heard of the brand, but her grandkids wanted to go. In Florida, Jenna Guttman took her daughter to Edikted for her 13th birthday because they don’t have a location back home in Chicago, the 49-year-old said.

Brands popular with younger shoppers and on TikTok — even if the discounts aren’t that eye-popping — seem to be hitting with shoppers this Black Friday. Alo Yoga, Brandy Melville and Kendra Scott, also brands that appeal to younger shoppers, were bustling in various places.

Sisters Zoe, 13, and Berkley Slick, 16, were waiting to get into Kendra Scott in the Jordan Creek Town Center mall in West Des Moines, Iowa, for their first Black Friday shopping experience. “It’s very overstimulating,” Zoe said, looking around at the packed mall.

Dheeraj Nimmala, a 21-year-old manager at Perfume Obsessions says the day has been “hectic.” The store, whose Jean Paul Gaultier Elixir is popular on TikTok, is running a buy-one-get-one-free offer all day.

Stores with standout deals also seem to be drawing the biggest crowds. A Bath & Body Works in Newport News, Virginia, that’s offering a buy three, get four free deal was packed. People had to turn sideways to make their way through crowds. Vizio TVs and Oura Rings with more than 30% off are among popular items on Friday, according to Cedric Clark, executive vice president of store operations at Walmart Inc.’s U.S. division.

“Customers are maximizing their deals,” he said in an interview from a new Walmart store in Cypress, Texas.

Target said lines formed as early as 3 a.m. at some stores with 150 shoppers, on average, waiting at opening time for free giveaways. It most popular offerings were toys for 50% off and 40% off trees and holiday décor.

Otherwise, many shoppers were underwhelmed and unimpressed by most Black Friday promotions.

The Repasky family makes a tradition of coming out to Tysons Corner Center shopping mall in Virginia on Black Friday. One change they noticed this year: fewer doorbuster deals and freebies.

Jennifer Schmuck reported the same from Westfield Montgomery Mall in Maryland Friday morning. “I don’t think the deals were as good,” the 50-year-old banker said. Last year Macy’s Inc. gave her a $10 coupon for being among the first in line, but didn’t this year.

Near Philadelphia, Melissa Ritzius, a 50-year-old homemaker, was similarly unimpressed with the sales at the Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store. Even though the deals looked comparable to last year, with higher listed price they didn’t amount to much of a discount.

Many shoppers said they came out for the experience of big crowds, yet that too was disappointing for some. Some malls and shopping centers across the U.S., like Patrick Henry Mall in Virginia, were empty this morning. Others had lines at a few stores, like Macy’s, Old Navy, Target and Edikted.

“It feels like less than a normal Saturday,” said Nicole Slaughter at the Mall of Georgia in the Atlanta area.

Deontay Phillips, a 26-year-old who serves in the military, was underwhelmed by the lack of deals and festivities. “It’s not really what I expected,” said Phillips at a Best Buy Co. store in Newport News, Virginia. “I probably won’t do this again.”

U.S. consumers are heading into the official start of the holiday shopping season Friday with a host of economic concerns, including a cooling job market, stagnant wages, persistent inflation and the looming fallout from tariffs. Black Friday will be a litmus test: Will American shoppers push through growing economic headwinds or will the consumer-powered U.S. economy start to fizzle?

Signs point to a less indulgent holiday season.

“We are not expecting it to be an overzealous, exciting holiday,” said Marshal Cohen, chief retail adviser at research firm Circana.

While overall spending is estimated to be on par with last year, according to Circana, unit sales could fall as much as 2.5%. In other words: People will spend more to buy less stuff.

“The tree is not going to be jammed this year,” Cohen said.

U.S. retailers generate 20% of their annual sales in November and December. This year, companies are competing for an increasingly price-sensitive and anxious consumer. While people are still willing to spend — particularly those in the top 10% of earners — they’re being picky about where they put their dollars. Some shoppers say they’re planning on taking advantage of Black Friday sales not to splurge, but to stock up on essentials.

Tariffs, meanwhile, are making it harder for some brands to offer the big discounts usually associated with Black Friday. And shoppers who venture to stores may encounter longer lines and less help. Seasonal retail hiring is expected to fall to its lowest level since 2009.

“Nothing is discounted enough that it moves the needle where I’m like, ‘oh I don’t need it, but I need to get it now,’” said Jennifer Greenberg, a 29-year-old who lives in New York City, while shopping for a menorah at Bloomingdale’s.

(With assistance from Uma Bhat, Madison Muller, Lily Meier, Michelle Fay Cortez, Dina Katgara, Max Rivera, Kristina Peterson, Jeannette Neumann and Redd Brown.)

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By JILL LAWLESS

LONDON (AP) — A rare crystal and diamond Fabergé egg crafted for Russia’s ruling family before it was toppled by revolution is going up for auction, valued at more than 20 million pounds ($26.4 million).

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Christie’s auction house says the Winter Egg is just one of seven of the opulent ovoids remaining in private hands. It will be offered for sale at Christie’s London headquarters on Tuesday.

The 4-inch tall egg is made from finely carved rock crystal, covered in a delicate snowflake motif wrought in platinum and 4,500 tiny diamonds. It opens to reveal a removable tiny basket of bejewelled quartz flowers symbolizing spring.

Margo Oganesian, the head of Christie’s Russian art department, likened it to a luxurious Kinder Surprise chocolate.

The Winter Egg is a superb example of craft and design, “the ‘Mona Lisa’ for decorative arts,” Oganesian said.

One of just two created by female designer Alma Pihl, the egg was commissioned by Czar Nicholas II for his mother Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna as an Easter present in 1913. Pihl’s other egg is owned by Britain’s royal family.

Craftsman Peter Carl Fabergé and his company created more than 50 of the eggs for Russia’s imperial family between 1885 and 1917, each elaborately unique and containing a hidden surprise. Czar Alexander III started the tradition by presenting an egg to his wife each Easter. His successor, Nicholas II, extended the gift to his wife and mother.

The Romanov royal family ruled Russia for 300 years before it was ousted by the 1917 revolution. Nicholas and his family were executed in 1918.

Bought by a London dealer for 450 pounds when the cash-strapped Communist authorities sold off some of Russia’s artistic treasures in the 1920s, the egg changed hands several times. It was believed lost for two decades until it was auctioned by Christie’s in 1994 for more than 7 million Swiss francs ($5.6 million at the time). It sold again in 2002 for $9.6 million.

Now it is expected to surpass the record $18.5 million paid at a 2007 Christie’s auction for another Fabergé egg created for the Rothschild banking family.

There are 43 surviving imperial Fabergé eggs, most in museums.