China building barges that can transport troops, equipment to Taiwan
China’s military developments are under scrutiny, as satellite imagery and intelligence reports reveal the construction of new amphibious landing barges and advancements in its aircraft carrier program. These developments raise concerns about Beijing’s military capabilities, and intentions in the Taiwan Strait.
Reports indicated that China is building specialized landing barges at a shipyard in southern China. Each barge is equipped with 120-meter-long bridges, capable of supporting heavy equipment, including tanks and bypassing terrain challenges like rocky or soft beaches. Defense analysts said these barges could expand potential landing sites for Chinese forces, challenging Taiwan’s strategy of fortifying a limited number of beaches.
Some experts believe the barges are designed primarily for military use, while others suggest they could serve civilian purposes, such as disaster relief. The timing and design of the vessels, however, highlight their potential military role.
China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian (CVN-18), returned to port after its sixth sea trial. Observers noted what appeared to be touch-and-go maneuver marks on the flight deck, suggesting early testing of aircraft landing and takeoff capabilities. Full-scale models of J-35 fighter jets and KJ-600 early warning aircraft were present during the trial, indicating progress in the ship’s operational readiness.
The Fujian is China’s first carrier equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), a technology that allows for more efficient launches of lighter and heavier aircraft. The carrier is expected to become fully operational by 2026.
China has not commented on the purpose of the barges or the Fujian’s latest trials. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently reiterated his commitment to Taiwan’s reunification, describing it as inevitable, adding to concerns about Beijing’s long-term intentions.
Biden administration proposes new rules limiting AI chip exports
With just a week left until he leaves office, President Joe Biden is making his last few policy changes as president. On Monday, Jan. 13, the Biden administration proposed a new framework for how advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence are exported.
The changes would help facilitate sales to allied nations while curbing access to countries where there are national security risks, like China. However, the proposal is raising concerns of chip industry executives, who said the rules would limit access to existing chips used for video games.
They also said the rules would restrict the chips used for data centers and AI products in 120 countries, limiting access to U.S. allies like Mexico, Portugal, Israel and Switzerland.
The Biden administration said the framework is designed to “safeguard the most advanced AI technology and ensure that it stays out of the hands of our foreign adversaries” but also enable the broad “diffusion and sharing of the benefits with partner countries.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the framework would ensure that the most cutting-edge aspects of AI would be developed within the United States and with its closest allies, instead of possibly being handed over to other countries.
Because the framework includes a 120-day comment period, President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration would be in charge of seeing it through and determining the rules for international sales of advanced computer chips.
Xi Jinping sending top Chinese official to Trump’s inauguration: Report
China is reportedly sending a high-level envoy to Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, signaling an effort to ease tensions between Washington and Beijing as the new U.S. administration takes office. This comes after Trump extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping in December, though Xi is reportedly not attending.
The attendance of any high-level Chinese official would mark an unprecedented shift, as China typically sends its ambassador in Washington to represent the country at such events.
Xi is expected to dispatch a senior official, though it remains unclear who that will be. Some sources told the Financial Times it could be the country’s vice president or foreign minister. According to their report, Trump’s team expects China to respond appropriately by sending an official of proper distinction to start the relationship on the right foot.
The timing of the move is significant as both countries brace for a possible escalation in their already tense relationship. Human rights, trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the origins of COVID-19 are longstanding issues that could intensify during Trump’s second term.
Trump has also made cabinet appointments known for their tough stance on China, including Mike Waltz, his incoming national security adviser, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who was nominated for secretary of state.
Trump confirmed his team is already in contact with Beijing, even before Inauguration Day. During a recent radio interview, he stated that his people and Xi’s have been “talking through their representatives.”
At least 10 dead as major wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles area
The death toll rises as the onslaught of fires continues in Southern California, destroying complete neighborhoods. And President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced for his conviction in the New York hush money case after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid to stop the proceeding. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
Death toll rises as wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles area
Flames have destroyed entire neighborhoods, obliterating 10,000 homes and buildings between the Palisades and Eaton Fires alone. Firefighters made some progress as the Santa Ana winds weakened, but wind and dry conditions are expected to continue through the weekend. This will make it difficult for crews to battle the flames.
The biggest and most destructive fire in Pacific Palisades now spans nearly 20,000 acres, which is more than 30 square miles and is only 6% contained.
Nearly 180,000 people in Los Angeles County are under evacuation orders and another 200,000 are on standby to leave their homes if necessary. The wildfires and strong winds fueling them have led to mass power outages.
Entire stretches of Pacific Ocean beachfront property along Malibu have been charred, as well as homes and neighborhoods up and down the Pacific Coast Highway.
The latest fire to break out, the Kenneth Fire, sparked Thursday afternoon, Jan. 9, in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, near Calabasas. That fire spans 1,000 acres and is 35% contained, according to CalFire’s last update. Police arrested one man on suspicion of arson in connection with that fire.
It’s not just those in the fires’ paths in danger. Polluted air poses a threat even to those far away.
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to halt sentencing in hush money case
Trump’s sentencing on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels will proceed as planned.
The judge overseeing the case, Juan Merchan, said earlier this month he would not sentence the president-elect to prison time, saying incarceration is not an option.
Instead, the judge is expected to impose a no-penalty sentence called an unconditional discharge.
Trump vowed to appeal his conviction, claiming evidence and testimony was admitted that implicated his duties as president during his first term. The Supreme Court ruled over the summer presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for some official acts.
Appeals court allows release of election interference case report
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected a bid to block the release but kept in place the judge’s order for a three-day delay, giving time for additional appeals. That means Trump could seek the Supreme Court’s intervention in the matter.
Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the election interference case was eventually dismissed following his victory in November’s presidential election due to a Justice Department policy that forbids the prosecution of a sitting president.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said he plans to release the report to the public once he is permitted to do so. In response, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Thursday night that it’s time for Garland and President Joe Biden to “do the right thing and put a final stop to the political weaponization of our justice system.”
Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in TikTok ban case
With less than two weeks until a ban on the social media app TikTok is slated to take effect, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments against the legislation Friday, Jan. 10. TikTok looks to show the justices that, despite claims from the federal government, it is not a national security threat to the U.S.
It is unclear when the court will deliver its ruling.
TikTok faces a nationwide ban in the U.S. that is expected to go into effect on Jan. 19, impacting roughly 115 million monthly users. That is unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the platform, as required by the law signed by President Joe Biden last year, or SCOTUS rules in favor of TikTok’s position that the law is unconstitutional.
Supporters of the ban believe the app allows China to access vast amounts of data from Americans and possibly influence public opinion in the U.S.
Trump opposes the ban and has met with TikTok’s CEO in recent weeks.
Macy’s to close 66 stores
Macy’s confirmed it will close 66 stores across the U.S. The department store chain said Thursday that the move is part of its “bold new chapter” strategy, which was announced in February of last year. The strategy will see the closure of approximately 150 underperforming stores, or about a third of its locations, over a three-year period.
Tony Spring, the retailer’s chairman and CEO, said that while “closing any store is never easy,” this will allow the company to focus its “resources and prioritize investments” in its other locations.
Macy’s told Axios clearance sales will begin this month and run for up to 12 weeks.
Friends, family remember President Jimmy Carter at state funeral in Washington
Family, friends and fellow lawmakers honored former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday, a National Day of Mourning, during a state funeral in Washington, D.C. All five surviving presidents attended the service at the National Cathedral.
President Joe Biden, who declared Thursday a National Day of Mourning, delivered a eulogy for his late friend.
“Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me and through his life taught me the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. It’s a strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity. Respect that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot, not a guarantee, but just a shot. You know, we have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor. And to stand up to — my dad used to say was the greatest sin of all — the abuse of power. That’s not about being perfect as none of us are perfect. We’re all fallible. But it’s about asking ourselves ‘Are we striving to do things, the right things? What value, what are the values that animate our spirit? Do we operate from fear or hope, ego or generosity? Do we show grace? Do we keep the faith when it’s most tested?’ Or keeping the faith with the best of humankind and the best of America is a story, in my view, from my perspective, of Jimmy Carter’s life.”
Carter’s grandchildren also spoke about their late grandfather.
“They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from no matter what happened in their lives,” Jason Carter said. “But I recognize that we are not here because he was just a regular guy. As you’ve heard from the other speakers, his political life and his presidency for me was not just ahead of its time, it was prophetic. He had the courage and strength to stick to his principles, even when they were politically unpopular.”
Following a private funeral in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, Carter was laid to rest next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn.
As the future of TikTok hangs in the balance, creators are flocking to Lemon8, an increasingly popular social media app. The app has been gaining attention for its unique blend of features.
Lemon8 combines TikTok’s short-form videos with Pinterest and Instagram-like feeds. Owned by ByteDance, the same parent company as TikTok, Lemon8 is often referred to as TikTok’s sister app.
Lemon8 focuses on visual aesthetics and personal storytelling. Popular content categories include fashion, beauty, fitness, travel and food. The platform is designed to foster a sense of community while encouraging creativity.
ByteDance ownership raises concerns
However, Lemon8’s future is not guaranteed. Since ByteDance owns both Lemon8 and TikTok, the app could face regulatory scrutiny similar to TikTok’s if the U.S. government increases pressure on the company.
Another app impacted by the ongoing ByteDance controversy is CapCut. The all-in-one video editing and graphic design tool is popular among social media creators. CapCut offers features like green screens, transitions and video templates, making it easy to create polished content.
Its seamless integration with TikTok and other platforms has made it a go-to tool for content creators.
TikTok ban deadline approaches
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to block a law passed last April calling for a potential ban on the massively popular social media app. For TikTok to avoid the ban, ByteDance must divest its U.S. operations. However, if that doesn’t happen, the ban could take effect as soon as Jan. 19.
Frank McCourt, Kevin O’Leary lead bid to buy TikTok as US ban looms
Two entrepreneurs—a billionaire sports team owner and an investor known for his role on a business-themed reality TV show—are joining together in a last-ditch effort to buy TikTok. The popular social media app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, faces a Jan. 19 deadline to either sell to a U.S.-based owner or face a potential ban.
Frank McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and current owner of French soccer club Olympique Marseille, is leading the bid through his nonprofit, Project Liberty.
In announcing the effort, McCourt said Kevin O’Leary, the Canadian-born businessman known for his appearances as an investor on the TV show “Shark Tank,” is also a partner in the bid.
The law allows President Joe Biden to delay a decision to apply the ban by 90 days if a potential buyer could reasonably reach a deal with ByteDance.
O’Leary hopes this offer will meet that standard.
“I intend to be there with [a letter of intent] that [President] Biden can look at and say, ‘This is a viable alternative, I’m going to stay the situation for 90 days to let the company engage with this buyer,’” O’Leary told Fox News on Monday, Jan. 6.
The offer would build on McCourt’s ongoing efforts to decentralize the internet and operate the app without TikTok’s algorithm. The algorithm drives targeted content to viewers based on what they engage with the most.
In a statement Thursday, Jan. 9, announcing the bid, McCourt said, “By keeping the platform alive without relying on the current TikTok algorithm and avoiding a ban, millions of Americans can continue to enjoy the platform. We look forward to working with ByteDance, President-elect [Donald] Trump, and the incoming administration to get this deal done.”
Trump opposes the TikTok ban, which would take effect one day before he assumes office. The president-elect wrote to the Supreme Court, urging it to block the ban so he can take action on it. The court will hear arguments from TikTok and the Justice Department on Friday.
Last April, Biden signed the law forcing TikTok to either sell to a U.S. owner or face a ban. The bill passed the House and Senate with wide support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Advocates worry about the influence China’s ruling Communist Party could have on ByteDance and the 170 million Americans using TikTok. Meanwhile, critics of the ban say it would go against users’ First Amendment rights.
Biden plans final push to limit Nvidia advanced chip exports: Report
President Joe Biden is reportedly planning one last artificial intelligence chip restriction that would hit major companies, including the second most valuable in the world, Nvidia. It’s his final push to control the spread of U.S. made chips to China and Russia before leaving office.
According to Bloomberg, the restrictions are expected to have a broad and expansive impact. The U.S. is trying to restrict advanced chip sales to data centers in entire countries and specific companies.
Bloomberg sources say the goal is to concentrate AI development in allied nations, and urge global businesses to center on American standards. Bloomberg said the regulations could be announced as soon as Friday, Jan. 10, and would come in a three-tier system, granting virtually unlimited access to American chips for key allies, while adversaries would be largely cut off.
Most other countries would face limits on total computing power, though higher caps could be granted if they agree to certain U.S. standards.
Nvidia is naturally at the center of this back and forth. The U.S. previously banned the company from shipping its most high-tech products to China in 2022. After the U.S. expanded those curbs, China hit Nvidia with an antitrust investigation last month. Now, the company tells Bloomberg it objects to Biden’s latest proposal.
“A last-minute rule restricting exports to most of the world would be a major shift in policy that would not reduce the risk of misuse but would threaten economic growth and U.S. leadership,” a spokesperson for Nvidia said.
Studies link fluoride in water to lower IQ … but is it really harming kids’ brains?
The decades-old controversy over fluoride in drinking water continues, with more people calling for its removal after it was linked in a new study to lower IQs in kids. A report published this week in JAMA Pediatrics showed the more fluoride kids are exposed to, the lower they tend to score on intelligence tests.
To come to that conclusion, researchers looked at the findings of dozens of studies published on the subject since 1989.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear. According to the U.S. Public Health Service, since being added to public drinking water in the 1960s, it’s reduced the average number of cavities by 44% in adults and 58% in adolescents.
They say many of the studies used to draw this conclusion were done in places like India and China, where natural fluoride concentrations in groundwater can soar well above the 0.7 milligrams per liter recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service.
However, critics of the practice, like President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the risk to children’s IQs is worrisome enough to end the practice entirely.
In September, a federal judge ruled the Environmental Protection Agency must strengthen its regulations on fluoride in drinking water based on the findings of the report.
Controversy follows Meta’s move to roll back some rules on hateful content
Meta is making some sweeping changes to its policy on what Facebook and Instagram users can and cannot post. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, the company not only announced it is doing away with professional fact-checking and replacing it with community notes but it also made updates to its hateful conduct policy, rolling back some content restrictions.
For example, the company removed a line in its policy that prohibited “dehumanizing speech” in the form of “certain objects” – including “women as household objects or property or objects in general; Black people as farm equipment; and transgender or non-binary people as ‘it.’”
Meta did, however, amend a different part of the policy related to “harmful stereotypes historically linked to intimidation or violence” to ban comparing Black people to farm equipment.
The company added a new section to the policy allowing “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation,” saying transgenderism and homosexuality are both highly debated topics in politics and religion.
Meta also eliminated a ban that prohibited people from saying transgenderism does not or should not exist.
The company also got rid of a ban on blaming the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese or Asian people. The now-deleted policy had told users not to post “content targeting a person or group of people on the basis of their protected characteristics with claims that they have or spread the novel coronavirus, are responsible for the existence of the novel coronavirus, or are deliberately spreading the novel coronavirus.”
Additionally, Meta is adjusting its automated systems that scan for policy violations, which the company says resulted in “too much content being censored that shouldn’t have been.” The systems will now only focus on extreme violations, such as child sexual exploitation and terrorism.
The changes follow allegations from President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers that Meta was “censoring” conservatives. President-elect Trump responded Tuesday to the news of Meta’s policy changes.
“I watched their news conference, and I thought it was a very good news conference,” he said. “I think they’ve, honestly, I think they’ve come a long way. Meta. Facebook. I think they’ve come a long way. I watched it, the man [Mark Zuckerberg] was very impressive.”
Critics of the new policy changes say they’ll likely lead to more hate speech and more false claims going viral.
Iran executed over 900 people in 2024, most in nearly a decade: Report
Iran reportedly executed more than 900 people last year, including dozens of women and five juveniles. It’s the most people the country has killed in nearly a decade, according to numbers compiled by the United Nations Human Rights Office.
The country hung more than 30 women. Some of those women were reportedly convicted of killing their husbands after fending off rapes or being forced into marriage.
Human rights officials said one of the executed women strangled her husband after discovering him and his friends raping her young daughter.
Government-sanctioned killings
The U.N. report revealed Iran executed around 40 people in a single week in December 2024.
Most of the government-sanctioned killings were for drug-related offenses. Still, Iran also executed activists and people connected to the 2022 protests, which were sparked by a 22-year-old woman’s death in police custody.
The U.N. Human Rights chief called the numbers “deeply disturbing” and urged Iran to stop all further executions with the ultimate goal of ending the death penalty.
Violating international law
A U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson said the office compiled the figures using data from several organizations, including Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency (IHRANA), Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Hengaw, a Kurdish human rights group.
IHR said this is the most women it has seen executed since it began tracking numbers 17 years ago.
IHRANA said it found Iran killed five juveniles. Capital punishment for juveniles is a violation of international law.
According to human rights organization Amnesty International, Iran accounted for nearly 75% of all executions globally in 2023.
The group said the numbers exclude China, which it believes executes thousands of people each year, but whose death penalty data is classified.