President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to block a law that could ban TikTok within the United States.  |
- President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to block a law that could ban TikTok within the United States.
- The White House has identified a ninth U.S. telecom network that Chinese state hackers have compromised, a senior official said on Dec. 27.
- The U.S. National Security Council says there are early indications that the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight on Dec. 25 was caused by Russian air defense systems.
- Ozempic users face double risk of rare vision loss, Nordic studies found.
- An award-winning sculptor opens up about his decades-long journey to success. Story after the news.
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A man holds a phone displaying the TikTok app on Aug. 11, 2024. (Oleksii Pydsosonnii/The Epoch Times) |
President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to block a law that could ban TikTok within the United States, stating that he would like to pursue negotiations to resolve some of the issues involved and salvage the platform. The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments over the law on Jan. 10, just nine days before the deadline for TikTok's parent company to either divest from the platform in the United States or face an effective ban. That Jan. 19 deadline is also just one day before Trump is expected to be inaugurated for his second term as president. "President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns," his Dec. 27 amicus brief read. Trump's brief underscored the importance of the timing and urged the court to give him more of an opportunity to handle the issue as chief executive. "This timing binds the hands of the incoming Administration on a significant issue of national security and foreign policy, and thus it raises significant questions under Article II," the brief read. Article II refers to the section of the constitution vesting executive authority with the president. Trump's brief said the law raised questions about legislative encroachment on executive authority. (More) More Politics: |
- Georgia state lawmakers have been granted the authority to subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of an inquiry into her prosecution of Trump.
- Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, suggested that the incoming administration may use halfway houses for the children of illegal immigrants.
- Mexico is preparing to receive its citizens who have been living in the United States illegally, with government officials planning to open new shelters to accommodate the anticipated influx of deportees.
- Sen.-elect Gov. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) that he will delay his swearing in as West Virginia's junior senator to serve out the remainder of his time in office as governor of the state.
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The White House has identified a ninth U.S. telecom network that Chinese state hackers have compromised, a senior official said on Dec. 27. The Salt Typhoon hacking operation has affected major telecommunications companies and dozens of nations, with Verizon, AT&T, and CenturyLink among the targets. Officials said in early December that the hackers are still embedded in U.S. infrastructure. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said that the hackers had focused on "very senior" American political figures and stolen vast troves of American data. She said on Friday that they still don't have a good sense of the total scope of the breach. The Justice Department on Friday issued a final rule naming China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela as countries of concern over their ambitions to exploit sensitive U.S. personal and government-related data by bulk. Under the rule, certain individuals and groups whom authorities deemed as threat actors are barred from transactions involving six types of U.S. data, including certain personal identifiers such as social security numbers or government identification numbers, precise geolocation data, biometric identifiers, human genetic or molecular data, personal health data, and personal financial data. (More) More U.S. News |
Emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau on Dec. 25, 2024. (Issa Tazhenbayev/AFP via Getty Images) |
The White House National Security Council announced there are early indications that the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight on Dec. 25 was caused by Russian air defense systems. Azerbaijani Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev said on Friday that a preliminary investigation determined that the airliner experienced an "external impact" before the crash. Nabiyev did not identify a suspected weapon or where it came from. "The type of weapon used in the impact will be determined during the probe," Nabiyev told Azerbaijani media. Flight 8243, operating the Brazilian-built medium-range Embraer 190 airplane, was en route to Grozny, Russia, from Baku, Azerbaijan, on Christmas Day when it was forced to make a crash landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan. The resulting crash killed 38 of the 67 passengers onboard. Ukrainian defense official Andriy Kovalenko immediately accused Russia of shooting down the aircraft after failing to close its airspace around Grozny, an area that faced a Ukrainian drone attack amid this flight's arrival. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared on Russian state media on Dec. 26, requesting a crash investigation take place before any conclusions are made. (More) More World News: |
- Africans are excited but nervous ahead of Trump's 2nd term.
- A Chinese man who killed at least 35 people last month by driving his car into a crowd was sentenced to death on Dec. 27, amid growing concerns over a recent wave of deadly attacks across the country.
- Ukraine has received its first-ever shipment of liquefied natural gas from the United States, marking a pivotal step in the nation's efforts to cut energy supply ties with Russia amid dismal relations between the two warring neighbors.
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🎤American Thought Leaders: Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn believes that putting "country before self" is necessary to repair America. (Watch) 🔀Crossroads: Rebecca Friedrichs discusses what Trump's eliminating the Education Department would accomplish. (Watch) 🍿Documentary: "The Unknowns" focuses on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the sentinels who vigilantly guard this revered national monument around the clock. (Watch free on Gan Jing World) ✍️ Opinion: Target China's Economy to Prevent an Invasion of Taiwan by Anders Corr 🍵 Health: Ozempic users face double risk of rare vision loss, Nordic studies find. 🎵Music: Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 27 in E minor (Listen)
📷 Photo of the Day: A woman crosses The Millennium Bridge during foggy weather in London on Dec. 27, 2024.👇
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Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images |
Our photography editors comb through the best images in the world every day. See their picks for today. |
Award-winning Texas sculptor Craig Campobella has gained recognition for creating historical Texas sculptures such as "The Texian" and "Texas Lady Liberty." (Dustin Bass) |
Award-winning American sculptor Craig Campobella is well-known for his Texas history pieces that illustrate moments of the Texas Revolution, such as the Battle of Gonzales (of "Come and Take It" fame), the Battle of the Alamo, and the citizen soldier (i.e., the Texian). The sculptor claims he has two primary requirements to create a piece of art: First, he must want to do it, and second, it must be what he calls "a teaching piece." "I add a lot of little things in there," he said. "Symbolism within symbolism within symbolism." His sculpture "The Texian" is a masterclass in symbolism. The symbols are found in the tiny elements: the 13 rocks under the Texian's left foot represent the number of days fought at the Alamo; on those 13 stones are 354 marks, representing the number of soldiers massacred at Goliad. There are nine stones under the statue's right foot, representing the nine Texas soldiers who died at the Battle of San Jacinto; the 18 buttons on the Texian's outfit represent the number of minutes it took to defeat Santa Anna's Mexican Army at San Jacinto. The stone under the right toe of the Texian is what he calls the "Santa Anna Stone," representing the ongoing struggle with the Mexican general. Along with 18 monumental sculptural pieces, Campobella has also created 35 tabletop pieces, including "The Alamo" and "Come and Take It," both of which have been displayed at the prestigious Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia.
Read the full story by our colleague Dustin Bass here.
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