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☆ How influencers are preparing for a potential TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-10 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Just over a year later, Molinaro withdrew from partnership at her firm to go full-time as a TikTok creator. A US law that could ban TikTok is set to go into effect on January 19, unless the app is sold or the law is blocked by the Supreme Court. The two creators are working to grow other income streams ahead of a possible TikTok ban. “That has directly impacted me, and I’m sure it’s impacted a lot of influencers.”Opportunity on other platformsA TikTok ban could boost competitors like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. “Many people think, oh, a TikTok ban is going to mean these glamorous, frivolous influencers are going to have to get real jobs,” Maddox said.

Persons: New York CNN — Joanne Molinaro’s, “, ” Molinaro, Molinaro, influencers, ”, Jess Maddox, “ I’ve, Eli Rallo, Joanne Molinaro, JP Yim, John Nacion, ” Rallo, Rallo, Goldman Sachs, she’s, Joe Biden, ’ ”, Anna Moneymaker, It’s, ” Maddox Organizations: New, New York CNN, United States —, Supreme, People’s, US Justice Department, University of Alabama, Getty, CNN, YouTube, Facebook, Building Locations: New York, Chicago, TikTok, United States, China, People’s Republic of China, Washington ,

The "pizzagate" gunman who fired his rifle in a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant in 2016 after acting on a debunked conspiracy theory has died following a fatal traffic stop. Edgar Maddison Welch was shot by police over the weekend and died from his injuries on Monday, authorities in North Carolina said Thursday. Welch, who was 28 when the incident occurred, ended up surrendering to police after he did not find evidence to support the conspiracy theory, according to court documents at the time. He had carried an AR-15 rifle and revolver into the restaurant, according to investigators. "After the passenger failed to comply with their repeated requests, both officers fired their duty weapon at the passenger, striking him," Spry said.

Persons: Edgar Maddison Welch, Welch, Ping, Prosecutors, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Terry L, Spry Organizations: D.C, Ping Pong, Democratic, Associated Press . Police Locations: Washington, North Carolina, Kannapolis , North Carolina

☆ How Democrats are recalibrating on immigration: From the Politics Desk
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( The Politics Desk | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Democrats recalibrate on immigration after bruising defeat to TrumpBy Sahil KapurAfter the issue served as a political albatross for them in the last election, Democrats are taking steps in the early days of the new Congress to recalibrate on immigration. The bill passed the House 264-159 earlier this week, with 48 Democrats voting for it. The openness of some Democrats to supporting a bill that stalled out last year comes as the party looks for an immigration reset heading into the second Trump administration. And voters who cited immigration as a top issue backed Trump over Harris 89% to 9%, according to the exit poll. But some Democrats say they have fallen out of touch with voters on the issue and led the party astray.

Persons: Sahil Kapur, Jonathan Allen, Donald Trump's, Monroe, Riley, Trump, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Ruben Gallego, Mark Kelly, John Fetterman, Jon Ossoff, Elissa Slotkin, Jacky Rosen, aren’t, “, ”, that’s, —, Read, Lechleitner, Joe Biden, MAGA, Jonathan Allen Donald Trump’s, Trump’s, James Polk, elect’s, James Monroe, ” Monroe, Sena, a new, oda y ’, lea Organizations: NBC, White House, Capitol, Democratic, Trump, GOP, ICE, Harris, NBC News, Western, Panama Canal, GE Locations: Georgia, United States, Monroe, Greenland, Panama, —, Europe, China, Americas, usk

☆ TSA reveals craziest confiscations of 2024, from snakes in pants to meth in crutches
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Terry Dickerson | Terry Dickerson Is A News Associate With Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has dropped a list of the wildest prohibited items people have tried to sneak through airports in 2024. Knife inside laptop - Seattle Tacoma International AirportTSA found a knife inside the shell of a laptop that they claimed they didn't know was there. Meth hidden inside crutches - Portsmouth International AirportDuring an X-ray screening in New Hampshire, a mass was discovered in a crutch and methamphetamine was discovered wrapped in electrical tape. Live snakes inside pants - Miami International AirportCheck out this unofficial deleted scene from "Snakes on a Plane"! Replica IED walkie talkie - El Paso International AirportThis traveler in Texas was testing, testing the TSA's patience.

Persons: Ray, stroller, William P Organizations: Transportation Security Administration, TSA, Williamsburg International Airport TSA, Newark Liberty International, Marvel, Seattle Tacoma International Airport TSA, Midway International, Portland, Portsmouth, Miami, El, Hobby Locations: Asheville, North Carolina, Williamsburg, Virginia, PreCheck, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Texas, Houston

Acquiring the Panama Canal falls into the category of something Trump may want but is also using as an economic pressure campaign. For years, he has felt that President Jimmy Carter should not have returned the Panama Canal to Panama. Yet, this person said, Trump believes his trolling could get some policies to cut his way and help with negotiations. Greenland is closer to New York than Copenhagen, and the United States briefly occupied it during World War II. “Let’s say somehow Donald Trump buys Greenland and renames [the Gulf of Mexico] the Gulf of America,” this person said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Trump’s, Donald Trump Jr, Jimmy Carter, John Bolton, “, “ He’s, Justin ] Trudeau, ”, John D, Feeley, Barack Obama, ” Feeley, Greenlanders, Carla Sands, Danes, China’s, “ We’ve, ” Sands, Rufus Gifford, Obama, Kamala Harris ’, Gifford, “ There’s, Carter, José Raúl Mulino, huff, Trudeau, Trudeau ”, Wayne Gretzky, States ’, ” Bolton, Canada “, Justin Trudeau, Trudeau ’, Elon Musk, Trudeau’s, ” Gifford, Sean Hannity, James Monroe’s, Dusty Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mount McKinley, Jared Polis, Chuck Schumer, “ Trump’s Organizations: White, Trump —, America, Republicans, NBC, Trump, NBC News, Republican, GOP, Trump Jr, U.S . Air Force, NATO, Authority, “, Mar, “ Gov, Canadian, ”, North American Aerospace Defense Command, Gov, Elon, Conservative, Fox News, New York Post, Hemisphere, Congressional Republicans, ., Colorado Gov, Washington DC, Greenland Locations: Greenland, Denmark, Panama, United States, Canada, of Mexico, Denali, North, Danish, U.S, Nuuk, China, Trump’s, New York, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Panamanian, Mulino, Florida, States, United Kingdom, Germany, ”, Mexico, “, America, Gulf, Mount, Gulf of Mexico, Mount McKinley, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, of America

☆ More than 15,000 doctors sign letter urging Senate to reject RFK Jr. as health secretary
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

More than 15,000 doctors have signed a letter urging senators to vote against confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services. “The health and well-being of 336 million Americans depend on leadership at HHS that prioritizes science, evidence-based medicine, and strengthening the integrity of our public health system,” the letter reads. “RFK Jr. is not only unqualified to lead this essential agency — he is actively dangerous.”The letter was posted online by the Committee to Protect Health Care, a physicians advocacy group. “This appointment is a slap in the face to every health care professional who has spent their lives working to protect patients from preventable illness and death,” the letter says. The Committee to Protect Health Care, which is not funded by the pharmaceutical industry or for-profit health corporations, has been active in opposing drug companies in state-level efforts to install prescription drug affordability boards.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump’s, “, Kennedy, Katie Miller, Robert F Kennedy, ” Miller, Josh Green, Kennedy “, ” Green, ”, Rob Davidson, Davidson, “ Kennedy Organizations: HHS, “ RFK, Committee, Protect Health, Republican, Democratic, Capitol, Trump, American Medical Association, Hawaii Gov, The New York Times, Department of Health, Human Services, Public Citizen, Pharma Locations: Samoa, Michigan

Now they find themselves — and their political future — on the shopping list of the incoming U.S. president. He told reporters that he would not rule out military or economic force to make the Arctic island part of the United States. But it comes a little suddenly.”Donald Trump Jr. poses for a selfie with a local man after arriving in Nuuk, Greenland on Tuesday. Scott Olson / Getty ImagesInger Skydsbjerg, an administration worker in Nuuk, told Danish television channel DKTV that she was in favor of remaining linked to Copenhagen and "not so happy" with Trump's designs. “We are a peaceful country and we want to live our own life,” he told DR. “And then to make threats like that, that is far beyond the line.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, he'd, MAGA, Trump, Tittus Dalager, ” Donald Trump Jr, Emil Stach, Ritzau Scanpix, Edvard Jensen, Olaf Scholz, ” Aaja, Greenlanders, ” Chemnitz, ”, Múte Egede, Scott Olson, Inger Skydsbjerg, Danish King Frederik, Julius Sandgreen, “, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Mette Frederiksen, ” Frederiksen, Danes, Birgitte Jakobsen, Terkil Husum Isaksen Organizations: DR, Getty Images, ”, NBC News, U.S, Command, . Air Force, NATO, Danish, Copenhagen, Reuters Locations: Canada, Panama, United States, Nuuk, Danish, Greenland, AFP, “, ” Aaja Chemnitz, Mar, Copenhagen, Denmark, Getty Images Denmark

Under the rule, insurance companies are permitted to pass on the cost of reinsurance to consumers, although at an amount that can't exceed an industry standard. Reinsurance is protection that insurance companies acquire to shield themselves from catastrophic claim events. Typical property insurance policies, however, don't generally cover damage from disasters such as earthquakes, floods and landslides. The concern isn't whether insurance companies will pay out for damage but rather how much and how long it will take, Bach said. California does have an insurance program under the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, established in the 1960s, which provides fire insurance coverage for high-risk properties.

Persons: Amy Bach, United, Ricardo Lara, didn't, Morgan, Bach, weren't, Janet Ruiz, Ruiz Organizations: of Insurance, The Insurance Department, Morgan Insurance, Pacific Palisades, State Farm, Farm, Allstate, Mercury Insurance, Insurance Information Institute, NBC Bay Area Locations: Los Angeles, California, Westside, Pacific Palisades, Paradise

☆ Lebanon's army chief elected president, showing regional shifts
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Lebanon’s parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys U.S. approval and showing the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel. It also indicated a revival of Saudi influence in a country where Riyadh’s role was eclipsed by Iran and Hezbollah long ago. The terms require the Lebanese military to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces. Aoun, 60, has been commander of the U.S.-backed Lebanese army since 2017. On his watch, U.S. aid continued to flow to the army, part of a long-standing U.S. policy focused on supporting state institutions to curb Hezbollah’s influence.

Persons: Joseph Aoun, Bashar al, Assad, Michel Aoun’s, Aoun, Nabih Berri, Suleiman Frangieh, Anwar, ” Michel Mouawad, “ Organizations: Maronite, Amal Movement, Anwar Amro, Getty, Reuters, World Bank, Washington, Lebanese Locations: Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi, Aoun, Beirut, AFP, Paris, U.S

President Biden and others will honor former President Jimmy Carter at a funeral in Washington, D.C. And the end of fact-checking on Meta suggests a new era of social media is upon us. Today’s forecastAlthough the ferocious winds that have fueled the fires were expected to gradually diminish overnight, dangerous conditions are expected to persist. President-elect Donald Trump is blaming President Biden and California Gov. Carter has laid in state at the U.S. Capitol since Tuesday and is in the Washington National Cathedral for today’s funeral service. After the funeral, Carter will make his final journey to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he will be buried alongside his wife, Rosalynn Carter.

Persons: Biden, Jimmy Carter, Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton, Eaton, Hurst, —, Donald Trump, Newsom, Jimmy Carter Alex Brandon, Carter, Joe Biden, Rosalynn Carter, Trump, Samuel Alito, clapped, dockworkers, Bill Bratton, Naomi Biden, David Zalubowski, Mark, Meta, Elon Musk —, ”, Brandy Zadrozny, — Ben Goggin, Elizabeth Robinson Organizations: Meta, Getty, Hollywood, Cal Fire, Woodley, Fire, California Gov, U.S, Capitol, Washington National Cathedral, Trump, D.C, Facebook, Department of Homeland Security, NBC Locations: Washington ,, Palisades, Eaton, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena, San Fernando, Sylmar, Lidia, Acton, Sepulveda, Hollywood, Runyon, Southern California, AFP, Washington, Plains , Georgia, U.S, Greenland, Mexico, of America, Boston, Miami, Gulf, Israel, Gaza, New Orleans, Boston , New York

☆ Elon Musk says DOGE probably won’t find $2 trillion in federal budget cuts
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Is A Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Musk hadn’t waved people off the number until Wednesday, and it has been widely cited in reports about DOGE’s plans. “Do you think the $2 trillion is a realistic number now that you’re looking more closely at it?” he asked. I think that’s the best-case outcome,” Musk said. I think if we try for $2 trillion, we’ve got a good shot at getting 1,” he said, meaning $1 trillion in spending cuts. Penn also asked whether Musk had “identified some cuts that you’re really looking at, that you think will be successful.” Musk didn’t name any specific cuts, though he said generally that it’s a “very target-rich environment for saving money.”

Persons: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Musk, Mark Penn, Musk’s, he’d, “, hadn’t, Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump, didn’t, Ramaswamy, Bill Clinton, Clinton, ”, ” Musk, we’ve, Penn Organizations: Tech, Department of Government, Trump, Madison, Republican Locations: New York, Penn

☆ Capitol Police arrest man with machete at entrance for Jimmy Carter viewing
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is A Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

ET as it went through an X-ray machine at the Capitol Visitor Center. As officers investigated, screening at the north site of the Visitor Center was paused for about an hour, the agency said. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”Capitol Police have made other arrests at the Visitor Center over the past year. In November, Capitol Police arrested a man officers said was carrying a flare gun, a torch lighter and bottles of fuel. Earlier last year, the agency said it arrested a man attempting to enter the Visitor Center with a hammer.

Persons: Jimmy Carter, Mel J, Horne, " Horne, Donald Trump, Carter, J, Thomas Manger Organizations: Capitol Police, Washington , D.C, Police, Capitol Visitor Center, Visitor Center, Congress, U.S . Capitol, Capitol, Republicans, Washington National Cathedral . Capitol Police Locations: Washington ,, Virginia

Both sides say the tentative agreement will avoid a looming strike at midnight Jan. 15. The primary sticking point in talks between the International Longshoremen's Association and the Maritime Alliance was automation. The Maritime Alliance has said it was not seeking to implement automation to replace workers. The tentative agreement caps months of back-and-forth between the workers and the ports. The union says details of the agreement will not be released until rank-and-file workers are able to review it.

Persons: dockworkers, Harold Daggett, Morgan Organizations: U.S . Maritime Alliance, USMX, International Longshoremen's Association, Maritime Alliance, ILA Locations: Boston, Miami, Gulf, Mobile , Alabama, Houston, East, J.P

The Summary Demand for water to fight the Palisades Fire led the community’s water tanks to temporarily dry up. Immense demand for water to fight the fast-moving Palisades Fire led all three of the community’s water tanks — and some fire hydrants — to temporarily dry up in the last 24 hours or so. Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said the Palisades water system sustained four times its usual demand for 15 hours straight. According to the water department, crews trying to reroute water at one point had to evacuate because of the fire’s intensity. “We have three large water tanks, about a million gallons each.

Persons: —, Janisse Quiñones, ” Quiñones, ” Organizations: Palisades Fire, Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire, Firefighters, Los Angeles Department of Water Locations: Altadena

WASHINGTON — Justice Samuel Alito confirmed Wednesday that he took a phone call from Donald Trump one day before the president-elect asked the Supreme Court to halt his upcoming sentencing, but insisted that the case was not discussed. "I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon," Alito said in the statement, which was first reported by ABC News. On Wednesday morning, Trump asked the Supreme Court to halt legal proceedings in his hush money case ahead of his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for Friday. The Supreme Court has not yet responded to Trump's request. Alito said that he and Trump "did not discuss any other matter that is pending or might in the future come before the Supreme Court or any past Supreme Court decisions involving the President-elect."

Persons: Samuel Alito, Donald Trump, Alito, William Levi, Trump, Trump's, Martha, Ann Alito Organizations: WASHINGTON, ABC News, Trump Locations: York, New York

☆ NASA scrapped its $11 billion scheme to grab Mars rocks that may point to alien life. Now it has a faster, cheaper plan.
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NASA scrapped its $11 billion plan to return samples from Mars to Earth by 2040. The samples could return as soon as 2035 and may contain the first-ever signs of ancient alien life. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSNASA is not looking for active alien life but rather fossilized hints of long-gone microbial life. ADIn fact, in July, Perseverance stumbled on a rock in Jezero Crater that contained some of the strongest potential evidence of ancient alien life to date. ADNASA's new planBringing Perseverance's Mars samples to Earth will be complicated.

Persons: Bill Nelson, Nelson, NASA presser, Trump, Perseverance, It's, Jared Isaacman, Isaacman Organizations: NASA, JPL, Caltech, SpaceX, Trump Locations: European

☆ Anita Bryant, Whose Anti-Gay Politics Undid a Singing Career, Is Dead at 84
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Anita Gates | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Anita Bryant, the singer and former beauty queen who had a robust and flourishing music career, including hit songs like “Paper Roses,” in the 1960s and ’70s, but whose opposition to gay rights — she called homosexuality “an abomination” — virtually destroyed her career, died on Dec. 16. The death, at her home in Edmond, Okla., was caused by cancer, her son William Green said. The family placed an obituary in The Oklahoman, a newspaper in Oklahoma City, on Thursday. Ms. Bryant was just 18 when she won the Miss Oklahoma beauty title and was named second runner-up in the Miss America pageant. She promptly turned that success into a lucrative show business career.

Persons: Anita Bryant, William Green, Bryant Organizations: Miss, Miss America Locations: Edmond, Okla, Oklahoma City, Miss Oklahoma

☆ US dockworkers struck a deal with their employers, averting a strike that could have crippled shipping
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

This deal averted a potential strike involving thousands of dockworkers. The strike would have crippled shipping lines along the East and Gulf Coasts. ADThe two sides said in a joint statement that this will allow them to avoid any work stoppages on January 15. The strike would have potentially paralyzed shipping lines along the East and Gulf Coasts. The strike ended when the union secured higher pay, while other contract negotiations continued, and members returned to work.

Persons: USMX, dockworkers, Donald Trump Organizations: Longshoremen's Association, US Maritime Alliance, Gulf Coasts, ILA, American Workers Locations: East, Gulf, Gulf Coasts

☆ Character.AI put in new underage guardrails after a teen's suicide. His mother says that's not enough.
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Helen Li | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Related Video What is ChatGPT, and should we be afraid of AI chatbots? A Character.AI spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation. The explosion of AI chatbot technology has added a new source of entertainment for young digital natives. Related storiesA Character.AI spokesperson said the company is taking technical steps toward blocking "inappropriate" outputs and inputs. Questions about dataGarcia is also concerned about how data on underage users is collected and used via AI chatbots.

Persons: Character.AI, Megan Garcia, Garcia, Sewell Setzer III, Character.AI's, Yaman Yu, she's, They're, Matthew Bergman, that's, Bergman, chatbots, Artem Rodichev, Rodichev, Yu, Ro Khanna, Goliath, Chatbots Organizations: Google, University of Illinois, Senate, COPPA, Microsoft, Tech, Computer & Communications Industry Association Locations: Florida, Texas, Silicon

☆ A cut undersea internet cable is making Taiwan worried about ‘gray zone’ tactics from Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Wayne Chang | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Taiwan officials have not cited direct evidence that the ship damaged the cable, and the Taiwan Coast Guard said in a statement Monday that it could not determine the vessel’s intentions. While there was no direct evidence the vessel sabotaged the submarine cable, radar showed the vessel passed by when the cable was cut, the official said. The ship was also found to be using two different positioning system numbers, according to the Taiwan Coast Guard, which is also seen by experts as unusual for standard cargo operations. But he said Taiwan needs to bolster maritime surveillance and defense of submarine cables. Chinese naval and coast guard vessels have plied regional waters, and there has been an increase in Chinese aircraft operating around the island.

Persons: ’, ”, Guo Wenjie, “, Jie, Su Tzu, yun, Tom Shugart, Wu Cheng, Yi Peng, CNAS Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan’s Coast Guard, Taiwan Coast Guard, Yang Trading, Coast Guard, CNN, Taiwan Affairs, Reuters, Jie Yang Trading, Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, US Navy, Center, New, New American Security, China Coast Guard, Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs, LEO Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing, South Korea, Baltic, Cameroon, Tanzania, China, Matsu, New American, Washington . Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, Pacific, Estonian, Red

☆ A 79-year-old exercises 4 times a week, including dancing and 3-hour fencing sessions. She shared 4 things that help her stay fit and motivated.
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Serafina Kenny | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cherie Rohn, 79, took up fencing at 75. Cherie Rohn, 79, has a very structured week when it comes to workouts. For Rohn, fencing gives her "immense physical strength" and the ability to "meet the challenges of the day." This is because the healthiest way to eat, like exercise, is one you can maintain in the long term. ADMaking resting part of your workout routineShe also takes multiple rest days a week to help her body recover.

Persons: Cherie Rohn, Rohn, Nathan K, Don't, I'm, Danielle Gray Organizations: Physiology, Duke Kunshan University Locations: Fort Myers , Florida, Papua New Guinea, China

☆ Lebanese Lawmakers Choose a President After 2 Years of Gridlock
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Euan Ward | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lebanon’s fractured Parliament overcame more than two years of gridlock on Thursday to choose a new president, a critical step toward bringing stability to a country attempting to recover from economic catastrophe and a devastating war. Lawmakers elected Gen. Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese military, by an overwhelming majority in the second round of voting, after he failed to achieve the necessary majority in the initial vote. The election — which frequently descended into shouting matches — also came at an unnerving time for Lebanon and the wider region. In neighboring Syria, an untested new government is attempting to chart a path forward and rebuild after years of civil war. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the defeat of Hezbollah mean a sudden loss of power for their patron, Iran.

Persons: Lebanon’s, Joseph Aoun, —, Assad Organizations: Lebanese Locations: gridlock, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanese, Syria, Iran

☆ Silicon Valley is foaming at the mouth with the promise of AI 'agents.' These are the startups to watch.
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Melia Russell | Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

ADThe rise of agents offers a fertile ground for a select group of startups to establish themselves as the front-runners of this shift. The result is a list of 20 startups that seem positioned to scale this year on the back of new funding. Agents can break down complex tasks into smaller sub-tasks, make decisions, execute plans, and adjust their approach based on outcomes. PitchBook data shows startups exploring the application of agents have alone raised $8.2 billion in 2024. Here's a list of agentic startups who have raised rounds of more than $25 million and less than $75 million in 2024, ranked from the least amount raised to the most amount raised.

Persons: Sam Altman, Praveen Akkiraju, Jasper, Jill Chase, Aaron Jacobson, Seema Amble, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Insight Partners, Google, Microsoft, NEA Locations: Databricks

☆ Google donates $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund, joining other tech giants
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta both announced $1 million donations to the inaugural fund late last year, and Amazon and Apple CEO Tim Cook have also reportedly contributed. "Google is pleased to support the 2025 inauguration, with a livestream on YouTube and a direct link on our homepage. Trump has had a rocky relationship with major tech companies over the years and has not shied away from criticism of the sector following the election. He signaled late last year that he wouldn't rule out antitrust enforcement, which is a particularly sore spot for Google. Tech CEOs have made substantial moves to publicly show their support for Trump and repair their relationship with the incoming president.

Persons: Sam Altman, Tim Cook, We're, Karan Bhatia, Google's, Trump, Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai, Pichai, Elon, Mark Zuckerberg, Kevin Breuninger Organizations: Google, YouTube, Meta, Apple, CNBC, Tech, Little Tech, Social, Former, Trump, Elon Musk's Locations: U.S, Little

☆ Opinion | The Battle Over TikTok Is One Front in a New Cold War
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-09 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Its spy satellites have detected a rapid, large-scale buildup of Chinese naval and amphibious forces across the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese government’s intentions are unclear, but military leaders in Washington hope that a show of American force will maintain deterrence. Chinese invasion preparations would almost certainly be visible to the American military, and there would be an urgent need to try to prevent war. On TikTok, it’s as if a switch was flipped. All at once the feeds of almost 200 million Americans are full of urgent messages.

Persons: it’s Organizations: Pentagon, Pacific Locations: Taiwan Strait, Washington, Hawaii, San Diego

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