First things first: Donald Trump takes office as America prepares for a vengeful second term Donald Trump
Good morning.
The United States braced for a new era of chaos and division on Monday, with Donald Trump sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, promising a series of executive orders and a sweeping reorganization of the global order.
Trump's inauguration has been moved to the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol due to cold weather in Washington, D.C. The towering sandstone hall at the center of the Capitol was the site of a riot by some of his supporters on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his election defeat.
At the time, few thought that Trump, who had been impeached and convicted twice, would once again step into the White House. But over the weekend the 78-year-old joined Magga supporters in reveling in his improbable political comeback.
What did Trump promise yesterday? “We will stop the invasion of our borders… We will unleash the liquid gold beneath our feet… We will restore law and order to our cities… We will fully awaken to the ideology that is the hell of our military.”
how Does anyone assess the Biden administration? Katrina van den Heuvel writes that Joe Biden is a “very important one-term president.” Internationally, Biden “assumed a world that no longer exists”—with disastrous results—but domestically, Biden “cemented the break” with “failed market fundamentalism.”
Gaza ceasefire enters second day, Israel releases 90 Palestinians
Hamas has released about 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for three hostages it handed over to Israel as part of a ceasefire aimed at ending 15 months of war.
Most of the prisoners were released from Ofer prison in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, in the early hours of Monday morning, greeted by celebrations by thousands of people waving Palestinian and Hamas flags.
Mothers, fathers, siblings and friends waited for hours in the cold to hug their loved ones as part of the protocol.
What was the condition of these three Israelis? Three women – Emily Damari, 28, Romi Gonen, 24, and 31 – were taken hostage by Hamas in a tunnel under Gaza on Sunday. Doron Steinbrecher – was released and reunited with their mother. The video shows they are apparently in good health.
Are there any obstacles? Yes, the start of the truce was delayed by three hours, during which time Israeli warplanes and artillery struck the Gaza Strip. Palestinian health authorities said the delays meant 13 more people died. At least two missiles hit a family trying to get home in a donkey cart, Al Jazeera reported.
California wind forecast worsens, red flag fire weather warning expected for Monday
As Los Angeles firefighters made progress Sunday in containing wildfires that destroyed much of the communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, forecasters warned that fire weather could return with a vengeance on Monday.
The National Weather Service says widespread severe and extremely severe fire weather will occur across much of Southern California on Monday.
The Palisades fire is about 56% contained, with 23,713 acres burned, and the Eaton fire is about 81% contained, with 14,021 acres burned.
How many people are still under evacuation warnings? About 82,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and 90,000 people remain under evacuation warnings due to the fires.
In other news…
TikTok says it is recovering Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to halt its services in the US after banning The night before, the ByteDance-owned app stopped serving its 170 million U.S. users.
A NATO fleet has assembled off the coast of Estonia, The military alliance works to protect Europe's undersea cables and pipelines from sabotage.
Iranian court has ruled singer pray Death after appeal. The artist, whose real name is Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo, was convicted of blasphemy.
At least 80 people dead, thousands displaced in northeastern Colombia after a fragile truce between rebel groups collapsed.
Daily stats: Global billionaires' wealth to grow by $2 trillion in 2024
A report by the NGO Oxfam found that the wealth of the world's billionaires grew by $2 trillion last year, tripling that amount in 2023 to $5.7 billion a day. The charity's latest inequality report shows the world is on track to have five trillionaires within a decade.
Don't miss this: Brooke Shields talks abuse, aging and telling her story
The 11-year-old sexy child star Brooke Shields is now 59 years old. Shields spoke with The Observer's Eva Wiseman about how she finally became so…normal. “Bad things happen, it sucks, but what are you going to do about it? Instead of saying 'poor me,' say okay, now what?”
Climate check: US 'oil majors' wealth up 15% in nine months
A report by the Climate Responsibility Research Project shows that the wealth of US fossil fuel billionaires has increased by 15% in the past nine months. Meanwhile, Harold Hamm, the billionaire oil and gas executive who founded Continental Resources (net worth $18.5 billion), will host an exclusive swearing-in ceremony today.
One last thing: “We tried banning our son from YouTube… which only resulted in him recreating the offensive content offline”
“By 2025, at least for a while, we will have a complete ban on YouTube. Our son has created lo-fi versions of the same content for himself and for us,” Séamas O'Reilly wrote. He likes to rank everything on his list, a practice he borrowed from his favorite YouTubers. “He said the lasagna was Grade A, but the spaghetti and meatballs were Grade B.”
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