World Briefing: January 20, 2025
For the second time, Donald Trump will be inaugurated Monday as president of the United States. It represents a pivotal time in American history, a new period beyond the world order created by the United States and its allies post-World War II. For the right, it presents hope for a future of a country returning to conservative social values and prioritizing the economic well-being of American citizens. But for millions of others on the left, Trump's return is the dawning of a dark era — one more nativist, inward-looking and mean-spirited that could leave the marginalized more vulnerable than ever. Trump is better-equipped to enact his agenda than when he first won the White House in 2016. Loyalists are lined up to help push an economic and social agenda that is sure to hearten his supporters and fuel an even deeper disdain among his detractors - NPR
Donald Trump plans to tell Americans that he hops to usher in a "thrilling new era of national success", according to excerpts of his inauguration speech obtained by CBS. In his remarks, Trump is also expected to say that a "tide of change is sweeping the country". He will also outline a "series of historic executive orders" to begin his presidency. "With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense," he will add. "My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigour and the vitality of history's greatest civilisation"
Donald Trump’s guest list for his Jan. 20 inauguration as U.S. president is shaping up to be a global Who’s Who of right-wing populists. Trump, of course, isn’t one for tradition. He has invited many of the foreign leaders he’s spoken to by phone or welcomed in person at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, such as Argentinian President Javier Milei and Chinese President Xi Jinping. While the European centrist mainstream has been sidelined — EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has conspicuously not been invited — plenty of space has been afforded to far-right and nationalist politicians. British anti-EU populist Nigel Farage will be there, as will French firebrand Éric Zemmour, Belgium’s Tom Van Grieken, and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who clashed with Brussels in a long rule-of law dispute. Also invited: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is known as the “bad boy” of European politics. Orbán will not be able to make it, his office told Hungarian media - Politico
Scores of senior career diplomats are resigning from the State Department effective at noon on Monday after receiving instructions to do so from President-elect Donald Trump’s aides, three U.S. officials familiar with the matter said. The forced departures, aimed at establishing a decisive break from the Biden administration, will see an exodus of decorated veterans of the Foreign Service, including John Bass, the undersecretary for management and acting undersecretary for political affairs, and Geoff Pyatt, the assistant secretary for energy resources (and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine), said the officials. Requesting the resignations, the prerogative of any incoming administration, indicates a desire to quickly shift the tone and makeup of the State Department as Trump seeks to upend the global diplomatic chessboard after four years of President Joe Biden. Key priorities for Trump include imposing sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries, ending the war in Ukraine, solidifying the wobbly ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants - Washington Post
Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump's choice to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with entrepreneur Elon Musk, is expected to soon step away from the task force, CBS News has learned. Ramaswamy intends to announce a campaign for Ohio governor as soon as the end of January, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News. People close to Musk have privately undercut Ramaswamy for weeks, frustrated with his lack of participation in the heavy lifting, according to sources familiar with the internal dynamics. There has been friction between the incoming rank and file DOGE staff and Ramaswamy, the sources said, and Ramaswamy has been subtly encouraged to exit.
TikTok flickered back to life in the United States on Sunday after President-elect Donald J. Trump said that he would issue an executive order to stall a federal ban of the app. The abrupt shift came after just hours after major app stores removed the popular social media site and it stopped operating for U.S. users. The company said in a post on X that in “agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service.” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday morning that he would “issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” The ban stems from a 2024 law that requires app stores and cloud computing providers to stop distributing or hosting TikTok unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Lawmakers passed the law over concerns that the Chinese government could use the app, which claims roughly 170 million United States users, to gather information about Americans or spread propaganda - NYT
Ninety Palestinians held in Israeli prisons have been freed after the release of three Israeli captives held in Gaza under a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. The ceasefire began at 09:15 GMT after a nearly three-hour delay during which Israeli attacks killed at least 19 Palestinians. Following the implementation of the ceasefire deal yesterday, families have started to emerge from their evacuation shelters and open-air encampments and head back to check on what is left of their homes and businesses. They have returned to Rafah, to the eastern areas of the Gaza Strip, and to Jabalia refugee camp. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 46,913 Palestinians and wounded 110,750 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 taken captive. - Al Jazeera
Russia will facilitate Vietnam’s participation in the BRICS bloc of developing economies as a “partner country,” the countries said in a joint statement after Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s two-day visit to Hanoi. “The Russian side welcomed Vietnam’s active participation in BRICS events in 2024 and expressed its readiness to create favorable conditions if Vietnam joins BRICS as a partner country,” the statement said. BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, with South Africa added in 2010, as a counterweight to the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations. Last year, the bloc added Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been invited to join. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and a few others have expressed interest.
Syria’s new HTS-led regime is reinforcing the police force with the help of its fighters. After the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad on December 8, most policemen and soldiers working under the regime fled or were suspended, leaving citizens unprotected on the streets of Damascus. Syria's new leadership under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – leaders of the rebellion – are currently relying on a few thousand fighters and volunteers to fill the gap - France 24
Texas leads the ranking of the most dangerous U.S. states for children, with 26 school shootings in the last five years. Florida is second, with the highest crime rates in the ranking. California stands out with over 1,300 open cases of missing children. A recent study by iSharing collected data from all 50 U.S. states to determine the most dangerous states for children-based on crime statistics, missing child cases, and school shooting rates. Experts from iSharing commented on the study: “The concerning trends in child safety across various states underscore the critical importance of leveraging technology to protect the youngest generation. We're seeing more parents turn to comprehensive monitoring solutions that combine location tracking with behavioral analytics to create reliable safety nets for their children. Modern safety technology not only provides parents with real-time location data but also offers crucial insights into their children's daily patterns and potential risks, enabling proactive rather than reactive protection measures."
