Critics condemn Biden’s last-minute push to lower cigarette nicotine levels
With less than two weeks left for the Biden administration, a regulatory review proposed cigarette nicotine levels be mandated and lowered. The plan aims to get accolades from anti-tobacco advocates on American streets.
However, others interpreted the move as a cigarette ban that would exacerbate the black market.
The proposal cleared an Office of Management and Budget review last week. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf has until Jan. 20 to issue the rule.
Public health advocates believed setting a nicotine standard would be a positive step forward as there currently are no limits.
Cigarettes impact on health
According to a recent National Health Interview Survey, 11.6 % of American adults smoke cigarettes.
CDC figures showed an estimated 480,000 Americans die every year due to tobacco use. Cigarettes are a leading cause of preventable death.
In 2022, Califf said that lowering nicotine levels would decrease the likelihood of future generations becoming addicted to cigarettes and help current smokers quit.
Critics condemn proposal
Critics of the proposal said it would cause current smokers to use more cigarettes to compensate for lower nicotine levels, further harming their health. They claim it’s going to keep America smoking and make the streets more violent.
Opponents also estimated the black market for cigarettes would be in the tens of billions of dollars.
Many cigarette users have already transitioned to other nicotine delivery options that are believed to pose fewer health risks, such as e-cigs.
It remains to be seen if the Food and Drug Administration will issue the new rule before the Biden administration ends. After a public comment period, the incoming Trump administration will then make the final decision.
Wildfires force thousands to evacuate Southern California
Three massive wildfires are burning out of control in Southern California, putting thousands of homes at risk. And President-elect Donald Trump shares his plans to acquire Greenland, the Panama Canal and bring Canada as the 51st state. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.
Southern California wildfires force thousands to evacuate
Three separate wildfires are burning in the Los Angeles, California, area, and there is no end in sight, as strong winds are fueling the flames. The most extreme of the three is the Palisades Fire, which spans nearly 3,000 acres and has already forced 30,000 residents to evacuate.
Cities surrounding Pacific Palisades, including Malibu, issued evacuation orders. Officials there told all residents to prepare to leave their homes, whether they were under evacuation orders or not since the inferno was moving so quickly.
All hands are on deck to fight the #PalisadesFire in Southern California. California is deeply grateful for the brave firefighters & first responders battling the blaze.
We will continue to mobilize resources and support local communities as they respond to this severe weather. pic.twitter.com/JZrYy85e4z
The neighboring city of Santa Monica also issued an evacuation order for the northern part of the city. It also closed the area to the public, warning of an immediate threat to life.
As thousands of firefighters continue to battle the flames, authorities work to find the fire’s cause.
A second wildfire, dubbed the Eaton Fire, burns near Pasadena. A city spokeswoman said it has “created its own firestorm” with flying embers igniting at least a dozen other spot fires.
So far, the Eaton Fire has consumed about 1,000 acres. It engulfed homes and forced more than 100 people to evacuate from a nursing home — some in wheelchairs and on gurneys. A federal disaster declaration is now in effect for the Eaton Fire.
Crews are also battling the Hurst Fire about 100 acres in the San Fernando Valley, which is in the northern part of Los Angeles County. The Hurst Fire also prompted evacuation orders.
The Los Angeles County canceled schools in 19 districts Wednesday, Jan. 8. Plus, more than 200,000 people are without access to power, either because of the powerful Santa Ana winds or because a utility provider turned off electricity to prevent additional fires.
The forecast called for the winds to continue for days, producing gusts that could top 100 miles per hour in the mountains and foothills.
Biden administration asks federal appeals court to block 9/11 plea deals
The Biden administration asked a federal appeals court to block a plea agreement for accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The controversial deal would spare Mohammed from the death penalty for his role in planning the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
The deadly attack rocked the U.S. and began the war on terrorism.
In court filings Tuesday, Jan. 7, the Justice Department argued the government would be irreparably harmed if the guilty pleas were accepted for Mohammed and two co-defendants in the 9/11 attacks.
It said the government would be denied a chance for a public trial and the opportunity to “seek capital punishment against three men charged with a heinous act of mass murder that caused the death of thousands of people and shocked the nation and the world.”
The Defense Department negotiated and approved the plea deal but later revoked it.
However, attorneys for the defendants argued the deal was already legally in effect and that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who began the administration’s efforts to throw it out, acted too late.
Mohammed is set to enter his guilty plea on Friday, Jan. 10, if the appeal is not granted. His co-defendants, accused of lesser roles in 9/11, are due to enter theirs next week.
Harris, Johnson deliver eulogies for President Jimmy Carter
The 39th president died last week at the age of 100.
Carter’s body had been lying in repose since Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta before being transported Tuesday morning to Washington D.C.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson each delivered a eulogy during Tuesday’s ceremony
“We all know that his care for humanity didn’t stop at building homes,” Johnson said. “In the face of illness, President Jimmy Carter brought lifesaving medicine. In the face of conflict, he brokered peace. In the face of discrimination, he reminded us that we are all made in the image of God. If you were to ask him why he did it all, he would likely point to his faith.”
Harris highlighted Carter’s faith. She said, “James Earl Carter, Jr. loved our country. He lived his faith. He served the people. And he left the world better than he found it.”
Carter’s body will lie in state through Thursday morning, Jan. 9, and then be taken to the National Cathedral for a state funeral. Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy.
Trump suggests using military, economic force to expand America
In a wide-ranging press conference from Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump touched on a bunch of topics, including a $20 billion foreign investment to build data centers in the U.S. He also talked about his plans to revoke Biden’s recent ban on offshore oil and natural gas drilling as well as expansion strategies for the United States.
Trump reiterated his goals of acquiring the Panama Canal, which has been under Panama’s sole control since 1999, and Greenland, a territory of Denmark.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is leading an American delegation currently in Greenland, though the country’s prime minister said he is there as “a private individual.”
The Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen responded to Trump’s remarks Tuesday, saying Greenland was not for sale.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede reiterated this point, saying “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. Our future and fight for independence is our business.”
A reporter asked the president-elect if he can assure that he would not use any military force to take control of either the Panama Canal or Greenland.
“I can’t assure you, you’re talking about Panama and Greenland,” Trump replied. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two but, I can say this we need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for a military. I’m not going to commit to that now.”
In response to those remarks, the prime minister of Denmark called the United States its country’s “closest ally” and did not believe the U.S. would use any force to secure Greenland. Panama’s foreign minister repeated earlier comments from the country’s president that the sovereignty of the Panama Canal is not negotiable.
“[I’d use] economic force because Canada and the United States — that would really be something,” he said. “You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like. It would also be much better for national security. Don’t forget, we basically protect Canada.”
Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued his response in a post on X saying, “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”The president-elect also spoke of one more geographical goal of his in the upcoming term: to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, saying it “has a beautiful ring to it.”
Not long after his remarks, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she directed her staff to begin drafting legislation for the name change.
Police: Former soldier used AI to plan Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion attack
New details are emerging about the man who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. Las Vegas police said Tuesday the attacker used generative AI, including ChatGPT to plan the attack.
An investigation into former soldier Matthew Livelsberger, 37, found his search history on ChatGPT included questions about firearms and explosives. Straight Arrow News reporter Lauren Taylor has more details on the investigation into the Cybertruck explosion.
Girl Scout cookie season begins, 2 flavors discontinued
Girl Scout cookie season has arrived. The annual tradition is meant to teach young girls about entrepreneurial skills through selling boxes of cookies.
Almost everyone has a favorite, of course, but if yours is Girl Scout S’mores or Toast-Yay! Cookies — bad news. The Girl Scouts plan to retire those two flavors later this year.
The organization said discontinuing those two flavors may lead to something new and delicious.
More US adults say immigration a top issue compared to last year: Poll
More U.S. adults now believe immigration is a top issue, compared to last year, according to a new poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. In the December survey, respondents were asked to list up to five issues they believe should be federal priorities in 2025.
47% of respondents, including 69% of Republicans and 32% of Democrats, said immigration or the border wall is a top issue.
Last year, the AP reported that only one-third of adults believed immigration was a top issue.
On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump focused heavily on immigration. Customs and Border Protection numbers show nearly 11 million undocumented migrants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border while President Joe Biden has been in office.
Illegal border crossings reached record levels in 2023. There were 302,034 encounters between ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2023 alone.
Biden signed an executive order in June to crack down on illegal border crossings. However, Trump argued that Biden’s actions came too late.
Trump and his incoming “border czar,” Tom Homan, said they’ll carry out mass deportations of migrants in the country illegally. They will begin on Jan. 20, the day Trump is sworn into office for his second term.
The poll also reveals foreign policy and the economy are top issues for U.S. adults. This comes as wars rage on in Ukraine and Gaza, and inflation continues to impact Americans’ wallets.
Two federal inmates reject Biden’s commutation of their death sentences
Two federal inmates who spent years on death row are rejecting President Joe Biden’s commutation of their sentences. Both men have already filed emergency motions requesting that their commutations be blocked.
Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis, who refused to sign their paperwork after Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 inmates last month, are appealing their cases. They believe their status on death row will help them fight their convictions.
Agofsky is in jail on murder and robbery charges. He received his death sentence following the 2001 murder of a fellow inmate. NBC News reported he has opposed commutation to receive extra legal help for his appeals as a death row inmate.
Davis, meanwhile, is a former police officer in jail for the murder of a woman who filed a complaint against him after he allegedly assaulted a teenager. Davis says the court had no jurisdiction to try him for the case.
But getting their commutations reversed may be an uphill battle.
A 1927 Supreme Court case ruled that presidents do not need the consent of convicts to grant them pardons, commutations or clemency.
Judge blocks US Dept. of Justice release of final reports on Trump cases
As Straight Arrow News previously reported, lawyers for President-elect Donald Trump asked in a letter published on Monday, Jan. 6, for Attorney General Merrick Garland to stop Special Counsel Jack Smith from releasing his final reports on the election interference and classified documents cases. Now, the federal judge who dismissed Trump’s classified documents case is temporarily blocking the release of those reports.
Judge Aileen Cannon issued an order on Tuesday, Jan. 7, that halts the release of the reports while an appeals court decides on emergency motions filed by Trump’s former co-defendants in the classified documents case.
Cannon’s ruling means the appeals court will be left to decide whether or not Smith final reports will be released.
Cannon said in her ruling that blocking the reports was necessary “to prevent irreparable harm” to Trump and his associates until the appeals court decides its next steps. Meanwhile, some legal critics are arguing Cannon does not have the authority to block the reports, and that she is seeking to delay the documents release.
The legal battle is playing out less than two weeks before Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, after which his incoming Justice Department will take over the handling of Smith’s reports.
With 2 monuments in Calif, Biden creates largest protected tract of land in lower 48
In his final days in office, President Joe Biden is making history with the creation of two new national monuments in California. This action cements his legacy as the president who has protected the most land and water in U.S. history, according to Reuters.
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Biden will sign proclamations designating Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument along the northern border.
These latest declarations reflect the cultural significance of Indigenous tribes and their nations, while also fostering renewable energy development for local communities.
Tribal leaders have long urged the federal government to safeguard their ancestral lands and wildlife from future development and Biden’s move answers those calls.
Chuckwalla will become part of the largest protected land corridor in the U.S., stretching over half a million acres from Utah to southern California. The monument will create a new Moab to Mohave Conservation Corridor, an 18 million-acre tract spanning 600 miles.
The White House noted the Chuckwalla National Monument will preserve habitats for rare species and protect the ancestral homelands of the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan and Serrano Nations.
Further north, the Sáttítla Highlands will protect over 200,000 acres across three national forests, preserving critical ecosystems and natural resources.
In a statement, the Biden-Harris administration highlighted that the new monuments are aligned with the America the Beautiful initiative. The initiative aims to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
The move also follows Biden’s recent decision to impose a sweeping ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling along nearly all U.S. coastlines, further advancing his administration’s environmental goals.
Under federal law, presidents can designate or modify national monuments to honor sites of cultural, historical or scientific importance. However, future administrations have the authority to reverse such actions.
Since taking office, Biden has established 12 new national monuments and restored three others. These actions have secured more than 674 million acres of federal land and ocean for conservation.
Biden administration bans medical debt from credit reports
With less than two weeks left until President Joe Biden leaves office, his administration announced a new rule Tuesday, Jan. 7, that could lift the credit scores of millions of Americans. The finalized rule will not only stop medical debt from being included on credit reports, it will also ban lenders from using certain medical information in loan decisions.
The rule also bans lenders from using medical devices like wheelchairs or prosthetic limbs as collateral for loans and bars lenders from repossessing the devices if patients aren’t able to repay the loans.
Lenders will still be able to consider medical information in certain situations, like when the loan would be used to pay health expenses or if a person asks for a temporary postponement of loan payments for medical reasons.
Today, the CFPB finalized a rule that will remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills remaining on the credit reports of about 15 million Americans.https://t.co/PeCoLAeQSH
The CFPB says the measure will boost the credit scores of people with medical debt by 20 points on average. It’s also expected to lead to the approval of 22,000 additional mortgages a year.
The rule would take effect 60 days after it’s published in the federal register. However, the incoming Trump administration could undo the new rule because Congress has the opportunity to review and rescind final rules. President-elect Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Trump weighing executive order to protect gas stoves: Report
President-elect Donald Trump is considering an executive order to protect gas-fueled appliances like stoves and heaters. The executive order would shield the appliances from regulations designed to phase them out of American homes and businesses, according to what two sources familiar with Trump’s plans told Reuters on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Republican leaders including President-elect Trump have criticized local Democratic efforts to reduce the use of gas-powered appliances in construction projects over concerns about climate change and people’s health.
At least one federal study looked into a potential link between respiratory conditions such as asthma and gas-fueled appliances.
Dozens of Democrat-run cities, including San Francisco and Berkeley, California, have tried to limit the use of gas stoves in new buildings in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
New York state also approved a law in December that bans natural gas stoves and furnaces from most new buildings.
However, those efforts have faced legal challenges.
Berkeley, the first city to pass such a ban, was blocked from enacting the rule by a federal court in 2023 and repealed the law last year.
In protest of the regulations, at least 20 Republican-led states have passed legislation outlawing local governments from banning natural gas appliances in buildings.
Meanwhile, details of Trump’s potential executive order are still unclear.
The sources told Reuters that the order may be similar to efforts in Congress to limit federal dollars going toward state and local measures to limit or impose regulations on gas-powered devices that increase their cost.
According to the latest numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than 75 million American households use natural gas for at least one appliance. Natural gas is used mostly for heat and hot water.
The survey by the administration also found that 2 out of every 5 American homes have a gas stove.
At least 95 killed in 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Tibet
A powerful earthquake proves deadly in East Asia on Tuesday morning. And winter weather pounds the United States from the Great Plains to the East Coast. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
7.1 magnitude earthquake kills at least 95 in Tibet
At least 95 people are dead Tuesday after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked Tibet, China, according to Chinese state media. The quake occurred just after 9 a.m. on Jan. 7 near Shigatse, one of Tibet’s holiest cities.
The quake reached a depth of 6.2 miles, damaging buildings and sending people running to the streets in neighboring Nepal and India. Cities as far away as Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city about 240 miles away, felt tremors.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a magnitude of 7.1, while the China Earthquake Networks Center reported it at 6.8. Multiple aftershocks followed the initial quake.
In addition to the dozens of lives lost, local authorities said the disaster injured at least 130 people.
First winter storm of 2025 leaves at least 4 dead across multiple states
The system moved east on Monday, Jan. 6, from the Great Plains to the East Coast. It brought snow, blizzard conditions and ice. The storm hit cities like Kansas City and Cincinnati the hardest.
Authorities said a public works employee in Missouri suffered a fatal injury while working to remove snow. Two people in Wichita, Kansas, died in a weather-related crash, and one person in Houston, Texas, most likely died as a result of the cold weather, according to local authorities.
The storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes across at least a half-dozen states.
While the heavy snow ended, the danger remained. Forecasters said the winter system is drawing cold air behind it, meaning states across the entire U.S. will experience a cold front.
Pentagon transfers 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantánamo Bay to Oman
The Pentagon said the U.S. transferred 11 Yemeni detainees to Oman, which agreed to help re-settle them. Two of the detainees are former bodyguards for Osama Bin Laden and were being held at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.
None of the 11 detainees released were charged with crimes.
The move comes amid steps to reduce the population at the controversial U.S. military facility. Only 15 detainees remain at Guantánamo Bay’s detention facility, which the U.S. set up as the war on terror began after Sept. 11, 2001.
Of the 15 current detainees, only three are eligible for transfer. Three more are eligible for a periodic review, seven are involved in the military commissions process and two detainees were convicted and sentenced by military commissions.
In recent weeks, the Biden administration transferred four other detainees from Guantánamo, including one brought to the detention facility the day it opened in 2002. That person was never formally charged.
The move follows a recent ruling by a military judge that plea agreements with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and two other accused terrorists are valid and binding. Those deals take the death penalty off the table for the three men, who remain at Guantánamo Bay.
Biden attends memorial service for New Orleans terror attack victims
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attended a memorial service Monday, Jan. 6, for the 14 victims killed in the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans. The interfaith prayer service was held at the famous St. Louis Cathedral in the city’s French Quarter, less than a mile away from the scene of the Bourbon Street terror attack.
Jill and I traveled to New Orleans to stand with a community defined by strength and resilience.
To grieve. To pray. And let them know that America stands with them, and mourns with them. pic.twitter.com/26Phe203WF
The president spoke at the service, reassuring the people of New Orleans they are not alone and highlighting the city’s enduring strength and resilience amid tragedy. He referred to past devastation experienced by the city, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“If there’s one thing we know: New Orleans defines strength and resilience,” the president said. “You define it, whether it’s in the form of this attack, from this attack, or hurricanes or super storms. This city’s people get back up.”
The president and first lady also visited the Bourbon Street memorial, where they placed flowers and prayed for the victims.
While in New Orleans, the Bidens met privately with grieving families, survivors and first responders.
Though both cases were dismissed, the special counsel is required to provide a report to Garland, who can then decide whether to make it public.
According to the letter and a legal filing, Trump’s lawyers and two former co-defendants in the documents case viewed a two-volume draft copy of the report over the weekend. They called the report “one-sided” and “slanted.”
In the letter, Trump’s lawyer requested Garland fire Smith, who is set to resign before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, or let the decision on the release of the report be handled by Trump’s incoming attorney general, Pam Bondi.
The lawyers for Trump’s two former co-defendants in the documents case also asked the judge who dismissed the case to halt the report’s release, citing her ruling that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.
While it is not clear when the report will be released, the lawyers have asked the judge for a hearing on their request by Friday, Jan. 10, believing the release is “imminent.”
‘Shark Tank’ star Kevin O’Leary announces bid to buy TikTok
With millions of social media users counting down TikTok’s days in the U.S., one businessman is looking to prevent the ban from taking effect. “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary issued a press release Monday announcing his interest in purchasing TikTok.
O’Leary — known by “Shark Tank” fans as “Mr. Wonderful” — said he is partnering with former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt on the bid.
Speaking to Fox Business, O’Leary said he would need Trump’s help to seal the deal. O’Leary said he’s “protecting the privacy of 170 million American users” and “empowering creators and small businesses.”
TikTok faces a federal ban on Jan. 19 unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells. The Biden administration and other federal lawmakers believe TikTok threatens national security, accusing the Chinese government of using it to spy on Americans. Lawmakers fear the app is being used to weaponize and influence content Americans view.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments from ByteDance on why it should prevent the ban.
US eases restrictions on aid for new Syrian government
The U.S. is easing its restrictions on aid to the rebel groups now governing Syria. It’s a step toward support for the Islamist rebels leading the country.
But it’s also a sign of caution from the U.S. as they wait to see whether the government will keep its promises to protect the rights of women and ethnic minorities.
The Treasury Department issued waivers on Monday, Jan. 6, allowing electricity, oil and gas into Syria for six months.
The U.S. tightened sanctions on Syria during the country’s 13-year civil war, which ended with last month’s rebel victory.
The Wall Street Journal spoke to a senior U.S. diplomat who said Syria will stay on the state sponsors of terrorism list. The diplomat added that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group leading the new government, will also stay on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.
“Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” President Biden said on Dec. 8. “We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days. And they are saying the right things now. But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.”
This isn’t the U.S. government’s first move toward easing restrictions on its new Syrian counterpart. The U.S. removed a $10 million bounty on the leader of HTS, which it had issued because of the group’s early links to Al-Qaeda.