Trump’s national energy emergency allows roll back of environmental rules
During President Donald Trump’s inaugural address, he unveiled plans to declare a national energy emergency, and emphasized his administration’s intent to prioritize domestic fossil fuel production. The declaration of a national energy emergency, if implemented, would grant the president additional executive powers, including the ability to suspend certain environmental regulations.
“The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency,” Trump said. “We will drill, baby, drill.”
While no president has ever declared a “national energy emergency,” there is historical precedent for regional energy emergencies. In the 1970s, during a period of fossil fuel shortages, then-President Jimmy Carter allowed state governors to temporarily lift certain environmental regulations. However, Carter urged state government leaders to use this authority sparingly and only as a “last resort.”
Unlike the circumstances of the 1970s, the U.S. today is a net exporter of fossil fuels, with oil and gas production at record levels. Despite this, Trump has expressed a desire to expand drilling and roll back federal regulations, aiming to encourage further growth in the oil industry.
Through the promotion of increased oil production, the president has pledged to lower energy costs. However, experts suggest that the 50% reduction in prices he discussed on the campaign trail may be challenging to achieve.
Trump could also use emergency powers to keep certain gas-fired and coal power plants operational, particularly those slated for closure due to environmental or economic considerations. Details on the administration’s next steps regarding this national energy emergency remain unclear, but such a declaration, if it happens, could mark a significant shift in U.S. energy policy.
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.
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.
FBI searches Houston location after New Orleans truck attack
Investigators are learning more about the man who drove a pickup truck into a New Orleans crowd, killing 15 people in what authorities are calling “an act of terrorism.” And authorities are investigating whether an explosion in front of the Las Vegas Trump Hotel was an act of terrorism. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.
FBI searches Houston location after New Orleans truck attack
Authorities searched a location in Houston, Texas, in connection with the deadly truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. The FBI said it is believed to be connected to the suspect, who they said killed 15 people and injured dozens more early Wednesday, Jan 1. The agency called the attack “a deliberate act of terror.”
“It did involve a man driving a pickup truck down Bourbon Street at a very fast pace and it was very intentional behavior,” New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.”
Police identified the suspect as Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, 42, a Texas resident and U.S. Army veteran. Jabbar served in the Army on active and reserve duty, including a 2009 deployment in Afghanistan.
Authorities said Jabbar drove a white Ford pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the city’s French Quarter around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday. He then opened fire on responding police officers.
Officers shot and killed Jabbar at the scene, police said. Two officers were injured in the shootout.
Investigators discovered an ISIS flag on the rear bumper of the suspect’s truck as well as additional weapons and two improvised explosive devices. Authorities reportedly found and detonated at least one other improvised explosive device in the area.
Jabbar drove around security barriers set to deter vehicles from entering the area, police said. Kirkpatrick said the suspect drove onto the sidewalk, striking several victims.
According to the city, the barriers were under construction as New Orleans prepares to host the Super Bowl in February.
President Joe Biden held a press conference following the attack from Camp David. He said the FBI informed him it was looking at social media videos posted by the suspect just hours before the attack, indicating it was inspired by ISIS.
“To all the families of those who were killed, to all those who were injured, to all the people of New Orleans who are grieving today, I want you to know I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you,” Biden said. “The law enforcement and intelligence community are continuing to look for any connections, associations or coconspirators. We have nothing additional to report at this time. The investigation is continuing to be active, and no one should jump to conclusions.”
Biden said the FBI does not believe Jabbar acted alone, and he has directed the U.S. intelligence community to work “intensively” to complete their investigation.
Jabbar’s brother told the New York Times that Jabbar converted to Islam at a young age but that this act was not religion-based but radicalization.
The president also said authorities were looking into any possible connection with an explosion outside a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Vehicles in both incidents were rented from the platform Turo, which allows car owners to rent out their vehicles.
The deadly attack in New Orleans led to the postponement of the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome less than a mile from Bourbon Street. That game will now be played Thursday, Jan. 2.
The FBI will hold a briefing Thursday with the House and Senate oversight committees on the New Orleans attack.
Victims of New Orleans truck attack begin to be identified
Kareem Badawi was a recent graduate of the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge. The school said Badawi was attending the University of Alabama.
Reggie Hunter, 37, was a father of two and worked as a warehouse manager.
Former Princeton University football player Tiger Bech was also killed. The 27-year-old moved to New York to work for a capital markets firm.
Ni’kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, an 18-year-old from Mississippi, was set to attend college, where she planned to major in nursing.
Nicole Perez, 27, was a mother who worked as a store manager.
These are only a few of the names of the more than a dozen victims killed in the attack. More information about the victims is expected in the coming days.
Fireworks, gas canisters used to fuel Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion
Authorities in Nevada are working to figure out if the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel on New Year’s Day was an act of terrorism. They say the driver, who died in the explosion, used fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel connected to a detonation system to set it off.
Seven people who were nearby when the blast went off were injured.
Investigators said the Cybertruck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Vegas about one hour before the explosion. Law enforcement officials have not identified the suspect because the person was badly burned in the explosion, but they have identified the person who rented it.
They said the suspect drove up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before pulling up to the Trump Hotel. The truck exploded seconds later.
Investigators are also working to figure out if this incident was related to the terror attack in New Orleans.
Power restored to nearly all of Puerto Rico after massive blackout
Power is mostly restored to homes and buildings across Puerto Rico after a massive blackout left the U.S. territory in the dark on New Year’s Eve. However, that might not be the end of it for some.
Luma Energy, the company that provides electricity to Puerto Rico, warned that more temporary outages could happen as it works to restore full power. The company said this could take up to two days.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the outage, but Luma Energy said a preliminary review indicated a failure in an underground electric line.
This is just the latest incident to highlight an ongoing problem with Puerto Rico’s power grid. In August, half of all the territory’s utility customers lost power during Hurricane Ernesto. It took more than a week to get it back.
Arctic air to bring a freezing start to 2025 in much of the US
Get ready to bundle up. Arctic weather will take over the warmer-than-usual temperatures that kicked off 2025 for a large part of the U.S.
Over the next couple of days, the coldest air of the season will move into the eastern part of the U.S., dropping temperatures to nearly 30 degrees below average in some areas.
While the bitterly cold air already started to move in, the worst of it is expected to hit next week.
🎆 As we round out 2024 and head into 2025, above normal warmth across the eastern half of the U.S. will be quickly replaced by a series of Arctic outbreaks… with the coldest air of the season set to take hold through next week. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/N046deYUpa
Forecasters said after the first wave of cold, two more rounds of arctic air will move in from Canada, setting up parts of the U.S. for a long-lasting run of freezing temperatures.
Notre Dame and Georgia to face off in postponed Sugar Bowl
The college football season provided lots of New Year’s excitement. Texas won in a double-overtime thriller, Ohio State routed Oregon and the top four contenders for the championship will be set after Notre Dame and Georgia face off in the Sugar Bowl Thursday afternoon.
The winner of the Sugar Bowl will move on to the Orange Bowl to face Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl 31-14 on New Year’s Eve.
Texas and Ohio State will face off in the Cotton Bowl after Texas edged Arizona State in double overtime at the Peach Bowl Wednesday and Ohio State shocked the nation with its thumping top-seeded, undefeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
The semifinal games are now the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl. They will be played next week and determine who will go head-to-head for the College Football National Championship.
Nearly entire island of Puerto Rico loses power in New Year’s Eve blackout
Hours before Puerto Ricans planned to start celebrating New Year’s Eve on Tuesday, Dec. 31, a blackout hit nearly all of the island, leaving more than 1.3 million customers without power. Officials said it could take days before power is restored to those impacted.
Nearly 90% of the U.S. territory’s 1.5 million clients were reportedly without power on Tuesday.
Officials said they believe the power outage is due to an underground line failure.
The blackout is reportedly directing more anger from Puerto Ricans toward Luma Energy and Genera PR.
The companies are in charge of the island’s power generation and many residents want them out over chronic power outages.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rican Governor-elect Jenniffer González-Colón, who will take office on Thursday, Jan. 2, has threatened to revoke Luma Energy’s contract with Puerto Rico over its failure to curb power outages. The governor-elect also wants the island to use more fossil fuels.
González is proposing that Puerto Rico drop some clean energy targets and instead use more natural gas.
González argued the goal is unrealistic and risks losing qualified companies from coming in to provide more reliable power to residents.
Puerto Rico’s power grid has suffered from years of neglect and a lack of investment while still reeling from damage due to Hurricane Maria back in 2017.
Only recently did crews begin making permanent repairs to the power grid following Hurricane Maria. Residents continue to rely on aging generators provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to stabilize the grid.
In November, Puerto Rico’s government asked for permission from FEMA officials to continue using the generators for an additional two years.
Questions surround plane crash in Kazakhstan, 38 killed
Investigators are working to figure out why a plane crashed in Kazakhstan, leaving more than two dozen people dead. And what police say might have caused a taxicab to jump the curb and plow into pedestrians in New York City. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.
Questions surround plane crash in Kazakhstan, 38 killed
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight originated Wednesday morning, Dec. 25, from the capital city of Baku and was en route to Grozny in Russia when the plane, an Embraer 190 aircraft, attempted to make an emergency landing approximately two miles from Akta in western Kazakhstan. That’s when it did what appeared to be a figure-eight in the air then slammed into the ground, killing at least 38 people on board while 29 others survived.
According to Russia’s civil aviation authority, a bird strike led to the attempted emergency landing. Reuters reported that Russian news agencies said the flight had been re-routed due to fog in Grozny.
During a press conference, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said it was too soon to give a reason behind the crash. He also said the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.
The plane crash-landed in a field and burst into flames before making it to the destination.
On Wednesday evening, a Wall Street Journal story cited an aviation security firm’s take on the incident. It said Osprey Flight Solutions assessed footage of the crash, plane damage and recent military developments in the area between Russia and Ukraine. The U.K.-based firm said the flight was “likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system.”
Just hours before the crash, Russia’s defense ministry downed 59 Ukrainian drones in the region.
Matt Borie, Osprey’s chief intelligence officer, said, “Video of the wreckage and the circumstances around the airspace security environment in southwest Russia indicates the possibility the aircraft was hit by some form of anti-aircraft fire.”
Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian national security official, gave a similar viewpoint on X, saying the plane “was shot down by a Russian air-defense system,” citing visible damage to the plane. Kovalenko said Russia should have closed the airspace over Grozny.
Though Russian President Vladimir Putin has given his condolences to the victims, Russian officials have not yet responded to these remarks and theories.
Reports said the cockpit recorder has been recovered as Azerbaijani and Kazakh authorities launch their investigation. There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on the flight, including 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals, according to Kazakh officials.
Zelenskyy says Russia launched ‘inhumane’ attack on power grid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces launched an “inhumane” Christmas Day attack on Ukraine’s power grid. He said more than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, and more than 100 drones targeted the energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian air defense systems intercepted more than 50 missiles and most of the drones, but some facilities were still hit, causing power outages in various regions of Ukraine. The Russian attack on the power grid left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without heat in very cold temperatures.
Every massive Russian strike requires time for preparation. It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a deliberate choice – not only of targets but also of timing and date.
Today, Putin deliberately chose Christmas for an attack. What could be more inhumane? Over 70 missiles,… pic.twitter.com/GMD8rTomoX
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2024
Ukrainian forces said they launched an airstrike against a Russian command post in Lgov, part of the Ukrainian-occupied areas in the Kursk region. The acting Russian governor of Kursk said at least four people died and five more were hurt in the attack.
Russian forces also said they shot down a Ukrainian drone in the north Ossetia region. Debris from that air battle caused an explosion and a fire at a shopping center, leaving one person dead.
Body discovered in wheel well of United Airlines flight at Hawaii airport
A United Airlines spokesperson said, “the wheel well is only accessible from outside the aircraft.” The airline is working with law enforcement to figure out how the person was able to get in.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, the plane had previously flown from São Paulo, Brazil on a direct flight to Chicago. The plane then had about a four-and-a-half-hour layover before the flight to Maui, which takes a little over nine hours on average.
So far, there is no identity on the person who died.
3 hospitalized after taxi hits 6 pedestrians in New York City
In New York City, paramedics rushed three people to the hospital after a taxicab struck six pedestrians, including a 9-year-old boy, on Christmas Day. Police said the cab veered onto the sidewalk on 6th Street near Herald Square in midtown Manhattan just after 4 p.m. ET.
They said the taxi driver might have suffered a medical episode, but that’s still under investigation. No charges or citations have been filed, as of yet.
Mega Millions jackpot soars to $1.15 billion after no Christmas Eve winner
If you were hoping for the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot for Christmas, you did not get your Christmas wish. There were no jackpot-winning tickets in the Christmas Eve drawing on Tuesday, Dec. 24, which means the jackpot has now gone up to $1.15 billion.
Four people won $3 million apiece for matching five numbers.
The next drawing will be Friday night, Dec. 27.
Beyoncé performs during NFL’s Netflix debut
The Baltimore Ravens crushed the Houston Texans 31-2 in the second game of the NFL’s Christmas double-header Wednesday. However, according to social media and online reviews, the big winner of the day was Beyoncé.
The 32-time Grammy-award winner performed during halftime of the game, which was part of the NFL’s debut on Netflix. Dubbed the “Beyoncé Bowl” by the streaming service, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer was joined on the field by entertainers Post Malone and Shaboozey, as well as her daughter Blue Ivey.
This marked the first time Beyoncé sang songs off her country album “Cowboy Carter” in front of a live audience. The album has garnered 11 Grammy nominations.
Just to be clear, this was the halftime show of the Christmas Day game, not the Super Bowl. That one will be performed by Kendrick Lamar.
Arizona’s data center growth negatively impacts underserved communities
Arizona has become one of the fastest-growing hubs for data centers in the United States. However, this rapid expansion is raising concerns about its impact on disadvantaged communities lacking access to basic electricity.
Since 2019, Maricopa County has built 12 data centers, with at least 20 more projects planned. By 2028, the region is expected to have the nation’s second-largest concentration of these facilities, which are critical to supporting the operations of the tech industry.
Data centers are known for their significant energy demands, requiring up to 50 times more power per square foot than a typical office building.
Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest utility provider, has projected that data centers will account for 55% of its power needs by 2031. Similarly, Salt River Project, the state’s second-largest utility provider, anticipates that about half of its power growth through 2029 will be tied to these facilities.
While the state’s tax incentives have drawn data center developers, their proliferation has placed increasing stress on Arizona’s power grid, leading to decisions that disproportionately impact vulnerable populations.
In 2024, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved funding for infrastructure improvements to support data center growth. Meanwhile, the commission declined a separate proposal to expand electricity access to parts of the Navajo Nation, citing concerns over potential consumer costs. As a result, thousands of Navajo homes remain without power.
Additionally, plans to expand a natural gas plant to meet the energy needs of incoming data centers have sparked environmental and health concerns in Randolph, Arizona. The historic Black community south of Phoenix faces heightened risks from emissions linked to asthma and lung cancer.
Arizona officials are now grappling with a critical decision: whether to prioritize data center expansion, which promises economic benefits like jobs and tax revenue, or slow the pace of growth to redirect resources toward addressing long-standing energy needs in underserved areas.
Millions in Cuba without power after electrical grid collapse
Millions of people in Cuba are without power after the country’s electrical grid collapsed for a second time on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Schools across the communist country were forced to close, and non-official workers were ordered to stay home.
Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said the Matanzas power plant failed around 2 a.m. Wednesday. De la O Levy met with other government officials and said they’re prioritizing restoring power to hospitals, hoping to restore the grid by Thursday, Dec. 5.
“Tomorrow we’ll be able to have the conditions to get it working, to recover the system. We’ve already started the recovery process,” De la O Levy said.
The island’s oil-fired power plants had already been struggling with a fuel crisis earlier this year as oil imports from Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico dwindled, Reuters reports.
Millions across the island had already been enduring rolling blackouts over the last two months before Wednesday’s collapse.
Hurricane Oscar struck the island in October, and then Hurricane Rafael hit in November, knocking out the power grid and leaving the island reeling from damaged homes and buildings.
Along with power and gas shortages, Cubans also deal with food and medicine shortages. The lower quality of life has led to an exodus of Cubans leaving the island.
In July, The Miami Herald reported that 10%, or 10 million people, left Cuba between 2022 and 2023, marking the largest migration wave in Cuban history. More than 645,000 sought asylum through the U.S. southern border.
The extent of the current power outage is unknown.
Some government buildings in the capital, Havana, had power Wednesday morning, but the city was mainly in the dark.
Vice President Kamala Harris concedes the election to former President Donald Trump. And President Joe Biden speaks to Trump to invite him to a meeting at the White House. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
Harris concedes presidential election to Trump
Donald Trump is once again president-elect, with more media outlets calling the election on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The former (and future) president not only won the Electoral College but the popular vote as well.
As of early Thursday morning, Nov. 7, Decision Desk HQ had Trump standing at 312 electoral votes, surpassing the 270 needed to win. His opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris earned 226. Trump also led in the popular vote at close to 73 million, with Harris getting just over 68 million.
We heard from Trump celebrating his victory in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Harris chose not to speak at that time.
Instead, the vice president waited until the afternoon to address a crowd of supporters at Howard University, where she conceded the election.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” she said, “but hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
Harris said she spoke with Trump on the phone to congratulate him. She also told her supporters it is important to accept the election results and engage in a peaceful transfer of power, calling it “a fundamental principle of American democracy.”
“At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our god,” she said. “My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
Harris also told the crowd, they might “feel dark times are ahead” but she hopes that’s not the case and added that “sometimes the fight takes a while.”
Harris, as the sitting vice president, will be the one overseeing Congress’ ceremonial certification of the election in January.
Meanwhile, there is speculation Trump could soon begin announcing appointments to key positions in his cabinet, in just a matter of days. Some prospective nominees reportedly canceled their flights out of south Florida Wednesday after election night celebrations, in order to remain close to Trump.
Biden congratulates Trump on win, invites him to White House
President Joe Biden also reached out to President-elect Trump over the phone on Wednesday. During that call, he invited Trump to a meeting at the White House and offered his congratulations.
The White House released a statement saying, “President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson confirmed the call, and that Biden invited the president-elect to the White House to “ensure a smooth transition between the current administration and the incoming administration.” The Trump campaign said the White House meeting would take place shortly and Trump very much appreciated the call from Biden.
Biden also spoke to Vice President Harris on the phone Wednesday. He released a statement following her concession speech saying in part, “Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation.”
President Biden added that selecting Harris as his vice president was “the best decision” he made.
The president is expected to address the nation Thursday on the election and the transition of power.
This morning at 11 AM ET, I’ll address the nation to discuss the election results and the transition.
Special counsel, DOJ reportedly in talks to end Trump prosecutions
Now that former President Trump is once again president-elect, Special Counsel Jack Smith is reportedly in talks with Department of Justice leadership to figure out how to end the criminal cases against Trump. That’s what sources familiar with the matter have told several media outlets.
The DOJ has had a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president and Justice Department regulations say a special counsel must consult DOJ leaders — possibly even Attorney General Merrick Garland — on major decisions in an investigation.
Last year, Smith charged Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Those latter charges were dismissed by a judge earlier this year, but Smith has appealed that ruling. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Biden admin rushing billions in assistance to Ukraine: Reports
The Biden administration plans to rush billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine before President Biden leaves office in January, according to multiple reports. The goal is to make sure Ukraine’s government is in a good place when President-elect Trump takes office.
Trump has been critical of the scale of the U.S. military and financial support for Ukraine in its war with Vladimir Putin and Russia.
I had an excellent call with President @realDonaldTrump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory—his tremendous campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work.
We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
In April, the Republican-controlled House approved more aid for Ukraine, including an allocation for weapons. However, more than $6 billion in aid that has been set aside for Ukraine has not made it there yet.
Trump has vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine quickly but has not specified how.
Cuba’s power grid collapses after Hurricane Rafael makes landfall
Hurricane Rafael weakened after making landfall in Cuba as a powerful Category 3 storm, but not before causing the island’s electrical grid to collapse.
While the storm is expected to stay in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, heavy rain will be seen in Florida and neighboring parts of the southeast. One to three inches of rain are expected for parts of the Florida Keys.
Rafael is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest to hit this late in the year since 2020.
Fox News wins election ratings, overall viewership falls from 2020
Fox News once again led the pack, getting the most viewers on election night. During primetime hours between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET, 9.8 million viewers tuned into Fox News. However, that is down from the nearly 14 million viewers who watched in 2020.
On the broadcast side, ABC News came in No. 1 in primetime with 5.6 million viewers.
Overall, Nielsen said across 18 cable and broadcast networks, 42 .3 million people tuned into coverage. That’s down more than 25% from 2020, when election coverage drew nearly 57 million viewers.
*Corrections to Wednesday’s “Unbiased Updates”: We would like to correct that North Carolina did not ‘flip’ blue as the current governor, Roy Cooper, is a Democrat.And, in our final story, history was made in three states on Election Day as two of the elections we mentioned took place in Delaware.
Expert breaks down DOE plan to connect Texas with the national power grid
For nearly a century, Texas has maintained an isolated power grid, separate from the rest of the United States, primarily to avoid federal regulations. However, a series of recent power challenges, including severe winter storms and hurricane-force winds, have prompted the Lone Star State to move forward with plans to connect to the national power grid in the hopes of preventing future large-scale outages.
The project, which involves a $360 million investment from the Department of Energy, aims to enhance the state’s ability to manage energy supply and demand more efficiently.
Pete Kohnstam, a sales director at Nexans — a global fiber-optic company that works with the same technology Texas will use to link to the U.S. grid — has emphasized the benefits of this connection.
“Texas is being connected to the rest of the grid, you have to hope that that helps a lot with balancing the challenges that they have,” Kohnstam told Straight Arrow News. “I think the ability to inject 3,000 megawatts, essentially, into the system is tremendous. What you’re doing is you are diversifying your generation supply and having a diversity of sources of generation and geographical diversity is huge.”
The move is not just expected to help Texas’ energy infrastructure but also to benefit other states by enabling the transfer of renewable energy.
According to the Energy Information Administration, Texas leads the U.S. in renewable power generation, accounting for about 16% of the nation’s energy derived from these sources.
“Texas has the highest amount of wind generation in the U.S. by a significant margin, they are powerhouse for renewable energy,” Kohnstam explained. “And so what this link will allow to happen is export of some of that excess renewable energy to states that don’t have such good resources, but also allow those resources in the east to support the Texas grid when they have challenges.”
Despite the planned connection, state officials are keen to maintain Texas’ longstanding independence from federal oversight. The state’s power system will remain autonomous, continuing to avoid the federal regulations that influenced its initial decision to isolate from the U.S. grid in the 1930s.
“This means that Texas retains its independence,” Kohnstam said. “It does not become part of the federally regulated transmissions, which is very important for the residents.”
However, Kohnstam estimates that it could take up to a decade to complete this project, considering the various approvals needed from regulators before the construction process even begins, although he expects there will be a push to get it done faster.
“The permitting processes can take multiple years. The lead time for the equipment is probably five years, and then construction time for the line will be two to three years,” Kohnstam explained. “So, I I would suggest that 10 years is a good window. I’m sure the developers are looking to improve on that significantly.”