NEWS
President Joe Biden officially bid goodbye to the American people in a farewell address at the Oval Office. Peace builders are hopeful that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas will take effect. Check your Valentine’s candy now: A food dye that gives treats their cherry-red color is now banned in the U.S.
👋🏾 I’m Jane, Daily Briefing author. If a TikTok ban goes into effect, what happens to your videos?
‘May you all be the keeper of the flame’: Biden bids farewell
President Joe Biden said goodbye Wednesday night, telling the American people that serving as president has been “the highest honor of my life” but warning that dangers on the horizon pose a serious threat to democracy.
Biden’s nationally televised remarks came just days before President-elect Donald Trump returns to theWhite House on Monday, Jan. 20. “The America of our dreams is always closer than we think,” Biden said from the Oval Office. “It’s up to us to make our dreams come true.”
- Hours before his address, Biden announced a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas. While the plan was developed and negotiated by his team, Biden noted that it will be largely implemented by the incoming Trump administration.
- Biden touted what he sees as his accomplishments on the domestic front. Through resilience after the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, the country bounced back, creating 17 million new jobs.
- Biden also warned of the potential rise of a “tech industrial complex” and an “oligarchy” of “extreme wealth, power and influence” that he said threatens American democracy.
‘It’s time for this nightmare to end.’ Hopes that Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal will proceed
Relieved. Hopeful. Optimistic. Those were the reactions of some peacebuilders Wednesday after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas reached a new ceasefire and hostage release deal. President Joe Biden said the deal includes a six-week initial ceasefire phase and gradual withdrawals of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza. It also covers the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees held by Israel. Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country’s security cabinet and government, and a vote was scheduled for Thursday, an Israeli official said. After the announcement of the ceasefire deal, Israel airstrikes killed at least 70 people in Gaza early Thursday morning, residents and authorities said. Read more
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Trump considering executive order to try to rescue TikTok, reports say
President-elect Donald Trump is considering issuing an executive order after he takes office Monday to try to save TikTok as the deadline approaches for the social media platform to sell off its U.S. assets or be banned from the country, according to the Washington Post and CNN. The potential executive order would strive to allow TikTok’s 170 million American users to continue to use the app for a certain period of time as the administration sorts out who could potentially buy it, CNN reported. Congress passed the law in April that requires TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest TikTok’s American assets if the app wants to maintain a U.S. presence after Sunday. Read more
FDA bans Red No. 3 food dye
The Food and Drug Administration has banned Red No. 3, an additive used to give food and drinks a bright, cherry-red color. The move is in response to a petition filed in 2022 by advocates who claim the additive is linked to cancer and behavioral problems in children. Manufacturers will have until Jan. 15, 2027, to reformulate their products, while those who use the dye in medications will have until Jan. 18, 2028. Red No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a color additive made from petroleum and is commonly used in candy, cakes and cupcakes, frozen desserts, frostings and icing, as well as certain ingested medications. Read more
Today’s talkers
California governor bans ‘predatory’ land offers following LA wildfires
Residents who lost their homes in the Los Angeles-area wildfires a week ago are already being offered buyouts for their prime real estate – and Gov. Gavin Newsom is stepping in to block land speculators. In an executive order issued Tuesday, Newsom temporarily banned “unsolicited undervalued offers” to buy properties in 15 specific fire-damaged ZIP codes. Newsom said he worried that “predatory” developers would try to buy land from traumatized residents. Buyers in post-disaster areas have historically argued they provide much-needed cash infusions to people who’ve lost everything and face years of fighting with their insurance, if they had it at all. Read more
Photo of the day: People react to news of Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal
Palestinians and Israelis celebrated in the streets after news broke of a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and the militant group Hamas after more than 15 months of war. The truce is intended to stop the fighting that has devastated Gaza, caused unrest in the entire Middle East region and left tens of thousands of people dead. See our gallery of responses to the news in Tel Aviv and Gaza.
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Reuters contributed reporting.
