Friday, January 17, 2025
It is Friday, January 17, 2025. Here are today’s top stories.
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Supreme Court rules against TikTok
The U.S. Supreme Court made an unanimous decision against TikTok by refusing to block a federal law that will ban the app in the U.S. this weekend if it is not divested from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
The Supreme Court said the U.S. government is justified in raising concerns that TikTok poses a national security risk because the Chinese government could, in theory, tap into millions of Americans’ personal information through the app.
Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to delay the law so he can have an opportunity to do something when he takes the presidency next week.
As far as I understand, it’s not like TikTok will immediately disappear from your phones — what may happen at first is that Apple and Google will remove it from their app stores so new users can’t download it. The app also will be unable to provide updates.
This situation is very much in flux with Trump taking over the White House next week, so stay tuned.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/17/titktok-ban-supreme-court-decision-ruling/
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Trump inauguration to be moved indoors
Donald Trump announced that his inauguration on Monday is going to be moved indoors due to forecasts of an arctic blast that may bring temperatures of between 10-20 degrees F with cold winds. The swearing-in ceremony is usually held outdoors in front of the Capitol, but it will be moved to inside of the US Capitol Rotunda. CNN reported that Trump’s team are discussing holding some events at the Capital One arena and discussing how to handle the tens of thousands of people who planned to travel to D.C. to witness the inauguration.
In 1985, Ronald Reagan had his inauguration held indoors when temperatures were 7 degrees with a windchill of -25.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/17/politics/inauguration-moving-indoors-cold-weather/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/16/weather/trump-inauguration-weather-coldest-in-40-years/index.html
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Israel security cabinet approves ceasefire deal
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that its cabinet approved a cease-fire and hostage deal with Hamas. The deal will go before Israel’s government for a vote, where it is expected to pass.
The deal, which begins on Sunday, will see 33 hostages be released by Hamas over six weeks in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/israel-hamas-cease-fire-hostage-release-live-updates-1-17-2025
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Nintendo announces Switch 2 console
Nintendo announced that it will release a new console called the Nintendo Switch 2 sometime this year.
The console looks similar to the original Switch, but it is a bit larger. The controllers, called “Joy-Cons,” attach to the side of the unit rather than the original’s slide-in mechanism.
Nintendo said the new console will be able to play most games from the original Switch. The exact date of the release is not known but it looks like it’ll happen sometime this spring or after.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/16/tech/nintendo-new-switch-console-intl-hnk/index.html
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Film director David Lynch dies at 78
American film director David Lynch, who directed creative films like Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, Elephant Man, and Eraserhead and the TV show Twin Peaks, passed away at the age of 78. Lynch had recently suffered from emphysema and had breathing difficulties — he said it was due to a lifetime cigarette habit. Deadline said Lynch’s health plummeted after he had to evacuate from his home due to the Los Angeles wildfires. His family said there’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us, but they remember that Lynch would say, “Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.”
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SpaceX Starship explodes after launch
SpaceX’s largest rocket, the Starship, had its seventh uncrewed test on Thursday and it exploded about 8 minutes after launching from South Texas, sending burning debris streaking across the sky. Several flights in Florida were diverted or delayed to avoid potential debris. Many in the Caribbean took videos of the streaking debris. SpaceX said it was safe because the debris fell into a designated hazard area into the Atlantic Ocean.
Although the rocket exploded, its Super Heavy booster successfully came back to Earth and was secured by two gigantic extended arms, called “chopsticks.”
CNN said the FAA typically investigates whenever launches don’t go as planned so it may be a while before SpaceX can do another test flight.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/16/science/spacex-starship-megarocket-test-launch/index.html
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That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.