With the start of 2025, a lot has happened already. From a temporary ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas to the inauguration of the 47th president of the United States, there’s a lot going on.
Let’s start with everything that applies to the U.S. first. A massive piece of news that occurred was a ban on TikTok, which was then shortly removed and delayed by about 75 days. The ban was approved due to the parent company of TikTok, Bytedance, refusing to sell partial ownership of TikTok to an American company or business person. Shortly following his inauguration, President Trump placed an executive order to delay the ban by 75 days.
Along with TikTok getting banned, other apps owned by Bytedance were banned as well. Two notable apps that were banned were CapCut, a free editing app, and Marvel Snap, a virtual card game.
Many former TikTok users, nicknaming themselves “TikTok Refugees,”moved to the Chinese app, Rednote. Rednote is most similar to Instagram in its functionality and services. Rednot users were surprised by the sudden influx of American users. With TikTok being brought back up for people to use, users have found themselves going back to the app.
Many have felt concern over the banning of TikTok and believe that there’s a spell of trouble. People believe that Congress and the SCOTUS are united in accomplishing the goal of banning an app could be dangerous for other areas of entertainment.
Recently, the inauguration of Donald Trump occurred, making him the second president in U.S. history to serve two non-sequential terms. The first president was Grover Cleveland. Leading up to his inauguration, there was a lot of concern over the weather in Washington D.C., with snowfall and extreme temperatures, the inauguration was moved indoors.
On the same day of his inauguration, Trump signed numerous executive orders and still is as of writing. Some notable orders are: Declaration of National Emergency at the southern border, suspension of the CBP app (an app that allows migrants to legally immigrate to the U.S.), removing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, removing the U.S. from the World Health Organization, ordered the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusivity programs in the government, ordered that all government employees work full-time in person, pardoned of 1,500 January 6 rioters, removed various Biden-era orders, ordering the end of birthright citizenship, and ending of the 60-year-old Employment Equality Opportunity Act for government employees.
Some important details that we feel are important for the readers to know are that of one Biden-era executive order and one of the pardoned January 6 rioters who refused her pardon. Firstly, is the Biden-era order, which limited the price of prescription medication for those under Medicare or Medicaid. The reasoning behind this is unknown and has received negative reception from some areas of the public. Secondly is the January 6 rioter who refused her pardon. Pamela Hemphill was one of the many protestors who went to the capital on January 6, 2021, to protest the certification of the 2020 election. Many of those involved in the riot found themselves facing jail time. On his first day in office, President Trump pardoned those 1,500 who were facing jail time. Hamphill disagrees with this decision stating that accepting a pardon would “only insult the Capitol police officers, rule of law and, of course, our nation.”
With his inauguration, Trump has also changed the names of two landmarks. He changed the name of Mount Denali to Mount McKinley. Originally, it was called Mount McKinley but had its name changed to Denali due to the local Native American tribe who called it “Deenaalee.” Additionally, Trump changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The reasoning behind these changes is curious as this won’t have an effect on many Americans, if any. It must be stated that internationally, the Gulf of Mexico is still called the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump has also threatened sanctions on Russia if they continue the war in Ukraine. On Truth Social, the president’s main social media platform, Trump has stated his distaste for the war, wanting it to end so that no more lives can be spent. It’s unknown if these sanctions will have much effect on Russian leadership as the Biden administration had placed sanctions on the nation as well.
We feel it is necessary to state that, as mentioned earlier, the president has ordered the end of birthright citizenship across the U.S. With this statement, 22 states have all sued to stop this motion.
Additionally, Trump announced the start of “Stargate,” a $500 billion dollar AI program designed to improve AI infrastructure in the U.S. Elon Musk, one of Trump’s biggest supporters during the past year, has criticized the program, believing that investors and backers of the program don’t have enough money to support it.
To move on from politics, the fires in the LA area have been getting weaker due to the brave efforts of firefighters. Thousands of people in the LA area are still under evacuation orders. Some people in the Palisades and Altadena have had their evacuation orders lifted, allowing them to return to see their homes, or what’s left of them. In an investigation conducted by the LA Times, it was found that numerous people hadn’t received evacuation orders until the fires were on their doorstep. In San Diego County, a handful of brush fires appeared which so far have burned around 160 acres of land. However, first responders are managing to get the fires under control.
While on the topic of weather, a surprise snowstorm hit the southern U.S., with many states declaring a state of emergency. Airports from Houston to Jacksonville have delayed flights due to the inclement weather. Areas like New Orleans are expecting to get about six inches of snow. This sudden snowstorm in the south has led to the northern east coast to receive quite cold weather as well.
We regret to report that in Nashville, Tennessee, there was a school shooting at a high school cafeteria. One student lost their life, and one was wounded. The shooter has also lost their life, and their motive for the shooting is currently unclear. State troopers and emergency responders surrounded the school and nearby area. Governor Bill Lee had this to say on the matter: “As we await more information, I join Tennesseans in praying for the victims, their families & the school community.”
To move onto international matters, many have criticized President Trump’s choice to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement. U.N. Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell believes that countries are missing out on “massive profits and millions of manufacturing jobs and clean air” by not agreeing to the PCA. Many European leaders have restated their commitment to the PCA, not wanting to risk increasing global temperatures and further accelerating climate change.
The World Health Organization Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made a statement on the U.S. leaving the WHO per President Trump’s order. “For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication. We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”
Recently, the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, has stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party. This leaves the Liberal Party in a state of confusion as they have to appoint a new leader, and prime minister, by March 9 of this year. One candidate that has received acclaim from members of the Canadian government is Mark Carney. Carney helped lessen the blows of the 2008 financial crisis and helped the U.K. after Brexit, which was the U.K. leaving the European Union.
No matter what, whoever the Liberal Party plans to elect, they may be the shortest sitting prime minister in Canadian history. Canada has a parliamentary system, which means that the strongest party in Parliament, will pick their candidate for prime minister. If a party loses its hold in Parliament, either through elections or a vote of no confidence, there will be a newly elected prime minister by the party who then has control of Parliament. Currently, 3 opposing parties plan to vote for no confidence in the Liberal Party, which would end the Liberal Party’s rule. This is scheduled to happen on March 24, 2025.
Lastly is an update on the war in Gaza between Israel and various Palestinian fighter groups. Most recently, on January 19, a six-week ceasefire went into effect between Israel and Hamas. Both sides have agreed to release their hostages and prisoners to each other. With this ceasefire, an immense amount of humanitarian aid has flowed into Gaza. It is not known if this ceasefire will lead the way to a form of permanent peace. Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he’s received approval from President Trump to defend Israel from belligerents if need be.
With that, we must bring this article to a close. We hope that we informed you, even in the smallest way, about our ever-changing world. We hope that this article may have gotten you interested in checking up on the news more frequently. Either way, stay informed and stay safe.