Los Angeles in flames
On January 7, the Eaton and Palisades fires — the most destructive fires in Southern California in history — devastated the Los Angeles area. Intense windstorms and a near-record-length dry spell contributed to the rapid growth of wildfires. Tens of thousands of people fled under evacuation orders, causing miles of traffic. The windstorms stopped on January 25, and moderate bursts of rain are expected. At least 29 people were killed and more than $250 billion in damages were caused as a result of the fire.
Ceasefire in Gaza
On January 15, Israel and Hamas broke months-long negotiating deadlock, finally reaching a second ceasefire in the year-long conflict. As part of this deal, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody and Israeli hostages in Hamas custody would be returned. The first phase will last six weeks, involving withdrawals of Israeli troops, an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and prisoner exchanges. Hostages will be gradually released throughout the three phases. Details on the second and third phases are yet to be decided.
TikTok banned and reinstated in quick succession
Former President Joe Biden signed the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in April 2024, which would have created a TikTok ban in the United States, starting January 19th, unless it was sold to America or one of its allies. The decision was made out of concern for data collection and influences by the Chinese government. TikTok was inaccessible to users for about 14 hours from the night of January 18th, with its services still available, but the app was removed from app stores. The decision to go offline was made by TikTok, with a statement from TikTok on Jan 17 saying that the White House and the Department of Justice had “failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability”. An executive action signed by President Trump delayed enforcement of the law by 75 days.
President Donald Trump inaugurated
President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on January 20. Trump became the second person in history to win a non-consecutive term in the white house. Early executive decisions by President Trump include pardoning almost all the January 6 rioters, withdrawing from the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Agreement, delaying the TikTok ban, enacting a federal hiring freeze, dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and imposing tariffs against Canada and Mexico.
Egg shortage amidst avian flu concerns
The H5N1 avian flu virus has wreaked havoc across U.S. egg farms, killing 17.2 million egg-laying hens. The lack of hens has led to a shortage of eggs, driving up prices all over the country. The spread of the disease was made worse by extreme weather conditions, changing the flight paths of wild birds that carried the virus.
China releases DeepSeek
DeepSeek — a startup owned by Chinese stock trading firm High-Flyer — released its first free A.I. chatbot. DeepSeek created the A.I. model with less funds and chips than many A.I. experts thought possible, matching the abilities of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Stocks in companies, such as Nvidia and Oracle, fell as DeepSeek raised questions about whether U.S. companies could maintain a lead in A.I. development.
