At least 95 killed in 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Tibet
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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.
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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.
A 7.1 magnitude #earthquake strikes in China's remote area in #Tibet region near Nepal, death toll rises to at least 53 and 62 injured so far. pic.twitter.com/G4uBiF5kL8
— Nikhil Choudhary (@NikhilCh_) January 7, 2025
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.
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First winter storm of 2025 leaves at least 4 dead across multiple states
At least four people died in connection to the first major winter storm in the U.S. in 2025.
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.
Winter Storm Blair left her mark in Ohio. ❄️
— Erika Campbell (@ErikaCampbell79) January 6, 2025
Show me your snow pictures. ⛄ pic.twitter.com/6XVl8Gjyxk
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.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 7, 2025
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.
Trump requests Garland block Smith’s final report
Lawyers for President-elect Donald Trump sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday, asking him to prevent Special Counsel Jack Smith from releasing his final reports on the election interference and classified documents cases.
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.
Tags: 2020 elections, 9/11, ByteDance, China, Classified documents, Crime, data privacy, Death, disaster, Donald Trump, Earthquakes, Election, Extreme weather, Fox, Fox News, Guantanamo Bay, Houston, India, Jack Smith, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, Kansas, Kansas City, Louisiana, Merrick Garland, Missouri, National Security, National Weather Service, natural disaster, New Orleans, Ohio, Plea deal, Power Outage, Prison, Privacy, Severe Weather, small business, Snowstorm, Social Media, Supreme Court, Tech, Technology, Terrorism, Terrorist Attack, Texas, The Pentagon, TikTok, U.S. military, United States Geological Survey, Weather, Winter Storm, Yemen
WE BEGIN IN TIBET THIS MORNING — WHERE CHINESE STATE MEDIA IS REPORTING AT LEAST 95 PEOPLE ARE DEAD AFTER A STRONG EARTHQUAKE.
IT HAPPENED JUST AFTER 9 A-M LOCAL TIME NEAR SHIGATSE (SHIH-GOT-SAY) — ONE OF TIBET’S HOLIEST CITIES — AT A DEPTH OF 6 POINT 2 MILES, DAMAGING BUILDINGS AND SENDING PEOPLE RUNNING TO THE STREETS IN NEIGHBORING NEPAL AND INDIA.
THE U-S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MEASURED THE QUAKE AT A MAGNITUDE OF 7 POINT 1, WHILE THE CHINA EARTHQUAKE NETWORKS CENTER IS REPORTING 6 POINT 8. THE INITIAL QUAKE WAS FOLLOWED BY MULTIPLE AFTERSHOCKS.
TREMORS COULD BE FELT AS FAR AWAY AS KATHMANDU — NEPAL’S CAPITAL CITY — ABOUT 240 MILES AWAY.
IN ADDITION TO THE DOZENS OF LIVES LOST — LOCAL AUTHORITIES SAY AT LEAST 130 PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN THE EARTHQUAKE AND MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND HOUSES WERE DAMAGED.
BACK HERE IN THE U-S — AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN CONNECTION TO THE FIRST MAJOR WINTER STORM OF 20-25.
THE SYSTEM IS MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE COUNTRY — FROM THE GREAT PLAINS TO THE EAST COAST. SNOW, BLIZZARD CONDITIONS, ICE AMONG THE FACTORS. PLACES LIKE KANSAS CITY AND CINCINNATI AMONG THE HARDEST HIT.
AUTHORITIES SAY A PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEE IN MISSOURI SUFFERED A FATAL INJURY WHILE WORKING TO REMOVE SNOW, TWO PEOPLE IN KANSAS DIED IN A WEATHER-RELATED CRASH, AND ONE PERSON IN HOUSTON MOST LIKELY DIED AS A RESULT OF THE COLD WEATHER, ACCORDING TO AUTHORITIES THERE.
THE STORM KNOCKED OUT POWER TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMES, ACROSS AT LEAST A HALF-DOZEN STATES IN ITS PATH.
AND WHILE THE HEAVY SNOW HAS MOVED ON, THE DANGER IS NOT OVER.
FORECASTERS SAY IT’S DRAWING COLD AIR BEHIND IT, MEANING HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM NORTHERN TEXAS AND THE PLAINS TO THE MID-ATLANTIC ARE EXPECTED TO BE 5 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE.
THE PENTAGON SAYS 11 YEMENI DETAINEES — INCLUDING TWO FORMER BODYGUARDS FOR OSAMA BIN LADEN — WHO WERE BEING HELD AT GUANTÁNAMO BAY, CUBA HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO OMAN. THAT COUNTRY HAS AGREED TO HELP RE-SETTLE THEM. NONE OF THOSE RELEASED HAD BEEN CHARGED WITH CRIMES.
THE MAJOR MOVE COMES AMID STEPS TO REDUCE THE POPULATION AT THE CONTROVERSIAL U-S MILITARY FACILITY.
THERE ARE NOW ONLY 15 DETAINEES LEFT AT GUANTÁNAMO BAY’S DETENTION FACILITY, which the UNITED STATES SET-UP AS THE WAR ON TERROR BEGAN AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001.
OF THE 15, 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 HAVE BEEN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED BY MILITARY COMMISSIONS.
IN RECENT WEEKS, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS TRANSFERRED OUT FOUR OTHER DETAINEES FROM GUANTÁNAMO — INCLUDING ONE, BROUGHT TO THE DETENTION FACILITY THE DAY IT OPENED IN 2002. BUT HE WAS NEVER CHARGED.
MEANTIME A RECENT DECISION BY A MILITARY JUDGE SPARKED OUTRAGE. THE JUDGE RULED PLEA AGREEMENTS WITH 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 ALSO REMAIN AT THE BASED, OFTEN CALLED GIT-MO.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN ATTENDED A MEMORIAL SERVICE YESTERDAY FOR THE 14 VICTIMS, KILLED IN the NEW YEAR’S DAY TRUCK ATTACK IN IN NEW ORLEANS.
THE INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE WAS HELD AT THE FAMOUS ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL IN THE FRENCH QUARTER — LESS THAN A MILE AWAY FROM THE SCENE OF THE BOURBON STREET TERROR ATTACK.
THE PRESIDENT SPOKE AT THE SERVICE, TELLING THE PEOPLE OF NEW ORLEANS THEY ARE NOT ALONE AND HIGHLIGHTING THE CITY’S ENDURING STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE AMID TRAGEDY — REFERRING TO PAST DEVASTATION, SUCH AS HURRICANE KATRINA IN 2005.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
“French Quarter is also a home to so many people. We will support everyone who lives there. All the people of New Orleans as they heal. And if there’s one thing we know, New Orleans defines strength and resilience. You define it, whether it’s in the form of this attack from this attack or hurricanes or super storms. This city is people get back up.”
THE PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY ALSO VISITED THE BOURBON STREET MEMORIAL — WHERE THEY PLACED FLOWERS AND PRAYED OVER THE VICTIMS.
WHILE IN NEW ORLEANS THEY ALSO MET PRIVATELY WITH GRIEVING FAMILIES, SURVIVORS AND FIRST RESPONDERS.
ON MONDAY — LAWYERS FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP SENT A LETTER TO ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND – ASKING HIM TO STOP SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH FROM RELEASING HIS FINAL REPORT ON THE ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE AND THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE.
THOUGH BOTH CASES HAVE BEEN DISMISSED – THE SPECIAL COUNSEL IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE A REPORT TO GARLAND – WHO CAN THEN DECIDED WHETHER TO MAKE IT PUBLIC.
ACCORDING TO THE LETTER AND A LEGAL FILING – LAWYERS FOR TRUMP — AS WELL AS FOR TWO OF HIS FORMER CO-DEFENDANTS IN THE DOCUMENTS CASE – WERE ABLE TO VIEW A TWO-VOLUME DRAFT COPY OF THE REPORT OVER THE WEEKEND. THEY CALLED IT QUOTE “ONE-SIDED” AND “SLANTED.”
IN THE LETTER – TRUMP’S LAWYER REQUESTED GARLAND FIRE SMITH – WHO IS SET TO RESIGN BEFORE TRUMP’S INAUGURATION – OR LET THE DECISION ON THE RELEASE OF THE REPORT BE HANDLED BY TRUMP’S INCOMING ATTORNEY GENERAL, PAM BONDI.
MEANTIME – THE LAWYERS FOR TRUMP’S TWO FORMER CO-DEFENDANTS, IN THE DOCUMENTS CASE, ASKING 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 WOULD BE RELEASED – THE LAWYERS HAVE ASKED THE JUDGE FOR HEARING ON THEIR REQUEST BY FRIDAY – BELIEVING THE RELEASE IS “IMMINENT.”
FINALLY THIS MORNING – WITH MILLIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS COUNTING DOWN TO TIKTOK POSSIBLY SHUTTING DOWN IN JUST A MATTER OF DAYS, ONE BUSINESSMAN – WHO’S ALSO KNOWN AS A SHARK — 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” – IS PARTNERING WITH FORMER DODGERS OWNER FRANK MCCOURT ON THE BID.
SPEAKING TO FOX BUSINESS – O’LEARY SAID HE WOULD NEED THE HELP OF PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP TO SEAL THE DEAL.
O’LEARY SAID HE’S QUOTE “PROTECTING THE PRIVACY OF 170 MILLION AMERICAN USERS” AND “EMPOWERING CREATORS AND SMALL BUSINESSES.” END QUOTE.
TIKTOK IS FACING A FEDERAL BAN ON JANUARY 19TH UNLESS ITS CHINA-BASED PARENT COMPANY BYTEDANCE SELLS THE APP.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER FEDERAL LAWMAKERS BELIEVE THAT TIKTOK THREATENS NATIONAL SECURITY BECAUSE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT COULD USE IT TO SPY ON AMERICANS AND EITHER WEAPONIZE OR INFLUENCE CONTENT THAT AMERICANS VIEW.
ON FRIDAY, THE U-S SUPREME COURT WILL HEAR ARGUMENTS FROM BYTEDANCE ON WHY IT SHOULD BLOCK THE BAN.
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