President Joe Biden on Tuesday ducked questions on his decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he was making his first presidential trip to Angola. Dismissing shouted questions with a laugh during a meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace, Biden said to the Angolan delegation “welcome to America.” Biden was not scheduled to take questions from the press during his trip to Africa, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday, and he has largely avoided any interaction with reporters since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory last month.

China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications, as a general principle, lashing back at U.S. limits on semiconductor-related exports. The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Such chips are needed for advanced applications. The ratcheting up of trade restrictions comes as President-elect Donald Trump has been threatening to sharply raise tariffs on imports from China and other countries, potentially intensifying simmering tensions over trade and technology.

In a scathing 520-page final report, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic laid bare the failings of public health officials, federal agencies, and private organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Titled “After Action Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lessons Learned and a Path Forward,” the report highlights widespread corruption, mismanagement, and negligence that plagued the pandemic response and cost American taxpayers billions of dollars. The report harshly critiques key public health figures, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, for allegedly orchestrating efforts to suppress the lab-leak theory and steer the narrative toward a natural origin of COVID-19.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law,” Tuesday accusing the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities. Yoon made the announcement during a televised briefing, vowing to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.” It wasn’t immediately clear how the steps would affect the country’s governance and democracy. Yoon — whose approval rating has dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party had been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic Party over next year’s budget bill.

General Motors is adding over 132,000 heavy-duty pickups in the U.S. to a previous recall for tailgate release switches that can short circuit and open the gates while the trucks are in park. The recall adds certain 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks to a February recall of 323,000 heavy duty pickups. Only trucks with a manual gate and power lock and release are affected. The company says in documents posted Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that water can get into the electronic gate release switches, causing the gates to unlatch. If that happens, cargo can fall into the road and become a hazard. The trucks in the new recall were added after the company found 237 field reports of tailgates opening unexpectedly.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent a message to Israel requesting military assistance in the regime’s struggle against the rebels who have captured large portions of northwestern Syria over the past few days, a security official told the Saudi Elaph media outlet. According to the report, Assad’s request was conveyed via one of his aides based in Europe directly to an Israeli security official. Israel did not outright reject the Syrian president’s request but conveyed a message to Assad that all Iranian militias must be removed from Syrian territory before Israel will consider positively responding to the request. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

In a blistering segment on CNN News Central, anchor Brianna Keilar left no stone unturned as she confronted Rep. Dan Goldman about his prior assurances that President Joe Biden would never pardon his son, Hunter Biden. The exchange followed Sunday’s bombshell news of the president granting a sweeping pardon to his son, convicted of tax evasion and lying on a federal firearms form. Keilar opened by airing a 2023 clip of Goldman on ABC News’s This Week, where he had unequivocally stated that a pardon was off the table. At the time, Goldman confidently dismissed the possibility, emphasizing Biden’s commitment to justice and contrasting it with former President Donald Trump’s pardons of allies. Keilar didn’t hold back.

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman Today, the Torah world grieves deeply at the devastating loss of an extraordinary tzaddik, brilliant talmid chochom, beloved father, devoted husband, and selfless philanthropist – Rabbi Howard Balter zt”l. He was a towering scholar whose masterful shiurim at Agudas Yisroel of Long Island captivated all who heard them. His electrifying lessons were marked by penetrating analysis and an unwavering pursuit of truth. With boundless energy and intellectual fire, he would delve into the most complex aspects of a Minchas Chinuch, skillfully presenting multiple perspectives while illuminating the path to deeper understanding. Even as illness ravaged his body, his brilliant mind and passionate dedication to Torah learning never dimmed.

Hamas and Fatah have reached a preliminary agreement to form a joint committee to administer postwar Gaza, negotiators from both sides announced Tuesday. The proposed plan, which requires the approval of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, envisions a nonpartisan committee to oversee key sectors such as economy, education, health, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction. According to a draft of the agreement reviewed by AFP, the committee would comprise 10-15 neutral members and manage the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the only Gaza crossing not shared with Israel. This development follows Egyptian-mediated talks in Cairo aimed at resolving Gaza’s governance after the ongoing war.

Kash Patel has been well-known for years within Donald Trump’s orbit as a loyal supporter who shares the president-elect’s skepticism of the FBI and intelligence community. But he’s receiving fresh attention, from the public and from Congress, now that Trump has picked him to lead the FBI. As he braces for a bruising and likely protracted Senate confirmation fight, Patel can expect scrutiny not only over his professed fealty to Trump but also for his belief — revealed over the last year in interviews and his own book — that the century-old FBI should be radically overhauled. Here’s a look at some of what he’s proposed for the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. How much of it he’d actually follow through on is a separate question.