National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

Congress Convenes in Snowstorm to Certify Donald Trump’s Historic Election | 6 Jan 2025 | Congress assembled Monday with snow and security personnel swirling around the Capitol to officially certify President-elect Donald Trump’s historic political comeback. The counting of votes certified by each of the 50 states in December will make Trump’s 312 electoral vote romp official only two weeks before Inauguration Day. “CONGRESS CERTIFIES OUR GREAT ELECTION VICTORY TODAY — A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY. MAGA!” an ebullient Trump posted Monday morning on Truth Social. The Capitol complex, almost empty due to a rare heavy snowstorm in Washington, is blocked off by barriers in a security perimeter extending for blocks.

Justin Trudeau resigns as Canadian Prime Minister after disastrous liberal policies tanked the economy and Trump’s merciless trolling rocked his administration | 6 Jan 2025 | Justin Trudeau dramatically resigned as Canadian Prime Minister on Monday in remarks capping a spectacular fall from grace for the liberal standard-bearer just days before Donald Trump enters office. With his government in turmoil, a clearly dejected Trudeau, 53, said Parliament would be suspended until March 24 while his Liberal Party chooses a new leader. The scion of one of Canada’s most famous political families had become deeply unpopular in recent years over a range of issues including the soaring cost of food and housing, and surging immigration. Trump has repeatedly mocked the Canadian leader by suggesting his country would be better off as the 51st U.S. state.

Biden issues sweeping offshore oil, gas drilling ban in 625M acres of federal waters ahead of Trump transition | 6 Jan 2025 | Joe Biden announced an 11th-hour executive action on Monday that bans new drilling and further oil and natural gas development on more than 625 million acres of U.S. coastal and offshore waters. Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, said he is using authority to protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future oil and natural gas leasing. He invoked the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, meaning President-elect Trump could be limited in his ability to revoke the action. Congress might need to intervene to grant Trump authority to place federal waters back into development.

New Orleans Terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar Wore Meta Smart Glasses During Attack | 6 Jn 2025 | Shamsud-Din Jabbar wore Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta smart glasses while carried out his terrorist attack during the early hours of New Year’s Day in New Orleans, killing 14 and wounding 35 others, the FBI says. “Meta glasses appear to look like regular glasses, but they allow a user to record videos and [take] photos hand-free. They also allow the user to potentially livestream their video,” FBI Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Lyonel Myrthil explained during a Sunday press conference.