Thursday morning news: January 16, 2025

Middle East cease-fire » Celebrations in the streets of Gaza after the announcement of a new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

That deal is scheduled to take effect on Sunday. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller:

MILLER - Hostages will begin to return home in the coming days. Humanitarian assistance will surge into Gaza. The fighting will stop. And the people of Gaza who have endured and suffered through so much pain and suffering will finally be able to start rebuilding their lives.

The agreement promises the phased release of more than 30 hostages that Hamas abducted … during its terror attack on October 7th of 2023.

Israel, in turn, will release hundreds Palestinian prisoners.

The deal also allows Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in Gaza...and allows humanitarian aid to flood into Gaza.

Wildfire » Firefighters around Los Angeles are breathing a cautious sigh of relief, at least for now, after dire weather forecasts over the past couple of days.

LA County Fire Chief Anthony Maronne:

MARONNE: The anticipated 70-mile-per-hour winds have yet to materialize. However, we are still at risk.

Officials warn that their fortunes could quite literally shift with the wind.

Forecasters are expecting better conditions the rest of this week, relatively speaking. But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned …

BASS: We are not out of the woods yet. There is a chance that the Santa Anas might spike up again next week.

Fierce Santa Ana winds have been blamed for fueling the blazes.

The fires have destroyed thousands of homes and have killed at least 25 people.

President Biden farewell address » President Biden delivered his farewell speech last night from the Oval Office.

BIDEN: I am so proud of how much we’ve accomplished together for the American people, and I wish the incoming administration success … because I want America to succeed.

Biden said his administration succeeded in expanding healthcare access through the Affordable Care Act, passing major infrastructure and climate legislation.

He also said he’s leaving behind a more racially diverse judiciary, highlighting the appointment of Katanji Brown Jackson as the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. And looking forward, Biden said …

BIDEN: We need to enact an 18-year time limit - term limit and the strongest ethics reforms for our Supreme Court.

He also called for, among other things careful regulation of AI and more regulation of speech on social media. And he stressed the importance of continued support for Ukraine.

Confirmation: Bondi hearing » At the Capitol, several more confirmation hearings are slated for today, including Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary and Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary.

The Judiciary Committee will also question Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi for a second day.

On Wednesday Democratic Ranking Member Dick Durbin said Bondi’s qualifications are not in doubt, citing her many years in law enforcement …

DURBIN: I need to know that you would tell the president no if you were asked to do something that is wrong, illegal, or unconstitutional.

Bondi said she never would have accepted the nomination if she believed that any such thing would be asked of her.

She vowed to run a fully independent Department of Justice. And that, she said, means eliminating the kind of political targeting at DOJ that she believes Donald Trump experienced.

BONDI:  The partisanship, the weaponization will be gone. America will have one tier of justice for all.

Confirmation: Rubio hearing » Also on Wednesday, Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio Senator Rubio testified before the same Foreign Relations Committee on which he now serves.

RUBIO:  I thank you and I hope I can earn your support, whether it's because you believe I would do a good job or because you want to get rid of me.

The top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Jean Shaheen said she believes Rubio is well qualified for the job. But she pressed him on the Trump foreign policy he’ll be charged with carrying forward, including in Ukraine.

SHAHEEN:  President Zelensky has said that he's open to a peace agreement, but I am concerned both for the Ukrainian people who have sacrificed so much about the message that abandoning Ukraine would send not just to our allies, but also to our adversaries.

Rubio said the Ukraine war must end, and that will require—quote—“balances" and "concessions on both sides.” But he warned against the idea of a neutral Ukraine. He said that could open the door to Vladimir Putin rearming and relaunching the war again in the future.

Sen. Rubio also testified that China now poses the greatest threat the United States has ever faced.

Yoon Arrest Ready » Authorities in South Korea have arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Yoon is facing insurrection charges … stemming from his declaration of martial law last month. That order led to his impeachment.

Authorities took him into custody Wednesday at his presidential compound in Seoul.

That followed a standoff between law enforcement and Yoon’s security forces at the compound.

Yoon released a video message saying he would cooperate with the criminal investigation into his actions … but he also argued that the warrant used to arrest him was illegitimate.

Police can hold Yoon for 48 hours unless a new warrant is issued … which could see him detained for up to 20 days before he is brought to trial.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: online age-verification…what are the pros and cons?

Plus, empowering parents and school boards to promote religious freedom in our nation’s public schools.

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