THE WEEK IN REVIEW: DECEMBER 29, 2024-JANUARY 4, 2025: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

 

ALTHOUGH W.H.O. HAS ENDED THE PANDEMIC,

THE VIRUSES ARE STILL ONGOING.

PLEASE GET VACCINATED,

WEAR A MASK😷 WHEN NECESSARY

& BEWARE ANY VERSION OF

THE COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS!

JANUARY 4 IS WORLD BRAILLE DAY, SPAGHETTI🍝 DAY & HYPNOTISM DAY.

JANUARY 5 IS BIRD DAY🐦, CELEBRATING OUR FINE FEATHERED FRIENDS.

JANUARY 6 IS CUDDLE DAY.

JANUARY 7 IS OLD ROCK(S) DAY AND BOBBLE HEAD DAY.

JANUARY 8 IS BUBBLE BATH DAY.

JANUARY 10 IS HOUSEPLANT🪴 APPRECIATION DAY.

JANUARY 11 IS MILK DAY.

JANUARY 12 IS PHARMACIST DAY.

JANUARY 13 IS RUBBER DUCKY DAY, thanks to Sesame Street.

2025 IS THE 105TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BABY RUTH CANDY BAR

AND THE GOOD HUMOR ICE CREAM BAR.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE 🌍ORLD THIS PAST WEEK…

*Taiwan and China are together again???

*Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev wants Russia to admit its guilt in causing one of their air jets to crash and atone accordingly.

*An arrest warrant has been issued for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

*Switzerland’s new President.

*A look at 2024 from its elections.

*A look at illegal immigration elsewhere.

*The COVID state of the world, as of January 4, 2025.

*The MPOX state of the world, as of January 4, 2025.

*Jet Blue Airways has to pay late fees.

*Apple will settle a privacy lawsuit out of court.

*Same gender marriages are now legal in Liechtenstein.

*Elon Musk is planning new changes to Twitter/X.

*Believe it or not, some in Great Britain are more worried about Elon Musk than Donald Trump.

*The Chess Jeans Controversy has apparently been resolved.

*“New” dinosaur tracks have been found.

*The ancient sword's history lesson.

IN THE MIDDLE EAST…

*Concerning Israel, Palestine, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Gaza Strip and more. (There are 4/FOUR separate links in this item.)

*As the fighting continues… 

*"Suffer the little children"???

THE RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR!

*As the war continues… 

*Russia and the Ukraine exchanged Prisoners of War December 30.

THE TERRORIST REPORT…

*The Free Choice E-zine does not support terrorism, no matter what the “cause” or alleged “justification”. Thus we will only be posting news items in this section whenever terrorists are brought to justice through arrest and trial.

🌐THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHRONICLES…

*Hanoi, Vietnam has the worst air???

*The Rappahannock Tribe of Virginia USA have sworn to protect nature.

*How solar panels and farming can co-exist.

*January 5 is Bird Day🐦, celebrating our fine feathered friends.

*January 10 is Houseplant🪴 Appreciation Day.

*FYI: There are coastal areas that accept used Christmas Trees🎄 to help rebuild sand dunes along the beach. Check with yours to see if this program is available in your area.

*FYI: Some zoos accept used Christmas Trees🎄 to help feed their animals. Check with yours to see if this program is available in your area.

🌌SPACE NEWS...

*The upcoming planetary alignments.

*When the Space Trash comes back to Earth…

*Has the Signals Mystery been solved???

*Are there black holes on Earth???

😢PASSING PARADE…

*The innocent lives lost to war.

*The innocent lives lost in a South Korea jet crash December 29.

*The innocent lives lost when a truck deliberately crashed into a New Orleans, Louisiana USA crowd New Year’s Eve.

*The life lost when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of the Las Vegas, Nevada USA Trump Hotel New Year’s Day.

*Jimmy Carter, former Governor of Georgia and 39th President of the United States, 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and a great human being is no longer with us.

*Harry Chandler, a Pearl Harbor survivor, is no longer with us.

*Tomiko Itooka, the world's oldest known human at the moment, has passed away.

*Actress Linda Lavin (Alice, much stage and television productions) has taken her last bow on life’s stage.

*Musician, songwriter and producer Don Nix (a fifty year career from 1958-2008) has passed away.

*Athlete turned coach Doctor Ralph Mann is no longer with us.

*Actor John Capodice (Seinfeld, Ace Venture: Pet Detective, lots more) has taken his last bow on life's stage.

*Writer, producer, director and voice actress Britt Allcroft, who developed Thomas the Tank Engine for television, has passed away.

*Wayne Osmond of the Osmond Family is no longer with us.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…

WE NEED MORE

GUN RESPONSIBILITY

NOW!

ALL INEQUALITY HAS TO STOP!

BAN BOOK BANS!

POLITICALLY…

*Was the Treasury Department hacked??? (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)

*President Biden wants to give the Ukraine more aid before he leaves office.

*President Biden has blocked Nippon Steel’s bid to buy US Steel.

*President Biden honored the heads of the Congressional Committee that investigated the January 6, 2021 riot.

*Biden's last Medal of Freedom recipients.

*President Biden signed more bills into law this week.

*President Biden established chains of command within the Departments of  Home Land Security, Justice, Management and Budget, Agriculture and the Treasury. (There are 5/FIVE separate links in this item.)

*Former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral is scheduled for January 9.

*The Republican Response to the New Orleans Tragedy. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)

*Opinion: The current status of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obama Care.

*The latest from the White House.

*January 1 was the 105th Anniversary of the 18th Amendment, initiating Prohibition.

THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION…

*Oregon has declared itself a "Sanctuary State" to defy Trump's pending anti-immigrant plans.

*Trump’s pending “Border Czar” admitted he lied. There is no connection between events in New Orleans and Las Vegas.

*Trump sent mixed signals announcing his Deputy Middle East Envoy.

*Trump doesn’t want the flags at half staff during his Inauguration despite the fact they will stay down until the National Period of Mourning for Jimmy Carter ends January 28.

*Trump is planning a pre Inauguration Victory Rally January 19.

*Speculation: Trump’s future relations with North Korea.

*Speculation: How will Trump address the Ukraine???

*Speculation: Could inner turmoil delay Trump’s Inauguration???

*Speculation: The potential difficulties if Trump tries to abolish the Department of Education.

⚖THE SUPREME COURT REPORT…

*The 2024 End of the Year Report.

SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…

*Why an Editorial Cartoonist quit over an unpublished submission. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)

*Jet Blue Airways has to pay late fees.

*Apple will settle a privacy lawsuit out of court.

*Your own copy of Ohio Police footage now available, for a fee.

*Apparently Elon Musk doesn’t like Wikipedia.

*OOPS!

STOP THE SENSELESS VIOLENCE!

*A terrorist suspect deliberately drove a truck into a New Year’s Eve celebration crowd! (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)

*Who blew up a Tesla Cyber Truck outside the Las Vegas Trump Hotel New Year’s Day??? (There are 3/THREE separate links in this item.)

✅IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!

*The misinformation spreading about the New Year’s Eve attack in New Orleans.

*Liz Cheney fact checked Donald Trump.

*A look at H-1B Visas.

*Another look at Trump’s interest in the Panama Canal.

*The Prayer was not Thomas Jefferson's.

😷THE US VERSUS COVID…

*America's current status.

MEANWHILE, IN CONGRESS…

*Congress returned from Winter Break just in time for Mike Johnson to remain Speaker of the House.

*Sorry, no bathroom ban(s).

*Planning the agenda under Trump.

*The LGBTQ+ future of Congress.

*Opinion: The future of the Senate.

TRUMP’S TRIAL(S)…

*Sentencing in the Hush Money Trial is now scheduled for January 10.

ELSEWHERE…

*A serious mistake!

*The Surgeon General wants a Cancer warning on alcohol.

*Elon Musk is planning new changes to Twitter/X.

*Now in the Public Domain...

😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS…

*The housing donation.

THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ITS LOYAL READERSHIP FOR GRANTING US 153,749 PAGE VIEWS IN DECEMBER 2024.