Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening.
President Donald Trump delivers a powerful message to the world’s economic leaders; Trump also weighs in on the future of a federal disaster relief agency, and a federal judge blocks a controversial executive order regarding citizenship and illegal immigrants.
Also, our nation’s new top diplomat outlines his plans for the U.S. State Department, and a prominent tech billionaire says that the president’s proposed AI project could eventually lead to a cancer vaccine.
Trump Addresses World Economic Forum
Trump delivered an “America First” speech to executives, bankers, and policymakers who were attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Speaking virtually, he encouraged those global business leaders to invest in the United States and warned them of tariffs if they don’t.Trump said that his message to every business in the world is very simple: “Come make your product in America.” He went on to promise that his administration would offer some of the lowest taxes in the world, including significant reductions to corporations.
However, he also warned that companies that do not make their products in America will have to pay a penalty, and that those penalties could add up to trillions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury.
During his address, Trump also openly criticized the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) and “net-zero” initiatives that have been championed by the forum. He said that his administration has already taken action to abolish what he called discriminatory DEI “nonsense,” and that America will once again become a “merit-based country.”
He also expressed concerns about NATO’s heavy dependence on the United States, and he advised member nations to increase their contributions to defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP.
Additionally, he criticized the European Union for not treating American companies fairly; he pointed to tech giants Google, Apple, and Meta as examples.
In case you’re not aware, the World Economic Forum brings together both the public and private sectors to tackle what it identifies as urgent global challenges, including the climate, poverty, wealth inequality, food security, and pandemics.
Trump: ‘Big Discussion’ Coming on FEMA’s Future
Trump says he’d prefer to see individual states handle any necessary disaster response efforts themselves prior to the federal government stepping in later to assist with financial help.He says that for the last four years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has not done its job; that a certain type of leadership is needed to run the agency; and that there’s going to be a “whole big discussion” about the future of FEMA very soon.
Trump did not elaborate further regarding what FEMA-related actions his administration might take. However, he did point out that his previous administration “had FEMA working really well,” especially when dealing with hurricanes in Florida and tornadoes in Alabama.
Trump has frequently lodged criticism at the agency, which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, for its response to a number of recent natural disasters.
Earlier this week, he said that the country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency. He specifically pointed to the recent Hurricane Helene disaster, which devastated parts of North Carolina along with other states, and he said that people there are “still suffering” from that disaster.
Meanwhile, a number of Republican lawmakers are also calling for FEMA to be completely overhauled, saying that a new director, a new administrator, and a change of culture at the agency are all needed.
Judge Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order
A federal judge in Seattle has just blocked Trump’s order limiting birthright citizenship, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.” The temporary restraining order prohibits the Trump administration from enforcing the order for 14 days.The ruling was made in a case brought by the attorneys general of Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington state, and was one of several lawsuits that have been lodged against the executive order, which was set to take effect on Feb. 19.
Just a reminder, Trump’s order says that based on previous court rulings that interpreted the U.S. Constitution, the federal government does not automatically recognize birthright citizenship for children who are born to illegal immigrants in the United States.
In their motion for a temporary restraining order, state officials said that Trump went beyond his powers with the executive order. They described it as contrary to both the text and history of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, as well as Supreme Court precedent.
They also said that without court intervention, the order would leave more than 150,000 babies born this year without citizenship, because their parents are illegally in this country.
In response, government officials argued against the restraining order, saying that it would be “wildly inappropriate” because the states who filed the lawsuit have not suffered any injuries. They also said that “ample historical evidence” shows that the children of non-resident aliens are not entitled to birthright citizenship and that the plaintiffs in the case are not likely to succeed.
Moving forward, the two-week order will remain in place while the judge weighs whether or not to issue a preliminary injunction, which would then likely remain in place as the case proceeds in the courts.
Rubio Unveils State Department Priorities
Rubio is vowing to assemble a more “innovative, nimble, and focused” State Department, and he says that President Donald Trump has given him “a clear direction to place our core national interest as the guiding mission of American foreign policy.”The former senator from Florida says that every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple points: Does it make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous?
Rubio said that advancing national interest will require replacing some priorities, deemphasizing some issues, and eliminating various practices that were implemented under the Biden administration.
He vowed to focus on curbing mass migration into the United States and securing the nation’s borders. Additionally, he promised to reward “performance and merit,” and he said that the State Department must curb censorship, halt the suppression of information, and “reprioritize truth.”
Finally, Rubio said the department “will use diplomacy” to help Trump fulfill his promise for a return to America’s energy dominance. He pointed out that while ongoing threats to the environment cannot be ignored, the federal government must do away with climate policies that “weaken America.”
In case you missed it, Rubio is the first of Trump’s Cabinet nominees to secure Senate confirmation and he was sworn in as America’s 72nd secretary of state on Tuesday.
New Federal AI Project Could Help Create Cancer Vaccine: Oracle CEO
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison says that the project—which will invest $500 billion into the expansion of AI inside our country and was announced earlier this week by President Donald Trump—could be used for a variety of applications, including the development of what he called an “mRNA vaccine” for cancer.Ellison said that AI could be used for early cancer detection and that it could possibly speed up a vaccine development process at every step along the way.
He said that AI can be used to analyze a blood test, find the cancers that are seriously threatening an individual, and develop a vaccine for that person’s specific cancer—and that the robotically-made mRNA vaccine would be available in 48 hours.
According to the White House, the project is called Stargate, the initial investment will be $100 billion, and construction of this massive venture will begin by building both data centers and power generation facilities in Texas.
Trump called the investment a “monumental undertaking” and said it will “almost immediately” create more than 100,000 new American jobs. Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk says that the tech backers behind Stargate “don’t actually have the money” to get the project off the ground.
It’s time for us to wrap things up today, but before we go, a few more stories we’re watching very closely here in The Epoch Times News Brief newsroom:
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and we’re always on-demand.
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from the late Phyllis Diller who said: “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.”
Diller was a stand-up comedian, actress, author, and musician, best known for her wild hair and clothes, as well as her cackling laugh.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the Saturday edition (the weekend edition) of The Epoch Times News Brief.
For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
