Trump Named Time Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’
President-elect Donald Trump has been named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” for the second time.Trump beat finalists Vice President Kamala Harris, Kate Middleton, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Russian economist Yulia Navalnaya, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, podcaster Joe Rogan, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Time said that every year since 1927, it has named the person, group, or concept that has had the biggest impact on the world.
Trump celebrated on Dec. 12 as he rang the New York Stock Exchange opening bell for the first time on Dec. 12, an honor usually reserved for CEOs filing initial public offerings, celebrities, and politicians.
Epic Games to Pay Out $72 Million to Customers Over Unethical Billing Practices
U.S. video game giant Epic Games has been forced to pay out $72 million in its first round of payments in customer refunds over its unethical billing practices.This is part of a $520 million settlement Epic entered with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2022 over its unfair and deceptive privacy practices related to its popular game “Fortnite,” which comprised two violations.
The unlawful billing practices violation totals $245 million in refunds expected to be made.
The “Fortnite” creator was found to “trick players into making unwanted purchases, let children rack up unauthorized charges without any parental involvement, and blocked some users who disputed unauthorized charges from accessing their purchased content,” according to a Dec. 9 statement.
In its second violation, Epic is expected to pay a $275 million penalty for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act over the collection of personal data from children under the age of 13 without parental consent.
“Fortnite” currently has over 350 million registered users, with 5.14 percent of them in the UK.
In January 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority launched a similar investigation into Epic over its unlawful practices.
FBI Director Chris Wray Resigns
FBI Director Christopher Wray handed in his resignation ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Trump had indicated he would fire him.Wray announced his plans at an FBI town hall meeting “after weeks of careful thought,” deciding it was the “right thing for the Bureau.”
Trump has nominated former acting defense secretary Chief of Staff Kash Patel for the position, who is very critical of the FBI and its operations.
Wray was nominated by Trump in 2017 and is currently serving a 10-year term, meaning he was due to step down in 2027.
The FBI executed a search warrant of Trump’s Florida home in 2022 over classified documents. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Republicans have been very critical of Wray over the FBI’s investigations into Trump, alleging partisanship.
FBI Had Informants at Jan. 6 Capitol Breach: Government Watchdog
The U.S. government watchdog has found the FBI had informants in Washington during the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol breach.Of those 29 informants, three were in Washington that day for other reasons.
The use of confidential human sources is a common and crucial intelligence-gathering strategy for the FBI, which typically spends more than $42 million a year on the programme, according to the Office of the Inspector General.
The U.S. government has criminally charged more than 1,572 people over the incident.
The report also found no evidence of the FBI sending undercover agents to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
