America in Brief

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Jan. 15, 2025. Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Biden Reduces Sentences for 2,500 More People

President Joe Biden has issued more pardons and commutations than any other president in history, after he reduced the sentences of 2,500 individuals on Jan. 17.

It follows the 39 pardons and 1,500 reduced sentences in December, including pardoning his son Hunter.

The clemencies are primarily for people convicted of non-violent drug offenses who were receiving “disproportionately long sentences,” Biden said in a statement.

An elderly man passes by a wall with a Cuban flag painted on it in Havana on May 22, 2023. Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images

US Removes Terrorism Designation From Cuba

President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 14 that he is removing communist Cuba from the government’s State-Sponsored Terrorism list.

This designation is a list compiled by the U.S. government signalling to the international community the countries the United States believes are actively supporting terrorism, and is used as a tool for sanctions.

The move is part of a deal to release anti-government protesters who were jailed in 2021 and was in response to an international request from several allies, including Columbia, Brazil, the EU, Canada, and Chile.

Cuba, after having originally been put on the list in 1982, was removed in 2015 as part of normalisation relations during President Barack Obama’s administration, but was put back on by then-outgoing President Donald Trump in 2021 over connections with Colombian guerrilla group the National Liberation Army.

Other members on the list are North Korea, Iran, and Syria.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 7, 2025. Scott Olson/Getty Images

More Than 100 Executive Actions Are Expected on Trump’s 1st Day of Office

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to issue over 100 executive actions following his inauguration on Jan. 20, surpassing any other president in U.S. history.

President Joe Biden initially held this title after issuing nine orders on his first day in office in 2021.

Executive Orders (EOs) are directives the president can give as part of his powers, similar to a royal prerogative, that manage government operations without requiring Congress’s approval.

Unless formalised into law by Congress, they can be reversed by subsequent presidents.

These EOs address a range of topics in line with Trump’s agenda for his forthcoming term, including immigration enforcement and border policies, energy policies, social policies, and economic policies.

Trump first announced them when he met with Republican senators on Jan. 8.

The TikTok logo is displayed on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays a TikTok home page, in Boston, on March 18, 2023. Michael Dwyer/AP Photo, File

TikTok Gets Support From Lawmakers Ahead of Shutdown

TikTok is getting a sudden boost of support from lawmakers ahead of a looming shutdown set for Jan. 19.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Jan. 16 asked for a 90-day extension to the ban, and incoming President Donald Trump has expressed a keen interest in keeping the company going.

Prosecutors and U.S. lawmakers had given TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, until Jan. 19 to sell its U.S. operations to a non-Chinese buyer or be banned for national security reasons.

Chinese law requires all organisations to carry out the Chinese Communist Party’s activities and assist with national intelligence.

About 170 million Americans currently use TikTok.