President Joe Biden took office amid one of the most sweeping public health crises in the nation’s history, promising to “restore the soul” of the country and bring unity. As his term comes to an end, his presidency has been met with a mix of praise and criticism, leaving behind a divided legacy.

In his inaugural address in 2021, Biden described the moment as a “winter of peril and possibility.” Four years later, in his farewell speech to the nation on Jan. 15, he expressed pride in his administration’s achievements.

“I’ve kept my commitment to be president for all Americans through one of the toughest periods in our nation’s history,” Biden said, reflecting on the successes and challenges of his tenure.

Some regarded the president a hero, arriving just in time to navigate the country through the COVID-19 pandemic, mandate vaccines, fix supply chains, spur economic growth, and defend democracy.

Yet, as Emel Akan writes for The Epoch Times, for others, his presidency became a source of frustration due to concerns about government overspending, soaring inflation, escalating wars, and a deepening border crisis.

One of the defining issues of Biden’s presidency was inflation, which hit a 40-year high during his term. Rising grocery and energy costs strained the daily lives of many Americans, especially those in the lower and middle classes, whom Biden had pledged to support.

Though Biden and his administration argued that inflation was a global phenomenon caused by the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, rising costs played a significant role in fueling negative perceptions of his economic agenda, known as “Bidenomics.”

A grocery store in Columbia, Md., on Oct. 24, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The 82-year-old president leaves office believing he has achieved significant wins for the country. But his approval ratings remained persistently low throughout much of his term.

According to a recent CNN poll, 36 percent of U.S. adults at the end of his presidency approve of how Biden managed the country. It was also the lowest rating of his term.

He received especially low approval ratings on his handling of immigration, foreign affairs, and the economy. However, his approval was relatively higher in other areas, such as protecting democracy, and handling environmental and health care policies.

A recent Gallup survey also found that 54 percent of U.S. adults believe Biden will be remembered as a “poor” or “below average” president.

Some Democrats, however, say Biden was not fully appreciated during his time in office, arguing that history will eventually give him more credit than the current polls suggest.

According to Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), it’s important to remember the context in which Biden took office.

“If you look back to four years ago, we faced mass unemployment, and in January 2021, we were right in the middle of the worst and deadliest month of the COVID pandemic. The economy was on its knees,” Boyle told The Epoch Times.

“He leaves office four years later with the strongest economy in the world,” he said. “On foreign affairs, he rebuilt our NATO alliance. We were able to stand up to Russian aggression in Ukraine. So overall, while there are still things that we need to improve, America is much stronger and economically more prosperous today than when he entered office four years ago.”

Many will view Biden’s presidency as a period of significant legislative achievements, particularly in areas such as infrastructure and manufacturing. As part of his “Investing in America” agenda, the president directed nearly $221 billion in federal funds during his term—through loans, grants, tax credits, and other incentives—into boosting domestic manufacturing. According to the White House, these incentives unlocked more than $1 trillion in private-sector investment across industries such as semiconductors, solar energy, batteries, critical minerals, and nuclear energy.

Workers install solar panels on a rooftop at the Port of Los Angeles, in Los Angeles on April 21, 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Biden said he created jobs every single month during his presidency, claiming to have achieved the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in the last 50 years.

“We changed the basic formula of how to make an economy work,” Biden said in his final sit-down interview with MSNBC on Jan. 17, highlighting how his administration had empowered labor unions.

“He’s been a good president. He’s delivered on a lot,” Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) told The Epoch Times.

The outgoing president repeatedly said many of his legislative achievements are focused on the long term, arguing that their positive effects will become more evident over time.

In a recent interview with USA Today, Biden also expressed regret for not taking enough credit for these accomplishments, admitting that he could have done more to communicate what he had delivered for the American people.

Biden was reluctant to engage with the media during his time in office. A July study found that he held fewer press conferences and gave fewer media interviews than any president since Ronald Reagan.

The Age Factor

As the oldest president in U.S. history, Biden faced frequent questions about his age and mental fitness. Many believed he was not fit to run for a second term. After a poor debate performance in June, he faced mounting pressure and eventually announced that he was stepping aside as the party’s presidential nominee, and passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden recently said he believed he could have won the 2024 presidential election if he had stayed in the race. However, he told USA Today that he wasn’t sure he had the energy to serve another four years in office.

“Who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” he said.

Democrat strategist Theryn Bond defines Biden’s time in office in two words—”consequential and controversial.”

“There were a number of things over the course of his entire political career that many may have viewed as problematic, while others may have viewed as wildly successful,” she told The Epoch Times.

Bond believes that Biden came to office like a “superhero” because people were unhappy with President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 response and other policy decisions four years ago and assumed Biden would “save the day.”

Bond also pointed out that he will be judged not just for his presidency but for the actions he’s taken throughout his entire political career.

Some will praise him for the programs and initiatives he introduced that benefited them directly, she said, such as student loan forgiveness.

“People also know him as ‘Crime Bill Joe,’ a legacy that left a sour taste in many folks’ mouths for decades,” she added, referring to the 1994 Crime Bill and its controversial impact, particularly on communities of color.

In the final weeks of his presidency, Biden faced backlash for pardoning his son, Hunter, who was facing sentencing in two criminal cases, despite previously ruling out such action. His decision drew sharp criticism, even from within his party, with many accusing him of setting an unusual precedent for future presidents.

Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and Beau Jr., in Nantucket, Mass., on Nov. 29, 2024. Craig Hudson/Reuters

Foreign Policy Legacy

Throughout his presidency, Biden said he worked to strengthen alliances and partnerships, particularly to counter Russia and China. He took pride in bolstering NATO by welcoming new members, Sweden and Finland, into the alliance.

The outgoing commander-in-chief emphasized that, despite challenges, he kept America out of war.

However, his foreign policy faced significant scrutiny, especially because of the chaotic withdrawal of the U.S. military from Afghanistan in 2021. The fall of Kabul to the Taliban after the U.S. pullout, along with the tragic killing of 13 U.S. troops in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, led to widespread criticism of the administration’s handling of the crisis. The images of desperate Afghans clinging to planes to escape the country shocked the world, and many U.S. allies questioned America’s leadership on the world stage.

During his foreign policy speech at the State Department on Jan. 13, Biden took credit for the Afghanistan withdrawal, stating that he ended the nation’s longest war after 20 years of fighting.

However, the incident marked a turning point in his presidency, leading to the first significant decline in his approval ratings.

Passengers board a U.S. Air Force C-17 at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 24, 2021. Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa via Getty Images

Biden largely continued the trade war with communist China initiated by Trump during his first term. However, Biden’s approach furthered efforts focused on strengthening alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to address climate change and technology, while also working to limit China’s access to critical American technologies.

Biden also called Chinese communist party leader Xi Jinping a dictator and declared that the United States would not hesitate to use military force if China attempted to invade Taiwan.

‘Tech-Industrial Complex’

During his farewell address from the Oval Office on Jan. 15, Biden said “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence.”

He also echoed President Dwight Eisenhower’s famous 1961 farewell address that warned of the dangers of the “military-industrial complex.”

“Six decades later, I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country,” Biden said.

Many believed that Biden’s comments were aimed at billionaire Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the latter of whom recently reformed Meta’s fact-checking program to be more like the X-style community notes, calling third-party fact checkers “too politically biased.”

In a recent interview with Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials in the Biden administration pushed to censor vaccine-related content.

“We did generally defer to the government on some of these policies that in retrospect I probably wouldn’t, knowing what I know now,” Zuckerberg said.

Christopher Hale, a political commentator and former Obama White House and campaign alum, said Biden’s farewell address wasn’t crafted to win the immediate moment.

“It was designed to shape the broader, enduring argument,” Hale told The Epoch Times.

“If his diagnosis of a tech-industrial oligarchy as the defining threat of our era proves correct, this could become the pivotal moment of his presidency. However, it will take a generation to fully judge its significance.”

Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on Jan. 31, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

What Is Next?

Biden is visiting Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday, just one day before leaving office—a state where his journey to the White House began more than four years ago. South Carolina holds particular significance for Biden, as he won the state’s primary in 2020 thanks to strong support from its black voters. This victory was a pivotal moment that helped his campaign regain momentum and eventually secure the party’s presidential nomination after struggling in earlier primaries.

The end of Biden’s presidency also marks the conclusion of his political career, which has spanned five decades and included roles as a senator from Delaware and as vice president under President Barack Obama.

On Jan. 20, Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will attend Trump’s inauguration. Following the swearing-in ceremony, the Bidens will reportedly travel to central California for some personal time.

The outgoing president indicated on Jan. 10 that he will continue to work on domestic policy matters after leaving office.

When asked about his plans, Biden told reporters jokingly, “I’m not going to be out of sight or out of mind.”

Authored by meteorologist Ben Noll,

Snow, sub-zero temperatures, and frigid wind chills.

Around 30 states and nearly 50 million people could experience temperatures below minus 10 degrees next week as a lobe of the polar vortex moves in. pic.twitter.com/5w06durF8k

— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) January 17, 2025

The week ahead will have all of that. Spring is just… two months away.

It could easily turn out to be the coldest week of the year in the Hudson Valley as a lobe of the polar vortex, which typically sits near Greenland, swirls across the country. Watch:

A lobe of the polar vortex swirls 3,000 miles from Greenland to the United States: pic.twitter.com/qoaM5jwR9K

— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) January 16, 2025

A winter storm warning is in effect starting Sunday afternoon. It’ll turn out to be a good, old-fashioned snowstorm for the area.

Here’s what you need to know

• What? Snow, moderate to heavy at times.

• When? Starting between 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday from southwest to northeast. Ending by 4 a.m. Monday.

• How much? 4 to 8 inches of powdery snow.

#HudsonValley storm update ☃️

What? Snow, heaviest on Sunday evening.

When? Starting between 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday from southwest to northeast. Ending by 4 a.m. Monday.

How much? 4 to 8 inches of powdery snow.

Roads will become slippery and snow-covered on Sunday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/0j3t4Dq3fX

— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) January 19, 2025

Impact? Roads and sidewalks will become snow-covered on Sunday afternoon. The heaviest snow will fall during the evening, when snow rates could reach an inch per hour and travel will be most treacherous. Temperatures will drop into the single digits early Monday as the storm departs. The powdery nature of the snow will make it easier to clear.

The week ahead

The rest of the week looks very cold but probably dry in the Hudson Valley. Wintry weather is expected from Texas to the Carolinas on Tuesday and Wednesday, with travel grinding to a halt as a major storm brings snow to places that don’t have plows! Houston, New Orleans, Tallahassee, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach are among the places where significant snow may fall.

It could be the biggest snow storm on record in parts of the Deep South, where snowfall could eclipse half a foot in some places. The deepest snow depths across that part of the country generally happened decades ago, so the event will be unusual and rare.

*   *   * 

Here’s our latest reporting on the polar vortex and energy markets:

• Goldman: “Cold January” & “Record LNG Demand” Drive Upside Risk In Natty Prices

• Incoming: “Big Dumps Of Cold Air. Reminiscent Of 2013/14 Winter”

• Doesn’t Fit MSM Narrative: Parts Of US Could Rival Coldest January Since 1977

Brrr! 

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Federal Reserve is exiting a global climate change coalition days before the new Trump administration is set to take power on Jan. 20.

The Federal Reserve had joined the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) in December 2020. NGFS, composed of global central banks and supervisors, aims to integrate climate and environmental risk management into the financial sector and mobilize “finance to support the transition toward a sustainable economy,” according to the group’s website. On Friday, the Federal Reserve announced its withdrawal from the 143-member coalition.

“The work of the NGFS has increasingly broadened in scope, covering a wider range of issues that are outside of the Board’s statutory mandate,” the agency said. Five Federal Reserve officials, including chair Jerome Powell, voted for the withdrawal, while two officials did not vote.

Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) welcomed the Federal Reserve decision, calling it a “step in the right direction,” according to a Jan. 18 post on social media platform X.

“By pulling out from the NGFS, the Fed sets itself up to reprioritize the needs of American citizens and the U.S. financial system “instead of the wants of unelected, foreign bureaucrats,” he said.

Ben Cushing, campaign director for the Sierra Club’s Fossil-Free Finance campaign, blamed the upcoming Trump administration for the Fed’s recent decision to exit NGFS, according to a Jan. 17 statement.

“The incoming administration’s efforts to deny and exacerbate the climate crisis should be a reason for the Fed to assert its independence by addressing climate risks, but instead it’s doing the opposite,” Cushing said.

“If the Fed continues to bow to political pressure and avoid acting on climate, it will further isolate the U.S. on the global stage and put the economy in greater jeopardy.”

Relatedly, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pull the United States from the Paris Climate Accords, which he also did in 2019.

He has called the deal a “total disaster” for the American economy and too lenient towards the Chinese communist regime. After Biden assumed office in 2021, the United States rejoined the agreement.

The Fed and the Climate

Speaking to a House committee in 2023, Powell said that the central bank was not framing policies on climate matters.

“We are not looking to move into an area where we’re actually becoming a climate policymaker,” he said.

“Over time, that border needs to be very carefully guarded.”

The same year, a group of Senate Republicans sent a letter to Powell, criticizing the incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ideologies into banking risk analyses, referred to as a “climate stress test.”

“This is policy masquerading as ‘risk analysis,’” the lawmakers said.

“The Fed is actively signaling that bank activities that do not further the goals of net zero by 2050 are inherently risky and disfavored.

“This drives capital away from traditional energy development at a critical time for our economic and national security, while empowering America’s adversaries. This climate stress test is the logical result of a persistent and growing track record of climate activism at the Fed,” the lawmakers wrote.

The Fed’s focus on climate has come under criticism from Stephen Miran, who has been nominated to chair the Council of Economic Advisers in the Trump administration.

In a paper co-authored last year, Miran said the Federal Reserve was pushing climate-related principles into the framework of bank regulations.

“The Fed’s proposals would force the banking system to devote significant resources toward studying climate change and structuring the banking sector’s strategic planning, policies, and procedures around climate,” the paper said.

“The Fed’s increasing attention to climate issues has accompanied worse performance on its traditional bank regulatory responsibilities.”

The Fed’s Financial Stability Oversight Council called climate change a top priority prior to the failure of the Silicon Valley Bank in 2023, the authors wrote. This was the second biggest bank failure in American history at the time.

“Had the Fed been paying attention to the banking system’s interest-rate risk instead of climate risk, the system might have been spared significant volatility,” the paper said.

Hamas has released the first round of three Israeli hostages on Sunday morning, and officials on both sides are hailing the ceasefire deal as it appears to be sticking. For the first time in well over a year, war has been quieted throughout the Strip.

Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher first reached an Israeli military facility near the border with the Gaza Strip and have been reunited with their families, the IDF has announced. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari in a press briefing said that Romi, Emily, and Doron and are now in “safe hands”. He said, “They are now with us and on their way home.”

President Biden in a speech marking the exchange of hostages, and on his last day as US president, declared “Today, the guns in Gaza have gone silent.”

“This is one of the toughest negotiations I’ve been part of … but we’ve reached this point today because of the pressure by Israel on Hamas backed by the US,” he said.

“Now the region has been fundamentally transformed,” he continued, given that both the Hezbollah ceasefire and now Gaza truce are holding. He noted that hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks are entering Gaza from Egypt to assist the desperate population.

United Nations secretary-general also welcomed the huge development in a post on X stating:

I welcome the start of the implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. We stand ready to support this implementation & scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer.  

It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security & political obstacles to delivering aid.

Footage from Al Jazeera of the Israeli hostages in Gaza pic.twitter.com/teDKhkZSBM

— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) January 19, 2025

By day’s end, the first 90 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be freed as part of the first hostage/prisoner swap. Over 1,000 total will be freed throughout the first 42-day phase of the deal, reports say.

Meanwhile, huge crowds are in central Tel Aviv throughout the night celebrating the release of the hostages, and a deal which some are seeing as a defeat for Netanyahu’s stance of wanting to see the military operation through to the end (of Hamas’ eradication).

But Hamas is clearly still intact, as now with the ceasefire in effect masked men with green headbands in scarfs have been seen openly on the streets of Gaza.

Biden and the UN chief in their initial remarks called for the deal to be fully implemented across their multiple phases, which will last weeks.

Large celebratory crowds in Tel Aviv watch hostages freed on big screens…

מאות אנשים בכיכר החטופים, אף עין אינה יבשה pic.twitter.com/t9wsm0bEtg

— שיר ביטון || shir bitton (@shirbitton_) January 19, 2025

Hamas too said it plans to stick to its commitments inked in Doha, with spokesman Abu Ubaida saying in video address, “The agreement reached could have been made a year ago if it had aligned with [Prime Minister] Netanyahu’s ambitions.” He added: “We are committed to the ceasefire agreement, but this depends on the enemy’s adherence.”

Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times,

For the past decade, Jennifer Krazinski felt safe living in a home “tucked away, off of a dirt road,” in Hewitt, a northern New Jersey suburb.

But what she recently saw in the night sky left her disquieted.

Near her house, Krazinski noticed flying objects with blinking red-and-white lights, emitting a whirring sound.

After three consecutive nights in mid-December 2024, “I stopped looking for them because it just was overwhelming,” she told The Epoch Times. “This makes me uneasy.”

Krazinski worried that someone was using drones to collect information for some nefarious purpose. But she decided against alerting authorities already inundated with similar reports of apparent drone sightings.

Weeks later, specific answers elude Krazinski and thousands of other Americans who spotted Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).

Reports came from at least a half-dozen U.S. states since mid-November 2024 and sparked a wave of concern.

After government officials and drone experts gave non-threatening explanations for nearly all the sightings, the hoopla over so-called “mystery drones” dissipated. However, questions lingered.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised that, soon after his Jan. 20 inauguration, he will release more details about the drone sightings; he said it was “ridiculous” that federal officials had been so tight-lipped.

Because of the attention, the public is more aware of drones—a plus for U.S. drone-makers and sellers.

Drone industry leaders also say the incidents underscore an ongoing dilemma: How to balance security needs and airspace-use restrictions against the drive to innovate drone capabilities and uses?

The need to fine-tune drone regulations and procedures is becoming more critical, considering how fast the industry is growing, experts said.

The Skyfall Vampire drone and SHRIKE FPV drone from Ukraine are displayed in the Ukrainian technology pavilion at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 7, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had registered more than 1 million drones as of last month.

And drone use is expected to continue surging.

Worldwide drone sales now total about $30 billion per year; in 10 years, that figure could burgeon to nearly $224 billion, according to Fact.MR’s market research.

Allan Evans, CEO of Unusual Machines, an Orlando-based drone technology company, told The Epoch Times that the spate of sightings dramatically changed Americans’ perceptions of drones.

The incidents also exposed “a really big gap in airspace management:” a need to better identify, track, and coordinate drone use,” Evans said.

“And people are interested in solving that, rather than just dismissing drones as toys … a novelty item.”

People also are now interested in figuring out “how to organize and use these tools and handle concerns over them being used the wrong way,” Evans said, calling the “toys-to-tools” drones perception “a major shift” in American society.

He cited another realization that has settled in: “I think it’s the first time we’re like, ‘Oh yeah, okay, drones are everywhere all the time.’”

Unusual Machines, which strongly focuses on the consumer drone market, attracted a lot of first-time buyers this past year, Evans said.

Although sales data were not yet releasable, Evans said the drone sightings seemed to have stoked much of the new enthusiasm.

Evans and three other industry professionals told The Epoch Times that citizens and government leaders are justifiably concerned about UAP sightings and drone activities.

However, they also cautioned against jumping to conclusions or panicking based on flawed, distorted, or limited information.

These experts addressed inaccurate claims about drones and suggested how government agencies might handle drone-related issues better.

About the Sightings

Gabriel Garcia, technical director for SPS Aerial Remote Sensing, a Texas company specializing in counter-drone technology, said he thinks people were filing a lot of false reports, unintentionally.

People who are unfamiliar with the nighttime appearance of various aircraft may have misidentified some crewed aircraft as unmanned drones, he said.

Many types of aircraft, including drones, are equipped with white, red, and green lights to aid navigation and avoid collisions. Numerous witnesses reported seeing these lights on the unidentified objects.

Garcia believes authorities know a significant amount of information about the suspected drones.

That’s because the FAA requires drones to be equipped with “a sort of virtual license plate,” which broadcasts a traceable signal, Garcia noted.

That signal provides a lot of data, he said, including GPS coordinates of the drone’s pilot, timestamped actions, altitude, and speed.

Some of the aircraft that aroused suspicions may have been flown by operators who were ignorant of regulations or careless about drone use, Garcia said.

Concerned citizens wondered why authorities didn’t “just shoot them down” to examine them. But Garcia said that would be unsafe, unnecessary, and illegal without special permission.

The Red Cat ARACHNID family of drone systems: (L–R) Black Widow, FlightWave Edge 130, and FANG displayed in a company-provided photo. Red Cat Holdings

First, there’s a “grave risk” that innocent people can be injured by ammunition gone astray or falling debris, Garcia said.

Federal law forbids damaging or disabling aircraft, including drones; violations carry heavy penalties. However, police in Long Island, New York, late last year obtained authority to shoot down the drones.

Rather than shoot the drones, authorities can remotely take over control of a drone. “They can tell it where to go and where to land with a much, much safer outcome,” Garcia said.

Another misconception is that some of the drones were reportedly bus-sized.

Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat Holdings, a Department of Defense (DOD) drone contractor in Nevada, said: “There’s not a drone configuration out there that can make a small bus fly like a small drone you see at the beach; that just doesn’t exist.”

Thompson told The Epoch Times that the inaccurate description took hold because “everyone just started repeating it, and it became like a thing, even though it wasn’t true.”

Demonstration of technology used to detect, track, and identify unauthorized drones crossing the U.S.–Mexico border. Courtesy of SPS Aerial Remote Sensing and TrellisWare

‘Not Enemy Drones’

Many people wondered aloud whether foreign adversaries deployed the suspected drone swarms as a spy operation. Thompson refuted that notion.

“These are not enemy drones,” Thompson said. “There’s no way it was an enemy. They wouldn’t put on FAA lighting … that’s just ridiculous—or they’re the dumbest enemy.”

Drones used for reconnaissance or other military missions fly without lights, he said; these drones are even undetectable by a person wearing night-vision goggles.

“Our drones are stealth, and you want them stealth,” Thompson said.

Robert Newcomb, a Utah-based weapons engineer and DOD contractor who works with drones, agrees that many UAP reports can be chalked up to misidentifications of manned aircraft or heavenly bodies, such as pulsars—rotating stars.

Based on Newcomb’s career knowledge, the reported objects seem to be “nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.

Newcomb said the sightings didn’t set off alarm bells for him.

“Usually, if it’s going to be a threat, they’re going to act quickly,” he said. The drones caused no apparent harm as they hovered or flitted about the sky for prolonged periods.

Further, Newcomb said, U.S. agencies have capabilities for detecting and engaging threats in airspace.

“Should we be fearful? The answer is a hard ‘no,’” he said. “But there’s a caveat to that.”

A still from a video showing several drones that appear to be flying over Randolph, N.J., on Dec. 4, 2024. MartyA45_ /TMX via AP

Valid Concerns

He is worried about “the unknown threats that have come over the border” in recent years.

“There’s likely hundreds of terrorists in the country who are probably planning nefarious acts,” Newcomb said. “Whether they’re going to use drones or other means, that’s unknown.”

And drones, too, are illegally crossing the U.S.–Mexico border, Garcia said. His company has partnered with certain U.S. agencies to detect, track, and identify unauthorized drones.

“We’re looking at activity happening every single day: Drones crossing the border, drones getting used by the cartels to provide surveillance on border control positions and be able to route the human trafficking operations,” Garcia said.

Technology of any kind can be misused, the experts noted, adding that people are naturally curious about new advances and tend to be leery of them.

“Do you remember when cellphones first had a camera? At the time, there were all kinds of privacy concerns around it,” Evans said.

“But I think it worked out OK, right? Like, there’s always going to be resistance to these changes, and there’s always going to be very valid concerns.”

Initially, people worried that drone operators would be spying on them in their homes.

Noting that drones can be used by law enforcement, hospitals, and package-delivery businesses, Evans said people also are starting to recognize that drone management is “not just an FAA problem.”

Drones are deployed during a demonstration at the Los Angeles Fire Department ahead of DJI’s AirWorks conference in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2019. Drones are proving to be a game changer for emergency responders who are increasingly using the technology to spot fires, detect toxic gas, or to locate missing people or suspects, experts say. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

He said the issue now is “How do these different agencies all coordinate?” ranging from local police to state personnel and the federal government.

New uses for drones are emerging frequently, he said, including transporting a flotation device to a drowning victim.

“But you can’t do it unless there’s rules around doing it and coordinating the airspace,” Evans said, noting that helicopters or other aircraft might also need to fly near such an emergency scene.

“I think you’re going to see more and more really great applications as we get better and better at it.”

Signs of Improvement

Policymakers appear to be heading in the right direction—in a bipartisan manner, Evans said, noting that several proposals have either been approved or are in the works to improve airspace management and tighten security.

On Jan. 2, Michael Robbins, head of a drone industry advocacy group, issued a statement urging federal officials to end U.S. reliance on “unsecure” technologies from Chinese-subsidized companies “and to invest in U.S. and allied products and support security and fair market competition.”

Commenting on proposed new rules governing drones, Robbins, president of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, said: “We stand ready to work closely with the incoming Trump administration to generate a stronger, more secure drone technology supply chain.”

President-elect Donald Trump is slated to take office on Jan. 20; his son, Donald Trump Jr., serves on the advisory board for Evans’ company, which says it is committed to “onshoring U.S. drone component manufacturing.”

Thompson, who founded Unusual Machines and now directs its board, points out that the U.S. government has been combating security concerns about foreigners’ use of drones against the United States.

Many people feared that Chinese-made drones and drone parts might be used to gather intelligence that would jeopardize the United States.

Workers produce drones at a factory in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on April 13, 2023. STR/AFP via Getty Images

In response, the U.S. government began taking steps in 2018 to end the federal government’s use of Chinese drones and Chinese-made drone parts, he noted.

In 2023, the American Security Drone Act “basically stated that anyone that receives a federal penny cannot buy Chinese drones or parts and has to get rid of what they have,” Thompson said.

Because of drone use in the Ukraine–Russia war, “everyone realizes how important these drones are for war,” Thompson said, “and nobody wants Chinese drones flying around the United States, mapping out the entire infrastructure, because they do actually transmit information back to China servers for you to be able to log onto your drone.”

Experts Offer Suggestions

Still, drone regulations need to be streamlined to ensure progress, the experts agree.

“Our nation’s defense is going to depend on drones going forward,” Thompson said.

Newcomb fears that over-regulation will “stifle innovation … and how the technology advances.”

He suggests that “instead of forcing every drone to be tracked, we just offer an airspace for them to operate in.”

Evans commended the FAA for its emphasis on safety, which enables Americans to travel more safely in an airplane than in a car, federal data and numerous studies show.

Likewise, Evans believes the FAA is “doing a really good job of balancing the need for innovation” against security concerns.

Ukrainian servicemen of the 22nd Brigade launch a Leleka reconnaissance UAV drone near Chasiv Yar on April 27, 2024. Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

“They’re doing a lot of exceptions. They’re doing a lot of test programs. They’re enabling a lot of the exploratory stuff,” he said.

At the same time, the FAA is concerned about avoiding “an overzealous cowboy environment that could lead to really dangerous things, with stuff falling out of the sky,” Evans said.

All four drone experts who spoke to The Epoch Times were unanimous in their recommendations that federal agencies communicate better with each other.

Garcia noted that the FAA “has no authority to take down a drone,” and therefore must rely on help from other federal agencies.

Newcomb said that officials need to answer questions from citizens more directly, rather than deflecting, and they can acknowledge that security concerns prevent them from disclosing certain details.

Garcia and Newcomb emphasized a need for the government to invest more heavily in counter-drone technology.

However, the experts concurred that federal agencies seem to be confronting drone-related concerns more effectively.

“I think we’re on the path to solving it,“ Newcomb said, ”to ensure that our airspace is safe.”

Trade significantly impacts a population’s overall health and prosperity, closely linking it to life expectancy.

This graphic, created by Visual Capitalist’s Julia Wendling, in partnership with the Hinrich Foundation, visualizes life expectancy at birth across 29 major economies.

Data is from the United Nations’ Human Development Index (UN HDI).

The analysis comes from the 2024 Sustainable Trade Index (STI), which the Hinrich Foundation produced in collaboration with the IMD World Competitiveness Center.

Data Overview

To create the STI’s lifespan metric, data on life expectancy at birth from the UN HDI were converted into a numerical index score. Scores were averaged for each economy, with a range of 0 to 100. 

A relatively high life expectancy at birth translated into a high (and favorable) STI lifespan score. Conversely, a relatively low life expectancy at birth translated into a low (and thus unfavorable) STI lifespan score.

A country’s openness to trade can determine access to essential resources, including medical supplies, healthcare services, and nutritious food. Furthermore, trade policies shape the availability of educational infrastructure and can either foster or hinder job creation. Both of these factors are critical factors in improving public health and estimated lifespans. 

Japan’s advanced healthcare system, low obesity rates, low crime levels, and active lifestyle have all contributed to the country’s remarkably high life expectancy.

Unsurprisingly, this metric is closely related to GDP per capita. Countries with lower GDP per capita, including Myanmar and Papua New Guinea, tended to have lower life expectancies. Conversely, countries with higher GDP per capita, such as Australia and Singapore, tended to have populations that lived longer.

As one of the only developed countries without Universal Health Coverage, the U.S. is the sole outlier in this dataset. The country has the second highest GDP per capita, yet its lifespan ranking is only at #12.

This infographic provides a preview of the Sustainable Trade Index, which evaluates 30 major economies using 72 economic, societal, and environmental indicators. Download the free report from the Hinrich Foundation.

Update (1035ET):

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the divest-or-ban deadline and allow enough time for a deal in which the US will have 50% ownership via a joint venture with TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance. 

Trump’s statement was posted on Truth Social on Sunday morning:

I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.

Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations.

I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up. Without US approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe trillions.

Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the US gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the US and whichever purchase we so choose.

Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale made a great point on X: 

I agree.

But the deeper problem is that unlike our open-source framework, CCP can influence TikTok’s private algorithm.

It’s foolhardy to let a rival power have their hands on the lever of what’s censored, and what trends (!), to tens of millions of US citizens. https://t.co/1RG8ZhnZl8

— Joe Lonsdale (@JTLonsdale) January 19, 2025

Meanwhile, Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist involved with “White Dudes for Harris,” freaked out on X as Trump could save TikTok: “And Trump is going to position himself as the savior. JFC.”

Anybody acting like TikTok going offline isn’t a political disaster for Democrats is deeply unserious.

Most political issues never touch people’s daily lives—but 170 million Americans just had their favorite social media platform taken away from them.

And Trump is going to… pic.twitter.com/NarV5SEahc

— Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) January 19, 2025

*   *   * 

Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok suspended all US services early Sunday morning, while Apple and Google removed the app from their app stores to avoid hefty penalties under a new law. This follows the expiration of the divest-or-ban deadline for TikTok at midnight, just one day after the Supreme Court upheld the mandate.

“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” TikTok’s US website landing page reads. 

On Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump said he would give TikTok’s owner, Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance, a three-month reprieve from the ban to find a buyer.

“The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC News in an exclusive interview, adding, “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”

Bloomberg noted, “It was TikTok’s choice to suspend availability late Saturday” or “face enormous penalties.” 

The unprecedented shutdown of TikTok will mobilize its massive base of 170 million monthly US users and demand action against political leaders who have been trying to nuke the Chinese video-sharing app, as well as, call on Trump to reverse the ban.

The Biden-Harris administration has made it very clear to the incoming administration to take action against TikTok over national security concerns. 

Early Sunday, Elon Musk confirmed that X is exploring the very real possibility of bringing back the short-form video app Vine in some capacity to his social media platform, which has become a central hub for Americans to access news.

BREAKING: Elon Musk says X is looking into bringing back Vine. pic.twitter.com/dISGcy5D3Y

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 19, 2025

TikTokers are freaking out about the ban…

American influencers crying and having full bIown meltdowns over the tiktok ban is so unserious 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/H6yRu8KcGz

— welp. (@YSLONIKA) January 18, 2025

🚨 JUST IN: 911 calls are being placed around the country by individuals panicking over the TikTok ban

I can’t believe I have to say this, BUT DON’T CALL 911 OVER TIKTOK.

Here’s audio of 911 dispatch from Anoka County, MN, requesting a welfare check on a caller, saying he’s… pic.twitter.com/2f21H5HsL5

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 19, 2025

James Charles on TikTok ban meltdown.pic.twitter.com/fbOgEpQ3iW

— हिन्दीCast Originals (@Hindicast) January 19, 2025

💀 TikTok meltdown pic.twitter.com/U3GKvCVA6U

— coralblock (follows back) 前往阻止多个网站 (@ikclarkie) January 19, 2025

Goldman told clients on Thursday that “Tiktok refugees” were finding alternative video-sharing platforms worldwide, such as downloading the Chinese app RedNote… 

TikTok influencer Tiffany Cianci told Bloomberg she hopes that Trump can deliver to reverse the ban: “This is a promise Trump made and it is a promise he used to get a large number of young people to vote for him,” adding, “We are calling on him to deliver immediately.”

The year 2025 begins with a new president taking office, a ceasefire in Gaza, and wildfires causing extensive destruction in Los Angeles – all within the first month.

So, what can we expect from the rest of the year?

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti, presents predictions for 2025 on various topics, based on a survey conducted by Ipsos between October 25 and November 8, 2024, in the United States.

What Will 2025 Bring?

Below is the full table of data presented in the visualization:

Highlights from the survey include:

• Americans foresee an increase in extreme weather events in 2025. A majority (56%) also expect immigration to rise, despite Trump’s promises to deport illegal immigrants and impose taxes on products from Mexico and Canada if neighboring countries don’t improve border security.

• Most respondents also anticipate their personal data being leaked on the internet and believe that unemployment will increase.

• Only 2 in 10 Americans think the conflicts in the Middle East will end in 2025 (noting that the survey was conducted before the Gaza ceasefire agreement). Additionally, 3 in 10 Americans believe the war in Ukraine will conclude this year.

• Finally, 63% of respondents feel it is unlikely that people will become more tolerant in 2025.

If you enjoyed this chart, check out this graphic that shows the countries most exposed to potential immigration policy changes under the Trump presidency.

Authored by Liz Heflin via Remix News,

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who bet big on a Trump victory, is now making broad predictions about a “new golden age” for Hungary with Trump in the White House, while taking shots at Democrats and George Soros, including a promise to expel his organizations from Hungary.

“Everything will change, a different day will dawn over the Western world on Tuesday morning. The failed democratic governance in America will come to an end,” Magyar Nemzet reported Viktor Orbán as saying in his first interview this year with Kossuth Radio’s Good Morning Hungary! program.

Calling the Democratic Party and George Soros “a bunch of idiots,” Orbán claimed the Democrats want to force what they think is right on the world, including regarding migration, gender, and wa.

He further called U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman a “bully” who sought to “push Hungary into the globalist canon.”

“It is not in the Hungarian people’s thinking that a tyrant comes here and says that people from the other side of the world should come here and populate this region before us,” the Hungarian prime minister said, admitting that he “was not willing” to meet Pressman even once during his four-year tenure. 

Regarding Antal Rogán being put on the U.S. sanctions list, Orbán said this actually strengthened Rogán’s position in the government and that the U.S. move proves the minister is doing his job well. Although Rogán’s official title is minister of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office; Orbán mentioned his job specifically as being related to Hungary’s “intelligence/secret services” (titkosszolgálatok).

Believing that a Trump administration heralds a “new golden age” for Hungary, Orbán said that his top priority for 2025 is to send George Soros back to the United States, with the “expulsion of the Soros network from Hungary” starting this spring. Orbán also expressed his hope that “patriots elsewhere” will also do the same.

“It must be shown that the Soros network’s presence in Europe is contrary to the interests of the people,” he stated.

Stating that Brussels is in the pocket of George Soros, he said, “If there is corruption, this is it.”

Noting the start of a “new era in Brussels,” the prime minister said Brussels needs to “sober up” and “adapt.”

Although the prime minister lauded Hungary’s economic policy plans, he said they will only work if the war does not escalate and the sanctions policy is stopped. He also believes serious protective measures will be needed.

“Without Western money, there is no Ukraine. Ukrainian agriculture clashes with European agriculture, and its economy does not fit into the European system,” he added. 

Promising jobs and wage increases for everyone, he sees the middle class growing stronger in 2025, highlighting Hungary’s financial reserve system to boost consumption. Orbán also noted that Hungarians save an average of 24 percent of their income, compared to the EU average of 14 percent.

Energy will, as for many countries, remain a concern, especially with ongoing sanctions and as Hungary’s nuclear plant expansion (Paks II) will not be completed until. 2030-2032. Thus, keeping the TurkStream pipeline open will be of key importance. 

Read more here…

Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok suspended all US services early Sunday morning, while Apple and Google removed the app from their app stores to avoid hefty penalties under a new law. This follows the expiration of the divest-or-ban deadline for TikTok at midnight, just one day after the Supreme Court upheld the mandate.

“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” TikTok’s US website landing page reads. 

On Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump said he would give TikTok’s owner, Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance, a three-month reprieve from the ban to find a buyer.

“The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC News in an exclusive interview, adding, “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”

Bloomberg noted, “It was TikTok’s choice to suspend availability late Saturday” or “face enormous penalties.” 

The unprecedented shutdown of TikTok will mobilize its massive base of 170 million monthly US users and demand action against political leaders who have been trying to nuke the Chinese video-sharing app, as well as, call on Trump to reverse the ban.

The Biden-Harris administration has made it very clear to the incoming administration to take action against TikTok over national security concerns. 

Early Sunday, Elon Musk confirmed that X is exploring the very real possibility of bringing back the short-form video app Vine in some capacity to his social media platform, which has become a central hub for Americans to access news.

BREAKING: Elon Musk says X is looking into bringing back Vine. pic.twitter.com/dISGcy5D3Y

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 19, 2025

TikTokers are freaking out about the ban…

American influencers crying and having full bIown meltdowns over the tiktok ban is so unserious 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/H6yRu8KcGz

— welp. (@YSLONIKA) January 18, 2025

🚨 JUST IN: 911 calls are being placed around the country by individuals panicking over the TikTok ban

I can’t believe I have to say this, BUT DON’T CALL 911 OVER TIKTOK.

Here’s audio of 911 dispatch from Anoka County, MN, requesting a welfare check on a caller, saying he’s… pic.twitter.com/2f21H5HsL5

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 19, 2025

James Charles on TikTok ban meltdown.pic.twitter.com/fbOgEpQ3iW

— हिन्दीCast Originals (@Hindicast) January 19, 2025

💀 TikTok meltdown pic.twitter.com/U3GKvCVA6U

— coralblock (follows back) 前往阻止多个网站 (@ikclarkie) January 19, 2025

Goldman told clients on Thursday that “Tiktok refugees” were finding alternative video-sharing platforms worldwide, such as downloading the Chinese app RedNote… 

TikTok influencer Tiffany Cianci told Bloomberg she hopes that Trump can deliver to reverse the ban: “This is a promise Trump made and it is a promise he used to get a large number of young people to vote for him,” adding, “We are calling on him to deliver immediately.”