Biden’s Farewell, A Ceasefire (Finally), The FDA, & Filing Rap Lawsuits
January 16, 2025
Hello, readers – happy Thursday! Today, we’ll be talking about Biden’s farewell, a ceasefire (finally), South Korea’s president, Mauritius, FDA changes, the Washington Post’s concerns, & Drake’s lawsuit against Kendrick.
Here’s some good news: Celebrities, athletes, and other rich people have really stepped up in the wake of the L.A. fires. Beyoncé, Eva Longoria, Jamie Lee Curtis, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry are among the celebrities contributing. Netflix and Comcast NBCUniversal each pledged $10 million, and 12 professional L.A. sports teams announced a donation of more than $8 million. Also, the global music industry hit 4.8 trillion streams in 2024, a new record. Streams of female pop stars were responsible for nearly two-thirds of all audio streams amongst the top 100 pop artists in the U.S.
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein
Biddin’ Biden Goodbye

Last night, President Biden delivered his farewell address as his time in the White House ends. In his 17-minute speech, the 82-year-old urged Americans to protect the democratic ideals that make America special. He warned that an “oligarchy” of the ultrawealthy is coalescing as the second Trump presidency approaches “that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” adding, “After 50 years at the center of all of this, I know that believing in the idea of America means respecting the institutions that govern a free society. We know the idea of America, our institution, our people, our values that uphold it, are constantly being tested.”
Just hours before his speech, the president was able to snag a landmark victory (some might argue it was with the help of some pressure from Trump) in the form of a ceasefire deal in Gaza. That diplomatic upset might secure him a more positive legacy, but things are definitely not sweet in Washington right now – Biden is leaving the White House with the lowest approval of his presidential term, with just 36% of U.S. adults approving of his work as president.
An Uneasy Peace In The Middle East
It’s officially real this time – there’s a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. On Wednesday, both parties to the conflict signed off on a temporary peace deal that will put a pause to the violence in Gaza, and – if the deal holds – create a three-step path to lasting peace in the region.
Soon after mediators announced that the deal was done, Palestinians in Gaza and Israelis in Tel Aviv took to the streets to celebrate. However, one party to the conflict wasn’t celebrating – the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Wednesday night, Bibi thanked Trump and Biden for coming together to push the peace deal, but noted that he would only issue a formal response “after the final details of the agreement, which are currently being worked on, are completed.”
According to Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the first stage of the deal will go into effect on Sunday, with 33 Hamas-held hostages sent back to Israel in exchange for a large number of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel. Early this morning, though, Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of backing out of an agreement that would let Israel veto which Palestinian prisoners would be returned in the exchange. As of writing, Hamas hasn’t commented on that statement.
How Many Cops Does It Take To Arrest A President?

- In the U.S., when former presidents attempt to seize power, they get investigated for four years before getting let off the hook. In South Korea, sitting presidents get impeached (after two tries) and detained (also after two tries). Yesterday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was taken into police custody after his December attempt to seize power in a military coup. This was the second time that authorities tried to bring Yoon to justice – their first attempt failed when his security service didn’t let police into the residence.
- This time, though, the cops brought backup. Lots of backup. In total, around 1,000 law enforcement troops surrounded the presidential residence’s grounds before closing in on Yoon’s home, hiking through forests and scaling walls to reach their target. Now, Korea’s anti-corruption agency has a 48-hour timer to request a court order for his formal arrest, or else the impeached leader will be free to go – if his formal arrest goes through, Yoon can be detained for a further 20 days before he’s handed over to prosecutors.
Pending The President’s Approval
- The U.K. is ready to give up control of one of its colonial holdings, but first, it needs to check in with the current empire in charge. Yesterday, Britain’s government announced that it was prepared to hand over control of the contested Chagos Islands to the East African island nation of Mauritius… pending approval of the Trump administration. Which, as you probably know, does not have any actual legal power over what the U.K. does with its assets.
- Unfortunately for the roughly 3,000 people living in the Chagos Islands, the Trump administration has already announced its opposition to the deal. According to incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio (we still haven’t wrapped our heads around that one), the deal would somehow pose “a serious threat” to U.S. national security.
- As a reminder, we’re talking about a tiny archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean located on the other side of the planet that’s owned by the British but hosts a U.S. airbase. The international community has long supported Mauritius’ claim to the islands, especially in light of the British evicting 2,000 locals to make way for the military base, but Britain only appears to care about the approval of one country. Now that’s devotion.
More Mixed Nuts
- Austria’s Kickl brings Europe’s anti-populist firewall crashing down (Politico)
- Five things we learn about Pope Francis from his new memoir (NPR)
- North Korea tests ‘several’ missiles, South Korean military says (ABC)
- Russia plotted terror attacks on airlines around the world, Poland’s Tusk says (Politico)
- France’s Bayrou buys himself time with overture to Socialists (Politico)
Nixing Nicotine
- The FDA is considering some changes. Yesterday, the agency proposed limiting nicotine levels in cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products, hopefully making them less addictive. If the rule is finalized, the U.S. would be the first country to impose such a limit, the FDA said.
- Also yesterday, the FDA announced it’s banning the use of Red No. 3, which has been linked to cancer in some animals. More than 9,200 food items contain the dye. Red No. 3 was already illegal for use in cosmetics, so it’s unclear what took so long for it to be banned from food.
A Host Of Problems At The Post
- Hundreds of employees at The Washington Post sent a letter to the publication’s owner and billionaire Jeff Bezos asking him for a meeting. “We are deeply alarmed by recent leadership decisions that have led readers to question the integrity of this institution, broken with a tradition of transparency and prompted some of our most distinguished colleagues to leave, with more departures imminent,” the letter says.
- Several members of The Post’s opinion staff resigned from the editorial board after the decision to end presidential endorsements, but according to the letter, that’s not why the 400 signatories are concerned. Instead, they’re more worried about “retaining our competitive edge, restoring trust that has been lost and re-establishing a relationship with leadership based on open communication.”
More Nuts In America
- Supreme Court will hear Texas anti-pornography law that challengers say violates free-speech rights (AP)
- Republican Sen. Ron Johnson says fire aid to California should come with conditions (NPR)
- Biden administration removes Cuba from state sponsors of terrorism list (NBC)
- ‘Men have no place in women’s sports’: House GOP votes to roll back Title IX changes (ABC)
- The Second Trump White House Could Drastically Reshape Infectious Disease Research. Here’s What’s at Stake. (ProPublica)
- Big oil pushed to kill bill that would have made them pay for wildfire disasters (Guardian)
Meet the Grahams’ Legal Team
- Yesterday, Drake showed the world that he’s not the type of guy to give up without a fight… in the courtroom. After definitively losing his rap beef with Kendrick Lamar last year, the rapper filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) on Wednesday morning. In the suit, Drake claims that UMG – which both he and Lamar are signed to – used its significant resources to defame and harass him as part of a promotional campaign for Lamar’s hit song “Not Like Us.”
- According to Drake’s lawyers, UMG “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” which was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.” His lawyers pointed out that the song’s cover was a picture of Drake’s mansion (nicknamed “the Embassy”) with a bunch of sex offender markers on it, and noted that multiple people had tried to break into the grounds in the days after “Not Like Us” was released.
- “We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success,” replied UMG. “Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists. He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist’s music.”
More Loose Nuts
- Animal rights advocates are ready for Trump’s war on science (Vox)
- New York’s iconic Sex and the City landmark could be harder to see (BBC)
- The ‘Largest Illicit Online Marketplace’ Ever Is Growing at an Alarming Rate, Report Says (Wired, $)
Mission to moon carries tiny red Swedish home to space (AP) - Restaurant charges $120 to add pineapple on pizza (CNN)
- Lorne Michaels’s ‘S.N.L.’ Archive Is Going to the University of Texas (NYT, $)