Dec. 30—The U.S. Supreme Court is holding a special session on Jan. 10, 2025, in order to hear challenges to the Jan. 19 implementation of the Congressional bill that would ban TikTok, and Donald Trump is among those who have filed briefs to the court. “This case presents an unprecedented, novel, and difficult tension between free-speech rights on one side, and foreign policy and national-security concerns on the other,” his filing says. “President Trump opposes banning TikTok in the United States at this juncture and seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” TikTok is an important forum for political debate, and Trump has the negotiating skills and social media savvy (including by founding the “resoundingly successful” Truth Social) to address the issue politically. “President Trump … has a compelling interest as the incoming embodiment of the Executive Branch in seeing the statutory deadline stayed to allow his incoming Administration the opportunity to seek a negotiated resolution of these questions. If successful, such a resolution would obviate the need for this Court to decide the historically challenging First Amendment question presented here on the current, highly expedited basis.” It was on Dec. 6, 2024 that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied a petition to delay the implementation of the law on constitutional grounds. The decision concludes with this absurd claim: “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States. Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” {emphasis added] Trump’s support for the social media platform represents a dramatic change in his outlook. Trump spoke of banning TikTok in the summer of 2020, and on Aug. 6, 2020 he issued an executive order to force its parent company, ByteDance, to divest. A court blocked Trump’s executive order on the grounds that Trump had exceeded his presidential authority. Biden formally revoked Trump’s ban in 2021. By 2024, he defended the platform, where he had amassed a significant following, saying, for example, that young people “will go crazy without it.” On Sept. 4, 2024, he urged supporters of the platform to vote for him: “We’re not doing anything with TikTok, but the other side’s going to close it up. So if you like TikTok, go out and vote for Trump.” The so-called TikTok ban does not prevent current users from continuing to use the popular app. It removes TikTok downloads from Google Play and Apple Play and other app stores, effectively banning new user download.s; It will also restrict future updates. The restrictions would be removed if the app is divested from its Chinese parent company. 

Dec. 29—There was a second phone discussion on Dec. 28 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on the crash of the Azeri airliner over Kazakhstan on Christmas Day. During their first call, Putin had expressed his apologies that the incident had occurred in Russian airspace, but did not say that the plane had crashed due to Russian anti-aircraft activity. Aliyev is now demanding that Russia take responsibility for the accident. “We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia. This is a fact,” Aliyev said on Dec. 29 in a televised interview, observing that there were holes in the fuselage. He modified the tone, somewhat, by adding, “Again, we are not saying that this was done intentionally, but it was done.” “If we had seen fair and reasonable steps by Russia in the immediate aftermath of the accident, we probably would not have objected,” Aliyev said. “But we saw that attempts to cover up the case were quite obvious.” In addition to an admission of responsibility by Moscow, he is also asking that Russia punish those responsible and pay compensation for the crash of the AZAL plane. While the Azeri President is no doubt under pressure at home for clarifying the matter, it cannot be excluded that he is playing his own game with regard to his Russian neighbor. The two countries are also at loggerheads over the more restrictive immigration policy instituted in Russia. In retaliation, Azerbaijan has also restricted the amount of time Russians may stay in Azerbaijan. The role of “outside players” in this situation can by no means be excluded. The plane had first attempted to land at the airport in Grozny, Russia, which at the time was under attack by Ukrainian drones, to which Russian air defenses were responding. Putin also spoke by phone with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Dec. 28. “The leaders exchanged condolences in connection with the December 25 crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane near the city of Aktau; the plane was carrying Russian and Kazakh citizens on board, among other passengers,” according to the President’s website. “The parties are operating on the premise that Kazakhstan’s government commission, which is investigating the details of the accident, will bring in experts from Russia, Azerbaijan and Brazil for them to read the flight recorders found at the crash site.” (The plane was produced by Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer.) Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev told the country’s leading news agency, Tengrinews, that the airliner suffered damage before it entered Kazakh airspace. “As of this time, according to preliminary data, experts have concluded that the airliner was damaged outside the airspace of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In this context, the investigative task force has commissioned a variety of examinations. Forensic and histological examinations were commissioned earlier. And molecular-genetic examination was also commissioned,” he said, reported TASS. According to the official, as part of the investigation, the law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan will conduct ballistic and explosive ordnance examinations. “A total of 17 international experts will be at work. The commission will work transparently and openly so that no one has any doubts,” he said. According to the official, the team includes two experts from Russia, representatives of Azerbaijan and the aircraft manufacturer, specialists from the Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aviation Accidents of Brazil, the Interstate Aviation Committee and the International Civil Aviation Organization. Among the unanswered questions regarding the crash are the following: Why was Azerbaijani flight AHY8243 allowed to attempt a landing at the airport in Grozny in the midst of a Ukrainian drone attack? Why did the flight divert to Aktau, some 450 km distant from Grozny on the other side of the Caspian Sea? Was there not another airport inside Russia that the flight could have diverted to and perhaps landed safely without having to travel so far? Unraveling how the events unfolded in the air over Grozny will be key to understanding what happened.

Dec. 29—The Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza is now shut, much of it demolished and burned by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), after repeated raids in recent months. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the facility is “destroyed and nonfunctional.” The WHO issued a report on the atrocity yesterday morning. Today, the IDF declared that they have detained hospital director Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, under suspicion “of being a Hamas terrorist operative.” His whereabouts is unknown. Other staff have been arrested. Dr. Abu Safiya posted an alarm on social media yesterday, during the time the hospital was under assault. Since then, as reported by various sources, staff and patients were ordered to go outside and strip down. Anyone refusing to strip was beaten, Cable News Network (CNN) today quotes several patients and staff, among them Abdulrahman Rayan, who said, “There was no limit to the beating. They struck people on the head with hoses. They dragged three people at a time, including an injured person with a cast, and beat them on their heads. They spared no one—not the injured, not the elderly, not the children.” Many patients were dumped out to walk, with no destination. The WHO statement said that they will conduct a mission to the Indonesian Hospital Dec. 29 to assess the situation. Many thousands are at risk of health crises in the winter cold, with only tents for shelter, and no fuel. Four babies died of the cold this week, by official count, but more deaths and suffering go unreported. Meanwhile, well-placed sources in both Israel and Washington say that continued IDF operations in Gaza ordered by the Butcher of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, have no military objectives, and little or nothing to do with alleged Hamas targets. The special units of the IDF carrying out these attacks, with murderous results, are under the command of commanders who are loyal to the Prime Minister, these sources say. Unreported in the media, several IDF line officers have asked to be removed from command in Gaza, saying that they no longer believe that there is any purpose to the continued military operations, which slaughter civilians, while killing and capturing only a handful of Hamas, and as such, are now only making martyrs out of Hamas. “The leadership of the IDF has said that Hamas has been defeated, that they can never again threaten Israel the way it did with its Oct. 7 [2023] attack,” said a source. “They have called for a ceasefire and hostage release deal that would end the war. Nor does the IDF command accept Netanyahu’s plan to leave it in charge of Gaza. They do not want that mission and have demanded that Bibi specify a plan to turn Gaza over to a civilian authority, without a permanent IDF presence. Meanwhile, Bibi continues to sabotage the latest ceasefire/hostage release negotiations, and has no plan for the so-called “day after” hostilities’ end. That is because everything Bibi says about what he has been doing and what he wants to do, is a lie. His plan is to make Gaza a Hell on Earth—an uninhabitable charnel house that could never become the anchor of a Palestinian state. That is his ‘military’ target—a Palestinian state.” “Those who say Bibi continues to fight a phantom and has destroyed Hamas in Gaza so that he can hold on to power, and delay elections, only have it partially right,” said another source. “It is absolutely true he doesn’t give a damn about the hostages and never has. Better to have Hamas kill them all, so he can fuel rage in the Israeli population to keep his wars going. But what remains of the Hamas leadership, an organization that he funded and helped create in Gaza precisely because it did not support a Palestinian state, is now not playing along with him. They have made substantial concessions for a ceasefire talks, and they are keeping the remaining hostages alive. The biggest threats to the hostages are Bibi and his special IDF units, who are being asked to act in Gaza like the Waffen SS did in Nazi-occupied Europe.” Bibi’s negotiators for the ceasefire/hostage deal returned to Israel late last week to brief the cabinet on where the negotiations stand. An American source familiar with the negotiations reported that Bibi has once again thrown roadblocks into the process. “If there was anyone else who was Prime Minister of Israel, other than Bibi or his lunatic coalition members, [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir or [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich, there would have been a deal already. But Netanyahu just keeps delaying things, in order to slaughter more Palestinians. “The problem is that this messianic lunatic believes that he is the savior of the Jewish state and will listen to no one,” the source continued. “If there was more than a suit of clothes without a brain or senses who was President [of the United States], maybe something could be done. Or better said—it could have been done a long time ago. Now, we will have to see if [President elect Donald] Trump can do anything. He has surrounded himself on policy matters with pro-Bibi fruitcakes and worse. But Netanyahu is miscalculating if he thinks Trump wants a wider war with Iran, or a continuation of the slaughter in Gaza. Many insiders think that in the end, it may be Trump who winds up pushing Bibi out, where others have failed. He is reportedly furious with Netanyahu for complicating policy matters with Saudi Arabia, which Trump sees as the anchor of a broader American policy interest.”

Dec. 29—Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov laid out the principles which are guiding Russia’s current approach to the situation in Syria after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, in two answers in his Dec. 26 press conference. First and foremost, Russia is focusing on “preventing Syria from repeating the path of the Libyan state after NATO destroyed it—that country still needs to be put back together piece by piece,” he emphasized. Russia seeks to help stabilize the situation, so that elections can be organized which are “inclusive, meaning that all political, ethnic and religious groups in Syria have to be represented,” he reported. This transitional period “is not an easy process,” but Russia has maintained contact with most of the political groups operating in Syria from before the recent events, and is open to contacts with all. He expressed hope that when the new Syrian government stabilizes, Russian economic and investment cooperation can be resumed. Russia’s ties to Syria are long-standing, going back to the days of Syria’s liberation from colonialism. Lavrov placed special importance on the role to be played by other countries in the region. He cited the Astana Format process created by Russia, Iran and Türkiye as an asset in stabilizing the situation, now “with support from the majority of Arab nations.” He cited Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, the U.A.E., Bahrain, and Lebanon as agreeing with Russia in the goal to prevent a new Libya. He carefully formulated his remarks on Türkiye. Russia understands Türkiye’s legitimate concerns about terrorism along its border with Syria, he said. But “these legitimate security concerns must be addressed while preserving Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity.” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he agrees with this approach; “we support that.” He also warned Israel that “one cannot expect to destroy all military facilities in a neighboring country and then live in peace and harmony until the end of time.” Those who so violate the principle of the indivisibility of the security of all states are “sowing the wind” which will come back “in a storm of consequences.” But while “the Syrian people are interested in establishing good relations with all ‘external players’ without exception,” the West, both Europeans and Americans, are placing great pressure on the new Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa and his associates, Lavrov warned. “Their goal is not to preserve the unity of all ethno-political forces in Syria, but to secure as much influence and territory for themselves as possible.” The EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas threatened that the new government must “kick out” Russian military bases from Syria, or the EU won’t support it. (She is from “the most important power of all,” Estonia, he chuckled.) Likewise, the Americans continue to illegally occupy the major oil fields and the most fertile soil of Syria, “extracting and exporting the country’s resources, directing the proceeds to support US-created separatist groups in eastern Syria. This must certainly be addressed. Syria must not be allowed to fall apart.” 

Dec. 29—On Dec. 26, China’s Global Times published an article by Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche, titled, “BRI Offers Opportunities for All Nations in the Second Decade of Growth.” The article was assembled by the editors based on a recent exclusive Global Times interview with Zepp-LaRouche. Zepp-LaRouche describes how China’s innovation-driven economic policy has fostered an era of high quality development in many nations of the Global South, during the just concluded first decade of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, she warns, "We are currently in the most dangerous period in history ever, because some forces in the West cannot reconcile themselves with the fact that the unipolar world has been replaced already with a multipolar order. “In any case, the China-proposed initiative, with the ultimate aim of building a community with a shared future for mankind, is one of the global cooperation platforms on the table to overcome the geopolitical divide in the world. It is also a natural and essential way to bring infrastructure development into all corners of the world as a precondition for industrialization.” 

Dec. 29—Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met in Beijing Dec. 27 with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. In addition to talks on implementing provisions of the Comprehensive Strategic partnership in effect in recent years, their discussion included the Southwest Asian turmoil. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summary of their discussions, issued today, presents five points of focus, quoted here in full: “1-West Asia belongs to the people of the region and should not be a battleground for the games of great powers; it must not fall victim to the interests and geopolitical conflicts of countries outside the region. The future and destiny of the countries in West Asia should be determined by the people of the region themselves. “2-The international community must respect the national sovereignty, security, stability, unity, and territorial integrity of the countries in West Asia; pay attention to the reasonable demands of West Asian nations; respect the sovereign decisions of the nations there; maintain respect for the history, culture, customs, and traditions of West Asian countries; and play a constructive role in strengthening peace and stability in the region. “3-The path to stability and tranquility in West Asia is adherence to a political solution based on international law and without foreign intervention. “4-Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must further be expanded and ongoing consultations and dialogue among regional countries must continue. “5-Resolving the Palestinian issue requires respecting and restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and ending occupation. The current priority is an immediate ceasefire, complete withdrawal of military forces from Gaza, and sending humanitarian aid into Gaza. The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon must be implemented seriously and effectively as well. The fight against terrorism and extremism, efforts toward internal reconciliation and sending humanitarian aid must be comprehensively pursued in Syria.” [