Amna Nawaz: We start the day’s other news with two announcements from the Food and Drug Administration aimed at protecting Americans’ health.
First, officials are banning Red Dye No. 3 from food for its potential cancer risk. It was banned from cosmetics nearly 35 years ago. The dye is now found in some sweets, flavored beverages and oral medicines. Regulators gave food manufacturers until 2027 to remove it from their products.
The FDA also proposed a rule today to make cigarettes less addictive by capping their nicotine levels. Officials say that smoking is still the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. They estimate the rule could help nearly 13 million Americans quit within a year if implemented.
Brian King, FDA Center For Tobacco Products: Today’s action is a pivotal step towards reducing these monumental adverse health effects and the more than a billion dollars spent per day in this country on smoking-related health care costs and lost productivity.
Amna Nawaz: The agency announced the plan in the final days of the Biden presidency. It’s unclear if the incoming Trump administration will support the proposal.
The Supreme Court signaled support today for a Texas law aimed at blocking children from seeing pornography online. Critics of the measure say it violates the First Amendment by requiring age verifications like photo I.D. They say parents should filter what their kids see instead.
But members of the court’s conservative majority pushed back, with Justice Samuel Alito asking — quote — “Do you know a lot of parents who are more tech-savvy than their 15-year-old children?” Texas is among more than a dozen states with such laws on the books. The court is expected to rule on the case by July.
In South Africa, police abruptly called off a rescue operation at an abandoned gold mine where hundreds of people have been trapped underground. A rescue operation began on Monday, with crews pulling more than 240 people out alive, along with dozens of dead bodies. Just yesterday, the police minister predicted the operation would last until at least next week. The miners had been working the site illegally.
Authorities first tried to force them out in November by cutting off their supplies. Civic groups said that left the minors at risk of starvation and dehydration. Rescuers will try one final sweep tomorrow.
In Ukraine, officials say a major Russian missile attack forced authorities to shut down parts of its power grid today. There were no reported casualties, but energy infrastructure is critical during Ukraine’s frigid winter months. Residents in Kyiv huddled together as they took shelter in the city’s metro stations.
Today, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw. Poland is Ukraine’s neighbor and a major European ally. Zelenskyy said all eyes will be on Washington next week, when president-elect Trump takes office.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through interpreter): We are waiting. I think the whole world is waiting, because the United States is a strategic partner in global stability. This is my opinion. They are the main donors supporting Ukraine in its war for survival against Russian aggression. We expect continued support for Ukraine.
Amna Nawaz: Meantime, the Biden administration is ramping up sanctions on entities connected to Russia’s war effort. The Treasury Department said today it’s reimposing sanctions on 100 companies and institutions that had already been targeted and adding sanctions on 15 new ones.
To South Korea now, where the nation’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is now being held in detention. He was taken into custody early on Wednesday, becoming the country’s first ever sitting president to be detained. Investigators are looking into whether Yoon’s declaration of martial law last month amounted to rebellion.
In a video message recorded shortly before he was taken into custody, Yoon blasted his detention as unlawful.
Yoon Suk-Yeol, South Korean President (through interpreter): I can’t help but feel it is deplorable to witness the way these truly illegal proceedings are being forcibly carried out.
Amna Nawaz: South Korea’s anti-corruption agency must now decide whether to seek a court order for Yoon’s formal arrest. By law, he could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted of leading a rebellion.
In space news, meanwhile, two lunar landers are now on their way to the moon. SpaceX launched the double moonshot from Florida in the middle of the night. The landers shared the first part of the ride, but peeled off on separate routes about an hour in. One belongs to the U.S. company Firefly Aerospace and is expected to arrive in March. The other belongs to the Japanese company ispace and is supposed to get there by May or June.
If all goes well, they will gather samples and carry out tests to help with future moon exploration.
On Wall Street today, stocks jumped after a reassuring report on monthly inflation. The Dow Jones industrial average spiked 700 points, or more than 1.5 percent. The Nasdaq added around 460 points on the day as tech stocks enjoyed a rebound. The S&P 500 also ended sharply higher.
And a heartwarming note from the world of classical music. American pianist Ruth Slenczynska turns 100 years old today.
(Music)
Amna Nawaz: That is her playing Beethoven’s Minuet in G major As a 5-year-old child prodigy back in 1930. She’s believed to be the last living student of Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. The two were known to drink tea together. Slenczynska was still going strong well into her 90s. She recorded her final album in 2022 at the age of 97.
Over a nine-decade career, she played for five U.S. presidents, including a duet with Harry Truman. We wish her a very happy birthday.
