Trump, Canada Reach Gordie Howe Bridge Deal Ahead of July 27 Opening 
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Dies at 71, Leaving South Carolina Senate Seat Vacant 
Iran Says It Closes Strait of Hormuz After Warning Shot at Vessel 
EU to Propose New Rules Limiting Children's Access to Social Media 
North Korea Expands Nuclear Forces as Kim Jong Un Pushes Military Modernization 
Israeli Strikes Kill Six in Gaza as Ceasefire Talks Continue in Cairo 
HHS Watchdog Reports $5.56 Billion in Healthcare Fraud Recoveries as Enforcement Actions Decline 
Regional Powers Push to Revive U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks After Escalation 
Trump Administration Sues Maryland Over Alleged Sanctuary Immigration Policies 
US-Iran Strikes Escalate as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Pushes Oil Prices Higher 
Iraq PM Visits Washington as U.S. Oil, Gas Deals Take Center Stage 
Iran Buries Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Imam Reza Shrine as Successor Mojtaba Remains Out of Public View 
Trump Election Commission Firings Follow White House Push for Voting System Changes 
Zelenskiy Plans Ukraine Government Shake-Up as Prime Minister Svyrydenko Set to Step Down 
Joe Biden has appointed television personality Star Jones to a presidential commission. Jones will be serving in the US Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad.
Biden has appointed Jones to serve in the US Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. Jones, who is set to be the host and judge for the show “Divorce Court” later this year, will be part of the agency responsible for identifying and reporting monuments, historical buildings, and cemeteries in Eastern and Central Europe associated with the heritage of US citizens.
The law that the commission falls under was created in 1985. The commission was established was made to ensure that such historical sites – especially those for populations that have suffered the impact of Nazism and communism – are preserved.
Aside from Jones, Biden has also appointed G. Jonathan Greenwald, Nicole Mavis Isaac, Nancy Kaufman, Michael Marquardt, Maureen Pikarski, and Bill Shaheen to the commission.
Jones was a former homicide prosecutor and one of the original hosts of the talk show “The View.” Jones is also a principal of Instant Impact Group LLC, advising diversity and equity programs. Jones also previously served as the president and board director of the Professional Diversity Network Inc and the International Association of Women.
In other related news, Biden will be meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida this week. The meeting will be held virtually on Friday with discussions expected to focus on the Quad alliance of countries – the US, Japan, India, and Australia.
“President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will meet virtually with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan on Friday, January 21 to further deepen ties between our governments, economies, and our people,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a statement.
“President Biden looks forward to working with Prime Minister Kishida to advance our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific and to expand our close cooperation on critical issues like combatting COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, and partnering on new and emerging technologies, including through the Quad,” said the statement.
The meeting comes as China has increasingly made aggressive moves in the region, with the situation with Taiwan and the South China Sea.
