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Biden's warning, Bondi's grilling and Blue Origin's big launch

 
Today's NATIONAL story

Biden warns of oligarchy in farewell address

What happened
President Joe Biden gave a farewell address from the Oval Office yesterday evening that focused at least as much on the dangers he saw ahead for America as his own accomplishments in office. The 17-minute speech was a capstone to Biden's 50 years in public service, days before he hands power to a president-elect he has called an "existential threat" to democracy.

Who said what
Biden warned that the "dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra-wealthy people" was leading toward an American "oligarchy" that "literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead." He was "equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex," as unchecked social media giants leave Americans "buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power."

Biden "did not explicitly name" Donald Trump in his speech, The New York Times says, but his warning "went straight at the tension at the heart of the incoming administration, in which billionaires like Elon Musk are positioned to wield enormous influence." Musk, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon's Jeff Bezos have "prime seating" next to Cabinet nominees on the dais at Trump's inauguration on Monday, illustrating the "deepening ties" between favor-currying tech titans and the incoming administration, The Washington Post said. And Trump's Cabinet is "slated to be the wealthiest group of presidential advisers in modern history."

What next?
Biden said it would "take time to feel the full impact" of his accomplishments on infrastructure, climate change, manufacturing, semiconductors and health care, but "the seeds are planted and they'll grow and they'll bloom" for decades. "I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands," but "now it's your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame," he added. "Thank you for this great honor."

 
 
Today's Politics story

Bondi downplays politics at confirmation hearing

What happened
Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, sparred with Senate Democrats during her confirmation hearing yesterday about whether her avowed loyalty to Trump would turn the Justice Department into a tool of retribution against the president's perceived enemies.

Who said what
Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, said she would not "politicize" the office and "politics will not play a part" in prosecutorial decisions. But she "also refused to rule out" investigating Trump adversaries, "including investigators who investigated him," during the "often-testy" hearing, The Associated Press said.

Republicans cast Bondi as a "qualified pick," while Democrats "repeatedly accused her of dodging basic yes-or-no questions about election denialism," prosecuting "Trump's political enemies" and how she would handle attempts by Trump to influence Justice Department actions, The New York Times said. Senators in both parties predicted she "would be easily confirmed" and "expressed relief" that Matt Gaetz, Trump's first pick, "had stepped aside."

What next?
There was "much more skepticism expressed" at Bondi's hearing about Kash Patel, Trump's controversial pick to lead the FBI, The Washington Post said. At times the questions for Bondi seemed more a "prelude" to Patel's "as-yet unscheduled confirmation hearings," the Times said. Bondi faces the Judiciary Committee again today for a second round of hearings.

 
 
Today's SPACE Story

Blue Origin conducts 1st test flight of massive rocket

What happened
Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, conducted the first test flight of its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket this morning. The uncrewed flight, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, was mostly a success, though the reusable first-stage rocket booster failed to land on a barge, as planned. 

Who said what
New Glenn, named after astronaut John Glenn, is Blue Origin's first rocket to reach space. Founded 25 years ago, the company has previously sent space tourists to near orbit in its one-engine New Shepard rockets. New Glenn is a "far more powerful vehicle," designed to "compete against SpaceX" and other commercial rocket companies, The Washington Post said. Blue Origin has contracts lined up to launch satellites into space and, if it can meet safety and reliability benchmarks, carry NASA astronauts to the Moon.

SpaceX, which got its first rocket into orbit in 2008, dominates the commercial launch market. CEO Elon Musk congratulated Bezos on social media for "reaching orbit on the first attempt." Reaching orbit safely was the "key objective" of today's New Glenn launch, Blue Origin VP Ariane Cornell said. "Anything beyond that is a bonus."

What next?
Blue Origin "envisions six to eight New Glenn flights this year," with the next this spring, The Associated Press said. SpaceX plans to conduct the seventh test of its 400-foot-tall Starship rocket later today.

 
 

It's not all bad

United Airlines Capt. David Whitson sprinted across a Houston airport last month to surprise a passenger about to take off: Allie Reimhold, the woman who saved his life eight years ago through a bone marrow transplant. Whitson had acute myeloid leukemia and Reimhold, who is on the National Bone Marrow Registry, was "more of a match than my brother," Whitson said. Once on Reimhold’s plane, Whitson shared with the other passengers what she had done, calling her a "true hero."

 
 
Under the radar

Norway has cemented its reign as king of electric vehicle purchases, with nine out of every 10 new cars sold in Norway last year being powered by electricity. The Scandinavian nation is "leagues ahead" in the "electric car race," said Quartz. And it has "become the poster child" for the transition to EVs, said DW. 

As far back as the 1990s, Norway set out to manufacture EVs, and although "early attempts" had "limited commercial success," they "fostered public awareness and acceptance of electromobility," said DW. Norway's "remarkable commitment" to fighting climate change has been "driven by strong government policies, robust infrastructure and a supportive public." 

Norway's size and wealth have played a part in its EV success. It has a population of just 5.5 million and is one of the world's richest nations — thanks, ironically, to substantial oil and gas reserves. 

Offering incentives, rather than banning gas and diesel cars, has also helped, said Reuters. Another advantage: Norway "does not have an automaker lobby." 

Norway has set a target for all cars sold to be zero-emission vehicles by the end of this year — a milestone that would put it a decade ahead of the European Union, of which it's not a member. But "reaching that ambitious goal" will "likely be a difficult task," said Quartz. Oyvind Solberg Thorsen, director of the Norwegian Road Federation, said the "figures and the increase in share show that the last few percentages" to meet the 2025 target may be "difficult to achieve."

 
 
On this day

January 16, 2006

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated as president of Liberia, becoming the first woman to be head of state of an African country. Sirleaf served as president from 2006 to 2018. Women remain rare in positions of global power; only a third of U.N. member states have ever had a female leader, according to the Pew Research Center.

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

"Israel and Hamas reach Gaza truce and hostage deal" that "takes effect Sunday, if approved," after "Trump and Biden came together over talks," The New York Times says on Thursday's front page. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "says final details still in works," the Chicago Sun-Times says. Still, the "cease-fire deal brings hope" to Palestinians and many Israelis, The Boston Globe says. President Joe Biden "warns of 'oligarchy' in somber farewell" as Donald Trump "weighs executive action to 'save TikTok,'" The Washington Post says. "Trump's Cabinet picks come with risks," USA Today says. Meanwhile, "FDA bans Red No. 3 on health concerns." 

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Wrong turn

A Colorado driver took a wrong turn and ended up stuck on a ski run. When Summit County Sheriff's Department officers arrived at the Keystone Resort, they found a note explaining that the driver had been following GPS directions, but at one point went the wrong way and ended up on the slopes. This was "not our everyday illegal parking call," the sheriff's department said, adding that the vehicle was towed out and returned to its owner.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Chas Newkey-Burden, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Mandel Ngan / Pool / AFP via Getty Images; Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images; Miguel J. Rodríguez Carrillo / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images