Today’s the day for the Electoral College, and China is playing hard-to-get with a certain drone of ours. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. China
An underwater drone seized in the South China Sea has become a point of contention between the US and China. Chinese media reports the drone is just a small part of US surveillance efforts meant to “contain” China. The Pentagon says the drone was just conducting routine unclassified operations. China is set to return the equipment, but that hasn’t happened yet.
2. Electoral college
The 538 members of the electoral college will cast their votes today, making Donald Trump’s presidential win official. There’s one more stop on the road to the Inauguration, and that comes when Congress officially counts the votes on January 6th.
3. Russia hacks
A new poll shows that 55% of Americans are bothered by Russian election hacking, but only 37% think the hacks helped Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. The hacks continues to be a highly debated topic: Senator John McCain said such breaches could signal a breakdown of democracy. Incoming Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said that intelligence agencies should issue a report or statement if they want the claims to be taken seriously.
4. Aleppo
The evacuation of Aleppo residents is back on after two buses that were supposed to carry evacuees to safety were set ablaze this weekend. So far, more than 3,500 people have been evacuated, and the UN Security Council is set to vote on Monday on a resolution to monitor evacuations.
5. Apple
Apple and Ireland are taking on the EU in a case of taxation and national sovereignty. The EU has ordered Ireland to recover €13 billion in back taxes from Apple after ruling the country had helped the tech giant artificially lower its tax bill for years. Ireland isn’t keen because they say the ruling infringes upon their national laws. Apple says they’re being unfairly singled out because they’re a big-name company.
Breakfast Browse
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Woman finds deadly snake wrapped up like tinsel in her Christmas tree
Unsurprisingly, this happened in Australia.
Zsa Zsa Gabor has died at 99
Heaven just got a little more glamorous.
GA officer fired for flying Confederate flag is now suing
She calls it free speech. Her dept. calls it “conduct unbecoming an officer.”
The Pope turned 80 this weekend
He celebrated by dining with the homeless.
Police tried to free a woman frozen to death in a car…
Only to find she was a super lifelike medical training mannequin. ¯_(?)_/¯
And finally …
Who wants to see a cool dog video?
It’s Monday, so here’s a bunch of beagles chasing an RC car like it’s a porterhouse with legs. (Click to view)