President-elect Trump has picked Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education. McMahon is an advocate for school choice, and Trump says she will be key to sending education back to the states. Trump has called for dismantling the department altogether — a task that likely would require action from Congress.
The U.S. plans new sanctions after Hong Kong sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists under the Chinese Communist Party’s national security law. Critics say the law has crushed freedoms, with over 200 arrests and many convictions. Meanwhile, media tycoon Jimmy Lai took the stand in his trial today. Under the sweeping security law, he faces life in prison for alleged collusion and sedition. Lai denies the charges, calling them a plot to silence him.
At least one person has died after a bomb cyclone slammed into Washington state and British Columbia. High winds caused massive power outages across the western part of the United States. By Wednesday morning, more than half a million customers were without power, according to poweroutage.us.
