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🎧 Israel, Hamas conduct third round of prisoner-hostage exchange

💬 Moving on to the situation in the Middle East,.
Israel and Hamas on Thursday conducted their third prisoner-hostage exchange.
The latest exchange saw three Israelis being released in exchange for 1-hundred-10 Palestinians.
However, the exchange did not go smoothly, leading to criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Our Lee Seung-jae has more.

Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas conducted their third prisoner-hostage exchange on Thursday.
The exchange saw 8 hostages being released, comprising five Thai nationals and three Israelis.
In exchange, Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners.
The first hostage released on Thursday was a 20-year-old female Israeli soldier Agam Berger, who was among the seven female soldiers taken hostage from her unit on October 7th, 2023.

The two other Israeli hostages released on the day were 29-year-old Arbel Yehoud and 80-year-old Gadi Moses.

Meanwhile,.. among the 110 Palestinian prisoners who were released in exchange for the hostages, was a high-ranking militant officer who had been sentenced to life in prison.
Another prisoner was given 13 life sentences for killing 12 Israeli citizens.

However, the exchange saw a bit of a delay, when one of the hostages, Yehoud, was surrounded by a large crowd of Gazans.
Hamas had to build a wall around her to get her to the bus, that would eventually take her back to her family.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called this a violation of their agreement, and described the scene as "shocking."
The prisoners were released following the confirmation that the three Israeli nationals were safe.

The latest round was among the agreed-upon 33 hostages and 19-hundred Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged during a six-week ceasefire.
Seven Israeli hostages and 290 Palestinian prisoners were released in the two previous rounds.

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🔘 Nightly News - Jan. 27

00:00 Introduction
01:30 ICE ramps up arrest operations
05:20 DOJ lawyers who prosecuted President Trump fired
07:21 Deepseek shocks big tech
08:29 Frustrations mount over LA timeline to rebuild
10:35 Israeli hostages return after release from Gaza
12:16 Auschwitz survivors return 80 years after liberation
14:57 Technical issue injures dozens on united flight
16:52 congestion pricing's surprise results

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🎧 Trump threatens tariffs on Russia if Ukraine deal is not reached

💬U.S. President Donald Trump said he will impose new tariffs against Russia if a deal to end its war in Ukraine is not made.
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said that he would have no choice but to put "high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions" against Russia, if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to negotiate to end the prolonged war.
Trump added that such tariffs would be applied to "other participating countries," as well.
However, the newly inaugurated U.S. leader did not elaborate on which countries he was referring to.

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🎧 U.S. announces massive AI infrastructure project worth US$ 500 bil.

💬 In the U.S.
President Donald Trump announced a historic AI investment project worth 5-hundred billion dollars in collaboration with tech giants.
Our Park Kun-woo has the details.

Efforts to "Save America" are being put into action.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the largest AI infrastructure project in history with investment of up to 5-hundred billion U.S. dollars.
The massive project includes three companies -OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle -that have decided to partner on a new AI infrastructure company "Stargate."

"Beginning immediately, Stargate will be building the physical and virtual infrastructure to power the next generation of advancements in AI and this will include the construction of colossal data centers, very, very massive structures."

The first data center project is already under construction in Texas.

Also on Tuesday, a mass deportation operation began in the U.S. according to border czar Tom Homan.
He said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency will primarily crack down on illegal immigrants with criminal records, but added those without such records will also be arrested if found.
Homan said "sanctuary cities" and protected areas, including schools and places of worship, will not be exempt from arrests.

Trump also hinted at a "tax war" with a memorandum after taking office, which threaten to double tax rates for foreign nationals and companies in the U.S. in response to discriminatory taxation on U.S. multinationals by other countries.
He also mentioned potentially withdrawing from the OECD global tax pact that allows other countries to levy top-up taxes on U.S. companies.

Trump also spoke about imposing tariffs.

"We're thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada I think we'll do it February 1st."

Canada’s Prime Minister said it will "respond robustly" if "unfair tariffs" are imposed to protect the country's interests.
Trump also spoke about possible tariffs on China early next month.
However, investment banks Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs echoed opinion in Wall Street that Trump's recent comments on tariffs were quite moderate, but also noted related uncertainties remain in the coming days.

With easing concerns, the New York stock market, including the Dow Jones 30, closed strongly on Tuesday, up by more than 1-point-2 percent from the previous session.

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🔘 World News - Jan. 20, 2025

00:00 Intro
02:33 Second inauguration of Donald Trump displays historic, peaceful transfer of power
12:30 Trump plans scores of executive actions on economy, immigration
14:37 Trump issues sweeping pardons & commutations for Jan. 6 defendants
16:14 Takeaways from second inauguration of President Donald Trump
16:57 Pres. Trump vows to push for peace overseas, makes promise to end wars
18:08 Arctic blast hitting the Northeast, bringing frigid temperatures
18:36 President Trump signs executive order halting TikTok ban for 75 days
19:03 Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. across America

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🎧 Trump inauguration 2025

💬 Over in the U.S.
With only a few days left until Donald Trump's inauguration next week, eyes are now on the message he will deliver and who will attend the event.
Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji has the details.

Security preparations are underway in Washington D.C., as the city prepares for Trump's second inauguration,.. that will take place on January 20th.
More than 48 kilometers of fencing are being set up and officials are on high alert, especially since the president-elect survived two apparent assassination attempts during his campaign.

"More than 30 miles of anti-scale fence will be used for the inauguration -more than any other NSSE ever before the Secret Service."

The inauguration day includes a formal swearing-in ceremony, a parade to the White House, and musical performances.
Trump will take the presidential oath of office, and deliver his inaugural address which he earlier said will be about "unity."
The 78-year-old has repeatedly expressed confidence about promising a "golden age" for the country.

"We're approaching the dawn of America's golden age. It's going to be a golden age for America."

Meanwhile, ahead of the inauguration day, Trump's transition team shared official portraits of the president-elect.
Pictured in a blue suit and a blue tie,.. Trump's stone-faced expression is remarkably similar to his historic mug shot, taken in August 2023.

His new image stands in contrast to those of former presidents, and it's much sterner than the photo he used during his first term eight years ago in which he wore a wide smile.
The inauguration is expected to draw former presidents, lawmakers, tech CEOs,.. as well as senior officials and leaders from countries around the world.
From South Korea, Seoul's ambassador to Washington Cho Hyun-dong will be attending the event as the country's representative.
Seven lawmakers from the ruling conservative party and the main opposition Democratic Party will also travel to the U.S. to take part in the inauguration.
China announced Friday that its Vice President Han Zheng will attend the event in Washington D.C., instead of the country's President Xi Jinping which will mark the first time for a senior Chinese official.
This comes after Trump sent an unusual invitation to Xi, a break from tradition since foreign heads of state do not typically attend U.S. presidential inaugurations.

As for Japan, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is set to travel to Washington to participate in the event.
In a press conference, the Japanese top diplomat said he would make final arrangements for a summit
between the country's prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Donald Trump during his five-day trip to the U.S.

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▶️ Nightly News - Jan. 16

00:00 Introduction
01:24 Source: Israel's cabinet to vote on ceasefire deal on Friday
05:24 Growing concern about mudslides after Southern California wildfires
09:16 White House won't implement law if TikTok ban goes into effect, officials say
11:38 Trump's choice for treasury secretary questioned on the economy
12:40 California's insurer of last resort faces potential shortfalls
17:00 Science teacher's little engine helps homeowners save their properties

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▶️ Nightly News - Jan. 14

00:00 Introduction
01:24 Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice for defense secretary, grilled by Senate committee
04:43  Santa Ana winds kick up again in California fire zone
08:25 Report says there was enough evidence to convict Trump in election interference case
10:41 Exclusive: One-on-one with Iran's president
16:48 With TikTok facing ban, young people flock to other apps
18:55 Effort underway to preserve Altadena's African American history

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