24/7 News: The Latest
The Latest: 01/25/2025 07:59pm ET
This is your 24/7 news update, the latest views this hour in just four minutes. President Trump has fired at least a dozen inspectors general in the federal government, a senior White House official confirmed the news saying they were fired because they don't align with the new Trump administration. Officials say the legal justification of those firings is murky at best, especially since Congress strengthened protections for inspectors general from undue terminations in 2022. Democrats general are typically independent figures in the government tasked with conducting objective audits of their agencies. And President Trump spent the afternoon in Las Vegas speaking to supporters he promised to end taxes on tips throughout the state. So if you're a restaurant worker, a server, a valet, a bellhop, a bartender, one of my caddies, I go through caddies like candy. Your tips will be 100% yours. And during the speech, Trump thanked crowds for getting him the electoral win in Nevada. Former Fox News host Pete Hexett is now in charge at the Pentagon. He was officially sworn in as defense secretary today by vice president JD Vance. I want to thank the president of the United States, our commander in chief, Donald Trump. We could not have a better commander in chief than him. The ceremony took place just 12 hours after Vance was forced to cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. Every Republicans voted against his confirmation as did all 47 Democrats. It's only the second time in history that a vice president has had to act as a nomination tie-breaker. Elon Musk is telling Germany to move on from their country's past mistakes. Today, he made a surprise speech to the far right political party known as alternative for Germany. Musk spoke about preserving and embracing the German culture while forgetting the country's past. The billionaire took it a step further and said he thinks German people are too guilt-ridden over the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust. His speech comes just days after he repeatedly made a straight-arm salute during Donald Trump's inauguration and was criticized by multiple Jewish human rights organizations for the gesture and his recent jokes about Nazi leaders. I'm Chris Caragio. A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence is expected to fetch as much as $4 million in auction. The copy from July 1776 was printed to help spread the document to the public. It's one of only 10 known to be in existence, most of which are in collections. This particular copy was made in New Hampshire. Police are investigating after an ancient statue was found in a trash bag near garbage cans in Greece. A local man found the statue, which is thought to be some 2000 years old. The statue is 32 inches tall and depicts somebody wearing a flowing garments. It's missing a head and arms. The man took the statue to authorities. iPhones with TikTok installed are listed for thousands on eBay after a brief ban in the US. Those who deleted or never downloaded TikTok have been left in the dark since it's not available on Apple and Google App Stores in the US. Some iPhone owners who have kept TikTok downloaded are now selling their used or brand new phones. One eBay user in Florida listed an iPhone 15 Pro Max with TikTok for $10,000 or Best Offer. Other phones with TikTok installed are listed between $525,000. Two giant pandas are making their American debut. Michael Kastner reports. Giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao can now be seen at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The zoo is celebrating the pandas with a series of special events and programs through February 9th, including a Lunar New Year event. The zoo is also relaunching its giant panda cam, which includes 40 cameras in the panda habitat recording live from 7 a.m. Spirit Airlines is implementing rules for passengers regarding offensive tattoos or sheer clothing. Spirit updated its contract of carriage, saying passengers will not be allowed to board or ask to leave if they have body art that's lewd, obscene or offensive in nature. That also applies to passengers who were inadequately clothed, which is defined as see-through clothing not adequately covered, exposed breasts, buttocks or other private parts.