Territory: Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has responded to Donald Trump’s plan to buy the island by saying that it is not for sale. He said that Denmark has owned Greenland for more than 600 years and he is determined to make it stay that way. Trump proposed having the U.S. buy Greenland as part of other statements expressing expansionist policies for the U.S. once he takes office. Trump said that he wanted to see the U.S. buy Greenland and also make Canada the 51st U.S. state. Trump also threatened to seize the Panama Canal.
Clinton: Former President Bill Clinton, who is a resident with wife Hillary of Chappaqua, was discharged from the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital this morning after being treated for the flu. He had been taken to the hospital with a fever and underwent tests and observation. Clinton had been taken to the hospital from his home in Washington. He is 78 years old.
Weather: While the Northeast feels the effects of cold temperatures and some snow, a major rain and wind storm hit the central California coast yesterday and extended as far north as Oregon. Hurricane force winds created waves of more than 50 feet causing a pier to collapse at Santa Cruz and send three people tumbling into the Pacific Ocean. All three were rescued. One man at a state park was killed by falling debris.
Books: A federal judge in Arkansas has ruled that a state law that provided for the prosecution of librarians and anyone who sells books is unconstitutional. The state law allowed criminal charges when it was determined that harmful materials were being provided to minors by librarians or through the sale of books. The law was passed last year but was put on hold while a court challenge took place. The attorney general of Arkansas says the state will appeal the latest federal court ruling.
Prisoner: A Colombian drug lord who spent 23 years in federal custody in the U.S. has been deported by the U.S. and is back in Colombia today. After arrival in Colombia, he was set free by Colombian authorities. Fabio Ochoa Vasquez was a founder of the Medellin drug cartel. He had been arrested in Colombia in 1999 and was turned over to the U.S. in 2001. He stood trial on U.S. drug charges and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
Radar target: NORAD is America’s defense system headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that uses high-powered radar identify threats to the country. NORAD reported this morning that it was actively tracking a target on its radar screens that was rapidly circling the globe and appeared to be headed for the U.S. NORAD subsequently identified the target as Santa Claus on his sleigh being pulled by flying reindeer. At 9:30 this morning NORAD said it was tracking Santa flying across the Great Wall of China after having delivered an estimated 1.2 billion gifts worldwide. NORAD began the tradition of tracking Santa in 1955.
