White House Says Secret Service Scandal Is No Security Breach

“In the final days of his term, President Biden has issued a series of policy decisions intended to cement his agenda and, in some cases, make it harder for President-elect Donald Trump to put in place his own,” the New York Times reports. “The 11th-hour decisions, many of them executive actions, include measures on environmental justice, prison reform, immigration and foreign relations.

“President Biden issued an executive order on Thursday requiring software companies selling their product to the federal government to prove they included ironclad security features that can thwart Chinese intelligence agencies, Russian ransomware gangs, North Korean cryptocurrency thieves and Iranian spies,” the New York Times reports. “But it is unclear whether the Trump administration, intent on deregulation even while it vows to take on China in particular, will keep the overhauled cybersecurity rules.”

“TikTok is spending $50,000 on an inauguration party honoring influencers who helped Donald Trump spread his campaign message, according to the party organizer — and it’s scheduled for Sunday, the deadline for the company to spin off from its China-based owner or be banned in the U. S.,” Politico reports. “CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend.”

Elon Musk is among the opening speakers who will precede President-elect Donald Trump at his pre-inaugural rally in Washington, D. C., on Sunday, NBC News reports.

The U. S. government clawed back more than $31 million in federal payments that improperly went to dead people, a recovery that one official said Wednesday was “just the tip of the iceberg,” the AP reports.