The briefing for Friday, January 23.

TikTok has finalized agreements to create a new U.S. joint venture, avoiding a ban that threatened to shut down the platform for more than 200 million American users. The deal brings together Oracle, Silver Lake, and Emirati investment firm MGX as managing investors, each holding 15% stakes, while ByteDance retains 19.9% ownership.

The new entity will operate under comprehensive data protections, with U.S. user data stored locally in Oracle-run systems. The platform's content recommendation algorithm will be retrained and tested on U.S. user data, though ByteDance will license the algorithm to the new entity. This arrangement raises questions about compliance with the law that prohibits cooperation on algorithm operations between ByteDance and new owners.

President Trump praised the deal and thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for approving it, though China has not yet publicly commented. Adam Presser, TikTok's former head of operations, will lead the venture as CEO alongside a seven-member, majority-American board. The agreement ends years of uncertainty that began when Congress passed bipartisan legislation requiring TikTok to find new ownership or face a ban.

An internal ICE memo obtained by the Associated Press states that immigration officers can forcibly enter homes without a judge's warrant, marking a dramatic shift from decades of Fourth Amendment protections. The directive allows forced entry with only administrative warrants issued by immigration authorities, not independent judges.

For years, immigrants have been advised not to open doors for ICE officers unless they show a warrant signed by a judge, as the Supreme Court has long held that forced entry into homes requires judicial authorization. The AP witnessed ICE officers using the new authority on January 11 in Minneapolis, where agents rammed through a man's front door with heavy tactical gear and rifles drawn, carrying only an administrative warrant.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal is demanding congressional hearings and an explanation from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, calling the policy terrifying for all Americans. The change comes as the Trump administration dramatically expands immigration arrests nationwide, potentially accelerating enforcement operations that previously required long surveillance hours waiting for targets to emerge from their homes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held marathon talks lasting past 3 a.m. Friday with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with the Kremlin insisting territorial issues must be resolved for any peace deal. The meeting came hours after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos, who said peace proposals are "nearly ready" though the status of Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine remains unresolved.

Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as "frank, constructive and fruitful," noting agreement to hold trilateral talks on security issues in the United Arab Emirates on Friday. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that both leaders want a deal and "everyone's making concessions," though boundaries remain the key sticking point that has held up talks for months.

Russia has captured about 20% of Ukraine since 2014, but the gains have been costly for Moscow's economy under international sanctions. Ukraine faces its own challenges, with its defense minister reporting 200,000 troop desertions and about 2 million draft-dodgers, while remaining dependent on Western weaponry despite boosting domestic arms manufacturing.

The United States has finalized its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, ending a 78-year commitment one year after President Trump announced the decision. The U.S. owes more than $130 million to the WHO and still hasn't resolved issues including lost access to international disease data that could provide early pandemic warnings.

Trump cited the WHO's COVID-19 mishandling and failure to demonstrate independence from member states' political influence. The U.S. had been among the organization's biggest donors, providing an average of $111 million in annual dues and roughly $570 million in voluntary contributions, along with hundreds of CDC personnel with specialized expertise.

Public health experts warn the withdrawal will cripple global health initiatives including polio eradication, maternal health programs, and research into new viral threats. Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University called it "the most ruinous presidential decision in my lifetime." Trump administration officials acknowledge they're working to establish direct information-sharing arrangements with other countries, though they haven't specified how many such agreements are in place.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has reclaimed large swathes of northeastern territory from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the biggest change of control since Assad's fall in December 2024. Nearly a third of Syria's territory had been controlled by the Kurds, who ran an autonomous enclave with American support after helping defeat ISIS.

A 14-point agreement signed Sunday reverses almost all SDF concessions from earlier negotiations. SDF members will join the Syrian army and interior ministry as individuals rather than separate units, while control of oil and gas fields transfers to Damascus. SDF-run prisons and camps holding thousands of ISIS detainees also come under government control.

The offensive began after stalled integration talks, with the SDF apparently miscalculating its U.S. backing under Trump, who strongly supports Sharaa's vision of a united Syria. Sharaa issued a decree designating Kurdish as a national language and granting nationality to stateless Kurds, but fighting erupted again as government forces moved toward Kurdish-majority areas. A ceasefire declared Tuesday gives the SDF four days to present a detailed integration plan.

The Supreme Court appears poised to protect Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from removal by President Trump, carving out an exception for the Fed even as it has allowed Trump to fire heads of other independent agencies. During oral arguments Wednesday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said allowing Cook's firing would "weaken, if not shatter, the independence of the Federal Reserve."

The court has previously stated the president can fire directors of agencies like the NLRB and Merit Systems Protection Board for any reason, but can only remove Fed governors "for cause"—typically meaning neglect of duty or malfeasance. The justices cited the Fed's "uniquely structured, quasi-private entity" following the tradition of early U.S. banks as justification for different treatment.

Legal experts question the distinction, with Fordham professor Jane Manners noting "there's no historical grounds for distinguishing the Fed from other independent agencies." The court's conservative majority generally supports the "unitary executive" theory giving presidents broad removal powers, but appears willing to make an exception for monetary policy, which they argue has historically not been overseen by the executive branch.