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In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which killed 103 people and caused an estimated $53 billion in damages, North Carolina has received significant aid for recovery efforts, including over $1.1 billion in state relief and billions more in federal requests. The storm, considered the state’s worst natural disaster, has prompted both state and federal governments to take action, though criticism has followed regarding the adequacy of those efforts.

The attorneys general of Montana and Wyoming have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration following its announcement to halt federal coal production in the Powder River Basin. The Basin, which covers 20,000 square miles in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, accounts for 85% of federal land-produced coal.

On Thursday, Oklahoma executed Kevin Ray Underwood, the man convicted of murdering 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin in 2006, despite attempts by his defense team to blame the horrific crime on autism and mental health issues. Underwood, who turned 45 on the day of his execution, was pronounced dead after being administered lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is advising cities and states on strategies to help illegal aliens evade deportation under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Trump has tasked his incoming Border Czar, Thomas Homan, with overseeing what is expected to be the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, targeting the 11 to 22 million illegal aliens currently residing in the country. Among this group, approximately 1.5 million individuals have final deportation orders.

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Biden administration can open the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, to illegal aliens enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This decision comes after the Biden administration’s May announcement that it would allow some DACA recipients to access Obamacare. The DACA program, created by former President Barack Obama through executive order, shields over a million illegal aliens from deportation.

A new Pentagon report, “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” details the advancements of the Chinese military, including its efforts in AI and cognitive domain operations (CDO).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the definition of "healthy" for the first time in thirty years.

President-elect Donald Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News that Congress should abolish the debt ceiling.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has closed parts of New Jersey's airspace to drones until January 17.

Manhattan resident Chen Jinping pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) after he operated a secret police station in the city on behalf of the PRC’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS).