Trump Wants To Own Some Land, More Missiles Firing Over The Holidays, South Korea Impeaches Again, And A Sendoff To The Election Year

A detailed recount mixed with meme comedy to mark our times at Week 50 of 2024 featuring source material from Jentry Chau Vs The Underworld, Lower Decks, No. 7 West Mars Street, and Hailey’s On It!

Dec 29, 2024

A Brief Note - Last Memeing Before 2025

As this is the last Memeing The World article of 2024, here are some end-of-year compilations to celebrate the end of this spectacularly chaotic year. Wishing you a happy remaining 2024 and a better 2025 for all of us.

NYT: The Year in News - The New York Times

FT: Year in a word 2024

CNN: Year in Review Quiz: 2024 - CNN

Reuters: Inflation, elections and war dominated 2024 | Reuters

Sky: 2024's funniest and most WTF moments | Ents & Arts News

GZero: A look back at the Top Risks of 2024 - GZERO Media

Semafor: The global elections that shaped 2024 | Semafor

Guardian: Did democracy survive the 2024 global election marathon? | World news | The Guardian
WaPo: Opinion | Democracy in 2024 was noisy and chaotic. It was also resilient.

WSJ: The Progressive Moment in Global Politics Is Over - WSJ

Politico: 9 Political Issues That Bit the Dust This Year - POLITICO

NPR: How AI deepfakes polluted elections in 2024

Bloomberg: Bitcoin Surges, ETFs Explode: The Defining Trades of 2024 - Bloomberg

SCMP: National security, murder and minority rights: a look back at Hong Kong’s year in court | South China Morning Post

HKFP: Messi mess, Olympics and movies: Here’s what Hongkongers Googled in 2024

BBC: A year of mass attacks reveals anger and frustration in China

NYT: Opinion | The Best of 2024: The Books, Movies, Habits and Hobbies We Loved This Year - The New York Times

The Worst Political Case Study On Earth - The Girls Are Fighting

After last Sunday’s announcements that Trump is choosing former treasury official and Biden critic Stephen Miran to lead the Council of Economic Advisers, the president-elect addressed Elon Musk’s growing political influence by reassuring his supporters “No, he’s not going to be president, that I can tell you. And I’m safe. You know why he can’t be? He wasn’t born in this country.” Early Monday saw Trump appointing a billionaire executive, a Ukraine aid skeptic, and a former Uber executive to lead major roles in the Pentagon, former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s wife Callista as the ambassador to Switzerland, and PayPal co-founder Ken Howery was chosen to be the ambassador to Denmark. However, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump removed herself from consideration to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate, weeks after she stepped down as co-chair of the RNC. In Trumpian foreign policy news, not only did Panama engage in a war of words against the US president-elect over the Panama Canal, Trump has repeated his desire to buy Greenland which promoted a firm rejection by Denmark’s government, and the Financial Times reported the next POTUS wants to pull out of the WHO. Looking at Monday’s moves inside the Biden White House, the president commuted almost all death sentences to life without parole, and the three remaining men still on death row are mass murderers. Oh, and the chairperson of the House Appropriations Committee Kay Granger was found in a nursing home in the dementia unit after being missing for six months, following last week’s story that Alexandria Ocasio Cortez lost a leadership race against a 74-year-old Democratic opponent with throat cancer. After briefing with all the other US politics headlines on Monday, now let’s delve into Matt Gatez and the House Ethics Committee report. CBS News obtained a final draft of a comprehensive investigative report by congressional ethics investigators, who have found he paid numerous women, including a 17-year-old girl, for sex. Gatez was also found to have purchased and used illegal drugs, including from his Capitol Hill office. The report concluded that "The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.” The former congressman and AG pick denied any improper conduct, calling the claims a “smear” invented by his political enemies. After noon, all hell broke loose as the report was officially released, as the report showed Gatez “regularly” paid for sex between 2017 to 2020, accepting impermissible gifts like a trip to the Bahamas in 2018, and violated state laws on statutory rape and prostitution. Hours later, Axios reported that two centrist Republicans joined Democrats in voting to release it.

During the Christmas holiday, Trump criticized Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of almost all death penalty cases, saying he would direct the Justice Department to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment against “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” In Trump’s Christmas message, the president-elect again targeted places like Greenland and Canada. The president-elect also wished everyone, including users on Truth Social and "the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal” a Merry Christmas. Over the holidays, Trump chose Florida County Commissioner Kevin Cabrera as ambassador to Panama, and his top border adviser Tom Homan says he will bring back family detention as an immigration policy for migrants. After Trump remarked on buying Greeland, Denmark bolstered the island’s defense, calling the coincidental timing an "irony of fate." In the UK, Reform leader Nigel Farage said he is willing to work with newly designated US ambassador Peter Mandelson to secure a US-UK trade deal, leveraging his close ties with the president-elect and Elon Musk. In more surprising news, the bald eagle has been officially recognized and legally designated by the US government as a national bird, despite it being a symbol of American sovereignty.

On Twitter (X), a MAGA-world civil war broke out over America’s “mediocrity” culture, which quickly evolved into an online battle on race, immigration, and class. It all started when Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American venture capitalist, was appointed into a senior AI advisor in the next administration, which made many MAGA supporters upset. Both Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy defended hiring foreign workers through legal immigration (Specifically increasing H-1B temporary worker visas, a carve-out for high-skilled workers that MAGA supporters are against claiming they are taking American jobs. Some non-MAGA observers agree with the MAGA point of view, as they see employers manipulating these visas for foreign workers to work more but with less pay) during the Christmas holiday, which was followed by MAGA loyalists bashing both men’s economic and cultural perspectives. Ramaswamy faced more attacks by MAGA supporters, partly due to his race as an Indian American, but also over his attacks on American culture for “venerating mediocrity over excellence,” adding that America “celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.” As the online fight continued, many MAGA trolls, including Laura Loomer, saw their verified privileges removed if not suspended. Pundits point out it is the first time that the loyal MAGA base prowled by white, low-educated working-class voters is pitted against the DOGE movement, led by billionaires and technologists. Over the weekend, Musk went nuclear, first liking a post that called Americans too “retarded,” then tweeting a reply that wrote “Take a big step back and FUCK YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.” Adding fuel to the fire, Donald Trump commented on the dispute for the first time, siding with Musk and the tech moguls by praising the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers.

In other post-Christmas news, Trump said he wants the Supreme Court to delay the TikTok ban on Truth Social, claiming he could “negotiate a resolution to save the platform.” In foreign policy, two top Canadian ministers met with Trump’s inner circle to discuss a border security plan, which Canada hopes will ward off Trump’s threats to impose economically damaging tariffs on imports from Canada. The Guardian reported on Saturday that Joe Biden thought he erred on the decision to withdraw from the race, believing he could still beat Donald Trump if he is on top of the 2024 ticket. Finally, former US President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday, aged 100.

War Watch - Christmas Fire

Monday began with a mysterious fire at a major Russian drone factory, destroying over $16 million worth of equipment. Putin hosted Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico in a rare meeting with an EU leader, Zelensky criticized the move that the Slovak leader’s dependency on Russia is a “major security issue.” By Tuesday, the sanctioned Russian cargo ship Ursa Major had sunk in the Mediterranean, following an explosion in the engine room. On Christmas Day, Zelensky criticized Russia for “inhumane” drone and missile attacks launched on that day, while Russian forces prevented some Ukrainian drones from striking within Russia. Meanwhile, a jet crash in Kazakhstan that killed dozens of passengers was blamed by Ukraine, the US, and aviation experts on Russia’s anti-aircraft defense system. Days later, Putin apologized for the “tragic” downing of the airplane, but he didn’t say Russia was responsible for the tragedy. In Europe, an investigation was launched to see whether a Russian ship was involved in the sabotage of an electricity cable running between Finland and Estonia.

Based on imagery analysis by the Washington Post, Israel has been systematically expelling Palestinians out of their homes and demolishing northern Gaza, while setting up and fortifying its military positions. In a recent conversation between Trump and Netanyahu, local Israeli media reported the president-elect told his counterpart: “I won’t insist on humanitarian aid to Gaza like Biden did.” On Tuesday, Israel’s defense minister admitted they had assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July during a visit to Iran, warning the Houthis could experience a similar fate. In Gaza, Palestinians do their best to celebrate the second Christmas warm as we learned the Pope has held nightly calls to comfort Palestinian Christians sheltering in churches. Meanwhile, Palestinians in the West Bank are experiencing increasing demolitions as part of an “urban renewal” project. On the ceasefire front, Israel and Hamas have continued to accuse each other of complicating ceasefire efforts, this was while a baby froze to death on Christmas day in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry reported on Thursday that five journalists were killed by an Israeli strike targeting a vehicle in central Gaza, Palestinian media say the vehicle has been clearly marked as a media van. The New York Times has reported Israel weakened safeguards meant to protect non-combatants in fear of another October 7 attack, leading to one of the worst bombardments of the 21st century. In Yemen, Israel ramped up airstrikes against the Houthi Rebels, targeting power stations and the first-ever attack on the country’s airport, just as the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was prepared to board an airplane. Despite the attacks, the Houthis vowed to continue their attacks. Switching to domestic Israeli politics for a bit, Israel’s attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara has ordered an investigation into Sara Netanyahu, over suspicions of harassing witnesses and obstructing justice in her husband’s corruption cases. As news emerged of Israel forcing patients and staff of the Kamal Adwan hospital to leave in northern Gaza, a tenuous ceasefire still holds in Lebanon a month later despite occasional exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah. Moreover, we learned thanks to the Washington Post that Israel had long tested AI in its intelligence unit and unleashed it in Gaza as the war evolved.

Voterama 2024- Chad and Croatia’s Post-Christmas Election

Since former President Idriss Deby Itno died in 2021, the country’s legislative power is under the control of the National Transitional Council, which was given two years for the country to transition into a democracy. On Sunday, the country held legislative, provincial, and municipal elections, giving citizens the first time in years to elect representatives in multiple levels of government. Regionally, it also marked the first time a coup-affected state in the Sahel region had held elections as promised. The combined elects allow voters to choose the 188 national deputies to serve at the National Assembly, while down-ballot races were expected to strengthen local governance and empower cities and towns. Idriss’ son Mahamat Idriss Deby was confirmed as the country’s president after an election in May, now leading the ruling government into the December election. However, many opposition parties vowed to boycott the election, calling it a sham aimed at entrenching the governing party’s power. Observers say due to a lack of opposition participation, it is unlikely the election will be a free and fair one. After the polls close, provisional results are expected by January 15 and final results by January 31.

Croatia is no stranger to elections this year following a snap parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June. In December, the country holds its first round of voting in its presidential election. Many have already predicted it is unlikely any candidate will win outright on Sunday night, but polls suggest ultranationalist populist Zoran Milanović will hold the ceremonial position. Nicknamed the Croatian Trump, he is a critic of the EU and NATO, yet he is also the most popular politician in the country. Milanović’s rivalry with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has dominated the campaign, with the presidential candidate calling his arch-rival a “dictator.” After the polls closed, Milanović won the most votes but fell short of a majority, he will go into the second round of voting against Dragan Primorac, the candidate of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Because I’m Too Busy For Memeing: A Global Wrap-Up

Dateline Seoul, South Korea:

Christmas has not quelled drama in South Korea, as the disgraced Yoon Suk Yeol again skipped questioning by investigators over his martial law declaration, a week after he dodged an initial request by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. On the weekday after Christmas, all 170 lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party filed an impeachment motion against acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, citing his refusal to appoint three justices to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court which would rule on Yoon’s impeachment case. On Friday, the National Assembly voted to impeach Han in a 192-0 vote, while the ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote. This move further caused political chaos in the country, as the new acting president was Choi Sang-mok. If things are not wild enough, South Korea witnessed its worst air accident in memory, with 179 dead in a Jeju Air plane that crashed in Muan, there are only 2 survivors.

Dateline Damascus, Syria:

The week began with rumors that deposed dictator Bashar Al-Assad’s wife was planning to divorce him and leave for the UK, a move denied by Russian authorities. Inside Syria, Jordan and Qatar became the first Arab countries to send diplomats to meet the new rebel leaders. In better news for the new regime, the UN investigators say the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its probe looking at Assad war crimes. However, protests have broken out in Damascus over the burning of a Christmas tree in the main square of the Suqaylabiyah, a Christian-majority town in central Syria. Hundreds of protestors urged the new Islamist authorities to protect minorities, and the leading rebel group HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) said foreign fighters were detained over the incident. On Tuesday, the HTS began merging its rebel coalition, agreeing with other rebel factions to dissolve their leadership and merge under the Defense Ministry. It is part of a unity project by HTS, aiming to form a single government and assert control over the divided country. At the same time, fourteen members of the Syrian police force were killed by forces loyal to the Assad government. Due to rising unrest, the new security forces were pursuing at least one former Assad official and other military members loyal to the fallen regime. At the same time, the new regime’s pursuit of Assad loyalists and bringing them into account has emerged as a key agenda for the rebel leaders. By the weekend, Syria’s new de-facto leader Ahmed al-Jolani told a Saudi news channel that Syrian elections could take up to four years and drafting a new constitution could take up to three years.

Dateline Berlin, Germany:
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially dissolved the country’s parliament on Friday, setting the country up for a snap election on February 23, 2025. This marks the formal endorsement of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s timetable, following a coalition collapse last November. Days later, Elon Musk penned a controversial opinion piece supporting the far-right AfD party in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, writing “The portrayal of the AfD as rightwing extremist is false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” It soon prompted the paper’s commentary editor to resign in protest, while some Americans noted the German paper’s owner Axel Springer also owns the US political news site Politico.

Dateline Khartoum, Sudan:
Over Christmas, the news grows more dire for Sudan as its people suffer through nearly two years of bloody civil war. UN-backed groups and global health monitors have reported more than 25 million people are now in urgent need of food aid, marking one of the worst starvation crises in modern times. On Friday, the first aid convoy finally reached the besieged Khartoum area, which has been cut off from aid since the beginning of the war last April.

Dateline The Sun:

As planet Earth prepares for Christmas on December 24, the Parker Solar Probe makes its closest approach to the sun. Launched in 2018, the fast man-made object spent the holidays exploring the sun’s corona, also known as the star’s atmosphere. At its closest, the probe passed just 6.1 million km from the solar surface. After waiting for the spacecraft’s signal for days, NASA announced on Friday that the Parker Solar Probe was "safe" and operating normally after completing the closest-ever approach to the Sun by any human-made object.