FBI director Christopher Wray has said he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job. At a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Mr Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought”. Mr Wray’s intended resignation is not unexpected considering that Mr Trump had picked Mr Patel for the role in his new administration. Mr Wray had previously been named by Mr Trump and began the 10-year term — a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Mr Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey. Mr Trump had demonstrated his anger with Mr Wray on multiple occasions, including after Mr Wray’s congressional testimony in September. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Mr Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” Mr Wray continued: “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Mr Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorised to discuss the private gathering and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Mr Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the weaponisation of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice” and saying that Mr Patel’s confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again”. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI’s Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators”, raising alarm that he might seek to wield the FBI’s significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Mr Trump’s perceived enemies. Mr Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to “a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one”.Japan and Peru have agreed to partner in critical minerals mining—which would strengthen supply chains for both countries by using Japanese technology—amid China’s growing influence in South America. This agreement was announced on Nov. 17 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte unveiled a 10-year roadmap of strategic cooperation. Just three days prior, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping participated remotely in inaugurating the new deep-water Chancay Port in Peru. This port, in which Beijing invested $1.3 billion in its first phase, was developed under the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s geopolitical influence platform through global infrastructure development. The CCP hailed the project as the starting point of a “new land-sea corridor between China and Latin America.” South America’s vast natural resources are a significant attraction for foreign investments. Critical minerals such as copper, zinc, and manganese are essential for electric vehicle battery production and other green energy products. The partnership will provide Japan, a country with limited natural resources, with the much-needed raw materials for its economic development. Under the roadmap through 2033, Japan and Peru have also committed to enhancing ministerial-level dialogues, including defense and trade. Peru is home to the second-largest population of Japanese immigrants and descendants in Latin America. Ishiba also expressed his wish to strengthen bilateral relations by engaging with the Nikkei communities, which consist of around 200,000 Japanese immigrants and their descendants and act as a bridge between the two countries. Japan’s economic relationship with Latin America spans a long history, with the region accounting for 8–9 percent of Japan’s global direct investments in recent years. However, this new agreement is the first step for the Asian country to begin a sizable investment in Peru. In comparison, China controls a substantial share of the world’s processing capacity of rare earths, handling up to 60–90 percent of key base metals, including cobalt, lithium, and nickel. This dominance in processing gives China significant leverage, as it can impose export restrictions on these critical minerals. In December 2023, for example, China imposed a ban on the export of rare earth extraction and separation technologies, citing national security concerns. Its near-monopoly control of the sector has raised alarms among countries heavily reliant on China for these vital resources. Professor Lee Deng-ker, a Taiwanese political scholar and professor of foreign affairs at the National Chengchi University, told The Epoch Times that along with its growing economic influence in Latin America, China’s dominance in critical minerals will continue to increase, posing potential risks to the security of global supply chains, especially for Japan, which the Chinese communist regime often portrays as an adversary of China. As a result, Lee said, protecting its mineral industries has become a pressing concern for Japan. China’s growing influence in South America has also been a major concern for the United States, as this shift has allowed China to further exert its control over critical metals. Over the past decade, China has surpassed the United States to become South America’s largest trading partner. Between 2000 and 2020, trade between China and Latin America increased 26-fold, from $12 billion to $315 billion, according to the World Economic Forum. This trend continued, with trade reaching $450 billion by 2022. Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said building critical minerals security is a pressing concern for the United States. Baskaran urged President-elect Donald Trump to incentivize domestic processing capacity and build strategic partnerships with mineral-rich countries to counter China’s dominance in the sector. Likewise, Taiwan-based Lee said he hopes the United States and its allies, including Japan and Taiwan, can help Latin American nations by promoting economic development and increasing trade, as this would reduce the base from which China projects influence. “This would be a win-win situation and a very important strategy,” he said.The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Walker Art Center are coming together to unveil the first major museum survey of artist Christine Sun Kim . In a showcase of over 90 works spanning from 2011 to today, the expansive retrospective shines a light on Kim’s exploration of Deaf lived experiences, delving into her relationship to spoken language, the complexities of communication and reflections on life amidst shared social spaces. Unfolding across three floors of the museum, All Day All Night brings Kim’s innovative use of musical notation, infographics and (written and sign) language into focus. Her work often examines the systematic marginalization of Deaf individuals, culminating in a captivating interplay of the poetic, political and, at times, humorous. In song with this protest against barriers to access is a celebration of family, friends and the rich communities that surround her. This survey marks a new chapter in Kim’s ongoing connection with the Whitney, where she helped establish Whitney Signs, an Deaf educator-led resource that offers ASL programming. She has since made several returns to the museum, with notable projects such as the 2018 mural Too Much Future and Degrees of My Deaf Rage in The Art World , featured in the 2019 Whitney Biennial. Embedded within the exhibition’s title is a new dawn for accessibility, extending beyond the gallery walls. “When you sign All Day All Night , you almost make a circle in the air,” Kim notes as she describes the hand movement of the sun hovering over the horizon then dipping below it. “For me, having started at the Whitney as an educator and coming back as an artist, it’s a full-circle moment.” The exhibition will be on view starting February 8, 2025. Check out the museum’s website for more information. Whitney Museum of American Art 99 Gansevoort St, New York, NY 10014MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — Jacobi Wood had 23 points in Murray State's 73-53 victory against Southeast Missouri State on Sunday night. Wood also added nine rebounds for the Racers (6-2, 1-0 Missouri Valley Conference). Nick Ellington added 15 points while going 6 of 8 and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line while they also had eight rebounds and three steals. Terence Harcum had 12 points and shot 4 for 12, including 3 for 7 from beyond the arc. Brendan Terry led the Redhawks (3-6) in scoring, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds. Southeast Missouri State also got 12 points from Tedrick Washington Jr.. Rob Martin finished with eight points and five assists. Murray State got a team-high eight points across the first half from Ellington, but it was only enough to head to the locker room with the score tied at the half 33-33. Wood scored 20 points in the second half to help lead the way as Murray State went on to secure a victory, outscoring Southeast Missouri State by 20 points in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
At a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Mr Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought”. Mr Wray’s intended resignation is not unexpected considering that Mr Trump had picked Mr Patel for the role in his new administration. Mr Wray had previously been named by Mr Trump and began the 10-year term — a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Mr Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey. Mr Trump had demonstrated his anger with Mr Wray on multiple occasions, including after Mr Wray’s congressional testimony in September. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Mr Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” Mr Wray continued: “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Mr Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorised to discuss the private gathering and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Mr Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the weaponisation of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice” and saying that Mr Patel’s confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again”. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI’s Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators”, raising alarm that he might seek to wield the FBI’s significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Mr Trump’s perceived enemies. Mr Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to “a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one”.When I last wrote to you in this magazine, I told you a bit about the , an effort to spark new ideas and modes of inquiry and help the people of MIT solve global problems. Since then, we’ve launched the first collaborative, grounding it in the human-centered fields represented by our School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS). We’re calling it the . In broad terms, MITHIC is an endorsement of the quality of our faculty in these fields and an expression of how deeply we value the scholarly and artistic practices that expand our understanding of the things that make us human. In a practical sense, it’s designed to help our scholars in human-centered disciplines “go big.” MITHIC will give them the resources to pursue their most innovative ideas their discipline, create opportunities for them to collaborate with colleagues it, and enable them to explore fresh approaches to teaching our students. We celebrated the launch of MITHIC with a showcase of creative excellence. MIT faculty shared research that blends the humanistic with the technological, MIT students improvised on jazz saxophone, and in a keynote conversation, the acclaimed novelist Min Jin Lee talked about her dedication to putting the human at the center of her work. Our faculty are wonderfully energized by MITHIC, and more than 100 have already taken part in the collaborative’s “Meeting of the Minds” events, organized to connect researchers across the Institute who work on similar topics—from cybersecurity to food security, climate simulations to the bioeconomy. There may never have been a more important time for society to make humane choices about new technologies. And I’m thrilled that at MIT we’ve created a collaborative powered by human insight to support our scholars, students, explorers, and makers in shaping a future of technology in service to humanity.