News stories I’ve been reading:

• Belarus has dozens of Russian nuclear weapons and is ready for its newest missile, its leader says — Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday his country is hosting dozens of Russian nuclear weapons and will prepare facilities for the planned deployment of Moscow’s newest hypersonic ballistic missile. — The AP
• Biden commutes 1,500 jail sentences, grants pardons for 39 others: ‘Largest single-day grant of clemency’ — The sentences commuted were for inmates placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic — Fox News
• Donald Trump Invited China’s Xi to Presidential Inauguration: Report — President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration, CBS News reported Wednesday evening, citing multiple anonymous sources. — Newsweek
• Trump Picks Tom Barrack to Serve as US Ambassador to Turkey — President-elect Donald Trump said he is tapping Tom Barrack, the founder of Colony Capital LLC, to serve as ambassador to Turkey, elevating a longtime friend to a crucial diplomatic post. — Bloomberg
• US scrambles to quell ISIS resurgence in Syria after fall of Assad — The US’ key anti-ISIS partners in Syria said on Wednesday that the ISIS detention facilities they guard are coming under attack and that they have been forced to halt anti-ISIS operations, complicating the US military’s efforts to prevent the terror group from reconstituting following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. — CNN
• Syria’s rebel leader vows to dissolve Assad regime security forces, close prisons — The main commander of the fighters who toppled Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, close its prisons and hunt down anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees. — Reuters
• Australia lays fiendish tax trap for Meta – with an expensive escape hatch — If Zuck and other Big Tech players pay news publishers, their bills vanish — The Register
• Google removes negative reviews of McDonald’s location where suspected UnitedHealthcare killer was arrested — Luigi Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s after an employee recognized him — Fox Business
• UnitedHealthcare shooter gave Unabomber’s manifesto four stars on Goodreads: ‘Political revolutionary’ — New York prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges against Luigi Mangione, 26, hours after he was charged with gun crimes in Pennsylvania — The Independent
• President-elect Donald Trump Announces He Will Not ACCEPT $450,000 Presidential Salary AGAIN — President-elect Donald Trump has announced he will once again forgo the annual $450,000 presidential salary during his upcoming term. — The Gateway Pundit
• Trump picks Ron Johnson as US ambassador to Mexico — President-elect Donald Trump has picked former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, Ronald Johnson, as the next United States ambassador to Mexico, he said on social media on Tuesday. — Reuters
• Trump names former CIA official Ron Johnson as ambassador to Mexico — President-elect Trump announced Tuesday that Ron Johnson, his one-time ambassador to El Salvador, will serve as ambassador to Mexico in the upcoming administration. — The Hill
• Satellite images show Russian forces still at Syrian air base, navy anchored offshore — Syrian rebels Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have rapidly taken control of the whole country in only 11 days, but they are treading cautiously when it comes to the naval and airports under Russian control. — Intellinews
• Russian Navy Faces Dilemma Over Future of Mediterranean Flotilla — Russia is withdrawing vessels from its naval base in Syria following the downfall of Bashar al-Assad, it has been reported, amid uncertainty over how Vladimir Putin can maintain his stepping stone in the Mediterranean Sea without a key ally in power. — Newsweek
• Parents Sue AI Company After Chatbot Hints Their Son Should Kill Them — The parents of a nine-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy in Texas have filed a federal suit against the AI chatbot service Character.AI after the chatbot seemed hell-bent on completely ruining these children by showing them “hypersexual” imagery and encouraging them to kill their parents. — Vice
• Hundreds of Vials of Deadly Viruses Missing After Lab Breach — Hundreds of vials containing live viruses have gone missing from a laboratory in Australia, sparking an investigation. — Newsweek
• South Korea police carry out arrests, searches over martial law order — South Korea’s previous defense minister was stopped from attempting suicide while in detention over last week’s martial law declaration, officials said Wednesday, as President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office resisted a police attempt to search the compound. — Global News