• The Chinese foreign ministry says Vice President Han Zheng will attend Donald Trump's inauguration.
• The Trump team said in December that it had invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but Xi will not attend.
• Foreign heads of state do not usually attend US presidential inaugurations.

China's foreign ministry says it is sending Vice President Han Zheng to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.

The Trump transition team said last month that it had invited China President Xi Jinping to the event. The move came as a surprise given that foreign heads of state usually do not attend US presidential inaugurations.

"China follows the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in viewing and growing its relationship with the United States," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday morning local time announcing Han's attendance.

"We stand ready to work with the new US government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other," the statement added.

The White House, Trump's transition team, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, and the Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

US-China relations have long remained tenuous ever since Trump's first term. Both the Trump and Biden administrations had imposed crippling tariffs on China.

In May, President Joe Biden announced an increase in tariffs on Chinese exported steel, aluminium, medical products and electric vehicles.

Those tariffs could be ratcheted up even further when Trump takes office. The president-elect said during his campaign that he plans to impose tariffs of more than 60% on Chinese goods entering the US.

In November, Trump said he plans to impose an additional 10% import tariff on Chinese goods unless China does more to curb the inflow of fentanyl into the US.

In January, Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that his representatives have been speaking to Xi's staff.

"I had a great relationship with President Xi. It was very solid, very strong, very friendly. He's a strong man, a powerful man," Trump told Hewitt in an interview that aired on January 6.

"He's certainly revered in China, but they are having problems and I think we will probably get along very well, I predict, but you know it's got to be a two-way street," Trump added.

Apple is suspending its new artificial intelligence feature summarizing alerts for news and entertainment apps after facing complaints from news outlets and press freedom groups about generating false and inaccurate information.

Why it matters: The BBC lodged an official complaint after the Apple Intelligence summaries generated an inaccurate headline of a report by the British outlet that incorrectly represented a report on Luigi Mangione, the suspect in last month's killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by suggesting he had committed suicide.

• It's the latest in a series of problematic rollouts of AI features by tech giants, with Microsoft in June announcing changes to its Recall feature following criticism from security and privacy experts.
• Google paused AI image generation last February following complaints about diversity.

Driving the news: Following the BBC false headline controversy, the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders called generative AI services "a danger to the public's right to reliable information on current affairs."

• Meanwhile, the U.K.-based National Union of Journalists called on Apple to swiftly remove the feature, saying: "At a time where access to accurate reporting has never been more important, the public must not be placed in a position of second-guessing the accuracy of news they receive."
• The BBC reported at the time that three news stories on different matters by the New York Times on Nov. 21 "were grouped together in one notification," with one stating that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been "arrested."

What they're saying: "With the latest beta software releases of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, Notification summaries for the News & Entertainment category will be temporarily unavailable," per an Apple statement emailed on Thursday evening.

• "We are working on improvements and will make them available in a future software update."

What to expect: Apple is deploying updates to make clear using italicized tex when a user switches notification summaries on that the program is a beta feature that may on occasion send results that are unexpected.

• Users will be able to manage this feature from the lock screen.

Go deeper: Apple's AI story is still a rough draft

China's leader Xi Jinping is sending a top envoy to attend President-elect Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Beijing confirmed.

Why it matters: The "unprecedented" deployment of Xi's special representative, Vice President Han Zheng, is intended to reduce tensions with the U.S. after Trump threatened to impose major tariffs on China and other countries, per the Financial Times, which first reported the news.

• Trump invited Xi to attend his inauguration ceremony to create "an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too," incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News last month.

What they're saying: "China follows the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in viewing and growing its relationship with the United States," per a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement posted Friday morning local time.

• "We stand ready to work with the new U.S. government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other."

Flashback: Beijing's actions are in stark contrast to President Biden's Inauguration Day four years ago, when Beijing imposed sanctions on officials from the first Trump administration.

Go deeper: How U.S. policy toward China transformed under Trump's first administration

A growing number of states are banning cellphones in schools — almost always with bipartisan support.

Why it matters: Parents are divided over these policies, which are meant to reduce distractions and boost students' socialization.

Where it stands: Eight states have banned or restricted cellphones in schools.

• Education departments in another 10 states have issued policy recommendations or begun pilot programs to curb phone usage.
• And at least 11 states, as of December, were considering legislation to ban or restrict cellphone use in schools, per health nonprofit KFF.
• Governors in Arkansas, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nebraska and New York have either called for bans recently or indicated that they'll explore such policies this year, the AP reported.

The intrigue: These policies have largely received bipartisan support, much like other actions related to youth digital wellbeing.

• "It doesn't matter if you live in a big city or a rural town, urban or suburban, all children are struggling and need that seven-hour break from the pressures of phones and social media during the school day," Kim Whitman, co-founder of the Phone Free Schools Movement, told the AP.

State of play: 68% of U.S. adults support cellphone bans during class, and about 36% favor an all-day ban, a Pew Research survey found last year.

• Most adults who support cellphone bans want to reduce students' distractions.

The other side: Those who oppose the bans, especially parents of K-12 students, argue that parents should be able to reach their children when needed.

• Many parents see cellphones as critical for safety and connectedness, especially in the face of emergencies like school shootings.

Zoom out: Health experts and policymakers have called for stricter regulations on youth social media use, while social media companies have been reckoning with accountability about their platforms' harmful effects on children.

• Research has found that excessive cellphone use can impact children's mental health.

Go deeper: Congress' online safety push stokes kids' mental health debate

Rudy Giuliani reached a settlement Thursday with the two Georgia election workers he defamed and owed $148 million in damages to, per a court filing.

The big picture: The former New York City mayor, who will now avoid trial, has been in litigation with Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss over which of his properties and belongings to hand over to them as part of the damages he was ordered to pay more than a year ago.

Driving the news: The trial to determine whether ownership of Giuliani's Florida condominium and three World Series rings would satisfy the damages he owed was supposed to start Thursday.

• Giuliani did not show up to court, AP reports.
• Details of the settlement were not immediately disclosed.

Zoom in: Giuliani said in a post on X that he was able to retain his New York and Florida homes and all of his personal belongings.

• He added that the "resolution does not involve an admission of liability or wrongdoing" by either party and that he's "satisfied with and have no grievances relating to the result we have reached."
• Giuliani said he and the plaintiffs "have agreed not to ever talk about each other in any defamatory manner, and I urge others to do the same."

What they're saying: Freeman and Moss said in a statement that "the past four years have been a living nightmare" and called Thursday's settlement "a major milestone."

• They added: "We have reached an agreement and we can now move forward with our lives. We have agreed to allow Mr. Giuliani to retain his property in exchange for compensation and his promise not to ever defame us."

Zoom out: Giuliani was held in contempt of court twice last week for continuing to defame Freeman and Moss, who are mother and daughter.

Context: Freeman and Moss accused Giuliani in a December 2021 lawsuit of making repeated false claims that they committed ballot fraud so President Biden would win the election.

• In August 2023, a judge ruled Giuliani was liable for defamation, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress caused to the mother and daughter. A jury in December 2023 ordered him to pay $148 million in damages to poll workers.
• Guiliani sought bankruptcy protection, but a federal judge in N.Y. dismissed the case in July.

Go deeper: Giuliani found in contempt of court a second time in Georgia defamation case

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional statements.

• Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos exchanged friendly tweets after rocket launches on Thursday.
• The billionaires have had a long-standing rivalry over space ambitions and more.
• Their recent interactions suggest a possible end to their long public feud.

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos may no longer be enemies. In fact, a friendship may be budding between the two billionaires, judging by tweets they recently posted on X.

Both tech founders own rocket companies that launched missions on Thursday, with mixed results.

SpaceX's huge Starship spaceship exploded, although its Super Heavy rocket booster successfully returned to a platform on Earth.

"@elonmusk Kudos to you and the whole SpaceX team on the flawless booster catch! Very impressive." Bezos wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, Bezos' Blue Origin launched its 32-story-tall New Glenn rocket into orbit. It lost its booster during the test flight.

"Well done, @JeffBezos, and the Blue Origin team!" Musk wrote.

Is their long feud over?

Followers on X — formerly Twitter — were quick to notice the sea change in the relationship between the billionaires.

Musk and Bezos have been embroiled in a years-long feud.

They've argued over their space ambitions at SpaceX and Blue Origin as they've repeatedly leapfrogged each other for the title of the world's richest person. That's a title Musk currently holds by a massive margin: With Bloomberg estimating his net worth at $439 billion, he's by far the richest person in the world. Bezos is second, with an estimated net worth of $240 billion.

Musk has said Blue Origin has tried to poach talent from SpaceX, and he's taunted Bezos repeatedly about the status of their respective businesses.

In 2015, when SpaceX landed its Falcon 9 spacecraft, Bezos needled Musk on Twitter by suggesting Blue Origin had already accomplished a similar feat.

Bezos has also subtly criticized Musk's mission to colonize Mars over the years. When NASA picked SpaceX for a major contract in 2021, Blue Origin was furious and protested the decision. 

Less than two months ago, they were at it again. In an X post, Musk said Bezos had told people to dump their shares in his companies because Donald Trump was bound to lose the presidential election.

Hours later, Bezos said the claim was "100% not true."

Billionaire "Step Brothers"

This history is what has made Thursday's friendly repartee between the billionaires so jarring.

Musk posted a gif on X from the movie "Step Brothers," with the main characters saying, "Did we just become best friends? Yep!"

"Step Brothers is the perfect meme for @JeffBezos & me," Musk wrote. 

He posted another clip from the same movie, implying his relationship with Bezos was now harmonious. 

Of course, all of this is unfolding on social media, which has its limitations. But one thing is for sure: No matter what's happening behind the scenes or offline, Thursday's exchanges mark a change in Bezos and Musk's online rapport.

• China's economy grew 5% in 2024, meeting its growth target.
• Analysts expected China's GDP growth to be 4.9%, close to the 5% target.
• China faces challenges like property crisis, youth unemployment, and deflation.

China reported its economy grew 5% in 2024, meeting its target of around 5%.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected China's full-year GDP growth to come in at 4.9%, just shy of the official target of around 5% — which analysts had said was ambitious.

China's economy grew 5.4% in the fourth quarter from a year ago — better than the 5% analysts had expected.

China's National Bureau of Statistics said in its economic growth announcement that the economy is "generally stable with steady progress."

China's economy has been struggling to stage a convincing post-pandemic recovery. It's dogged by numerous challenges, including a property crisis, high youth unemployment, and deflation.

The Chinese government made efforts to stimulate its economy throughout 2024, with measures getting more aggressive in September.

The growth China recorded in its fourth quarter is likely due to early signs of stronger domestic demand, Vishnu Varathan, Nomura's head of macro research for Asia excluding Japan, wrote in a note on Friday ahead of China's GDP data release.

"But the irony is that even as growth hopes may be inspired, its deflation concerns may be far harder to put to bed," Varathan wrote. "This underscores the dissonance between private sector confidence deficit and state-driven ramp up in industrial momentum amid heightened geoeconomic uncertainties."

Consumer confidence in China remains weak even though strong exports supported growth. Last year, China's trade surplus reached a record 7.06 trillion Chinese yuan, or $990 billion.

China's strong exports could come under threat after US President-elect Donald Trump takes office next week. The American leader has threatened 60% on all Chinese imports.

Idaho, Kansas and Missouri can proceed with their push against abortion pill mifepristone, a judge in Texas ruled Thursday.

The big picture: The Republican-led states are seeking to roll back federal rules on the drug to make it harder for people to access the abortion pill through telehealth prescriptions.

Driving the news: The three states want the Food and Drug Administration to allow mifepristone to only be used in the first seven weeks of pregnancy instead of the current 10-week limit.

• They're also seeking a requirement of three in-person doctor visits for patients looking to get the medication.

Context: Mifepristone is typically used in tandem with misoprostol to end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks.

• Both drugs are FDA-approved and have long safety and efficacy records.

Go deeper: How abortion pill challenges may rise again