Author: Tage

Firefighters in southern California continued to confront multiple blazes on Thursday amid high winds and dry conditions. The Hughes Fire in the mountains northwest of Los Angeles near Castaic Lake broke out Wednesday, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for more than 50,000 people. Health advisories for smoke and windblown dust and ash have been issued for areas near the Hughes Fire. “Smoke and ash can harm everyone, even those who are healthy,” Dr. Muntu Davis, L.A. County’s health officer, said in a statement. The Laguna Fire in Ventura County resulted in evacuation orders for California State University Channel Islands and University Glen, but the orders were downgraded to warnings Thursday afternoon. The evacuation warning for the Sepulveda Fire near Interstate 405 late Wednesday was lifted after firefighters stopped the fire’s progress after it had burned through less than 1 square kilometer. The U.S. Storm Prediction Center said Thursday the “very gusty” offshore Santa Ana winds will continue in southern California with gusts that could reach as high at 105 kph in some mountain ranges. The winds, combined with Southern California’s “very low humidity and dry antecedent conditions,” prompted the center to continue a Critical Risk of Fire Weather alert for Thursday and an Elevated Fire Weather Outlook for Friday. Firefighters received help fighting the Hughes Fire with overnight aerial water drops from helicopters. The fire, northwest of Los Angeles, swelled to burn an area of more than 41 square kilometers near the Lake Castaic recreation area. The fire was about 14% contained early Thursday as forecasters warned of another day of dry and windy conditions that could make it difficult to keep fires from spreading. There is a chance for some relief in the coming days. The National Weather Service said some rain is expected in the area beginning Saturday. Forecasters expect up to a centimeter of rain across much of the Los Angeles area, while localized thunderstorms could bring even more rain in limited locations. The potential for those storms has prompted concerns about the possibility of mudslides, with debris flowing down hilly areas that have been scorched by several weeks of wildfires. In addition to the Hughes Fire, crews are still battling the Palisades Fire on the western side of Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire in the foothills to the north of the city. The Palisades fire, at 95 square kilometers, is about 70% contained, while … “Multiple blazes continue in southern California” →

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the declassification Thursday of the last secret files on the assassination of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy, a case that still fuels conspiracy theories more than 60 years after his death. Trump signed an executive order that will also release documents on the 1960s assassinations of JFK’s younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. “That’s a big one, huh? A lot of people have been waiting for this for years, for decades,” Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office of the White House. After signing the order, Trump passed the pen he used to an aide, saying, “Give that to RFK Jr.,” JFK’s nephew and the current president’s nominee to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The order Trump signed requires the “full and complete release” of the JFK files, without redactions that he accepted back in 2017 when releasing most of the documents. “It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay,” the order said. Trump had previously promised to release the last of the files, most recently at his inauguration on Monday. The U.S. National Archives has released tens of thousands of records in recent years related to the November 22, 1963, assassination of President Kennedy but held thousands back, citing national security concerns. It said at the time of the latest large-scale release, in December 2022, that 97% of the Kennedy records — which total 5 million pages — had now been made public. The Warren Commission that investigated the shooting of the charismatic 46-year-old president determined that it was carried out by a former Marine sharpshooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone. But that formal conclusion has done little to quell speculation that a more sinister plot was behind Kennedy’s murder in Dallas, Texas, and the slow release of the government files has added fuel to various conspiracy theories. A gesture to RFK Jr. Trump’s move is partly a gesture to one of the most prominent backers of those conspiracies — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. himself. RFK Jr. said in 2023 there was “overwhelming evidence the CIA was involved” in his uncle JFK’s murder and “very convincing” evidence the agency was also behind the 1968 assassination of his own father, Robert F. Kennedy. The former attorney … “Trump orders release of last JFK, RFK, King assassination files” →

STATE DEPARTMENT — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Panama and other countries in Central America amid President Donald Trump’s push to reclaim the Panama Canal and Washington’s efforts to curb illegal migration.   State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed that Rubio will travel to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic starting late next week.The trip is expected to mark Rubio’s first foreign visit as secretary of state.   The State Department said that Rubio is prioritizing engagement within the Western Hemisphere.  A spokesperson told VOA, “Engaging with our neighbors is a vital element in addressing migration, supply chains and economic growth, which are key to Secretary Rubio’s pursuit of foreign policy focused on making America strong, prosperous, and safe.”   Trump has said he has not ruled out the possibility of either military or economic measures to achieve his stated goal of bringing the Panama Canal back under U.S. control.   Earlier this week, Rubio outlined his foreign policy priorities, including halting the mass entry of undocumented migrants into the United States.   “The State Department will no longer undertake any activities that facilitate or encourage mass migration,” Rubio said in a statement. “Our diplomatic relations with other countries, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, will prioritize securing America’s borders, stopping illegal and destabilizing migration, and negotiating the repatriation of illegal immigrants” to their home countries.    …

LOS ANGELES — Transgender cartel musical “Emilia Perez” topped this year’s Oscar nominations, earning 13 nods in an announcement on Thursday postponed by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. French director Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set musical, released by Netflix, shattered the record for the most Academy Award nominations for a non-English-language movie. It was followed by epic immigrant saga “The Brutalist” and show-stopping musical adaptation “Wicked,” which each picked up 10 nominations. Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” and Vatican thriller “Conclave” bagged eight nods apiece. Voting deadlines had to be extended this month, as Los Angeles — the home city of the Academy Awards — was devastated by multiple blazes that have killed more than two dozen people and forced tens of thousands to flee. Nominees were unveiled in subdued circumstances, as a town that typically fixates on the Oscars race was instead fixated on new fires burning north of the city. Even so, the glitzy Oscars ceremony itself is still set for March 2, and the stars and studios who have spent months and millions of dollars campaigning learned if they have made the coveted final shortlists. “Emilia Perez,” in which a narco boss transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime, picked up nods for best picture, best director and best international film, as well as multiple song, score and sound nods. Its star, Karla Sofia Gascon, became the first openly trans acting nominee in best actress, and Zoe Saldana was nominated for best supporting actress. Their more famous co-star, Selena Gomez, who has been criticized for her Spanish-language dialogue, missed out. Even so, the Netflix film easily surpassed the most nominated non-English-language movie ever — a record previously held by “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Roma,” each with 10. In best actor, firm favorite Adrien Brody was nominated for “The Brutalist” along with Timothee Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”), Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”) and Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”). But in an unexpected pick sure to ruffle a few feathers in the new White House, the fifth and final spot went to Sebastian Stan, for his unsettling transformation into a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice.” The movie drew threats of lawsuits from Trump’s attorneys, particularly for a scene in which the new U.S. president is shown raping his wife. In arguably the morning’s biggest surprise, Jeremy Strong, who plays the youthful Trump’s sinister mentor Roy Cohn, was … “‘Emilia Perez’ tops Oscar nominations in fire-hit Hollywood” →

Calls to ban face masks in public are sparking debate in New York City. Supporters say it could curb subway crime, while critics argue it risks civil liberties. Aron Ranen has more. …

New U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” with his Philippine counterpart on Wednesday and underscored the “ironclad” U.S. defense commitment to Manila.  “Secretary Rubio conveyed that (China’s) behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement on the call with Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.  The Philippines has been embroiled in wrangles at sea with China in the past two years and the two countries have faced off regularly around disputed features in the South China Sea that fall inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone.  Rubio’s call came after he hosted counterparts from Australia, India and Japan in the China-focused “Quad” forum on Tuesday, the day after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. The four recommitted to working together.  Quad members and the Philippines share concerns about China’s growing power and analysts said Tuesday’s meeting was designed to signal continuity in the Indo-Pacific and that countering Beijing would be a top priority for Trump.  In the call with Manalo, Rubio “underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines” under their Mutual Defense Treaty and discussed ways to advance security cooperation, expand economic ties and deepen regional cooperation, the statement said.  China’s foreign ministry said its activities in the waters were “reasonable, lawful and beyond reproach.”  Speaking at a regular press conference, ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the United States was “not a party” to the South China Sea dispute and had “no right to intervene” in maritime issues between China and the Philippines.  “Military cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines should not undermine China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, nor should it be used to endorse the illegal claims of the Philippines,” Mao said.  The Philippines, a U.S. defense treaty ally, is among the first countries to engage with the new U.S. administration to discuss critical security matters, Manila’s defense department said in a statement.  Its defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro and U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz met at the White House on Thursday to reaffirm the enduring alliance between their two countries.  Just ahead of Trump’s inauguration, the Philippines and the United States carried out their fifth set of joint maritime exercises in the South China Sea since launching the joint activities in 2023.  Security engagements between the allies … “Rubio says US committed to Philippines in call about China’s ‘dangerous’ actions “ →

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday re-designated Yemen’s Houthi movement, known formally as Ansar Allah, as a “foreign terrorist organization,” the White House said. The move will impose harsher economic penalties than the Biden administration had applied to the Iran-aligned group in response to its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against U.S. warships defending the critical maritime chokepoint. Proponents of the move say it is overdue, though some experts say it could have implications for anyone seen as aiding the Houthis, including some aid organizations. “The Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade,” the White House said in a statement. The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers. The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa for more than a year. The group has targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. military sought to intercept Houthi attacks to safeguard commercial traffic and waged periodic strikes to degrade Houthi military capabilities. But it did not target the group’s leadership. At the start of his presidential term in 2021, Joe Biden had dropped Trump’s terrorist designations to address humanitarian concerns inside Yemen. Confronted with the Red Sea attacks, Biden last year designated the group as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” organization. But his administration held off on applying the harsher FTO designation. British charity Oxfam said the move would worsen the suffering of Yemeni civilians, disrupting vital imports of food, medicine, and fuel. “The Trump administration is aware of these consequences but chose to move forward anyway, and will bear responsibility for the hunger and disease that will follow,” Oxfam America’s director of peace and security, Scott Paul, said in a statement. David Schenker, who was assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs in the first Trump administration, said Trump’s move on … “Trump designates Yemen’s Houthis as a ‘foreign terrorist organization’” →

President Donald Trump is expected to visit hurricane- and fire-damaged areas of the US on Friday. The president will stop in North Carolina, which was hit by Hurricane Helene in September, and Los Angeles, where fires continue to burn and over 100,000 people are under evacuation orders. From Los Angeles, Genia Dulot has our story. …

President Donald Trump nominated conservative activist and writer L. Brent Bozell III as head of the United States Agency for Global Media, which supervises five U.S. government-funded international media entities, including the Voice of America. “As Founder and President of the Media Research Center for 38 years, few understand the Global Media landscape in print, television, and online better than Brent,” Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform Wednesday night. In addition to Voice of America, USAGM oversees the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. …

A new wildfire erupted Wednesday in Southern California, scorching more than 39 square kilometers of trees and brush in the mountains north of Los Angeles.  The Hughes Fire is the latest wildfire to erupt in parched Southern California. It is burning near Lake Castaic, a recreation area about 65 kilometers from the Eaton and Palisades fires that are continuing to burn in the region for a third week.  The fire, less than 1 square kilometer when first reported, quickly grew to 20 square kilometers with the aid of the Santa Ana winds, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. It was later reported to be 39 square kilometers in size. “This fire had a robust response today, and as you can see behind us, the responders are doing great work to try to contain this fire,” Joe Tyler, director of Cal Fire, said. “Certainly, we are not out of the woods yet.” Winds were gusting at 67 kph Wednesday afternoon and expected to increase to 96 kph in the evening and throughout Thursday, the National Weather Service posted on X. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that 31,000 people were ordered to evacuate, and about 23,000 were under evacuation warnings. Kayla Amara drove to a Castaic neighborhood to retrieve items from a friend’s home. As she was packing, she grabbed a hose and began watering down the property. “I hope there’s a house here to return to,” Amara said as police cars raced through the streets and flames engulfed trees in the distance. Before the Hughes Fire, firefighters and Southern California residents were bracing for the possibility of more wildfires fueled by the strong dry winds. Rain is forecast, but meteorologists have warned it would not be enough to end the fires. Forecasters predict a 60% to 80% chance of rain in the region beginning Saturday, with rainfall totals in most areas not exceeding 0.8 centimeters. The National Weather Service said dangerous fire conditions would persist in the region through Thursday or Friday. Cal Fire spokesman David Acuna said officials are concerned that the Palisades and Eaton fires could break their containment lines.      The chance of thunderstorms bringing heavier rainfall has raised fears of mudslides, with debris flowing down hilly areas that have been scorched by two weeks of wildfires.    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said an executive order she signed Tuesday is designed … “New wildfire erupts in Southern California” →

U.S. President Donald Trump this week repeated his assertion that American control of Greenland is vital for “international security.” As Henry Ridgwell reports, Denmark, which owns the island, has admitted failing to invest in its security, amid growing threats from Russia and China. …

Thousands of migrants have been stranded on Mexico’s northern border after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the CBP One application to request asylum in the United States to be deactivated. Vicente Calderon reports that they are now at risk of being deported. Click here for the full video in Spanish. …

The Trump administration has put a freeze on many federal health agency communications with the public through at least the end of the month.  In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink told agency staff leaders Tuesday that an “immediate pause” had been ordered on — among other things — regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts and website posts until such communications had been approved by a political appointee.  The pause also applies to anything intended to be published in the Federal Register, where the executive branch communicates rules and regulations, and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientific publication.  The pause is in effect through February 1, the memo said. Agencies subject to the HHS directive include the CDC, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration — entities that fight epidemics, protect the nation’s food supply, and search for cures to diseases.  HHS officials did not respond to requests for comment on the pause, which was first reported by The Washington Post. Four federal health officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue confirmed the communication pause to the AP.  A former HHS official said Wednesday that it’s not unusual for incoming administrations to pause agency communications for review. But typically, officials working on the president’s transition team have the process for issuing documents running smoothly by inauguration day.  “The executive branch is a hierarchy,” said Steven Grossman, who now consults for food and drug companies, in an email. “Whether stated publicly or not, every new administration wants important commitments and positions to wait until new teams are in place and some semblance of hierarchy restored.”  A pause is reasonable as a changing executive branch takes steps to become coordinated, said Dr. Ali Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator who is now dean of the University of Nebraska’s public health college.  “The only concern would be is if this is a prelude to going back to a prior approach of silencing the agencies around a political narrative,” he added.  During his first term, President Donald Trump’s political appointees tried to gain control over the CDC’s MMWR journal, which had published information about the COVID-19 pandemic that conflicted with messaging from the White House.  Fink wrote in her … “Trump administration freezes many health agency reports, online posts” →

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has threatened local and state authorities with prosecution if they fail to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, which include a pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.  Citing a constitutional clause concerning division of power, acting deputy attorney general Emil Bove said in a memorandum that “federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands.”  “The Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution,” Bove added in the memo issued late Tuesday and published by U.S. media on Wednesday.  Trump announced new restrictions on immigration and asylum in the United States hours after taking office on Monday, including a plan to send troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and end birthright citizenship.  The Republican president vowed during his White House campaign to carry out the largest mass deportation of migrants in U.S. history.  Bove said a newly created Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group would identify “state and local laws, policies, and activities that are inconsistent with Executive Branch immigration initiatives and, where appropriate, to take legal action to challenge such laws.”  A number of Democratic-controlled “sanctuary cities” in the United States restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities.  “Laws and actions that threaten to impede Executive Branch immigration initiatives, including by prohibiting disclosures of information to federal authorities engaged in immigration enforcement activities, threaten public safety and national security,” Bove said.  Bove, who served as one of Trump’s personal lawyers before being named to the Justice Department, also directed the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces to participate “in the execution of President Trump’s immigration-related initiatives.”  The FBI and other agencies should “review their files for identifying information and/or biometric data relating to non-citizens located illegally in the United States” and turn it over to the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate removals, he said. …

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — China is bracing for potential tariffs after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to slap a 10% duty on Chinese imports as early as Feb. 1.  At a regular press briefing Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stressed China’s commitment to defending its “national interests.”  “We have always believed that there are no winners in a trade war or a tariff war,” she said.  Following Trump’s remarks, China’s benchmark CSI 300 Index dropped 0.9% Wednesday, ending a four-day winning streak. The Hong Kong-listed Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, which tracks Chinese stocks, fell 2%.  Beijing’s reactions come after Trump said his team was looking at potentially imposing a 10% tariff on Chinese imports because China has been “sending fentanyl into the U.S. through Mexico and Canada.”   “Probably February 1st is the date we’re looking at,” the U.S. president told reporters Tuesday at the White House.  Trump’s comment comes one day after he appeared to be holding off on imposing tariffs on imports from China, and he directed federal agencies to investigate U.S. trade deficits and unfair trade practices with other countries on Monday.  On Chinese social media, the U.S. president’s threat was met with a mixed response. Some internet users said the 10% tariff could be followed by a series of duties imposed against Chinese goods, while others criticized Trump for being unpredictable and inconsistent with his decisions.   “Why does the U.S. go through all this trouble? In the end, the American people are the ones who would have to pay because if China doesn’t export goods, American people won’t even have Christmas trees,” Chinese internet user Fortune Axe Brother wrote in a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. Some analysts say the threat to impose tariffs as early as Feb. 1 could be the U.S. president’s “negotiating gambit” to force concessions from China.   “Compared to the 25% tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose on Mexico and Canada, the 10% tariff on Chinese imports seems like Trump going easy on China,” said Dexter Roberts, a non-resident fellow at Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.   In Roberts’ view, the threat reflects Trump’s desire to “cut some sort of deal” with Beijing. “If China comes through with what Trump views as concessions that are good for him and the U.S., he is very likely not to pursue those tariffs right away,” Roberts told VOA by phone.   While it … “China braces for potential trade war after Trump threatens to impose tariffs” →

New U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that core national interests will be at the heart of American diplomacy as President Donald Trump embarks on his second four-year term in the White House. Rubio, the first of Trump’s Cabinet nominees to win Senate confirmation and take office, said in a mission statement that all U.S. spending and efforts on foreign affairs “must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?”  He said that “to advance our national interest, we will build a more innovative, nimble, and focused State Department. This will require replacing some priorities, deemphasizing some issues, and eliminating some practices.” Rubio, 53, echoed Trump’s early promises to end masses of undocumented migrants from entering the U.S. “The State Department will no longer undertake any activities that facilitate or encourage mass migration,” Rubio said. “Our diplomatic relations with other countries, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, will prioritize securing America’s borders, stopping illegal and destabilizing migration, and negotiating the repatriation of illegal immigrants” to their home countries. Rubio said the State Department will end any efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring, in line with orders Trump issued on day one of his new term.   “This order will be faithfully executed and observed in both letter and spirit,” Rubio said, “We must reward performance and merit.” He said foreign policy efforts “must return to the basics of diplomacy by eliminating our focus on political and cultural causes that are divisive at home and deeply unpopular abroad. This will allow us to conduct a pragmatic foreign policy in cooperation with other nations to advance our core national interests.” In addition, he said the U.S. “must stop censorship and suppression of information” and “reprioritize truth.” He emphasized “the fundamental truth that America is a great and just country whose people are generous and whose leaders now prioritize Americans’ core interests, while respecting the rights and interests of other nations.” With Trump announcing he will pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement — joining Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries that will officially not adhere to the pact to limit global warming — Rubio said the State Department “will use diplomacy to help President Trump fulfill his promise for a return to American energy dominance.” “Amid … “Rubio: US foreign policy will focus on core national interests” →

Washington — President Trump’s executive order suspending the U.S. refugee program would affect the resettlement of thousands of Afghans who helped the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan, an advocacy group said. AfghanEvac, a California-based coalition of organizations helping U.S. Afghan allies to resettle in the U.S., said Monday that the pause in all refugee resettlements would affect Afghan allies who are awaiting relocation to the U.S. “Thousands of Afghan allies who have completed almost all required steps in the refugee process would be immediately impacted by a refugee resettlement pause, and thousands more who are currently undergoing processing would remain in limbo,” AfghanEvac said, in a statement on its X account. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that called the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program detrimental to U.S. interests and suspending it beginning on January 27. “This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligned with the interest of the United States,” stated the executive order. It called on the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the secretary of state, to report to the president within 90 days if the program “would be in the interests of the United States.” The order added that every 90 days, a report would be submitted to the president until he “determine[s] that resumption of the USRAP is in the interests of the United States.” According to Shawn VanDiver, president of AghanEvac, more than 180,000 Afghans were relocated in the U.S. from August 2021, after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, to December 2024. Thousands of Afghans are still waiting to be relocated to the United States. AfghanEvac said that the order would not only have an impact on at-risk Afghans living in hiding but also on the family members of the active-duty U.S. troops. Earlier, Reuters reported that the flights of 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. government to resettle in the U.S. were canceled. But the president of AfghanEvac, Shawn VanDiver, said in a post on X that no flights were canceled. “To be clear: flights have not yet been canceled for anyone,” VanDiver said. Omar Samad, a former Afghan diplomat living in the U.S., told VOA that the ban is part of a larger package and it will impact Afghans who are waiting to be relocated to the U.S. “It is going to be reviewed … “Trump order suspending refugee resettlement affects US Afghan allies, says advocacy group “ →

Forecasters issue new round of warnings about fire conditions in southern California  TEASER: Chance of rain in the coming days could calm fires, but bring threat of mudslides  PUBLISHED: 01/22/2025 at  6:01 am  BYLINE:  VOA News  WRITER: Fern Robinson, Chris Hannas  ASSIGNING EDITOR:    DATELINE:    SCRIPT EDITORS: wpm  PLATFORMS: WEB X TV __ RADIO __            EDITOR NOTES: new lede & grafs 2-4, edits graf 7, trims))      Firefighters and residents in southern California braced Wednesday for the possibility of more wildfire activity fueled by dry and strong winds, while the prospect of some rain in the forecast brought the potential for some relief from the fire threat but also the dangers of mudslides in fire-ravaged areas.  The National Weather Service said dangerous fire conditions would persist in the Los Angeles area through Thursday or Friday.  Forecasters said there was a 60% to 80% chance of rain in the region starting Saturday, with rainfall totals in most areas not exceeding 8 millimeters.  A chance of thunderstorms bringing locally heavier rainfall has raised fears of mudslides with debris flowing down hilly areas that have been scorched by two weeks of wildfires.  Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said an executive order she signed Tuesday is designed to curb the flow of toxic debris from the region’s fires and protect the area’s beaches and oceans.      “This is to prevent additional damage to areas already ravaged by fire and also to protect our watershed, beaches and ocean from toxic runoff,” the mayor said. City workers will remove toxic materials and set up barriers to direct the flow of debris into the sewer system.  The fires have killed at least 27 people and destroyed thousands of buildings.  Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.    …

Millions of U.S. TikTok users are looking to newly sworn-in President Donald Trump, who has given the app’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, 75 days to strike a deal with a U.S. buyer. …

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for most of California’s Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Tuesday for the area’s “extremely low relative humidity and periods of gusty offshore winds.” The weather service said its “Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag warning has ended, but dangerous fire weather conditions persist through Thursday or Friday.” Northeast winds will remain “gusty” in the hills and mountains, the service said in a statement. Low humidities are set to continue.  Some areas will experience a lull in the winds Tuesday night into Wednesday, but extremely dry conditions will continue and winds will strengthen again late Wednesday, according to the weather service. The Red Flag Warning covers most of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties through 8 p.m. Thursday. Earlier Tuesday, the weather service said there was an extreme risk of fire weather over parts of Southern California. The service said winds of 32 to 64 kilometers per hour, combined with “stronger winds in the terrain, low relative humidity, and dry fuels, have contributed to the dangerous conditions.” Strong winds sparked some scattered fires Tuesday in Los Angeles, but alert firefighters quickly brought the fires under control. At least 27 people have died in a series of wildfires across the Los Angeles area during the past two weeks as Santa Ana winds mixed with dry conditions on the ground to quickly spread blazes. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger has called for an outside investigation into the evacuation notification process for residents of western Altadena, near the Eaton Fire, one of several that erupted across Los Angeles. A report in the Los Angeles Times says evacuation orders for western Altadena were delayed for hours. “From what I have been told, it was a night of pure chaos for both fire and first responders,” Barger told The Times. The county supervisor said she has “deep concerns” about what happened. Residents told the Times that by the time they received evacuation orders, many of the homes in the area already were on fire.  Seventeen people are reported to have died in the Eaton fire. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said an executive order she signed Tuesday is designed to curb the flow of toxic debris from the region’s fires and protect the area’s beaches and oceans.    “This is to prevent additional damage to areas already ravaged by fire and also to protect our watershed, beaches … “Weather Service issues red flag warnings for fire-ravaged California” →

Representative Elise Stefanik, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, faced questions at her Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. The high-ranking House Republican told lawmakers she would advance Trump’s “America First” agenda at the international body. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. …

HOUSTON — A rare winter storm churned across the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday, breaking snowfall records more than a century old in a southern region where flurries are unusual, as much of the United States remained in a dangerous deep freeze. A snowstorm warning was in effect for 31 million people – from southern Texas east through Georgia and north to the Carolinas and into Virginia – until Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service said. With the storm moving east, crews near Houston plowed highways on Tuesday while downtown streets, covered in white, were virtually deserted. Schools were closed Tuesday and Wednesday as the city, the fourth-biggest in the U.S., expected about 10 cm of snow to fall. “I’ve been in Texas my entire life and I have never seen this depth of snow,” said Ishan Bhaidani, 29, who owns a fintech consulting company in Houston. “It typically gets more icy, but this type of fine snow, this is a first.” Authorities in Houston investigated two deaths that may be weather-related, including that of a homeless man who was found near an apartment complex, the Harris County Sheriff said on X. Snow was also falling in New Orleans, where nearly 25 cm had accumulated by late afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Richard Bann, an NWS meteorologist, said that the service was trying to confirm whether Tuesday’s snowfall broke a New Orleans record set in 1895. The last time New Orleans received any measurable snowfall was 2009, according to the NWS. “Stay home and stay off the roads,” said a bundled-up New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, as winds whipped snow in her face, in a video message to residents on X. Breaking a 144-year-old record, more than 15 cm of snow fell in Mobile, Alabama, by late afternoon, according to the NWS. The storm is expected to crawl through Mississippi, Georgia and Florida early this week. The storm snarled air travel with flights delayed or canceled on Tuesday. More than 1,000 flights departing or bound for Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport were canceled, according to Flightaware.com. Temperatures dipped into single digits Fahrenheit, well below freezing, across the region. Forecasters and local leaders urged residents to protect themselves from frostbite and to take steps to keep their water pipes from rupturing. Across the South, the snow, combined with an inch of ice accumulation and wind gusts of up to 64 … “Rare snowstorm blankets Houston and New Orleans” →

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank.  The new entity, Stargate, will start building data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum.  “It’s big money and high quality people,” said Trump, adding that it’s “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential” under his new administration.  Joining Trump fresh off his inauguration at the White House were Masayoshi Son of SoftBank, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Larry Ellison of Oracle. All three credited Trump for helping to make the project possible, even though building has started and the project goes back to 2024.  “This will be the most important project of this era,” said Altman, CEO of OpenAI.  Ellison noted that the data centers are already under construction with 10 being built so far. The chairman of Oracle suggested that the project was also tied to digital health records and would make it easier to treat diseases such as cancer by possibly developing a customized vaccine.  “This is the beginning of golden age,” said Son, referencing Trump’s statement that the U.S. would be in a “golden age” with him back in the White House.  Son, a billionaire based in Japan, committed in December to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years. He previously committed to $50 billion in new investments ahead of Trump’s first term, which included a large stake in the troubled office-sharing company WeWork.  While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout in data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI, which holds the promise of increasing productivity by automating work but also the risk of displacing jobs if poorly implemented.  The initial plans for Stargate go back to the Biden administration. Tech news outlet The Information first reported on the project in March 2024. OpenAI has long relied on Microsoft data centers to build its AI systems, but it has increasingly signaled an interest in building its own data centers.  OpenAI wrote in a letter to the Biden administration’s … “Trump highlights partnership investing $500B in AI” →

On his first day on the job, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his staff and spelled out his foreign policy priorities. He also met with allies from the Indo-Pacific region who seek to counter Chinese military and economic ambitions. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports, with Kim Lewis contributing. …

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Conservatives across Africa applauded U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders Monday regarding gender and diversity, while gay rights activists and the LGBTQ community on the continent are expressing deep concern. On his first day as the 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders, including some that reversed policies of his predecessor, Joe Biden. These included orders revoking some protections for transgender people and defining the sexes strictly as male and female. Trump’s actions sparked a mix of reactions throughout Africa. Some, like Bishop John Praise Daniel, vice president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, welcomed Trump’s moves. “I’m very excited,” he said “I think Donald Trump has just done what is right, because how can some young persons wake up and say, ‘I don’t feel like being a girl, I want to be a boy,’ and their sexes will be changed. We don’t need that confusion. Bringing back righteousness, order and sanity to society.” But while many in Africa’s conservative societies are in support, LGBTQ activists strongly opposed the decision, calling it a setback after years of progress and advocacy. Frank Ejiogu, founder of Creme de la Creme, a Nigerian LGBTQ advocacy group, warned of serious consequences. “We know this will have ripple effects that might catalyze violence against LGBTQ community members in the Global South, which will boil down to discrimination, assault, and a lot of [restrictive] policies that governments will start enacting,” he said. Ejiogu said LGBTQ activists already are planning how to resist such measures. “We’re strategizing on how to stand firm on what we believe in and for the community,” he said. “[Trump] can only be there for four years. The only thing we promise ourselves all over the globe and in the Global South is to making sure that we fight back against the policies against LGBTQ communities all around the world.” Members of the LGBTQ community already face harsh penalties in many African countries. In Nigeria, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Uganda’s constitutional court upheld a life sentence for homosexuality offenders last year, while Mali’s junta criminalized homosexuality with imprisonment in December. …

Taipei, Taiwan — China has urged the United States to focus on managing bilateral relationships through cooperation instead of confrontation as U.S. President Donald Trump kicks off his second term in office.  “China is willing to work with the new U.S. government to maintain communication, strengthen cooperation, properly manage differences, and push China-U.S. relations to make greater progress from a new starting point,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during the regular press conference on Tuesday in Beijing.  Analysts say Beijing hopes to reduce misunderstandings between both sides through engagement and exchanges in the early stage of the second Trump presidency.  “The Chinese government hopes China and the U.S. could understand each other’s needs through communication,” said Shen Dingli, a Shanghai-based international relations scholar.  “Beijing believes China and the U.S. can still reach a consensus and avoid many misunderstandings that have arisen during the first Trump presidency” if both sides prioritize efforts to stabilize bilateral relations, he told VOA by phone.  Ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday, China and Trump’s team conducted several top-level exchanges, including a call between the new U.S. president and Chinese President Xi Jinping last Friday.  Trump said he and Xi would “solve many problems together” while the Chinese president said the key to handling bilateral relations was to “respect each other’s core interests and major concerns and to find a proper solution to the problem.” On Sunday, China’s Vice President Han Zheng, who was in Washington, D.C., to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony, met with his American counterpart JD Vance, and a group of American business leaders, including Tesla founder Elon Musk. He said China and the U.S. could “contribute to each other’s progress, bring benefits to the two countries, and make important contributions to world peace and development” as long as they “uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.” Additionally, Han urged U.S. businesses to “play an active role as a bridge and make greater contribution to the development of China-U.S. relations” by continuing to “invest and take root in China.”  Experts say Beijing wants to seize the opportunity to improve bilateral relations with Washington through these initial engagements with the Trump administration.  Beijing “would not only prefer to avoid increased sanctions but also the potential for greater limitations on tech exports to China,” said Timothy Rich, a political scientist at Western Kentucky University.  While the Chinese government has expressed willingness … “China seeks more cooperation with US as Trump takes office” →