Author: Tage

WASHINGTON — New FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to be named the acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a Justice Department official said Saturday. Patel could be sworn in next week, the official said, putting Patel in charge of two of the Justice Department’s largest agencies in an unusual arrangement that raises questions about the future of the bureau that has long drawn the ire of conservatives. The Justice Department official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the move before it’s announced publicly. White House officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday evening. Patel was sworn in Friday as FBI director after winning Senate approval despite Democrats’ concerns about the steadfast Trump ally’s plans to radically overhaul the FBI. ATF is a separate agency with about 5,500 employees and is responsible for enforcing the nation’s laws around firearms, explosives and arson. Among other things, it’s in charge of licensing federal firearms dealers, tracing guns used in crimes and analyzing intelligence in shooting investigations. The move was first reported Saturday by ABC News. The news comes days after Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the ATF’s top lawyer. Bondi said in a Fox News interview Friday that she fired chief counsel Pamela Hicks because the agency was “targeting gun owners.” Hicks, who spent more than 20 years as a Justice Department lawyer, said in a social media post that being ATF chief counsel was the “highest honor” of her career. Conservatives have long railed against ATF over its role in regulating firearms and have suggested shuttering the agency. Under the Biden administration, the ATF advanced new regulations aimed at cracking down on ghost guns and requiring thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores. In an executive order earlier this month, President Donald Trump directed the attorney general to review all actions taken by the Biden administration around firearms “to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens.” Gun safety groups have raised alarm about putting Patel in charge of the FBI, with gun control group Brady calling him a “known gun rights extremist.” Gun Owners of America, a gun rights group, called his confirmation as FBI director “a major victory for gun owners and constitutional rights advocates nationwide.” The last confirmed ATF director was Steve Dettelbach, … “New FBI Director Patel will also be named acting head of firearms agency, official says” →

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has warned that thousands of Afghan nationals awaiting relocation and resettlement in the United States will be deported to Afghanistan if their cases are rejected or not processed on time. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar issued the warning during a television interview aired Saturday, noting that the U.S. has promised to relocate the Afghan community in question from Pakistan “tentatively around September this year.” His office in Islamabad released the interview excerpts. “If any refugee who was undertaken to be taken by another country after due process —no matter the timeline — if it doesn’t happen and the country refuses, then for us, that will be an illegal immigrant in Pakistan, and we might be forced to send such refugee back to [their] original country, which is Afghanistan,” Dar told Turkey’s TRT national broadcaster. However, the chief Pakistani diplomat expressed Islamabad’s willingness to resolve the issue with Washington, stating that his government is “examining the situation and will negotiate [accordingly].” Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump halted refugee applications and travel plans until further notice to ensure that refugee entry into the United States aligns with its national interests. The decision has stranded around 45,000 Afghans prepared to fly out of Afghanistan and at least 15,000 qualified refugees currently in Pakistan, according to #AfghanEvac, a coalition that assists Afghans with their relocation and resettlement in the U.S. These individuals were part of Afghan families who fled their country following the Taliban insurgents’ retaking of power in 2021, primarily seeking refuge from potential retribution because of their affiliations with the U.S. and NATO forces during their nearly two-decade-long presence in Afghanistan. While about 80,000 of these Afghans have since been relocated from Pakistan, officials in Islamabad assert that around 40,000 remain in a state of limbo including around 15,000 in Pakistan destined for the United States. Since launching a crackdown on undocumented foreign migrants in September 2023, Pakistan has forcibly repatriated more than 825,000 undocumented Afghan refugees to their home country, according to the United Nations. The government has recently intensified its crackdown, targeting both documented and undocumented Afghan refugees. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered authorities last month to remove all Afghans from Islamabad and the adjoining city of Rawalpindi by Feb. 28 before arranging for deporting them to Afghanistan along with others subsequently. The targeted population encompasses over 2.5 million Afghans nationwide, comprising lawful refugees, documented economic migrants, and … “Pakistan threatens to deport Afghans if US relocation timeline isn’t met” →

LONDON/PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Washington next week amid alarm in Europe over U.S. President Donald Trump’s hardening stance toward Ukraine and overtures to Moscow on the three-year conflict. The leaders of Europe’s two nuclear powers, who will be traveling separately, are expected to try to persuade Trump not to rush into a ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin at any cost, keep Europe involved and discuss military guarantees to Ukraine. Macron, who is trying to capitalize on a relationship with Trump built during their first presidential terms, has said agreeing to a bad deal that would amount to a capitulation of Ukraine would signal weakness to the United States’ foes, including China and Iran. “I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Putin). It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of and it’s not in your interests,” he said in an hourlong question and answer session on social media ahead of Monday’s visit to the White House. The visits come amid a rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Trump described as a “dictator.” That has alarmed Kyiv’s European allies, already reeling from a more aggressive U.S. posture on trade, diplomacy and even domestic European politics. Philip Golub, a professor in international relations at the American University in Paris, said Trump’s rapid-fire moves in his first weeks in office, as well as the rhetoric from other U.S. officials, had been a major shock for the Europeans. “They could not have expected that somehow within the United States would emerge this ultra-nationalist coalition of forces that would actually challenge Europe’s voice in world affairs in such a stark and strong way,” he told Reuters. He said Macron believed he had a “historic role to play” in going to Washington to ensure Europe can weigh in on the ultimate negotiations on Ukraine. “Whether he can actually achieve something, however, in this visit is an entirely different matter,” he added. Starmer, who has also warned the end of the war cannot be a “temporary pause before Putin attacks again,” will be in Washington on Thursday. Speaking on a Fox News podcast on Friday, Trump said Macron and Starmer had not “done anything” to end the war. “No meetings with Russia!” he said, although he described Macron as “a friend of mine” and Starmer as … “Macron, Starmer to meet Trump, offer ideas for Ukraine security guarantees” →

WASHINGTON — Elon Musk, the billionaire head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), threatened Saturday to fire any federal worker who fails to explain what work they have accomplished during the previous week.  The threat, issued in a post on the social media site X, was made just hours after President Donald Trump posted on his own social media network Truth Social that DOGE should get more aggressive in its attempts to downsize and reshape the federal workforce.  “All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted on X. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”  As of Saturday evening, emails were sent to employees at federal agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others with the subject line, “What did you do last week?”  The email, seen by Reuters, asks employees to reply to the email they have received with five bullet points summarizing “what you accomplished at work last week” and copy their managers.  The email sent from a human resources address gives employees until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Monday to respond.  It is unclear what legal basis Musk has to terminate federal workers if they fail to respond to his request.  Workers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also received the email Saturday, according to people with knowledge of the matter. However, most agency staff had been ordered not to perform any tasks since early this month, creating a conundrum. The agency is also under a temporary court order not to resume mass firings pending the outcome of legal proceedings.  A spokesperson for DOGE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  The AFGE, the union representing federal employees, said in a statement it will challenge any “unlawful terminations.”   “Once again, Elon Musk and the Trump administration have shown their utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley.   The Trump administration’s fast-paced and controversial process to reduce government spending by shrinking the federal workforce led by Musk and his young aides at the cost-cutting DOGE has led to haphazard firings that resulted in numerous mistakes and forced several agencies to quickly rehire vital employees, such as those working on nuclear safety, defense … “Musk orders US federal workers to describe what they did at work last week or get fired” →

YORK, PENNSYLVANIA — A man armed with a pistol and carrying zip ties entered a Pennsylvania hospital’s intensive care unit Saturday and took staff members hostage before he was killed by police in a shootout that also left an officer dead, authorities said. Three workers at UPMC Memorial Hospital, including a doctor, a nurse and a custodian, and two other officers were shot and wounded in the attack, York County District Attorney Tim Barker said. A fourth staffer was injured in a fall. Gunfire erupted after officers went to engage the shooter, whom Barker identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49. He said Archangel-Ortiz was holding at gunpoint a female staff member who had her hands bound with zip ties when police opened fire. “This is a huge loss to our community,” Barker said at a news conference following the shooting. “It is absolutely clear, and beyond any and all doubt, that the officers were justified in taking their action using deadly force.” Barker added that while the investigation is in its early stages, it appears Archangel-Ortiz had previous contact with the hospital’s ICU earlier in the week for “a medical purpose involving another individual” and he intentionally targeted the workers there. No one answered the door Saturday at an address in York believed to be that of Archangel-Ortiz. The officer who died was identified as Andrew Duarte of the West York Borough Police Department. “We all have broken hearts and are grieving at his loss,” West York Borough Manager Shawn Mauck told The Associated Press. Duarte was a law enforcement veteran who joined the department in 2022 after five years with the Denver Police Department, according to his LinkedIn profile. He described receiving a “hero award” in 2021 from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his work in impaired driving enforcement for the state of Colorado. “I have a type A personality and like to succeed in all that I do,” his LinkedIn profile said. Duarte also worked as a patrol officer in Denver, was highly regarded for his work and was close friends with other officers, the department there said in a statement. At a makeshift memorial on the front steps of the West York Borough Police Department, Linda Shields dropped off roses Saturday and dabbed tears as she thought of her son, a police officer in Maryland. “He was so young,” Shields said of Duarte. “It makes no sense at all.” … “Officer killed after gunman takes hostages at Pennsylvania hospital” →

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged billionaire Elon Musk to be more aggressive in his efforts to shrink the federal government despite the uproar over layoffs and deep spending cuts. “Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump posted all in uppercase letters on his Truth Social platform. “Remember, we have a country to save, but ultimately, to make greater than ever before. MAGA!” Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — an entity created by Trump — has swept across federal government agencies, firing tens of thousands of federal government workers, from scientists to park rangers, mostly those on probation. …

LOS ANGELES — Six weeks after the most destructive wildfire in city history, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousted the city’s fire chief Friday amid a public rift over preparations for a potential fire and finger-pointing between the chief and City Hall over responsibility for the devastation. Bass said in a statement that she is removing Chief Kristin Crowley immediately. “Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs,” Bass said in a statement. “We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” Bass disclosed. She added that the chief refused a request to prepare an “after-action report” on the fires, which she called a necessary step in the investigation. The Palisades Fire began during heavy winds Jan. 7, destroying or damaging nearly 8,000 homes, businesses and other structures and killing at least 12 people in the Los Angeles neighborhood. Another wind-whipped fire started the same day in suburban Altadena, a community to the east, killing at least 17 people and destroying or damaging more than 10,000 homes and other buildings. Bass has been facing criticism for being in Africa as part of a presidential delegation on the day the fires started, even though weather reports had warned of dangerous fire conditions in the days before she left. In televised interviews this week, Bass acknowledged she made a mistake by leaving the city. But she inferred she wasn’t aware of the looming danger when she flew around the globe to attend the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. She faulted Crowley for failing to alert her to the potentially explosive fire conditions. Crowley has publicly criticized the city for budget cuts that she said made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs. Crowley was named fire chief in 2022 by Bass’ predecessor at a time when the department was in turmoil over allegations of rampant harassment, hazing and discrimination. She worked for the city fire department for more than 25 years and held nearly every role, including fire marshal, engineer and battalion chief. …

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force General CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks. The ouster of Brown, only the second Black general to serve as chairman, is sure to send shock waves through the Pentagon. His 16 months in the job had been consumed with the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East. “I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” Trump posted on social media. Trump said he was nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman. Trump acted despite support for Brown among key members of Congress and a seemingly friendly meeting with him in mid-December, when the two were seated next to each other for a time at the Army-Navy football game. Brown had been meeting regularly with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who took over the top Pentagon job just four weeks ago. …

WASHINGTON — The Associated Press filed a lawsuit against three White House officials on Friday after the news agency was barred from some of U.S. President Donald Trump’s events. The AP, in the suit filed in a federal court in Washington, said the denial of access violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press. The White House began blocking AP journalists from the Oval Office 10 days ago over the news agency’s refusal to follow Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” The ban on AP reporters was later extended to Air Force One. The news group said it was bringing the suit against three Trump administration officials to “vindicate its rights to the editorial independence guaranteed by the United States Constitution.” “The White House has ordered The Associated Press to use certain words in its coverage or else face an indefinite denial of access,” the AP said. “The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” it said. “The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech. Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American’s freedom.” The suit names as defendants White House chief of staff Susan Wiles and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, as well as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “We’ll see them in court,” Leavitt said during an appearance Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. “We feel we are in the right. We are going to ensure that truth and accuracy is present at that White House every single day,” she said. In its style guide, the AP noted that the Gulf of Mexico has “carried that name for more than 400 years.” “The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen,” it said. “As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.” Trump called the AP a “radical left organization” on Thursday and said the new Gulf of America name is “something that we feel strongly about.” His leveraging of press access underscores the Republican president’s long-standing animosity toward traditional news outlets, which he accuses of bias … “AP sues White House officials over denial of access” →

The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 90 cases across seven counties, the state health department posted online Friday, and 16 people are hospitalized.  In neighboring eastern New Mexico, the measles case count is up to nine, though state public health officials said Thursday there’s still no evidence this outbreak is connected to the one in Texas.  The West Texas cases are concentrated in eight counties in West Texas.   Texas state health department data shows that most of the cases are among people younger than 18. Twenty-six cases are in kids younger than 4 and 51 are in kids 5-17 years old. Ten adults have measles, and three cases are pending an age determination. The Ector County Health Department told the Odessa American its case was in a child too young to be vaccinated.  State health officials have said this outbreak is Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years. Health department spokeswoman Lara Anton said last week that cases have been concentrated in a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community — especially among families who attend small private religious schools or are homeschooled.  In New Mexico, all of the cases are in Lea County, which borders Gaines County in Texas. The state health department has said people may have been exposed at a grocery store, an elementary school, a church, hospital and a pharmacy in Hobbs, New Mexico.  Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.  The vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella is safe and highly effective in preventing measles infection and severe cases of the disease.  The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. The vaccine series is required for kids before entering kindergarten in public schools nationwide.  Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, the U.S. saw some 3 million to 4 million cases per year. Now, it’s usually fewer than 200 in a normal year.  There is no link between the vaccine and autism, despite a now-discredited study and health … “Nearly 100 cases of measles reported in Texas, New Mexico” →

WASHINGTON — Moves by U.S. President Donald Trump to potentially gut programs aimed at supporting election security are not sitting well with key state election officials, who are now asking the Trump administration to reconsider. The National Association of Secretaries of State sent a letter Friday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warning that changes to the department’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency could endanger future elections. “Information technology systems related to election administration have long been targeted by sophisticated cyber threat actors including nation-state and cybercriminal groups,” according to the letter, signed by NASS president, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and NASS president-elect, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson. “CISA’s prioritized services help election entities defend against these national security threats,” they added. NASS is a bipartisan group that represents chief election officials from nearly 40 U.S. states. Simon is a Democrat. Watson is a Republican. The letter says that while U.S. elections “firmly remain a state and local responsibility,” several initiatives from CISA have provided valuable services and allowed for the sharing of critical information for states that choose to participate. It lists cybersecurity services, physical security assessments, information through the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), classified and unclassified intelligence briefings and on-the-ground incident response services as among the programs that NASS members would like to continue. VOA has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security about the letter but has not received a response. CISA was formally created in 2018, charged with protecting the country’s critical infrastructure. It has also served as a lead agency on election security. DHS officials announced a review of the agency earlier this month citing what they described as a need for CISA “to refocus on its mission.” “The agency is undertaking an evaluation of how it has executed its election security mission with a particular focus on any work related to mis-, dis-, and mal-information,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. According to DHS, as of mid-February, more than 130 CISA employees had been placed on administrative leave. NASS expressed hope some of the election related programs can be preserved, offering to meet with DHS officials, including Noem. “[We] respect your authority to reassess existing priorities, structures, staffing, and missions,” the NASS letter said. “We favor continuity of the core resources above and welcome the opportunity as Chief Election Officials to discuss any potential changes or impacts to … “US states push back against possible election security changes” →

President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said Friday that he expected Ukraine to accept and sign a proposed deal that would include U.S. investments in its mineral assets to help recoup some U.S. defense funding. The Trump administration had proposed the rare earth mineral deal as part of the larger negotiation toward ending the war in Ukraine. Mike Waltz’s comments followed reports that the Trump administration presented Kyiv with a revised version of a minerals agreement after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the initial proposal. Speaking at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside Washington, Waltz said: “Well, look, here’s the bottom line: President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal. And you will see that in the very short term. And that is good for Ukraine.” Those comments came following a sharp exchange between Trump and Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president, responding to Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine started its war with Russia, said the U.S. president was living in a Russian-influenced “disinformation space.” Trump countered on his Truth Social platform, calling Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections.” On Friday, Trump referenced his indirect exchanges with Zelenskyy while speaking to a gathering of the Republican State Governors Association at the White House. The president described having “very good talks with [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin,” and “not such good talks with Ukraine.” He mentioned how Ukraine talks “tough” but does not have a lot of bargaining chips. Trump sent Keith Kellogg, his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, to Kyiv for meetings with Zelenskyy on Thursday. Comments following that meeting indicated the relationship had been smoothed over. On his X social media account, Zelenskyy had nothing but positive things to say. “My meeting with General Kellogg was one that restores hope, and we need strong agreements with the U.S. — agreements that will truly work,” Zelenskyy said. “I have instructed my team to work quickly and very sensibly.” “We all need peace — Ukraine, Europe, America and the entire world,” Zelenskyy added. Kellogg, from his X account, reposted Zelenskyy’s comments, and stated, “Extensive and positive discussions with [Zelenskyy], the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war, and his talented national security team.” Much of the tension this past week involved talks on Ukraine between a U.S. delegation led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia. No Ukrainian or European representatives were present. Rubio later noted … “White House official expects Ukraine to accept mineral deal “ →

A tearful executive at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service told staffers on Thursday that about 6,000 employees would be fired, a person familiar with the matter said, in a move that would eliminate roughly 6% of the agency’s workforce in the midst of the busy tax-filing season. The cuts are part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping downsizing effort that has targeted bank regulators, forest workers, rocket scientists and tens of thousands of other government employees. The effort is being led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump’s biggest campaign donor. Musk was on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, when Argentine President Javier Milei, known for wielding a chain saw to illustrate his drastic policies slashing government spending, handed him one. “This is the chain saw for bureaucracy,” said Musk, holding the power tool aloft as a stage prop to symbolize the drastic slashing of government jobs. Labor unions have sued to try to stop the mass firings, under which tens of thousands of federal workers have been told they no longer have a job, but a federal judge in Washington on Thursday ruled that they can continue for now. Christy Armstrong, IRS director of talent acquisition, teared up as she told employees on a phone call that about 6,000 of their colleagues would be laid off and encouraged them to support each other, a worker who was on the call said. “She was pretty emotional,” the worker said. The layoffs are expected to total 6,700, according to a person familiar with the matter, and largely target workers at the agency hired as part of an expansion under Democratic President Joe Biden, who had sought to expand enforcement efforts on wealthy taxpayers. Republicans have opposed the expansion, arguing that it would lead to harassment of ordinary Americans. The tax agency now employs roughly 100,000 people, compared with 80,000 before Biden took office in 2021. Independent budget analysts had estimated that the staff expansion under Biden would work to boost government revenue and help narrow trillion-dollar budget deficits. “This will ensure that the IRS is not going after the wealthy and is only an agency that’s really focused on the low income,” said University of Pittsburgh tax law professor, Philip Hackney, a former IRS lawyer. “It’s a travesty.” Those fired include revenue agents, customer-service workers, specialists who hear appeals of tax disputes, and IT workers, and impact … “US tax agency fires 6,000 amid federal government downsizing” →

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA — A group of families and children hailing from Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, Russia and more countries climbed down the stairs of an airplane in Costa Rica’s capital Thursday, the first flight of deportees from other nations Costa Rica agreed to hold in detention facilities for the Trump administration while it organized the return back to their countries. The flight of 135 deportees, half of them minors, added Costa Rica to a growing list of Latin American nations to serve as a stopover for migrants as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to step up deportations. While Costa Rica joins Panama in holding deportees from mostly Asian origin until their repatriation can be arranged or they can seek protection somewhere, Honduras on Thursday also facilitated a handoff of deportees between the U.S. and Venezuela from a flight coming from Guantanamo Bay. The migrants arriving in Costa Rica will be bused to a rural holding facility near the Panama border, where they will be detained up to six weeks and be flown back to their countries of origin, said Omer Badilla, Costa Rica’s deputy minister of the interior and police. The U.S. government will cover the costs. The arrangement is part of a deal the Trump administration struck with Costa Rica during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit earlier this month. It comes as Trump has pressured countries across the region to help facilitate deportations at times under the threat of steep tariffs or sanctions. Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves told reporters Wednesday that his country is helping its “economically powerful brother from the north.” Similar agreements have been reached with other Latin American nations, but the concept of using third countries as deportation layovers has drawn strong criticism from human rights advocates. Beyond the conditions of their detention in Costa Rica, concerns revolve around international protections for asylum seekers and whether these deportees will be appropriately screened before being returned to their countries or sent to yet another country. Panama this week became the first such country to accept 299 deportees from other nations, with the government holding them in hotel rooms guarded by police. About one-third of those who refused to voluntarily return to their countries were sent to a remote camp in Darien province bordering Colombia on Wednesday. The rest were awaiting commercial flights back home. “We’ve thrown out the possibility of a hotel, precisely … “Costa Rica and Honduras join Panama as stopovers for foreign deportees” →

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean officials have asked the Trump administration to exclude their country from U.S. plans to impose aggressive tariffs on trade partners, emphasizing that Seoul is already applying low duties on American products under the free trade agreement between the two nations. South Korea’s government on Friday said Deputy Trade Minister Park Jong-won made the request while traveling to Washington this week for meetings with unspecified officials from the White House, the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The South Korean Trade Ministry didn’t say what Park heard from the Americans. Park cited how South Korean companies were contributing to the U.S. economy through large-scale business investments and noted that the country was already imposing low duties on free trade partners such as the United States. He called for South Korea to be excluded from U.S. plans to establish reciprocal tariffs with trade partners and raise duties for imported steel and aluminum, the ministry said. South Korea’s top economic think tank this month slashed its growth forecast for the country’s economy for the second time since November, expressing concern about the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s expanding tariffs and other measures aimed at resetting global trade. The state-run Korea Development Institute projected the national economy to grow by 1.6% in 2025, which was 0.4 percentage points lower than its previous estimate. The group’s economists assessed that Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs won’t likely have a major impact on South Korea’s economy, as those products account for less than 1% of its exports to the U.S. However, they expressed concern that possible increases in U.S. duties for semiconductors and cars would hurt the country’s trade-dependent economy more. South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, on Friday called a meeting with trade and foreign policy officials to discuss the potential impact of Trump’s trade measures, including reciprocal tariffs and possible product-specific duties for semiconductors, cars and pharmaceuticals. Choi, who is also South Korea’s finance minister, instructed officials to examine how other major economies, including the European Union, Japan and China, are responding to Trump’s trade policies, and try harder to effectively communicate South Korea’s position to U.S. officials. South Korea’s trade surplus with the U.S. reached $55.7 billion in 2024. According to the South Korean trade ministry, the country’s tariff rates on U.S. manufacturing imports is around zero percent.  …

The U.S. government flew 177 Venezuelan migrants from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras on Thursday, from where they are set to be transferred on to Venezuela, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security said. Earlier on Thursday, the Honduran government said about 170 Venezuelan migrants were set to arrive in the Central American nation from the United States, before being transported immediately back to Venezuela. The transfer of the migrants would take place at Soto Cano, a joint U.S.-Honduras military air base, the Honduran government said. Venezuela requested the repatriation of the citizens who it said were unjustly taken to Guantanamo naval base, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement posted on Telegram, adding they would be flown from Honduras by Venezuelan airline Conviasa. The arrival in Venezuela is expected Thursday evening local time. Lawyers representing at least half a dozen of the deportees said they learned about the deportations on Thursday afternoon. The deportations come after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit last week seeking access to dozens of migrants flown to the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying they were being denied the right to an attorney. The deportees included 126 people with criminal charges or convictions, 80 of whom were allegedly affiliated with Tren de Aragua, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, adding that 51 had no criminal record. There are no migrant detainees left at Guantanamo after Thursday’s deportations, the spokesperson said. The U.S. has designated Tren de Aragua a global terrorist organization along with other organized crime groups, as President Donald Trump steps up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members in the United States.  …

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump this week signed an executive order intended to expand the White House’s authority over various independent regulatory agencies that Congress set up to be shielded from direct White House control, including the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The order, signed Tuesday, would require independent agencies to submit proposed regulations to the White House for review. The order also would require agencies to consult with the White House on their “policies and priorities” and “strategic plans.” “These regulatory agencies currently exercise substantial executive authority without sufficient accountability to the President, and through him, to the American people,” the order said. The executive order, titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” is expected to face challenges in court, according to legal experts. The move came as the president has worked to consolidate power within the executive branch, including by removing more than a dozen inspectors general who provided oversight at various government agencies. In addition to the FCC, agencies that would be affected by the new order include the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The FCC does not directly regulate major news networks, but it does evaluate the actions of broadcasting stations around the U.S. that hold FCC licenses to use public airwaves. Former FCC chairs told VOA that the move would be a significant change for the FCC. “It makes an independent agency that was created to be independent like an agency in the executive branch,” said Tom Wheeler, who served as FCC chairman under former President Barack Obama. Reed Hundt, who served as FCC chairman under former President Bill Clinton, agreed that the order would mark a departure from the agency’s nearly 100-year history. “For 90 years, the governmental idea was that the president should not be regulating the media,” Hundt told VOA. Harold Furchtgott-Roth, a Republican who served as an FCC commissioner under Clinton, told VOA that the order “would have a major effect on rulemaking” at the FCC. He added that other areas, like enforcement, might not be affected. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez told VOA that she was concerned by the order. “Our informed decision-making is meant to be consistent with our technical expertise, not subject to political pressure,” Gomez told VOA in an emailed statement. Gomez added that Congress already provides oversight over the FCC. “Efforts to expand executive influence on the FCC will only further diminish our standing as … “Trump order challenges independence of FCC, other agencies” →

WASHINGTON — PRC is out. China is in. That is among the significant modifications to the U.S. State Department’s online fact sheet on China, which drops the country’s official name, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), in favor of just China. Former President Joe Biden’s administration routinely referenced the Beijing government with the PRC abbreviation. Since former President Richard Nixon began the process to normalize relations with Beijing — which would end recognition of the government in Taipei, officially known as the Republic of China, on Jan. 1, 1979 — the United States has maintained diplomatic ties with the communist-run government on the mainland, while reducing the relationship with Taiwan to unofficial but friendly.  “Taipei should take solace in the fact that the change in the term [from PRC to China] does not represent a policy change in the United States. The fact of the matter is that the U.S. still has its ‘One China’ policy, and under that policy, it maintains diplomatic relations with Beijing and robust unofficial relations with Taipei,” Russell Hsiao, Global Taiwan Institute executive director, told VOA. “Since 1979, Washington has recognized the government in Beijing of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, so the change in term is essentially a different way of presenting the same set of facts, all of which haven’t changed,” Hsiao said. China considers Taiwan a rogue province. Nationalist forces, backed by the United States and commanded by Chiang Kai-shek, fled the mainland for Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communist forces led by Mao Zedong. Chiang became Taiwan’s relatively benign dictator until his death in 1975. Mao ruled over the mainland as a rigid authoritarian until his death a year after Chiang died. Washington continues to provide Taipei with weapons and has left the question ambiguous as to whether the United States would use its military to defend the island if Taiwan were to be attacked. The Taiwan Relations Act commits the United States to help Taiwan defend itself, but the final decision on military intervention would rest with the president and Congress. Language changes last week by the State Department eliminated a reference to Washington not supporting Taiwan independence, but left intact was content noting that the United States opposes “unilateral changes to the status quo” by either side of the Taiwan Strait. A significant change to the State Department’s … “US State Department tweaks online fact sheet on China” →

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s makeover of the United States’ national security and law enforcement agencies took a major step forward Thursday, with Senate lawmakers voting 51-49 to confirm Kash Patel as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The vote puts Patel at the helm of the country’s premier law enforcement agency, where he has promised to lead an overhaul of the bureau at a time when critics of President Donald Trump have accused the administration of leading a purge to end the bureau’s tradition of independence and align the bureau with Trump’s priorities. Two Republicans — Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — voted with Democrats against Patel’s confirmation. But support from the rest of the Senate Republican delegation gave Patel a slim victory, with many hailing the new FBI director as an agent of change. “The FBI has lost trust among the American people in recent years. Much of that stems from a perception that politics has infected the FBI’s important work,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, ahead of Thursday’s vote. “We need all law enforcement working together and focused on the real threats facing our country,” Thune said. “I look forward to working with Mr. Patel to restore the integrity of the FBI and get it focused on its critical mission.” Other Republicans have echoed similar sentiments. “The FBI has been infected by political bias and weaponized against the American people,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley before advancing Patel’s nomination to the full Senate earlier this month, noting “Mr. Patel knows it, Mr. Patel exposed it, and Mr. Patel was targeted.” “The American people are sick and tired of two tiers of access, two tiers of treatment, and two tiers of justice,” said Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, also speaking earlier this month on the need for Patel to head the FBI. Patel is a former public defender and federal prosecutor who previously served as a Trump national security adviser and at the Pentagon. In a statement announcing Patel’s nomination in November, Trump praised him as having “played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability and the Constitution.” Democrats, however, have repeatedly questioned Patel’s qualifications and integrity, accusing him of describing some of the prosecuted, Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters as “political prisoners,” and of calling for the prosecution of Trump opponents. And … “Trump loyalist Kash Patel takes helm of FBI” →

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell announced on Thursday, his 83rd birthday, that he will not seek reelection when his current term ends next year. First elected in 1984, McConnell made the announcement from the Senate floor. “Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate. Every day in between, I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here,” he said. “Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.” McConnell, a former Republican Majority Leader, will retire as the longest-serving Senate leader from any party. He has led the Republicans since 2007 both as majority and minority leader before giving up the position to Senator John Thune last year. McConnell’s storied political career saw him guide the Senate chamber through a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul, presidential impeachment trials and fierce political fights. In what may be a lasting feature of his legacy, McConnell aggressively sought to outfit federal courts with more conservative justices. His final years as head of the Senate Republicans saw repeated political clashes with an increasingly populist party under the leadership of President Donald Trump. In recent years, McConnell had a series of health scares, including two separate incidents in which he froze while talking to reporters. He blamed those incidents on a previous concussion. In his comments Thursday, McConnell said he decided last year that he would not run for reelection. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters. …

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that “strong Ukraine-U.S. relations benefit the entire world,” an apparent attempt to calm tensions with Washington after he and U.S. President Donald Trump traded barbs this week over efforts to end Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine. Zelenskyy said in Kyiv he had a “productive meeting” with Trump envoy Keith Kellogg on the “battlefield situation, how to return our prisoners of war and effective security guarantees” for Ukraine if the war is ended. Earlier in the week, Zelenskyy had complained that Ukraine was excluded from high-level talks in Saudi Arabia between the top U.S. and Russian diplomats as they discussed setting up negotiations about how to end the war and contended that Trump was living in a Russian-influenced “disinformation space.” Meanwhile, Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” and claimed falsely that Ukraine started the war three years ago next week, even though Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated it. Kellogg said he went to Kyiv to listen to Zelenskyy’s views and would report back to Trump. The Trump administration has proposed that part of the settlement of war would involve the U.S. investing in Ukrainian mining operations. The U.S. would gain access to rare earth minerals it needs for the manufacture of American technology products and recoup some of the money for the tens of billions of dollars’ worth of munitions it has sent to Ukraine to fight Russian forces while also boosting the war-ravaged Ukrainian economy. Zelenskyy so far has balked at the proposition for what he sees as lack of adequate security for Ukraine if the war is ended. In Washington, Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, told reporters, “We’re going to continue to have discussions about where that deal is going again. We have an obligation to the taxpayer. I think this is an opportunity. The president thinks this is an opportunity for Ukraine. “Going forward, there can be, in my view, nothing better for Ukraine’s future and for their security than to have the United States invested in their prosperity long term,” Waltz said. “And then a key piece of this has also been security guarantees. Look, the reality that we’re talking about here is, is it in Ukraine’s interest? Is it in Europe’s interest? It certainly isn’t in Russia’s interest or in the American people’s interest, for this war to grind on forever and ever and ever. “Understand, this war … “Zelenskyy: Strong Ukraine relations with US ‘benefit entire world’” →

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally, the White House said Wednesday, his latest in a blizzard of moves to crack down on immigration. The White House said the order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens,” but it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. People in the country illegally generally do not qualify except for emergency medical care. Children are entitled to a free K-12 public education regardless of immigration status under a 1982 Supreme Court ruling. The order notes that a 1996 welfare overhaul denies most public benefits to people in the country illegally but says that law has been gradually undermined. “Over the last 4 years, in particular, the prior administration repeatedly undercut the goals of that law, resulting in the improper expenditure of significant taxpayer resources.” Trump’s words appear directed at former President Joe Biden’s extensive use of parole authority to allow people in the country temporarily, including more than 900,000 through an online appointment app called CBP One used at border crossings with Mexico and more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who flew to the United States at their own expense with a financial sponsor. Trump immediately ended both programs. Biden also granted parole to nearly 300,000 people from Ukraine and Afghanistan. People granted parole for at least a year are considered “qualified noncitizens,” making them eligible for some income-based benefits, but only after five years. They include Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides coverage to children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Some states have shortened the five-year wait. Trump’s order appears to have other targets, some already subjects of earlier edicts and Justice Department lawsuits. It directs all departments and agencies to identify federal benefit spending that is inconsistent with the 1996 welfare law. It also seeks to ensure that state and local governments are not using federal funds for policies that support “sanctuary” policies or encourage illegal immigration. Trump signed 10 executive orders on immigration on his first day in office. They included ending automatic citizenship for people born in the United States and asylum at the southern border. The birthright citizenship order has been temporarily halted in court. …

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korean state media on Thursday criticized the United States for a nuclear submarine deal with Australia under the AUKUS partnership signed in 2021, calling it a “threat to regional peace.” A commentary carried by KCNA said Washington should be wary of consequences for what it said were nuclear alliances, naming AUKUS and the trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan. Australia just made its first $500 million payment to the U.S. under the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. Under AUKUS, Australia will pay the United States $3 billion to boost the capacity of the U.S. submarine industry, and Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s. The KCNA commentary also argued the U.S. sees North Korea as an obstacle to its establishment of hegemony in the region and said nuclear states will not sit idly by, referring to itself. North Korea has been criticizing the trilateral military cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the U.S. and has called the relationship “the Asian version of NATO.” South Korea’s defense ministry on Thursday said that a joint air drill was held with the U.S. with at least one B-1B strategic bomber taking part. The drill was to show extended deterrent capabilities by the United States in response to threats from North Korea’s nuclear and missile program, the ministry said in a statement. …

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/ WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the United States, without giving a timeline for his trip. Trump made the remarks to reporters on Air Force One and said “it’s possible” for the U.S. and China to have a new trade deal. A conversation or interaction between Xi and Trump is seen as crucial to a potential easing or delay of trade tariffs. “We’ll have, ultimately, President Xi, we will have everybody coming (to the U.S.),” Trump said, while also speaking about other leaders potentially visiting the United States. Xi last travelled to the U.S. in November 2023, in his fifth visit to the country as Chinese president, for a summit with then U.S. President Joe Biden, resulting in agreements to resume military-to-military communications and curb fentanyl production. Trump and Xi had spoken just before Trump took office on January 20 and discussed issues including TikTok, trade and Taiwan. Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he was talking to China about TikTok as the United States seeks to broker a sale of the popular app owned by Chinese parent firm ByteDance. Trump said last week he had spoken to Xi since taking office as well, but did not offer details on the topics of that conversation. China’s foreign ministry did not directly comment on Trump’s remarks that day and instead referred reporters to their “scheduled” call before Trump took office. Washington and Beijing have had tense relations for years over differences ranging from trade and tariffs and cybersecurity, and TikTok, Taiwan, Hong Kong, human rights and the origins of COVID-19. Trump also again told reporters he could make a deal with Russia over the war in Ukraine. “We can make a deal with Russia to stop the killing,” Trump said, adding he thought the Russians wanted to see the war end. “I think they have the cards a little bit because they’ve taken a lot of territory, so they have the cards,” Trump said.  …

BELCOURT, NORTH DAKOTA — Native American activist Leonard Peltier was defiant toward the government but grateful for his supporters as they welcomed him home to North Dakota on Wednesday, a day after his release from a Florida prison where he had been serving a life sentence in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.  Peltier, 80, grew emotional as he addressed about 500 people who gathered at the festive event that included food, a drum circle and dancers at a center in Belcourt. The small town is just south of the Canadian border on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians’ reservation.  “I’m so proud of the showing and support you’ve given me,” Peltier said. “I’ve got a hard time keeping myself from crying. A strong warrior can’t be up crying in front of his people.”  Before leaving office, former President Joe Biden commuted Peltier’s life sentence to home confinement, leading to his release Tuesday from the Coleman penitentiary. Peltier was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and given two consecutive life sentences stemming from a 1975 confrontation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were killed, and while Peltier acknowledged firing shots during the confrontation, he denied being the person whose shots killed the men. Native Americans widely believe he was a political prisoner who was wrongly convicted because he fought for Indigenous rights as a member of the American Indian Movement.  For years, many in law enforcement argued against freeing Peltier. Current and former FBI agents disputed his claims of innocence. As Biden considered his options as his term ended, former FBI Director Christopher Wray sent the president a letter in which he called Peltier “a remorseless killer” who should remain in prison.  In a statement about the commutation, Biden said numerous individuals and groups supported releasing Peltier due to the time he spent in prison, his age and his leadership role among Native Americans.  For decades, Peltier has maintained he was innocent of the murder charges, and he said Wednesday: “I spent 49 years straight in prison for something I didn’t do.”  Peltier said he went into prison a young man and emerged far older at age 80. During all that time, Peltier said he tried to keep Native American issues in the forefront of his activism, and he thanked tribes across the nation for their decades of … “Native American activist Leonard Peltier, freed from prison, welcomed on reservation” →

Conservative leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and politicians from Argentina, Britain, Poland and Italy, are among those set to address a three-day meeting of conservatives outside of Washington beginning Thursday. U.S. Vice President JD Vance leads off the Conservative Political Action Conference, with other sessions Thursday set to include discussions of cryptocurrency and Middle East peace, and a panel featuring relatives of hostages being held in Gaza. The CPAC conference helped Trump emerge as a figure in conservative politics and one which he addressed every year during his prior term in office. He used an address last year at the conference to pledge that a victory in the November presidential election would bring “judgment day” for “the liars and cheaters and fraudsters and censors and imposters who have commandeered our government.” In addition to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Thursday’s agenda also includes remarks from former British Prime Minister Liz Truss and Balazs Orban, the political director for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Santiago Abascal, head of the far-right Spanish political party Vox is set to address the event Thursday, as is British lawmaker Nigel Farage and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Later conference speakers include Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press. …