Category: United States

West Palm Beach, Florida — President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal on Sunday, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino. Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona on Sunday, Trump also said he would not let the canal fall into the “wrong hands,” warning of potential Chinese influence on the passage. China does not control or administer the canal, but a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has long managed two ports located on the Caribbean and Pacific entrances to the canal. The president-elect’s comments came hours after he leveled a similar threat against Panama in a post on Truth Social on Saturday night. “Has anyone ever heard of the Panama Canal?” Trump said on Sunday at AmericaFest, an annual event organized by Turning Point, an allied conservative group. “Because we’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else.” Trump’s comments were an exceedingly rare example of a U.S. leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory. It also underlines an expected shift in U.S. diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with counterparts. “The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair,” Trump said. “It was given to Panama and the people of Panama, but it has provisions. You get to treat us fairly, and they haven’t treated us fairly. If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, quickly and without question.” In a recorded message released by Panamanian President Mulino on Sunday afternoon, the nation’s leader said that Panama’s independence was non-negotiable and that China had no influence on the canal’s administration. He also defended the passage rates Panama charged, saying they were not set “on a whim.” “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue belonging [to Panama],” Mulino said in the statement, which was released on X. Several other Panamanian politicians, including members of the opposition, also took to social media to criticize Trump’s statements. The United States largely built the canal and administered territory surrounding the passage for decades. … “Trump threatens to retake control of Panama Canal” →

Federal officials have joined with the state of Arizona to begin fulfilling a settlement agreement that was reached with the Hopi Tribe nearly three decades ago, marking what tribal officials described as a historic day. Government attorneys filed condemnation documents on Friday to transfer dozens of square kilometers of state land into trust for the Hopi. The tribe will compensate the state nearly $4 million for more than 80 square kilometers of land near Winslow. It could mark the first of more transfers of land into trust to help eliminate the checkerboard of ownership that characterizes much of the lands used by the tribe for ranching in northeastern Arizona. A long time coming Friday’s filing was born out of the 1996 passage of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute Settlement Act, which ratified an agreement between the Hopi and federal government that set conditions for taking land into trust for the tribe. The wrangling over land in northeastern Arizona has been bitter, pitting the Hopi and the Navajo Nation against one another for generations. The federal government failed in its attempt to have the tribes share land and after years of escalating conflict, Congress in 1974 divided the area and ordered tribal members to leave each other’s reservations. The resulting borders meant the Navajo Nation — the country’s largest reservation at close to 70,000 square kilometers — surrounded the nearly 6,500-square-kilometer Hopi reservation. Since the 1996 settlement, the Hopi Tribe has purchased private land and sought to take neighboring state lands into trust in hopes of consolidating property for the tribe’s benefit. A historic day There have been many roadblocks along the way, including in 2018 when the tribe sought the support of local governments in northern Arizona to back a proposed transfer for land south of the busy Interstate 40 corridor. Those efforts were stymied by the inclusion of national forest tracts in the Flagstaff area. Hopi Chairman Tim Nuvangyaoma said in a statement Friday that he was grateful for everyone who worked to make the condemnation filing a reality and that the timing for this historic moment was fitting. “Within Hopi, it is our time of the soyal’ang ceremony — the start of the New Year and the revitalization of life,” he said. Gov. Katie Hobbs, who first visited the Hopi reservation in 2023, acknowledged that the tribe has been fighting for its rights for decades and that politicians of … “Native American tribe closer to acquiring more land in Arizona after decades of delay” →

Washington — At least 3,104 Native American children died in boarding schools in the United States, taken from their families to be forcibly assimilated, The Washington Post reported on Sunday, with its estimate three times higher than that of the American government. In these establishments, some of which were religious and which existed from the beginning of the 19th century to the 1970s, many children suffered physical, psychological or sexual violence, according to a recent government report which estimated that at least 973 students died there. In late October, U.S. President Joe Biden apologized to Native American peoples, calling the atrocities “a sin that stains our souls.” According to The Washington Post, which conducted a year-long investigation, 3,104 students lost their lives in these schools between 1828 and 1970, in what the newspaper describes as “a dark chapter in American history that has long been ignored and largely covered up.” And the toll would actually be much higher according to historians, adds the newspaper. The Washington Post says it has “determined that more than 800 of these students were buried in or near cemeteries at the schools where they attended, underscoring that, as in many cases, the children’s bodies were never returned to their families or tribes.” According to documents seen by the daily, “The causes of death included infectious diseases, malnutrition and accidents.” Dozens of Native American students have died under suspicious circumstances, the article continues, “and in some cases, documents show indications of abuse or mistreatment that likely led to the children’s deaths.” The boarding schools “were not schools” but “prison camps, work camps,” Judi gaiashkibos, director of the Nebraska Commission on Native Americans and whose relatives were sent there, told the newspaper. The Joe Biden administration has implemented a series of measures to support Native American nations and improve relations with the federal state. In the United States, reservations now administered by Native Americans are predominantly poor, with high suicide and overdose rates. In neighboring Canada, where the same practice of residential schools for young indigenous people existed, the country has also opened its eyes in recent years to this dark page of history. …

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Stephen Miran, a Treasury Department adviser in his first administration, would be the chair of his Council of Economic Advisers. The council advises the president on economic policy and is composed of three members, including the chair. The council assists in the preparation of an annual report that gives an overview of the country’s economy, reviews federal policies and programs and makes economic policy recommendations. Earlier this year, Miran and economist Nouriel Roubini authored a hedge fund study that said the U.S. Treasury last year effectively provided economic stimulus by moderating long-dated bond sales. The study echoed suggestions by Republican lawmakers that the Treasury deliberately increased issuance of short-term Treasury bills to give the economy a “sugar high” ahead of the November elections. The Treasury denied any such strategy. Miran, a senior strategist at Hudson Bay Capital, has also argued that fears over trade tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose after he takes office next month are overblown. Trade and economic experts have said such duties would raise prices and would effectively be a new tax on consumers. Last month, Trump tapped Kevin Hassett, who was a key economic adviser in his first term, to chair his National Economic Council, which helps set domestic and international economic policy. Hudson Bay Capital took a position in Trump’s social media firm Trump Media & Technology in the first quarter of this year. …

Drivers and airline passengers without reindeer and sleighs better make a dash for it: it’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel in the U.S. The auto club AAA predicts that more than 119 million people will travel at least 80 kilometers from home between Saturday and New Year’s Day, which would top the previous holiday-season high set in 2019. The two weekends on either side of Christmas look to be some of the most crowded times on the road and at airports. Trade group Airlines for America also foresees record travel, saying it expected U.S. airlines to carry 54 million passengers during a 19-day period that started Thursday and ends Jan. 6. The number would represent a 6% increase over last year. What will be the busiest travel days? Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Friday and Sunday, and on Dec. 26, Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. Flight traffic is expected to be light on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The slowest U.S. air-travel day this year — by a wide margin — was Thanksgiving Day. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through Jan. 2. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. “Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was about $.99 a liter, down from $1 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company. Weather and other wildcards Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is … “It’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel in US” →

NEW YORK — Teen drug use hasn’t rebounded from its drop during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results from a large annual national survey released Tuesday. About two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days. That’s the largest proportion abstaining since the annual survey started measuring abstinence in 2017. Among 10th graders, 80% said they hadn’t used any of those substances recently, another record. Among eighth graders, 90% didn’t use any of them, the same as was reported in the previous survey. The only significant increase occurred in nicotine pouches. About 6% of 12th graders saying they’d used them in the previous year, up from about 3% in 2023. Whether that has the makings of a new public health problem is unclear. The University of Michigan’s Richard Miech, who leads the survey, said: “It’s hard to know if we’re seeing the start of something, or not.” The federally funded Monitoring the Future survey has been operating since 1975. This year’s findings are based on responses from about 24,000 students in grades eight, 10 and 12 in schools across the country. The survey is “one of the best, if not the best” source of national data for substance use by teens, said Noah Kreski, a Columbia University researcher who has studied teen drug use. Early in the pandemic, students across the country were told not to go to schools and to avoid parties or other gatherings. They were at home, under parents’ supervision. Alcohol and drug use of all kinds dropped because experimentation tends to occur with friends, spurred by peer pressure, experts say. As lockdowns ended, “I think everyone expected at least a partial rebound,” Miech said. Even before the pandemic, there were longstanding declines in teen cigarette smoking, drinking and use of several types of drugs. Experts theorized that kids were staying home and communicating on smartphones rather than hanging out in groups, where they sometimes tried illicit substances. But marijuana use wasn’t falling before the pandemic. And vaping was on the upswing. It was only during the pandemic that those two saw enduring declines, too. Some experts wonder if the pandemic lockdowns had a deeper influence. Miech noted that a lot of teens who experiment with e-cigarettes or drugs start in the 9th grade, sometimes because older adolescents are doing it. But … “Survey: Most US teens are abstaining from drinking, smoking and marijuana” →

When Bernard Jones Jr. and his wife, Doris, built their dream home, they didn’t hold back. A grotto swimming pool with a waterfall for hot summer days. A home theater for cozy winter nights. A fruit orchard to harvest in fall. And a vast underground bunker in case disaster strikes. “The world’s not becoming a safer place,” he said. “We wanted to be prepared.” Under a nondescript metal hatch near the private basketball court, there’s a hidden staircase that leads down into rooms with beds for about 25 people, bathrooms and two kitchens, all backed by a self-sufficient energy source. With water, electricity, clean air and food, they felt ready for any disaster, even a nuclear blast, at their bucolic home in California’s Inland Empire. “If there was a nuclear strike, would you rather go into the living room or go into a bunker? If you had one, you’d go there too,” said Jones, who said he reluctantly sold the home two years ago. Global security leaders are warning nuclear threats are growing as weapons spending surged to $91.4 billion last year. At the same time, private bunker sales are on the rise globally, from small metal boxes to crawl inside to extravagant underground mansions. Critics warn these bunkers create a false perception that a nuclear war is survivable. They argue that people planning to live through an atomic blast aren’t focusing on the real and current dangers posed by nuclear threats, and the critical need to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, government disaster experts say bunkers aren’t necessary. A Federal Emergency Management Agency 100-page guide on responding to a nuclear detonation focuses on having the public get inside and stay inside, ideally in a basement and away from outside walls for at least a day. Those existing spaces can provide protection from radioactive fallout, says FEMA. But increasingly, buyers say bunkers offer a sense of security. The market for U.S. bomb and fallout shelters is forecast to grow from $137 million last year to $175 million by 2030, according to a market research report from BlueWeave Consulting. The report says major growth factors include “the rising threat of nuclear or terrorist attacks or civil unrest.” Building bunkers “People are uneasy and they want a safe place to put their family. And they have this attitude that it’s better to have it and not need it … “Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite expert warnings” →

WASHINGTON — Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday slammed what he called unfair fees for U.S. ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand control of the waterway be returned to Washington. He also hinted at China’s growing influence around the canal, a worrying trend for American interests as U.S. businesses depend on the channel to move goods between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “This complete ‘rip-off’ of our Country will immediately stop.” The Panama Canal, which was completed by the United States in 1914, was returned to the Central American country under a 1977 deal signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control in 1999. “It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!” He continued that if Panama could not ensure “the secure, efficient and reliable operation” of the channel, “then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question.” Authorities in Panama did not immediately react to Trump’s post. Although he does not officially take office until next month, Trump has nevertheless been flexing his political influence in the waning days of President Joe Biden’s administration. The real estate mogul boasted on the campaign trail that as an entrepreneur, he was uniquely positioned to fight for U.S. business interests. An estimated 5% of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships traveling between Asia and the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long, hazardous route around the southern tip of South America. The main users of the passage are the United States, China, Japan and South Korea. The Panama Canal Authority reported in October that the waterway had earned record revenues of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.  …

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with The Apprentice, is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration. “With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role,” Trump announced Saturday. Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like Survivor and The Voice, but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for The Apprentice, which first aired on NBC in 2004. Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name. Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run. The selection of Burnett continues Trump’s trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both, including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz. Trump’s first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on The Apprentice and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a “star.” Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump’s television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first campaign from the building’s lobby. “Mark is known for creating and producing some of the biggest shows in Television History,” Trump wrote in his statement on Burnett, listing many of his biggest hits including, “most notably, The Apprentice” and noting that Burnett “has won 13 Emmy Awards!” Special envoys are usually picked by presidents for the world’s traditional hotspots, including the Middle East, where Trump has said he’d like Steven Witkoff to fill the role. The United Kingdom, which has long enjoyed a “special relationship” with the U.S. that makes it one of Washington’s strongest global allies, is not typically a candidate for such posts. But Trump has announced a series of special envoy positions to several top … “Trump taps ‘Apprentice’ producer as special envoy to United Kingdom” →

OAKLAND, Calif. — Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who shattered stolen base records and redefined baseball’s leadoff position, has died. He was 65. Henderson died on Friday. The Athletics said Saturday they were “shocked and heartbroken by his passing,” but did not specify a cause of death. Known as baseball’s “Man of Steal,” Henderson had a lengthy list of accolades and accomplishments over his 25-year career — an MVP, 10 All-Star selections, two World Series titles and a Gold Glove award. But it was stealing bases where Henderson made his name and dominated the sport like no other. He broke through with 100 steals in his first full season in the majors in 1980, topping Ty Cobb’s AL single-season record with the Oakland Athletics. He barely slowed, playing for nine franchises over the next two decades. He broke Lou Brock’s single-season record of 118 by stealing 130 bases in 1982 and led the league in steals for seven straight seasons and 12 overall. He broke Brock’s career record when he stole his 939th base on May 1, 1991, for Oakland. He famously pulled third base out of the ground and showed it off to the adoring crowd before giving a speech that he capped by saying: “Lou Brock was a great base stealer, but today I am the greatest of all time.” Henderson finished his career with 1,406 steals, a 468-steal edge over Brock. Henderson said in September he would have had many more steals in his career and in the record-breaking 1982 season if rules introduced in 2023 to limit pickoff throws and increase the size of bases had overlapped with his career. “If I was playing today, I would get 162, right now, without a doubt,” he said. Henderson’s accomplishment that record-breaking day in 1991 was slightly overshadowed that night when Nolan Ryan threw his record seventh career no-hitter. Henderson had been Ryan’s 5,000th career strikeout victim, which led him to say, “If you haven’t been struck out by Nolan Ryan, you’re nobody.” That was clearly not the case for Henderson. He is also the career leader in runs scored with 2,295 and in leadoff home runs with 81, ranks second to Barry Bonds with 2,190 walks and is fourth in games played (3,081) and plate appearances (13,346). He finished his career with 3,055 hits over 25 seasons spent with Oakland, the New York Yankees, Toronto, San Diego, Anaheim, … “Stolen base king Rickey Henderson dies at 65” →

CAIRO — The U.S. military said it conducted precision airstrikes on Saturday against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.  In a statement, the U.S. military’s Central Command said the strikes aimed to “disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden.”  The U.S. military also said it struck multiple Houthi one-way drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.  Saturday’s strike followed a similar attack last week by U.S. aircraft against a command-and-control facility operated by the Houthis, which control much of Yemen.  On Thursday, Israel launched strikes against ports and energy infrastructure in Houthi-held parts of Yemen and threatened more attacks against the group, which has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel over the past year.  The Iran-backed group in Yemen has been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year to try to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s year-long war in Gaza.  …

WASHINGTON — A nearly two-year investigation by Democratic senators of Supreme Court ethics details more luxury travel by Justice Clarence Thomas and urges Congress to establish a way to enforce a new code of conduct.  Any movement on the issue appears unlikely as Republicans prepare to take control of the Senate in January, underscoring the hurdles in imposing restrictions on a separate branch of government even as public confidence in the court has fallen to record lows.  The 93-page report released Saturday by the Democratic majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee found additional travel taken in 2021 by Thomas but not reported on his annual financial disclosure form: a private jet flight to New York’s Adirondacks in July and jet and yacht trip to New York City sponsored by billionaire Harlan Crow in October, one of more than two dozen times detailed in the report that Thomas took luxury travel and gifts from wealthy benefactors.  The court adopted its first code of ethics in 2023, but it leaves compliance to each of the nine justices.  “The highest court in the land can’t have the lowest ethical standards,” the committee chairman, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, said in a statement. He has long called for an enforceable code of ethics.  Republicans protested the subpoenas authorized for Crow and others as part of the investigation. No Republicans signed on to the final report, and no formal report from them was expected.  Attorney Mark Paoletta, a longtime friend of Thomas who has been tapped for the incoming Trump administration, said the report was aimed at conservatives whose rulings Democrats disagreed with.  “This entire investigation was never about ‘ethics’ but about trying to undermine the Supreme Court,” Paoletta said in a statement posted on X.  The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  Thomas has said he was not required to disclose the trips that he and his wife, Ginni, took with Crow because the big donor is a close friend of the family and disclosure of that type of travel was not previously required. The new ethics code does explicitly require it, and Thomas has since reported some earlier travel. Crow has maintained that he has never spoken with his friend about pending matters before the court.  The report traces back to Justice Antonin Scalia, saying he “established the practice” of accepting undisclosed gifts and hundreds of trips over his decades on … “Senate review of Supreme Court ethics finds more luxury trips” →

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he has selected David Fink to serve as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.  “David will bring his 45+ years of transportation leadership and success, which will deliver the FRA into a new era of safety and technological innovation,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. …

Rhiannon Giddens is a Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning musical artist whose latest project tells the story of the U.S. transcontinental railroad — a story told through the eyes of its builders, including African American, Chinese, Japanese, Irish and Native American workers. It’s called “American Railroad,” and Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vladimir Badikov …

KARACHI, PAKISTAN — Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday dismissed as unfounded and “devoid of rationality” assertions by a senior U.S. official that its missile program could eventually pose a threat to the United States. Earlier this week, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said Pakistan’s development of long-range ballistic missiles made it an “emerging threat.” Finer’s comments, which came a day after Washington announced a new round of sanctions related to the ballistic missile program, underscored the deterioration in once-close ties between Washington and Islamabad since the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Addressing Finer’s remarks, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the perception of an alleged threat was “unfortunate.” “These allegations are unfounded, devoid of rationality and sense of history,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry said that its strategic capabilities were solely for defending its sovereignty and maintaining regional stability, and that they should not be perceived as a threat to any other country. It also highlighted Pakistan’s long history of cooperation with the U.S., particularly in counterterrorism efforts, and reiterated its commitment to engaging constructively on all issues, including regional security and stability. Relations between the United States and Pakistan have seen significant ups and downs. The countries collaborated during the Cold War and in the fight against al-Qaida after 9/11. Ties have been strained, however, due to coups in the South Asian country by Pakistan’s military, support for the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule in Afghanistan, and over the nuclear weapons program. …

HAVANA — Thousands of Cubans joined a protest Friday in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana that was led by President Miguel Diaz-Canel and ex-leader Raul Castro against Washington’s long-standing trade blockade. “We are marching now to tell the U.S. government to let the Cuban people live in peace. Down with interference!” Diaz-Canel told a crowd that had gathered a month before Republican Donald Trump returns to the White House. Communist Cuba is enduring a worsening economic crisis that the government blames on U.S. sanctions that have been in place since 1962 and were tightened during Trump’s first term. “If we didn’t have the blockade, we would not be facing difficulty like this,” said 85-year-old retiree Faustino Miranda. The Caribbean nation faces a lack of food and medicine, frequent blackouts and a wave of emigration. Rogelio Savigne, 55, head of transport at a state-owned company, told AFP: “We need them to open the doors for us to be able to trade with all countries.” Authorities said that 700,000 people marched in the capital on Friday. AFP was not able to independently verify that number. Former president Castro, 93, stood at the head of the march along with Diaz-Canel, who earlier Friday had blamed the U.S. embargo for making this year “one of the most difficult” for Cuba. On Tuesday, the country’s deputy foreign minister reiterated its willingness to enter into a dialogue with Trump, who will take office on Jan. 20. During his first term, Trump halted an easing of relations between Washington and Havana that began in 2014. He implemented 243 measures that reinforced the embargo, including the reincorporation of the island into the U.S. blacklist of “countries that sponsor terrorism,” alongside Iran and North Korea. Current U.S. President Joe Biden has kept Cuba on that list but resumed discussions with Havana on counterterrorism and combating illegal migration.  …

WASHINGTON — Foreign workers seeking U.S. jobs enjoyed near-guaranteed visa success in fiscal year 2024, with immigration authorities approving more than 97% of H1-B visa applications, as reported by the National Foundation for American Policy. The was the second-highest approval rate in more than a decade. But the exceptionally high success rate could soon end if President-elect Donald Trump’s team revives his first administration’s restrictive immigration policies, according to immigration lawyers. That in turn could significantly affect U.S. businesses and other institutions that rely on highly skilled foreign workers, especially those from India, they warn. “I think it’s going to get harder, and it’s going to be more complicated to approve things,” said Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and a former lawyer for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Companies exploit program, say critics Created in 1990, the H-1B program lets U.S. employers hire foreign talent in specialized fields such as technology, engineering and health care, with 85,000 visas issued by lottery. Indian workers received more than 70% of the slots in recent years, followed by Chinese nationals. The program has long been the subject of controversy. Proponents point to its role allowing the U.S. to attract top foreign talent and fill critical jobs. A 2016 study by the National Foundation for American Policy found that nearly one-quarter of America’s billion-dollar startups had a founder who first came to the U.S. as an international student. But critics view the program as a weapon against American workers. Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) pointed to Disney’s controversial move a decade ago to lay off hundreds of U.S. staff members, forcing them to train foreign replacements as a condition of their severance. Though Disney denied any wrongdoing and beat subsequent lawsuits, the case became a rallying cry among anti-immigrant groups. FAIR says U.S. companies exploit the system to hire cheaper foreign labor, driving down U.S. wages. “There are plenty of tech workers available here in the United States, and that should be the first resort for these companies to go out there and hire people who are American citizens,” Mehlman, FAIR’s media director, said in an interview with VOA. Mehlman said the program has strayed from its roots as a temporary foreign worker program, with foreign nationals using it as a backdoor to American citizenship. “This should be a program … “Foreign worker visa program faces uncertainty under second Trump term” →

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden secured the 235th judicial confirmation of his presidency Friday, an accomplishment that exceeds his predecessor’s total by one after Democrats put extra emphasis on the federal courts following Donald Trump’s far-reaching first term, when he filled three seats on the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, teed up votes on two California district judges, and they were likely to be the last judicial confirmations this year before Congress adjourns and makes way for a new, Republican-led Senate. The confirmation of Serena Raquel Murillo to be a district judge for the Central District of California broke Trump’s mark. Come next year, Republicans will look to boost Trump’s already considerable influence on the makeup of the federal judiciary in his second term. Biden and Senate Democrats placed particular focus on adding women, minorities and public defenders to the judicial ranks. About two-thirds of Biden’s appointees are women and a solid majority of appointees are people of color. The most notable appointee was Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first African American woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. “Prior to our effort, the number of women on the federal bench was really diminished. It was overwhelmingly white males,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “We consciously moved forward to bring more women to the bench, and believe me, we had a great talent pool to work with. So I think it’ll enhance the image of the court and its work product to bring these new judges on.” Biden also placed an emphasis on bringing more civil rights lawyers, public defenders and labor rights lawyers to expand the professional backgrounds of the federal judiciary. More than 45 appointees are public defenders, and more than two dozen served as civil rights lawyers. While Biden did get more district judges confirmed than Trump, he had fewer higher-tier circuit court appointments than Trump — 45 compared with 54 for Trump. And he got one Supreme Court appointment compared with three for Trump. Republicans, much to Democrats’ frustration, filled Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the court the week before the 2020 presidential election. Ginsburg had died in September. Democrats also faced the challenge of confirming nominees during two years of a 50-50 Senate. Rarely a week went by in the current Congress when Schumer did not tee up votes … “Senate approves 235th judge of Biden’s term, beating Trump’s tally” →

WASHINGTON — After two failed attempts, the U.S. House on Friday passed a stopgap spending bill to fund the federal government through March. The vote was 366 to 34, with one member voting present. Republicans cast all 34 votes against the bill. Republicans, who control the House, reached an agreement among themselves on a new proposal earlier Friday. It would fund the government through March and provide $100 billion for disaster aid and $10 billion for farmers. It would not raise the debt ceiling. “We’re excited about this outcome,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said after the vote, adding that he had spoken with President-elect Donald Trump, who “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.” The Democratic-controlled Senate must also approve the measure to  avoid a government shutdown. President Joe Biden said Friday that he supported the bill and would sign it. “This was a necessary step to bridge the gap, to put us into that moment where we can put our fingerprints on the final decisions on spending,” Johnson told reporters after the vote. The last-ditch effort to avoid a shutdown came after Republicans failed  Thursday to pass a spending bill that Trump backed. That bill would have raised the debt ceiling, which Trump had demanded at the last minute. Dozens of Republicans voted against Thursday’s bill, and only two Democrats supported it. The new plan was the same bill as the one that failed Thursday, except without the debt ceiling suspension. Problems began for Johnson this week when he abandoned a bipartisan funding deal he had reached with Democrats after Trump and billionaire Elon Musk lambasted the plan. Even though the House passed the bill, government funding technically runs out at midnight Friday. But most of the impact of the shutdown wouldn’t begin to take effect until Monday, by which time the Senate and Biden will likely have acted. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would move quickly. The White House on Friday echoed calls from Democratic lawmakers in urging Republicans to avoid a government shutdown. In the event of a shutdown, many government workers would be furloughed, but those who provide essential services would continue to report to their jobs. But none of those federal workers would be paid until Congress passed a new spending bill. Active-duty members of the military and federal law enforcement are among those who would continue to work but not be paid … “House approves bill to fund federal government, avoid shutdown” →

washington — The United States has charged a Russian Israeli dual citizen over alleged involvement with the Lockbit ransomware group, the Justice Department said Friday.  Rostislav Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel in August and is awaiting extradition to the United States, the department said.  Panev was a developer at Lockbit from its inception in 2019 until at least February 2024, during which time the group grew into “what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world,” the department said.   “The Justice Department’s work going after the world’s most dangerous ransomware schemes includes not only dismantling networks but also finding and bringing to justice the individuals responsible for building and running them,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.  Lockbit and its malware were linked to attacks on more than 2,500 victims in at least 120 countries around the world, according to the department, including small businesses and large multinationals, hospitals, schools, critical infrastructure, government and law enforcement agencies.  Lockbit was discovered in 2020 when its eponymous malicious software was found on Russian-language cybercrime forums.  It operated a ransomware-as-a-service operation, in which a core group of developers and administrators worked with affiliates who carried out attacks. Extortion proceeds were split among the parties involved.  Lockbit and its affiliates extorted at least $500 million in payments from victims, according to the Justice Department, as well as causing significant costs from lost revenue and incident response and recovery.  The arrest followed two guilty pleas in July from a pair of Russian members of the Lockbit gang — Ruslan Astamirov and Mikhail Vasiliev — and the seizure in February of numerous Lockbit websites by Britain’s National Crime Agency, the FBI and other international law enforcement agencies.  Lockbit reappeared online not long after the seizure, defiantly saying: “I cannot be stopped.” But law enforcement officials and experts say the bust helped damage the gang’s standing in the cybercriminal underworld.  Government actions “have proven incredibly effective at dismantling and discrediting” Lockbit as a brand and bringing the group’s volume of attacks down precipitously, said Jeremy Kennelly, a cybersecurity analyst with Google owner Alphabet.   Affiliates and others working with the group may have shifted to collaborating with other gangs, Kennelly said, but the crackdown has been “critical to ensuring that ransomware and extortion are seen as crimes for which there are consequences.”  …

NEW YORK — The U.S. flu season is under way, with cases surging across much of the country, health officials said Friday.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted sharp increases in several measures, including lab tests and emergency room visits.  “It’s been increasing at a pretty steady pace now for the past several weeks. So yeah, we are certainly in flu season now,” said the CDC’s Alicia Budd.  Thirteen states reported high or very high levels of flu-like illness last week, about double from the week before. One is Tennessee, where a sickness spike is hitting the Nashville area, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University.  “Flu has been increasing, but just this last week has exploded,” Schaffner said. He noted that in a local clinic that serves as an indicator of illness trends, as many as a quarter of the patients have flu symptoms.  Louisiana is another early hot spot.  “Just this week is really that turning point where people are out because of the flu,” said Dr. Catherine O’Neal, an infectious diseases doctor at the largest private hospital in the state, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. “You hear parents saying, ‘I can’t come to work because of the flu’ and ‘Where can I get a flu test?’”  There are a number of bugs that cause fever, cough, sore throat and other flu-like symptoms. One is COVID-19. Another is RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but can be dangerous for infants and the elderly.  The most recent CDC data show COVID-19 hospitalizations have been declining since summer. COVID-19 activity is moderate nationally, but high in the Midwest, according to CDC wastewater data.  RSV hospitalizations started rising before flu did and now show signs of possibly leveling off, but they remain a little more common than admissions for flu. Overall, RSV activity is low nationally, but high in the South, the wastewater data show.  The CDC called the start of flu season based on several indicators, including lab results for patients in hospitals and doctor’s offices, and the percentage of emergency department visits that had a discharge diagnosis of flu.  No flu strain seems to be dominant, and it’s too early in the season to know how good a match the flu vaccine will be, Budd said.  Last winter’s flu season was … “US flu season is under way, as cases surge in some areas and vaccinations lag” →

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has signaled eagerness to wrap up the war in Gaza as quickly as possible, even as the outgoing Biden administration continues its last-ditch diplomatic push for a ceasefire deal. Earlier this week, Trump said if the hostages held by Hamas are not home by Jan. 20, 2025, the date of his inauguration, then “all hell is going to break out.” The warning is similar to the threat he issued on social media earlier this month, where he said, “There will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity. Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.” It’s not clear what Trump plans to do in Gaza. When asked to clarify the threat, he said, “It means it won’t be pleasant.” Trump may deploy resources to place military pressure on Hamas, said Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. However, it’s unlikely to be “significantly harsher than what the Israelis have brought to bear over the last 14 months.” “There could be another element — which I hope that’s not the approach — to maybe squeeze some of that humanitarian aid going in,” Alkhatib told VOA. It’s also possible that Trump’s threats are directed to Hamas members outside of Gaza and the countries that support them, and Trump might move to pressure those nations to cut off financing, Alkhatib added. Hamas is a U.S.-designated terror organization. Hamas’ external wing may be more receptive to Washington’s pressure, particularly since its patron, Tehran, has been weakened through the loss of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Like Hamas, Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy, while the Assad regime was Tehran’s stalwart ally. Trump’s warnings send “an unmistakable message to the people in the Middle East that the U.S. wants to get this done,” said David Makovsky, director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Project on the Middle East Peace Process. This leaves Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu navigating between placating the ultraright-wing faction of his coalition — which is pushing for building settlements in and even annexing Gaza — and pleasing Trump, who wants credit for ending the war and potentially expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia, Makovsky told VOA. The … “Trump wants to quickly end Gaza war — can he?” →

LOS ANGELES — China’s ruling Communist Party used an agent in California to influence state politics, U.S. prosecutors said Thursday as they unveiled criminal charges against a Chinese national.    FBI agents arrested Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, at his home in Chino Hills, near Los Angeles, on charges that he acted as an agent for a foreign government while getting involved in local politics. The complaint claims Sun served as the campaign manager and close confidante for an unnamed politician who was running for local elected office in 2022. During the campaign, he is alleged to have conspired with Chen Jun — a Chinese national sentenced to prison last month for acting as an illegal agent of Beijing — regarding his efforts to get the politician elected. The U.S. Department of Justice said Chen discussed with Chinese government officials how they could influence local politicians, particularly on the issue of Taiwan. China considers the self-ruled island of Taiwan part of its territory. Beijing — which has said it would never rule out using force to bring Taiwan under its control — has been accused of using local influence campaigns, among other tactics, to sway global opinion on the issue. Charging documents say after the local politician won office in late 2022, Chen instructed Sun to prepare a report on the election to be sent to Chinese government officials, who expressed their thanks for his work. “The conduct alleged in this complaint is deeply concerning,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “We cannot permit hostile foreign powers to meddle in the governance of our country.” Sun was charged with one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. He also faces one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years. Asked about the charges on Friday, Beijing’s foreign ministry said it was “not aware of the details in the case you mentioned.” But spokesperson Lin Jian said, “China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries.” “The international community sees clearly who is actually wantonly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries,” he said during a regular briefing. …

WASHINGTON — Top diplomats from the Biden administration are in Damascus on Friday to meet new Syrian authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a State Department spokesperson said, the first in-person and official meeting between Washington and Syria’s de-facto new rulers. The State Department’s top Middle East diplomat, Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and newly appointed Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the Department’s Syria engagement, are the first U.S. diplomats to travel to Damascus since Syria’s opposition militias overthrew oppressive President Bashar al-Assad. The visit comes as Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and start debating whether or not to remove the terrorist designation on the group. The U.S. delegation’s travel follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days. In their meetings, the U.S. officials will discuss with HTS representatives a set of principles such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities that Washington wants included in Syria’s political transition, the spokesperson said. The delegation will also work to obtain new information about U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012, and other American citizens who went missing during the Assad regime. “They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the department spokesperson said. “They also plan to meet with representatives of HTS to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan,” the spokesperson said. The United States cut diplomatic ties with Syria and shut down its embassy in Damascus in 2012. In a seismic moment for the Middle East, Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family’s decadeslong rule. The lightning offensive raised questions over whether the rebels will be able to ensure an orderly transition. Forces under the command of al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani – replaced the Assad family rule with a three-month transitional government that had been ruling a rebel enclave in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib. Washington in 2013 designated al-Sharaa a terrorist, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had … “Top US officials in Damascus to meet new Syrian rulers, State Department says” →

The U.S. Defense Department’s annual report on China’s military power, released this week, says the PLA is accelerating modernization, but it still faces several operational challenges in executing a rapid and decisive invasion of Taiwan. Click here for the full story in Mandarin.  …

During his first press conference as president-elect, Donald Trump mentioned U.S.-China relations, stating, “China and the United States can together solve all of the problems of the world.” The remark quickly trended on Weibo, sparking discussions among Chinese netizens. Click here for the full story in Mandarin.   …