Category: United States

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, is pledging to press Thailand to prevent the deportation of 48 Uyghurs held there since 2014 after fleeing alleged persecution in Xinjiang, in northwest China.    “Thailand is a very strong U.S. partner, a strong historical ally,” Rubio said during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. “That is an area where I think diplomacy could really achieve results because of how important that relationship is and how close it is.”   Describing the Uyghurs’ plight in China as “one of the most horrifying things that has ever happened,” he said, “These are people who are basically being rounded up because of their ethnicity and religion, and they are being put into camps … stripped of their identity… and into forced labor — literally, slave labor.”   Human rights advocates say returning the Uyghurs to China risks torture, long imprisonment, or disappearance.   Rubio, a leading critic of Beijing, co-sponsored the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans imports from Xinjiang unless free of forced labor. His stance for human rights in China has subjected him to Chinese sanctions since 2020.   China refutes accusations of genocide Both the Biden and previous Trump administrations have classified China’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide, while a 2022 United Nations report said Beijing’s policies may constitute crimes against humanity. China rejects these accusations, framing its actions as anti-terrorism measures.   The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok claimed on Wednesday that Uyghur detainees in Thailand had terrorist ties.   “A small number of individuals, enticed by external forces, fled abroad and even joined the ‘East Turkestan Islamic Movement,’ [ETIM] a terrorist organization recognized by the United Nations, becoming terrorists themselves,” the embassy stated.  Although ETIM was listed as a terror group in 2002, the U.S. delisted it in 2020, citing no “clear and convincing evidence of ETIM’s existence,” according to Congressional Research Service.  Julie Millsap, government relations manager at the Washington-based group No Business With Genocide, dismissed China’s claims.   There has been “no evidence presented to link these men to terrorism,” Millsap told VOA. “The PRC cannot claim concurrently that it has a population of happy, dancing Uyghurs while labeling asylum seekers as extremists.”   Arslan Hidayat, team lead of the Save Uyghur campaign by U.S.-based Justice for All, said Uyghur detainees in Thailand recently faced a troubling development.  “Last week, I … “Rubio vows to oppose Thai Uyghur deportations as US secretary of state” →

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday night ahead of his second inauguration as president.  Trump flew in on a U.S. military C-32 aircraft from West Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife, Melania Trump, and their son, Barron, on a flight dubbed Special Air Mission 47 — a nod to Trump becoming the 47th president on Monday.  It’s a courtesy that’s traditionally been extended by the outgoing administration to the incoming one. Trump did not make a government plane available to President Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration in 2021. Instead, the Democrat flew to Washington on a privately chartered aircraft.  Trump’s celebration of his return to power was set to get underway Saturday evening with a fireworks showcase at his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, about 30 miles outside Washington.  With a blast of Arctic air expected to leave the nation’s capital with frigid temperatures on Inauguration Day, organizers were also scrambling to move inside most of Monday’s outdoor events, including the swearing-in ceremony.  “I think we made the right decision. We’ll be very comfortable now,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview Saturday.  On Pennsylvania Avenue leading to the White House, crews were breaking down metal bleachers that would have been used for outdoor inauguration viewing stands.  Timothy Wallis, 58, flew in for the inauguration from Pocatello, Idaho, with friends. The group had tickets to watch the ceremony outside but haven’t been able to get tickets to any of the indoor events.  “We found out on the plane,” he said about the change of plans.  Wallis said he was disappointed about the switch and a little bemused because he’s used to cold weather at home.  “We left snow to come here,” he said. “I brought my gloves!”  Trump, a Republican who left office in 2021 after his refusal to accept his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, led a mob to overrun the Capitol. He then broke tradition by skipping Biden’s inauguration.  Biden will adhere to one of the most potent symbols of the democratic handover, welcoming Trump to the White House and joining him on the ride to the Capitol before Trump takes the oath of office.  The first time Trump was sworn into office eight years ago, the former reality TV star billionaire came in as an outsider disrupting Washington’s norms, delivering a dark inaugural address as his swearing-in drew large protests and … “Trump arrives in Washington for inaugural celebrations” →

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he “most likely” would give TikTok 90 more days to work out a deal that would allow the popular video-sharing platform to avoid a U.S. ban. Trump said in an NBC News interview that he had not decided what to do but was considering granting TikTok a reprieve after he is sworn into office Monday. A law that prohibits mobile app stores and internet hosting services from distributing TikTok to U.S. users takes effect Sunday. Under the law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year, TikTok’s China-based parent company had nine months to sell the platform’s U.S. operation to an approved buyer. The law allows the sitting president to grant an extension if a sale is in progress. “I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. “The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate,” Trump told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview. “We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation. “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” he said. …

WASHINGTON — It is unclear who will take over at the Pentagon and the military services when the top leaders all step down Monday as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office. As of Friday, officials said they had not yet heard who will become the acting defense secretary. Officials said the military chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force were getting ready to step in as acting service secretaries — a rare move — because no civilians had been named or, in some cases, had turned down the opportunity. As is customary, all current political appointees will step down as of noon on Inauguration Day, leaving hundreds of key defense posts open, including dozens that require Senate confirmation. In addition to the top job and all three service secretaries, all of their deputies and senior policy staff will leave. The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to vote Monday on Trump’s choice to head the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth, but the full Senate vote may not happen until days later. As a result, someone from the Biden administration would have to take over temporarily. For the service secretaries, officials said that while things could still change before the inauguration, the Trump team is eyeing General Randy George, chief of staff of the Army, to be that service’s temporary head. They said General David Allvin, chief of staff of the Air Force, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Navy chief, are aware they may have to step in if no civilian is named as acting secretary, and they are preparing for that possibility. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations, said many senior Biden administration leaders are reluctant to serve in the incoming Trump administration because they are concerned about policy changes they may be required to handle or enforce. Usually, only people appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate serve as a defense or service secretary, including in an acting capacity during a transition. Trump could pull a confirmed member of the Biden administration from another agency and put that person at the Pentagon. Civilian control of the military is a key tenet, but under the law the military chiefs of the services — who are all Senate confirmed — can take over on a temporary basis. It’s rare, but it did happen more than 30 years ago. Arnold … “When Trump takes office, it’s unclear who will lead Pentagon” →

Moving the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump indoors due to expected freezing temperatures means most guests with tickets will not be able to attend the ceremony in person. “Those with tickets for the Presidential Platform and members of Congress will be able to attend in person,” the Joint Inaugural Committee said. But the “vast majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend the ceremonies in person.” “We strongly suggest people who are in Washington for the event attend other indoor events at indoor venues of their choice to watch the inauguration,” the committee said. On Inauguration Day, temperatures in the U.S. capital are expected to hit a low of 11 degrees Fahrenheit (-11 degrees Celsius) and a high of just 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 degrees Celsius), and it is expected to feel even colder with the wind chill. The frigid temperatures mean Trump’s inauguration is expected to be the coldest in 40 years, according to meteorologists. “I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” Trump said on Truth Social. President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985 was the last time a swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors. Many of the more than 220,000 ticketed guests who had been set to watch from the U.S. Capitol grounds will be unable to watch in person as Trump takes the oath of office. The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that the ticketed outside areas on the West Front of the Capitol will be closed Monday. In an email to House of Representatives offices, the House Sergeant at Arms asked congressional offices to tell their constituents who had been given tickets that they were now “commemorative” since most of them will not be able to watch in person as Trump becomes president. What’s more, 250,000 people without tickets were expected to stand on the National Mall for the outdoor ceremony, according to a permit issued to Trump’s inaugural committee by the National Park Service. Trump said supporters can watch the ceremony on screens inside the Capital One Arena, a professional sports and concert venue in downtown Washington. It holds 20,000 people. Capital One Arena also will be the site of a Sunday afternoon Trump victory rally. The American band the Village People will perform, among others. Moving Trump’s inauguration inside means it won’t be possible to compare crowd size to previous inauguration ceremonies. After his first … “With Trump’s inauguration indoors, few guests will see ceremony in person” →

Firefighters are making some progress in containing the blazes that have leveled complete neighborhoods in the U.S. city of Los Angeles. As of Saturday morning, the Palisades Fire was 43% contained, up from 31% contained on Friday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. That fire has burned through nearly 10,000 hectares of land. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire was 73% contained by Saturday morning, up from 65% contained on Friday, according to Cal Fire. The Eaton Fire has burned through more than 5,700 hectares of land. Those two fires have killed at least 27 people and destroyed more than 12,300 structures. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday that 18 people are still missing after the fires. The cause of the Palisades Fire is still under investigation. The department has not yet filed an incident report. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s potential liability for the Palisades Fire will depend on whether the utility’s power lines or assets were involved in sparking the wildfire, according to a Friday report by the credit rating agency Moody’s. But Moody’s said the utility’s distribution lines and other infrastructure will likely not substantially impact its finances and credits because much of the department’s power infrastructure in the fire area was underground, shielding it from damage. Calmed winds mean some residents have been allowed back into neighborhoods affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires. Although winds have calmed down in the area over the past few days, the National Weather Service said dangerous conditions are expected to return next week. The strongest winds are predicted Tuesday night. In the wake of the fires that have destroyed so many homes, some residents are now struggling to find affordable places to live as rent surges and the status of insurance settlements remains uncertain. Some information in this report came from Reuters. …

WHITE HOUSE — Israel’s Cabinet approved a deal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, with 24 ministers voting in favor and eight ministers rejecting the agreement. The deal is scheduled to be implemented beginning Sunday. The deal to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas was achieved after more than a year of negotiations, with mediation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt. President Joe Biden first endorsed the deal in May. The warring parties agreed to it on Wednesday, and it was subsequently approved by the Israeli Cabinet early Saturday in Israel. Starting midday on Monday when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, it will be up to his administration to see that the deal is enforced. The agreement has three phases, each of which will last six weeks. The terms of phases two and three are still being negotiated, but under phase one the cessation of hostilities is expected to continue if six weeks pass before the next phase is finalized. Phase one includes withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas and more aid for Gaza, as well as the release of some Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons and some hostages held by Hamas, including Americans. The U.S. and other Western countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist group. The release of American hostages is a “fundamental component” of Trump’s interest in ending the war swiftly, according to Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, nonresident senior fellow with the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs. Whether Trump will sustain pressure for the deal to proceed to phase two, when all of the hostages are set to be released, and to phase three, when reconstruction of Gaza will begin, remains to be seen, Alkhatib told VOA. Alkhatib expressed concern that after the first phase Trump will be “so disinterested” in Gaza that the agreement will amount to “little more than a freezing of the conflict.” This would be disastrous for Palestinians in Gaza and the goal of Palestinian statehood, he added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Friday that he had received “unequivocal guarantees” from both Biden and Trump that if negotiations on phase two fail, Israel “will return to intense fighting with the backing of the United States.”    Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and captured about 250 hostages in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the current war. Israel … “Gaza ceasefire set to begin one day before Trump’s inauguration” →

The Israeli Cabinet approved the Gaza ceasefire for hostage release early Saturday, paving the way for the deal to be implemented beginning Sunday, a day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara looks at how his incoming administration might enforce the multiphase deal, and the president-elect’s role in securing it. …

LOS ANGELES — Days after losing her home in the same fire that destroyed her Los Angeles elementary school, third-grader Gabriela Chevez-Munoz resumed classes this week at another campus temporarily hosting children from her school. She arrived wearing a T-shirt that read “Pali” — the nickname for her Pacific Palisades neighborhood — as signs and balloons of dolphins, her school’s mascot, welcomed hundreds of displaced students. “It feels kind of like the first day of school,” Gabriela said. She said she had been scared by the fires but that she was excited to reunite with her best friend and give her hamburger-themed friendship bracelets. Gabriela is among thousands of students whose schooling was turned upside down by wildfires that ravaged the city, destroying several schools and leaving many others in off-limits evacuation zones. Educators across the city are scrambling to find new locations for their students, develop ways to keep up learning, and return a sense of normalcy as the city grieves at least 27 deaths and thousands of destroyed homes from blazes that scorched 63 square miles (163 square kilometers) of land. Gabriela and 400 other students from her school, Palisades Charter Elementary School, started classes temporarily Wednesday at Brentwood Science Magnet, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away. Her school and another decimated Palisades elementary campus may take more than two years to rebuild, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. ‘There’s a lot of grief’ Students from seven other LAUSD campuses in evacuation zones are also temporarily relocating to other schools. As Layla Glassman dropped her daughter off at Brentwood, she said her priority after her family’s home burned down was making sure her three children feel safe and secure. “We have a roof over our heads. We have them back in school. So, you know, I am happy,” she said, her voice cracking. “But of course, there’s a lot of grief.” Many schools have held off on resuming instruction, saying their focus for now has been healing and trying to restore a sense of community. Some are organizing get-togethers and field trips to keep kids engaged in activities and with each other as they look for new space. The Pasadena Unified School District kept all schools closed this week for its 14,000 students. It offered self-directed online activities but said the work was optional. Between 1,200 and 2,000 students in Pasadena Unified School District are known … “Fires scorched campuses across Los Angeles. Now many schools seek places to hold classes” →

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He chose that location in part to honor President Abraham Lincoln as “a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today.” Now, millions of people honor King in the same way. On the third Monday of January — close to King’s Jan. 15 birthday — federal, state and local governments, institutions and various industries recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For some, the holiday is just that — time off from work or school. But, King’s family and others carrying on his legacy of equality, justice and non-violent protest want Americans to remember that this holiday is really about helping others. While it is now a time-honored tradition, the establishment of the holiday had a prolonged, difficult path to acceptance. How the idea for MLK day began The idea to establish a national holiday for the civil rights icon arose as the nation was plunged into grief. U.S. Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, one of the longest-serving members of Congress known for his liberal stance on civil rights, proposed legislation to recognize King four days after his assassination outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. Supporters knew it would not be easy. King, who was 39 years old at the time, was a polarizing figure to half the country even before his death, said Lerone Martin, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. Polls conducted by the Washington Post and the New York Times indicated most Americans did not trust King or thought he was too radical because of his speeches on poverty, housing and against the Vietnam War. “People say that King is moving too fast after 1965 and basically ‘Hey, you got the Voting Rights bill done. That’s enough,’” Martin said. The Congressional Black Caucus, founded by Conyers, tried to bring the legislation up for a vote for the next 15 years. Among the Republican rebuttals — public holidays don’t apply to private citizens, King was a communist or King was a womanizer. In the meantime, his widow, Coretta Scott King, kept lobbying for it. Musician Stevie Wonder even released a song, “Happy Birthday,” to rally support. So, what changed? By the 1980s, the social and cultural climate in the U.S. had shifted … “The long struggle to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day” →

A former CIA analyst pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Virginia to charges that he leaked classified information about Israeli plans to strike Iran.  Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, Virginia, was arrested last year in Cambodia and later taken to Guam. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the two charges: retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. Rahman had worked for the intelligence agency since 2016 and had a top-secret security clearance.  Prosecutors said Rahman illegally downloaded and printed classified documents at work and then took the documents home, where he altered the items to cover up the source of the information before distributing it. The secret information was eventually published on the Telegram social media platform. A Justice Department statement said that beginning in the spring of 2024 and lasting until November, Rahman shared the “top-secret information” he learned at his job with “multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive it.”  “Government employees who are granted security clearances and given access to our nation’s classified information must promise to protect it,” Robert Wells, executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, said Friday in a statement.   “Rahman blatantly violated that pledge and took multiple steps to hide his actions. The FBI will use all our resources to investigate and hold accountable those who illegally transmit classified information and endanger the national security interests of our country,” Wells said.   The Justice Department said Rahman destroyed journal entries and written work products on his personal electronic devices “to conceal his personal opinions on U.S. policy and drafted entries to construct a false narrative regarding his activity.”  He also destroyed several other electronic devices, including an internet router that the Justice Department said Rahman “used to transmit classified information and photographs of classified documents, and discarded the destroyed devices in public trash receptacles in an effort to thwart potential investigations into him and his unlawful conduct.”    The Associated Press reported that Rahman was born in California but grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from Yale University after only three years.    Rahman is scheduled to be sentenced May 15. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters. …

WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the government would reach its statutory borrowing limit on Tuesday and begin employing “extraordinary measures” to keep from breaching the cap and risking a potential catastrophic default.  Yellen, in a letter on Friday to congressional leaders just three days before the Biden administration turns over U.S. government control to President-elect Donald Trump and his team, said the Treasury would begin using extraordinary measures on Jan. 21.   “The period of time that extraordinary measures may last is subject to considerable uncertainty, including the challenges of forecasting the payments and receipts of the U.S. government months into the future,” Yellen said in the letter.  Yellen said the Treasury would suspend investments in two government employee benefit funds through March 14, to claw back borrowing capacity under the $36.1 trillion debt ceiling. As of Thursday, the Treasury reported borrowings of $36.08 trillion.  The move will suspend new investments that are not immediately required to pay benefits from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund and the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund. Once the debt limit is increased or suspended, the funds are required to be made whole.  Yellen said there was “considerable uncertainty” about how long the measures would last and urged Congress to raise or suspend the debt limit “to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.”  Trump’s problem  In late December, Yellen said that the debt cap would likely be reached between Jan. 14 and Jan. 23 after Congress opted against including an extension or permanent revocation of the limit in a last-minute budget deal near the end of the year.  Trump himself had urged lawmakers to extend or repeal the debt ceiling and later blasted an earlier failure to do so in 2023 as “one of the dumbest political decisions made in years.”  But many Republican lawmakers view the limit as an important leverage point in fiscal negotiations.   The debt ceiling issue presents an early challenge to Yellen’s expected successor, Trump Treasury pick Scott Bessent. The hedge fund manager told a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday that the ceiling is a “nuanced convention” but if Trump wants to eliminate it, he would work with Congress and the White House to make that happen.  The Treasury has a number of extraordinary balance sheet measures it can employ to avoid default, which budget analysts say could last … “US Treasury to launch measures Tuesday to avoid debt limit breach” →

Washington views every presidential inauguration as different from the previous one, but Monday’s inauguration of Donald Trump will really stand out. VOA Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti explains. Cameras: Adam Greenbaum, Carolyn Presutti. …

After Donald Trump is sworn in as president, there will be a swirl of activity at the White House. Over about six hours, the belongings of outgoing President Joe Biden and family will be removed and the residence will be made into a home for the new chief executive. VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports. …

SpaceX says a fire might have caused its Starship to break during liftoff and send trails of flaming debris near the Caribbean. SpaceX’s Elon Musk said preliminary indications are that leaking fuel built up pressure in the cavity above the engine firewall. The resulting fire would have doomed the spacecraft. On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered SpaceX to investigate what went wrong. The FAA said there were no reports of injuries from Starship debris. The 400-foot Starship — the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket — launched from the southern tip of Texas on a test flight early Thursday evening. The booster made it back to the pad for a catch by giant mechanical arms, only the second time in Starship history. But the engines on the still-ascending spacecraft shut down one by one, and communication was lost 8-1/2 minutes into the flight. Dramatic video taken near the Turks and Caicos Islands showed spacecraft debris raining down from the sky in a stream of fireballs. Flights near the falling debris had to be diverted, the FAA said. SpaceX said Starship remained in its designated launch corridor over the Gulf of Mexico and then the Atlantic. Any surviving wreckage would have fallen along that path over water, the company said on its website. Starship had been shooting for a controlled entry over the Indian Ocean, halfway around the world. Ten dummy satellites, mimicking SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites, were on board so the company could practice releasing them. It was the seventh test flight of a Starship, but it featured a new and upgraded spacecraft. The FAA said it must approve SpaceX’s accident findings and any corrective actions. SpaceX said the booster and spacecraft for the eighth demo are already built and undergoing testing. Musk said on X the loss was “barely a bump in the road” in his plans to build a fleet of Starships to carry people to Mars. NASA already has booked two Starships to land astronauts on the moon later this decade under its Artemis program, the successor to Apollo. “Spaceflight is not easy. It’s anything but routine,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson posted on X after the accident. “That’s why these tests are so important.” Earlier Thursday, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company also had mixed results with the debut of its massive New Glenn rocket. It achieved orbit on its first try, putting a test satellite thousands … “SpaceX says fire could have caused Starship to break, spew debris near Caribbean” →

A community clinic in the Los Angeles area devastated by the fires was destroyed, leaving hundreds of families, the vast majority of them immigrants, without medical care. Click here for the full story in Spanish. …

As with all massive disasters, there are individual stories of loss and hope. We’re now hearing some of those stories even as wildfires continue to burn in and around Los Angeles. Khrystyna Shevchenko met with one family that chose to ignore evacuation orders to fight wildfires threatening their home. Khrystyna Shevchenko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. …

WASHINGTON — Firefighters have contained more of the Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California, the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Friday morning. For the time being, the strongest winds have calmed, but the National Weather Service said dangerous conditions are expected again next week. The strongest winds are expected Tuesday night. The Palisades fire, which has burned through nearly 10,000 hectares, is now 31% contained, according to the forestry department. That fire broke out more than a week ago on the western edge of Los Angeles. The second-biggest fire, the Eaton fire, is now 65% contained, according to the forestry department. It has burned through more than 5,600 hectares. Those two fires have killed at least 27 people and destroyed more than 12,300 structures. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday that 18 people remained missing after the fires. A smaller third fire, known as the Auto fire, is 85% contained and has burned through 24 hectares, according to the forestry department. With calmer winds, some residents have been allowed back into neighborhoods affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires. About 82,000 people remained under mandatory evacuation orders and 90,000 others were under evacuation warnings. Curfews were still in effect for the Palisades and Eaton fire zones from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. …

The Army expects to meet its enlistment goals for 2025, marking a dramatic turnaround for a service that has struggled for several years to bring in enough young people and has undergone a major overhaul of its recruiting programs. In an interview with The Associated Press, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the Army is on pace to bring in 61,000 young people by the end of the fiscal year in September and will have more than 20,000 additional young people signed up in the delayed entry program for 2026. It’s the second straight year of meeting the goals. “What’s really remarkable is the first quarter contracts that we have signed are the highest rate in the last 10 years,” Wormuth said. “We are going like gangbusters, which is terrific.” Wormuth, who took over the Army four years ago as restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic were devastating recruitment across the military, also flatly rejected suggestions that the Army is “woke.” Critics have used the term to describe what they call an over-emphasis on diversity and equity programs. Some Republicans have blamed “wokeness” for the recruiting struggles, a claim repeated by President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, during his confirmation hearing this week. Wormuth dismissed the claims. “Concerns about the Army being, quote, woke, have not been a significant issue in our recruiting crisis,” she said. “They weren’t at the beginning of the crisis. They weren’t in the middle of the crisis. They aren’t now. The data does not show that young Americans don’t want to join the Army because they think the army is woke — however they define that.” Hegseth has vowed to remove “woke” programs and officers from the military. And during his hearing Tuesday, he told senators that troops will rejoice as the Trump administration takes office and makes those changes. “We’ve already seen it in recruiting numbers,” he said. “There’s already been a surge since President Trump won the election.” In fact, according to Army data, recruiting numbers have been increasing steadily over the past year, with the highest total in August 2024 — before the November election. Army officials closely track recruiting numbers. Instead, a significant driver of the recruiting success was the Army’s decision to launch the Future Soldier Prep Course, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in August 2022. That program gives lower-performing recruits up to 90 days of academic or … “Army expects to meet recruiting goals, in dramatic turnaround, and denies ‘wokeness’ is a factor “ →

Washington — President Joe Biden announced Friday that he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, using his final days in office on a flurry of clemency actions meant to nullify prison terms he deemed too harsh.  The recent round of clemency gives Biden the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued. The Democrat said he is seeking to undo “disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice.”  “Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden said in a statement. “This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars.”  The White House did not immediately release the names of those receiving commutations.  Still, Biden said more could yet be coming, promising to use the time before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated Monday to “continue to review additional commutations and pardons.”  Friday’s action follows Biden’s commutations last month of the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the pardoning of 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. That was the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.  All of this comes as Biden continues to weigh whether to issue sweeping pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by Trump’s administration. Though presidential pardoning powers are absolute, such a preemptive move would be a novel and risky use of the president’s extraordinary constitutional power.  Last month, Biden also commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. Trump has vowed to roll back that order after his term begins.  Biden also recently pardoned his son Hunter, not just for his convictions on federal gun and tax violations but for any potential federal offense committed over an 11-year period, as the president feared Trump allies would seek to prosecute his son for other offenses.  If history is any guide, meanwhile, Biden also is likely to … “Biden sets record by commuting sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug charges “ →

Firefighters from all over the United States are currently in Los Angeles fighting deadly wildfires. Backup from Canada and Mexico arrived this week as well. VOA’s Fernando Mejía spent some time with a team of Mexican firefighters. Veronica Villafañe narrates this report. Camera: Fernando Mejía …

Slovenian model turned US first lady Melania Trump is headed back to the White House after a bittersweet experience in the limelight after her husband, President-elect Donald Trump, first took office in 2016. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias gives us a look at her life and voter expectations for her second term. Camera: Veronica Balderas Iglesias …

washington — Washington has been bracing for lots of things this week, including several more days of frigid temperatures and hordes of people and police for the presidential inauguration and related protests around the city next week. Officials said this week that they expected about 250,000 ticketed people to descend on the U.S. capital as Donald Trump takes the oath of office as president again. He last served from 2017 to 2021. Fewer visitors are expected for next Monday’s ceremony than were present at Trump’s first inauguration, local and federal officials said at a press conference. In 2017, they prepared for more than 1 million people. Temperatures are expected to be particularly low in Washington on Monday. The temperature at noon, when Trump will be sworn in, is predicted to be in the low 20s F, which is about 20 degrees below normal. Enhanced security Even though a lower turnout is expected this time around, recent acts of violence — like the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans — mean there will be an enhanced security presence, the officials said. On Inauguration Day, 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel will be in the District of Columbia to provide security, including the full activation of D.C. police, 7,800 National Guard troops and about 4,000 officers from around the country, according to William McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office. Leading up to the inauguration, Washington will be home to both celebratory events and protests. A Trump victory rally is planned for Sunday afternoon at Capital One Arena, where the Village People, an American band, will perform. The arena has 20,000 seats, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the company that operates the arena, told a D.C. news station. The company said in a statement to News4 that the arena has been offered to every administration, “irrespective of party,” for decades. “We are happy that President Trump has accepted our offer, and we will welcome him and his guests to Capital One Arena on January 19,” the statement said. While there will be three official inaugural balls, more than a dozen unofficial inaugural balls are scheduled throughout the weekend in Washington. However, protests are scheduled, too. On Saturday, a demonstration called the People’s March is expected to draw tens of thousands of people to downtown Washington. The demonstration is organized by various civil rights, racial justice and reproductive … “Inaugural balls, protests planned in Washington” →

With a pending law declaring the social media application TikTok illegal in the United States, set to take effect on Sunday, the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is signaling that it plans to try to find a way to prevent the service from going offline. Under current law, the service’s parent company, China-based ByteDance, must either sell TikTok to a non-Chinese firm or see it banned in the U.S. Representative Mike Waltz, who has been tapped to serve as Trump’s national security adviser, told Fox News on Thursday that the president-elect has options available to postpone enforcement of the law while a possible deal is worked out to sell the company. That includes a section of the law allowing the president to give ByteDance a 90-day extension to finalize a sale. “We will put measures in place to keep TikTok from going dark,” Waltz said, “as long as a viable deal is on the table. Essentially that buys President Trump time to keep TikTok going.” Executive action reportedly considered Also on Wednesday, several media outlets reported that Trump is considering issuing an executive order that would protect TikTok. The legality of such a move is unclear and is thrown further into doubt by the fact that the Supreme Court is poised to rule on a request by the company to overturn the law. The high court heard arguments in the case last week and is expected to rule shortly. The outcome is not certain. However, in oral arguments, a majority of the justices appeared to favor upholding the law. Trump’s attitude toward TikTok has evolved considerably over the years. During his first term in office, he attempted to shut the service down in the U.S. Since then, though, he has used the service, with considerable success, to connect with his supporters. In a press conference in Florida last month, Trump said, “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” and credited the app with helping him get his message out to younger American voters. Trump has denied that his change of heart about TikTok was influenced by a brief meeting in March with Republican megadonor and ByteDance investor Jeff Yass. Lobbying disclosure reports from 2024 show that ByteDance paid a former Trump campaign aide to lobby lawmakers in Washington in favor of TikTok, and that former senior Trump aide Kellyanne Conway has been paid to advocate … “Trump team might step in to save TikTok from pending US ban” →

Pamela Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to become attorney general, faced more questions from U.S. senators Thursday. Witnesses testified to her character and integrity to serve in one of the nation’s most critical positions. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. …

washington — Washington has slapped sanctions on Sudan’s army leader, citing his responsibility for war crimes in a conflict that has bled the oil-rich country dry over the last year — sparking a famine, killing tens of thousands of people and driving millions from their homes — just a week after the U.S. sanctioned his opponent for acts it described as genocide. Thursday’s sanctions on Sudanese Armed Forces leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and a Hong-Kong-based weapons supplier block them from entering or transiting the United States and restrict their access to any U.S. assets. This leaves both sides economically restrained in this brutal conflict that the State Department has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, but where Washington’s options are limited because of its strained diplomatic ties to the large African nation. This conflict also has drawn in outside players, with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates arming the rivals. During his final press conference on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the SAF of war crimes. In last week’s sanctions, the State Department accused the opposing Rapid Support Forces of genocide. “The SAF has also committed war crimes, and it continues to target civilians,” Blinken said. “It’s obstructed the advancement of the peace process. It’s refused to participate on numerous occasions in ceasefire talks that we’ve sought to convene, and together with the RSF, it’s caused what is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis that people are suffering through every day. And we believe strongly, as we said, there’s no military solution to this conflict.” ‘Flawed’ action, Sudan says Sudan’s government expressed its objection to the sanctions, calling them “flawed,” “unethical” and “dubious.” “This decision lacks the basic principles of justice and objectivity, relying on implausible pretexts,” read its statement, which was posted on social media platform X. “It also reflects a blatant disregard for the Sudanese people, who stand firmly united behind General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan as a symbol of their sovereignty and armed forces, and as a courageous leader in the battle for dignity against the terrorist Janjaweed militias.” Blinken did not address U.S. media reports citing anonymous U.S. officials that the SAF has used chemical weapons at least twice. VOA’s query to the National Security Council went unanswered Thursday. When asked by reporters whether both sides were equally responsible, Blinken replied, “The actions we took on the RSF, as you know, found a determination of genocide. The … “US sanctions Sudan army leader, citing atrocities” →