BLOGONITY

A federal judge early Saturday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk’s government efficiency team and Trump administration political appointees from accessing government systems used to process trillions of dollars in payments, citing a risk that sensitive information could be improperly disclosed. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan issued the order after a coalition of Democratic attorneys general from 19 U.S. states filed a lawsuit late Friday arguing Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has no legal power to access the U.S. Department of Treasury systems. Musk, on X, called the ruling “absolutely insane!” and said without evidence that “something super shady is going to protect scammers.” “How on Earth are we supposed to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money without looking at how money is spent?” Musk said on his social media platform and called Engelmayer “an activist posing as a judge.” The lawsuit said Musk and his team could disrupt federal funding for health clinics, preschools, climate initiatives, and other programs, and that Republican President Donald Trump could use the information to further his political agenda. DOGE’s access to the system also “poses huge cybersecurity risks that put vast amounts of funding for the States and their residents in peril,” the state attorneys general said. They sought a temporary restraining order blocking DOGE’s access. The judge, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, said the states’ claims were “particularly strong” and warranted him acting on their request for emergency relief pending a further hearing before another judge on Feb. 14. “That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking,” Engelmayer wrote. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office is leading the case, welcomed the ruling, saying nobody was above the law and that Americans across the country had been horrified by the DOGE team’s unfettered access to their data. “We knew the Trump administration’s choice to give this access to unauthorized individuals was illegal, and this morning, a federal court agreed,” James said in a statement. “Now, Americans can trust that Musk — the world’s richest man — and his friends will not have free rein over their personal information while our lawsuit proceeds.” Engelmayer’s order bars access from being granted to Treasury Department payment and data … “US judge temporarily blocks Musk’s DOGE from accessing payment systems” →

WASHINGTON — Before President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress can enact much of their legislative agenda, they must deal with some unfinished business — completing work on the current budget year’s spending bills. It’s a task that by all accounts is not going well.  The current stopgap measure lasts through March 14. After that, without congressional action, there would be a partial government shutdown.  Five weeks is an eternity when it comes to resolving spending bills in Washington. But Trump’s first weeks in office have escalated tensions between the two parties as the new administration reshapes agency priorities and dismantles existing programs without congressional approval.  A look at where the talks stand:  Republicans accuse Democrats of abandoning negotiations  Republican and Democratic leaders of the two appropriations committees in Congress were holding spending bill talks in late January; aides said the two sides were committed to getting a deal done. But optimism has faded in recent days.  “Obviously, the Democrats are not in a good place right now, so they walked away from talks. But it’ll have to resume,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, said Thursday.  House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, gave a similar assessment, contending that comments by House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and some of his colleagues made it seem as though they are “trying to set up some sort of government shutdown, which I think is very unfortunate. We were negotiating in good faith and trying to get the topline number, but so far as I know, they’ve been sort of unresponsive the last two days or so. So, I hope we can get back to it.”  Representative Tom Cole, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he heard from Democratic lawmakers as recently as Thursday, so he did not believe they were walking away from talks.  “But we’re not making the progress I would hope,” said Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma.  Democrats dispute GOP leadership’s characterization  Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said “that is false” in response to the assertion that Democrats have withdrawn from negotiations.  “The Democrats have made their offer. We have not walked away from the table,” DeLauro said.  Jeffries told reporters that DeLauro “has been trying to get Republicans to respond to her for weeks.”  “I’m hopeful that Republicans are actually willing now to sit … “Spending bill talks bog down after Trump’s efforts to slash government” →

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in developing the mining sector in Africa. On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order focusing on minerals, mineral extraction, and mineral processing. “Mainly in the United States but if you read closely there are also multiple references in that executive order to international partnerships and you know, cooperating with partner nations,” said Scott Woodard, the acting deputy assistant secretary of state for energy transformation at the U.S. State Department. Woodard spoke at a recent African mining conference — also known as an indaba — in Cape Town, South Africa. Moderator Zainab Usman, director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, asked Woodard whether the U.S. understands that in addition to mineral extraction, Africans want projects that add value to the raw material in order to boost the continent’s industrialization. Woodard replied that the Trump administration is still putting together its policies. In recent years, America’s investment in the African minerals needed for cleaner energy has been driven by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. In 2022, the U.S. entered into agreements with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to establish a supply chain for electric vehicle batteries, underscoring its interest in both countries’ copper, lithium and cobalt resources. The U.S. also has funded the rebuilding of the Lobito Rail Corridor, which will transport minerals from Congo, Zambia and Angola on the west coast. Speaking in the exhibition hall during the indaba, Zambia’s minister of transport and logistics, Frank Tayali, thanked the U.S. for its leadership. “We have something like a $350 billion gap in terms of infrastructure gap financing that the continent needs,” said Tayali. “Now this focus on infrastructure development is really key in helping the African economies to be able to improve so that they are able to look after their people more effectively.” China, meanwhile, is invested in rehabilitating the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority — known as TAZARA — to bolster rail and sea transport in East Africa. And in South Africa, the conference’s host country, transport and logistics problems at the state-owned Transnet railway system are being considered. “The CEO of Transnet is very open about the state of the rail network,” said Allan Seccombe, head of communications at the Minerals Council of South Africa. ” … it needs a lot of … “US declares interest in developing African mining sector” →

PENTAGON — The top U.S. homeland security official got a firsthand look at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, visiting the U.S. naval base in Cuba on Friday, posting video of what appears to be a third flight of “high-threat illegal aliens” to arrive at the facility.  Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared details of her visit on her official account on the X social media platform, promising, “Vicious gang members will no longer have safe haven in our country.” Noem did not share details about how many detainees were offloaded from what appeared to be a military cargo jet or about the crimes with which they are charged or of which they are suspected of having committed.   The Homeland Security Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have yet to respond to requests for details.  U.S. Southern Command, which oversees operations at Guantanamo Bay, did not comment on the number of flights but told VOA Saturday that the detention facility is now housing “over three dozen individuals.”  SOUTHCOM also said it “is prepared to support operations for holding illegal aliens as directed by the Department of Defense” and that any new arrivals “will be treated safely and humanely in accordance with international humanitarian standards.”  Immigrants’ rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, on Friday sent DHS, the State Department and the Pentagon a letter demanding information and immediate access to the individuals sent to the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay.  “The Constitution, and federal and international law prohibit the government from using Guantánamo as a legal black hole,” the groups stated. “We therefore request that the government provide our organizations access to the noncitizens detained at Guantánamo so that those individuals will have access to legal counsel, and so advocates and the public can understand the conditions under which the government is detaining them.”  Noem, in another post on X late Friday, said she was at Guantanamo Bay “checking out some of the operations we’re standing up to house the worst of the worst and illegal criminals that are in the United States of America.”                   “They won’t be there for long,” she added, while also thanking U.S. President Donald Trump for his hard work to “make America safe again.”  Noem’s visit to Guantanamo Bay came a day after the arrival of a second flight of “high-threat illegal aliens,” whom she described … “Trump administration sends third flight of detainees to Guantanamo” →

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — Groups representing some of South Africa’s white minority responded Saturday to a plan by President Donald Trump to offer them refugee status and resettlement in the United States by saying: thanks, but no thanks. The plan was detailed in an executive order Trump signed Friday that stopped all aid and financial assistance to South Africa as punishment for what the Trump administration said were “rights violations” by the government against some of its white citizens. The Trump administration accused the South African government of allowing violent attacks on white Afrikaner farmers and introducing a land expropriation law that enables it to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.” The South African government has denied there are any concerted attacks on white farmers and has said that Trump’s description of the new land law is full of misinformation and distortions. On Saturday, two of the most prominent groups representing Afrikaners said they would not be taking up Trump’s offer of resettlement in the U.S. “Our members work here, and want to stay here, and they are going to stay here,” said Dirk Hermann, chief executive of the Afrikaner trade union Solidarity, which says it represents about 2 million people. “We are committed to build a future here. We are not going anywhere.” At the same news conference, Kallie Kriel, the CEO of the Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum, said: “We have to state categorically: We don’t want to move elsewhere.” Trump’s move to sanction South Africa, a key U.S. trading partner in Africa, came after he and his South African-born adviser Elon Musk accused its Black leadership of having an anti-white stance. But the portrayal of Afrikaners as a downtrodden group that needed to be saved would surprise most South Africans. “It is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the U.S. for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged,” South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said. There was “a campaign of misinformation and propaganda” aimed at South Africa, the ministry said. Whites in South Africa still generally have a much better standard of living than Blacks more than 30 years after the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. Despite being a small minority, whites still own about 70% of South Africa’s private farmland. A study in 2021 by the South Africa Human Rights Commission … “White South Africans reject Trump’s resettlement plan” →

NEW YORK — A violin made in 1714 by the legendary luthier Antonio Stradivari sold for $11.3 million at an auction in New York on Friday, short of estimates that would have made it the most expensive instrument ever sold.  Sotheby’s auction house had estimated that the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” violin could sell for between $12 million and $18 million, with the higher end of the range potentially eclipsing the record-breaking $15.9 million someone paid for another Stradivari violin at auction more than a decade ago.  The “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” is regarded as one of Stradivari’s best works, built during his “Golden Period” at the height of his craftsmanship and acoustic mastery, according to the auction house.  Adding to the intrigue, the violin is believed to have influenced legendary composer Johannes Brahms when he wrote the famed “Violin Concerto in D Major” and was actually played during the concerto’s 1879 premiere.  “This extraordinary violin represents the pinnacle of craftsmanship and classical music history, its unparalleled sound and storied provenance captivating collectors and musicians alike,” Mari-Claudia Jimenez, chair at Sotheby’s. “The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius garnered global attention, achieving one of the highest prices ever for a musical instrument — an acknowledgment of its rarity and historical importance.”  $2M increase in seconds Bidding at Sotheby’s began at $8 million and within seconds shot up to $10 million, as auctioneer Phyllis Kao scanned the room, looking for someone to put up $10.5 million.  “Am I selling? At $10 million,” she said, looking to potential bidders.  The room was quiet.  “Last chance, at $10 million,” she said. “I can sell, and I will, at $10 million, unless you go on.”  “Sold. $10 million,” she said, banging a gavel.  The final price includes auction house fees.  Sale funds scholarships The name of the instrument comes from two of its famous violin virtuoso owners, Joseph Joachim of Hungary and Si-Hon Ma of China. Ma’s estate gifted the violin to the New England Conservatory in Boston after his death.  The conservatory will use the proceeds to fund student scholarships.  “The sale is transformational for future students, and proceeds will establish the largest named endowed scholarship at New England Conservatory,” said Andrea Kalyn, president of New England Conservatory. “It has been an honor to have the Joachim-Ma Stradivari on campus, and we are eager to watch its legacy continue on the world stage.”  …

JUNEAU, ALASKA — The Alaska Legislature passed a resolution Friday urging President Donald Trump to reverse course and retain the name of North America’s tallest peak as Denali rather than change it to Mount McKinley. Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley, an identifier inspired by President William McKinley, who was from Ohio and never set foot in Alaska. He said he planned to “restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent.” The 19-0 vote in the state Senate came just over a week after the House passed the measure 31-8. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Maxine Dibert, a Democrat who is Koyukon Athabascan. Members of that tribe bestowed the name Denali, or “the high one,” on the mountain in interior Alaska. “Denali is more than a mountain,” Dibert of Fairbanks said in a news release. “It’s a cornerstone of Alaska’s history, a tribute to our diverse culture and a testament to the people who have cherished this land for millennia.” The Interior Department late last month announced efforts were underway to implement Trump’s renaming order, even though state leaders haven’t seen the matter as settled. An Interior spokesperson, J. Elizabeth Peace, earlier this week said the agency did not have any further updates. According to the National Park Service, a prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak Mount McKinley for William McKinley, who was elected president that year. Although there were challenges to the McKinley name at the time it was announced, maps had already been circulated with the mountain’s name in place. The name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until it was changed in 2015 by the Obama administration to Denali. The name change reflected the traditions of Alaska Natives and the preference of many Alaskans, underscored by a push by state leaders decades earlier. The 6,190-meter mountain in Denali National Park and Preserve on clear days can be see from hundreds of kilometers away. “Denali is the name of our mountain; a name of great importance to Alaska Natives and everyone across our state,” House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, an independent from Dillingham, said in the news release. “It is clear from the bipartisan support in the legislature that Alaskans … “Alaska lawmakers ask Trump to retain Denali’s name, not change it to Mount McKinley” →

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea said on Saturday its nuclear weapons are not meant for negotiations but are intended for combat use against enemies that threaten its people and world peace, its state media reported. The statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on Friday. The two leaders expressed their commitment to ensuring North Korea ends its nuclear weapons program. KCNA did not mention the meeting between the U.S. and Japanese leaders but instead cited reported comments by officials of NATO and the EU that reiterated demands for a complete denuclearization of North Korea. “We say this clearly again: Our nuclear weapons are not an advertisement to get anyone’s recognition and even less a bargaining chip to be exchanged for some money,” KCNA said in a statement. “Our nuclear forces are for unwavering combat use to swiftly eliminate any attempts by enemy forces that infringe on our country’s sovereignty and the safety of our people and threaten world peace,” it said. North Korea has not responded directly to overtures from Trump to resume contact with its leader Kim Jong Un and instead stressed its intention to “bolster” its nuclear forces. Trump said on Friday he “will have relations with North Korea and with Kim Jong Un,” adding he had a good rapport with Kim. The two held unprecedented summit meetings during Trump’s first presidency. On Jan. 20 when he was inaugurated for his second term, Trump said the North was a “nuclear power,” raising questions whether he would pursue arms reduction talks rather than denuclearization negotiations. “The two leaders expressed their serious concerns over and the need to address North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” a joint statement by Trump and Ishiba issued after their talks said.  …

The U.S. Department of Justice will refocus much of its staff and resources on the “total elimination” of drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations in the U.S. while disbanding units dedicated to prosecuting white-collar crime and kleptocrats and tracking foreign efforts to influence U.S. elections. The change, announced in a set of memos issued this week by newly sworn-in Attorney General Pam Bondi, is part of a major reorientation of a department that President Donald Trump says has been “weaponized” against him since the end of his first term in office. In a memo issued Wednesday, her first day in office, Bondi called for a “fundamental change in mindset and approach” when it comes to combating drug cartels. “We must do more than try to mitigate the enormous harms these groups cause in America,” Bondi wrote. “It is not enough to stem the tide of deadly poisons, such as fentanyl, that these groups distribute in our homeland. Rather, we must harness the resources of the Department of Justice and empower federal prosecutors throughout the country to work urgently with the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the government toward the goal of eliminating these threats to U.S. sovereignty.” Kleptocracy programs eliminated The same memo outlined Bondi’s moves to do away with specific units in the department. Among those eliminated were two dedicated to targeting kleptocrats — public figures who use their authority to steal resources from their own people. The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, established in 2010, worked to identify the assets of kleptocrats, seize them and return them to the countries from which they were stolen. Task Force KleptoCapture, a separate unit, was formed in early 2022 in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The unit targeted oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and enforced sanctions against Russia by the U.S. and its allies after the invasion. “Attorneys assigned to those initiatives shall return to their prior posts,” Bondi’s memo said, “and resources currently devoted to those efforts shall be committed to the total elimination of Cartels and TCOs.” The Criminal Division’s unit focused on bringing prosecutions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, she said, “shall prioritize investigations related to foreign bribery that facilitates the criminal operations of Cartels and TCOs, and shift focus away from investigations and cases that do not involve such a connection.” In 2024 alone, the FCPA unit secured hundreds … “US Justice Department disbands teams investigating corruption, election interference” →

The wreckage of a small commuter plane missing in Alaska has been found, Coast Guard officials said Friday.  All 10 people aboard the plane – nine passengers and a pilot – are dead, according to media reports. Coast Guard spokesman Mike Salerno said rescuers saw the crash from their helicopter as they flew over the Cessna 208 Caravan’s last known location. Two rescue swimmers were lowered to investigate the scene, Salerno said. Several groups were involved in the search for the plane, including the Alaska State Troopers the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska Army National Guard and local search teams. Authorities said a Jayhawk helicopter was brought in Friday morning to help with the search. The FBI provided technical assistance, including cellphone analysis to help locate the aircraft. The Bering Air flight was traveling in western Alaska, just south of the Artic Circle, from Unalakleet to Nome. Alaska State Troopers said they were notified Thursday at 4 p.m. about the missing plane. The U.S. Coast Guard said on X the flight’s last known position was 19 kilometers offshore. Early Friday, the Nome fire department posted on X that it was conducting a ground search, but weather and visibility conditions were hampering the department’s air search. The department urged people not to form their own search parties because of hazardous weather conditions in the region, which is prone to sudden snow squalls and high winds. Airplanes are often the only method of transportation between rural Alaskan villages. Nome is well-known as the last stop in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. This is the third major U.S. aviation incident in recent days. On Jan. 29, a commercial airliner and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport outside Washington. Two days later, a medical transport plane crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff, killing six people onboard and another person on the street. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press. …

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met at the White House on Friday, declaring a “new golden age” for US-Japan ties. The visit came amid Trump’s early foreign policy moves that have rattled allies and adversaries alike. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …

Nineteen Democratic attorneys general sued President Donald Trump on Friday to stop Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records that contain sensitive personal data such as Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans. The case, filed in federal court in New York City, alleges the Trump administration allowed Musk’s team access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system in violation of federal law. The payment system handles tax refunds, Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits and much more, sending out trillions of dollars every year while containing an expansive network of Americans’ personal and financial data. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, was created to discover and eliminate what the Trump administration has deemed to be wasteful government spending. DOGE’s access to Treasury records, as well as its inspection of various government agencies, has ignited widespread concern among critics over the increasing power of Musk, while supporters have cheered the idea of reining in bloated government finances. Musk has made fun of criticism of DOGE on his X social media platform while saying it is saving taxpayers millions of dollars. New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office filed the lawsuit, said DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s data raises security problems and the possibility for an illegal freeze in federal funds. “This unelected group, led by the world’s richest man, is not authorized to have this information, and they explicitly sought this unauthorized access to illegally block payments that millions of Americans rely on, payments for health care, child care and other essential programs,” James said in a video message released by her office. James, a Democrat who has been one of Trump’s chief antagonists, said the president does not have the power to give away American’s private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress. Also on the lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The suit alleges that DOGE’s access to the Treasury records could interfere with funding appropriated by Congress, which would exceed the Treasury Department’s statutory authority. The case also argues that the DOGE access violates federal administrative law and the U.S. Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine. It also accuses Treasury … “19 states sue to stop DOGE from accessing Americans’ personal data” →

washington — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday formalizing his announcement earlier this week that he’ll freeze assistance to South Africa because of its law aiming to address some of the wrongs of South Africa’s racist apartheid era — a law the White House says amounts to discrimination against the country’s white minority.  “As long as South Africa continues to support bad actors on the world stage and allows violent attacks on innocent disfavored minority farmers, the United States will stop aid and assistance to the country,” the White House said in a summary of the order. The White House said Trump is also going to announce a program to resettle white South African farmers and their families as refugees.  Trump was responding to a new law in South Africa that gives the government powers in some instances to expropriate land from people. The White House said the law “blatantly discriminates against ethnic minority Afrikaners.”  The Expropriation Act was signed into law by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last month and allows the government to take land in specific instances where it is not being used, or where it would be in the public interest if it were redistributed.  It aims to address some of the wrongs of South Africa’s racist apartheid era, when land was taken away from Black people and they were forced to live in areas designated for nonwhites.  Elon Musk, who is a close Trump ally and head of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, has highlighted that law in recent social media posts and cast it as a threat to South Africa’s white minority. Musk was born in South Africa.  The order also references South Africa’s role in bringing accusations of genocide against Israel before the International Court of Justice.  The halt in foreign aid to South Africa comes amid a broader pause in most U.S. overseas assistance under Trump, as he looks to shift to what he calls an “America First” foreign policy. …

PENTAGON — The top U.S. homeland security official was set to get a firsthand look at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, visiting the U.S. naval base in Cuba a day after sending a second flight of “high-threat illegal aliens” to be held there. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the trip Friday in a social media post on X, while sharing photos of detainees she described as “murderers & vicious gang members” being offloaded from a U.S. military transport jet before being taken to the prison facility. In a separate post earlier Friday, Noem said the detainees were all Venezuelan gang members. She said one detainee had confessed to murder, while others were wanted for attempted murder, assault, weapons trafficking and impersonation. DHS has not yet provided charging documents or other details regarding the crimes the detainees are accused of committing. A U.S. official, speaking to VOA on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, said Thursday’s flight aboard a U.S. military C-130 cargo plane carried 13 “high-threat” individuals. The first 10 undocumented migrants, described by U.S. officials as the “the worst of the worst,” arrived at the detention facility Tuesday, also on board a C-130. Officials have said all the migrants are being held under the watch of officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homeland Security officials said the 10 migrants who arrived Tuesday were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang with transnational reach. Officials did not say when or how they were first taken into custody. The White House has announced plans to designate Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. U.S. defense officials have called the detention of the high-threat migrants at Guantanamo Bay detention facility a temporary measure. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday, though, emphasized the military’s commitment under President Donald Trump to secure the U.S. southern border with Mexico. “We’ve seen an invasion,” Hegseth told a town hall meeting with Pentagon employees. “From people all around the world who I’m sure many of them want to seek a better life. I understand that. “But we also don’t know who millions of them are, what their intentions are, why they’re here,” he said. “That creates a very real national security threat.” Since Trump’s executive order last month, the Pentagon has deployed hundreds of Marines to Guantanamo to expand the facilities to support holding operations for undocumented immigrants. That includes … “US homeland security leader official set to visit Guantanamo Bay” →

WHITE HOUSE — U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on Friday, in a visit that Tokyo hopes will reaffirm the U.S.-Japan alliance amid Trump’s early foreign policy moves that have rattled allies and adversaries. Trump and Ishiba are expected to discuss increasing joint military exercises and cooperation on defense equipment and technology, ramping up Japanese investments to the United States, and American energy exports to Japan, a senior Trump administration official said in a briefing to reporters Friday. The official said they also will talk about improving cybersecurity capabilities, bolstering space cooperation and promoting joint business opportunities to develop critical technologies, including AI and semiconductors. Ishiba’s visit comes amid anxiety in Tokyo as Trump has put pressure on some U.S. allies and partners, saying he wants to absorb Canada as a U.S. state, acquire Greenland from Denmark and take control of the Panama Canal. “We would like to first establish a higher relationship of trust and cooperation between two countries, especially the two leaders,” a senior Japanese government official told reporters during a briefing Thursday. The U.S. president has imposed fresh 10% tariffs on China and 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico — although the latter two have been at least temporarily delayed. He has warned of possible tariffs against other countries, especially those with whom the U.S. holds a trade deficit, such as Japan. “We all know that President Trump pays a lot of attention to the deficit as an indication of the economic strength of the relationship. So, I’m sure discussions will happen about that,” the Trump administration official said. Other strains on the U.S.-Japan relationship include former President Joe Biden’s blocking of a $15 billion acquisition bid by Japan’s largest steel producer, Nippon Steel, for Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Biden blocked the deal during the final weeks of his term, citing national security concerns. Trump has said he also opposes the deal. The White House has not responded to VOA’s query on Trump’s current position on Nippon Steel. The Japanese prime minister’s office did not respond to VOA’s query on whether the issue will be raised today. Continuity on security front Under then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan became a key player in what the Biden administration called a “lattice-like strategic architecture” to bolster deterrence against the two main U.S. adversaries in the Pacific: China and North Korea. Biden’s approach connected Tokyo … “Trump hosts Japan’s Ishiba amid early moves that have rattled some allies” →

The Trump administration’s expansion of migrant detention facilities, notably its use of the U.S. naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has reignited debate among human rights advocates and legal experts. President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to curb legal migration and deport those in the U.S. without legal status. Late last month, he instructed his administration to prepare the facility for the detention of up to 30,000 “high-priority” unauthorized immigrants with criminal records. The first group arrived on Tuesday. Described as the “the worst of the worst” by administration officials, the detainees were identified by the Department of Homeland Security as part of the transnational criminal organization “Tren de Aragua,” which the U.S. designated a foreign terrorist organization on January 20. VOA sent numerous requests to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding what crimes the migrants committed. ICE directed VOA to contact the Department of Homeland Security, which has not responded to emails. Miriam Pensack, a historian who studies Latin America and the Caribbean and is a postgraduate scholar at Princeton University, said the U.S. government has been using Guantanamo Bay to hold migrants on and off for 30 years. “There is an ICE office in Guantanamo. … But obviously what we’re seeing now is a huge expansion of that capacity,” she said. Trump’s decision to use the naval base as a migrant detention center follows his signing of the Laken Riley Act, which mandates detention for those accused of theft or violent crimes while in the country unlawfully. Supporters say that using Guantanamo will alleviate pressure on overcrowded detention facilities and serve as a stronger deterrent against illegal crossings to the United States. Earlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Guantanamo as the “perfect place” to detain migrants as he visited the border with Mexico. The Pentagon will provide any necessary assets “to support the expulsion and detention of those in our country illegally,” he told Agence France-Presse. Guantanamo and migrant detention The U.S. first used Guantanamo Bay to detain migrants, mostly Haitian and Cuban asylum-seekers under President George H.W. Bush in the early 1990s. Following a military coup in Haiti in 1991, thousands fled by boat to the U.S. but were intercepted at sea and taken to Guantanamo. In 1994, Guantanamo became the site of the world’s first and only prison camp for people with HIV, where more than 300 Haitian refugees, including children, were … “Historical precedent, legal questions swirl around Trump plan to detain migrants at Guantanamo  “ →