BLOGONITY

Singer and actress Sofia Carson closes 2024 with her first action film role and a duet of the holiday classic “White Christmas” with Andrea Bocelli. Carson reflected on her bicultural roots and humanitarian work to VOA’s Veronica Villafane. …

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Tuesday he wanted to strengthen his country’s alliance with the United States, as he pushed for as early as possible a meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.  Japan is neighbors with an increasingly assertive China and a nuclear-armed North Korea that has been deepening military ties with Russia.  “I think it’s important to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance even further… and share a common understanding of the situation in north-east Asia,” he said at a press conference, adding that no dates for a potential meeting were set yet.  Ishiba, in office since October, has sought a meeting with Trump, but told reporters last month that the president-elect’s camp had said meetings with world leaders were restricted under the Logan Act before Trump’s January inauguration.  Trump has met with Akie Abe, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  Ishiba also said his cabinet plans to approve on Dec. 27 a draft state budget for the next fiscal year from April.  He also pledged to work on measures to raise minimum wages and to eliminate public concerns for the future to boost private consumption. …

tokyo — The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has told the White House it is unable to reach a consensus on national security risks involved in Nippon Steel’s bid for U.S. Steel, The Washington Post reported Monday.  The decision now lies with President Joe Biden, who has 15 days to act. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have said they oppose the $15 billion deal, which Nippon Steel announced last December.  Nippon Steel said Tuesday that it did not receive any updates from CFIUS. U.S. Steel did not immediately reply to request for a comment. Both companies had previously planned to close the deal before the year’s end.  CFIUS, a government interagency committee that reviews security implications of foreign investment in the United States, said Monday that allowing Nippon Steel to take over U.S. Steel could result in lower domestic steel production, representing “a national security risk,” according to the Post.  Nippon Steel said it could eliminate that risk by appointing U.S. citizens to top management and board of director positions at U.S. Steel, but the committee was divided in its view of whether those remedies would be sufficient, the newspaper said.  The U.S. Treasury Department, which leads CFIUS; the Commerce Department; and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  Nippon Steel faces a $565 million penalty to U.S. Steel if the deal collapses, which would also be a major blow to the Japanese steelmaker’s overseas expansion. It said earlier that it could pursue legal action against the U.S. government if the deal fell apart.  With U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel aimed to raise its global steel production capacity to 85 million metric tons per year from 65 million tons now, and the asset is core to its goal of lifting production capacity to more than 100 million tons in the long term.  With Japan being the largest foreign investor in the U.S., Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last month sent a letter to Biden asking him to approve Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel.  …

LOS ANGELES — One of the world’s most active volcanoes sprang into life again Monday, spewing columns of lava 80 meters above Hawaii, U.S. vulcanologists said. Images showed enormous fissures in the caldera of Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, spraying jets of molten rock into the air. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the eruption began just after 2 a.m. local time (1200 GMT) in the southwestern section of the caldera. “At 4:30 a.m., lava fountains were observed with heights up to 80 meters [262 feet],” the agency said. “Molten material, including lava bombs, is being ejected from the winds on the caldera floor up onto the west caldera rim.” The eruption was also sending matter much higher into the atmosphere. “The plume of volcanic gas and fine volcanic particles is reaching elevations of 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level … and winds are transporting it to the southwest,” the observatory said. The observatory said sulfur dioxide emanating from the fissure would react with other gases in the atmosphere. So-called vog — volcanic smog — can affect people and animals, as well as crops. Kilauea has been very active since 1983 and erupts relatively regularly, including most recently in September. It is one of six active volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands, which include Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world, though Kilauea is far more active. …

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence security, setting the stage for deregulation for AI companies by nominating pro-business, pro-startups Silicon Valley leaders. The nomination of Jacob Helberg, an outspoken China critic, for a key State Department post indicates Trump’s intention to lead over China in AI, according to analysts. “We’re likely to see quite a great focus on countering China when it comes to AI – beating China, when it comes to having the most advanced AI capabilities,” says Ruby Scanlon, a researcher on technology and national security at Center for a New America Security. Click here for the full story in Mandarin. …

WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton was admitted Monday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington after developing a fever.  The 78-year-old was admitted in the “afternoon for testing and observation,” Angel Urena, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, said in a statement.  “He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving,” Urena said.  Clinton, a Democrat who served two terms as president from January 1993 until January 2001, addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer and campaigned ahead of November’s election for the unsuccessful White House bid of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. …

ORLANDO — The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it has launched an investigation into why several drones collided and fell from the sky during a holiday show over the weekend in downtown Orlando, Florida, injuring a 7-year-old boy who required surgery.  The drones fell into a crowd of thousands of people watching the show Saturday night at the city’s Lake Eola Park. The show was permitted through the FAA.  “Our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event,” the city of Orlando said in a statement. “The city remains in contact with the vendor and FAA who will conduct a thorough investigation.”  Adriana Edgerton told Orlando television station WESH that her son, Alexander, required surgery after being hit in the chest with a drone.  “The blade cut his mouth, but there’s an actual imprint of the drone on his chest,” she said.  Sky Elements Drone Shows, the Fort Worth, Texas, vendor that put on the show, didn’t immediately respond to an emailed inquiry on Monday. On the company’s website, it said, “Every step of the way, we put accuracy, execution, and compliance first.”  Drone shows typically require a waiver to operate more than one drone at a time, and the FAA reviews each drone show application to make sure “the flying public and people on the ground will be safe,” the agency said. …

Washington — President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings, including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities. It means just three federal inmates are still facing execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. “I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden said in a statement. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.” The Biden administration in 2021 announced a moratorium on federal capital punishment to study the protocols used, which suspended executions during Biden’s term. But Biden actually had promised to go further on the issue in the past, pledging to end federal executions without the caveats for terrorism and hate-motivated, mass killings. While running for president in 2020, Biden’s campaign website said he would “work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, and incentivize states to follow the federal government’s example.” Similar language didn’t appear on Biden’s reelection website before he left the presidential race in July. “Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden’s statement said. “But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president, and now president, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.” He took a political jab at … “Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates so Trump can’t have them executed “ →

Hanukkah, Judaism’s eight-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on Christmas Day, which has only happened four times since 1900. For some rabbis, the intersection of the two religious holidays provides an auspicious occasion for interfaith engagement. “This can be a profound opportunity for learning and collaboration and togetherness,” said Rabbi Josh Stanton, a vice president of the Jewish Federations of North America. He oversees interfaith initiatives involving the 146 local and regional Jewish federations that his organization represents. “The goal is not proselytizing; it’s learning deeply from each other,” he said. “It’s others seeing you as you see yourself.” One example of togetherness: a Chicanukah party hosted Thursday evening by several Jewish organizations in Houston, bringing together members of the city’s Latino and Jewish communities for a “cross cultural holiday celebration.” The venue: Houston’s Holocaust museum. The food on offer was a blend of the two cultures — for example a latke bar featuring guacamole, chili con queso and pico de gallo, as well as applesauce and sour cream. The doughnut-like pastries were sufganiyot — a Hanukkah specialty — and buñuelos, And the mariachi band took a crack at playing the Jewish folk song “Hava Nagila.” “What really brings us together is our shared values — our faith, our families, our heritage,” said Erica Winsor, public affairs officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston. Rabbi Peter Tarlow, executive director of the Houston-based Center for Latino-Jewish Relations, said the first Chicanukah event 12 years ago drew 20 people, while this year the crowd numbered about 300, and could have been larger had not attendance been capped. He said the partygoers were a roughly even mix of Latinos — some of them Jews with Latin American origins — and “Anglo” Jews. “There’s too much hate, too much separation against both Jews and Latinos,” Tarlow said. “This is a way we can come together and show we support each other.” While Hanukkah is intended as an upbeat, celebratory holiday, rabbis note that it’s taking place this year amid continuing conflicts involving Israeli forces in the Middle East, and apprehension over widespread incidents of antisemitism. Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, acknowledged that many Jews may be feeling anxious heading into Hanukkah this year. But he voiced confidence that most would maintain the key tradition: the lighting of candles on menorah candelabras and displaying where they’re visible through … “In a calendar rarity, Hanukkah starts this year on Christmas Day” →

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — Capitol buildings are almost always an imposing presence. As the seat of government, they tend to be elegant and stately — and frequently capped by a dome. Visitors to Pennsylvania ‘s Capitol are drawn to its priceless artwork, polished marble and intricate carvings, but hidden behind the doors of some of its most ornate offices and chambers are another treasure: hundreds of antique clocks that were part of its original design. The 273 working clocks include many that are integrated into fireplace mantels and other building features. They are not low maintenance, requiring regular oiling and occasional mechanical overhauls. And every week, in a throwback to a time before wristwatches and cellphones, clock winders roam the halls — ensuring the century-plus-old timekeepers keep ticking. On a recent morning, Bethany Gill demonstrated how it’s done — going room to room with an array of ladders and custom tools. She opens the glass covers, rotates the mechanisms enough to keep them going for about a week and checks their accuracy before moving on to the next one. Gill is a former art student who works for Johnson & Griffiths Studio, a Harrisburg firm that just received a five-year, $526,000 winding and maintenance contract renewal from the Capitol Preservation Committee. She’s also a lifelong clock lover who looks forward to the semiannual transitions between daylight saving time and Eastern Standard Time. Why? “My dad was a clock collector growing up,” Gill said. “And every Sunday we would go around the house and wind the clocks. And that was always just a nice thing that I did with my dad.” Pennsylvania’s Capitol was crafted by architect Joseph M. Huston, who won its design competition in 1901 with a vision for a temple of democracy — a palace of art that would be as fancy as what could then be found in Europe. Among countless other fine touches, Huston designed at least 180 custom clock cases, including smaller so-called keystone clocks that are shaped to remind people of Pennsylvania’s early and critical role in the formation of the United States, leaving it with the nickname of the Keystone State. “The clocks are just part of why the building’s so unique and so intricate,” said Capitol Preservation Committee historian Jason Wilson. “The mantels surrounding the clocks are all custom designed.” Every so often the clocks, most of them built from mahogany or stained mahogany, … “Custom clocks designed for Pennsylvania’s Capitol a century ago still ticking” →

Beijing — The Chinese government protested Sunday the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the United States that it is “playing with fire.” U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Saturday the provision of up to $571 million in Defense Department material and services and in military education and training for self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and says must come under its control. Separately, the Defense Department said Friday that $295 million in military sales had been approved. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement urged the U.S. to stop arming Taiwan and stop what it called “dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.” U.S. military sales and assistance aim to help Taiwan defend itself and deter China from launching an attack. The $571 million in military assistance comes on top of Biden’s authorization of $567 million for the same purposes in late September. The military sales include $265 million for about 300 tactical radio systems and $30 million for 16 gun mounts. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the approval of the two sales, saying in a post on X that it reaffirmed the U.S. government’s “commitment to our defense.” In October, the U.S. approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the first-time delivery of an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system, also drawing China’s criticism while Beijing has responded with war drills around Taiwan. Taiwan earlier this month demanded that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said undermined peace and stability and disrupted international shipping and trade. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said he would not commit to defending Taiwan if China were to invade during his presidency. Trump has also said that Taiwan should pay the U.S. for defending it against China, likening the relationship to insurance. Taiwan spends about 2.5% of its GDP on defense. …

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. …