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Pearl Harbor “changed the future of the world,” U.S. President Joe Biden said at a White House event for veterans and their families on Friday, the eve of the anniversary of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The president recalled that he “heard so much” about Pearl Harbor when he was growing up and talked about his uncles who enlisted in the military after the attack. “During World War II, we stood at an inflection point,” the president said.  “We still stand at an inflection point. The decisions we make now in the next four to five years will determine the course of our future for decades to come. … We owe it to the next generation to set that course on a more free, more secure and more just path.” Saturday, December 7, marks the 83rd anniversary of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, near Honolulu. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes unleashed bombs, bullets and aerial torpedoes on America’s Pacific Fleet in the Sunday morning attack. More than 2,400 U.S. sailors, soldiers and civilians were killed that day. About half of them died on the USS Arizona battleship. The Japanese succeeded in sinking four of the eight U.S. battleships at Pearl Harbor and damaging the remaining four. According to the Naval History and History Command website, “That more Japanese aircraft were not shot down had nothing to do with the skill, training or bravery of our Sailors and other servicemembers. “Rather, U.S. antiaircraft weapons were inadequate in number and capability, for not only had the Japanese achieved tactical surprise, they achieved technological surprise with aircraft and weapons far better than anticipated — a lesson in the danger of underestimating the enemy that resonates to this day.” The day after the attack, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress, seeking a declaration of war. After he delivered his famous “Day of Infamy” speech, the Senate unanimously supported the declaration. In the House, there was one dissenter, Montana’s Representative Jeanette Rankin, a pacifist. Roosevelt signed the declaration Monday afternoon. The United States had now been officially drawn into World War II. Before the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States had imposed economic sanctions on Japan as a way of stopping Japan’s expansion goals in Asia. The sanctions affected Japan’s access to aircraft exports. The attack … “US to observe 83rd anniversary of attack on Pearl Harbor” →

Efforts to reduce the nation’s persistently high maternal mortality rates involve state panels of experts that investigate and learn from each mother’s death. The panels — called maternal mortality review committees — usually do their work quietly and out of the public eye. But that’s not been the case recently in three states with strict abortion laws. Georgia dismissed all members of its committee in November after information about deaths being reviewed leaked to the news organization ProPublica. Days later, The Washington Post reported that Texas’ committee won’t review cases from 2022 and 2023, the first two years after the state banned nearly all abortions. In Idaho, the state let its panel disband in 2023 only to reinstate it earlier this year. “They’ve become more of a lightning rod than they were before,” said epidemiologist Michael Kramer, director of the Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities at Mercer University in Georgia. Here’s what maternal mortality review committees across the nation do and what might happen next: What are they? “Maternal mortality review committees are important because they are the most comprehensive source of information about maternal mortality that we have,” said David Goodman, who leads the maternal mortality prevention team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The panels review deaths that occur during pregnancy or within a year after it ends, whether directly related to the pregnancy or not. Causes of death can range from hemorrhage during childbirth to drug overdoses to traffic accidents. The goal, Kramer said, is to examine maternal deaths and help “decide what we can do about them.” All states, a few cities and Puerto Rico have these committees. Their membership varies and may include OB-GYNs, maternal-fetal medicine doctors, nurses, midwives, mental and public health experts and members of patient advocacy groups. Most have representatives from several areas of expertise, which the CDC recommends. How members are selected also varies; people may apply, submit letters of interest or be invited to serve. The selection shouldn’t be politically motivated, Kramer said, because “if there’s a systematic exclusion of certain data or certain perspectives” it’s difficult to truly understand what’s happening. How do they look at deaths? First, the panels work with state vital statistics offices and epidemiologists to identify deaths associated with pregnancy by examining death certificates and looking for a pregnancy checkbox or a related cause of death. They may also search … “Maternal mortality review panels are in the spotlight. Here’s what they do” →

A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday upheld a law requiring the wildly popular social media app TikTok to be sold to a non-Chinese owner or face closure in the United States by next month. The court cited “persuasive” and “compelling” arguments presented by the federal government that TikTok poses a risk to national security. The ruling could leave the 170 million Americans who regularly use TikTok without access to a social media platform that has enjoyed explosive global growth in recent years. It could also mean that the millions of Americans who create content for TikTok — some of whom rely on monetizing that content for their livelihood — could be cut off from their audiences. The government has argued that TikTok presents a unique danger to national security because it collects vast amounts of information about its users, and because the Chinese government ultimately exercises control over its parent company, ByteDance, and over the algorithm that determines what content TikTok users see. Because ByteDance is in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) it is subject to that country’s laws, including measures requiring private companies to cooperate with government intelligence agencies. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the government has a compelling interest in taking steps “to counter the PRC’s efforts to collect great quantities of data about tens of millions of Americans” and “to limit the PRC’s ability to manipulate content covertly on the TikTok platform.” TikTok signals an appeal TikTok immediately signaled that it would appeal the circuit court’s ruling to the Supreme Court. In a statement posted to its website, the company said, “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue.” The company said that the law underlying the case “was conceived and pushed through based on inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” and warned that it “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the U.S. and around the world.” The Supreme Court is not obligated to hear the company’s appeal, and it was not immediately clear that it would do so. If the high court accepts the case, it is possible that it would block the government from enforcing the law until … “Appeals court upholds law that could ban TikTok in US” →

WASHINGTON — A retired Washington, D.C., police officer charged with lying about his private communications with former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio testified Friday that he never leaked sensitive police information to the far-right extremist group leader.  Taking the witness stand at his federal trial, former Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Shane Lamond said he was upset that a prosecutor labeled him as a Proud Boys “sympathizer” who acted as a “double agent” for the group after Tarrio burned a stolen Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020.  “I don’t support the Proud Boys, and I’m not a Proud Boys sympathizer,” said Lamond, whose bench trial started Monday and continues next week.  Tarrio, who testified Thursday as a witness for Lamond’s defense, is serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in a plot to use force to keep Donald Trump in the White House after the 2020 election. Tarrio previously was sentenced to more than five months in jail for burning the banner stolen from a historic Black church in downtown Washington and for bringing two high-capacity firearm magazines into the district.  Lamond said Tarrio never confessed to him that he burned the banner. He also denies tipping off Tarrio that a warrant for his arrest had been signed before he arrived in Washington on January 4, 2021 — two days before other Proud Boys joined a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.  Lamond’s indictment says he and Tarrio exchanged messages about the January 6 riot and discussed whether Proud Boys members were in danger of being charged in the attack.  “Of course I can’t say it officially, but personally I support you all and don’t want to see your group’s name and reputation dragged through the mud,” Lamond wrote.  Lamond said he considered Tarrio to be a source, not a friend. But he said he tried to build a friendly rapport with the group leader to gain his trust.  Justice Department prosecutor Joshua Rothstein pointed to other messages that suggest Lamond provided Tarrio with “real-time updates” on the police investigation of the December 12, 2020, banner burning.  Lamond is charged with one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson will decide the case after hearing testimony without a jury.  Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had supervised the intelligence branch of the police department’s Homeland Security Bureau. He … “Former police officer denies leaking information to Proud Boys leader” →

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO — New Mexico environmental regulators issued a $47.8 million fine Friday on allegations of excess air pollution at a natural gas processing facility in a prolific oil production region near the Texas state line. The state Environment Department issued the sanctions including a cease-and-desist order against Houston-based Targa Resources at its processing plant near Jal, New Mexico, alleging permit violations and excess emissions of gases known to cause respiratory issues or contribute to climate change including ozone-producing pollutants. Representatives for Targa could not immediately be reached for comment. Regulators say Targa has 30 days to respond and comply or request a hearing with the agency secretary. Regulators also have ordered a series of corrective actions and improvements to the facilities that process gas for transmission by pipeline. The sanctions are based on allegations of two permit violations, late reporting of emissions and an incomplete requirement for a root cause analysis of excess pollution. The proposed air-pollution fine against Targa would be the largest in state history by the Environment Department, if upheld. The case also was referred to federal regulators. Separately, the New Mexico Court of Appeals last month upheld regulations aimed at crushing air pollution in one of the nation’s top-producing oil and gas states. Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration has advanced new restrictions on ozone-precursor pollutants along with regulations to limit methane emissions in its efforts to combat climate change and meet federal clean air standards. …

The U.S. space agency, NASA, is leading an effort to return astronauts to the surface of the moon and establish a routine presence on the lunar surface. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, NASA says it will push the next mission of its Artemis program from late 2025 to early 2026. …

WASHINGTON — Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, now leader of the opposition European Solidarity Party, sat down with Voice of America during a visit to Washington to attend the annual forum of the International Democracy Union, an alliance of center-right political parties. While in the U.S. capital, Poroshenko met with Biden administration officials and members of the incoming Trump administration to share his assessment of the situation Ukraine is facing more than two and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and his vision of how to end the conflict. The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: How would you describe the situation on the front lines in Ukraine? Petro Poroshenko, former Ukrainian president: Every week, I travel to the front lines to deliver needed equipment and armaments. Russia is increasing its pressure. Russia has more sophisticated weapons than even half a year [ago]. Ukrainian soldiers are tired because some have served for over two and a half years, but they still wouldn’t allow Russians to break through the Ukrainian positions. At the moment, we shouldn’t think about offensive operations but [how] to strengthen fortifications. I appreciate the decision of the United States government to give us anti-infantry mines. Having three, four, five kilometers of a minefield is an excellent response to the new tactics of Russia, which is penetrating Ukrainian positions with small groups of five to 12 persons with the support of Russian artillery, which has an unlimited number of artillery shells. If we have fortifications, minefields and reconnaissance drones, including thermal night drones and [an] unlimited number of FPV drones to destroy these small groups, [an] effective radio-electronic warfare system, including against Russian reconnaissance drones, I’m confident we can keep [the] defense lines. VOA: Ukraine is under pressure to start negotiating. Is this a good time for that? Poroshenko: No other nation in the world wants peace more than Ukrainians because we pay an enormous price. However, the negotiations should start when both sides are ready. Everybody asks if Ukraine is ready, and nobody asks if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is ready for these negotiations. Putin is not ready. We should undertake enormous efforts to prepare Putin for these negotiations. What language should we speak to Putin? The language of strength, including sophisticated and modern weapons for Ukraine. Putin should feel that he is paying a high price. We need stronger sanctions … “Former Ukrainian President Poroshenko: We can stop the war in 24 hours” →

PENTAGON  — A majority of Americans want the United States to lead on the global stage with a strong military, and a supermajority want to increase national defense spending, according to the latest Reagan National Defense Survey. Despite Americans electing a president who ran on an “America First” agenda that focused on domestic issues ranging from the U.S. economy to securing the southern U.S. border, 57% of those surveyed said they wanted to see the U.S. more engaged and taking the lead on international events this year, compared with 42% a year ago. Nearly 80% of Americans surveyed supported increased government spending on the U.S. military, a slight increase from last year. Increasing military spending ranked high above some of the other U.S. foreign policy priorities, such as promoting freedom abroad (61%) and providing foreign aid (43%). “The Reagan National Defense Survey demonstrates yet again that Americans are not pacifists, and we are not isolationists. We want a federal government that serves American interests and protects our country,” Bradley Bowman, a member of the survey’s advisory board and the senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told VOA Friday. The Ronald Reagan Institute has surveyed U.S. public opinion on national security for the past six years, and the latest poll, released Thursday, included a bipartisan sample of about 2,500 Americans who were surveyed two days after the November presidential election. Most respondents said they supported continued U.S. security support for Ukraine and allowing Ukraine to fire U.S. weapons inside Russia, with nearly 60% believing the Russia-Ukraine conflict will end with Ukraine negotiating for peace, even if that means giving up some of its sovereign territory. Ukraine support differed widely among voters for the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Republican candidate, President-elect Donald Trump, with 74% of Harris voters in support of sending aid compared with 42% of Trump voters. A supermajority (80%) sees Russia as an adversary. On Israel, 54% of those surveyed supported continuing U.S. aid, but Americans were split 45% to 45% on whether Israel has a right to continue military action or Israel’s military action in Gaza has gone on long enough and needs to transition to a ceasefire. About half of those surveyed think the United States would prevail in a conflict with China, with nearly the same number finding China to be the … “Poll: Most Americans want US leadership on global affairs, increased defense spending” →

WASHINGTON — The picture of who will be in charge of executing President-elect Donald Trump’s hardline immigration and border policies has come into sharper focus after he announced his picks to head Customs and Border Protection and also the agency tasked with deporting immigrants in the country illegally. Trump said late Thursday he was tapping Rodney Scott, a former Border Patrol chief who has been a vocal supporter of tougher enforcement measures, for CBP commissioner. As acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Trump said he’d nominate Caleb Vitello, a career ICE official with more than 23 years in the agency who most recently has been the assistant director for firearms and tactical programs. They will work with an immigration leadership team that includes South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as head of the Homeland Security Department; former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement head Tom Homan as border czar; and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Homeland Security Department. It includes the Border Patrol, which Scott led during Trump’s first term, and he essentially is responsible for protecting the country’s borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he joined the agency, San Diego was by far the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. Traffic plummeted after the government dramatically increased enforcement there, but critics note the effort pushed people to remote parts of California and Arizona. San Diego was also where wall construction began in the 1990s, which shaped Scott’s belief that barriers work. He was named San Diego sector chief in 2017. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump’s policies. “He’s well known. He does know these issues and obviously is trusted by the administration,” said Gil Kerlikowske, the CBP commissioner under the Obama administration. Kerlikowske took issue with some of Scott’s past actions, including his refusal to fall in line with a Biden administration directive to stop using terms like “illegal alien” in favor of descriptions like “migrant,” and his decision as San Diego sector chief to fire tear gas into Mexico to disperse protesters. “You don’t launch projectiles into a foreign country,” Kerlikowske said. At the time … “Trump taps forceful ally of hardline immigration policies to head Customs and Border Protection” →

A federal appeals court panel on Friday upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law, which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January, is constitutional, rebuffing TikTok’s challenge that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and unfairly targeted the platform.  “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court’s opinion. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.”  TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term and whose Justice Department would have to enforce the law, said during the presidential campaign that he is now against a TikTok ban and would work to “save” the social media platform.  The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, culminated a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat because of its connections to China.  The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.  However, a significant portion of the government’s information in the case has been redacted and hidden from the public as well as the two companies.  TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S.  They also have argued the law is predicated on … “Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in US” →

WASHINGTON — America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes sharply diminished employers’ payrolls. Last month’s hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October. The government also revised up its estimate of job growth in September and October by a combined 56,000. Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% in October to a still-low 4.2%. Hourly wages rose 0.4% from October to November and 4% from a year earlier — both solid figures and slightly higher than forecasters had expected. The November employment report provided the latest evidence that the U.S. job market remains durable even though it has lost significant momentum from the 2021-2023 hiring boom, when the economy was rebounding from the pandemic recession. The job market’s gradual slowdown is, in part, a result of the high interest rates the Federal Reserve engineered in its drive to tame inflation. The Fed jacked up interest rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023. Defying predictions, the economy kept growing despite much higher borrowing rates for consumers and businesses. But since early this year, the job market has been slowing. Thomas Simons, U.S. economist at Jefferies, wrote in a commentary that the recovery from October’s strikes and hurricanes likely increased last month’s payrolls by 60,000, suggesting that the job market is strong enough to absorb most jobseekers but not enough to raise worries about inflation. Across industries last month, manufacturing companies added 22,000 jobs, reflecting the end of strikes at Boeing and elsewhere. Health care companies added 54,000 jobs, government agencies 33,000, and bars and restaurants 29,000. But retailers shed 28,000 jobs in November. Americans have been enjoying unusual job security. This week, the government reported that layoffs fell to 1.6 million in October, below the lowest levels in the two decades that preceded the pandemic. At the same time, the number of job openings rebounded from a 3½-year low, a sign that businesses are still seeking workers even though hiring has cooled. The overall economy has remained resilient. The much higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses that resulted from the Fed’s rate hikes had been expected to tip the economy into a recession. Instead, the economy kept growing as households continued to spend and employers continued to hire. The … “US rebounds, adds 227,000 jobs in November” →

NEW YORK — As the investigation into a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of one of the largest U.S. health insurers moved into its third day Friday, possible leads emerged about his travel before the shooting and a message scrawled on ammunition found at the crime scene.  UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked from his midtown hotel to the company’s annual investor conference across the street, blocks from tourist draws such as Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center.  But days later, the gunman was still at large and the reason for the killing remained unknown, with New York City police saying evidence firmly points to it being a targeted attack.  Investigators worked to piece together more of the timeline of the gunman’s whereabouts before the shooting, examine security camera footage and even test a discarded water bottle and protein bar wrapper in a hunt for his DNA.  The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were found emblazoned on the ammunition, echoing a phrase used by insurance industry critics, two law enforcement officials said Thursday, speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation.  The messages mimic the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which is commonly used by lawyers and insurance industry critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims. It refers to insurers delaying payment, denying a claim and then defending their actions.  Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors and patients for denying claims or complicating access to care.  Investigators also now believe the suspect may have traveled to New York last month on a bus that originated in Atlanta, one of the law enforcement officials said.  Police and federal agents have been collecting information from Greyhound in an attempt to identify the suspect and are working to determine whether he purchased the ticket to New York in late November, the official said.  Investigators were also trying to obtain additional information from a cellphone recovered from a pedestrian plaza through which the shooter fled.  A tip that the shooter may have stayed at a hostel brought police Thursday morning to at least two such establishments on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, according to one of the law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. The photos made public Thursday were taken in the … “Hunt for gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO heads into 3rd day” →

Through social media posts, President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to imposed tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico – three of the top trading partners for the United States. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more about the potential economic impact if Trump follows through. …

WASHINGTON — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he is choosing former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China. Trump said in a social media post that Perdue, a former CEO, “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue pushed Trump’s debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for Georgia governor. Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Economic tensions will be a big part of the U.S.-China picture for the new administration. Trump has threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders. The Chinese Embassy in Washington cautioned earlier this week that there will be losers on all sides if there is a trade war. “China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu posted on X. “No one will win a trade war or a #tariff war.” He added that China had taken steps in the last year to help stem drug trafficking. It is unclear whether Trump will actually go through with the threats or if he is using them as a negotiating tactic. The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices for American consumers on everything from gas to automobiles to agricultural products. The United States is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. Trump also filled out more of his immigration team Thursday, as he promises mass deportations and border crackdowns. He said he’s nominating former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott to head U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Scott, a career official, was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020 and enthusiastically embraced then-President Trump’s policies, particularly on building a U.S.-Mexico border wall. He was forced out by the Biden administration. Trump also said he’d nominate Caleb Vitello as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that, among other things, arrests migrants in the U.S. illegally. Vitello is a … “Trump picks former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China” →