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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Saturday honored Pope Francis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, the highest civilian award given by the president, saying the pontiff was “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world.” Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to the pope in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency, but Biden canceled his travel plans so he could monitor the wildfires in California. The White House said Biden bestowed the award to the pope during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world. It’s the only time Biden has presented the honor with distinction during his presidency. Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognized when he was vice president by then-President Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago. That was the only time in Obama’s two terms that he awarded that version of the medal. The citation for the pope says “his mission of serving the poor has never ceased. A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths.” Biden is preparing to leave office Jan. 20 and has doled out honors to prominent individuals, including supporters and allies, in recent weeks. …

CAPE CANAVERAL — A quarter of a century after its founding, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is finally ready for its maiden orbital voyage with a brand-new rocket the company hopes will shake up the commercial space race. The launch initially scheduled for Sunday was pushed back a day due to “unfavorable” sea conditions, Blue Origin posted on X. Named New Glenn after legendary astronaut John Glenn — the first American to orbit Earth in 1962 — the rocket stands 320 feet (98 meters) tall, roughly equivalent to a 32-story building — and is set to blast off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in a launch window that opens at 1 a.m. (0600 GMT) Monday. “Pointy end up!” the company’s CEO, Dave Limp posted on X alongside photos of the gleaming white behemoth. With the mission, dubbed NG-1, Bezos, the world’s second-richest man, is taking direct aim at the world’s wealthiest: Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX dominates the orbital launch market through its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. These serve the commercial sector, the Pentagon, and NASA — including, crucially, ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. “SpaceX has for the past several years been pretty much the only game in town and so having a competitor… this is great,” G. Scott Hubbard, a retired senior NASA official, told AFP. SpaceX, meanwhile, is planning the next orbital test of Starship — its gargantuan new-generation rocket — the same day, upping the sense of high-stakes rivalry. If all goes to plan, shortly after launch, Blue Origin will attempt to land the first-stage booster on a drone ship named Jacklyn, in honor of Bezos’ mother, stationed about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. Though SpaceX makes such landings a near-routine spectacle, this will be Blue Origin’s first shot at a touchdown on the high seas. Meanwhile, the rocket’s upper stage will fire its engines toward Earth orbit, carrying a Defense Department-funded prototype spaceship called Blue Ring, which will remain aboard for the roughly six-hour test flight. Limp emphasized that simply reaching orbit is the prime goal, while successfully recovering the booster would be a welcome “bonus.” Blue Origin does have experience landing its New Shepard rockets — used for suborbital tourism — but they are much smaller and land on terra firma rather than a ship at sea. Blue Origin has secured a NASA contract to launch two … “Blue Origin set for 1st launch of New Glenn rocket” →

U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal cases against Donald Trump on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat and mishandling of classified documents, has resigned, as the Republican president-elect prepares to return to the White House.  Smith resigned Friday from the Department of Justice, according to a court filing on Saturday to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, asking her to lift a court order she issued blocking the release of his final report.   Notice of Smith’s resignation came in a footnote in the filing, which said the Special Counsel had completed his work, submitted his final confidential report on January 7, and “separated” from the Justice Department on January 10.   A former war crimes prosecutor, Smith brought two of the four criminal cases Trump faced after leaving office, but saw them grind to a halt after a Trump-appointed judge in Florida dismissed one and the U.S. Supreme Court — with three justices appointed by Trump — found that former presidents have sweeping immunity from prosecution for official acts. Neither case went to trial.  After Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election, Smith dropped both cases, citing a longstanding Justice Department rule against prosecuting sitting presidents. In asking courts to dismiss the charges, Smith’s team defended the merits of the cases they had brought, signaling that only Trump’s impending return to the White House made them untenable.   Smith’s departure is another marker of the collapse of the criminal cases against Trump, which could end without any legal consequences for the incoming president and sparked a backlash that helped fuel his political comeback.  Smith’s resignation from the Justice Department was expected. Trump, who has frequently called Smith “deranged” had said he would fire him immediately upon taking office on January 20, and has suggested that he may pursue retribution against Smith and others who investigated him once he returns to office.  Trump in 2023 became the first sitting or former U.S. president to face criminal prosecution, first in New York, where he was charged with trying to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign. Smith’s charges followed, accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified material after leaving office and of trying to overturn his 2020 loss, a campaign that sparked the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors in Georgia … “Trump prosecutor Jack Smith resigns from US Justice Department” →

LOS ANGELES — After ripping through thousands of buildings, wildfires in Los Angeles were looming Saturday toward the celebrated Getty Center and its priceless collection.  Nestled in the mountains above Los Angeles, the famed art museum is within a new evacuation warning zone as the Palisades Fire roars east.  Dubbed a “beautiful fortress” and constructed of fire-resistant travertine stone, as well as cement and steel, the center has drawn museum experts from around the world to observe its safety system.  Its roofs are covered with crushed stone to prevent embers from igniting; in the gardens, resilient plants were chosen.  Inside, the galleries can be closed off with a vaultlike double door that, museum officials say, is practically impenetrable.  “Getty staff, the art collections and buildings remain safe from the Palisades fire,” the museum said Friday, hours before the evacuation warning.  “The threat is still happening,” Getty added in an X post.  The museum’s unique collection comprises 125,000 artworks — including paintings by Rembrandt, Turner, Van Gogh and Monet — and 1.4 million documents. It also houses a research hub and a foundation.  Museum officials have previously said the collection is protected within the center’s fireproof structure, made up of 300,000 travertine blocks and 12,500 tons of steel bars.  “The Getty was constructed to house valuable art and keep it very safe from fires, from earthquakes, from any type of damage,” said Lisa Lapin, communications vice president now and when Getty was threatened by fire in 2019.  “We are really built like a beautiful fortress, and everything inside is quite safe,” she told AFP at the time.  Built more than two decades ago by architect Richard Meier at a cost of $1 billion, the center’s protective measures also include a 3.8-million liter water tank feeding its irrigation system.  The building’s ventilation system has an internal recycling system, similar to those found in cars, preventing smoke from entering rooms from the outside.  Despite such extensive measures, Getty announced its closure earlier this week “out of caution and to help alleviate traffic.”  When the 2019 fire threatened the center, it served as a base for firefighters battling the blaze.   Caused by a tree branch falling on power lines, that fire burned 300 hectares and destroyed 10 homes.  A fire two years before that also triggered safety measures at Getty, although it affected only the far side of an adjacent freeway.  “In both cases, … “Braced with defenses against fire, Getty art center faces LA flames” →

LOS ANGELES — Firefighters raced Saturday to get in front of the largest and most destructive fire burning in Los Angeles as it shifted direction and grew by about 400 hectares. Firefighters are working against the clock, as the Santa Ana winds that fueled several blazes threaten to return in the coming days. “We need to be aggressive out there,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) Operations Chief Christian Litz told reporters at a Saturday briefing. Adding that firefighters were concentrating on Mandeville Canyon, not far from the University of California, Los Angeles campus. The toll since Tuesday stands at 11 people killed, at least 13 missing, and more than 12,000 structures destroyed. Officials have warned that the death toll could increase once the multiple fires have been brought under control and workers can comb through the ruins. But that may be days away as the Palisades Fire, the largest of five, was reported to have shifted direction, prompting evacuation orders that included the Brentwood and Encino neighborhoods and the foothills of the San Fernando Valley. The fire is threatening the J. Paul Getty Museum and UCLA. If it jumps Interstate 405, the densely populated Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley would be in danger. Cal Fire official Todd Hopkins told reporters Saturday that 11% of the Palisades Fire is contained. The second-largest blaze, the Eaton fire, was 15% contained, according to the department. The Palisades and Eaton fires already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history. Together, they have burned through about 145 square kilometers of land and destroyed or damaged about 12,000 structures. Cal Fire is fighting five active wildfires in the Los Angeles area: the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Kenneth fires. As of Friday morning, the Kenneth fire was 35% contained, the Hurst fire was 37% contained, and the Lidia fire was 75% contained, according to Cal Fire. Even as the fires are being fought, investigations have begun. Chief among them is why a nearby reservoir was out of service and why fire hydrants did not have water. “When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said, faulting city leadership and citing budget cuts. California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered a “full independent review” of the city’s utilities Friday, saying in an open letter the lack of water supplies during … “Destructive Palisades Fire in Los Angeles shifts direction” →

JERUSALEM/CAIRO — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday following his visit to Doha, Qatar, an Israeli official said, amid efforts to secure a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza. A second Israeli official said some progress had been made in the indirect talks between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza. The mediators are making new efforts to reach a deal to halt the fighting in the enclave and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to a statement released by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Witkoff that the U.S. would continue to work toward a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, although he did not give any details. Attacks in Gaza On Saturday, the Palestinian civil emergency service said eight people were killed, including two women and two children, in an Israeli airstrike on a former school sheltering displaced families in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said that the strike targeted Hamas militants who were operating at the school and that it had taken measures to reduce the risk of harm to civilians. Later on Saturday, the Gaza Civil Emergency Service said five people were killed and several others were wounded in two Israeli strikes. One of the two strikes killed three people in a house near the Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas militant “in that area” at that approximate time. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and gripped by a humanitarian crisis. …

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump singled out Aurora, Colorado, as an example of immigrant crime that he would solve with mass deportations. Colorado’s governor says he welcomes federal help to deport gang members but will oppose broader plans for migrant deportation. From Aurora, Colorado, Shelley Schlender reports. …

BANGKOK — Nearly all of the world’s 35,000 online pharmacies are being run illegally and consumers who use them risk getting ineffective or dangerous drugs, according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s annual report on “notorious markets.” The report also singled out 19 countries over concerns about counterfeit or pirated products. The report also named about three dozen online retailers, many of them in China or elsewhere in Asia that it said are allegedly engaged in selling counterfeit products or other illegal activities. The report says 96% of online pharmacies were found to be violating the law, many operating without a license and selling medicines without prescriptions and safety warnings. Their websites often look like legitimate e-commerce platforms, often with false claims that they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, said the report, released Wednesday. The FDA and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have both issued warnings about risks of buying prescription medicines from such sources. It cited a survey by the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies’ Global Foundation that found nearly one in four Americans who have used online pharmacies reported having encountered substandard, fake or harmful medicines. Last year, federal prosecutors reported that a network of illegal drug sellers based in the U.S., the Dominican Republic and India had packaged potentially deadly synthetic opioids into pills disguised as common prescription drugs and sold millions of them through fake online drugstores, federal prosecutors said Monday. At least nine people died of narcotics poisoning between August 2023 and June 2024 after consuming the counterfeit pills, the indictment said. Apart from the risks of using drugs that may contain inert ingredients or those that could cause allergies, the medicines are sometimes made in unsanitary conditions, said the report, which did not give annual statistics for those who may have died or otherwise been harmed. Progress in fighting counterfeit and pirated goods The USTR’s annual report cited examples from inside the United States, but and also mentioned risks of imported ingredients including fentanyl from China. Many of the illicit online pharmacies are based outside the U.S. The “Notorious Markets List” did laud progress in fighting counterfeit and pirated goods. In one case, U.S. authorities, industry groups and the police collaborated in shutting down a Hanoi, Vietnam-based piracy ring, Fmovies, and other related piracy sites, in July and August. The report said the world’s then-largest pirated movies site had drawn more than 6.7 billion … “US ‘notorious markets’ report warns of risks from online pharmacies” →

boston — The cost of college keeps spiraling ever higher, right?  Not necessarily. New research indicates students are paying significantly less to attend public universities than they were a decade ago. And tuition increases at private colleges have finally slowed after years of hefty rises.  Figures compiled by the nonprofit College Board indicate the average student attending an in-state public university this year faces a tuition bill of $11,610, which is down 4% from a decade earlier when taking inflation into account. But the real savings come in what the average student actually pays after getting grants and financial aid. That’s down 40% over the decade, from $4,140 to $2,480 annually, according to the data.  That reduced cost means less borrowing. Just under half of students attending in-state public universities are graduating with some debt, down from 59% a decade earlier, according to the College Board figures. And among those who do borrow, the average loan balance has fallen by 17%, to $27,100.  Meanwhile, at private colleges, tuition continues to rise, but at a much slower rate. It has increased 4% over the past decade, when taking inflation into account, to an average $43,350, according to the College Board. That’s a big change from the two decades prior, when tuition increased 68%.  Costs are coming down as Americans question whether college is worth the price. Surveys find that Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value of a degree, and the percentage of high school graduates heading to college has fallen to levels not seen in decades, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Yet research still finds that, over time, a degree pays off. Americans with a bachelor’s degree earn a median of $2.8 million during their careers, 75% more than if they had only a high school diploma, according to research from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.  COVID effect The COVID-19 pandemic has been a big factor in the cost reductions, said Jennifer Ma, an executive research scientist at the College Board and lead author of the study.  “We know that during COVID, a lot of institutions — public and private — froze tuition,” Ma said.  As states and the federal government responded to the pandemic, Ma said, they increased higher education funding, allowing colleges to reduce the cost of attendance. Some of that money has since expired, however, including an infusion of federal … “College tuition has fallen significantly at many US schools, research finds” →

white house —  Jake Sullivan, the outgoing U.S. national security adviser, is urging the incoming Trump administration to continue President Joe Biden’s strategy of bolstering ties with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter adversaries including China and North Korea. “The case we will make to them is that the American position in the region is incredibly strong right now,” Sullivan said in response to VOA’s question during a roundtable with journalists on Friday. “There should be more continuity than significant change with respect to our Indo-Pacific strategy,” he said. “But I don’t know what the incoming team will actually end up doing.” Sullivan, considered one of the main architects of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, said the president’s approach is “working in a big way,” and he warned that straying from that will “bring risk.” Sullivan acknowledged, however, that the administration failed to make substantial progress on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. As the threat from Pyongyang remains as acute as it has ever been, Sullivan highlighted key distinctions: closer cooperation between North Korea and Russia, and a “broader alignment of competitors and adversaries — Russia, China, North Korea, Iran.” He repeated the administration’s warning against reducing U.S. support for Kyiv, something that President-elect Donald Trump has signaled he would do. What happens in Ukraine really matters for the Indo-Pacific, Sullivan said, because “China’s watching.” Biden’s aides have often voiced concern that the West’s reluctance to bolster Kyiv’s defenses could embolden China to follow Russia’s lead and invade its smaller democratic neighbor, Taiwan, or act even more aggressively on its disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea. Bonnie Glaser, managing director of German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific Program, said that cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang has developed quickly, with North Korea sending its troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and is likely to expand. “We have yet to see what weapons systems or military technologies [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has promised to deliver to [North Korean leader] Kim [Jong Un],” she told VOA. “Beijing has refused to apply leverage to stop this trend.” Sullivan expressed confidence that the administration has “set up a great opportunity for the next team” to enhance the U.S. position and has “shifted the balance of power” in the Indo-Pacific. He outlined Biden’s approach of creating a network of alliances and partnerships, including enhancing cooperation with the Quad, an informal grouping with India, Australia … “Biden team urges Trump administration to keep continuity in Indo-Pacific “ →

Prosecutors are demanding that former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez be given at least a 15-year prison sentence following his conviction for corruption that included acting as an agent of a foreign government. In the sentencing recommendation filed late Thursday in a Manhattan federal court, prosecutors said the 71-year-old Democrat who once represented New Jersey is the first senator convicted of abusing a Senate committee leadership position and the first person convicted of serving as a foreign agent while being a public official. This “historical rarity,” they said, was a “grave abuse of his power.” Menendez’s lawyers say their client has suffered enough and have called for leniency, citing federal guidelines that would have him serving less than 27 months. Meanwhile, probation officers said their guidelines would have the senator serving from 24½ to 30½ years. Prosecutors said arguments that Menendez has been punished enough reflect a “deeply misplaced sense of entitlement.” He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29. Menendez was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when he was charged in 2023 but was forced out of that position and relinquished his Senate seat in August. He had been a senator for 18½ years. Prosecutors said in their court submissions that Menendez had, in multiple instances, promoted the Egyptian government’s viewpoints and assisted the Egyptian government in ways “directly adverse to his own fellow U.S. Senators” as he sought to adjust his own public criticism of Egypt. Menendez was convicted in July of 16 counts of corruption. An FBI raid on his home in 2022 uncovered at least $150,000 in gold bars, $480,000 in cash and a Mercedes-Benz. A large portion of the cash, prosecutors said, was the result of bribes from three New Jersey businessmen. The men had sought the senator’s protection and influence in schemes that included giving one of them, Wael Hana, the sole right to certify that U.S. meat exported to Egypt adhered to Islamic dietary requirements, forcing out other companies that had been certifying the exportations. Two of the businessmen — Hana and Fred Daibes — were convicted with Menendez. Prosecutors have called for them to spend 10 and nine years in prison, respectively. The third man pleaded guilty and testified at the trial. Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, who is facing many of the same charges as her husband, has pleaded not guilty. Her trial is scheduled to begin next month. … “Prosecutors demand former US senator get at least 15 years in prison for corruption” →

WASHINGTON — Rudy Giuliani was found in contempt of court Friday for the second time in a week, as a federal judge warned Giuliani he could be sent to jail if he doesn’t stop spreading lies about two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington found that the former New York City mayor and former attorney for President-elect Donald Trump violated court orders barring him from defaming Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman. The judge ordered him to review trial testimony and other materials from the case and warned him that future violations could land him behind bars. Moss and Freeman sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation for falsely accusing them of committing election fraud in connection with the 2020 election. His lies upended their lives as they received racist threats and harassment. Giuliani smiled and chuckled as the judge explained why she was holding him in contempt of court. Howell, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, said it is “outrageous and shameful” for Giuliani to suggest that he is the one who has been treated unfairly in this case. “This takes real chutzpah, Mr. Giuliani,” she said. Giuliani calls judge ‘bloodthirsty’ Shortly before the hearing began, Giuliani slammed the judge in a social media post, calling her “bloodthirsty” and biased against him and the proceeding a “hypocritical waste of time.” After leaving the courtroom, Giuliani called the hearing a farce and the judge “completely biased and prejudiced.” Giuliani briefly testified during Friday’s hearing, but only to authenticate records about his personal finances. The judge didn’t fine Giuliani for his most recent defamatory comments about the case, but she said she would impose daily fines of $200 if he doesn’t certify within 10 days that he has complied with her order to review trial testimony and other case-related material. A jury sided with the mother and daughter in December 2023 and awarded them $75 million in punitive damages plus roughly $73 million in other damages On Monday in New York, Judge Lewis Liman found Giuliani in contempt of court for related claims that he failed to turn over evidence to help the judge decide whether he can keep a Palm Beach, Florida, condominium. Giuliani says he gets death threats Giuliani, 80, had tried to get out of appearing in person Friday, telling the … “Judge holds Giuliani in contempt for continued lies about election workers” →

WASHINGTON — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer chips in Arizona for U.S. customers, a milestone in the Biden administration’s semiconductor efforts, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters. In November, the Commerce Department finalized a $6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s U.S. unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading-edge 4-nanometer chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo told Reuters in an interview, saying it had begun in recent weeks. “That’s a big deal — never been done before, never in our history. And lots of people said it couldn’t happen,” Raimondo said of the previously undisclosed production start. A spokesperson for TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to Apple and Nvidia, which reports earnings next week, declined to comment Friday. In April, TSMC agreed to expand its planned investment by $25 billion to $65 billion and to add a third Arizona production facility by 2030. Congress created a $52.7 billion semiconductor manufacturing and research subsidy program in 2022. Commerce persuaded all five leading-edge semiconductor firms to locate production facilities in the United States as part of the program. Raimondo told Reuters earlier that Commerce had to persuade TSMC to boost its U.S. plans. “It didn’t happen on its own. … We had to convince TSMC that they would want to expand,” Raimondo said. TSMC will produce the world’s most advanced 2-nanometer technology at its second Arizona factory, expected to begin production in 2028. TSMC also agreed to use its most advanced chip manufacturing technology, called “A16,” in Arizona. The TSMC award from Commerce also includes up to $5 billion in low-cost government loans. Raimondo wants the United States to make 20% of world’s leading-edge logic chips by 2030 — up from the 0% before TSMC began production in Arizona. In April, Commerce said TSMC expects to begin high-volume production in its first U.S. fab by the first half of 2025. Last month, Commerce finalized an award of $407 million to help fund Amkor Technology’s planned $2 billion advanced semiconductor packaging facility in Arizona, which is set to be the largest of its kind in the U.S. When fully operational, Amkor’s Arizona plant will package and test millions of chips for autonomous vehicles, 5G/6G and data centers. Apple will be its first and largest … “Taiwan chipmaker starts making 4-nanometer chips in US, official says” →

WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence agencies charged with investigating the spate of brain injuries and other serious health ailments that have struck hundreds of officials remain unconvinced that the illnesses are tied to the work of a foreign adversary. An updated intelligence assessment of what the U.S. government calls anomalous health incidents, or AHIs, released Friday calls the possibility that the health symptoms were caused by a foreign actor or weapon “very unlikely.” The conclusion, endorsed by five of the seven U.S. intelligence agencies tasked with investigating the ailments, commonly known as Havana Syndrome, match the results of a 2023 assessment that found symptoms “were probably the result of factors that did not involve a foreign adversary, such as preexisting conditions, conventional illnesses and environmental factors.” New information, described by officials as being “sensitive” in nature, only served to further support the 2023 findings, they said. “The intelligence does not link a foreign actor to these events. Indeed, it points away from their involvement,” according to a U.S. intelligence official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity to discuss the latest findings. “All IC [intelligence community] components agree that years of history collection, targeting and analytic efforts have not surfaced compelling intelligence reporting that ties a foreign actor to any specific event reported as a possible AHI,” the official said. The new assessment contrasts, however, with a December House Intelligence subcommittee report, which accused U.S. intelligence agencies of sloppy work and attempting to “create a politically palatable conclusion.” There is reliable evidence to suggest that some anomalous health incidents are the work of foreign adversaries,” CIA Subcommittee Chairman Rick Crawford, a Republican, said at the time. On Friday, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, Republican Mike Turner, accused the new U.S. intelligence report of again falling short. “This new intelligence, I believe, should completely change the assessment of our adversaries’ capabilities and the risks to our personnel,” he said. Despite the disagreement, some of the evidence pointing to foreign involvement in Havana Syndrome injuries appears to be finding more credibility with some elements of U.S. intelligence. Two of the seven agencies contributing to the latest assessment, which looked at intelligence gathered as recently as last month, now assess with “low confidence” that a foreign hand could be involved in a limited number of cases. One of the agencies now judges “there is ‘roughly even chance’ a foreign actor has used a novel … “US intelligence mostly rejects links between ‘Havana Syndrome,’ adversaries” →

MIAMI, FLORIDA — About 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 230,000 Salvadorans already living in the United States can legally remain another 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday, barely a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office with promises of hard-line immigration policies. Biden’s administration has strongly supported Temporary Protected Status, which he has expanded to cover about 1 million people. TPS faces an uncertain future under Trump, who tried to sharply curtail its use during his first term as president. Federal regulations would allow the extensions to be terminated early, although that’s never been done before. Homeland Security also extended TPS for more than 103,000 Ukrainians and 1,900 Sudanese who are already living in the U.S. The TPS designation gives people legal authority to be in the country, but it doesn’t provide a long-term path to citizenship. They are reliant on the government renewing their status when it expires. Conservative critics have said that over time, the renewal of the protection status becomes automatic, regardless of what is happening in the person’s home country. Friday’s announcement, which came as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro took office for a third six-year term in Caracas amid widespread international condemnation, is “based on the severe humanitarian emergency the country continues to face due to political and economic crises under the Maduro regime,” the department said. Homeland Security cited “environmental conditions in El Salvador that prevent individuals from returning,” specifically heavy rains and storms in the last two years. Congress created TPS in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife, giving people authorization to work in increments of up to 18 months at a time. About 1 million immigrants from 17 countries are protected by TPS, including people from Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine and Lebanon. Venezuelans are one of the largest beneficiaries, and their extension runs from April 2025 to October 2, 2026. Salvadorans won TPS in 2001 after earthquakes rocked the Central American country. TPS for Salvadorans was to expire in March and was extended until Sept. 9, 2026. Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, suggested they would scale back the use of TPS and policies granting temporary status as they pursue mass deportations. During his first administration, Trump ended TPS for El Salvador but was held up in court. In recent months, advocates have increased pressure on the Biden administration to … “Biden administration extends temporary status for 4 nationalities” →

A New York judge Friday sentenced President-elect Donald Trump to an “unconditional discharge” over 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The sentence spares him penalties but allows the convictions to stand. During sentencing, the president-elect again said the case was politically motivated. VOA senior Washington correspondent Carolyn Presutti reports. Contributor: Kim Lewis; Video editor: Rob Raffaele …