USA

WASHINGTON — The Senate quickly confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary of state on Monday, voting unanimously to give President Donald Trump the first member of his new Cabinet on Inauguration Day. Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida, is among the least controversial of Trump’s nominees, and the vote was a decisive 99-0. Another pick, John Ratcliffe for CIA director, is also expected to have a swift …

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden used his constitutional power Monday to preemptively pardon several individuals, including some of his relatives, just minutes before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Without naming Trump or the incoming administration, Biden said in a statement that he believes in the rule of law but warned about the threat of partisan politics and …

President Donald Trump will issue a broad trade memo on Monday that stops short of imposing new tariffs on his first day in office but directs federal agencies to evaluate U.S. trade relationships with China, Canada and Mexico, a Trump administration official said. After weeks of intense global speculation over which duties Trump would impose immediately after being sworn in as U.S. president, news that …

WASHINGTON — The National Mall in Washington was lined with hundreds of portable toilets Monday, but it’s unlikely many of the portable restrooms got much use. They had been set up for the hundreds of thousands of people who were expected to watch as Donald Trump took the oath of office to become the 47th president of the United States. But Monday’s cold temperatures, which hovered …

Ayaz Gul  — President-elect Donald Trump says that future financial assistance to Afghanistan will be contingent upon the return of U.S. military equipment by the Taliban leaders currently in power.    Trump’s remarks at a Sunday rally in Washington on the eve of his January 20 inauguration have heightened uncertainty regarding his administration’s stance on the crisis-hit South Asian nation.    “They [Biden administration] gave billions …

Bad Bunny released his latest album, which mixes urban and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. Between sad and joyful stories, the artist opens a space for social criticism that focuses on Puerto Rico’s identity, traditions and current challenges. Click here for the full story in Spanish. …

WASHINGTON — When President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as president of the United States inside the Capitol’s rotunda, he will do so facing a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the federal holiday commemorating King’s legacy. It’s a disquieting contrast for some civil rights advocates who wish to fulfill the late reverend’s dream of non-violent social revolution. Events honoring King and advocating …

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea pledged on Monday a record amount of financing support for exporters to mitigate any negative impact from changes in U.S. trade policies as Donald Trump was poised to be sworn in for his second presidency. The government plans to provide 360 trillion won, or $247.74 billion, worth of policy financing to exporting companies through state-run banks and institutions this year, …

Voters prioritized the economy in the 2024 election, sending Donald Trump back to the White House. But what economic legacy is Joe Biden passing on to the new administration?  “It’s the economy, stupid.” Coined by political strategist James Carville, these famous words have become synonymous with U.S. election success since 1992.  Despite the growing influence of issues like immigration, climate change and foreign policy, many …

Damascus, Syria — The mother of American journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012, arrived in Damascus to step up the search for her son and said she hopes she can take him home with her.   Tice, who worked as a freelance reporter for The Washington Post and McClatchy, was one of the first U.S. journalists …

For the first time in U.S. history, a president-elect will welcome foreign leaders for one of the most American political traditions — the peaceful transfer of power. President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and conservative world leaders such as Argentine President Javier Milei and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni to the inauguration. Xi sent his vice president as his representative. No heads of state …

A hallmark of the nearly 250-year American democracy is the quadrennial peaceful transfer of presidential power, and it is set to unfold again on Monday, with Donald Trump, the 45th president until he lost his 2020 reelection bid, set to be inaugurated as the country’s 47th leader after winning last November’s election. Millions of Americans are expected to watch on television as the 78-year-old Trump …

A calm environment prevails in the United States as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office Monday. Even though the presidential race stood out for the heated rhetoric, there are some who expect Trump will adopt a conciliatory tone in his inaugural speech. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. (Videographer: Saqib Ul-Islam, Carolyn Presutti) …

Washington — President Joe Biden on Sunday posthumously pardoned Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, who influenced Malcolm X and other civil rights leaders and was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s. Also receiving pardons were a top Virginia lawmaker and advocates for immigrant rights, criminal justice reform and gun violence prevention.  Congressional leaders had pushed for Biden to pardon Garvey, with supporters arguing that Garvey’s conviction …

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday that he plans to issue an executive order that would give TikTok’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer before the popular video-sharing platform is subject to a permanent U.S. ban.  Trump announced the decision in a post on his Truth Social account as millions of TikTok users in the U.S. awoke to discover they could …

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on alleged hacker Yin Kecheng and cybersecurity company Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., accusing both of being involved in a series of hacks against American telecom companies. The intrusions, known under the name Salt Typhoon, have allegedly exposed a huge swath of Americans’ call logs to Chinese spies and rattled the U.S. intelligence community. In some …

It is one of the 20th century’s most memorable images: a naked girl, screaming, running from a napalm bombing during the Vietnam War. More than a half-century later, a new documentary is calling into question who took it — and the retired Associated Press photographer long credited for the photo insists it was his, while his longtime employer says it has no evidence of anyone …

WASHINGTON — TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google app stores ahead of a law that takes effect Sunday requiring the shutdown of the app used by 170 million Americans. President-elect Donald Trump said earlier in the day he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Monday, a …

When Donald Trump returns to the White House on Monday, his family circle will look a little different than it did when he first arrived eight years ago. His youngest son, Barron, was in fifth grade back then. He’s now a college freshman who towers over his 1.8-meter-plus dad. Granddaughter Kai, who was 9 in 2017, is now an aspiring social media influencer and impressive …

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday night ahead of his second inauguration as president.  Trump flew in on a U.S. military C-32 aircraft from West Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife, Melania Trump, and their son, Barron, on a flight dubbed Special Air Mission 47 — a nod to Trump becoming the 47th president on Monday.  It’s a courtesy that’s traditionally been extended …

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he “most likely” would give TikTok 90 more days to work out a deal that would allow the popular video-sharing platform to avoid a U.S. ban. Trump said in an NBC News interview that he had not decided what to do but was considering granting TikTok a reprieve after he is sworn into office Monday. A law that …

WASHINGTON — It is unclear who will take over at the Pentagon and the military services when the top leaders all step down Monday as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office. As of Friday, officials said they had not yet heard who will become the acting defense secretary. Officials said the military chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force were getting ready to …

WHITE HOUSE — Israel’s Cabinet approved a deal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, with 24 ministers voting in favor and eight ministers rejecting the agreement. The deal is scheduled to be implemented beginning Sunday. The deal to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas was achieved after more than a year of negotiations, with mediation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt. President Joe …

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