https://www.voanews.com/z/4720 News, analysis and context about the 2024 U.S. elections. https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com/z/4720 en 2026 - VOA 60 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:16:46 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Washington views every presidential inauguration as different from the previous one, but Monday's inauguration of Donald Trump will really stand out. VOA Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti explains. Cameras: Adam Greenbaum, Carolyn Presutti. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-inauguration-moved-indoors-because-of-frigid-temperatures/7941372.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-inauguration-moved-indoors-because-of-frigid-temperatures/7941372.html Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:24:38 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Carolyn Presutti) President-elect Donald Trump is shaping his administration as he nominates his Cabinet, a process that typically requires Senate confirmation. But a loophole known as a recess appointment could allow Trump to bypass the Senate, at least temporarily. Here’s what you need to know. https://www.voanews.com/a/what-are-recess-appointments-and-could-trump-push-through-his-cabinet-picks-/7941161.html https://www.voanews.com/a/what-are-recess-appointments-and-could-trump-push-through-his-cabinet-picks-/7941161.html Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:14:11 -0500 2024 US ElectionUSAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) washington — Washington has been bracing for lots of things this week, including several more days of frigid temperatures and hordes of people and police for the presidential inauguration and related protests around the city next week. Officials said this week that they expected about 250,000 ticketed people to descend on the U.S. capital as Donald Trump takes the oath of office as president again. He last served from 2017 to 2021. Fewer visitors are expected for next Monday's ceremony than were present at Trump’s first inauguration, local and federal officials said at a press conference. In 2017, they prepared for more than 1 million people. Temperatures are expected to be particularly low in Washington on Monday. The temperature at noon, when Trump will be sworn in, is predicted to be in the low 20s F, which is about 20 degrees below normal. Enhanced security Even though a lower turnout is expected this time around, recent acts of violence — like the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans — mean there will be an enhanced security presence, the officials said. On Inauguration Day, 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel will be in the District of Columbia to provide security, including the full activation of D.C. police, 7,800 National Guard troops and about 4,000 officers from around the country, according to William McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office. Leading up to the inauguration, Washington will be home to both celebratory events and protests. A Trump victory rally is planned for Sunday afternoon at Capital One Arena, where the Village People, an American band, will perform. The arena has 20,000 seats, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the company that operates the arena, told a D.C. news station. The company said in a statement to News4 that the arena has been offered to every administration, “irrespective of party,” for decades. “We are happy that President Trump has accepted our offer, and we will welcome him and his guests to Capital One Arena on January 19,” the statement said. While there will be three official inaugural balls, more than a dozen unofficial inaugural balls are scheduled throughout the weekend in Washington. However, protests are scheduled, too. On Saturday, a demonstration called the People’s March is expected to draw tens of thousands of people to downtown Washington. The demonstration is organized by various civil rights, racial justice and reproductive health groups. “As Trump assumes the presidency in January, we are gathering to mobilize our collective power and stand against his efforts to roll back our rights and freedoms,” Analilia Mejia, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, said in a statement. On Monday, the Answer Coalition’s National Day of Action will feature a rally and march, according to media reports.   Accustomed to crowds Washington officials said they’re used to managing crowds and protests. “Here in the city, we allow peaceful protests all the time,” D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a press conference this week. “But when it comes to violating the law, we’re just not going to tolerate it.” On Monday night, after the inauguration, Trump is expected to shuttle among the three official inaugural balls. But inauguration celebrations won’t be limited to Washington. For instance, in Florida, where Trump resides at his Mar-a-Lago resort, the pro-Trump Villages M.A.G.A. Club is hosting an inaugural party on Monday evening, about 60 miles northwest of Orlando. The celebration has already sold out, according to an Eventbrite listing advertising the party. https://www.voanews.com/a/inaugural-balls-protests-planned-in-washington/7940103.html https://www.voanews.com/a/inaugural-balls-protests-planned-in-washington/7940103.html Thu, 16 Jan 2025 22:17:35 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) Pamela Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to become attorney general, faced more questions from U.S. senators Thursday. Witnesses testified to her character and integrity to serve in one of the nation’s most critical positions. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-s-choice-for-attorney-general-pledges-independence/7940012.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-s-choice-for-attorney-general-pledges-independence/7940012.html Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:41:40 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Katherine Gypson) President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to serve as secretary of state faced questioning from lawmakers Wednesday. Republican Marco Rubio told senators that if confirmed he would make U.S. national interest a priority. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reportss from Capitol Hill. https://www.voanews.com/a/secretary-of-state-selection-rubio-us-must-put-national-interest-first/7938686.html https://www.voanews.com/a/secretary-of-state-selection-rubio-us-must-put-national-interest-first/7938686.html Wed, 15 Jan 2025 21:28:48 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Katherine Gypson) Donald Trump will be sworn in January 20 as the only U.S. president with felony convictions, and this week saw a flurry of activity over the court cases still open against him. On Friday, a New York judge is to sentence Trump in one case. VOA Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti reports. https://www.voanews.com/a/supreme-court-allows-sentencing-of-trump-to-go-forward/7931818.html https://www.voanews.com/a/supreme-court-allows-sentencing-of-trump-to-go-forward/7931818.html Thu, 09 Jan 2025 21:16:52 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Carolyn Presutti) washington — Republican Vice President-elect JD Vance said Thursday that he would resign from his U.S. Senate seat from Ohio at midnight ahead of his inauguration later this month. President-elect Donald Trump and Vance defeated the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in the Nov. 5 U.S. election. Vance's Senate seat will be filled by a person appointed by Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine. The replacement will serve until a special election is held in November 2026. The winner of that election will finish the remainder of Vance's Senate term, which ends in January 2029. In his resignation letter to the Ohio governor, Vance wrote that "it has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve the people of Ohio in the Senate over the past two years." Republicans won a narrow majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the November elections. https://www.voanews.com/a/vance-to-resign-from-us-senate-ahead-of-his-inauguration-as-vice-president/7931504.html https://www.voanews.com/a/vance-to-resign-from-us-senate-ahead-of-his-inauguration-as-vice-president/7931504.html Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:04:19 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) 2024 was a big year for elections. More than 70 national elections were held throughout the world, affecting more than half of the world’s population.    Among the countries holding elections were some of the world’s biggest democracies — India, the United States, Indonesia and Bangladesh — as well as 27 European member states electing the new European Parliament.    The total number of ballots cast in 71 elections and the European Parliament elections was more than 1.6 billion, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, or International IDEA. Voting against the status quo   Elections across the globe in 2024 were generally bad for those holding power.   Every incumbent party facing national elections in a developed country in 2024 declined in its vote share, according to a November article in the Financial Times, citing the ParlGov (parliaments and governments database) project, affiliated with multiple universities in Europe.   It was the first time this has happened in almost 120 years of records catalogued by the project.   In both rich and poor democracies around the world, more than 80% saw the incumbent party lose seats or vote share from the last election, according to an analysis by ABC News’ 538.   The 538 analysis considered countries as democracies if their Democracy Index score was at least 5 out of 10. The shifts against incumbents struck the political left and right.   Conservatives won victories in countries and regions that included the United States, where former President Donald Trump swept all the battleground states in a November election; in Portugal, where the center-right Democratic Alliance surged in March; and at the EU Parliament, where more far-right members won seats in June elections than ever before, bringing their total to close to a quarter of the chamber.   The left took advantage of anti-incumbent sentiment to win victories that included Britain’s July parliamentary election, in which the incumbent Conservative Party lost almost 20% of the vote from 2019, and in South Korea, where liberal opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party, took power in April’s parliamentary elections.    In several countries, incumbent parties hung on to power, but shrunk their majorities, including in India, where Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party lost an outright majority in parliament in June, but kept power with the help of allies. Incumbent parties in Japan, South Africa and France saw similar slides in support on their way to reelection.   The trend against incumbents did not necessarily hold in less democratic countries, where governments could heavily manage elections to secure their desired outcome. In Rwanda, President Paul Kagame, who ran virtually unopposed in July, won 99% of the vote, mirroring the outcome in 2017. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin won a landslide victory in a March poll that international election observers dismissed as having no chance of being free or fair. However, there were also some signs of anti-incumbent sentiment in less democratic countries. In Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was reelected in January in a vote boycotted by the opposition, but in a smaller margin than previously. Seven months later, she was ousted in a popular uprising. In Iran, where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state, voters in July elections chose Masoud Pezeshkian, the more moderate presidential candidate, to replace hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash.  Why the swings?   Analysts have focused on voters’ dissatisfaction with the global economy, including rising costs, to help explain the election losses by incumbents.  One of the few countries where the incumbent party had success was in Mexico, where Claudia Sheinbaum, selected by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, easily won the presidency in June. Voters there reported satisfaction with economic conditions, one of the few countries where that was the case, according to a Pew Research Center survey in June.   Other issues facing voters in 2024 included a surge in migration in some nations and the continued fallout from the pandemic era, which saw long disruptions to businesses, workplaces and schools.    Furthering the dissatisfaction, a Pew survey found that democracy itself has become less attractive to voters, representing an overall sense of frustration by voters with those in power.  The survey, which polled respondents in 24 democratic countries in February, found that while large majorities believed representative democracy is a “good” system of government, a median of 59% told pollsters they were dissatisfied with how democracy was working in their own country.   In almost all countries surveyed, a majority of respondents said elected officials did not care what people like them thought. Furthering the sense of alienation, 42% of respondents said there was no party in their country that represents their views well.   While 2025 will not be as big a year for elections as 2024, next year’s polls will determine whether the trend against incumbents continues to hold, or if new factors will shape the outcomes. The year will see elections in Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Canada, Japan, and the Philippines, among others.   https://www.voanews.com/a/7918989.html https://www.voanews.com/a/7918989.html Mon, 30 Dec 2024 15:34:06 -0500 VOA Visuals2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Megan Duzor) U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he has selected David Fink to serve as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.  "David will bring his 45+ years of transportation leadership and success, which will deliver the FRA into a new era of safety and technological innovation," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-picks-david-fink-to-lead-federal-railroad-administration-/7909792.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-picks-david-fink-to-lead-federal-railroad-administration-/7909792.html Sat, 21 Dec 2024 14:39:36 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Elon Musk, the billionaire ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has praised the far-right Alterative for Germany party ahead of the election due in Germany early next year. The party wants to end Western support for Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders. Henry Ridgwell reports. https://www.voanews.com/a/musk-backs-german-far-right-party-in-social-media-post/7909362.html https://www.voanews.com/a/musk-backs-german-far-right-party-in-social-media-post/7909362.html Fri, 20 Dec 2024 20:31:51 -0500 2024 US ElectionEuropewebdesk@voanews.com (Henry Ridgwell) The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered its target interest rate but signaled it might take longer than previously expected to bring inflation down to the central bank’s target rate of 2% per year. That means there will likely be fewer rate reductions in 2025 than had been projected. The Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee lowered the target range of the federal funds rate, a benchmark that is used to set rates for everything from mortgages to credit card loans, by one-quarter of a percentage point to between 4.25% and 4.5%. The reduction was widely expected, but FOMC members updated their projections for the future, suggesting it might take until 2027 to get interest rates down to 2%. As recently as September, they had projected that they would achieve that goal in 2026. Also changed was the range of rates that they believe will eventually reflect a “neutral” interest rate stance - that is, one that is designed to be neither restrictive nor stimulative. In September, they projected a long-run neutral rate of between 2.5% and 3.5%. That range ticked up to between 2.8% and 3.6%. Powell upbeat Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell said in a press conference Wednesday that the committee was trying to balance its fight against inflation, which it combats by raising interest rates, with its commitment to full employment, which sometimes requires lowering rates. He said the decision to cut rates was influenced by some “softening” in the job market. However, he said the new target rate was still “meaningfully restrictive,” even though the Fed has cut rates by a total of 1 percentage point since September. Powell also told reporters that the U.S. economy remained strong, and that he expected it to remain so. “The U.S. economy is just performing very, very well — substantially better than our global peer group,” he said. “There's no reason to think a downturn is any more likely than it usually is. So, the outlook is pretty bright for our economy. We have to stay on task, though, and continue to have restricted policy so that we can get inflation down to 2%.” Trump effect Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst and Washington bureau chief of BankRate.com, suggested that the slight change in the Fed’s expectations had to do in part with President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory in November. “There’s heightened uncertainty ahead given the ambitions of the Trump administration aiming to boost economic growth, which performed above the Fed’s expectations and the long-term trend this year,” Hamrick told VOA in an email exchange. “For borrowers, consumers and everyone else, this suggests that rates will remain elevated for longer and won’t return to record-low pre-pandemic levels.” Trump has signaled a desire to implement some policy changes, in particular tariffs on imports, that economists generally view as inflationary. “The big news is the change in the survey of economic projections,” agreed Kenneth N. Kuttner, a professor of economics at Williams College and a former assistant vice president of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. “The members of the FOMC are seeing inflation running a little bit higher than had been the case back in September,” Kuttner told VOA. “That, plus a reassessment of what ‘neutral’ is for the economy, suggests they're anticipating cutting the funds rate less next year than they previously thought they were going to.” Public discontent The Fed’s announcement came at a time when Americans continue to have a dim view of the state of the economy, despite significant improvements on most standard measures of its performance. Americans soured on the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a combination of worldwide supply chain bottlenecks and generous government stimulus programs combined to drive prices up sharply. Inflation in the U.S. soared to 40-year highs, peaking at an annualized rate of 9.1% in June 2022. Since then, sharp interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve have forced inflation down below 3% and close to the Fed’s target rate of 2%. The unemployment rate has remained near historic lows. Additionally, wages for American workers have been growing at a rate higher than inflation since December of last year. Nevertheless, Americans report sharply negative sentiments about the economy. An Associated Press-NORC poll released this week found that two-thirds of U.S. adults described the status of the economy as poor, while a mere 5% characterized it as very good. Political alignment appears to play a major role in perceptions of the economy. When the responses were broken down by the party respondents identified with, 51% of Democrats described the economy as good or better, compared with only 16% of Republicans and 22% of independents. However, in the aftermath of Trump’s election victory, 69% of Republicans said they expected 2025 to be a better year for the economy than 2024. By contrast, only 11% of Democrats said 2025 would be the better year, with 59% predicting that it would be worse. Limits of presidential power Although the state of the economy appears to have been the most important factor in driving voters’ decisions during November’s presidential elections, both outgoing President Joe Biden and Trump have spoken about the difficulty a president can have in directly influencing it. In remarks this month at the Brookings Institution, Biden reminded his audience that when he took office in 2021, he inherited an economy shattered by the pandemic, with 3,000 Americans dying of COVID-19 every day and millions out of work. He touted his record of restoring jobs and reducing inflation but admitted that many were still feeling economic pain. “Too many working- and middle-class families struggle with high prices for housing and groceries and the daily needs of life,” Biden said. He said that many of the investments made in the economy over his four years in office have simply not had time to come into full effect. “We knew in the beginning this wasn’t going to come to fruition in my … administration. It takes time to get this done, but watch two, four, six, eight, 10 years from now,” Biden said. On the campaign trail, Trump frequently promised to lower prices at the supermarket, and he continued to do so after his victory, saying in an interview on December 8 with CBS News, “We're going to bring those prices way down.” However, that contradicted what he told Time magazine when he was interviewed in connection with being named the publication’s Person of the Year. Asked if his presidency would be “a failure” if he was unable to bring down grocery prices, he said, “I don't think so. … I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard.” https://www.voanews.com/a/us-federal-reserve-cuts-key-loan-rate-by-quarter-point/7906218.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-federal-reserve-cuts-key-loan-rate-by-quarter-point/7906218.html Wed, 18 Dec 2024 15:30:09 -0500 EconomyUSA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Rob Garver) President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to carry out the largest deportations in U.S. history raises questions about its feasibility and its legality. VOA immigration correspondent Aline Barros reports on how the U.S. military may be involved in those plans. https://www.voanews.com/a/incoming-trump-team-prepares-military-backed-deportations/7898096.html https://www.voanews.com/a/incoming-trump-team-prepares-military-backed-deportations/7898096.html Wed, 11 Dec 2024 18:20:51 -0500 Immigration2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Aline Barros) President-elect Donald Trump has nominated New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik to be his United Nations ambassador. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer looks at the representative’s rising career and what lies ahead. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-picks-rising-congresswoman-for-un-ambassador-/7892545.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-picks-rising-congresswoman-for-un-ambassador-/7892545.html Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:32:12 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Margaret Besheer) Washington — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced Sunday that he had chosen Alina Habba, his personal attorney, to serve as counselor to the president. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site, called Habba a “tireless advocate for justice.” “She has been unwavering in her loyalty and unmatched in her resolve — standing with me through numerous ‘trials,’ battles and countless days in Court," Trump said. “Few understand the Weaponization of the ‘Injustice’ System better than Alina.” Trump announced several other planned additions to his administration, including Christopher Landau as his choice to serve as deputy secretary of state. Landau was the U.S. ambassador to Mexico during Trump’s first term. Trump also said former National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton will serve as the director of policy planning at the State Department, while Michael Needham will serve as counselor of the State Department. Earlier Sunday, Trump vowed to make swift and sweeping changes as he takes office on January 20, deporting millions of migrants in the country illegally, imposing tariffs on imported goods that could raise consumer prices for Americans and pardoning rioters who tried to upend his 2020 reelection loss.  Six weeks ahead of taking office for a new four-year tenure in the White House, Trump seemed emboldened by his victory last month, making him only the second American president elected to a second, nonconsecutive term after Grover Cleveland in the 1890s. “People like me now, you know?” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview conducted Friday in New York and broadcast Sunday. “It’s different than the first — you know, when I won the first time [in 2016], I wasn’t nearly as popular as this,” he said. “And one thing that’s very important, in terms of the election, I love that I won the popular vote, and by a lot,” with about a 2.3 million-vote margin in his defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris out of the 155 million ballots that were cast. But Trump, a Republican, also lapsed into familiar grievances, refusing as he has for four years to concede he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden because of unfounded claims of fraudulent balloting and vote counting. Asked by NBC anchor Kristen Welker how, in his view, Democrats were able to steal that election but not the one a month ago, Trump said, “Because I think it was too big to rig.” Trump blamed Biden for the nation’s political divide and heaped insults on his perceived foes, including the nine-member House of Representatives committee that spent more than a year examining the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters trying to block lawmakers from certifying that Biden had won the 2020 election. He called the seven Democrats and two Republicans on the investigative panel “political thugs and, you know, creeps. For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail.” Trump said that on his first day in office he would be “acting very quickly” to pardon many of the more than 1,200 people convicted of an array of offenses linked to the rioting at the Capitol. Many of them have already completed their prison sentences while others have years to go or have to be tried. He has characterized those imprisoned as “hostages” and called them “patriots.” “These people are living in hell,” he said. Yet Trump said he would not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden. “I’m not looking to go back into the past,” he said. “Retribution will be through success.” But he said that if the Senate confirms his choices of former Florida state attorney general, Pam Bondi, as attorney general, and loyal political supporter Kash Patel as FBI director, they would have autonomy in deciding what to investigate and prosecute. Trump described special counsel Jack Smith, who twice indicted him, as “very corrupt.” Trump centered much of his campaign on closing the southwestern U.S. border with Mexico and said mass deportations will begin quickly. First will be convicted criminals, he said, while other incoming Trump officials have said those with deportation orders will also be among the first to be deported. “I think you have to do it, and it’s a hard — it’s a very tough thing to do. It’s — but you have to have, you know, you have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally,” he said. Trump made no exceptions for families with mixed immigration status, where some family members are in the U.S. legally and some illegally. “I don’t want to be breaking up families, so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back,” he declared. Trump said the cost and logistical complexity of such a massive deportation plan does not faze him. “You have no choice,” he said. “First of all, they’re costing us a fortune. But we’re starting with the criminals, and we’ve got to do it. And then we’re starting with the others, and we’re going to see how it goes.” But he said he would attempt to work with Democratic lawmakers to exempt so-called “dreamers” from deportation, young children who were brought into the U.S. illegally by their parents and have little connection to their native countries. He also said he will attempt to end birthright citizenship in the U.S., now embedded in the country’s Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil regardless of the legality of their parents being in the U.S. Trump said he would keep a campaign promise to levy tariffs on imports from America’s biggest trading partners, including China, Mexico and Canada. He acknowledged that he could not “guarantee American families won’t pay more” as a result of his plan. “I can’t guarantee anything,” Trump said. “I can’t guarantee tomorrow.” He said he is actively trying to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, “if I can.” He said Kyiv may not get as much military assistance under his administration as it has under Biden. During a political debate in September, Trump declined to say he wants Ukraine to win the war. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-sweeping-changes-starting-on-1st-day-he-takes-office-/7891797.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-sweeping-changes-starting-on-1st-day-he-takes-office-/7891797.html Sun, 08 Dec 2024 14:57:37 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) U.S. senators will soon be weighing in on President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks. With many of the choices facing questions about their beliefs and qualifications, the confirmation process could look different this time. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. https://www.voanews.com/a/us-senate-weighs-trump-cabinet-selections-/7888914.html https://www.voanews.com/a/us-senate-weighs-trump-cabinet-selections-/7888914.html Thu, 05 Dec 2024 16:15:01 -0500 2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Katherine Gypson) In India, there are expectations that strategic ties with the United States will deepen during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. But New Delhi is bracing for pressure on trade ties with its biggest trading partner. From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha reports. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-s-geopolitics-could-favor-india-but-trade-ties-may-face-turbulence/7882501.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-s-geopolitics-could-favor-india-but-trade-ties-may-face-turbulence/7882501.html Sat, 30 Nov 2024 11:06:24 -0500 2024 US ElectionUSASouth & Central Asiawebdesk@voanews.com (Anjana Pasricha) Since 2004, former New York Times editor and now artist Sheryl Oring has been giving Americans a chance to speak their truth to the world. Dressed in 1950s secretary attire, she invites the public to speak their mind and records it on her vintage typewriter as part of a project called, “I Wish To Say.” Elena Wolf has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vladimir Badikov https://www.voanews.com/a/manhattan-artist-invites-americans-to-write-postcards-to-us-president/7880132.html https://www.voanews.com/a/manhattan-artist-invites-americans-to-write-postcards-to-us-president/7880132.html Thu, 28 Nov 2024 09:47:36 -0500 USAArts & Culture2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Elena Wolf) WASHINGTON — Several of Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees and appointees were targeted with "violent threats," including bomb threats and "swatting," a spokesperson for the U.S. president-elect said Wednesday. The threats were made Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and law enforcement and authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those targeted, spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. Leavitt did not say who was targeted, and she did not elaborate on the nature of the apparent threats. Spokespeople for the FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Leavitt said the attacks "ranged from bomb threats to 'swatting'" — when a false crime is reported to induce a heavy, armed police response at someone's home. https://www.voanews.com/a/cabinet-nominees-targeted-with-threats-trump-spokesperson-says/7879040.html https://www.voanews.com/a/cabinet-nominees-targeted-with-threats-trump-spokesperson-says/7879040.html Wed, 27 Nov 2024 12:16:24 -0500 USA2024 US Electionwebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) President-elect Donald Trump says he intends to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy disagrees with much of the scientific community on subjects including vaccines and HIV/AIDS. VOA’s Anita Powell has our story. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-picks-vaccine-skeptic-to-lead-top-us-public-health-department/7878762.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-picks-vaccine-skeptic-to-lead-top-us-public-health-department/7878762.html Wed, 27 Nov 2024 09:41:15 -0500 2024 US ElectionUSAScience & Healthwebdesk@voanews.com (Anita Powell) U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced a set of economic advisers he wants to appoint for his administration, including international trade attorney Jamieson Greer as his pick to be the U.S. trade representative. Greer served in Trump’s first administration as the chief of staff to the trade representative, and Trump said Tuesday that Greer played a key role in both imposing tariffs on China and in the creation of a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico. Trump said Kevin Hassett is his choice to lead the White House National Economic Council. Hassett led the Council of Economic Advisers during Trump’s previous term. Trump said in the new role, Hassett would work to “renew and improve” a set of tax cuts implemented in 2017 and “will play an important role in helping American families recover from the inflation that was unleashed by the Biden Administration.” Trump also announced Tuesday several health-related nominees, including his choice of health economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya was a sharp critic of lockdowns and vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump said Bhattacharya will work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives.” “Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America’s biggest Health challenges, including our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease," Trump said. Another nomination announced Tuesday was Trump’s pick of former HHS official Jim O’Neill to serve as the agency’s deputy secretary. Trump also said he was nominating private investor John Phelan to serve as secretary of the Navy. Earlier Tuesday, Trump’s transition team announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Biden administration about the process of starting to work with federal agencies. A statement from Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, said, “This engagement allows our intended Cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power.” Wiles’ announcement said the transition will use only private funding, and the donors will be disclosed to the public. The Trump-Vance transition team will not use government offices or technology, Wiles said. She added that the transition has an existing ethics plan and “security and information protections built in, which means we will not require additional government and bureaucratic oversight.” The signing of the MOU means that teams from the transition will “quickly integrate directly into federal agencies and departments with access to documents and policy sharing,” Wiles’ announcement said. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-announces-picks-for-economic-health-posts/7878439.html https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-announces-picks-for-economic-health-posts/7878439.html Wed, 27 Nov 2024 01:02:31 -0500 2024 US ElectionUSAwebdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)