Author: PolitCens

Washington — The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down an agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. 

Russell Vought, the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget, directed the CFPB, in a Saturday night email confirmed by The Associated Press, to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama pushed to include it in the 2010 financial reform legislation that followed the 2007-2008 financial crisis. 

The email also ordered the bureau to “cease all supervision and examination activity.” 

Since the CFPB is a creation of Congress, it would require a separate act of Congress to formally eliminate it. But the head of the agency has discretion over what enforcement actions to take, if any. 

Yet Elon Musk commented, “CFPB RIP” on social media site X on Friday. And the CFPB homepage on the Internet was down Sunday, replaced by a message reading “page not found.” 

Also late Saturday, Vought said in a social media post that the CFPB would not withdraw its next round of funding from the Federal Reserve, adding that its current reserves of $711.6 million are “excessive.” Congress directed the bureau to be funded by the Fed to insulate it from political pressures. 

“This spigot, long contributing to CFPB’s unaccountability, is now being turned off,” Vought said on X. 

The CFPB says that it has obtained nearly $20 billion in financial relief for U.S. consumers since its founding in the form of canceled debts, compensation, and reduced loans. Last month, the bureau sued Capital One for allegedly misleading consumers about its offerings for high-interest savings accounts — and “cheating” customers out of more than $2 billion in lost interest payments as a result. 

Dennis Kelleher, president of Better Markets, an advocacy group, said, “that’s why Wall Street’s biggest banks and Trump’s billionaire allies hate the bureau: it’s an effective cop on the finance beat and has stood side-by-side with hundreds of millions of Americans — Republicans and Democrats — battling financial predators, scammers, and crooks.” 

The administration’s move against the CFPB also highlights the tensions between Trump’s more populist promises to lower costs for working-class families and his pledge to reduce government regulation. 

During the campaign, Trump said he would cap credit card interest rates at 10%, after they had soared to record levels above 20%, on average, as the Federal Reserve lifted interest rates in 2022 and 2023. The CFPB had started work on how that proposal would be implemented. 

The bureau can still take complaints, but it can’t conduct exams or pursue existing investigations, according to a person familiar with the agency who insisted on anonymity to discuss CFPB business. The memo is also interpreted as blocking it from communicating with companies it regulates, consumer advocates or other outside groups. 

Musk’s team would also have access to complaints, investigations and regulatory oversight data. The access raises uncomfortable questions if Musk’s company X launches a payments system as the CFPB has data on competitors such as Cash App, the person said. 

Vought’s email follows a similar directive from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Feb. 3 and is the latest move by the Trump administration to rapidly curtail the work of federal agencies that they have deemed excessive. 

Obama spearheaded the creation of the bureau in the wake of the 2007-2008 housing bubble and financial crisis, which was caused in part by fraudulent mortgage lending. It was the brainchild of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and has attracted lawsuits from large banks and financial industry trade associations. 

“Vought is giving big banks and giant corporations the green light to scam families,” Warren said. 

Last week, Warren called on Trump to work with the bureau to protect Americans from de-banking, the practice of banks shutting down customer accounts because they believe they pose financial, legal or reputational risks to the banks. 

Vought’s email said that President Donald Trump had made him acting director of the CFPB on Friday. Trump fired the previous director of the bureau, Rohit Chopra, on Feb. 1. Vought was an architect of Project 2025, a policy blueprint for the Trump White House that Trump tried to disavow during last year’s campaign. 

Under Chopra, the CFPB approved rules to cap overdraft fees by banks, limit junk fees, and has proposed restrictions on data brokers selling personal information such as Social Security numbers. 
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NEW YORK — Thinking about backyard chickens as egg prices soar? Think hard, especially in light of the bird flu outbreak.

Keeping home chickens as a pastime has continued to grow since the pandemic. But if eggs are the goal, remember that it takes planning and investment to raise the chickens and protect against bird flu. Costs might go well beyond the nationwide average of $4.15 a dozen that commercial eggs sold for in December.

“Anyone who’s done an ounce of research will very quickly understand that there are no free eggs, there are no inexpensive eggs in keeping chickens,” said Kathy Shea Mormino, a home chicken blogger and author who has about 50 of the birds at her Suffield, Connecticut, home.

“You’re going to pay more, particularly in your first several years, in your setup and in your birds. And there’s a huge learning curve on how to care for animals that are really unusual pets,” said Mormino, who has kept chickens for 15 years and calls herself the Chicken Chick.

Costs vary wildly, from about $200 to $2,000 for a coop alone. Feeders and waterers range from about $8 to $50 or more, depending on the size and type.

Bird flu has forced farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, contributing (along with inflation) to the steep price of commercial eggs and resulting in some scantily stocked stores around the country. The scarcity and high prices are causing some to look for a backyard alternative.

“We’ve seen a real uptick in calls recently from people wanting to start their own backyard flocks. With the egg shortages at grocery stores, many are excited about the idea of raising chickens and taking steps toward sustainability,” said Matthew Aversa, a co-owner of Winding Branch Ranch, a nonprofit sanctuary and farm animal rescue outside San Antonio.

“We adopt out whole flocks. We’re receiving at least a dozen inquiries per week,” he said.

Kate Perz, the animal science coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, New York, said that unlike other pandemic pastimes, raising home chickens has only grown.

“It’s not always cost-effective,” she said. “You have to really look at how many eggs you’re eating and what the cost of those are versus what you would be spending.”

There are other reasons, of course, to keep chickens at home, not the least of which is the sheer joy of their presence. Mormino and other “chickeneers,” as she calls home enthusiasts, have a coop full of tips on how to get started.

Tend to legal matters

You may be ready to dive right in. Your town may not. Mormino, who wrote The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens, said the first thing to consider is whether chickens are right for you. After that, don’t assume your county, town or city will allow it.

Look up zoning and building codes yourself if you feel capable. Otherwise, consult an attorney who specializes in municipal law in your area.

Don’t rely on word of mouth or even a town worker to know the ins and outs. Is a building permit required to build a coop? Are roosters banned under noise ordinances? Sometimes, zoning codes are silent on the subject. Don’t assume that’s a green light. Many codes are “permissive use” regulations, Mormino said, essentially meaning that if the code doesn’t say you’re permitted, you’re not!

If chicken-keeping is allowed, is there a limit on how many birds? Are there restrictions on where a coop can be built in relation to neighboring property lines. Most homeowners associations have rules on animal keeping.

Mormino lives in a farming town and had a neighbor who kept three horses and a small flock of chickens, so she assumed they were legal. They weren’t. She called the town clerk’s office to ask whether a building permit was required to build a coop and was told it wasn’t. It was.

In the end, she successfully defended a lawsuit against her (she’s an attorney) and prevailed in a long battle to amend the law, legalizing backyard chickens in her town.

What about bird flu?

Bird flu is highly contagious. It spreads mostly by migrating waterfowl in their droppings. Chickens are far from immune if they spend any time free ranging or in a run without protection from wild fowl droppings.

“There’s a limited number of things that we can do because our birds live where wildlife live,” Mormino said. “People need to know if they have a bird or birds that die suddenly from some of the symptoms, they need to contact the USDA to get the postmortem exam and the birds tested for bird flu.”

Don’t bring sick birds into the house for care. That raises the risk of transmission to humans. Once the virus is confirmed, the entire flock needs to be euthanized, she and Perz said.

Symptoms of bird flu include: sudden death without any clinical signs; swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles or hocks; diarrhea; stumbling or falling down; decreased egg production and/or soft-shelled or misshapen eggs; and coughing and sneezing.

Don’t feed any wildlife in areas where your chickens dwell or roam. Wash hands thoroughly after tending to chickens and dedicate a pair of shoes or boots strictly for use around them.

“The biggest mistake backyard chickeneers make is to bring new chickens into their flock that have lived someplace else. That’s the fastest way to bring disease into your chicken yard,” Mormino said.

Consider your costs

Sarah Penny has turned her 7,000-square-foot home lot in Knoxville, Tennessee, into a beautiful garden and chicken home. She has nine birds and grows more than half the food she and her 13-year-old son eat.

She’s had chickens since 2021 and estimates her startup costs at about $2,500.

Monthly costs vary based on what chickens are fed and how coops are kept. Penny, for instance, uses the deep litter method and composts from her coop, meaning she’s not mucking out her coop more than twice a year.

“But the cost of starting with backyard chickens is definitely quite expensive. I don’t know if a lot of people know that,” Penny said.

Her coop alone, which her family built themselves, cost about $2,000. It had to be outfitted to keep predators out, including rats that tunnel under the ground.

Many people start with buying hatchlings, which just got more expensive to ship via the U.S. Postal Service due to new fees. Raising hatchlings requires a chick brooder involving a separate enclosure, heat lamp, feeders and other supplies.

Penny buys a bag of feed every two weeks for $15 to $20 a bag. There’s also the cost of calcium, such as oyster shells, and grit to aid digestion if chickens are not free-ranging or getting those elements in their feed.

She estimates her monthly costs at about $60, saving a bit by also feeding her chickens healthy human leftovers. She’s careful not to include foods that are toxic for chickens, including onions, potatoes and avocados.

It’s all worth it to Penny.

“We eat a lot of eggs,” she said. “We probably go through a dozen every two days. We bake a lot. We’re an ingredient household, so the majority of our food is cooked from scratch. Eggs are a main staple for our breakfast.”
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The Petersen family’s two-bedroom apartment in northern California is starting to feel small. 

Four-year-old Jerrik’s toy monster trucks are everywhere in the 1,100-square-foot unit in Campbell, just outside of San Jose. And it’s only a matter of time before 9-month-old Carolynn starts amassing more toys, adding to the disarray, said her mother, Jenn Petersen. 

The 42-year-old chiropractor had hoped she and her husband, Steve, a 39-year-old dental hygienist, would have bought a house by now. But when they can afford a bigger place, it will have to be another rental. Petersen has done the math: With mortgage rates and home prices stubbornly high, there’s no way the couple, who make about $270,000 a year and pay about $2,500 in monthly rent, can afford a home anywhere in their area. 

According to October data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, a San Jose family with a median income of $156,700 would need to spend 80% of their income on housing — including an $8,600 monthly mortgage payment — to own a median-priced $1.54 million home. That’s far higher than the general rule of thumb that people should pay no more than 30% of their income on a mortgage or rent. 

Moving out of state is out of the question for the Petersens — they have strong family ties to the area and their income would plummet if they move to a lower cost-of-living area. “I’m not willing to give up my job and close connections with my family for a house,” Petersen said. 

The issue is widespread and near historic highs nationally: As of last fall, the median homeowner in the U.S. was paying 42% of their income on homeownership costs, according to the Atlanta Fed. Four years ago, that percentage was 28% and had not previously reached 38% since late 2007, just before the housing market crash. 

“The American dream, as our parents knew it, doesn’t exist anymore,” Petersen said. “The whole idea that you get a house after you graduate college, get a steady job and get married? I’ve done most of those milestones. But the homeownership part? That just doesn’t fit financially.” 

Supply lags demand

First-time homeowners are getting older. The same is true for an increasing number of American families. 

In 2024, the median first-time homebuyer was 38 years old, a jump from age 35 the previous year, according to a recent report by the National Association of Realtors. That’s significantly above historic norms, when median first-time buyers hovered between 30 and 32 years old from 1993 to 2018. 

The biggest driver of this trend, experts said, is simple: There are far too few houses on the market to match pent-up demand, driving prices past the point of affordability for many people who are relatively early in their careers. Coupled with high mortgage rates, many have concluded that renting is their only option. 

“Wage growth hasn’t kept up with the increase in home prices and interest rates,” said Domonic Purviance, who studies housing at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. “Even though people are making more money, home prices are increasing at a faster rate.” 

That gap has left many out of the housing market, which for generations has been a way for Americans to build equity and wealth that they can pass down or leverage to buy a larger home. It’s also led to widespread worries about housing in the United States. About 7 in 10 voters under age 45 said they were “very” concerned about the cost of housing in their community, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters in the 2024 election. 

Is the dream going to fade? 

Brian McCabe, a sociology professor at Georgetown University, said he frequently tells his students that “there are few things that all Americans agree on, but one of them is that they’d rather own a home than rent.” 

McCabe said homeownership, especially as a wealth-building tool, is the right move for many, especially if the owner intends to be in one place for a long time. But he also said many are realizing that not owning a home has its advantages, too — it gives people more flexibility to move and allows them to live in exciting neighborhoods they would not be able to afford to buy property in. 

McCabe said millennials are getting married later, having children later, have a stronger desire to stay in cities and, especially due to remote work, value the flexibility of being able to move with ease — all of which he said could prompt an end to the notion that homeownership is the “apex of the American dream.” 

“The big question is whether we see the sheen of homeownership start to fade,” McCabe said. “It’s such an interesting cultural marker: Why is owning a home the pinnacle for so many people?” 

It’s a question Petersen wrestles with because she knows any three-bedroom home she found in her area would leave her family “house poor.” 

“I used to subscribe to the idea that owning a house is just a natural milestone you have to reach,” she said. “At some point, though, what are you sacrificing by just owning a house and gaining equity? I want to be able to travel with my kids. I want to be able to sign them up for extracurriculars. How are we supposed to do that if we’re paying a mortgage that’s most of our take-home pay?” 

Petersen said she’ll “always hold out a little bit of hope” that homeownership will be in her family’s future. But if they find a townhouse to rent that has space for her kids and fits within their $3,600 monthly rental budget? 

“I’d take that,” she said. 

Cities offer support

Some cities are providing crucial aid to first-time homebuyers 

Lifelong Boston resident Julieta Lopez, 63, spent decades hoping to buy a home but watched as prices became increasingly out of reach. 

“The prices in Boston just got higher and higher and higher and higher,” said Lopez, who works for the city traffic department issuing tickets for parking violations. 

Two years ago, furious to learn that her subsidized apartment’s monthly rent was being hiked to $2,900, Lopez, who earns about $60,000 annually, took out her phone and began searching for government programs that help first-time homebuyers. She was determined to finally own her own place. 

Within months, she had succeeded. Lopez qualified to receive $50,000 from the local Massachusetts Affordable Homeownership Alliance nonprofit and another $50,000 from the city of Boston’s Office of Housing — funds that helped her with a down payment on the $430,000 two-bedroom condominium she shares with her 30-year-old son. She now pays about $2,160 a month on her mortgage.

Lopez knows she is lucky the city has placed such a focus on aiding first-time buyers like herself — Boston has poured more than $24 million into its homeownership assistance programs since Mayor Michelle Wu took office in 2021, helping nearly 700 residents get their first homes. 

But Lopez also feels proud to have her own place after years of working — doing jobs that included everything from telecommunications to health care to electronics. 

“I was determined to have my piece of the pie,” she said. “I felt I deserved that. I’ve always worked. Always. Nonstop.” 
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TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed optimism on Sunday that his country could avoid higher U.S. tariffs, saying President Donald Trump had recognized Japan’s huge investment in the U.S. and the American jobs that it creates.

At his first White House summit on Friday, Ishiba told public broadcaster NHK, he explained to Trump how many Japanese automakers were creating jobs in the United States.

The two did not specifically discuss auto tariffs, Ishiba said, although he said he did not know whether Japan would be subject to the reciprocal tariffs that Trump has said he plans to impose on imports.

Tokyo has so far escaped the trade war Trump unleashed in his first weeks in office. He has announced tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China, although he postponed the 25% duties on his North American neighbors to allow for talks.

The escalating trade tensions since Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20 threaten to rupture the global economy.

Ishiba said he believes Trump “recognized the fact Japan has been the world’s largest investor in the United States for five straight years and is therefore different from other countries.”

“Japan is creating many U.S. jobs. I believe (Washington) won’t go straight to the idea of higher tariffs,” he said.

Ishiba voiced optimism that Japan and the U.S. can avoid a tit-for-tat tariff war, stressing that tariffs should be put in place in a way that “benefits both sides.”

“Any action that exploits or excludes the other side won’t last,” Ishiba said. “The question is whether there is any problem between Japan and the United States that warrants imposing higher tariffs,” he added. 

Japan had the highest foreign direct investment in the United States in 2023 at $783.3 billion, followed by Canada and Germany, according to the most recent U.S. Commerce Department data.

Trump pressed Ishiba to close Japan’s $68.5 billion annual trade surplus with Washington but expressed optimism this could be done quickly, given a promise by Ishiba to bring Japanese investment in the U.S. to $1 trillion.

On Sunday, Ishiba identified liquefied natural gas, steel, AI and autos as areas that Japanese companies could invest in.

He also touched on Trump’s promise to look at Nippon Steel investing in U.S. Steel as opposed to buying the storied American company, a planned purchase opposed by Trump and blocked by his predecessor, Joe Biden.

“Investment is being made to ensure that it remains an American company. It will continue to operate under American management, with American employees,” Ishiba said. “The key point is how to ensure it remains an American company. From President Trump’s perspective, this is of utmost importance.”

On military spending, another area where Trump has pressed allies for increases, Ishiba said Japan would not increase its defense budget without first winning public backing.

“It is crucial to ensure that what is deemed necessary is something the taxpayers can understand and support,” he said. 
…

Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

Historical precedent, legal questions swirl around Trump plan to detain migrants at Guantanamo

The Trump administration’s expansion of migrant detention facilities, notably its use of the U.S. naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has reignited debate among human rights advocates and legal experts. VOA’s immigration Aline Barros reports.

What is birthright citizenship?

President Donald Trump is reigniting a fierce debate: Should everyone born on U.S. soil automatically become a citizen? This question strikes at the heart of American identity, history and law. Trump signed an executive order last month seeking to end the right, but two federal judges have placed injunctions on the order, pausing it indefinitely. Here’s what you need to know about birthright citizenship.

Rubio visiting Costa Rica, Guatemala on trip focused on migration, security ties

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Tuesday with officials in Costa Rica and later in Guatemala as part of a tour of Latin America focused on migration, security cooperation and countering Chinese influence in the region. Rubio was in El Salvador for talks Monday with President Nayib Bukele, and he announced that Bukele had offered to accept any deportees from the United States, regardless of their nationality. Reported by VOA’s State Department Correspondent Nike Ching.

California city breaks with state on shielding undocumented migrants

U.S. Border Patrol agents are detaining undocumented migrants as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Many of those arrests have been in California, where one city is trying to break with the state and cooperate with federal immigration agencies. Genia Dulot reports from Huntington Beach.

10 ‘high-threat illegal aliens’ arrive at Guantanamo Bay

The first undocumented migrants — described by U.S. officials as the “the worst of the worst” — are being held in jail cells at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, waiting to be sent home. The Pentagon on Wednesday confirmed 10 “high-threat illegal aliens” arrived Tuesday at the detention facility, where they are being held under the watch of officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Carla Babb, VOA’s Pentagon correspondent, and Jeff Seldin, VOA’s national security correspondent, report.

Trump’s birthright citizenship order put on hold by 2nd federal judge

A U.S. federal judge ordered a second temporary pause Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for anyone born in the United States to someone in the country illegally. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman said no court in the country has endorsed the Trump administration’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment. “This court will not be the first,” she said. The Associated Press reports.

Trump administration moves to end deportation protections for 348,000 Venezuelans

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday moved to remove protection against deportation from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S., part of President Donald Trump’s expanding immigration crackdown. The decision means about 348,000 Venezuelans with Temporary Protected Status, more than half of all Venezuelans in the program, could be deported and lose work permits in April, according to a government notice. The notice said the protections were contrary to U.S. interests and no longer justified by conditions in Venezuela. Reuters reports.

Afghan refugees in California seek clarity amid illegal immigration crackdowns

Afghan refugees in the United States are expressing concern about their status as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration. In California, immigration lawyers are stepping in to address these concerns and clarify the potential effects on their status. Fahim Sediqi reports from Sacramento, California, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.

Immigration around the world

Darfuri women face sexual violence in war, refuge

Aid groups say sexual violence is a constant threat for women in Sudan’s Darfur, but refugees also say it’s a problem for those who have fled the region. Reporting from a refugee camp on Chad’s border with Darfur, Henry Wilkins looks at the phenomenon of “firewood rape.” Camera: Henry Wilkins.

US deportation flight carrying undocumented Indian migrants lands in Punjab

A U.S. deportation flight carrying Indian nationals accused of entering the U.S. illegally landed in the northern state of Punjab on Wednesday – the first such flight to India since the Trump administration launched a crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The military aircraft, which landed amid tight security, brought 104 deportees, according to media reports. Authorities did not confirm the number, but said the deportees will be received in a friendly manner. Anjana Pasricha reports for VOA from New Delhi, India.

News Brief

A South Texas man was sentenced for conspiring to smuggle undocumented immigrants, resulting in multiple deaths.
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Ukrainians Yevhenia and Kostiantyn Mukhin fled Kherson in 2022 with nothing but a backpack. They made their way to Denver, Colorado, determined to rebuild their lives, but also to spread the joy of Ukrainian culture. Svitlana Prystynska reports the story narrated by Anna Rice.
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CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in developing the mining sector in Africa. On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order focusing on minerals, mineral extraction, and mineral processing.

“Mainly in the United States but if you read closely there are also multiple references in that executive order to international partnerships and you know, cooperating with partner nations,” said Scott Woodard, the acting deputy assistant secretary of state for energy transformation at the U.S. State Department.

Woodard spoke at a recent African mining conference — also known as an indaba — in Cape Town, South Africa.

Moderator Zainab Usman, director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, asked Woodard whether the U.S. understands that in addition to mineral extraction, Africans want projects that add value to the raw material in order to boost the continent’s industrialization.

Woodard replied that the Trump administration is still putting together its policies.

In recent years, America’s investment in the African minerals needed for cleaner energy has been driven by the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

In 2022, the U.S. entered into agreements with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to establish a supply chain for electric vehicle batteries, underscoring its interest in both countries’ copper, lithium and cobalt resources.

The U.S. also has funded the rebuilding of the Lobito Rail Corridor, which will transport minerals from Congo, Zambia and Angola on the west coast.

Speaking in the exhibition hall during the indaba, Zambia’s minister of transport and logistics, Frank Tayali, thanked the U.S. for its leadership.

“We have something like a $350 billion gap in terms of infrastructure gap financing that the continent needs,” said Tayali. “Now this focus on infrastructure development is really key in helping the African economies to be able to improve so that they are able to look after their people more effectively.”

China, meanwhile, is invested in rehabilitating the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority — known as TAZARA — to bolster rail and sea transport in East Africa.

And in South Africa, the conference’s host country, transport and logistics problems at the state-owned Transnet railway system are being considered.

“The CEO of Transnet is very open about the state of the rail network,” said Allan Seccombe, head of communications at the Minerals Council of South Africa. ” … it needs a lot of work.”

How will they raise the money?

“They are going out on public tenders to try and get that investment in,” said Allan Seccombe, head of communications at the Minerals Council of South Africa. “Also, significantly they’re speaking to their customers who are by and large, large mining companies to maybe through tariffs they can invest in the rail network, improve it, then have private trains they can operate on the network.”
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CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — Groups representing some of South Africa’s white minority responded Saturday to a plan by President Donald Trump to offer them refugee status and resettlement in the United States by saying: thanks, but no thanks.

The plan was detailed in an executive order Trump signed Friday that stopped all aid and financial assistance to South Africa as punishment for what the Trump administration said were “rights violations” by the government against some of its white citizens.

The Trump administration accused the South African government of allowing violent attacks on white Afrikaner farmers and introducing a land expropriation law that enables it to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.”

The South African government has denied there are any concerted attacks on white farmers and has said that Trump’s description of the new land law is full of misinformation and distortions.

On Saturday, two of the most prominent groups representing Afrikaners said they would not be taking up Trump’s offer of resettlement in the U.S.

“Our members work here, and want to stay here, and they are going to stay here,” said Dirk Hermann, chief executive of the Afrikaner trade union Solidarity, which says it represents about 2 million people. “We are committed to build a future here. We are not going anywhere.”

At the same news conference, Kallie Kriel, the CEO of the Afrikaner lobby group AfriForum, said: “We have to state categorically: We don’t want to move elsewhere.”

Trump’s move to sanction South Africa, a key U.S. trading partner in Africa, came after he and his South African-born adviser Elon Musk accused its Black leadership of having an anti-white stance. But the portrayal of Afrikaners as a downtrodden group that needed to be saved would surprise most South Africans.

“It is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the U.S. for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged,” South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said.

There was “a campaign of misinformation and propaganda” aimed at South Africa, the ministry said.

Whites in South Africa still generally have a much better standard of living than Blacks more than 30 years after the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. Despite being a small minority, whites still own about 70% of South Africa’s private farmland. A study in 2021 by the South Africa Human Rights Commission said 1% of whites were living in poverty compared with 64% of Blacks.

Trump’s action against South Africa has given international attention to a sentiment among some white South Africans that they are being discriminated against as a form of payback for apartheid. The leaders of the apartheid government were Afrikaners.

Solidarity, AfriForum and others are strongly opposed to the new land expropriation law, saying it will target land owned by whites who have worked to develop that land for years. They also say an equally contentious language law that’s recently been passed seeks to remove or limit their Afrikaans language in schools, while they have often criticized South Africa’s affirmative action policies in business that promote the interests of Blacks as racist laws.

“This government is allowing a certain section of the population to be targeted,” said AfriForum’s Kriel, who thanked Trump for raising the case of Afrikaners.

The South African government says the laws that have been criticized are aimed at the incredibly difficult task of redressing the wrongs of colonialism and then nearly a half-century of apartheid, when Blacks were stripped of their land and almost all their rights.
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BANGKOK — The head of a Thai parliamentary committee that oversees border affairs and refugee camp officials told VOA the suspension by the United States of refugee admissions has halted a resettlement deal the U.S. struck with Thailand last year to take in thousands of Myanmar families.

About 90,000 refugees from Myanmar are in Thailand in a string of nine sealed-off camps along the countries’ shared border. Some have lived in the camps since the mid-1980s, fleeing decades of fighting between Myanmar’s military and ethnic-minority rebel groups vying for autonomy. Most are ethnic minority Karen.

After more than a year of talks and planning, the United States agreed to start taking in some of the refugees last year, although the U.S. State Department would not say how many of them might resettle. However, Thai lawmaker Rangsiman Rome, and an aid worker previously told VOA that local United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees staff told them in 2023 that it could be up to 10,000 per year, a claim the U.N. would not confirm or deny.

The first groups of 25 families left the camps for the United States in July.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that during the previous four years — the term of former President Joe Biden — “the United States has been inundated with record levels of migration, including through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program,” and he suspended the program by executive order Jan. 20, effective a week later.

The administration is allowing only case-by-case exceptions, “until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.”

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok declined to comment to VOA on the order’s impact on the resettlement deal the United States and Thailand struck last year.

Asked about the deal’s fate, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA it was “coordinating with implementing partners to suspend refugee arrivals to the United States” and refused further comment.

Rangsiman, who chairs the Thai House of Representatives National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy and National Reform Committee, which monitors the refugee camps, confirmed Friday that Trump’s order has put a stop to the deal, at least for the time being.

“We are aware that the deal is on hold but still waiting for updates from related departments if this deal can be renegotiated,” he told VOA.

Officials and spokespersons for the Thai government and ministries involved in managing the deal either refused to speak with VOA or did not reply to requests for comment.

Camp administrators told VOA that all work vetting and preparing the refugees in the camps for resettlement to the U.S., including interviews and medical checks, has stopped since the White House order.

“After the 20th, after the announcement, everything stopped,” said Nido, who goes by one name, the vice chairman of the committee managing day-to-day operations at the Umpiem camp in Tak province.

“On the 27th, many people from the camp had to go for their second vaccination. The doctors and nurses were there already preparing to vaccinate. But when the people arrived, they said there were some changes, so they had to stop the vaccination process. They told the people they will have to stop this process for a while, but they could not say for how long,” he said. “The interviews, the vaccinations — they had to stop it.”

Bweh Say, secretary of the Karen Refugee Committee that oversees the individual camp committees, said he was told by UNHCR staff that resettlement work was on hold across all the camps.

“Some of their staff, when we sit together, we talk together … they said [it has] stopped,” he said.

The UNHCR has been helping Thailand and the United States run the resettlement program, but it refused to comment to VOA on the impact of the suspension of the U.S. refugee admissions program, USRAP.

Camp officials and refugee advocates say the deal between Thailand and the U.S. was the only foreseeable chance in the near term for thousands of families to have a future other than as permanent refugees.

The Myanmar military’s overthrow of a democratically elected government in 2021 amplified violence in the country, setting off a civil war that has killed thousands of civilians.

Thailand itself will not allow the refugees to settle outside the camps and mostly denies them the chance to work or study outside the camps legally. Aid and advocacy groups that work with the refugees have described rising despair, drug abuse and violence.

No other country besides the United States has taken up Thailand’s call to resettle the refugees in large numbers.

“This [deal] is very important for the refugees. Some of us have been staying in the camps for decades — two or almost three. Children have been born here,” said Nido, a refugee himself who fled Myanmar nearly 20 years ago.

“The situation in Myanmar now is very terrible,” he said. “A lot of conflict and fighting. It’s not possible to go back. It’s also not possible to be recognized as a Thai national or to get Thai ID, and when you’re stateless, it is very hard to move around or find work.”

Inside the camps, jobs are hard to come by except for running a small shop or working with an aid group for a modest stipend. Schools are barred from teaching the Thai curriculum or language, leaving little chance for a higher education. Monthly food allowances, funded by international donors, barely keep pace with inflation.

Since Trump took office, the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development also has compelled the clinics it was funding across the camps to close, forcing the refugees onto Thailand’s own public health care system. The Thai government has vowed to plug the gap, but media reports say it is struggling.

Some critics say the USAID programs are wasteful and promote an agenda that fosters dependence without addressing the root of the problem. A Justice Department official, Brett Shumate, said Friday, “The president has decided there is corruption and fraud at USAID,” although he did not detail the alleged mismanagement.

“If they could return [to Myanmar], if the situation [were] safe, of course everyone would want to return to their homes. But since it is impossible, then resettlement is one of their first options,” said Wahkushee Tenner, a former refugee from the camps who now runs the Karen Peace Support Network, a nongovernment group based in Thailand that advocates for the Karen.

“Resettlement is not the best option,” she said, “but there is no best … option.”
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NEW YORK — A violin made in 1714 by the legendary luthier Antonio Stradivari sold for $11.3 million at an auction in New York on Friday, short of estimates that would have made it the most expensive instrument ever sold. 

Sotheby’s auction house had estimated that the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” violin could sell for between $12 million and $18 million, with the higher end of the range potentially eclipsing the record-breaking $15.9 million someone paid for another Stradivari violin at auction more than a decade ago. 

The “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” is regarded as one of Stradivari’s best works, built during his “Golden Period” at the height of his craftsmanship and acoustic mastery, according to the auction house. 

Adding to the intrigue, the violin is believed to have influenced legendary composer Johannes Brahms when he wrote the famed “Violin Concerto in D Major” and was actually played during the concerto’s 1879 premiere. 

“This extraordinary violin represents the pinnacle of craftsmanship and classical music history, its unparalleled sound and storied provenance captivating collectors and musicians alike,” Mari-Claudia Jimenez, chair at Sotheby’s. “The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius garnered global attention, achieving one of the highest prices ever for a musical instrument — an acknowledgment of its rarity and historical importance.” 

$2M increase in seconds

Bidding at Sotheby’s began at $8 million and within seconds shot up to $10 million, as auctioneer Phyllis Kao scanned the room, looking for someone to put up $10.5 million. 

“Am I selling? At $10 million,” she said, looking to potential bidders. 

The room was quiet. 

“Last chance, at $10 million,” she said. “I can sell, and I will, at $10 million, unless you go on.” 

“Sold. $10 million,” she said, banging a gavel. 

The final price includes auction house fees. 

Sale funds scholarships

The name of the instrument comes from two of its famous violin virtuoso owners, Joseph Joachim of Hungary and Si-Hon Ma of China. Ma’s estate gifted the violin to the New England Conservatory in Boston after his death. 

The conservatory will use the proceeds to fund student scholarships. 

“The sale is transformational for future students, and proceeds will establish the largest named endowed scholarship at New England Conservatory,” said Andrea Kalyn, president of New England Conservatory. “It has been an honor to have the Joachim-Ma Stradivari on campus, and we are eager to watch its legacy continue on the world stage.” 
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JUNEAU, ALASKA — The Alaska Legislature passed a resolution Friday urging President Donald Trump to reverse course and retain the name of North America’s tallest peak as Denali rather than change it to Mount McKinley.

Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley, an identifier inspired by President William McKinley, who was from Ohio and never set foot in Alaska.

He said he planned to “restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent.”

The 19-0 vote in the state Senate came just over a week after the House passed the measure 31-8.

The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Maxine Dibert, a Democrat who is Koyukon Athabascan. Members of that tribe bestowed the name Denali, or “the high one,” on the mountain in interior Alaska.

“Denali is more than a mountain,” Dibert of Fairbanks said in a news release. “It’s a cornerstone of Alaska’s history, a tribute to our diverse culture and a testament to the people who have cherished this land for millennia.”

The Interior Department late last month announced efforts were underway to implement Trump’s renaming order, even though state leaders haven’t seen the matter as settled. An Interior spokesperson, J. Elizabeth Peace, earlier this week said the agency did not have any further updates.

According to the National Park Service, a prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak Mount McKinley for William McKinley, who was elected president that year. Although there were challenges to the McKinley name at the time it was announced, maps had already been circulated with the mountain’s name in place.

The name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until it was changed in 2015 by the Obama administration to Denali.

The name change reflected the traditions of Alaska Natives and the preference of many Alaskans, underscored by a push by state leaders decades earlier. The 6,190-meter mountain in Denali National Park and Preserve on clear days can be see from hundreds of kilometers away.

“Denali is the name of our mountain; a name of great importance to Alaska Natives and everyone across our state,” House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, an independent from Dillingham, said in the news release. “It is clear from the bipartisan support in the legislature that Alaskans should decide.”
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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met at the White House on Friday, declaring a “new golden age” for US-Japan ties. The visit came amid Trump’s early foreign policy moves that have rattled allies and adversaries alike. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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Nineteen Democratic attorneys general sued President Donald Trump on Friday to stop Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records that contain sensitive personal data such as Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans.

The case, filed in federal court in New York City, alleges the Trump administration allowed Musk’s team access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system in violation of federal law.

The payment system handles tax refunds, Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits and much more, sending out trillions of dollars every year while containing an expansive network of Americans’ personal and financial data.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, was created to discover and eliminate what the Trump administration has deemed to be wasteful government spending. DOGE’s access to Treasury records, as well as its inspection of various government agencies, has ignited widespread concern among critics over the increasing power of Musk, while supporters have cheered the idea of reining in bloated government finances.

Musk has made fun of criticism of DOGE on his X social media platform while saying it is saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office filed the lawsuit, said DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s data raises security problems and the possibility for an illegal freeze in federal funds.

“This unelected group, led by the world’s richest man, is not authorized to have this information, and they explicitly sought this unauthorized access to illegally block payments that millions of Americans rely on, payments for health care, child care and other essential programs,” James said in a video message released by her office.

James, a Democrat who has been one of Trump’s chief antagonists, said the president does not have the power to give away American’s private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress.

Also on the lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

The suit alleges that DOGE’s access to the Treasury records could interfere with funding appropriated by Congress, which would exceed the Treasury Department’s statutory authority. The case also argues that the DOGE access violates federal administrative law and the U.S. Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine.

It also accuses Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of changing the department’s longstanding policy for protecting sensitive personally identifiable information and financial information to allow Musk’s DOGE team access to its payment systems.

“This decision failed to account for legal obligations to protect such data and ignored the privacy expectations of federal fund recipients,” including states, veterans, retirees, and taxpayers, the lawsuit says.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said it’s not clear what DOGE is doing with the information in the Treasury systems.

“This is the largest data breach in American history,” Tong said in a statement. “DOGE is an unlawfully constituted band of renegade tech bros combing through confidential records, sensitive data and critical payment systems. What could go wrong?”

The Treasury Department has said the review is about assessing the integrity of the system and that no changes are being made. According to two people familiar with the process, Musk’s team began its inquiry looking for ways to suspend payments made by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which Trump and Musk are attempting to dismantle. The two people spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Separately, Democratic lawmakers are seeking a Treasury Department investigation of DOGE’s access to the government’s payment system.

Also, labor unions and advocacy groups have sued to block the payments system review over concerns about its legality. A judge in Washington on Thursday temporarily restricted access to two employees with “read only” privileges. 
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WASHINGTON/LONDON/LOS ANGELES — U.S. President Donald Trump paused his administration’s repeal of duty-free treatment of low-cost packages from China on Friday, giving the Commerce Department time to make the order workable, after the rapid change sparked chaos for customs inspectors, postal and delivery services and online retailers.

The cancellation of de minimis means low-value e-commerce packages arriving in the United States with goods from China must use the “formal entry” process that requires additional information and duties before entering the country — a more time-consuming process.

The stop and restart of the United States Postal Service acceptance of those packages set off a swarm of disruptions that backed up Customs clearance for packages — even those that had paid duties — at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

“Well, that was a fun Tuesday through Friday, if you work in global e-commerce,” said Derek Lossing, CEO of e-commerce and global supply chain firm Cirrus Global Advisors.

The change, implemented with just 48 hours’ notice, caused the USPS to temporarily stop accepting packages from China and Hong Kong earlier this week.

Popular online retailers, including Shein, Temu and Amazon.com’s new Haul service, fly packages direct from Chinese factories to U.S. shoppers and use de minimis to keep prices low. Those retailers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Trump administration’s revision to the order was signed on Wednesday and published today, a White House spokesperson said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which has the job of screening e-commerce packages and collecting duties on them, on Thursday held a meeting with logistics professionals to discuss the status of more than 1 million packages piling up at JFK Airport, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

One logistics executive on Friday told Reuters that customs had begun releasing packages it was holding at JFK, which has been taking in about 60 million de minimis e-commerce packages annually.

Trump scrapped the duty-free treatment for Chinese goods with the stated aim of stopping the flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals into the United States.

White House officials have said Canada and Mexico are conduits for shipments of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the U.S. in small packages that are not often inspected by customs agents. While fentanyl traffickers have exploited a U.S. trade law, public data shows 0.2% of all fentanyl seized in the U.S. comes from the Canadian border, while the vast majority originates from the southern border.

Many shipping experts and attorneys warned that switch would overwhelm customs inspections because the agency does not have systems and processes in place. Its staff are also stretched thin because they fall under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which also is responsible for border security.

Companies like Shein and Temu had halted some air cargo flights, invoking force majeure to cancel agreements without penalties, said Kathy Liu, Director of Global sales and marketing, Asia-focused freight forwarder Dimerco.

U.S. shoppers also got hit with bills for duties on purchases of dresses, tops and baby clothing that previously were exempt. It is not immediately clear whether those consumers would be eligible for refunds for any duties paid.

“We’re navigating these significant changes to U.S. trade policy as they come, as best we can on behalf of our clients,” said Brian Bourke, global chief commercial officer for SEKO Logistics, which moves e-commerce packages targeted with new duties.

Delivery firms UPS, FedEx and DHL also handle those packages. Their representatives did not immediately comment on the Trump administration’s pause on duty collection.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace overtures toward Iran this week —  made as he signed a directive to put the country under “maximum pressure” for malign behavior — signal a revived policy that some analysts say has evolved from his first term as he adapts to Iran’s new circumstances.

Trump made his overture in a Wednesday post on his Truth Social platform, saying he seeks a “Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper” in return for ensuring that the Islamic Republic “cannot have a Nuclear Weapon.”

A day earlier, Trump also told a news conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “I would love to be able to make a great deal [with Iran], a deal where you can get on with your lives, and you’ll do wonderfully.”

In 2020, during Trump’s first term, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and then a senior adviser, made a similar, if more muted, appeal to Iran’s then-President Hassan Rouhani, in an interview with VOA.

“For President Rouhani, I would say it’s time for the region to move forward. Let’s stop being stuck in conflicts of the past. It’s time for people to get together and to make peace,” he said.

At the time, Trump said a key goal of his original “maximum pressure” campaign was to negotiate a new bilateral agreement to end Iran’s perceived malign behaviors that he said were not sufficiently addressed by Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Trump withdrew the United States from that deal in 2018 and started the pressure policy.

Trump revived his “maximum pressure” policy by signing a presidential memorandum Tuesday, directing a series of economic and legal measures to counter Iranian activities that threaten U.S. national interests. The document highlighted Iran’s development of nuclear weapons-related capabilities, ballistic missiles and its regional aggression through support of proxy forces.

‘Higher ambitions and more tools for pressure’

The new Iran policy is “qualitatively different” from what Trump pursued in his first term, Brian Katulis, a senior fellow of the Washington-based Middle East Institute, told VOA.

“It has higher ambitions and more tools for pressure,” he said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded to Trump’s new policy Friday, saying Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal shows that negotiating with the U.S. “is neither rational, nor intelligent, nor honorable, and [we] should not engage in negotiations with it.”

Iranian state media said Khamenei made the comment while speaking to a gathering of air force personnel. They also quoted him as issuing the following warning to the U.S.: “If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they carry out their threat, we will carry out our threat. And if they disrupt the security of our nation, we will definitely disrupt their security as well.”

Iran long has denied seeking nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran suspended an active nuclear weapons program in 2003, but Israel, a U.S. ally, said in 2018 its agents in Tehran stole documents indicating the Iranian government had covertly continued that program.

Trump’s new “maximum pressure” memorandum includes two specific measures that were prominent features of his first term campaign — seeking to drive Iran’s export of oil, its highest revenue-earner, to zero and calling for a snapback, or return, of international sanctions the U.N. Security Council lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

In the first announcement of new sanctions in Trump’s second term, the U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday, targeted Iran’s oil exports by sanctioning an international network it said facilitates the shipment of “millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars” to China, Iran’s top oil customer.

Trump’s goals of reducing Iranian oil exports to zero and restoring international sanctions on Iran were not fully achieved in his first term.

An October 2024 report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Iran’s crude oil and condensate exports reached a low of 0.4 million barrels per day in 2020 “due to the U.S. reimposition of sanctions in November 2018 and the decline in demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Trump’s first administration also unilaterally declared a restoration of international sanctions on Iran in September 2020, but most other U.N. Security Council members rejected the move. They asserted the U.S. had forfeited its right to trigger the return of international sanctions by quitting the 2015 nuclear deal that lifted those sanctions.

One provision of Trump’s new Iran memorandum, setting a goal that was not explicitly stated in his first term, is ensuring neither Iraq nor the Gulf countries can be used by Tehran to evade sanctions.

Trump’s first administration had tried to stop such evasion by Iran, according to Elliott Abrams, a Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow who served as U.S. special envoy for Iran at the end of Trump’s first term.

Responding to a VOA question in a Federalist Society webinar on Thursday, Abrams said, “There were points at which we said to the Emiratis, ‘Look, Dubai is being used by the Iranians to get around sanctions. Close that down.’”

He said the second Trump administration appears to be giving that objective more public attention.

Another new feature of Trump’s pressure campaign is its order to “modify or rescind sanctions waivers … that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief … related to Iran’s Chabahar port project.”

India has been developing a terminal at the Iranian port under a 2016 agreement and secured a waiver from the first Trump administration in 2018 to continue the project to facilitate humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

The Biden administration extended the waiver, but when India signed a deal last year to operate the Iranian port for a decade, Biden’s State Department said that “anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to … sanctions.”

‘Enhanced’ campaign seen

Jason Brodsky, policy director of U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, told VOA he expects to see Trump pursue an “enhanced” maximum pressure campaign that is tailored to the “changed geopolitical realities of 2025, rather than to 2018.”

One of those new realities is a major rebound in Iranian oil exports, primarily due to what Brodsky said was lax Biden administration sanctions enforcement.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s October report, citing data from international energy analytics company Vortexa, said Iran’s oil exports increased to an average of 1.5 million barrels per day in the first eight months of last year.

The Biden administration rejected accusations of lax sanctions enforcement made by critics of its Iran policy while it was in office, highlighting its sanctioning of hundreds of entities for Iran-related activities. But Biden’s treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said in April 2024 that Iran was “continuing to export some oil” and added, “there may be more that we could do.”

Other new factors Brodsky cited as reasons for Trump to enhance his maximum pressure strategy include Iran’s progress in uranium enrichment during the Biden administration and Tehran’s recent regional losses. In the past year, Israel killed the leaders of Iran’s terror proxies Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and Gaza, while Islamist rebels in Syria ousted longtime Iran-backed leader Bashar al-Assad from power.

But Brodsky said the new maximum pressure memorandum also raises questions about what Trump wants out of a potential new deal with Iran.

He noted the document calls for ending the “[Iranian] regime’s nuclear extortion racket” and asked whether this means Trump will demand that Iran stop uranium enrichment, as Trump did in his first term.

“We don’t have answers right now,” Brodsky said.
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U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to make the United States the cryptocurrency capital of the world. He is putting his plan into place in the early weeks of his second presidential term. VOA’s Michelle Quinn has the story.
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WHITE HOUSE — U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on Friday, in a visit that Tokyo hopes will reaffirm the U.S.-Japan alliance amid Trump’s early foreign policy moves that have rattled allies and adversaries.

Trump and Ishiba are expected to discuss increasing joint military exercises and cooperation on defense equipment and technology, ramping up Japanese investments to the United States, and American energy exports to Japan, a senior Trump administration official said in a briefing to reporters Friday.

The official said they also will talk about improving cybersecurity capabilities, bolstering space cooperation and promoting joint business opportunities to develop critical technologies, including AI and semiconductors.

Ishiba’s visit comes amid anxiety in Tokyo as Trump has put pressure on some U.S. allies and partners, saying he wants to absorb Canada as a U.S. state, acquire Greenland from Denmark and take control of the Panama Canal.

“We would like to first establish a higher relationship of trust and cooperation between two countries, especially the two leaders,” a senior Japanese government official told reporters during a briefing Thursday.

The U.S. president has imposed fresh 10% tariffs on China and 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico — although the latter two have been at least temporarily delayed. He has warned of possible tariffs against other countries, especially those with whom the U.S. holds a trade deficit, such as Japan.

“We all know that President Trump pays a lot of attention to the deficit as an indication of the economic strength of the relationship. So, I’m sure discussions will happen about that,” the Trump administration official said.

Other strains on the U.S.-Japan relationship include former President Joe Biden’s blocking of a $15 billion acquisition bid by Japan’s largest steel producer, Nippon Steel, for Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel.

Biden blocked the deal during the final weeks of his term, citing national security concerns. Trump has said he also opposes the deal.

The White House has not responded to VOA’s query on Trump’s current position on Nippon Steel. The Japanese prime minister’s office did not respond to VOA’s query on whether the issue will be raised today.

Continuity on security front

Under then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan became a key player in what the Biden administration called a “lattice-like strategic architecture” to bolster deterrence against the two main U.S. adversaries in the Pacific: China and North Korea.

Biden’s approach connected Tokyo with other allies in trilateral formats and other groupings, including with South Korea, Australia and the Philippines, to deter regional threats in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and Korean Peninsula.

Japan is anxious to maintain ties forged in recent years, during which time Tokyo has increased defense spending and intensified joint military exercises with the U.S. and other regional allies.

Japan needs a “multilayered network of security” to defend itself, the senior Japanese official said.

The Trump administration will continue to support trilateral efforts and some of the working groups that have come out from under those over the last few years, the Trump official said. “There may be some adjustments to where the focus is on trilateral cooperation, but I think largely you will see continuity.”

Under his first term, Trump and then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on the “free and open Indo-Pacific” framework to promote peace and prosperity in the region. The two countries also agreed to elevate what’s known as the Quad grouping with India and Australia.

The fact that the Trump administration sees those formats as a critical part of its strategy in the Pacific is important, said Jeffrey Hornung, the Japan Lead for the RAND National Security Research Division.

A key indicator to watch is whether the leaders will come out with a joint statement on a free and open Indo-Pacific. While it may sound like a diplomatic cliché, it would deliver a strong message to Beijing to not be provocative toward Taiwan, Hornung told VOA.

In dealing with the threats from Pyongyang, the Trump official underscored the U.S. is “committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.”

Making deals with Japan

While maintaining the security alliance, analysts say Trump may use the visit as an opportunity to broker deals that would further his “America First” agenda, using what he sees as Tokyo’s interests as leverage.

“Part of President Trump’s negotiating stance for almost all issues is that we don’t really know where he wants to land in the end,” said Kenji Kushida, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“If the promise to allow Nippon Steel to acquire U.S. Steel can be used as bargaining leverage, he may use this to get Japan to pay much more than they’re already committed, to help contribute to U.S. military bases and other defense costs,” he told VOA.

Ahead of Ishiba’s visit, Nippon Steel said its proposed acquisition is aligned with Trump’s goals of a stronger United States.

“From Japan’s perspective, they want to position themselves as the staunch ally of U.S. interests in Asia, and so fitting into that set of interests is Nippon Steel’s strategy here,” Kushida said.

Tokyo is aware of what Trump wants — investments in key industries such as AI and semiconductors, increasing Tokyo’s defense spending and American energy purchase.

“Those are all areas that Japan does have shared interests. They have technology. They have the money to invest in some of these areas, and so they’re able to use their leverage in a very strategic manner,” Hornung said. “At the same time, trying to promote with Trump the things that they’re interested in: making sure that U.S. forces remain in Japan, making sure that the U.S. remains committed to the Indo-Pacific.”

The best-case scenario for Ishiba is that Trump doesn’t ask beyond what Tokyo already expected, said Kushida.

“Perhaps an increase in the defense sharing burden, mainly buying U.S. military equipment, expansion of U.S. bases, perhaps, and then perhaps some other financial commitments, but nothing that would upset the sort of geopolitical status in East Asia to Japan’s disadvantage,” Kushida said. “Nothing very extreme, or to get mixed in with some of the issues In the Middle East in ways that Japan has been trying to keep out.”

The leaders are expected to hold a press conference later Friday.

Calla Yu and Kim Lewis contributed to this report.
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