United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the infection of COVID-19 for emergency use. This will be the first Coronavirus vaccine to get an approval in the United States of America.

United States' FDA authorises Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use

The State Department’s acting inspector general will step down from his role on Friday, according to a spokesman for the inspector general’s office. The decision came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s office criticized the watchdog agency regarding a report it published about official trips taken by Pompeo’s wife.

Matthew Klimow, the acting inspector general, was already scheduled to leave his post later this month because of provisions in the Vacancies Reform Act, a law that allows acting officials to serve for no more than 210 days after a role is declared vacant.

It was the latest sign of upheaval in the department’s office of the inspector general, which investigates corruption and wrongdoing at the agency and has had a tumultuous relationship with Pompeo and top officials.

The inspector general’s office on Thursday released a report that said State Department officials did not have sufficient documentation for some official trips taken by Susan Pompeo, Pompeo’s wife. The report said no laws had been broken and that no penalty should be assessed. This is one of two investigations into Pompeo’s potential misuse of government resources.

Shortly after the report was released, Pompeo’s office released a statement saying the couple was “fully vindicated from baseless claims” by Democrats and the media. His office went on to criticize the inspector general’s office for wasting “both time and taxpayer resources on this report.”

Ryan Holden, a spokesman for the inspector general’s office, did not say that Klimow’s departure was because of criticism from Pompeo’s office. He said Klimow’s tenure was “always anticipated” to end and that the departing inspector general had “a desire to return” to the embassy in Turkmenistan, where Klimow was the U.S. ambassador before becoming acting inspector general.

The State Department declined to comment on Klimow’s decision to exit the role earlier than expected.

Klimow’s plans to leave his post this week was reported earlier Thursday by The Washington Post.

In May, President Donald Trump fired a previous inspector general at the State Department, Steve Linick, at Pompeo’s private urging. Linick had opened investigations into Pompeo’s potential misuse of department resources and his effort to push arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Linick was succeeded by Stephen Akard, who stepped down from his role after less than three months.

Pompeo and his wife are still subject to another investigation into potential misuse of government resources. This one concerns allegations that a political appointee was asked to perform personal and political tasks for Pompeo and his wife, including picking up dry cleaning, making restaurant reservations and walking the family dog, Sherman.

Pompeo has dismissed accusations at the center of that inquiry and has repeatedly refused to meet with inspector general staff on the issue.

The State Department’s acting inspector general will step down from his role on Friday, according to a spokesman for the inspector general’s office. The decision came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s office criticized the watchdog agency regarding a report it published about official trips taken by Pompeo’s wife.

The State Department’s acting inspector general will step down from his role on Friday, according to a spokesman for the inspector general’s office. The decision came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s office criticized the watchdog agency regarding a report it published about official trips taken by Pompeo’s wife. Matthew Klimow, the acting inspector general, was already scheduled to leave his post later this month because of provisions in the Vacancies Reform Act, a law that allows acting officials to serve for no more than 210 days after a role is declared vacant. It was the latest sign of upheaval in the department’s office of the inspector general, which investigates corruption and wrongdoing at the agency and has had a tumultuous relationship with Pompeo and top officials. The inspector general’s office on Thursday released a report that said State Department officials did not have sufficient documentation for some official trips taken by Susan Pompeo, Pompeo’s wife. The report said no laws had been broken and that no penalty should be assessed. This is one of two investigations into Pompeo’s potential misuse of government resources. Shortly after the report was released, Pompeo’s office released a statement saying the couple was “fully vindicated from baseless claims” by Democrats and the media. His office went on to criticize the inspector general’s office for wasting “both time and taxpayer resources on this report.” Ryan Holden, a spokesman for the inspector general’s office, did not say that Klimow’s departure was because of criticism from Pompeo’s office. He said Klimow’s tenure was “always anticipated” to end and that the departing inspector general had “a desire to return” to the embassy in Turkmenistan, where Klimow was the U.S. ambassador before becoming acting inspector general. The State Department declined to comment on Klimow’s decision to exit the role earlier than expected. Klimow’s plans to leave his post this week was reported earlier Thursday by The Washington Post. In May, President Donald Trump fired a previous inspector general at the State Department, Steve Linick, at Pompeo’s private urging. Linick had opened investigations into Pompeo’s potential misuse of department resources and his effort to push arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Linick was succeeded by Stephen Akard, who stepped down from his role after less than three months. Pompeo and his wife are still subject to another investigation into potential misuse of government resources. This one concerns allegations that a political appointee was asked to perform personal and political tasks for Pompeo and his wife, including picking up dry cleaning, making restaurant reservations and walking the family dog, Sherman. Pompeo has dismissed accusations at the center of that inquiry and has repeatedly refused to meet with inspector general staff on the issue.

State department watchdog announces early departure as Pompeo criticizes his office

Victims of Bernie Madoff, the mastermind behind the worst financial scam in history, will receive $488 million in additional payments through a victim fund, the US Justice Department has said.

According to Reuters, overseers of two programmes to compensate victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme have announced $679 million of new payouts.

The Madoff Victim Fund will disburse payments to more than 30,000 people around the world who were cheated out of their investments by the crooked financier between the 1970s and 2000s, the Department of Justice said in a statement on Thursday.

Following the payouts, the government will have sent close to $3.2 billion to nearly 37,000 victims from a $4.05 billion fund set up in 2013, while Picard will have sent $14.1 billion to Madoff customers he has estimated lost $17.5 billion.

The repayment funds are obliged to return&nbsp;$4.05 billion to victims of Madoff, whose financial scams were exposed in late 2008.

The 82-year-old was sentenced to 150 years in prison in 2009 for running the pyramid-style scheme, which was estimated to be worth between $25 billion and $63 billion, depending on whether interest is included in the calculation.

New Yorker Madoff never invested a single cent of the money the scheme's clients trusted him with, instead using money from new investors to pay older ones.&nbsp;

He is currently serving his sentence in a federal medical prison in North Carolina. He requested to be released earlier this year but in June his petition was denied by the same judge who sentenced him more than a decade ago.&nbsp;

These victim restitution funds are separate from the payments made by Irving Picard, the lawyer who recovered and returned billions of dollars in victim investments.&nbsp;

The government fund is managed by former US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Richard Breeden, and comes mainly from settlements with Madoff's former bank JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co and the estate of former Madoff investor Jeffry Picower.

(with inputs)

Victims of Bernie Madoff, the mastermind behind the worst financial scam in history, will receive $488 million in additional payments through a victim fund, the US Justice Department has said.

Victims of Bernie Madoff, the mastermind behind the worst financial scam in history, will receive $488 million in additional payments through a victim fund, the US Justice Department has said. According to Reuters, overseers of two programmes to compensate victims of Madoff's Ponzi scheme have announced $679 million of new payouts. The Madoff Victim Fund will disburse payments to more than 30,000 people around the world who were cheated out of their investments by the crooked financier between the 1970s and 2000s, the Department of Justice said in a statement on Thursday. Following the payouts, the government will have sent close to $3.2 billion to nearly 37,000 victims from a $4.05 billion fund set up in 2013, while Picard will have sent $14.1 billion to Madoff customers he has estimated lost $17.5 billion. The repayment funds are obliged to return $4.05 billion to victims of Madoff, whose financial scams were exposed in late 2008. The 82-year-old was sentenced to 150 years in prison in 2009 for running the pyramid-style scheme, which was estimated to be worth between $25 billion and $63 billion, depending on whether interest is included in the calculation. New Yorker Madoff never invested a single cent of the money the scheme's clients trusted him with, instead using money from new investors to pay older ones. He is currently serving his sentence in a federal medical prison in North Carolina. He requested to be released earlier this year but in June his petition was denied by the same judge who sentenced him more than a decade ago. These victim restitution funds are separate from the payments made by Irving Picard, the lawyer who recovered and returned billions of dollars in victim investments. The government fund is managed by former US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Richard Breeden, and comes mainly from settlements with Madoff's former bank JPMorgan Chase & Co and the estate of former Madoff investor Jeffry Picower. (with inputs)

Bernard Madoff victims to receive more money, 12 years after his arrest

The United States is poised to impose sanctions on Turkey over its acquisition last year of Russian S-400 air defence systems, a report said.

According to Reuters, this move is likely to worsen already problematic ties between the two NATO allies.

The long-anticipated step, which is likely to infuriate Ankara and severely complicate relations with the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, could be announced any day.

The sanctions would target Turkey's Presidency of Defence Industries and its head, Ismail Demir, sources have said. They would be damaging but narrower than the severe scenarios some analysts have outlined.

US sanctions could harm a Turkish economy struggling with a coronavirus-induced slowdown, double-digit inflation and badly depleted foreign reserves.

The decision will have repercussions far beyond Turkey, sending a message to US partners around the world who might consider buying Russian military equipment and have been warned repeatedly about US sanctions.

Trump long opposed US sanctions against Turkey despite the advice of advisors. Officials in his administration internally recommended sanctions against Ankara in July 2019, when the Turkish government started taking delivery of the S-400s, Reuters said.

But sanctions appeared likely even if Trump did not act.

The US State Department could still change plans and widen or narrow the scope of planned sanctions against Turkey. However, sources said the announcement of the sanctions in their current form was imminent.

The final version of the $740 billion annual US defence authorisation legislation, which the Senate is expected to vote on as early as this week, would force Washington to impose sanctions within 30 days.

Russia delivered the ground-to-air S-400s last year and Turkey tested them as recently as October. Ankara said they would not be integrated into NATO systems and pose no threat, and has called for a joint working group on the issue.

But the United States maintained that the S-400 does pose a threat, and announced last year it was removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program over Ankara's decision.

(with inputs from Reuters)

The United States is poised to impose sanctions on Turkey over its acquisition last year of Russian S-400 air defence systems, a report said. According to Reuters, this move is likely to worsen already problematic ties between the two NATO allies.

The United States is poised to impose sanctions on Turkey over its acquisition last year of Russian S-400 air defence systems, a report said. According to Reuters, this move is likely to worsen already problematic ties between the two NATO allies. The long-anticipated step, which is likely to infuriate Ankara and severely complicate relations with the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, could be announced any day. The sanctions would target Turkey's Presidency of Defence Industries and its head, Ismail Demir, sources have said. They would be damaging but narrower than the severe scenarios some analysts have outlined. US sanctions could harm a Turkish economy struggling with a coronavirus-induced slowdown, double-digit inflation and badly depleted foreign reserves. The decision will have repercussions far beyond Turkey, sending a message to US partners around the world who might consider buying Russian military equipment and have been warned repeatedly about US sanctions. Trump long opposed US sanctions against Turkey despite the advice of advisors. Officials in his administration internally recommended sanctions against Ankara in July 2019, when the Turkish government started taking delivery of the S-400s, Reuters said. But sanctions appeared likely even if Trump did not act. The US State Department could still change plans and widen or narrow the scope of planned sanctions against Turkey. However, sources said the announcement of the sanctions in their current form was imminent. The final version of the $740 billion annual US defence authorisation legislation, which the Senate is expected to vote on as early as this week, would force Washington to impose sanctions within 30 days. Russia delivered the ground-to-air S-400s last year and Turkey tested them as recently as October. Ankara said they would not be integrated into NATO systems and pose no threat, and has called for a joint working group on the issue. But the United States maintained that the S-400 does pose a threat, and announced last year it was removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program over Ankara's decision. (with inputs from Reuters)

US set to sanction Turkey over Russian defence system

A town in Minnesota has raised eyebrows and its council allowed use of a vacant church by a Whites-only group. Although the city council and mayor have denied any support to racist ideology, questions are being raised.

The city council of town of Murdock in Minnesota has taken a decision that has started a discussion. The council, passed a permit on Wednesday (December 9) to allow use of a church by 'Asatru Folk community' (AFA).

The website of AFA states the community to be part of "great Aryan religiosity".

The mayor of Murdock has been quick to dissociate the council's decision from any racial bias. During the council meeting, he has been reported&nbsp;to have said that the town was against racism in all its forms. He has attributed the decision to be in accordance with the First Amendment Rights of the US Constitution.

These rights address freedom of religion.

The AFA, which has been called "extremist" by some groups in the US has objectionable content in its so-called 'statement of ethics'

"We want our children to grow up to be mothers and fathers to white children of their own," it says.

The statement further says that "behaviors destructive of the white family" were to be discouraged in the community.

A town in Minnesota has raised eyebrows and its council allowed use of a vacant church by a Whites-only group. Although the city council and mayor have denied any support to racist ideology, questions are being raised.

A town in Minnesota has raised eyebrows and its council allowed use of a vacant church by a Whites-only group. Although the city council and mayor have denied any support to racist ideology, questions are being raised. The city council of town of Murdock in Minnesota has taken a decision that has started a discussion. The council, passed a permit on Wednesday (December 9) to allow use of a church by 'Asatru Folk community' (AFA). The website of AFA states the community to be part of "great Aryan religiosity". The mayor of Murdock has been quick to dissociate the council's decision from any racial bias. During the council meeting, he has been reported to have said that the town was against racism in all its forms. He has attributed the decision to be in accordance with the First Amendment Rights of the US Constitution. These rights address freedom of religion. The AFA, which has been called "extremist" by some groups in the US has objectionable content in its so-called 'statement of ethics' "We want our children to grow up to be mothers and fathers to white children of their own," it says. The statement further says that "behaviors destructive of the white family" were to be discouraged in the community.

Permission for Whites-only group to use US church raises eyebrows

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on Wan Kuok Koi, a leader of China`s 14K Triad organized crime group and a member of the Chinese Communist Party`s Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference, the U.S. Treasury said.

The sanctions also apply to three entities headed by Wan, who is also known as "Broken Tooth," the agency said in a statement.

The United States also blacklisted one Liberian individual and one Kyrgyz individual under Executive Order 13818, which targets corruption and serious human rights abuse.

Under the sanctions, all property of the three individuals and companies that fall under U.S. jurisdiction is frozen.

"Corruption knows no borders," said one senior U.S. official, adding that Wednesday`s actions were part of a broader U.S. anti-corruption drive that had seen sanctions imposed on over 200 individuals between 2017 and 2020.

The official said the latest actions should curb corrupt activity since all three individuals had "sufficient touch points with the U.S. or other financial systems", but it was difficult to quantify the likely impact.

OFAC regulations generally bar Americans from dealing with designated individuals. A senior U.S. official told reporters non-U.S. actors who deal with them also risk being blacklisted.

Treasury said it targeted Wan for the 14K Triad`s involvement in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, racketeering, human trafficking and other criminal activities.

The Treasury also designated three entities owned or controlled by Wan: Cambodia-based World Hongmen History and Culture Association; Hong Kong-based Dongmei Group; and the Palau China Hung-Mun Cultural Association, based in Palau.

It said the World Hongmen group had co-opted elites in Malaysia and Cambodia, continuing a "pattern of overseas Chinese actors trying to paper over illegal criminal activities by framing their actions in terms of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)" and other major initiatives of the CCP.

Treasury also blacklisted Raimbek Matraimov, a former deputy of the Kyrgyz Customs Service, alleging his involvement in a customs scheme in which at least $700 million was laundered from the Kyrgyz Republic.

It also designated Harry Varney Gboto-Nambi Sherman, now a prominent lawyer, Liberian senator and head of the Liberian Senate Judiciary Committee, who was indicted but later acquitted for his role in a bribery scheme in Liberia.

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on Wan Kuok Koi, a leader of China`s 14K Triad organized crime group and a member of the Chinese Communist Party`s Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference, the U.

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on Wan Kuok Koi, a leader of China`s 14K Triad organized crime group and a member of the Chinese Communist Party`s Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference, the U.S. Treasury said. The sanctions also apply to three entities headed by Wan, who is also known as "Broken Tooth," the agency said in a statement. The United States also blacklisted one Liberian individual and one Kyrgyz individual under Executive Order 13818, which targets corruption and serious human rights abuse. Under the sanctions, all property of the three individuals and companies that fall under U.S. jurisdiction is frozen. "Corruption knows no borders," said one senior U.S. official, adding that Wednesday`s actions were part of a broader U.S. anti-corruption drive that had seen sanctions imposed on over 200 individuals between 2017 and 2020. The official said the latest actions should curb corrupt activity since all three individuals had "sufficient touch points with the U.S. or other financial systems", but it was difficult to quantify the likely impact. OFAC regulations generally bar Americans from dealing with designated individuals. A senior U.S. official told reporters non-U.S. actors who deal with them also risk being blacklisted. Treasury said it targeted Wan for the 14K Triad`s involvement in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, racketeering, human trafficking and other criminal activities. The Treasury also designated three entities owned or controlled by Wan: Cambodia-based World Hongmen History and Culture Association; Hong Kong-based Dongmei Group; and the Palau China Hung-Mun Cultural Association, based in Palau. It said the World Hongmen group had co-opted elites in Malaysia and Cambodia, continuing a "pattern of overseas Chinese actors trying to paper over illegal criminal activities by framing their actions in terms of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)" and other major initiatives of the CCP. Treasury also blacklisted Raimbek Matraimov, a former deputy of the Kyrgyz Customs Service, alleging his involvement in a customs scheme in which at least $700 million was laundered from the Kyrgyz Republic. It also designated Harry Varney Gboto-Nambi Sherman, now a prominent lawyer, Liberian senator and head of the Liberian Senate Judiciary Committee, who was indicted but later acquitted for his role in a bribery scheme in Liberia.

US blacklists Chinese crime boss, others in anti-corruption sanctions

US President Donald Trump has not conceded the election to Joe Biden, he and Republican Party are receiving setbacks after setbacks in courts across US. He is still no ready to offer evidence and is making baseless claims. And now, it has come to light that US First Lady Melania Trump is quietly making plans for her life after White House as she 'just want to go home'.

Multiple US news outlets have quoted sources who have said these words about Melania Trump. While she agrees with her husband Donald Trump who says that the US elections were rigged and that he's hopeful to continue as president, Melania Trump has reportedly 'tasked an emissary' to discreetly find out what's available for her in budget and staff allocation for her life after White House.

It has also been reported that it may not go down well with her if Donald Trump announces plans to run for president in 2024.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-attorneys-office-is-investigating-my-taxes-says-joe-bidens-son-hunter-biden-348707">US attorney's office is investigating my taxes, says Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden</a>

Melania Trump is said to be focussed on her legacy and said to be considering a book though it is likely to be a photo-centric book.

"Mrs. Trump is focused on her role as the first lady. Monday she unveiled her most current effort in preserving the White House by announcing the completion of the tennis pavilion. She also recently unveiled a new piece of art in the newly renovated Rose Garden. Her office just revealed this year`s Christmas decor. Her schedule remains full with her duties as a mother, wife and first lady of the United States," the first lady`s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham told CNN

US President Donald Trump has not conceded the election to Joe Biden, he and Republican Party are receiving setbacks after setbacks in courts across US. He is still no ready to offer evidence and is making baseless claims.

US President Donald Trump has not conceded the election to Joe Biden, he and Republican Party are receiving setbacks after setbacks in courts across US. He is still no ready to offer evidence and is making baseless claims. And now, it has come to light that US First Lady Melania Trump is quietly making plans for her life after White House as she 'just want to go home'. Multiple US news outlets have quoted sources who have said these words about Melania Trump. While she agrees with her husband Donald Trump who says that the US elections were rigged and that he's hopeful to continue as president, Melania Trump has reportedly 'tasked an emissary' to discreetly find out what's available for her in budget and staff allocation for her life after White House. It has also been reported that it may not go down well with her if Donald Trump announces plans to run for president in 2024. Also Read: US attorney's office is investigating my taxes, says Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden Melania Trump is said to be focussed on her legacy and said to be considering a book though it is likely to be a photo-centric book. "Mrs. Trump is focused on her role as the first lady. Monday she unveiled her most current effort in preserving the White House by announcing the completion of the tennis pavilion. She also recently unveiled a new piece of art in the newly renovated Rose Garden. Her office just revealed this year`s Christmas decor. Her schedule remains full with her duties as a mother, wife and first lady of the United States," the first lady`s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham told CNN

US First Lady Melania Trump 'just wants to go home'

The Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to block the sale of munitions worth $23 billion to the United Arab Emirates, overcoming concerns about sending weapons to Gulf Arab nations.

The pair of votes, forced by a bipartisan group of senators, highlighted growing unease in Congress with sending large tranches of sophisticated weapons that could sharply alter the military balance to a region facing simmering proxy wars. But in a victory for President Donald Trump, the majority voted against the blockade, endorsing his last-minute push to send armed drones and stealth fighter jets to the Emirati military and arguing that bolstering the country’s arsenal would help nations allied against Iran.

“This would continue the 20 years of growth in our relationship, working side by side against common concerns and common enemies,” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said. “The UAE has consistently been willing to stand with us in at least six long-term deployments. They come, they stay, they are side by side with us in the field.”

The administration formally notified Congress last month of the intended $23 billion sale, a deal that included up to 50 F-35 jets, as many as 18 Reaper drones and other precision weapons. That push, championed by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, came as he and other administration officials completed the Abraham accord, a joint agreement in which the United Arab Emirates became the third Arab nation to recognize Israel.

A vote to block the sale of F-35 jets failed 47-49, and a separate vote to block the sale of the drones failed 46-50, with Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, both Democrats, voting in favor of the drone package. Kelly opposed the F-35 sale.

Administration officials have insisted that the arms sale — particularly the transfer of the coveted F-35 fighter jets — is not a direct reward for the Emirates’ recognition of Israel. But they have acknowledged that it is linked to the broader diplomatic initiative, and Kushner briefed Senate Republicans on Tuesday on his work with the Emiratis, according to a person familiar with the discussion.

Emirati diplomats, led by the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador, Yousef al-Otaiba, lobbied senators in the days leading up to the vote, running a rapid-response Twitter feed as lawmakers debated the provision and arguing that the sale “is critical to protecting our shared interests against common adversaries,” referencing Iran.

“The UAE has purchased &amp;amp; operated some of the most advanced US defense systems including F-16s, Patriot &amp;amp; THAAD. @usairforce F-35 squadrons are based in the UAE,” embassy officials wrote. “The UAE has never compromised or shared this technology with an adversary or without US knowledge &amp;amp; approval.”

Democrats had accused Trump administration officials of rushing the sales through in the final months of Trump’s term, and pointed to reports indicating the Emirates had previously misused American-made weapons.

“There is no doubt that the UAE’s recent normalization agreement with Israel is a big deal, and there is a level of arms transfer that could make sense for an important partner in the region,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., one of the sponsors of the legislation to block the sales. “But the Emiratis’ recent behavior in Yemen and Libya, where U.S. weapons were misused and given to radical militias, on top of their active and growing defense relationships with China and Russia, should give everyone pause.”

Congressional efforts to block arms sales are rarely successful. After the administration last year circumvented Capitol Hill to allow the sale of billions of dollars of munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, lawmakers tried to derail the deal but were unable to override the president’s veto.

Still, the sale, which experts believe could take six to eight years to deliver, could be reversed by the incoming Biden administration. Several advisers to President-elect Joe Biden are wary of sending munitions to the Gulf Arab nations because of the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has created the world’s greatest humanitarian disaster.

The Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to block the sale of munitions worth $23 billion to the United Arab Emirates, overcoming concerns about sending weapons to Gulf Arab nations.

The Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to block the sale of munitions worth $23 billion to the United Arab Emirates, overcoming concerns about sending weapons to Gulf Arab nations. The pair of votes, forced by a bipartisan group of senators, highlighted growing unease in Congress with sending large tranches of sophisticated weapons that could sharply alter the military balance to a region facing simmering proxy wars. But in a victory for President Donald Trump, the majority voted against the blockade, endorsing his last-minute push to send armed drones and stealth fighter jets to the Emirati military and arguing that bolstering the country’s arsenal would help nations allied against Iran. “This would continue the 20 years of growth in our relationship, working side by side against common concerns and common enemies,” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said. “The UAE has consistently been willing to stand with us in at least six long-term deployments. They come, they stay, they are side by side with us in the field.” The administration formally notified Congress last month of the intended $23 billion sale, a deal that included up to 50 F-35 jets, as many as 18 Reaper drones and other precision weapons. That push, championed by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, came as he and other administration officials completed the Abraham accord, a joint agreement in which the United Arab Emirates became the third Arab nation to recognize Israel. A vote to block the sale of F-35 jets failed 47-49, and a separate vote to block the sale of the drones failed 46-50, with Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, both Democrats, voting in favor of the drone package. Kelly opposed the F-35 sale. Administration officials have insisted that the arms sale — particularly the transfer of the coveted F-35 fighter jets — is not a direct reward for the Emirates’ recognition of Israel. But they have acknowledged that it is linked to the broader diplomatic initiative, and Kushner briefed Senate Republicans on Tuesday on his work with the Emiratis, according to a person familiar with the discussion. Emirati diplomats, led by the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador, Yousef al-Otaiba, lobbied senators in the days leading up to the vote, running a rapid-response Twitter feed as lawmakers debated the provision and arguing that the sale “is critical to protecting our shared interests against common adversaries,” referencing Iran. “The UAE has purchased &amp; operated some of the most advanced US defense systems including F-16s, Patriot &amp; THAAD. @usairforce F-35 squadrons are based in the UAE,” embassy officials wrote. “The UAE has never compromised or shared this technology with an adversary or without US knowledge &amp; approval.” Democrats had accused Trump administration officials of rushing the sales through in the final months of Trump’s term, and pointed to reports indicating the Emirates had previously misused American-made weapons. “There is no doubt that the UAE’s recent normalization agreement with Israel is a big deal, and there is a level of arms transfer that could make sense for an important partner in the region,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., one of the sponsors of the legislation to block the sales. “But the Emiratis’ recent behavior in Yemen and Libya, where U.S. weapons were misused and given to radical militias, on top of their active and growing defense relationships with China and Russia, should give everyone pause.” Congressional efforts to block arms sales are rarely successful. After the administration last year circumvented Capitol Hill to allow the sale of billions of dollars of munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, lawmakers tried to derail the deal but were unable to override the president’s veto. Still, the sale, which experts believe could take six to eight years to deliver, could be reversed by the incoming Biden administration. Several advisers to President-elect Joe Biden are wary of sending munitions to the Gulf Arab nations because of the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has created the world’s greatest humanitarian disaster.

US Senate rejects attempted blockade of weapons sale to UAE

Black Lives Matter: When a single death unleashed full fury of the movement

Somalis fear a U.S. decision to withdraw troops from their country will be seen as a victory for al-Qaida-linked militants who have wreaked havoc there for years, and sow the potential for further chaos at an especially delicate moment for Somalia and the region.

Somali presidential elections are scheduled in just two months; war is erupting in neighboring Ethiopia; and the militants, from al-Shabab, are still strong despite years of U.S.-led raids and drone strikes.

The timing of Friday’s Pentagon announcement, some Somalis say, is terrible.

“The fight against global terrorism is still ongoing, and we must still win the battle for peace and security to prevail,” said Ayub Ismail Yusuf, a Somali senator, who called the U.S. decision “untimely” on Twitter. “We must not give up on our successes.”

At Mogadishu University, Abdullahi, a 23-year-old political science student, said he feared al-Shabab will now be able to “strike without fear” in the capital.

“Now their leaders can move easily from place to place with little threat,” he added, asking that his full name be withheld to protect against possible reprisals. He lives near the charred remains of an ice cream parlor blitzed by an al-Shabab suicide bomber Nov. 27, an attack that killed seven people.

The Pentagon said it will “reposition” some of the estimated 700 U.S. troops in Somalia to other parts of East Africa — likely Kenya and Djibouti — and continue to carry out raids against al-Shabab and a smaller cluster of Islamic State group fighters in northern Somalia from bases in neighboring countries.

Drone strikes, which have killed numerous senior and midlevel al-Shabab commanders as well as dozens of civilians, will continue.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia did not immediately react to the U.S. decision, announced late Friday as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to end what he calls America’s endless wars before leaving office Jan. 20. Whether fears over the withdrawal, which is expected by mid-January, are fully merited is not yet clear.

What seems certain, though, is that the brunt of the changes will be borne by Danab, an elite Somali force that the U.S. military took under its wing after its formation in 2013. Since then, U.S. soldiers have trained and armed the Somali commandos, whose numbers have grown to about 1,000, and have often accompanied them on raids against al-Shabab.

Now Danab will be largely on its own.

Col. Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh, who commanded Danab between 2016 and 2019, said he expected the United States to continue funding and arming the elite force. But the crucial U.S. “advise-and-assist” role — Americans helping Somali officers plan raids and accompanying them into firefights — will not be easily replaced, he said.

“You can launch and stage operations from countries like Djibouti and Kenya, but it’s not the same as being in the country,” Sheikh said. “You can’t train a force remotely.”

Even with years of U.S. support, Somalia has been able to only partially blunt al-Shabab’s potency.

The group controls swaths of southern Somalia, where its fighters ambush and bomb Somalia soldiers and African Union peacekeepers. A recent U.S. government report noted that al-Shabab was involved in 440 violent events in Somalia between July and September — the highest number in two years.

U.S. and Somali pressure has succeeded, though, in stemming sophisticated, large-scale attacks in Mogadishu, said Omar Mahmood, a Somalia analyst at the International Crisis Group, a conflict research organization.

The Somalis were supposed to be standing on their own feet in the coming year. An international plan hashed out in 2017 called for Somali security forces to be operating independently by 2021. That will not happen.

Danab, the main counterterrorism strike force, still relies heavily on U.S. support and has reached only about one-third of its planned size.

The U.S. withdrawal “could have a pretty big impact” Mahmood said. “The American advisory role is invaluable for Danab. This raises concerns it can continue to develop.”

Danab is not the main pillar of Somali security. The government relies heavily on a 19,000-strong force of African Union peacekeepers — although that, too, has been buffeted by uncertainty because of the erupting civil conflict in Ethiopia, which contributes about 4,000 troops.

The U.S. pullout from Somalia may have been inevitable. President-elect Joe Biden has also committed to withdrawing U.S. troops from “forever wars” — open-ended counterterrorism missions that proliferated after 2001.

But Somalia experts warned that Trump’s decision to pull the plug now, as Somalia faces parliamentary elections this month and a presidential vote in February, was a recipe for chaos and maximum damage.

“It’s typical of the Trump administration’s incoherent policy toward Somalia,” said Matt Bryden, a strategic adviser at Sahan Research, a group that specializes in the Horn of Africa. “This is an incomprehensible decision at a time when governments are likely to change in both Somalia and the U.S. It would have made more sense to wait a few months.”

Pentagon assurances that the U.S. will continue to hit al-Shabab from bases outside the country, he said, “look like a brave attempt to put lipstick on a pig.”

Other experts, though, said there is never a good time to leave a fragile country like Somalia.

“It’s probably a good thing if the American relationship with Somalia is not predominantly about a few hundred soldiers,” said Brittany Brown, a former Africa adviser at the National Security Council in the Obama and Trump administrations and now chief of staff for the International Crisis Group. “But like everything with Trump, it’s been so poorly executed.”

Somalia’s turmoil will not be solved by drone strikes or military raids, she said. “It won’t stop until Somalia has a government that can provide services to its people. Until then, al-Shabab will continue to be a threat.”

The presidential election itself faces some uncertainty. The incumbent, Mohamed, has been at loggerheads with Somalia’s regional leaders, and the opposition fears he may try to manipulate the vote.

Without the U.S. troops, the Somalis can still rely on other foreign allies like Qatar, which provides cash and humanitarian aid, and Turkey, which aims to train about 10,000 regular soldiers.

But for the Danab force, the U.S. withdrawal will constitute a “wake-up call,” said Sheikh, its former commander. “They realize they can’t rely on outside help anymore.”

It may also leave the force more prone to political interference, not to mention the corruption that has blighted other Somali security units. And the U.S. departure may deal a blow to morale, raising questions about America’s commitment to their fight.

“A bit of trust will be lost,” Sheikh said. “And it will be really hard to get it back.”

Somalis fear a U.S. decision to withdraw troops from their country will be seen as a victory for al-Qaida-linked militants who have wreaked havoc there for years, and sow the potential for further chaos at an especially delicate moment for Somalia and the region.

Somalis fear a U.S. decision to withdraw troops from their country will be seen as a victory for al-Qaida-linked militants who have wreaked havoc there for years, and sow the potential for further chaos at an especially delicate moment for Somalia and the region. Somali presidential elections are scheduled in just two months; war is erupting in neighboring Ethiopia; and the militants, from al-Shabab, are still strong despite years of U.S.-led raids and drone strikes. The timing of Friday’s Pentagon announcement, some Somalis say, is terrible. “The fight against global terrorism is still ongoing, and we must still win the battle for peace and security to prevail,” said Ayub Ismail Yusuf, a Somali senator, who called the U.S. decision “untimely” on Twitter. “We must not give up on our successes.” At Mogadishu University, Abdullahi, a 23-year-old political science student, said he feared al-Shabab will now be able to “strike without fear” in the capital. “Now their leaders can move easily from place to place with little threat,” he added, asking that his full name be withheld to protect against possible reprisals. He lives near the charred remains of an ice cream parlor blitzed by an al-Shabab suicide bomber Nov. 27, an attack that killed seven people. The Pentagon said it will “reposition” some of the estimated 700 U.S. troops in Somalia to other parts of East Africa — likely Kenya and Djibouti — and continue to carry out raids against al-Shabab and a smaller cluster of Islamic State group fighters in northern Somalia from bases in neighboring countries. Drone strikes, which have killed numerous senior and midlevel al-Shabab commanders as well as dozens of civilians, will continue. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia did not immediately react to the U.S. decision, announced late Friday as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to end what he calls America’s endless wars before leaving office Jan. 20. Whether fears over the withdrawal, which is expected by mid-January, are fully merited is not yet clear. What seems certain, though, is that the brunt of the changes will be borne by Danab, an elite Somali force that the U.S. military took under its wing after its formation in 2013. Since then, U.S. soldiers have trained and armed the Somali commandos, whose numbers have grown to about 1,000, and have often accompanied them on raids against al-Shabab. Now Danab will be largely on its own. Col. Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh, who commanded Danab between 2016 and 2019, said he expected the United States to continue funding and arming the elite force. But the crucial U.S. “advise-and-assist” role — Americans helping Somali officers plan raids and accompanying them into firefights — will not be easily replaced, he said. “You can launch and stage operations from countries like Djibouti and Kenya, but it’s not the same as being in the country,” Sheikh said. “You can’t train a force remotely.” Even with years of U.S. support, Somalia has been able to only partially blunt al-Shabab’s potency. The group controls swaths of southern Somalia, where its fighters ambush and bomb Somalia soldiers and African Union peacekeepers. A recent U.S. government report noted that al-Shabab was involved in 440 violent events in Somalia between July and September — the highest number in two years. U.S. and Somali pressure has succeeded, though, in stemming sophisticated, large-scale attacks in Mogadishu, said Omar Mahmood, a Somalia analyst at the International Crisis Group, a conflict research organization. The Somalis were supposed to be standing on their own feet in the coming year. An international plan hashed out in 2017 called for Somali security forces to be operating independently by 2021. That will not happen. Danab, the main counterterrorism strike force, still relies heavily on U.S. support and has reached only about one-third of its planned size. The U.S. withdrawal “could have a pretty big impact” Mahmood said. “The American advisory role is invaluable for Danab. This raises concerns it can continue to develop.” Danab is not the main pillar of Somali security. The government relies heavily on a 19,000-strong force of African Union peacekeepers — although that, too, has been buffeted by uncertainty because of the erupting civil conflict in Ethiopia, which contributes about 4,000 troops. The U.S. pullout from Somalia may have been inevitable. President-elect Joe Biden has also committed to withdrawing U.S. troops from “forever wars” — open-ended counterterrorism missions that proliferated after 2001. But Somalia experts warned that Trump’s decision to pull the plug now, as Somalia faces parliamentary elections this month and a presidential vote in February, was a recipe for chaos and maximum damage. “It’s typical of the Trump administration’s incoherent policy toward Somalia,” said Matt Bryden, a strategic adviser at Sahan Research, a group that specializes in the Horn of Africa. “This is an incomprehensible decision at a time when governments are likely to change in both Somalia and the U.S. It would have made more sense to wait a few months.” Pentagon assurances that the U.S. will continue to hit al-Shabab from bases outside the country, he said, “look like a brave attempt to put lipstick on a pig.” Other experts, though, said there is never a good time to leave a fragile country like Somalia. “It’s probably a good thing if the American relationship with Somalia is not predominantly about a few hundred soldiers,” said Brittany Brown, a former Africa adviser at the National Security Council in the Obama and Trump administrations and now chief of staff for the International Crisis Group. “But like everything with Trump, it’s been so poorly executed.” Somalia’s turmoil will not be solved by drone strikes or military raids, she said. “It won’t stop until Somalia has a government that can provide services to its people. Until then, al-Shabab will continue to be a threat.” The presidential election itself faces some uncertainty. The incumbent, Mohamed, has been at loggerheads with Somalia’s regional leaders, and the opposition fears he may try to manipulate the vote. Without the U.S. troops, the Somalis can still rely on other foreign allies like Qatar, which provides cash and humanitarian aid, and Turkey, which aims to train about 10,000 regular soldiers. But for the Danab force, the U.S. withdrawal will constitute a “wake-up call,” said Sheikh, its former commander. “They realize they can’t rely on outside help anymore.” It may also leave the force more prone to political interference, not to mention the corruption that has blighted other Somali security units. And the U.S. departure may deal a blow to morale, raising questions about America’s commitment to their fight. “A bit of trust will be lost,” Sheikh said. “And it will be really hard to get it back.”

In Somalia, US troop withdrawal is seen as badly timed

Pentagon on Sunday said that officials of its intelligence agencies will begin meeting members of US President-elect Joe Biden's transition team. Pentagon denied allegations that it was deliberately delaying commencement of the meetings. Washington Post has published a report on December 4 saying that Trump administration did not allow Biden's team to meet intelligence officials and US Defence Department "rejected" or "did not approve" requests for the meeting.

Pentagon released a statement and denied the allegations and said that it was fully cooperating with the President-elect's team.

“The accusation by anonymous sources that DoD has not been fulfilling its commitment to professionally assist any of the Agency Review Teams is demonstrably false and patently insulting,” said the statement.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/were-winning-this-election-trump-at-first-post-poll-rally-347807">'We're winning this election': Trump at first post-poll rally</a>

Donald Trump is yet to concede defeat in US Presidential Election 2020. He has continued levelling baseless charges of election fraud without presenting any evidence. In spite of suffering legal setbacks in number of courts in the US, Trump has chosen to repeat his allegations.

Even at his first post-poll rally in Georgia on Sunday (Indian Time) Trump said that he was <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/were-winning-this-election-trump-at-first-post-poll-rally-347807">going to win the presidential election</a>.

"We're winning this election," Trump said.

"It's rigged. It's a fixed deal," he said of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

In the immediate aftermath of the election results when it was amply clear that Biden had won, there was reluctance from Trump administration to co-operate in the transition process. It is a norm for the ourgoing administration to co-operate with the President-elect and his team so that power transfer takes place smoothly. 
&nbsp;

Pentagon on Sunday said that officials of its intelligence agencies will begin meeting members of US President-elect Joe Biden's transition team. Pentagon denied allegations that it was deliberately delaying commencement of the meetings.

Pentagon on Sunday said that officials of its intelligence agencies will begin meeting members of US President-elect Joe Biden's transition team. Pentagon denied allegations that it was deliberately delaying commencement of the meetings. Washington Post has published a report on December 4 saying that Trump administration did not allow Biden's team to meet intelligence officials and US Defence Department "rejected" or "did not approve" requests for the meeting. Pentagon released a statement and denied the allegations and said that it was fully cooperating with the President-elect's team. “The accusation by anonymous sources that DoD has not been fulfilling its commitment to professionally assist any of the Agency Review Teams is demonstrably false and patently insulting,” said the statement. Also Read | 'We're winning this election': Trump at first post-poll rally Donald Trump is yet to concede defeat in US Presidential Election 2020. He has continued levelling baseless charges of election fraud without presenting any evidence. In spite of suffering legal setbacks in number of courts in the US, Trump has chosen to repeat his allegations. Even at his first post-poll rally in Georgia on Sunday (Indian Time) Trump said that he was going to win the presidential election. "We're winning this election," Trump said. "It's rigged. It's a fixed deal," he said of President-elect Joe Biden's victory. In the immediate aftermath of the election results when it was amply clear that Biden had won, there was reluctance from Trump administration to co-operate in the transition process. It is a norm for the ourgoing administration to co-operate with the President-elect and his team so that power transfer takes place smoothly.

Pentagon spy agencies to meet Biden team after facing accusations of non-cooperation

TOKYO — For more than six decades, Kazuo Odachi had a secret: At the age of 17, he became a kamikaze pilot, one of thousands of young Japanese men tasked to give their lives in last-ditch suicide missions near the end of World War II.

As he built a family and a career as a Tokyo police officer, he kept his secret from virtually everyone, even his wife, who knew only that he had served as a Japanese Navy pilot. The experience, he felt, would be too hard to explain to a society that mostly viewed the kamikaze as maniacal zealots who volunteered for an unthinkable sacrifice.

But over the years, as Japan’s complex relationship with the war changed, Odachi gradually began to share his story with a small group of friends. In 2016, he published a memoir, recounting how he had fallen asleep each night wondering if tomorrow it would be his turn to die for a lost cause. The book was released in English translation in September, the 75th anniversary of the conflict’s end.

Odachi, 93, one of the last living members of a group never meant to survive, said he hoped to memorialize the pilots as young men whose valor and patriotism were exploited. “I don’t want anyone to forget that the wonderful country that Japan has become today was built on the foundation of their deaths,” he said in a recent interview at his home.

The kamikaze are the most potent symbol of the war in Japan, a vivid example of the dangers of fervent nationalism and martial fanaticism. But as the generation who lived through the war fades away, Japan’s opposing political sides are vying to reinterpret the kamikaze for a public still divided over the conflict’s legacy.

For the right, the kamikaze are a symbol of traditional virtues and a spirit of self-sacrifice that they believe is woefully absent from modern Japan. For the left, they are part of a generation destroyed by Japanese militarism and a powerful reminder of the importance of maintaining the country’s postwar pacifism.

“The kamikaze as a historical fact, and as a symbol, have a very powerful potential to be used on either side of that argument,” said M.G. Sheftall, a professor at Shizuoka University and the author of “Blossoms in the Wind,” a collection of interviews with the pilots.

Odachi himself has little interest in politics. Nowadays, he welcomes visitors into his home in the Tokyo suburbs, where he vividly reenacts old war scenes, stomping on imaginary airplane pedals and fiercely pulling a pretend flight stick.

His story defies the simple stereotypes often evoked by Japan’s conservatives and liberals.

He volunteered to fight in a war he believed his country would not win. He was prepared to die to protect those he loved but not to throw his life away.

Today, he is staunchly antiwar and thinks Japan’s pacifist constitution is fine just the way it is, but he remains a strong advocate for the country’s right to self-defense. He has no regrets about his decision to enlist, and he visits Yasukuni Shrine — where generations of Japan’s fallen soldiers are enshrined alongside some of its most notorious war criminals — several times a year to console the souls of his friends who died in combat.

Growing up in a village near an air base, Odachi had long been fascinated by planes, and when the war began, he decided that he would one day fly one. He enlisted in Japan’s armed forces in 1943 and joined the Yokaren, an elite group of teenagers who were trained as Navy pilots.

The Yokaren, Odachi pointed out, were different from other kamikaze, students who had been yanked out of their schools and consigned to death with little preparation or training. Still, the young men in Odachi’s program were groomed to die in aerial combat even before Japan’s desperate turn to suicide missions.

Cadets were celebrated as cherry blossoms, a flower whose vivid beauty is accentuated by its brief existence. Even the buttons on their uniforms, embossed with the flower, served as a reminder of their imminent death in battle.

“We all knew that ‘happily ever after’ was an unlikely outcome,” Odachi wrote in his book, “Memoirs of a Kamikaze.” “We weren’t destined to live long.”

When he arrived in Japanese-occupied Taiwan in August of 1944, the war was entering its end stage.

Japanese forces had been ground down by American technological superiority and the overwhelming production capacity of the U.S. war machine. An allied victory appeared increasingly inevitable, and Japanese tactics began to demand even greater human sacrifice.

In dogfights, pilots were instructed to “aim to carve the enemy with our own propellers,” Odachi wrote. “Of course, death was a certainty if this happened, but at least we would take the enemy with us.”

The tactics hinged on the belief that Japanese airmen were more willing to die than their enemies.

The force of that conviction was put to the test in October 1944, when Japan’s Navy decided to gamble everything to stop an American attack on its forces in the Philippines, during what would become known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Japanese officers explained to Odachi and his cohort the plan to use suicide missions and asked for volunteers. They were met with stunned silence.

Only when the officers began to harangue them did the first few men reticently volunteer, he wrote. “We were essentially cajoled into committing suicide,” he recalled.

On Oct. 25, Odachi witnessed the first successful sortie of suicide fighters take off from a bombed-out runway in the Philippines. But Odachi and his fellow troops soon found themselves pinned down in the island nation as U.S. bombers destroyed many of his squadron’s remaining planes.

Months later, he and others escaped to Taiwan, where, on April 4, 1945, he was ordered on the first mission of his 10-month stint as a suicide pilot.

Odachi’s Zero — the agile Japanese fighter plane that dominated the Pacific skies in the war’s early years — was loaded with an 1,100-pound bomb, weighing it down so much that it would be impossible to outmaneuver the enemy. When U.S. fighters spotted him, he jettisoned his bomb into the ocean and managed to escape.

On his next sortie, his group failed to find a target. The next six missions also ended in failure.

After each attempt, he would wait for weeks for new orders. Every night, the officers announced who would fly into battle the next day. It “felt like the conferral of the death penalty, and it was stomach-turning,” he wrote.

But by the end, he said, “we had become indifferent to matters of life and death. Our only concern was making the final moment count.”

That moment, however, never came. On his final mission, his plane was preparing to take off when a member of the ground crew ran onto the runway, shouting and waving for the squadron to stop. The emperor, Odachi learned, had just announced Japan’s surrender. He was going home.

On his return, as a train took him through the bombed-out remains of Hiroshima, he truly understood that the war was over. At his home in Tokyo, he took the ceremonial short sword commemorating his status as a kamikaze and threw it into the hearth fire, where it melted into a lump of steel.

His only souvenirs from the war are a handful of photos and a present from a young woman he met in Taiwan: a silk scarf, made from a parachute, that is embroidered with cherry blossoms and a blue anchor, the symbol of the Yokaren.

Odachi has never revealed the woman’s identity. It is one of the few things about the war he still refuses to talk about.

People, he said, have often remarked that the kamikaze “didn’t value their own lives.” He hopes that his memoir will remind them not just of the conflict’s costs but also of the humanity of the young men whose lives were sacrificed for it.

“We were the same age as today’s high school students and college freshmen,” he said. “There wasn’t a single person among us who would have decided on their own to die.”

TOKYO — For more than six decades, Kazuo Odachi had a secret: At the age of 17, he became a kamikaze pilot, one of thousands of young Japanese men tasked to give their lives in last-ditch suicide missions near the end of World War II.

TOKYO — For more than six decades, Kazuo Odachi had a secret: At the age of 17, he became a kamikaze pilot, one of thousands of young Japanese men tasked to give their lives in last-ditch suicide missions near the end of World War II. As he built a family and a career as a Tokyo police officer, he kept his secret from virtually everyone, even his wife, who knew only that he had served as a Japanese Navy pilot. The experience, he felt, would be too hard to explain to a society that mostly viewed the kamikaze as maniacal zealots who volunteered for an unthinkable sacrifice. But over the years, as Japan’s complex relationship with the war changed, Odachi gradually began to share his story with a small group of friends. In 2016, he published a memoir, recounting how he had fallen asleep each night wondering if tomorrow it would be his turn to die for a lost cause. The book was released in English translation in September, the 75th anniversary of the conflict’s end. Odachi, 93, one of the last living members of a group never meant to survive, said he hoped to memorialize the pilots as young men whose valor and patriotism were exploited. “I don’t want anyone to forget that the wonderful country that Japan has become today was built on the foundation of their deaths,” he said in a recent interview at his home. The kamikaze are the most potent symbol of the war in Japan, a vivid example of the dangers of fervent nationalism and martial fanaticism. But as the generation who lived through the war fades away, Japan’s opposing political sides are vying to reinterpret the kamikaze for a public still divided over the conflict’s legacy. For the right, the kamikaze are a symbol of traditional virtues and a spirit of self-sacrifice that they believe is woefully absent from modern Japan. For the left, they are part of a generation destroyed by Japanese militarism and a powerful reminder of the importance of maintaining the country’s postwar pacifism. “The kamikaze as a historical fact, and as a symbol, have a very powerful potential to be used on either side of that argument,” said M.G. Sheftall, a professor at Shizuoka University and the author of “Blossoms in the Wind,” a collection of interviews with the pilots. Odachi himself has little interest in politics. Nowadays, he welcomes visitors into his home in the Tokyo suburbs, where he vividly reenacts old war scenes, stomping on imaginary airplane pedals and fiercely pulling a pretend flight stick. His story defies the simple stereotypes often evoked by Japan’s conservatives and liberals. He volunteered to fight in a war he believed his country would not win. He was prepared to die to protect those he loved but not to throw his life away. Today, he is staunchly antiwar and thinks Japan’s pacifist constitution is fine just the way it is, but he remains a strong advocate for the country’s right to self-defense. He has no regrets about his decision to enlist, and he visits Yasukuni Shrine — where generations of Japan’s fallen soldiers are enshrined alongside some of its most notorious war criminals — several times a year to console the souls of his friends who died in combat. Growing up in a village near an air base, Odachi had long been fascinated by planes, and when the war began, he decided that he would one day fly one. He enlisted in Japan’s armed forces in 1943 and joined the Yokaren, an elite group of teenagers who were trained as Navy pilots. The Yokaren, Odachi pointed out, were different from other kamikaze, students who had been yanked out of their schools and consigned to death with little preparation or training. Still, the young men in Odachi’s program were groomed to die in aerial combat even before Japan’s desperate turn to suicide missions. Cadets were celebrated as cherry blossoms, a flower whose vivid beauty is accentuated by its brief existence. Even the buttons on their uniforms, embossed with the flower, served as a reminder of their imminent death in battle. “We all knew that ‘happily ever after’ was an unlikely outcome,” Odachi wrote in his book, “Memoirs of a Kamikaze.” “We weren’t destined to live long.” When he arrived in Japanese-occupied Taiwan in August of 1944, the war was entering its end stage. Japanese forces had been ground down by American technological superiority and the overwhelming production capacity of the U.S. war machine. An allied victory appeared increasingly inevitable, and Japanese tactics began to demand even greater human sacrifice. In dogfights, pilots were instructed to “aim to carve the enemy with our own propellers,” Odachi wrote. “Of course, death was a certainty if this happened, but at least we would take the enemy with us.” The tactics hinged on the belief that Japanese airmen were more willing to die than their enemies. The force of that conviction was put to the test in October 1944, when Japan’s Navy decided to gamble everything to stop an American attack on its forces in the Philippines, during what would become known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Japanese officers explained to Odachi and his cohort the plan to use suicide missions and asked for volunteers. They were met with stunned silence. Only when the officers began to harangue them did the first few men reticently volunteer, he wrote. “We were essentially cajoled into committing suicide,” he recalled. On Oct. 25, Odachi witnessed the first successful sortie of suicide fighters take off from a bombed-out runway in the Philippines. But Odachi and his fellow troops soon found themselves pinned down in the island nation as U.S. bombers destroyed many of his squadron’s remaining planes. Months later, he and others escaped to Taiwan, where, on April 4, 1945, he was ordered on the first mission of his 10-month stint as a suicide pilot. Odachi’s Zero — the agile Japanese fighter plane that dominated the Pacific skies in the war’s early years — was loaded with an 1,100-pound bomb, weighing it down so much that it would be impossible to outmaneuver the enemy. When U.S. fighters spotted him, he jettisoned his bomb into the ocean and managed to escape. On his next sortie, his group failed to find a target. The next six missions also ended in failure. After each attempt, he would wait for weeks for new orders. Every night, the officers announced who would fly into battle the next day. It “felt like the conferral of the death penalty, and it was stomach-turning,” he wrote. But by the end, he said, “we had become indifferent to matters of life and death. Our only concern was making the final moment count.” That moment, however, never came. On his final mission, his plane was preparing to take off when a member of the ground crew ran onto the runway, shouting and waving for the squadron to stop. The emperor, Odachi learned, had just announced Japan’s surrender. He was going home. On his return, as a train took him through the bombed-out remains of Hiroshima, he truly understood that the war was over. At his home in Tokyo, he took the ceremonial short sword commemorating his status as a kamikaze and threw it into the hearth fire, where it melted into a lump of steel. His only souvenirs from the war are a handful of photos and a present from a young woman he met in Taiwan: a silk scarf, made from a parachute, that is embroidered with cherry blossoms and a blue anchor, the symbol of the Yokaren. Odachi has never revealed the woman’s identity. It is one of the few things about the war he still refuses to talk about. People, he said, have often remarked that the kamikaze “didn’t value their own lives.” He hopes that his memoir will remind them not just of the conflict’s costs but also of the humanity of the young men whose lives were sacrificed for it. “We were the same age as today’s high school students and college freshmen,” he said. “There wasn’t a single person among us who would have decided on their own to die.”

He escaped death as a Kamikaze pilot. 70 years later, he told his story

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that a consultation with Gulf states was necessary if US nuclear agreement with Iran was to be revived. It warned that such an approach was the only path towards a sustainable agreement. Under the leadership of Joe Biden, there are signs that the US will return to the nuclear deal with Iran that was struck in 2015. Donald Trump had withdrawn from the agreement. &nbsp;

Biden has indicated that he will bring Iran's US-allied Arab neighbours, such as Saudi Arabia, which sees Iran as its arch-rival, into the process.

"Primarily what we expect is that we are fully consulted, that we and our other regional friends are fully consulted in what goes on vis a vis the negotiations with Iran," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told AFP.

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"The only way towards reaching an agreement that is sustainable is through such consultation," he said on the sidelines of a security conference in Bahrain's Manama.

"I think we've seen as a result of the after effects of the JCPOA that not involving the regional countries results in a build up of mistrust and neglect of the issues of real concern and of real effect on regional security."

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/strong-support-from-president-trump-saudi-arabia-says-final-agreement-with-qatar-within-reach-347759">'Strong support from President Trump': Saudi Arabia says final agreement with Qatar 'within reach'</a>

When he was asked whether the Biden administration was already in touch with Saudi Arabia to decide about revival of the deal, Prince Faisal said that there were no contacts as yet but that Saudi Arabia was reasy to engage with Biden when he takes office.

"We are confident that both an incoming Biden administration, but also our other partners, including the Europeans, have fully signed on to the need to have all the regional parties involved in a resolution," he said.

'JCPOA plus plus'

Germany said in recent days that a new, broader Iran nuclear accord must be reached to also rein in Tehran's ballistic missile programme, warning that the 2015 deal was no longer enough.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, talked of a "nuclear agreement plus", in language also deployed by the Saudi minister.

"I don't know about a revived JCPOA, although one may look to a JCPOA plus plus, something well beyond the JCPOA," Prince Faisal said.

"Because reviving the &nbsp;JCPOA as it exists now will only bring us to the point where we were, which is a deficient agreement that doesn't address the full issues related to Iran's nuclear activities and other original activities."

Saudi Arabia has been targeted with dozens of ballistic missile and drone attacks since the start of last year, including a devastating strike on Aramco's facilities in the country's east, which temporarily knocked out half the kingdom's crude output.&nbsp;

That strike was claimed by the Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is fighting a grinding five-year conflict to back the internationally recognised government, but the United States said it involved cruise missiles from Iran.&nbsp;

(With AFP inputs)

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that a consultation with Gulf states was necessary if US nuclear agreement with Iran was to be revived. It warned that such an approach was the only path towards a sustainable agreement.

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that a consultation with Gulf states was necessary if US nuclear agreement with Iran was to be revived. It warned that such an approach was the only path towards a sustainable agreement. Under the leadership of Joe Biden, there are signs that the US will return to the nuclear deal with Iran that was struck in 2015. Donald Trump had withdrawn from the agreement. Biden has indicated that he will bring Iran's US-allied Arab neighbours, such as Saudi Arabia, which sees Iran as its arch-rival, into the process. "Primarily what we expect is that we are fully consulted, that we and our other regional friends are fully consulted in what goes on vis a vis the negotiations with Iran," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told AFP. × "The only way towards reaching an agreement that is sustainable is through such consultation," he said on the sidelines of a security conference in Bahrain's Manama. "I think we've seen as a result of the after effects of the JCPOA that not involving the regional countries results in a build up of mistrust and neglect of the issues of real concern and of real effect on regional security." Also Read | 'Strong support from President Trump': Saudi Arabia says final agreement with Qatar 'within reach' When he was asked whether the Biden administration was already in touch with Saudi Arabia to decide about revival of the deal, Prince Faisal said that there were no contacts as yet but that Saudi Arabia was reasy to engage with Biden when he takes office. "We are confident that both an incoming Biden administration, but also our other partners, including the Europeans, have fully signed on to the need to have all the regional parties involved in a resolution," he said. 'JCPOA plus plus' Germany said in recent days that a new, broader Iran nuclear accord must be reached to also rein in Tehran's ballistic missile programme, warning that the 2015 deal was no longer enough. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, talked of a "nuclear agreement plus", in language also deployed by the Saudi minister. "I don't know about a revived JCPOA, although one may look to a JCPOA plus plus, something well beyond the JCPOA," Prince Faisal said. "Because reviving the JCPOA as it exists now will only bring us to the point where we were, which is a deficient agreement that doesn't address the full issues related to Iran's nuclear activities and other original activities." Saudi Arabia has been targeted with dozens of ballistic missile and drone attacks since the start of last year, including a devastating strike on Aramco's facilities in the country's east, which temporarily knocked out half the kingdom's crude output. That strike was claimed by the Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is fighting a grinding five-year conflict to back the internationally recognised government, but the United States said it involved cruise missiles from Iran. (With AFP inputs)

Talks with Gulf states necessary for US-Iran deal revival: Saudi Arabia

Even when the question of who will be the next US President seems to have settled, the actual power Joe Biden administration will wield has come to be decided on a single election in Georgia in US. The result of this election will decide which party will control US Senate and thereby the effective strength of Biden administration.

Republican Party currently controls US Senate with 52-48 majority. If Democratic party is able to win two Senate seats from Georgia, Republican Party will lose its majority in the Senate. Democratic Party already controls House of Representatives. Both Senate seats in Georgia are currently held by Republican Party.

Knowing the gravity of the situation, both parties have put in their best efforts to campaign for the Senate elections due next month. Major names from both parties are already addressing the people of Georgia

Former President Barack Obama and Vice President Pence campaigned for opposing candidates in Georgia on Friday (December 4), throwing political muscle into the January runoff elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/criminal-cruel-and-traitorous-donald-trump-belongs-in-prison-says-his-niece-mary-trump-347718">'Criminal, cruel and traitorous' Donald Trump belongs in prison, says his niece Mary Trump</a>

"You are now once again the center of our civic universe, because the special election in Georgia is going to determine ultimately the course of the Biden presidency and whether Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can deliver legislatively all the commitments they've made," Obama said during a virtual event featuring organized by the Democratic Party of Georgia.

A pair of Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs will be held on January 5 after no candidate won a majority in the Nov. 3 election. Republican Senator David Perdue is seeking re-election against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. And Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler is facing Democrat Raphael Warnock in the other runoff.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-wouldnt-demand-it-be-mandatory-biden-on-vaccine-347715">I wouldn't demand it be mandatory: Biden on vaccine</a> 
 
Pence visited Georgia on Friday, where he received a briefing on the pandemic at the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and then joined a rally for Perdue and Loeffler.

"We're going to keep Georgia. We're going to save the Senate and then we're going to save America," he told supporters.

Trump, a Republican who has still refused to concede to Biden, is scheduled to headline a rally with Perdue and Loeffler on Saturday.

(With Reuters inputs)

Even when the question of who will be the next US President seems to have settled, the actual power Joe Biden administration will wield has come to be decided on a single election in Georgia in US.

Even when the question of who will be the next US President seems to have settled, the actual power Joe Biden administration will wield has come to be decided on a single election in Georgia in US. The result of this election will decide which party will control US Senate and thereby the effective strength of Biden administration. Republican Party currently controls US Senate with 52-48 majority. If Democratic party is able to win two Senate seats from Georgia, Republican Party will lose its majority in the Senate. Democratic Party already controls House of Representatives. Both Senate seats in Georgia are currently held by Republican Party. Knowing the gravity of the situation, both parties have put in their best efforts to campaign for the Senate elections due next month. Major names from both parties are already addressing the people of Georgia Former President Barack Obama and Vice President Pence campaigned for opposing candidates in Georgia on Friday (December 4), throwing political muscle into the January runoff elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Also Read | 'Criminal, cruel and traitorous' Donald Trump belongs in prison, says his niece Mary Trump "You are now once again the center of our civic universe, because the special election in Georgia is going to determine ultimately the course of the Biden presidency and whether Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can deliver legislatively all the commitments they've made," Obama said during a virtual event featuring organized by the Democratic Party of Georgia. A pair of Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs will be held on January 5 after no candidate won a majority in the Nov. 3 election. Republican Senator David Perdue is seeking re-election against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. And Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler is facing Democrat Raphael Warnock in the other runoff. Also Read | I wouldn't demand it be mandatory: Biden on vaccine Pence visited Georgia on Friday, where he received a briefing on the pandemic at the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and then joined a rally for Perdue and Loeffler. "We're going to keep Georgia. We're going to save the Senate and then we're going to save America," he told supporters. Trump, a Republican who has still refused to concede to Biden, is scheduled to headline a rally with Perdue and Loeffler on Saturday. (With Reuters inputs)

With US Senate majority in the pot, parties bring out big guns for Georgia elections

The US State Department said Friday it was terminating five Chinese-funded exchange programs with the United States, calling them propaganda tools for Beijing.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that these programs, conducted under a US law called the MECEA that permits American government employees to travel using foreign government funds, were "disguised as 'cultural exchanges.'"

"While other programs funded under the auspices of the MECEA are mutually beneficial, the five programs in question are fully funded and operated by the PRC government as soft power propaganda tools," Pompeo said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

"They provide carefully curated access to Chinese Communist Party officials, not to the Chinese people, who do not enjoy freedoms of speech and assembly."

The termination is the latest reflection of President Donald Trump's sharply antagonistic relationship with China.

Under Trump, the US launched a trade war with Beijing, has challenged Beijing's territorial ambitions in disputed Asian waters, criticized its crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong and blamed China's handling of the initial coronavirus outbreak for the pandemic now engulfing the globe.

The US State Department said Friday it was terminating five Chinese-funded exchange programs with the United States, calling them propaganda tools for Beijing. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that these programs, conducted under a US law called the MECEA that permits American government employees to travel using foreign government funds, were "disguised as 'cultural exchanges.

The US State Department said Friday it was terminating five Chinese-funded exchange programs with the United States, calling them propaganda tools for Beijing. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that these programs, conducted under a US law called the MECEA that permits American government employees to travel using foreign government funds, were "disguised as 'cultural exchanges.'" "While other programs funded under the auspices of the MECEA are mutually beneficial, the five programs in question are fully funded and operated by the PRC government as soft power propaganda tools," Pompeo said, referring to the People's Republic of China. "They provide carefully curated access to Chinese Communist Party officials, not to the Chinese people, who do not enjoy freedoms of speech and assembly." The termination is the latest reflection of President Donald Trump's sharply antagonistic relationship with China. Under Trump, the US launched a trade war with Beijing, has challenged Beijing's territorial ambitions in disputed Asian waters, criticized its crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong and blamed China's handling of the initial coronavirus outbreak for the pandemic now engulfing the globe.

US ends China-funded exchange programmes, calls them 'propaganda tools'

Firefighters have made some progress reining in a blaze in a Southern California canyon, but faced more high winds and low humidity on Friday that threatened to stoke the flames which had forced thousands to leave their homes.

The Bond Fire was less than a third contained after it broke out on Wednesday on the road for which it is named and quickly engulfed much of Silverado Canyon, driven by strong Santa Ana winds.

"Continued mapping of the Bond fire has it at 7,375 acres with 30% containment," fire officials in Orange county said&nbsp;on Twitter, or an area of 2,985 hectares.

"Firefighters worked through the night extinguishing hot spots, mopping up around structures and stopping the forward spread of this fire," county fire official Paul Holaday said in a video posted to Twitter.

Air and ground units were focused on protecting the canyon communities of Silverado, Santiago, Williams and Modjesca, he added.

Two firefighters taken to hospital with injuries on Thursday were released and were "doing okay," the fire officials said on Twitter.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning of gusty winds until 10 p.m. on Saturday for the inland part of the county.

Utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co said it stood ready to cut power in some northern and central parts of the state form early on Monday as dry conditions and expected high winds heighten damage risks.

As many as 25,000 people had been forced to flee the blaze but by Friday morning officials had lifted some evacuation orders, including those for the Lake Forest community.

On Twitter, the Orange County Fire Authority said the blaze started as a structure fire in Silverado Canyon on Bond Road that "fully engulfed a home." Strong winds then drove the flames into nearby vegetation, officials said.

Residents said the flames erupted when a home generator exploded.

Since the start of the year, wildfires have scorched more than 6,500 sq miles (17,000 sq km) of California land, the state`s forestry department says.

The land area burned each year in the western United States has grown eight times larger in less than four decades, U.S. Forest Service researchers said last month.

Firefighters have made some progress reining in a blaze in a Southern California canyon, but faced more high winds and low humidity on Friday that threatened to stoke the flames which had forced thousands to leave their homes.

Firefighters have made some progress reining in a blaze in a Southern California canyon, but faced more high winds and low humidity on Friday that threatened to stoke the flames which had forced thousands to leave their homes. The Bond Fire was less than a third contained after it broke out on Wednesday on the road for which it is named and quickly engulfed much of Silverado Canyon, driven by strong Santa Ana winds. "Continued mapping of the Bond fire has it at 7,375 acres with 30% containment," fire officials in Orange county said on Twitter, or an area of 2,985 hectares. "Firefighters worked through the night extinguishing hot spots, mopping up around structures and stopping the forward spread of this fire," county fire official Paul Holaday said in a video posted to Twitter. Air and ground units were focused on protecting the canyon communities of Silverado, Santiago, Williams and Modjesca, he added. Two firefighters taken to hospital with injuries on Thursday were released and were "doing okay," the fire officials said on Twitter. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning of gusty winds until 10 p.m. on Saturday for the inland part of the county. Utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co said it stood ready to cut power in some northern and central parts of the state form early on Monday as dry conditions and expected high winds heighten damage risks. As many as 25,000 people had been forced to flee the blaze but by Friday morning officials had lifted some evacuation orders, including those for the Lake Forest community. On Twitter, the Orange County Fire Authority said the blaze started as a structure fire in Silverado Canyon on Bond Road that "fully engulfed a home." Strong winds then drove the flames into nearby vegetation, officials said. Residents said the flames erupted when a home generator exploded. Since the start of the year, wildfires have scorched more than 6,500 sq miles (17,000 sq km) of California land, the state`s forestry department says. The land area burned each year in the western United States has grown eight times larger in less than four decades, U.S. Forest Service researchers said last month.

Firefighters move in on southern California blaze as wind gusts seen

The US Justice Department has begun a probe into an alleged bribery scheme involving campaign donations to secure a presidential pardon.

The probe is being carried to find out if money was funnelled to the White House in exchange for a presidential pardon. No US government official is, however, the "subject or target" of the investigation.

The document, which discusses the legality of searching communications and electronic devices of individuals, including attorneys, is highly redacted, with all identifying information blacked out.

But it refers to a "secret lobbying scheme" directed at "senior White House officials" to gain a presidential "pardon or reprieve of sentence" for an unnamed individual.

The scheme, under investigation since at least August, appears to have involved lobbyists and lawyers, a well-heeled donor to political campaigns, and a man or woman who is or was in prison and is hoping for presidential intervention.

The filing indicates that the lobbyists and lawyers contacted White House officials requesting a presidential pardon or reprieve, citing the "past substantial campaign contributions" and "anticipated future substantial political contributions" from a donor.

It suggests that the donor is making the offer on behalf of the person seeking clemency.

The document does not indicate when the actions involved took place, and, in the sections not redacted, there is no reference to current President Donald Trump or to his campaign.

But the filing was revealed amid speculation that, with six weeks left in the White House after losing the November 3 election, Trump is preparing to grant executive clemency to more people, after pardoning his former national security advisor Michael Flynn last Wednesday.

Trump has granted pardons or sentence reductions to several political allies, including campaign consultant Roger Stone, controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and Republican activist Dinesh D'Souza.

The New York Times reported that Trump has discussed granting preemptive pardons to his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, his three oldest children and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

There is also public discussion of Trump issuing a pardon for himself, for any crimes he might be charged with related to his time in office -- though the legality of that has never been tested.

(with inputs)

The US Justice Department has begun a probe into an alleged bribery scheme involving campaign donations to secure a presidential pardon. The probe is being carried to find out if money was funnelled to the White House in exchange for a presidential pardon.

The US Justice Department has begun a probe into an alleged bribery scheme involving campaign donations to secure a presidential pardon. The probe is being carried to find out if money was funnelled to the White House in exchange for a presidential pardon. No US government official is, however, the "subject or target" of the investigation. The document, which discusses the legality of searching communications and electronic devices of individuals, including attorneys, is highly redacted, with all identifying information blacked out. But it refers to a "secret lobbying scheme" directed at "senior White House officials" to gain a presidential "pardon or reprieve of sentence" for an unnamed individual. The scheme, under investigation since at least August, appears to have involved lobbyists and lawyers, a well-heeled donor to political campaigns, and a man or woman who is or was in prison and is hoping for presidential intervention. The filing indicates that the lobbyists and lawyers contacted White House officials requesting a presidential pardon or reprieve, citing the "past substantial campaign contributions" and "anticipated future substantial political contributions" from a donor. It suggests that the donor is making the offer on behalf of the person seeking clemency. The document does not indicate when the actions involved took place, and, in the sections not redacted, there is no reference to current President Donald Trump or to his campaign. But the filing was revealed amid speculation that, with six weeks left in the White House after losing the November 3 election, Trump is preparing to grant executive clemency to more people, after pardoning his former national security advisor Michael Flynn last Wednesday. Trump has granted pardons or sentence reductions to several political allies, including campaign consultant Roger Stone, controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and Republican activist Dinesh D'Souza. The New York Times reported that Trump has discussed granting preemptive pardons to his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, his three oldest children and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. There is also public discussion of Trump issuing a pardon for himself, for any crimes he might be charged with related to his time in office -- though the legality of that has never been tested. (with inputs)

US probes pardon bribery scheme; no govt official under investigation

The fierce and preemptive Republican pushback against President-elect Joe Biden’s choice of Neera Tanden this week to head the White House budget office underscored the difficulties the incoming administration will face in maneuvering its nominees through a polarized Senate.

In the 11 years since Biden served in the chamber, partisanship has intensified, and nominations — once an area dominated by courtesy, comity and a presumption of accommodation — have become just another brutal battlefield.

Republicans will not be eager to accede to Biden’s choices if they can find reason for opposition. And disparaging comments about Republicans on Twitter from Tanden, a longtime Democratic policy adviser and head of a liberal think tank, were enough for many Republicans to threaten the nomination well before it was made official Tuesday.

“Trumpism has infected the entire Republican caucus,” said James P. Manley, a former longtime top Senate Democratic aide, who urged the incoming administration to brace for intense opposition from Republicans led by Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “I am not sure everyone has figured out yet what is going on here, but I hope they will soon, and prepare for what is coming.”

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-threatens-military-spending-veto-in-social-media-bias-battle-346871">Trump threatens military spending veto in social media bias battle</a>

Should Democrats win two Senate seats in runoff elections to be held Jan. 5 in Georgia, the party would control the agenda and make approval of Biden’s nominees much easier. But if Democrats fail, Republicans will have the power to decide the fate of Biden’s executive and judicial branch picks.

The reality of a Democratic White House and a Republican Senate will take some adjusting to on Capitol Hill after four years of Republicans working hand-in-hand with President Donald Trump on nominations.

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Republicans said they were stunned by the selection of Tanden, whom many knew mainly as a hostile social media presence, to head the Office of Management and Budget. Even though many Republicans have refused to recognize Biden as the winner of the election, they said they were surprised that his team had not checked in with them on how they might react to her nomination to an agency that lawmakers in both parties see as critical when it comes to advancing congressional priorities.

“That was just an unforced error,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Tuesday. He said that moving forward in future cases without weighing Republican sentiment was “a roll of the dice” that could cause unnecessary embarrassment to a nominee or to Biden’s White House.

Initially, Republicans — who had refused to hold hearings for President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee in 2016 — suggested that they might not even take up Tanden’s nomination were it sent to the Senate. But Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who is poised to be the top Republican on one of the two committees that would oversee hearings for Tanden, said he believed she should receive one even if he was skeptical about her chances of confirmation.

“That’s our responsibility,” said Portman, who oversaw the budget office under President George W. Bush. “But it doesn’t mean she’ll get the votes.”

The handling of the announcement of Tanden’s nomination left some in both parties wondering whether Biden’s team was misreading the environment on Capitol Hill, where voting against an administration’s nominees has become essentially the default position for senators in the party out of power in recent years.

But people close to the transition team said opposition to Tanden’s nomination from some Republicans was no surprise to the president-elect or his team, nor was it evidence that Biden, who served almost four decades in the Senate, was naïve about what it would take to win confirmation of his choices. One person familiar with the deliberations said they expected as much from Republicans already angling to run for president in four years.

Advisers said Biden was cleareyed about the need to use some of his political capital to fight for Tanden’s nomination, citing her years of policymaking experience and a compelling personal story as reasons to fight to get her confirmed.

They noted that the reaction from Republicans to Biden’s other nominees has been more muted, with some Republicans suggesting they would be willing to give the president-elect deference in terms of who he wants in his Cabinet. One person close to the nomination process said that Biden and his team had, in fact, been reaching out to Republican lawmakers in recent weeks.

Transition officials said the crisis situation in the nation makes quick confirmation imperative.

“The country is facing multiple crises, from a pandemic that is killing over 10,000 Americans a week to a recession that is continuing to push thousands out of the workforce,” said Andrew Bates, a transition spokesman. “The American people cannot afford partisan obstruction of qualified and experienced women who are nominees.”

Democrats scoffed at the criticisms surrounding Tanden’s selection, particularly over her Twitter feed — given that most Senate Republicans have diligently spent four years evading queries about the array of policy announcements, racist commentary and inflammatory attacks on their own colleagues from Trump on Twitter.

“After spending four years pretending that they didn’t see the latest insane tweet from President Trump, Senate Republicans seem to have found a newfound interest in the Twitter feeds of President-elect Biden’s Cabinet selection,” Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said on the Senate floor. “A few critical tweets about substantive policy positions have caused Senate Republicans to label Ms. Tanden’s nomination ‘radioactive.’ Spare us the hyperbole.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he believed that Biden and his team should reach out to Capitol Hill about the looming nominations. He added that he had been in touch with some of the intended nominees about scheduling private, one-on-one meetings. (On Tuesday, Schumer’s office circulated photographs of him in a video conference with Biden’s choices for secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, and director of national intelligence, Avril D. Haines.)

“That’s probably the most important first thing because there’s nothing like making your case for yourself,” Kaine said. “Four years ago, President Trump put some nominees up — if they said things in tweets or whatever that we didn’t like, we’d ask them tough questions about that, so she will expect the same.”

Democrats also said they were astounded by calls from Republicans for extensive disclosures of business dealings from Biden’s potential picks after the record compiled by Trump.

“This is just stunning, even by the double standards of Washington,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who labeled the Trump administration “the Babe Ruth of darkness.”

“The Trump administration has stonewalled on so many things — starting with the president’s taxes — and then they come in and the first thing they’re doing is saying, ‘Oh, my goodness, there’s no transparency in the Biden administration,’” he added.

Manley, the former Senate aide, urged Democrats to stand behind the new administration’s nominees or face an onslaught of obstruction from emboldened Republicans.

“If Republicans have objections to her policy views, they should give her a hearing and grill her,” he said. “But the idea that they are prepared to block her nomination because she was mean to them on Twitter is ridiculous, and no Democrat should fall for it.”

The fierce and preemptive Republican pushback against President-elect Joe Biden’s choice of Neera Tanden this week to head the White House budget office underscored the difficulties the incoming administration will face in maneuvering its nominees through a polarized Senate.

The fierce and preemptive Republican pushback against President-elect Joe Biden’s choice of Neera Tanden this week to head the White House budget office underscored the difficulties the incoming administration will face in maneuvering its nominees through a polarized Senate. In the 11 years since Biden served in the chamber, partisanship has intensified, and nominations — once an area dominated by courtesy, comity and a presumption of accommodation — have become just another brutal battlefield. Republicans will not be eager to accede to Biden’s choices if they can find reason for opposition. And disparaging comments about Republicans on Twitter from Tanden, a longtime Democratic policy adviser and head of a liberal think tank, were enough for many Republicans to threaten the nomination well before it was made official Tuesday. “Trumpism has infected the entire Republican caucus,” said James P. Manley, a former longtime top Senate Democratic aide, who urged the incoming administration to brace for intense opposition from Republicans led by Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “I am not sure everyone has figured out yet what is going on here, but I hope they will soon, and prepare for what is coming.” Also Read | Trump threatens military spending veto in social media bias battle Should Democrats win two Senate seats in runoff elections to be held Jan. 5 in Georgia, the party would control the agenda and make approval of Biden’s nominees much easier. But if Democrats fail, Republicans will have the power to decide the fate of Biden’s executive and judicial branch picks. The reality of a Democratic White House and a Republican Senate will take some adjusting to on Capitol Hill after four years of Republicans working hand-in-hand with President Donald Trump on nominations. × Republicans said they were stunned by the selection of Tanden, whom many knew mainly as a hostile social media presence, to head the Office of Management and Budget. Even though many Republicans have refused to recognize Biden as the winner of the election, they said they were surprised that his team had not checked in with them on how they might react to her nomination to an agency that lawmakers in both parties see as critical when it comes to advancing congressional priorities. “That was just an unforced error,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Tuesday. He said that moving forward in future cases without weighing Republican sentiment was “a roll of the dice” that could cause unnecessary embarrassment to a nominee or to Biden’s White House. Initially, Republicans — who had refused to hold hearings for President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee in 2016 — suggested that they might not even take up Tanden’s nomination were it sent to the Senate. But Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who is poised to be the top Republican on one of the two committees that would oversee hearings for Tanden, said he believed she should receive one even if he was skeptical about her chances of confirmation. “That’s our responsibility,” said Portman, who oversaw the budget office under President George W. Bush. “But it doesn’t mean she’ll get the votes.” The handling of the announcement of Tanden’s nomination left some in both parties wondering whether Biden’s team was misreading the environment on Capitol Hill, where voting against an administration’s nominees has become essentially the default position for senators in the party out of power in recent years. But people close to the transition team said opposition to Tanden’s nomination from some Republicans was no surprise to the president-elect or his team, nor was it evidence that Biden, who served almost four decades in the Senate, was naïve about what it would take to win confirmation of his choices. One person familiar with the deliberations said they expected as much from Republicans already angling to run for president in four years. Advisers said Biden was cleareyed about the need to use some of his political capital to fight for Tanden’s nomination, citing her years of policymaking experience and a compelling personal story as reasons to fight to get her confirmed. They noted that the reaction from Republicans to Biden’s other nominees has been more muted, with some Republicans suggesting they would be willing to give the president-elect deference in terms of who he wants in his Cabinet. One person close to the nomination process said that Biden and his team had, in fact, been reaching out to Republican lawmakers in recent weeks. Transition officials said the crisis situation in the nation makes quick confirmation imperative. “The country is facing multiple crises, from a pandemic that is killing over 10,000 Americans a week to a recession that is continuing to push thousands out of the workforce,” said Andrew Bates, a transition spokesman. “The American people cannot afford partisan obstruction of qualified and experienced women who are nominees.” Democrats scoffed at the criticisms surrounding Tanden’s selection, particularly over her Twitter feed — given that most Senate Republicans have diligently spent four years evading queries about the array of policy announcements, racist commentary and inflammatory attacks on their own colleagues from Trump on Twitter. “After spending four years pretending that they didn’t see the latest insane tweet from President Trump, Senate Republicans seem to have found a newfound interest in the Twitter feeds of President-elect Biden’s Cabinet selection,” Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said on the Senate floor. “A few critical tweets about substantive policy positions have caused Senate Republicans to label Ms. Tanden’s nomination ‘radioactive.’ Spare us the hyperbole.” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he believed that Biden and his team should reach out to Capitol Hill about the looming nominations. He added that he had been in touch with some of the intended nominees about scheduling private, one-on-one meetings. (On Tuesday, Schumer’s office circulated photographs of him in a video conference with Biden’s choices for secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, and director of national intelligence, Avril D. Haines.) “That’s probably the most important first thing because there’s nothing like making your case for yourself,” Kaine said. “Four years ago, President Trump put some nominees up — if they said things in tweets or whatever that we didn’t like, we’d ask them tough questions about that, so she will expect the same.” Democrats also said they were astounded by calls from Republicans for extensive disclosures of business dealings from Biden’s potential picks after the record compiled by Trump. “This is just stunning, even by the double standards of Washington,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who labeled the Trump administration “the Babe Ruth of darkness.” “The Trump administration has stonewalled on so many things — starting with the president’s taxes — and then they come in and the first thing they’re doing is saying, ‘Oh, my goodness, there’s no transparency in the Biden administration,’” he added. Manley, the former Senate aide, urged Democrats to stand behind the new administration’s nominees or face an onslaught of obstruction from emboldened Republicans. “If Republicans have objections to her policy views, they should give her a hearing and grill her,” he said. “But the idea that they are prepared to block her nomination because she was mean to them on Twitter is ridiculous, and no Democrat should fall for it.”

Republican resistance to Tanden illustrates trouble ahead for Biden

After provoking India militarily, China recently claimed that COVID-19 originated in India.&nbsp;Now, it is trying to build dams to control water supply.

What is driving China's behaviour? Has the incoming Biden administration and its promise to work with India against China rattled Beijing?

In the United States, Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much these days. But they agree on one thing. They believe that China under Xi Jinping presents a threat to global security. Beijing, well aware of this has been cautious about dealing with US President-elect Joe Biden.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/china-prepares-to-build-dam-on-brahmaputra-river-in-tibet-india-raises-concern-346417" hreflang="en">China prepares to build dam on Brahmaputra river in Tibet; India raises concern</a>

Xi Jinping waited for weeks before sending his congratulations. The Biden administration is making plans to contain China, and it wants India's help.

Joe Biden's candidate to replace Mike Pompeo is Antony Blinken, who wants India to be a key American partner in dealing with China from a position of strength.

While speaking to Indian Americans earlier this year, Blinken said that India and the US "have a common challenge which is to deal with an increasingly assertive china across the board, including its aggression toward India at the line of actual control, but also using its economic might to coerce others”.

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That statement is a reflection of the hard line that Biden has taken against the dragon. The president-elect, during his campaign called Xi Jinping a thug, and backed India over China in the ongoing border standoff.

Considering this, Chinese state media is warning that relations may not improve under Joe Biden. Last week, Chinese ministry of foreign affairs adopted a cautious tone, calling for "no conflict" or "confrontation" with US.

The tensions at the border haven't simmered, with Beijing doubling down on its aggression. India and the United States are expected to mount a strong anti-China front and take the dragon head on.

After provoking India militarily, China recently claimed that COVID-19 originated in India. Now, it is trying to build dams to control water supply. What is driving China's behaviour?

After provoking India militarily, China recently claimed that COVID-19 originated in India. Now, it is trying to build dams to control water supply. What is driving China's behaviour? Has the incoming Biden administration and its promise to work with India against China rattled Beijing? In the United States, Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much these days. But they agree on one thing. They believe that China under Xi Jinping presents a threat to global security. Beijing, well aware of this has been cautious about dealing with US President-elect Joe Biden. Also read: China prepares to build dam on Brahmaputra river in Tibet; India raises concern Xi Jinping waited for weeks before sending his congratulations. The Biden administration is making plans to contain China, and it wants India's help. Joe Biden's candidate to replace Mike Pompeo is Antony Blinken, who wants India to be a key American partner in dealing with China from a position of strength. While speaking to Indian Americans earlier this year, Blinken said that India and the US "have a common challenge which is to deal with an increasingly assertive china across the board, including its aggression toward India at the line of actual control, but also using its economic might to coerce others”. × That statement is a reflection of the hard line that Biden has taken against the dragon. The president-elect, during his campaign called Xi Jinping a thug, and backed India over China in the ongoing border standoff. Considering this, Chinese state media is warning that relations may not improve under Joe Biden. Last week, Chinese ministry of foreign affairs adopted a cautious tone, calling for "no conflict" or "confrontation" with US. The tensions at the border haven't simmered, with Beijing doubling down on its aggression. India and the United States are expected to mount a strong anti-China front and take the dragon head on.

Has US President-elect Biden's promise to work with India rattled China?

As the drama surrounding US elections ebbs and flows and as the democratic ‘blue wave’ has not materialized, pundits and sober commentators are rightly pointing out that there will be governance dysfunction in the United States. This would, as the pundits assert, lead to a legislative hiatus and pause where the only major room for manoeuvre for Joseph Biden, if and when he becomes president, will be in foreign policy. Given this, should the world heave a sigh of relief? Will American power ‘remake’ the world again? And can Biden grow America’s influence?

Fundamentally, the wellsprings of American leadership of the world were predicated on a combination of its military might (hard power), its adherence to and export of capitalism (political economy) and values that it espoused and embedded, albeit sporadically in its foreign policy (human rights).&nbsp;

Admittedly, this is a neat troika where there have been departures from the ‘norm’s and variations on this theme but, in the main, these are what constituted the grist and mill of American foreign policy, earning the country influence, wide and deep latitude in the process.&nbsp;

Complementing this rubric of foreign policy was an international system and structure that, until the closing decade of the 20th century was more or less stable.

But as the 20th century gave way to the 21st, there were world disorders, the sources of which could be traced to both within and without America. It was perhaps in the domain of economics, or more accurately political economy, where the post-war bargain of ‘embedded liberalism’ gave way to unabashed globalism, that the impact was most severe.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-hope-lesson-has-been-learnt-says-iran-on-nuclear-deal-with-usa-341410">We hope 'lesson' has been learnt, says Iran on nuclear deal with USA</a> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 
 
Unadulterated globalism which some associate with market fundamentalism, and where there was a trade-off between efficiency and equity, in favour of the former, bred inequalities and inequities not only within and in the United States but also outside of it.&nbsp;

It was these conditions plus the effects of a proselytizing foreign policy, which under the neocons meant wars, that Trump was born. But Trump was a figure that represented or reflected angst with the existing order of political economy.

This angst called Trumpism called for a changing of the economic order and the political consensus that underpinned it. The implications and consequences were felt in the domains of foreign policy as America under Trump sought to disrupt and remake international relations in the image of Trumpism.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/the-people-versus-donald-trump-341373">The people versus Donald Trump</a> 
 
In the meanwhile, the world was also changing – especially in its political makeup. The ‘democratic waves’ that reached an apogee in the 1970s dissipated into a ‘democratic recession’. Complemented by a quasi American retreat from international relations, the tone of international politics became more adversarial. &nbsp;

There was also the rise of China which while did not seek to upend world order and not export its model but certainly was and is seeking to widen its arc of influence.

There was and is more to these developments and trends but the ones delineated here constitute the major ones. So, amidst this change and churn, can America lead again? And what would leading mean?

No easy answers lend themselves here. But for America to lead again, the country first needs balance and equipoise within followed by a consensus of what constitutes its interests and ideals. If the focus would be on a narrow range or narrowly defined interests, then the obvious consequence would be a quasi retreat from international politics.&nbsp;

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This would be the best outcome if, to repeat, interests are defined narrowly. But, if it is ideals, then obviously America needs to re-engage with the world albeit in a different idiom than it did in the past, primarily because the world out there is a different one.&nbsp;

But, this whole hog re-engagement would carry domestic prices and with Trumpism still a potent force in the United States(made more salient with the prospect of Trump himself foraying into the media), it will not only have diminishing returns but also probably lead to more polarization. How then should America craft its foreign policy under Biden?

By synthesizing ideals with interests is the answer. Or, in other words, create a foreign policy paradigm that integrates realism with idealism which may be called realist idealism.&nbsp;

This could constitute the golden mean that the Biden presidency should aim for. Among its core components should be a review and revision of political economy that must occupy the middle ground, so to speak.&nbsp;

Any gyration to either extreme would not only be a disaster in the making but also be as ephemeral as anything- a prospect that would lead to both world disorders and the possible end of an era.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do&nbsp;not represent the views of&nbsp;WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse&nbsp;the views of the writer)

As the drama surrounding US elections ebbs and flows and as the democratic ‘blue wave’ has not materialized, pundits and sober commentators are rightly pointing out that there will be governance dysfunction in the United States.

As the drama surrounding US elections ebbs and flows and as the democratic ‘blue wave’ has not materialized, pundits and sober commentators are rightly pointing out that there will be governance dysfunction in the United States. This would, as the pundits assert, lead to a legislative hiatus and pause where the only major room for manoeuvre for Joseph Biden, if and when he becomes president, will be in foreign policy. Given this, should the world heave a sigh of relief? Will American power ‘remake’ the world again? And can Biden grow America’s influence? Fundamentally, the wellsprings of American leadership of the world were predicated on a combination of its military might (hard power), its adherence to and export of capitalism (political economy) and values that it espoused and embedded, albeit sporadically in its foreign policy (human rights). Admittedly, this is a neat troika where there have been departures from the ‘norm’s and variations on this theme but, in the main, these are what constituted the grist and mill of American foreign policy, earning the country influence, wide and deep latitude in the process. Complementing this rubric of foreign policy was an international system and structure that, until the closing decade of the 20th century was more or less stable. But as the 20th century gave way to the 21st, there were world disorders, the sources of which could be traced to both within and without America. It was perhaps in the domain of economics, or more accurately political economy, where the post-war bargain of ‘embedded liberalism’ gave way to unabashed globalism, that the impact was most severe. Also Read | We hope 'lesson' has been learnt, says Iran on nuclear deal with USA Unadulterated globalism which some associate with market fundamentalism, and where there was a trade-off between efficiency and equity, in favour of the former, bred inequalities and inequities not only within and in the United States but also outside of it. It was these conditions plus the effects of a proselytizing foreign policy, which under the neocons meant wars, that Trump was born. But Trump was a figure that represented or reflected angst with the existing order of political economy. This angst called Trumpism called for a changing of the economic order and the political consensus that underpinned it. The implications and consequences were felt in the domains of foreign policy as America under Trump sought to disrupt and remake international relations in the image of Trumpism. Also Read | The people versus Donald Trump In the meanwhile, the world was also changing – especially in its political makeup. The ‘democratic waves’ that reached an apogee in the 1970s dissipated into a ‘democratic recession’. Complemented by a quasi American retreat from international relations, the tone of international politics became more adversarial. There was also the rise of China which while did not seek to upend world order and not export its model but certainly was and is seeking to widen its arc of influence. There was and is more to these developments and trends but the ones delineated here constitute the major ones. So, amidst this change and churn, can America lead again? And what would leading mean? No easy answers lend themselves here. But for America to lead again, the country first needs balance and equipoise within followed by a consensus of what constitutes its interests and ideals. If the focus would be on a narrow range or narrowly defined interests, then the obvious consequence would be a quasi retreat from international politics. × This would be the best outcome if, to repeat, interests are defined narrowly. But, if it is ideals, then obviously America needs to re-engage with the world albeit in a different idiom than it did in the past, primarily because the world out there is a different one. But, this whole hog re-engagement would carry domestic prices and with Trumpism still a potent force in the United States(made more salient with the prospect of Trump himself foraying into the media), it will not only have diminishing returns but also probably lead to more polarization. How then should America craft its foreign policy under Biden? By synthesizing ideals with interests is the answer. Or, in other words, create a foreign policy paradigm that integrates realism with idealism which may be called realist idealism. This could constitute the golden mean that the Biden presidency should aim for. Among its core components should be a review and revision of political economy that must occupy the middle ground, so to speak. Any gyration to either extreme would not only be a disaster in the making but also be as ephemeral as anything- a prospect that would lead to both world disorders and the possible end of an era. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer)

In a changing world, what should a Biden foreign policy look like?

US President-elect Joe Biden has said the United States would be "ready to lead" again on the global stage, turning the page on Republican President Donald Trump's "America First" policies as he pledged to work together with the nation's allies.

Video: Biden introduces cabinet picks

A man from South Carolina has pleaded guilty to a terror charge for plotting to bomb or shoot up sites including the White House and Trump Tower in New York City.

The attempted attacks were inspired by the Islamic State group, federal authorities said Tuesday.

Kristopher Sean Matthews pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge to provide material support to IS in a hearing before a US magistrate judge in San Antonio.

Matthews admitted to have conspired with Jaylyn Christopher Molina of Cost, Texas, to share bomb-making information for the purposes of domestic and foreign attacks on behalf of IS, and to radicalise and recruit other individuals to support the Islamic militant organisation.

A grand jury indicted Molina and Matthews on October 14 each with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation and one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation.

Matthews faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He remains in federal custody.

Molina, who also remains in federal custody, faces up to 40 years in federal prison if convicted.

A man from South Carolina has pleaded guilty to a terror charge for plotting to bomb or shoot up sites including the White House and Trump Tower in New York City.

A man from South Carolina has pleaded guilty to a terror charge for plotting to bomb or shoot up sites including the White House and Trump Tower in New York City. The attempted attacks were inspired by the Islamic State group, federal authorities said Tuesday. Kristopher Sean Matthews pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge to provide material support to IS in a hearing before a US magistrate judge in San Antonio. Matthews admitted to have conspired with Jaylyn Christopher Molina of Cost, Texas, to share bomb-making information for the purposes of domestic and foreign attacks on behalf of IS, and to radicalise and recruit other individuals to support the Islamic militant organisation. A grand jury indicted Molina and Matthews on October 14 each with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation and one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation. Matthews faces up to 20 years in federal prison. He remains in federal custody. Molina, who also remains in federal custody, faces up to 40 years in federal prison if convicted.

Man pleads guilty in plot to attack White House, Trump Tower

Something uncanny was just discovered in Utah, United States after officers from the state Department of Public Safety found a metal monolith randomly stationed in the desert.
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Last Wednesday, the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Aero Bureau’s officers were flying in a helicopter to assist the Division of Wildlife Resources in counting bighorn sheep in the region, when they stumbled upon the monolith, soaking in the sun.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/how-archaeologists-are-using-deep-learning-to-dig-deeper-345030" hreflang="en">How archaeologists are using deep learning to dig deeper</a>

The helicopter’s pilot told KSL that it was spotted by one of the biologists when they were flying directly on top of it.

After noticing the object, the biologist’s first reaction “Whoa Whoa, turn around”. He then urged the pilot to turn around to look at “this thing”.

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No day is the same for the members of our Aero Bureau - and what they encountered recently while on a mission counting big horn sheep was very...unique...
Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/UtahDPS/">Utah Department of Public Safety</a> on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/UtahDPS/posts/10160300993142738">Sunday, 22 November 2020</a></blockquote>
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When they descended, they found a silver metal monolith emerging from the ground. According to CNN, it was between 10 ti 12 feet high.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/israeli-scientists-go-backward-in-time-by-successfully-reversing-ageing-by-25-years-344816" hreflang="en">Israeli scientists go 'backward in time' by successfully reversing ageing by 25 years</a>

The first spotters believe that it didn’t randomly drop there, but was actually planted on the spot. Nobody knows how it got there, and who is responsible for it.

Social media is already buzzing with conspiracy theories about the monolith. The fan favourite - aliens have been credited for this object among many. Many believe that it was put there by an artist.

However, it is illegal to put structures or art in public land without authorisation regardless of “what planet you’re from”, as iterated by Utah DPS in a statement. The exact location of the object has not been revealed yet.

Something uncanny was just discovered in Utah, United States after officers from the state Department of Public Safety found a metal monolith randomly stationed in the desert.

Something uncanny was just discovered in Utah, United States after officers from the state Department of Public Safety found a metal monolith randomly stationed in the desert. Last Wednesday, the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Aero Bureau’s officers were flying in a helicopter to assist the Division of Wildlife Resources in counting bighorn sheep in the region, when they stumbled upon the monolith, soaking in the sun. Also read: How archaeologists are using deep learning to dig deeper The helicopter’s pilot told KSL that it was spotted by one of the biologists when they were flying directly on top of it. After noticing the object, the biologist’s first reaction “Whoa Whoa, turn around”. He then urged the pilot to turn around to look at “this thing”. No day is the same for the members of our Aero Bureau - and what they encountered recently while on a mission counting big horn sheep was very...unique... Posted by Utah Department of Public Safety on Sunday, 22 November 2020 When they descended, they found a silver metal monolith emerging from the ground. According to CNN, it was between 10 ti 12 feet high. Also read: Israeli scientists go 'backward in time' by successfully reversing ageing by 25 years The first spotters believe that it didn’t randomly drop there, but was actually planted on the spot. Nobody knows how it got there, and who is responsible for it. Social media is already buzzing with conspiracy theories about the monolith. The fan favourite - aliens have been credited for this object among many. Many believe that it was put there by an artist. However, it is illegal to put structures or art in public land without authorisation regardless of “what planet you’re from”, as iterated by Utah DPS in a statement. The exact location of the object has not been revealed yet.

Metal monolith found in the middle of nowhere in Utah. Who put it there?

Joe Biden's administration can formally begin its transition to power after President Trump, who has still hasn't conceded the White House race, tweeted he was "recommending" the GSA and others in his administration begin "initial protocols" to kick-start the formal transfer of presidential power. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-announces-cabinet-team-check-out-who-gets-what-here-344970">Also read | Joe Biden announces Cabinet team: Check out who gets what here</a> 
 
Trump said he directed Murphy and his administration to “follow the protocols,” which will open up federal funds for use by Biden’s transition team and allow him to receive daily intelligence briefings.

While Trump acknowledged an impending transition to Biden, he has yet to concede and is still pursuing legal action in multiple states.

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...fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1331013908971261953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Trump has spent the last three weeks since the November 3 election claiming without any evidence that Biden's convincing victory was the result of fraud.

Murphy, who denies acting under political pressure, has refused until now to release the standard package of aid that her agency manages to Biden's incoming team.

Biden's team welcomed the decision, saying in a statement it will provide the incoming administration "with the resources and support necessary to carry out a smooth and peaceful transfer of power."

"Today's decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track. This final decision is a definitive administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies."

The decision frees up millions of dollars in financing to support the transition, as well as formally allows Biden to coordinate with current government officials.

Murphy, who had faced harsh criticism over her previous refusal to act, said in her letter to Biden obtained by various US news outlets that "contrary to media reports and insinuations, my decision was not made out of fear or favouritism."

The step by her GSA is usually a routine one following a US presidential election, but Trump's continuing efforts to overturn the results of the vote and refusal to concede have complicated the process.

(With inputs from agencies)

Joe Biden's administration can formally begin its transition to power after President Trump, who has still hasn't conceded the White House race, tweeted he was "recommending" the GSA and others in his administration begin "initial protocols" to kick-start the formal transfer of presidential power.

Joe Biden's administration can formally begin its transition to power after President Trump, who has still hasn't conceded the White House race, tweeted he was "recommending" the GSA and others in his administration begin "initial protocols" to kick-start the formal transfer of presidential power. Also read | Joe Biden announces Cabinet team: Check out who gets what here Trump said he directed Murphy and his administration to “follow the protocols,” which will open up federal funds for use by Biden’s transition team and allow him to receive daily intelligence briefings. While Trump acknowledged an impending transition to Biden, he has yet to concede and is still pursuing legal action in multiple states. ...fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 23, 2020 × Trump has spent the last three weeks since the November 3 election claiming without any evidence that Biden's convincing victory was the result of fraud. Murphy, who denies acting under political pressure, has refused until now to release the standard package of aid that her agency manages to Biden's incoming team. Biden's team welcomed the decision, saying in a statement it will provide the incoming administration "with the resources and support necessary to carry out a smooth and peaceful transfer of power." "Today's decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track. This final decision is a definitive administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies." The decision frees up millions of dollars in financing to support the transition, as well as formally allows Biden to coordinate with current government officials. Murphy, who had faced harsh criticism over her previous refusal to act, said in her letter to Biden obtained by various US news outlets that "contrary to media reports and insinuations, my decision was not made out of fear or favouritism." The step by her GSA is usually a routine one following a US presidential election, but Trump's continuing efforts to overturn the results of the vote and refusal to concede have complicated the process. (With inputs from agencies)

‘Do what needs to be done’: Trump clears the way for Biden's transition

President Donald Trump has made cultivating closer ties with Taiwan a critical part of his efforts to counter China’s rising influence. He has significantly increased weapons sales to Taiwan’s military, vowed to step up economic cooperation, and generally bolstered relations with the self-ruled democratic island — even in his waning days.

His successor, President-elect Joe Biden, will most likely continue on a similar path, albeit without Trump’s characteristic pugnacity.

As concerns grow about China’s increasingly aggressive behavior on the global stage, Biden will face pressure from Democrats and Republicans to strengthen ties with Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

While Biden said little about Taiwan on the campaign trail, he has said the United States should get “tough with China” and described its top leader, Xi Jinping, as a “thug.” His transition team has already reached out to Taiwanese officials.

“If China continues to put military and economic pressure on Taiwan, Biden will have to demonstrate he will not sit by while China bullies Taiwan,” said Bonnie S. Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

His approach, though, is expected to be less confrontational than his predecessor’s. “I don’t think Biden is looking to use Taiwan to poke Xi Jinping in the eye and make him look weak,” Glaser added. “There won’t be a deliberate effort to make Taiwan a point of friction.”

With less than two months left in his term, Trump is working to leave a legacy of severed ties between the United States and China, including a series of last-minute actions focused on Taiwan.

The U.S. government last week held economic talks in Washington with officials from Taiwan, drawing a rebuke from Beijing. Next month, the White House is planning to send the leader of the Environmental Protection Agency to Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by U.S. officials that have rankled the Chinese government.

Trump has attracted a loyal following in Taiwan because of his administration’s criticism of the Chinese Communist Party on issues such as trade, the coronavirus and the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. He has garnered praise in Taiwan for moving swiftly to approve weapons sales, including more than $4 billion worth last month. He is also widely lauded for his decision, as president-elect in 2016, to take a telephone call from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, breaking with decades of diplomatic practice.

“Trump’s actions have been very solid,” said Tsai Yi-yu, a lawmaker from southern Taiwan. Tsai has fervently supported Trump, going so far as to wear a “Keep America Great” face mask to meetings with Taiwan’s leaders.

“Maintaining Trump’s Taiwan policies will be best for Taiwan,” he said, citing Trump’s support for weapons sales.

In Taiwan, Biden’s ascent has been greeted with some anxiety, especially in the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, which is critical of China.

Many politicians and activists in Taiwan have grown increasingly concerned in recent years by Xi’s creeping authoritarianism. They have called on world leaders to more forcefully push back against efforts by Beijing to bring the island under its control, and to treat Taiwan as an equal.

Biden is seen in Taiwan as more risk averse. He is best known for his time as vice president under President Barack Obama, who has been criticized in Taiwan for not doing enough to stand up to Xi. As a senator, Biden helped bring China into international groups like the World Trade Organization, which gave the country an edge as it sought to expand its economy and exert influence in the global system.

Biden has resisted the idea that he would give in to pressure from Beijing. As evidence of Biden’s commitment to Taiwan, his advisers have cited his support as a senator for the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which obligates Washington to provide weapons to Taiwan. More recently, he has signaled his support for Taiwan in other ways, having his choice for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, for example, speak this month with Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States.

“He will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan,” an official with Biden’s transition team said in a statement. “He has long said that American support for Taiwan must remain strong, principled and bipartisan.”

Some politicians in Taiwan, including members of the opposition party, the Kuomintang, believe Biden’s more restrained approach could help ease tensions and prevent a military conflict between the United States and China.

“He is neither a reckless politician nor a person who wants to achieve something remarkable in a short period of time,” said Cheng Li-wun, a Kuomintang lawmaker.

Despite Biden’s calls for greater cooperation, China’s leaders are wary about his leadership. They worry that he will try to unite U.S. allies in Europe and Asia to thwart Beijing’s global agenda, according to analysts in the mainland, and that he will continue to seek closer ties with Taiwan.

“The basic Taiwan policies, even during Biden’s term, won’t see any upending changes,” said Xin Qiang, a scholar who studies U.S.-China relations and Taiwan at Fudan University in Shanghai. “With regard to both strategy and tactics, the mainland has concerns about both Biden and Trump.”

Chinese officials often accuse the United States of encouraging Taiwan to seek full independence, a move that Xi has repeatedly warned could be met by armed force. A rising sense of nationalism in China has fueled concerns that the mainland could react harshly if tensions escalated.

“I fear that one day the mainland will be forced to take actions because of the Taiwan issue that would cause a crisis or even a military conflict between China and the United States,” Xin said.

During his final weeks in office, Trump and his advisers appear to be intent on testing China’s limits on Taiwan.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has escalated his taunting of Beijing, saying during a recent interview that Taiwan was not a part of China. His remarks drew a furious response from Chinese officials, who said Taiwan was an inalienable part of China, denounced Pompeo and vowed to retaliate.

Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, is leading a visit to the region as part of an effort to reassure U.S. allies, after Beijing this month signed a trade agreement with 14 countries in the region, a move seen as a check to American power in the region. O’Brien said in Manila on Monday that the United States would continue to support Taiwan and would not cede its status as a Pacific power to China.

“We’re going to fight for a free and open Indo-Pacific region with all of our partners,” O’Brien said in a conference call with reporters.

When he takes office in January, Biden will face growing frictions and also tough policy choices, including questions about arms sales and economic investment. Taiwan has long pressed U.S. officials to sign a bilateral trade treaty, an idea that Beijing opposes. Tsai Ing-wen lifted a long-standing ban on U.S. pork and beef imports in August, a decision seen as an attempt to open the door to formal trade talks.

President Donald Trump has made cultivating closer ties with Taiwan a critical part of his efforts to counter China’s rising influence. He has significantly increased weapons sales to Taiwan’s military, vowed to step up economic cooperation, and generally bolstered relations with the self-ruled democratic island — even in his waning days.

President Donald Trump has made cultivating closer ties with Taiwan a critical part of his efforts to counter China’s rising influence. He has significantly increased weapons sales to Taiwan’s military, vowed to step up economic cooperation, and generally bolstered relations with the self-ruled democratic island — even in his waning days. His successor, President-elect Joe Biden, will most likely continue on a similar path, albeit without Trump’s characteristic pugnacity. As concerns grow about China’s increasingly aggressive behavior on the global stage, Biden will face pressure from Democrats and Republicans to strengthen ties with Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory. While Biden said little about Taiwan on the campaign trail, he has said the United States should get “tough with China” and described its top leader, Xi Jinping, as a “thug.” His transition team has already reached out to Taiwanese officials. “If China continues to put military and economic pressure on Taiwan, Biden will have to demonstrate he will not sit by while China bullies Taiwan,” said Bonnie S. Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. His approach, though, is expected to be less confrontational than his predecessor’s. “I don’t think Biden is looking to use Taiwan to poke Xi Jinping in the eye and make him look weak,” Glaser added. “There won’t be a deliberate effort to make Taiwan a point of friction.” With less than two months left in his term, Trump is working to leave a legacy of severed ties between the United States and China, including a series of last-minute actions focused on Taiwan. The U.S. government last week held economic talks in Washington with officials from Taiwan, drawing a rebuke from Beijing. Next month, the White House is planning to send the leader of the Environmental Protection Agency to Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by U.S. officials that have rankled the Chinese government. Trump has attracted a loyal following in Taiwan because of his administration’s criticism of the Chinese Communist Party on issues such as trade, the coronavirus and the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. He has garnered praise in Taiwan for moving swiftly to approve weapons sales, including more than $4 billion worth last month. He is also widely lauded for his decision, as president-elect in 2016, to take a telephone call from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, breaking with decades of diplomatic practice. “Trump’s actions have been very solid,” said Tsai Yi-yu, a lawmaker from southern Taiwan. Tsai has fervently supported Trump, going so far as to wear a “Keep America Great” face mask to meetings with Taiwan’s leaders. “Maintaining Trump’s Taiwan policies will be best for Taiwan,” he said, citing Trump’s support for weapons sales. In Taiwan, Biden’s ascent has been greeted with some anxiety, especially in the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, which is critical of China. Many politicians and activists in Taiwan have grown increasingly concerned in recent years by Xi’s creeping authoritarianism. They have called on world leaders to more forcefully push back against efforts by Beijing to bring the island under its control, and to treat Taiwan as an equal. Biden is seen in Taiwan as more risk averse. He is best known for his time as vice president under President Barack Obama, who has been criticized in Taiwan for not doing enough to stand up to Xi. As a senator, Biden helped bring China into international groups like the World Trade Organization, which gave the country an edge as it sought to expand its economy and exert influence in the global system. Biden has resisted the idea that he would give in to pressure from Beijing. As evidence of Biden’s commitment to Taiwan, his advisers have cited his support as a senator for the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which obligates Washington to provide weapons to Taiwan. More recently, he has signaled his support for Taiwan in other ways, having his choice for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, for example, speak this month with Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States. “He will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan,” an official with Biden’s transition team said in a statement. “He has long said that American support for Taiwan must remain strong, principled and bipartisan.” Some politicians in Taiwan, including members of the opposition party, the Kuomintang, believe Biden’s more restrained approach could help ease tensions and prevent a military conflict between the United States and China. “He is neither a reckless politician nor a person who wants to achieve something remarkable in a short period of time,” said Cheng Li-wun, a Kuomintang lawmaker. Despite Biden’s calls for greater cooperation, China’s leaders are wary about his leadership. They worry that he will try to unite U.S. allies in Europe and Asia to thwart Beijing’s global agenda, according to analysts in the mainland, and that he will continue to seek closer ties with Taiwan. “The basic Taiwan policies, even during Biden’s term, won’t see any upending changes,” said Xin Qiang, a scholar who studies U.S.-China relations and Taiwan at Fudan University in Shanghai. “With regard to both strategy and tactics, the mainland has concerns about both Biden and Trump.” Chinese officials often accuse the United States of encouraging Taiwan to seek full independence, a move that Xi has repeatedly warned could be met by armed force. A rising sense of nationalism in China has fueled concerns that the mainland could react harshly if tensions escalated. “I fear that one day the mainland will be forced to take actions because of the Taiwan issue that would cause a crisis or even a military conflict between China and the United States,” Xin said. During his final weeks in office, Trump and his advisers appear to be intent on testing China’s limits on Taiwan. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has escalated his taunting of Beijing, saying during a recent interview that Taiwan was not a part of China. His remarks drew a furious response from Chinese officials, who said Taiwan was an inalienable part of China, denounced Pompeo and vowed to retaliate. Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, is leading a visit to the region as part of an effort to reassure U.S. allies, after Beijing this month signed a trade agreement with 14 countries in the region, a move seen as a check to American power in the region. O’Brien said in Manila on Monday that the United States would continue to support Taiwan and would not cede its status as a Pacific power to China. “We’re going to fight for a free and open Indo-Pacific region with all of our partners,” O’Brien said in a conference call with reporters. When he takes office in January, Biden will face growing frictions and also tough policy choices, including questions about arms sales and economic investment. Taiwan has long pressed U.S. officials to sign a bilateral trade treaty, an idea that Beijing opposes. Tsai Ing-wen lifted a long-standing ban on U.S. pork and beef imports in August, a decision seen as an attempt to open the door to formal trade talks.

After Trump, Biden faces pressure to stand up to China by embracing Taiwan

Over 1.047 million passengers were screened in the United States on Sunday - the highest number recorded by US Transportation Security Administration since mid-March.

Even though the number of air travellers remain significantly lower (60 per cent) than from the same day last year, Sunday marked the second time in three days that the number of passengers screened went over 1 million.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-sees-record-number-of-coronavirus-hospitalisations-for-12th-day-in-a-row-344837" hreflang="en">US sees record number of coronavirus hospitalisations for 12th day in a row</a>

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had urged Americans to not travel during the Thanksgiving holiday in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Since, the airline passengers number has hit 1 million only thrice - first time on October 18 with 1.031 million.

The United States in the midst of the worst coronavirus wave the country has seen.

Even before November is over, the country has seen more COVID-19 cases than any other month during the pandemic: Between November 1 and 22, over 3 million new cases of coronavirus were recorded, as per data from Johns Hopkins University.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/unicef-to-ship-2-billion-doses-of-covid-19-vaccines-to-poor-countries-next-year-344855" hreflang="en">UNICEF to ship 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poor countries next year</a>

In the ongoing month of November, US recorded the highest number of hospitalisations related to COVID-19. This has increased the stress on American healthcare, and has threatened to deprive others of care.

On Saturday alone, 83,227 people diagnosed with COVID-19 were hospitalised in the country, based on numbers by the Covid Tracking Project.

For 12th day in a row, the US has broken record for COVID-19 hospitalisations. So far, 12.2 million people in the US have contracted COVID-19, with 256,000 deaths across the country.

Over 1.047 million passengers were screened in the United States on Sunday - the highest number recorded by US Transportation Security Administration since mid-March.

Over 1.047 million passengers were screened in the United States on Sunday - the highest number recorded by US Transportation Security Administration since mid-March. Even though the number of air travellers remain significantly lower (60 per cent) than from the same day last year, Sunday marked the second time in three days that the number of passengers screened went over 1 million. Also read: US sees record number of coronavirus hospitalisations for 12th day in a row On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had urged Americans to not travel during the Thanksgiving holiday in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. Since, the airline passengers number has hit 1 million only thrice - first time on October 18 with 1.031 million. The United States in the midst of the worst coronavirus wave the country has seen. Even before November is over, the country has seen more COVID-19 cases than any other month during the pandemic: Between November 1 and 22, over 3 million new cases of coronavirus were recorded, as per data from Johns Hopkins University. Also read: UNICEF to ship 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poor countries next year In the ongoing month of November, US recorded the highest number of hospitalisations related to COVID-19. This has increased the stress on American healthcare, and has threatened to deprive others of care. On Saturday alone, 83,227 people diagnosed with COVID-19 were hospitalised in the country, based on numbers by the Covid Tracking Project. For 12th day in a row, the US has broken record for COVID-19 hospitalisations. So far, 12.2 million people in the US have contracted COVID-19, with 256,000 deaths across the country.

United States: Sunday saw highest number of airline passenger screenings since March

A top official of the US government's vaccine development effort has said on Sunday that the United States hopes to begin a sweeping program of Covid vaccinations in early December. 
 
Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasal-spray-that-aims-to-fight-covid-19-other-respiratory-illness-gets-million-dollar-funding-344698">Nasal spray that aims to fight Covid-19, other respiratory illness gets million-dollar funding</a>

Some 70% of the US population of 330 million would need to be inoculated to achieve "herd" immunity from the virus, a goal the country could achieve by May, according to Dr Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for "Operation Warp Speed."

Slaoui said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would likely grant approval in mid-December for distribution of the vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech, launching the largest inoculation campaign in U.S. history. 
 
'Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval' by the US Food and Drug Administration,' Moncef Slaoui said.

"So I expect maybe on Day Two of the approval, on the 11th or the 12th of December."

Citing reports, AFP said that FDA vaccine advisors will meet between December 8 and 10 to discuss approval of vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have said that their vaccines against COVID-19 are at least 95 per cent effective.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech confirmed on Friday (December 20) that they had applied to US health regulators for emergency use authorisation (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first to do so in the US as the pandemic rages around the world. The companies have said that they are prepared to ship vaccines as soon as they get a go-ahead from the government.

The USA is the worst affected country in the world. It has had more than 12,000,000 coronavirus cases so far. The death tally is fast approaching 300 thousand. Nearly 5 million people are still affected due to coronavirus.

(With inputs from agencies)

A top official of the US government's vaccine development effort has said on Sunday that the United States hopes to begin a sweeping program of Covid vaccinations in early December.

A top official of the US government's vaccine development effort has said on Sunday that the United States hopes to begin a sweeping program of Covid vaccinations in early December. Also Read | Nasal spray that aims to fight Covid-19, other respiratory illness gets million-dollar funding Some 70% of the US population of 330 million would need to be inoculated to achieve "herd" immunity from the virus, a goal the country could achieve by May, according to Dr Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for "Operation Warp Speed." Slaoui said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would likely grant approval in mid-December for distribution of the vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech, launching the largest inoculation campaign in U.S. history. 'Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval' by the US Food and Drug Administration,' Moncef Slaoui said. "So I expect maybe on Day Two of the approval, on the 11th or the 12th of December." Citing reports, AFP said that FDA vaccine advisors will meet between December 8 and 10 to discuss approval of vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have said that their vaccines against COVID-19 are at least 95 per cent effective. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech confirmed on Friday (December 20) that they had applied to US health regulators for emergency use authorisation (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first to do so in the US as the pandemic rages around the world. The companies have said that they are prepared to ship vaccines as soon as they get a go-ahead from the government. The USA is the worst affected country in the world. It has had more than 12,000,000 coronavirus cases so far. The death tally is fast approaching 300 thousand. Nearly 5 million people are still affected due to coronavirus. (With inputs from agencies)

Covid vaccine could reach first Americans by December 11: Top health official

Head of US government's coronavirus vaccine effort said on Sunday that the country hopes to begin a sweeping vaccination in early December. If such an effort takes place, it will mark first mass vaccination against coronavirus and will also be a decisive step against the global Covid-19 pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than a million people worldwide. The number of active cases worldwide is more than 15 million at present.

"Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval" by the US Food and Drug Administration, Moncef Slaoui told CNN.&nbsp;

"So I expect maybe on Day Two of the approval, on the 11th or the 12th of December."

Citing reports, AFP said that FDA vaccine advisors will meet between December 8 and 10 to discuss approval of vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have said that their vaccines against COVID-19 are at least 95 per cent effective.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasal-spray-that-aims-to-fight-covid-19-other-respiratory-illness-gets-million-dollar-funding-344698">Nasal spray that aims to fight Covid-19, other respiratory illness gets million-dollar funding</a>

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech confirmed on Friday (December 20) that they had applied to US health regulators for emergency use authorisation (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first to do so in the US as the pandemic rages around the world. The companies have said that they are prepared to ship vaccines as soon as they get a go-ahead from the government.

USA is the worst affected country in the world. It has had more than 12,000,000 coronavirus cases so far. The death tally is fast approaching 300 thousand. Nearly 5 million people are still affected due to coronavirus.

(With agency&nbsp;inputs)

Head of US government's coronavirus vaccine effort said on Sunday that the country hopes to begin a sweeping vaccination in early December. If such an effort takes place, it will mark first mass vaccination against coronavirus and will also be a decisive step against the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Head of US government's coronavirus vaccine effort said on Sunday that the country hopes to begin a sweeping vaccination in early December. If such an effort takes place, it will mark first mass vaccination against coronavirus and will also be a decisive step against the global Covid-19 pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than a million people worldwide. The number of active cases worldwide is more than 15 million at present. "Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval" by the US Food and Drug Administration, Moncef Slaoui told CNN. "So I expect maybe on Day Two of the approval, on the 11th or the 12th of December." Citing reports, AFP said that FDA vaccine advisors will meet between December 8 and 10 to discuss approval of vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna have said that their vaccines against COVID-19 are at least 95 per cent effective. Also Read | Nasal spray that aims to fight Covid-19, other respiratory illness gets million-dollar funding Pfizer and its partner BioNTech confirmed on Friday (December 20) that they had applied to US health regulators for emergency use authorisation (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first to do so in the US as the pandemic rages around the world. The companies have said that they are prepared to ship vaccines as soon as they get a go-ahead from the government. USA is the worst affected country in the world. It has had more than 12,000,000 coronavirus cases so far. The death tally is fast approaching 300 thousand. Nearly 5 million people are still affected due to coronavirus. (With agency inputs)

Covid-19 vaccination may start in early December in US: Top official

Voters have decided that President-elect Joe Biden should guide the country through the next four years. But on issues of war, the environment, criminal justice, trade, the economy and more, President Donald Trump and top administration officials are doing what they can to make changing direction more difficult.

Trump has spent the last two weeks hunkered down in the White House, raging about a “stolen” election and refusing to accept the reality of his loss. But in other ways he is acting as if he knows he will be departing soon and showing none of the deference that presidents traditionally give their successors in their final days in office.

During the past four years Trump has not spent much time thinking about policy, but he has shown a penchant for striking back at his adversaries. And with his encouragement, top officials are racing against the clock to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, secure oil drilling leases in Alaska, punish China, carry out executions and thwart any plans Biden might have to reestablish the Iran nuclear deal.

In some cases, like the executions and the oil leases, Trump’s government plans to act just days — or even hours — before Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20.

At a wide range of departments and agencies, Trump’s political appointees are going to extraordinary lengths to try to prevent Biden from rolling back the president’s legacy. They are filling vacancies on scientific panels, pushing to complete rules that weaken environmental standards, nominating judges and rushing their confirmations through the Senate, and trying to eliminate health care regulations that have been in place for years.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-confident-of-friendly-ties-with-biden-official-344690">Saudi confident of 'friendly' ties with Biden: official</a>

In the latest instance, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declined to extend key emergency lending programs that the Federal Reserve had been using to help keep credit flowing to businesses, state and local governments and other parts of the financial system. He also moved to claw back much of the money that supports them, hindering Biden’s ability to use the central bank’s vast powers to cushion the economic fallout from the virus.

Terry Sullivan, a professor of political science and the executive director of the White House Transition Project, a nonpartisan group which has studied presidential transitions for decades, said Trump was not behaving like past presidents who cared about how their final days in office shaped their legacy.

“They are upping tension in Iran, which could lead to a confrontation. The economy is tanking, and they are not doing anything about unemployment benefits,” he said.

It is one final norm shattered by Trump — and a stark contrast to the last Republican president who handed over power to a Democrat.

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Former President George W. Bush consciously left it to his successor, Barack Obama, to decide how to rescue the auto industry and whether to approve Afghan troop increases. And when Congress demanded negotiations over the bank bailouts, Bush stepped aside and let Obama cut a deal with lawmakers even before he was inaugurated.

Aides to Bush said the outgoing president wanted to leave Obama with a range of policy options as he began his presidency, a mindset clearly reflected in a 2008 email about negotiations over the status of U.S. forces in Iraq from Joshua Bolten, Bush’s chief of staff at the time, to John Podesta, who ran Obama’s transition, just a week after the election.

“We believe we have negotiated an agreement that provides President-Elect Obama the authorities and protections he needs to exercise the full prerogatives as commander in chief,” Bolten wrote to Podesta on November 11, 2008, in an email later made public by WikiLeaks. “We would like to offer, at your earliest convenience, a full briefing to you and your staff.”

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That has not been Trump’s approach.

The president has continued to deny Biden briefings and access to agency officials — delays that the president-elect has said threatened to undermine the country’s response to the pandemic. And far from seeking to help Biden’s team, Trump has spent more than two weeks actively seeking to undermine the legitimacy of his victory.

Biden and his top aides have not publicly criticized the president’s policy actions at home or abroad, abiding by the tradition that there is only one president at a time. But the president-elect has vowed to move quickly to undo many of Trump’s domestic and foreign policies.

That will most likely start with a blitz of executive actions in his first days in office as well as an aggressive legislative agenda during his first year.

Some of Trump’s advisers make no attempt to hide the fact that their actions are aimed at deliberately hamstringing Biden’s policy options even before he begins.

One administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of not being authorized to talk publicly, said that in the coming days there would be more announcements made related in particular to China, with whom Trump advisers believe that Biden would try to improve relations.

Judd Deere, a White House spokesperson, defended the administration’s actions, saying the president was elected because voters were “tired of the same old business-as-usual politicians who always pledged to change Washington but never did.” Trump, he said, had rolled back regulations and brought accountability to agencies and “remains focused on that important work.”

Some previous transitions have also been rancorous. Incoming Bush administration officials accused the exiting Clinton White House of minor mischief, last-minute pardons to friends and delays because of the disputed 2000 election.

Trump has long alleged that after his election, he faced a stealth effort to undermine his transition because of the investigations that were underway into his campaign’s possible connections to Russia. And there were documented instances of Obama officials making last-ditch efforts to put roadblocks in the way of what they expected would be Trump’s policy reversals on immigration and other issues.

Still, in his inauguration speech, Trump said Obama and his wife had been “magnificent” in carrying out an orderly transition and thanked them for their “gracious aid” throughout the period.

And rarely in modern times have a president and his allies been as deliberate in their desire to hobble the incoming administration as Trump has been toward Biden.

“It’s not consistent with anything we experienced,” said Denis McDonough, who served as Obama’s chief of staff and was part of Obama’s team during the transition from Bush’s administration. He said Trump’s actions in the final days of his administration were foreshadowed by his determination to sever agreements Obama had reached on climate change and Iran’s nuclear program — something presidents rarely do.

“It’s a breach of that norm,” McDonough said.

Some of Trump’s actions are all but permanent, like the nomination of judges with lifetime appointments or the naming of his supporters to government panels with terms that stretch beyond Biden’s likely time in office. Once done, there is little that the new president can do to reverse them.

But they are not the only nominees administration officials are trying to rush through.

Among the others are two nominees to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, who would serve until 2024 and 2030 respectively; a trio of possible members to the Federal Election Commission to serve six-year terms; and nominees to the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who, if confirmed, would prevent Biden from installing majorities on those bodies until well into 2021.

Other actions may be possible to reverse but are designed to exact a political price for doing so.

Since the election, Trump has ordered the withdrawal of thousands of troops from Afghanistan, where Trump aims to halve an already pared-down force of 4,500 by the time he leaves office, defying the advice of some top generals.

Biden’s vision for U.S. troop deployments is not radically different. He has said that he supports only small numbers of combat forces, mainly tasked with fighting terrorist groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. But Trump’s last-minute withdrawals could force Biden into an unwanted confrontation with Democrats in Congress if he decides he needs to return to the modest preelection status quo.

Analysts say that Trump’s withdrawal of troops also deprives the United States of any leverage in the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan between the Taliban and the Afghan government, potentially allowing the Taliban to make important military gains.

Trump officials are also working to impose new sanctions on Iran that may be difficult for Biden to reverse, out of a fear of opening himself up to charges that he is soft on one of the country’s most dangerous adversaries.

The sanctions could also undermine any move by Biden to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a step that would require providing Iran with economic breathing room after years of Trump’s constrictions.

“I think you’re going to see a pretty rapid clip of new actions before Jan. 20,” said Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who often consults with the Trump administration on Iran.

In an Oval Office meeting last week, Trump also asked his senior advisers what military options were available to him in response to Iran’s stockpiling of nuclear material, although he was dissuaded from pursuing the idea. Any military action would undermine attempts by Biden to reset U.S. policy.

Similarly, Trump officials continue to take punitive actions against China that are likely to further strain the tense relationship with Beijing that Biden will inherit. Last week, Trump issued an executive order barring Americans from investing in Chinese companies with ties to China’s military. Administration officials say more steps are in the works.

Mnuchin’s shutdown of emergency lending programs this past week could also have long-lasting implications for Biden as the new president struggles to contain the economic fallout from the pandemic. The pandemic-era programs are run by the Fed but use Treasury money to insure against losses.

Mnuchin defended his decision Friday, insisting that he was following the intent of Congress in calling for the Fed to return unused money to the Treasury. But it will be Biden who will be left to deal with the consequences. And restoring the programs would require new negotiations with a Congress that is already deadlocked over COVID relief.

In the summer of 2008, officials in Bush’s White House sent a memo to agency officials warning them to wrap up new regulations — and not to try to rush new ones in right before the next president. Trump is doing the opposite.

The Environmental Protection Agency is rushing to try to complete work on a new rule that will change the way the federal government counts costs and benefits, an adjustment that could make it harder for Biden to expand certain air or water pollution regulations.

At Health and Human Services, the agency moved just after Election Day to adopt a rule that would automatically suspend thousands of agency regulations if they are not individually confirmed to be “still needed” and “having appropriate impacts.” The agency itself called the plan radical — realizing it would tie the hands of the next administration.

Brian Harrison, the agency’s chief of staff, called it “the boldest and most significant regulatory reform effort ever undertaken by HHS.”

Voters have decided that President-elect Joe Biden should guide the country through the next four years. But on issues of war, the environment, criminal justice, trade, the economy and more, President Donald Trump and top administration officials are doing what they can to make changing direction more difficult.

Voters have decided that President-elect Joe Biden should guide the country through the next four years. But on issues of war, the environment, criminal justice, trade, the economy and more, President Donald Trump and top administration officials are doing what they can to make changing direction more difficult. Trump has spent the last two weeks hunkered down in the White House, raging about a “stolen” election and refusing to accept the reality of his loss. But in other ways he is acting as if he knows he will be departing soon and showing none of the deference that presidents traditionally give their successors in their final days in office. During the past four years Trump has not spent much time thinking about policy, but he has shown a penchant for striking back at his adversaries. And with his encouragement, top officials are racing against the clock to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, secure oil drilling leases in Alaska, punish China, carry out executions and thwart any plans Biden might have to reestablish the Iran nuclear deal. In some cases, like the executions and the oil leases, Trump’s government plans to act just days — or even hours — before Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20. At a wide range of departments and agencies, Trump’s political appointees are going to extraordinary lengths to try to prevent Biden from rolling back the president’s legacy. They are filling vacancies on scientific panels, pushing to complete rules that weaken environmental standards, nominating judges and rushing their confirmations through the Senate, and trying to eliminate health care regulations that have been in place for years. Also Read | Saudi confident of 'friendly' ties with Biden: official In the latest instance, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declined to extend key emergency lending programs that the Federal Reserve had been using to help keep credit flowing to businesses, state and local governments and other parts of the financial system. He also moved to claw back much of the money that supports them, hindering Biden’s ability to use the central bank’s vast powers to cushion the economic fallout from the virus. Terry Sullivan, a professor of political science and the executive director of the White House Transition Project, a nonpartisan group which has studied presidential transitions for decades, said Trump was not behaving like past presidents who cared about how their final days in office shaped their legacy. “They are upping tension in Iran, which could lead to a confrontation. The economy is tanking, and they are not doing anything about unemployment benefits,” he said. It is one final norm shattered by Trump — and a stark contrast to the last Republican president who handed over power to a Democrat. Also Read | China is mulling joining trade pact dumped by Trump Former President George W. Bush consciously left it to his successor, Barack Obama, to decide how to rescue the auto industry and whether to approve Afghan troop increases. And when Congress demanded negotiations over the bank bailouts, Bush stepped aside and let Obama cut a deal with lawmakers even before he was inaugurated. Aides to Bush said the outgoing president wanted to leave Obama with a range of policy options as he began his presidency, a mindset clearly reflected in a 2008 email about negotiations over the status of U.S. forces in Iraq from Joshua Bolten, Bush’s chief of staff at the time, to John Podesta, who ran Obama’s transition, just a week after the election. “We believe we have negotiated an agreement that provides President-Elect Obama the authorities and protections he needs to exercise the full prerogatives as commander in chief,” Bolten wrote to Podesta on November 11, 2008, in an email later made public by WikiLeaks. “We would like to offer, at your earliest convenience, a full briefing to you and your staff.” × That has not been Trump’s approach. The president has continued to deny Biden briefings and access to agency officials — delays that the president-elect has said threatened to undermine the country’s response to the pandemic. And far from seeking to help Biden’s team, Trump has spent more than two weeks actively seeking to undermine the legitimacy of his victory. Biden and his top aides have not publicly criticized the president’s policy actions at home or abroad, abiding by the tradition that there is only one president at a time. But the president-elect has vowed to move quickly to undo many of Trump’s domestic and foreign policies. That will most likely start with a blitz of executive actions in his first days in office as well as an aggressive legislative agenda during his first year. Some of Trump’s advisers make no attempt to hide the fact that their actions are aimed at deliberately hamstringing Biden’s policy options even before he begins. One administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of not being authorized to talk publicly, said that in the coming days there would be more announcements made related in particular to China, with whom Trump advisers believe that Biden would try to improve relations. Judd Deere, a White House spokesperson, defended the administration’s actions, saying the president was elected because voters were “tired of the same old business-as-usual politicians who always pledged to change Washington but never did.” Trump, he said, had rolled back regulations and brought accountability to agencies and “remains focused on that important work.” Some previous transitions have also been rancorous. Incoming Bush administration officials accused the exiting Clinton White House of minor mischief, last-minute pardons to friends and delays because of the disputed 2000 election. Trump has long alleged that after his election, he faced a stealth effort to undermine his transition because of the investigations that were underway into his campaign’s possible connections to Russia. And there were documented instances of Obama officials making last-ditch efforts to put roadblocks in the way of what they expected would be Trump’s policy reversals on immigration and other issues. Still, in his inauguration speech, Trump said Obama and his wife had been “magnificent” in carrying out an orderly transition and thanked them for their “gracious aid” throughout the period. And rarely in modern times have a president and his allies been as deliberate in their desire to hobble the incoming administration as Trump has been toward Biden. “It’s not consistent with anything we experienced,” said Denis McDonough, who served as Obama’s chief of staff and was part of Obama’s team during the transition from Bush’s administration. He said Trump’s actions in the final days of his administration were foreshadowed by his determination to sever agreements Obama had reached on climate change and Iran’s nuclear program — something presidents rarely do. “It’s a breach of that norm,” McDonough said. Some of Trump’s actions are all but permanent, like the nomination of judges with lifetime appointments or the naming of his supporters to government panels with terms that stretch beyond Biden’s likely time in office. Once done, there is little that the new president can do to reverse them. But they are not the only nominees administration officials are trying to rush through. Among the others are two nominees to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, who would serve until 2024 and 2030 respectively; a trio of possible members to the Federal Election Commission to serve six-year terms; and nominees to the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who, if confirmed, would prevent Biden from installing majorities on those bodies until well into 2021. Other actions may be possible to reverse but are designed to exact a political price for doing so. Since the election, Trump has ordered the withdrawal of thousands of troops from Afghanistan, where Trump aims to halve an already pared-down force of 4,500 by the time he leaves office, defying the advice of some top generals. Biden’s vision for U.S. troop deployments is not radically different. He has said that he supports only small numbers of combat forces, mainly tasked with fighting terrorist groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. But Trump’s last-minute withdrawals could force Biden into an unwanted confrontation with Democrats in Congress if he decides he needs to return to the modest preelection status quo. Analysts say that Trump’s withdrawal of troops also deprives the United States of any leverage in the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan between the Taliban and the Afghan government, potentially allowing the Taliban to make important military gains. Trump officials are also working to impose new sanctions on Iran that may be difficult for Biden to reverse, out of a fear of opening himself up to charges that he is soft on one of the country’s most dangerous adversaries. The sanctions could also undermine any move by Biden to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a step that would require providing Iran with economic breathing room after years of Trump’s constrictions. “I think you’re going to see a pretty rapid clip of new actions before Jan. 20,” said Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who often consults with the Trump administration on Iran. In an Oval Office meeting last week, Trump also asked his senior advisers what military options were available to him in response to Iran’s stockpiling of nuclear material, although he was dissuaded from pursuing the idea. Any military action would undermine attempts by Biden to reset U.S. policy. Similarly, Trump officials continue to take punitive actions against China that are likely to further strain the tense relationship with Beijing that Biden will inherit. Last week, Trump issued an executive order barring Americans from investing in Chinese companies with ties to China’s military. Administration officials say more steps are in the works. Mnuchin’s shutdown of emergency lending programs this past week could also have long-lasting implications for Biden as the new president struggles to contain the economic fallout from the pandemic. The pandemic-era programs are run by the Fed but use Treasury money to insure against losses. Mnuchin defended his decision Friday, insisting that he was following the intent of Congress in calling for the Fed to return unused money to the Treasury. But it will be Biden who will be left to deal with the consequences. And restoring the programs would require new negotiations with a Congress that is already deadlocked over COVID relief. In the summer of 2008, officials in Bush’s White House sent a memo to agency officials warning them to wrap up new regulations — and not to try to rush new ones in right before the next president. Trump is doing the opposite. The Environmental Protection Agency is rushing to try to complete work on a new rule that will change the way the federal government counts costs and benefits, an adjustment that could make it harder for Biden to expand certain air or water pollution regulations. At Health and Human Services, the agency moved just after Election Day to adopt a rule that would automatically suspend thousands of agency regulations if they are not individually confirmed to be “still needed” and “having appropriate impacts.” The agency itself called the plan radical — realizing it would tie the hands of the next administration. Brian Harrison, the agency’s chief of staff, called it “the boldest and most significant regulatory reform effort ever undertaken by HHS.”

Trump using last days to lock in policies and make Biden’s task more difficult

In USA, the presidential transition will be complete in 61 days from now. Joe Biden will take oath as 46th President of the United States on January 20 2021. Donald Trump is expected to leave the White House on the same day. However, Trump's lawyers are trying hard to prove that he has won US Elections 2020. They are leaving no stone unturned in challenging the result of this election. And at the same time, they are preparing to fight some legal battles that involve the trump family.

Meanwhile, Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani has made a bizarre claim. He said that Joe Biden won due to a Venezuelan election technology owned by men who were allies of Hugo Chavez.

"The company counting our vote with control over our vote is owned by two Venezuelans who were allies of Chavez, are present allies of Maduro with a company whose chairman is a close associate and business partner of George Soros, the biggest donor to the democrat party, the biggest donor to antifa and the biggest donor to Black Lives Matter. My goodness, what do we have to do to get you to give our people the truth?" said Rudy Giuliani 
&nbsp; 
The claims and efforts of Trump camp do not seem to be working as the election lawsuits filed in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia have been rejected. The rulings came within a few hours from each other.

In Arizona, a state judge dismissed the lawsuit calling it prejudiced. In Pennsylvania, another state judge rejected the lawsuit saying there was no evidence of any fraud or misconduct.

And in Georgia, a federal judge appointed by Mr Trump himself rejected a Republican Party lawsuit saying there was no case at all.

Trump's legal team is suffering one setback after another.

There's trouble brewing for the Trump family as well.

New york's Attorney General has sent a subpoena to the Trump organization. This is over records related to consulting fees paid to Ivanka Trump as part of an investigation into the president's business dealings.

In September this year, The New York Times released an explosive report on trump's tax filings. The report revealed that the president had reduced his company's Income Tax liability for several years. He did so by deducting 26 million dollars in consulting fees as a business expense.

The NYT report said that more than 700 thousand dollars of these fees had been paid to Ivanka Trump. Less than two months since the report was released in public domain, the law seems to be catching up with the Trump family.

Trump's legal team may perhaps want to shift its focus away from proving the elections were fraudulent to saving his business empire.

Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York, has been leading Donald Trump's legal battle to invalidate the 2020 presidential election results.

But what's generating more interest than mr. Guiliani's claims is his hair dye.

 
Giuliani appears to sweat off his hair dye at a press conference

<img alt="Rudy Giuliani" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="624f0766-ea02-4df9-bb43-6659ef72741e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Rudy%20Giuliani.JPG" />

Wiping away sweat and dye, Giuliani answered questions posed by the journalists. The streaks were observed by social media users and Twitter was soon abuzz with Giuliani's hair-dye malfunction.

In USA, the presidential transition will be complete in 61 days from now. Joe Biden will take oath as 46th President of the United States on January 20 2021. Donald Trump is expected to leave the White House on the same day.

In USA, the presidential transition will be complete in 61 days from now. Joe Biden will take oath as 46th President of the United States on January 20 2021. Donald Trump is expected to leave the White House on the same day. However, Trump's lawyers are trying hard to prove that he has won US Elections 2020. They are leaving no stone unturned in challenging the result of this election. And at the same time, they are preparing to fight some legal battles that involve the trump family. Meanwhile, Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani has made a bizarre claim. He said that Joe Biden won due to a Venezuelan election technology owned by men who were allies of Hugo Chavez. "The company counting our vote with control over our vote is owned by two Venezuelans who were allies of Chavez, are present allies of Maduro with a company whose chairman is a close associate and business partner of George Soros, the biggest donor to the democrat party, the biggest donor to antifa and the biggest donor to Black Lives Matter. My goodness, what do we have to do to get you to give our people the truth?" said Rudy Giuliani The claims and efforts of Trump camp do not seem to be working as the election lawsuits filed in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia have been rejected. The rulings came within a few hours from each other. In Arizona, a state judge dismissed the lawsuit calling it prejudiced. In Pennsylvania, another state judge rejected the lawsuit saying there was no evidence of any fraud or misconduct. And in Georgia, a federal judge appointed by Mr Trump himself rejected a Republican Party lawsuit saying there was no case at all. Trump's legal team is suffering one setback after another. There's trouble brewing for the Trump family as well. New york's Attorney General has sent a subpoena to the Trump organization. This is over records related to consulting fees paid to Ivanka Trump as part of an investigation into the president's business dealings. In September this year, The New York Times released an explosive report on trump's tax filings. The report revealed that the president had reduced his company's Income Tax liability for several years. He did so by deducting 26 million dollars in consulting fees as a business expense. The NYT report said that more than 700 thousand dollars of these fees had been paid to Ivanka Trump. Less than two months since the report was released in public domain, the law seems to be catching up with the Trump family. Trump's legal team may perhaps want to shift its focus away from proving the elections were fraudulent to saving his business empire. Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York, has been leading Donald Trump's legal battle to invalidate the 2020 presidential election results. But what's generating more interest than mr. Guiliani's claims is his hair dye. Giuliani appears to sweat off his hair dye at a press conference Wiping away sweat and dye, Giuliani answered questions posed by the journalists. The streaks were observed by social media users and Twitter was soon abuzz with Giuliani's hair-dye malfunction.

Rudy Guiliani makes bizarre claim about Joe Biden's victory

USA has granted Iraq a 45-day sanctions waiver that will expire days before US President Donald Trump's term ends. The waiver will allow Iraq to import Iranian gas. Iraq buys gas and electricity from Iran to supply a third of its power sector. US has blacklisted Iran's energy industry in late 2018 but has granted Baghdad a series of temporary waivers in hopes that Iraq would wean itself off Iranian energy and partners with US firms.

The lengths of the exemptions have become a key tool in US policy towards Iraq, demonstrating the level of satisfaction or frustration with Baghdad.

In May, Washington granted Iraq a four-month extension as a gesture of goodwill towards Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who had just formed a cabinet seen as US-friendly.

But when it renewed the waiver in late September, the Trump administration gave Iraq just 60 days.

This time, it went even shorter: 45 days, a top Iraqi official told AFP, expiring around a week before Trump is set to hand over the White House to President-elect Joe Biden.&nbsp;

"They (the Trump administration) wanted a last opportunity to have a say," an official said.

The shorter waiver comes amid concern by Iraqi and Western officials that Trump could use his final days in office to strike at Iran and its allies in Iraq.

The State Department is drawing up plans for a possible closure of the American embassy in Baghdad, which has been targeted by dozens of rocket attacks in the last year.

And two Iraqi officials have said they expect a "bucket list of sanctions" against Iranian interests in Iraq ahead of the White House handover.

(With AFP inputs)

USA has granted Iraq a 45-day sanctions waiver that will expire days before US President Donald Trump's term ends. The waiver will allow Iraq to import Iranian gas.

USA has granted Iraq a 45-day sanctions waiver that will expire days before US President Donald Trump's term ends. The waiver will allow Iraq to import Iranian gas. Iraq buys gas and electricity from Iran to supply a third of its power sector. US has blacklisted Iran's energy industry in late 2018 but has granted Baghdad a series of temporary waivers in hopes that Iraq would wean itself off Iranian energy and partners with US firms. The lengths of the exemptions have become a key tool in US policy towards Iraq, demonstrating the level of satisfaction or frustration with Baghdad. In May, Washington granted Iraq a four-month extension as a gesture of goodwill towards Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who had just formed a cabinet seen as US-friendly. But when it renewed the waiver in late September, the Trump administration gave Iraq just 60 days. This time, it went even shorter: 45 days, a top Iraqi official told AFP, expiring around a week before Trump is set to hand over the White House to President-elect Joe Biden. "They (the Trump administration) wanted a last opportunity to have a say," an official said. The shorter waiver comes amid concern by Iraqi and Western officials that Trump could use his final days in office to strike at Iran and its allies in Iraq. The State Department is drawing up plans for a possible closure of the American embassy in Baghdad, which has been targeted by dozens of rocket attacks in the last year. And two Iraqi officials have said they expect a "bucket list of sanctions" against Iranian interests in Iraq ahead of the White House handover. (With AFP inputs)

US extends Iraq sanction waiver, to end days before Biden inauguration

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