Month: January 2017

The Senate has voted decisively to approve President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Senators easily confirmed South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the post, 96-4, despite her lack of foreign policy experience.

Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, calls Haley a proven leader who will be a “fierce advocate” at the U.N. for American interests.

The committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, says he’s encouraged by Haley’s commitment not to hastily cut back on the money the U.S. contributes to the U.N. The United States pays 22 percent of the body’s regular operating budget.

Sen. Chris Coons opposed Haley. The Delaware Democrat says she didn’t convince him that she’ll serve effectively in the job.
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The Trump administration has instituted what it described as a temporary media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants, part of a broader communications clampdown within the executive branch.

Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts.

The Trump administration has also ordered what it called a temporary suspension of all new business activities at the department, including issuing task orders or work assignments to EPA contractors. The orders were expected to have a significant and immediate impact on EPA activities nationwide.

Similar orders barring external communications have been issued in recent days by the Trump administration at other federal agencies, including the Agriculture and Interior departments.

Staffers in EPA’s public affairs office are instructed to forward all inquiries from reporters to the Office of Administration and Resources Management.

Screening of media requests

“Incoming media requests will be carefully screened,” one directive said. “Only send out critical messages, as messages can be shared broadly and end up in the press.”

A review of EPA websites and social media accounts, which typically include numerous new posts each day, showed no new activity since Friday.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday that he had no information on the blackout. He said aides were looking into the circumstances.

Doug Ericksen, the communications director for Trump’s transition team at EPA, said he expected the communications ban to be lifted by the end of this week.

“We’re just trying to get a handle on everything and make sure what goes out reflects the priorities of the new administration,” Ericksen said.

Beyond what was stated in the internal email, Ericksen clarified that the freeze on EPA contracts and grants wouldn’t apply to pollution cleanup efforts or infrastructure construction.

Officials at state and local agencies that rely on EPA for funding said they had received no information from EPA about the freeze.

“We are actively seeking additional information so we can understand the impact of this action on our ability to administer critical programs,” said Alan Matheson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

The executive director for the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Jeff Ruch, said the orders go beyond what has occurred in prior presidential transitions.

‘Dark cloud of Mordor’

“We’re watching the dark cloud of Mordor extend over federal service,” Ruch said Tuesday, referring to the evil kingdom in the epic fantasy “The Lord of the Rings.”

Ruch noted that key posts at EPA had not yet been filled with Republican appointees, including Trump’s nominee for EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt. That means the new senior personnel are not yet in place to make key decisions.

Environmentalists said the orders were having a chilling effect on EPA staff, many of whom were suffering from low morale. Trump and Pruitt have both been frequent critics of the agency and have questioned the validity of climate science showing that the Earth is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame.

Liz Perera, climate policy director for the Sierra Club, said Trump’s move to freeze all EPA communications and contracts should be “a major red flag for all Americans.”

“EPA was created to ensure that all Americans can enjoy clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and have their health protected from environmental and climate threats,” Perera said.

Some staff at the Agriculture Department also received orders not to release any documents to the public.

“This includes, but is not limited to, news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds and social media content,” read an email to staff at the agency’s Agricultural Research Service, which was obtained by the AP.

ARS spokesman Christopher Bentley said the ban would not include scientific publications released through peer-reviewed professional journals.

“As the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency, ARS values and is committed to maintaining the free flow of information between our scientists and the American public as we strive to find solutions to agricultural problems affecting America,” Bentley said, according to a statement.

It was not immediately clear whether similar instructions were given to others within the department.

Park Service retweets

The AP reported over the weekend that staff at the Interior Department were temporarily ordered to stop making posts to its Twitter account. The prohibition came after the official account of the National Park Service, a bureau of the department, retweeted a pair of posts to its 315,000 followers that seemed to be a swipe at Trump on his initial day in office. The first was a photo that compared the crowd gathered on the National Mall for Trump with the much larger gathering that stood in the same spot eight years earlier for President Barack Obama’s swearing-in.

Trump later falsely claimed that more than 1 million people attended his inauguration, which Spicer insisted was the most watched in history.
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Moody’s Investors Service said Tuesday that U.S. decisions on taxing and spending would have a larger than usual impact on the nation’s credit profile in the near future.

The analysis said President Donald Trump’s plans to cut taxes and spend more on infrastructure might increase the deficit. The combination of deficits over years is what makes up the national debt. Moody’s says federal debt is equal to about 77 percent of gross domestic product, which is the sum of all goods and services a nation produces.

In a report published Tuesday, Moody’s said unresolved problems with the cost of Social Security and other entitlement spending could push debt upward significantly and leave officials with less room to maneuver than in the past.

Rating agencies examine the financial health of companies and countries that issue bonds, so that lenders can assess the risk that they will not be repaid. Another rating agency, Standard and Poor’s, cut the U.S. credit rating in 2011 when political bickering pushed the nation to the brink of default.  

Moody’s said the high level of debt comes at a time when interest rates are expected to rise, which will boost interest costs and make it more difficult for the government to cope with the next financial downturn. The report said Trump inherited 2 percent annual economic growth, a “healthy” economy and a “modest” budget deficit from his predecessor, Barack Obama.  

In the November election, slow wage growth was one of the voters’ major concerns. A blog post from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said U.S. wages grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate last year, about double the rate during the worst of the financial crisis a few years ago.

A Fed expert said wages would probably grow at a slightly higher pace this year, but would grow faster if companies and officials could find a way to boost worker productivity, which has been lagging.
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At his first White House briefing Monday, new Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked about U.S. intelligence agencies investigating contacts between people close to President Donald Trump and members of the Russian government.  

Asked if Trump would stop those investigations now that he is in charge of the federal government, Spicer told reporters, “[Trump] He has not made any indication that he will stop any investigation of any sort.”

The Central Intelligence Agency, the FBI, the National Security Agency and the Treasury Department have assembled a task force to investigate alleged increased Russian espionage and other activities, including Kremlin-ordered cyber attacks to interfere in the U.S. presidential election. During the campaign, investigators collected communications between people close to then-Republican nominee Trump and surrogates of the Russian government.

Two calls between Flynn, Kislyak

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that U.S. intelligence agents were also looking into the content of calls between Trump’s newly sworn-in National Security Advisor, retired General Michael Flynn, and the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.  Reports say Flynn called Kislyak in late December, around the same time the Obama administration announced sanctions against Russia in retaliation for its alleged use of cyber attacks to interfere in the elections.

U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the cyber attacks into Democratic National Committee emails to discredit Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Spicer told reporters Monday there had only been two calls between Flynn and the Russian ambassador, and they focused on four subjects: setting up a phone call between Trump and Russian President Putin, exchanging holiday pleasantries, Flynn expressing his condolences for those killed in a Russian plane crash, and the possibilities of Russia and the U.S. working together to combat Islamic State.

Former counterterrorism official Malcom Nance told VOA that Trump needs to answer questions about his relationship with Russia raised by U.S. intelligence reports and by Trump’s strong public support for Putin and many of his foreign policy views.

Question about airstrikes

In Monday’s briefing, Spicer answered questions on a wide range of topics. Asked about a Russian report that the U.S. and Russia are conducting joint airstrikes in Syria, Spicer referred the reporter to the Pentagon for an answer.

But he added, “I think if there’s a way we can combat ISIS with any country, whether it’s Russia or anyone else, and we have a shared national interest in that, sure, we’ll take it.”

A Pentagon spokesman denied the Russian reports, saying: “The Department of Defense is not coordinating airstrikes with the Russian military in Syria.”
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The U.S. Senate continued Monday to fill President Trump’s national security team by confirming his pick for CIA director, Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo, and advancing his nominee for secretary of state, oil executive Rex Tillerson.

Confirmed by an overwhelming vote of 66-32, Pompeo joins Defense Secretary John Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly in the fledgling Trump administration. (Two senators were not present to vote.)

Senators of both parties cited Pompeo’s service on the House Intelligence Committee as a reason to back his nomination.

“I can’t think of a member of Congress that has traveled more around the world, spent more time at the CIA, understanding the ins and outs of what they do, of how they do it, of why it’s important to the American people and to the security of this country than Mike Pompeo,” said Republican Richard Burr of North Carolina, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He’s well versed on intelligence community operations, capabilities and authorities.”

“While Congressman Pompeo and I disagree on many issues, I believe he can be an effective leader at the CIA,” said Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. “He has convinced me that he will follow the law banning torture [of terror suspects].”

Pompeo had criticized the Obama administration for ending so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques.” But at his confirmation hearing last week, he promised to follow U.S. law on the treatment of detainees.

Tillerson, meanwhile, received the backing of all Republicans and no Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Republicans have a one-seat majority. His nomination now goes to the full Senate for a final confirmation vote, likely later this week.

Tillerson’s tenure as CEO of ExxonMobil proved to be a partisan point of disagreement as to whether he is a good choice to be America’s top diplomat.

“He’s managed the world’s eighth largest company by revenue with over 75,000 employees,” said the committee’s chairman, Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican. “Diplomacy has been a critical component of his positions in the past, and he has shown himself to be an exceptionally able and successful negotiator who has maintained deep relationships around the world.”

Democrats, by contrast, found Tillerson’s CEO mindset troubling.

“He sounded like a business person rather than a person who wanted to be secretary of state,” said Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the committee’s top Democrat. “I did not see that commitment to be the advocate, globally, for human rights and good governance that I would like to see in the secretary of state.”

Suspense about the committee vote evaporated earlier in the day when Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the lone Republican who had expressed significant doubts about Tillerson, announced he would back the nominee.

“My concern was that Mr. Tillerson would pursue a foreign policy of deal making at the expense of traditional alliances and at the expense of human rights and of democracy,” Rubio said. “I believe that all presidents, especially a new one, are entitled to a significant amount of deference on their Cabinet appointments.”

Democrats expressed consternation about Tillerson’s responses to questions about Russia’s activities on the world stage during his confirmation hearing earlier this month.

“At a time when Russia’s continuing aggression around the world and interference in our election must be at the top of America’s diplomatic agenda and a chief concern to our secretary of state, it is incredibly troublesome that Mr. Tillerson [told the committee that he] and President Trump had not even discussed the specifics of their Russia policy,” said Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

Republicans wanted to confirm Pompeo last Friday after Trump was sworn in as president. But Democrats demanded floor time to debate the nomination, causing the vote to be postponed.

Republicans are cautioning against delays in allowing Trump to complete his national security team.

“Our country continues to face incredible threats,” said Senator John Cornyn of Texas. “And they are not hitting the pause button. It’s possible that some of our foes could try to test the resolve of President Trump and his new Cabinet during this period of transition, where everybody recognizes this is a period of vulnerability for the United States.”
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Two Republican U.S. senators are proposing a bill that would allow states that like the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, to keep it instead of taking whatever replacement President Donald Trump and the Republicans come up with.

“Republicans think that if you like your insurance, you should keep it. And we mean it,” Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy said Monday. “So California and New York, you love Obamacare? You can keep it.”

Cassidy is co-sponsoring the bill with Maine’s Susan Collins, who insists Obamacare must not be tossed out until a clearly spelled out replacement is ready.

Collins said Monday that Trump’s executive order aimed at “minimizing the economic burden” of Obamacare is “very confusing.” She says it is difficult to understand what it means or what impact it will have on the health insurance plan.

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer has dismissed the Cassidy-Collins plan as an “empty facade.”

“It is nearly impossible to keep the benefits of the Affordable Care Act without keeping the whole thing,” he said.

The Affordable Care Act was former President Barack Obama’s signature achievement of his eight years in office. It assures coverage for every American so they will not face financial ruin in case of a serious illness.

Trump campaigned on repealing and replacing it, calling it a “disaster.” He said it is too expensive and puts too big of a burden on small businesses.
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The National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons have reached the Super Bowl championship game for only the second time in team history.

The Falcons won the National Football Conference title Sunday by overpowering the visiting Green Bay Packers, 44-21. That earns them the right to play in Super Bowl LI (51) in two weeks in Houston against the winners of the late Sunday game for the American Conference title between the host New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Atlanta dominated from the start, took a 24-0 lead by half-time and was never threatened. Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan led the way, completely 27 of 38 passes for 392 yards and four touchdowns.

“It feels good, but we have some unfinished business,” said Ryan, adding, “We’ve got to take care of business in Houston in two weeks.”

Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy gave no excuses, saying the Falcons were outstanding. “Their good performance speaks for itself. They got away from us. It’s really a credit to the Falcons.”

In the Falcons’ only other Super Bowl appearance, they lost in 1999 (in Miami) to the Denver Broncos, winners of last year’s Super Bowl in San Francisco.

This season’s Super Bowl is set for February 5.
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Former President Jimmy Carter, who lost his bid for reelection in 1980, currently holds the record for the longest post White House career of any former U.S. president. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, despite partisan rancor that defined much of the 2016 presidential election, the former president is taking a conciliatory approach to the new Trump administration, seeking a positive relationship with the new occupants of the White House.
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Severe weather has killed least 16 people in the southern United States, and forecasters warn of more deadly storms to come.

The National Weather Service said Sunday that southern Georgia, northern Florida and the corner of southeastern Alabama could face forceful tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail. Long track tornadoes, which plow on for kilometers, also are a real risk.

Twelve people were killed and more than 20 injured as violent storms and tornadoes rolled through parts of Georgia over the weekend. Another four people were killed in Mississippi by a tornado on Saturday.

Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia declared a state of emergency in seven counties that suffered deaths, injuries and severe damage from the storms. Deal said that state agencies are “making all resources available” to affected counties, and that “our thoughts and prayers are with Georgians suffering from the storm’s impact.”

President Donald Trump spoke with Governor Deal Sunday to express his condolences about those killed by the powerful tornadoes that ripped through the state.

Trump described the tornadoes as vicious and powerful. He made remarks in the East Room of the White House during his second full day in office, adding that he would talk later to Governor Rick Scott of Florida.
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President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence began their first full day in charge of the U.S. government by attending an interfaith prayer service at Washington National Cathedral on Saturday, where the clergy spoke of compassion and diversity.

The service began with calls to prayer by the cathedral’s canon, the Reverend Rosemarie Duncan; a Jewish cantor, Mikhail Manevich; and Muslim Imam Mohamed Magid.

The cathedral’s dean, the Very Reverend Marshall Hollerith, then read from the Book of Common Prayer: “Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love.”

Leaders of about two dozen religious faiths took part in the service, a U.S. tradition dating back to the country’s first president, George Washington. Trump and Pence were joined by their families, as well.

Washington National Cathedral, a spacious Episcopal house of worship, is a landmark in the capital, standing on one of the highest points in the city, and has hosted prayer services at the beginning of new administrations since before World War II.

“It was a fantastic gathering of all the religions that are part of our lives in America, with beautiful music and beautiful prayers,” Alistair Jessiman told VOA as he left the service afterward.

Jessiman said he attended the service as a patriotic gesture and to support the new president, whom he said he had never seen in person before.

Political campaign

Given the harsh exchanges that marked so much of the U.S. political campaign, about “building a wall [on the Mexican border] … banning Muslims from entering the United States” and other controversial issues, Jessiman said he felt everyone could benefit from some spiritual reflection.

“People getting together [and] spending time thinking about other things than what’s personal for them makes a big difference and will help as the country moves on,” he said.

Starr Karavellas, whose husband is an orthodox priest, said they came to the service to honor the new president, whom she and her husband “love.” She added that all Americans should give Trump and his team “a chance” to show what their programs can accomplish.

Michael Raphael was proud to be part of the service because his company worked on the extensive and difficult campaign to repair $34 million in damage the cathedral suffered after an earthquake in 2011.

The iconic Washington church is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world and the second-largest in the United States. It took 83 years to build, from 1907 to 1990.

As a small-business owner, Raphael said he’s neutral when it comes to politics but was pleased to see so many religious faiths represented during Saturday’s prayers. Trump “needs to hear that,” he said.

While he wishes the president the best of luck in his new job, Raphael added, “It’s very unlikely that anything will affect the way that Mr. Trump views the world in terms of religion. Although it would be interesting to see if he does take away anything from today, with a comment of some sort.”

Hayley Ringenberg, another member of the congregation, told VOA that just being together with leaders of so many different faiths emphasized to her the need to “stop the arguing and fighting. … Simply love each other.”

Joel Pollak said many of the congregants in the cathedral had tears in their eyes during the moving service. He said the hymns and scriptural readings were very appropriate, in particular a selection from the Bible (1 Kings 3:5-12) where Solomon asks God not for riches and long life, but for wisdom.

“I felt in many ways this was the heart of the inauguration,” Pollak said. “It was the nation coming together in humility, praying together and asking God for help.”

Political divisions

Political divisions among Americans are part of life, and perhaps they will be felt more intensely in the coming months, Pollak added, “but hopefully those who were present [at the cathedral] and those who watched throughout the country will remember how joyful it was to be together, because it’s moments like these that will guide us through the difficult times.”

Mythili Bachu, chairperson of the Council of Hindu Temples of North America, told VOA “it’s very important to us” that Hindus were represented at a national prayer breakfast for the first time.

“This was a representation of the United States, and showed that everyone felt they belong to the same country, regardless of their religious beliefs,” Bachu said.

Neither Trump nor Pence spoke during the ceremony, but images beamed from the cathedral suggest they enjoyed taking part.

Ironically, at the same time the cathedral service got underway, hundreds of thousands of Trump’s opponents were gathering near the U.S. Capitol for a huge protest demonstration denouncing the new administration’s policies.
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A look at more than 50 years of marches in Washington, by the numbers:

1995 — Organized and hosted by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, an estimated 850,000 to 1 million* African-American men came together for the Million Man March to rally for unity and revitalization of African-American communities.

2000 — More than 750,000 people gathered on the mall for the Million Mom March, which sought tighter gun control.

2013 — About 650,000 people participated in the March for Life, a rally protesting abortion.

1997 — More than 650,000 people filled the mall for the Promise Keepers march for evangelical Christian men.

2004 — An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 people attended the March for Women’s Lives, which supported women’s rights and reproductive rights.

2004 — An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 people marched on the National Mall rallying for women’s reproductive rights.

1969 — More than 500,000 people marched on Washington to protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

1993 — About 300,000 people turned out for the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation.

1981 — About 260,000 people gathered for the Solidarity March, which was held in response to then-President Ronald Reagan’s firing of 12,000 air traffic controllers who had gone on strike.

1963 — Between 200,000 and 300,000 people gathered in Washington to rally in support of civil and economic rights for African-Americans and other disenfranchised groups. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his now-legendary “I Have a Dream” speech.

*Crowd sizes for protests on the National Mall used to be estimated by the National Park Service. But after estimates for the Million Man March proved controversial, the service stopped offering attendance figures.
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