As it has with other government agencies, the Trump administration is moving swiftly to assert its vision at the Voice of America. As it does so, a question hangs in the air: Is the news organization's journalistic mission, which dates to World War II, in for some fundamental changes? Within the past week, VOA placed veteran U.S.-based journalist Steve Herman on an extended absence to investigate his social media activities, and moved to reassign White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, who had been disciplined during the first Trump administration. President Donald Trump's choice to lead VOA, unsuccessful Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, joined the organization as a special adviser while awaiting the approval necessary to take over. Voice of America beams audio and online news reports about the United States throughout the world, typically in the native languages of countries where it operates. At birth, Voice of America told stories about democracy to people in Nazi Germany. Charter mandates editorial independence The agency's charter requires that its journalists deliver independent news and information, and not be a government mouthpiece. Conservatives have often chafed at that; outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the agency employees in 2021 that they often sounded like “Vice of America" and shouldn't be afraid to extol the country's greatness. Trump has also been critical. He said on social media that Lake's appointment will help “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the world FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.” Billionaire Elon Musk, leading Trump's government efficiency efforts, has no use for the organization. He posted on X on Feb. 9 to “shut them down.” Musk wrote that “nobody listens to them anymore” and that it's “just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching” taxpayer money. In January, the president appointed L. Brent Bozell, founder of the conservative watchdog Media Research Center, to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America and sister outlets like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. The appointment requires Senate approval. Herman ran afoul of VOA leadership in early February for what could be considered a typical journalist's act: tweeting a link to comments by an activist critical of the administration's efforts to dismantle USAID. A Trump administration official, Richard Grenell, labeled that “treasonous” and said Herman should be fired. Last Friday, Herman received a letter effectively suspending him with pay. The action is pending an investigation “regarding whether your social media activity has undermined VOA's audiences' perception of the objectivity and/or credibility of VOA and its news operation,” according to the letter, obtained by The Associated Press. Minority groups in Bangladesh feel safer under interim govt: VOA survey VOA “believes that your continued presence in the workplace may otherwise jeopardize legitimate U.S. government interests,” said the letter, signed by John Featherly, acting deputy director, programming directorate. A representative for the U.S. Agency for Global Media said Tuesday that it does not discuss personnel matters. VOA managers told journalists there on Monday about Widakuswara's assignment, without making clear why it was being done or what she would be doing in the future. As a White House reporter in 2021, she was demoted for shouting questions at Pompeo following his appearance at the agency, including one referencing the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot. That proved to be short-lived, however, as former President Joe Biden removed agency leadership the day after he was inaugurated. Yet in the wake of her demotion four years ago, dozens of Widakuswara's colleagues signed a letter protesting her treatment, and there's some concern that the action could make them targets with Trump loyalists returning, according to an employee who spoke under condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Are stories being edited to minimize criticism of Trump? There have also been instances of VOA stories being edited or watered down to minimize criticism of Trump, according to some journalists there who spoke on condition of anonymity. Some holdovers at VOA appear to be trying to appease future leaders from the Trump team, said a former manager there who has heard of similar instances and spoke under condition of anonymity in fear that some people he still knows there could be punished. A story on VOA's website on Tuesday about the Trump administration's imposition of tariffs played it straight, with contributions from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. But it included criticism of Trump's plan by leaders in Canada, Mexico and China. The quick moves by the Trump administration to assert itself at VOA stands in contrast to the president's first term, where his choice to lead the agency, Robert Pack, didn't take office until three years into the presidency. Trump supporters have also taken a close look at news organizations that are supported in part by government funding, like PBS and NPR, and at government payments for news subscriptions. In a memo announcing Lake's appointment as an adviser last week, VOA's chief financial officer Roman Napoli, said the former television anchor's experience in journalism and broadcasting “will be invaluable as we continue our mission to clearly and effectively present the policies of the Trump administration around the world.” 60.4 % think freedom of expression improved under interim govt: VOA survey  That caused some internal concern. “If what they're going to create is an all-Trump, all the time outlet, we're going to lose our credibility and our resources,” said the former manager at VOA. In her own memo to staff later in the week, Lake cited comments made by former President John F. Kennedy upon the 20th anniversary of Voice of America that the task is to tell America's story around the world and do it in a way that is truthful. “That remains our job today,” she wrote. “I am committed to quickly reforming and modernizing the agency into something the American people are willing to support,” she wrote. “I look forward to working with you.” Lake's appointment as leader of VOA is pending approval of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, which works with the head of the agency that Bozell was chosen to lead. However, that board's membership was recently disbanded by Trump. Jeffrey Trimble, a former deputy director of that advisory board's predecessor, said the new administration had every right to seek congressional approval to change Voice of America's mission. But he thought that would be unwise, since the message VOA sends to other countries about the free flow of ideas in a democracy has a power in its own. “It represents a core value of our democracy, which is robust debate about the issues,” Trimble said. “They can change that if they want to. But at the moment, they are governed by law.”

Twelve Chinese nationals — including mercenary hackers, law enforcement officers and employees of a private hacking company — have been charged in connection with global cybercrime campaigns targeting dissidents, news organizations, U.S. agencies and universities, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. A set of criminal cases filed in New York and Washington add new detail to what U.S. officials say is a booming hacking-for-hire ecosystem in China, in which private companies and contractors are paid by the Chinese government to target victims of particular interest to Beijing in an arrangement meant to provide Chinese state security forces cover and deniability. The indictments come as the U.S. government has warned of an increasingly sophisticated cyber threat from China, such as a hack last year of telecom firms called Salt Typhoon that gave Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, including U.S. government officials and prominent public figures. One indictment charges eight leaders and employees of a private hacking company known as I-Soon with conducting a sweeping array of computer breaches around the world meant to suppress speech, locate dissidents and steal data from victims. Among those charged is Wu Haibo, who founded I-Soon in Shanghai in 2010 and was a member of China's first hacktivist group, Green Army, and who is accused in the indictment of overseeing and directing hacking operations. Earlier reporting by The Associated Press on leaked documents from I-Soon mainly showed I-Soon was targeting a wide range of governments such as India, Taiwan or Mongolia, but little on the United States. But the indictment contains new revelations about I-Soon’s activities targeting a wide range of Chinese dissidents, religious organizations and media outlets based in the U.S., including a newspaper identified as publishing news related to China and opposed to the Chinese Communist Party. Other targets included individual critics of China living in the U.S., the Defense Intelligence Agency and a research university. The intended targets were in some cases directed by China's Ministry of Public Security — two law enforcement officers were charged with tasking certain assignments — but in other instances the hackers acted at their own initiative and tried to sell the stolen information to the government afterward, the indictment says. US pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine amid diplomatic spat The company charged the Chinese government the equivalent of between approximately $10,000 and $75,000 for each email inbox it successfully hacked, officials said. Phone numbers listed for I-Soon on a Chinese corporate registry rang unanswered, and I-Soon representatives did not immediately respond to an AP email requesting comment. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, suggested Wednesday that the allegations were a “smear” and said, “We hope that relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude and base their characterization of cyber incidents on sufficient evidence rather than groundless speculation and accusations.” A separate indictment charges two other Chinese hackers, identified as Yin Kecheng and Zhou Shuai, in a for-profit hacking campaign that targeted victims including U.S. technology companies, think tanks, defense contractors and health care systems. Among the targets was the U.S. Treasury Department, which disclosed a breach by Chinese actors late last year in what it called a “major cybersecurity incident.” The Treasury Department announced sanctions Wednesday in connection with the hacking, and the State Department announced multimillion-dollar rewards for information about the defendants. I-Soon is part of a sprawling industry in China, documented in an AP investigation last year, of private hacking contractors that steal data from other countries to sell to the Chinese authorities. Over the past two decades, Chinese state security’s demand for overseas intelligence has soared, giving rise to a vast network of these private hackers-for-hire companies that have infiltrated hundreds of systems outside China. UN rights chief calls for accountability over Bangladesh’s 2024 protest abuses China’s hacking industry rose in the early days of the internet, when Wu and other Chinese hackers declared themselves “red hackers” — patriots who offered their services to the Chinese Communist Party, in contrast to the anti-establishment ethos popular among many coders. The indictment “proved the close ties and interaction among China’s first generation patriotic hackers,” said Mei Danowski, a cybersecurity analyst who wrote about I-Soon on her blog, Natto Thoughts. They “all turned to entrepreneurs now — doing businesses with the governments and making profits through other means.” Since I-Soon documents were leaked online last year, the company has been suffering but is still in operation, according to Chinese corporate records. They've downsized and moved offices. "Apparently i-SOON companies have been struggling to survive," Danowski wrote on her blog. “To Chinese state agencies, a company like i-SOON is disposable.”

An appeals court in Washington removed the head of a federal watchdog agency on Wednesday in the latest twist in a legal fight over Republican President Donald Trump's authority to fire the special counsel. A three-judge panel on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit sided with the Trump administration in allowing the immediate removal of Hampton Dellinger from the Office of Special Counsel while arguments continue over the legality of Dellinger's firing. The case has become a flashpoint in the debate over how much power the president should have to replace the leaders of independent agencies as he moves to radically reshape and shrink the federal government. The Trump administration has argued that the law protecting the special counsel from removal is unconstitutional and unfairly prevents the president from rightfully installing his preferred agency head. Dellinger’s lawyers say allowing the president to fire the special counsel without cause would have a chilling effect on the important duties of the office to protect whistleblowers from retaliation. Dellinger has also been working in recent days to challenge Trump’s firing of thousands of probationary workers, but his sudden removal throws those efforts into doubt. US pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine amid diplomatic spat Dellinger didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening. He's likely to appeal to the US Supreme Court. Dellinger sued Trump last month, saying he was illegally fired because special counsels can be fired by the president “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, quickly reinstated Dellinger in the job while he pursued his case. Jackson on Saturday ruled that Dellinger's firing was unlawful and ordered that he remain in his post. But the appeals court lifted Jackson's order blocking his removal, allowing the Trump administration to replace him while the judges weigh the legal arguments. The Office of Special Counsel is responsible for guarding the federal workforce from illegal personnel actions, such as retaliation for whistleblowing. It investigates whistleblower claims of reprisal, can pursue disciplinary action against employees who punish whistleblowers and provides a channel for employees to disclose government wrongdoing. Dellinger was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate to a five-year term in 2024. The independent agency is separate from Justice Department special counsels like Jack Smith, who are appointed by the attorney general for specific investigations. After a request from Dellinger's office, a government panel that enforces workers’ rights ruled Wednesday that more than 5,000 employees fired by the Trump administration should be put back on the job at the US Department of Agriculture. While the order applies only to the USDA workers, Dellinger released a statement “calling on all federal agencies to voluntarily and immediately rescind any unlawful terminations of probationary employees.”

The United States has paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, marking a significant shift in its support for the war-torn country, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has confirmed. Speaking on the matter, Waltz stated: "We have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship." The decision follows a diplomatic breakdown after a tense Oval Office meeting on Friday between the US President and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainians grapple with consequences of Trump's pause on military aid The suspension of intelligence sharing is expected to have serious consequences on the battlefield, according to BBC correspondent Tom Bateman. Intelligence from the US has been a crucial factor in Ukraine’s strategic defence against Russian aggression. This latest development comes after former President Donald Trump had already put a hold on military aid to Kyiv. However, Waltz indicated that the suspension could be reconsidered should peace negotiations show progress. In a further twist to the situation, the US President, during an address to Congress last night, suggested that Ukraine was now prepared to engage in peace talks. He read aloud a letter he had received from Zelensky, underscoring Kyiv’s willingness to seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. The diplomatic rift adds another layer of complexity to Ukraine’s war effort, as the country has been heavily reliant on both intelligence and military support from Western allies. How Zelensky’s outfit choice may have sparked Oval Office dispute It remains to be seen whether this move signals a shift in broader US policy or serves as a strategic manoeuvre to push Ukraine towards negotiations. Meanwhile, officials in Kyiv have yet to issue an official response to the latest development. The situation is rapidly evolving, and all eyes remain on potential diplomatic engagements in the coming days. Source: BBC

Severe storms in the US have caused blizzard conditions and pose a threat of more tornadoes, reports AP. Powerful storms that claimed two lives in Mississippi and caused roof damage in a small Oklahoma town swept across the country, bringing extreme weather to central and eastern parts of the US on Wednesday. Tornadoes kill 5, injure 83 in China's eastern Shandong province At the same time, forecasters warned that a Pacific storm would bring widespread rain and mountain snow across California and the western US from Wednesday through Friday. A tornado watch was issued for parts of North and South Carolina early on Wednesday, extending until the afternoon, while tornado warnings were also issued for Florida and South Carolina. On Tuesday, strong winds forced changes to Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans, with the two major parades being moved up and shortened to avoid the bad weather. Tornadoes touched down on Tuesday in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service’s preliminary reports. Deadly severe weather roars through several states in US, spawning potential tornadoes In Mississippi, two fatalities were reported due to the severe weather, with Governor Tate Reeves sharing the news on social media without giving further details. WAPT-TV reported that one victim was killed by a falling power line in Madison County, while another died when a tree struck their car. On Wednesday morning, officials in Nebraska advised against travel in the eastern part of the state due to low visibility caused by high winds. The Nebraska Department of Transportation closed a 130-mile stretch of Interstate 80 from Greenwood to Grand Island. Blizzard conditions in southern Minnesota made travel hazardous on Wednesday morning, with the weather service in the Twin Cities issuing warnings about heavy snow and strong northerly winds that slowed movement across much of the area, including the Twin Cities, southern Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. The storms left hundreds of thousands without power on Wednesday morning across the central and southeastern US, with over 111,000 outages in Texas, around 54,000 in Tennessee, and about 53,000 in Alabama, according to PowerOutage.us. After over 850 flight cancellations nationwide on Tuesday, the storms began to disrupt traffic at major East Coast airports, affecting the broader commercial aviation system. Nearly 500 flights were cancelled on Wednesday, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks delays and cancellations nationwide..

Ukrainians grappled Tuesday with the ramifications of a US decision to pause military aid that is critical to their fight against Russia’s invasion, as a rift between Kyiv and Washington deepens. Days after an explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump ordered the assistance halted in a bid to pressure Kyiv to engage in peace talks with Russia. Ukraine and its allies are concerned Trump is pushing for a quick ceasefire that will favour Russia, and Kyiv is looking for security guarantees to ward off possible future Russian invasions. A White House official said the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance. Ukraine needs help to fight Russia Ukraine, which depends heavily on foreign help to hold back the Russian invasion that began on Feb. 24 2022, has feared that aid could be stopped since Trump took office. US-made Patriot air defense missile systems, for example, are a pivotal part of Ukraine’s air defenses. Trump says 25% tariffs on Mexican, Canadian imports from Tuesday Just as vital is US intelligence assistance, which has allowed Ukraine to track Russian troop movements and select targets. Ukraine’s European allies couldn't make up for a US withdrawal of that asset if it proves to be part of the pause. “I feel betrayed, but this feeling is not really deep for some reason. I was expecting something like that from Trump's side,” said a Ukrainian soldier fighting in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a daring military incursion in August 2024 to improve its hand in negotiations. The soldier spoke by phone to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to speak freely about his thoughts as he was not authorized to speak to the press. On the frontline, where Ukraine is struggling to fend off the much larger and better-equipped Russian army, another soldier said the US decision would enable Russia to make further battlefield gains. “War is very pragmatic,” he told the AP on condition of anonymity in compliance with military regulations. “If we have weapons, enough ammunition, infantry, armored vehicles and aviation — great. If not, then we’re done,” he said. He recalled a seven-month delay in US aid that ended in April 2024 but in the meantime opened a door for the Russian capture of the strategically important city of Avdiivka. Trump halts Ukraine aid, pressures Zelenskyy for swift end to war Others said the move has left even greater confusion about Donald Trump’s intentions. “The problem is that it’s unclear what Trump wants and what the purpose of his actions is,” said Oleksandr Merezhko, Ukrainian lawmaker and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. “As of today, it appears that he is increasingly siding with Russia and trying to pressure Ukraine into accepting Russia’s demands.” “This looks terrible — forcing the weaker side to accept the terms of the stronger aggressor,” he told AP. Olena Fedorova, a 46-year-old resident of the southern port city of Odesa, said she hoped Trump’s decision would be “a temporary measure” because “we really need help.” The US-Ukraine relationship has taken a downturn in recent weeks as Trump’s team launched bilateral talks with Russia and Trump’s demeanor toward Zelenskyy has become increasingly dismissive. Trump says he wants to get traction for peace negotiations. He vowed during his campaign to settle the war in 24 hours, but in January changed that time frame and voiced hope that peace could be negotiated in six months.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Anora” creator Sean Baker won best director, best picture and two other Academy Awards at the Oscars on Sunday, bookending a dominant awards season for the American filmmaker whose stories seek to humanize sex workers and immigrants. Baker, 53, wrote, produced, directed and edited the film, and he swept in all four categories. The comedy-drama stars Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn exotic dancer who marries the impetuous son of a Russian oligarch. They impulsively tie the knot on a ketamine-induced Las Vegas getaway, angering his parents, who send their bumbling henchmen after the couple to force an annulment. With his four Oscars, Baker ties Walt Disney for the most wins in a single year in Academy Awards history. “Anora” was the night’s big winner with five overall — two more than “The Brutalist.” (Unlike Disney in 1954, all Baker's wins were for a single project. Bong Joon Ho was the previous record holder for most wins for a single film, in 2017 for “Parasite.”) In addition to best director and best picture, Baker won for best original screenplay and best editing — a rarity as directors don’t typically cut their own films. He came into the night the favorite for the directing Oscar after earning the top prize from the Directors Guild of America, a win that historically all but guarantees an Oscars victory. He also took home the top awards at the Producers Guild and Independent Spirit Awards. In his best director acceptance speech, he exhorted filmmakers to keep creating projects for the big screen, bemoaning the erosion of the theatergoing experience. “In a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever,” Baker said. “It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture. This is my battle cry.” Baker told Quentin Tarantino, who presented the award, that if he hadn't cast Madison in 2019's “Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood,” there would be no “Anora.” On Sunday, Madison took home the lead actress award — her first Oscar. “Thank you so much to Sean. I adore you. This is all because of you,” Madison said onstage. This year’s best director lineup featured five first-time nominees in the category for the first time in nearly three decades. All had writing credits on their respective films, demonstrating the academy’s growing preference for auteurs who can masterfully bring their own vision to life. For the Oscar, Baker beat out Brady Corbet of “The Brutalist,” James Mangold of “A Complete Unknown,” Jacques Audiard of “Emilia Pérez” and Coralie Fargeat of “The Substance.” “Anora” brings Baker’s signature style of provocative comedy from indie theaters into the mainstream, blending slapstick humor with social commentary in a way that makes lessons about marginalized groups palatable to a wider audience. He made the film on a modest budget of $6 million — an amount one producer previously joked is smaller than the catering budget of some of its competitors. He said Sunday that it was the best $6 million ever spent. Last year’s best picture winner, “Oppenheimer,” had a $100 million budget. Baker has been vocal about the difficulty of making independent films and surviving as an indie filmmaker in an industry that increasingly supports big-budget spectacles. In a rousing speech at the Independent Spirit Awards, he said indies are in danger of becoming “calling card films” — movies made only as a means to get hired for projects at major studios. Without backing for independent films, he said, some of the most creative and innovative projects might never be made. He said he hopes the success of “Anora” will increase support for indie projects. Baker has long been passionate about using his craft to help destigmatize sex work. His 2012 film “Starlet” follows a budding friendship between an adult film star and a crotchety widow who sells her a thermos full of cash at a yard sale. Baker said the connections he formed with sex workers involved in the project inspired him to feature them in several other films. He received widespread praise for “Tangerine” (2015), in which he used three iPhone 5S smartphones to tell a story about transgender sex workers in Los Angeles. In “The Florida Project” (2017), a single mother living in an Orlando motel turns to sex work to provide for her daughter. And “Red Rocket” (2021) follows a retired porn actor's journey back to his small Texas hometown. Baker and Madison weren't the only ones to pick up Oscars for “Anora” — producers Alex Coco and Samantha Quan, Baker's wife, also received statues for the best picture win.

Protesters in the US gathered along a road in Vermont that Vice-President JD Vance was expected to drive down after his heated exchange with President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Holding pro-Ukraine signs, they positioned themselves on the route in Waitsfield, which Vance and his family were set to take on their way to a skiing trip, reports BBC. How Zelensky’s outfit choice may have sparked Oval Office dispute Reports from US media indicated that the Vance family relocated to an undisclosed location from their original ski resort due to the demonstrations. Hundreds of people also assembled in New York, Los Angeles, and Boston on Saturday to show their support for Ukraine, following the tense confrontation in the Oval Office the day before. The intense scenes in the Oval Office saw Vance accuse President Zelensky of disrespecting the US, while Trump clashed with the Ukrainian leader, urging him to negotiate with Russia "or we are out" and accusing him of "gambling with World War Three." A protest had been organised earlier in the week in Waitsfield against the Trump-Vance administration, before the clash with Zelensky, but many of the signs reflected the row and Russia’s war with Ukraine, the report said. Judy Daly from Indivisible Mad River Valley, the group behind the protest, commented to Vermont Public Radio, "I think [Friday's] performance at the White House has probably galvanised even more people to come out today." Protester Cori Giroux added, "[Vance] crossed the line." Ahead of the Vance family's arrival, Vermont Governor Phil Scott urged people to "be respectful." Scott, a Republican who didn’t support Trump, stated, "I welcome the vice-president and his family to Vermont and hope they enjoy their weekend here. It’s no surprise they chose Vermont, we’ve had a lot of snow this winter, which has been good for our economy." He continued, "I hope Vermonters remember the vice-president is here on a family trip with his young children, and while we may not always agree, we should be respectful. Please join me in welcoming them to Vermont and hoping they have an opportunity to experience what makes our state, and Vermonters, so special." Vance, who has three young children with his wife Usha, has not commented publicly on the protests. Counter-protesters supporting Trump and Vance were also reportedly present in Waitsfield, added the report. In a separate development, demonstrators gathered outside Tesla stores across the US on Saturday to protest Elon Musk's efforts to cut government spending. Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, has been appointed by Trump to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as Doge. After the White House meeting, Zelensky travelled to the UK, where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. On Sunday, he joined European leaders and Canada's Justin Trudeau in London for a summit to discuss strategies for ending the war in Ukraine and ensuring Europe’s security. Ukrainians back Zelenskyy as defender after Oval incident Ahead of the summit, Starmer stated that the UK and France would work with Ukraine on a plan to end the conflict with Russia, which would then be discussed with the United States. He explained to the BBC that his main goal at this time was to act as a "bridge" between the two leaders, the report also said. When asked about his reaction to the dispute in the White House, Starmer downplayed the incident, acknowledging, "nobody wants to see that," and admitting he felt "uncomfortable."

The Trump administration may consider excluding government spending from GDP reports, potentially obscuring the effects of cuts to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), reports AP> Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick mentioned on Sunday that government spending could be separated from GDP figures in response to concerns about whether cuts advocated by Elon Musk's DOGE might lead to an economic downturn. Trump declares English as official language of US "Governments have historically manipulated GDP," Lutnick stated on Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures.” "They include government spending as part of GDP. I plan to separate the two and make this clear." This move could complicate or distort a key economic measure. Government spending is usually part of GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits, and regulations can influence overall economic growth. Current GDP reports already provide detailed information on government spending, offering transparency for economists. Musk's push to reduce federal agency sizes could result in the layoff of tens of thousands of federal employees. Their loss of income could reduce spending, potentially affecting businesses and the broader economy. Trump set to sign order declaring English the official U.S. language Lutnick's comments align with Musk's earlier remarks on X, where he argued that government spending does not generate economic value. “A more accurate GDP measure would exclude government spending,” Musk posted on his social media platform. “Otherwise, GDP can be artificially inflated by spending on things that don’t improve people's lives.” This viewpoint, as expressed by Trump administration officials, downplays the economic benefits of certain types of government spending that can influence economic growth. “If the government buys a tank, that counts as GDP,” Lutnick said. “But paying 1,000 people to think about buying a tank is not GDP. That’s wasted inefficiency, wasted money. And cutting that, while it shows up in GDP, we’re going to eliminate it.” The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis released its latest GDP report on Thursday, showing a 2.3% annual growth rate in the final quarter of the previous year. The report highlights the economic forces at play, showing that the year-end gains were largely due to increased consumer spending and a revision to federal defense spending. However, the federal government's contribution to GDP growth in 2024 was 2.6%, slightly lower than the overall economy's growth of 2.8%. Government spending accounted for nearly one-fifth of personal income, totaling over $24.6 trillion last year. This includes Social Security, veterans' benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs, while also accounting for taxes paid to the government. Government spending doesn't always contribute to GDP growth and can sometimes detract from it, as seen in 2022 when pandemic-related aid ended. Lutnick said that the Trump administration would balance the federal budget through spending cuts, aiming to promote growth and reduce consumer interest rates. "When we balance the United States budget, interest rates will drop significantly," Lutnick said. “This will lead to the best economy anyone has ever seen, and betting against it would be foolish.”

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing English as the official language of the United States. This decision allows government agencies and federally funded organizations to decide whether to provide documents and services in languages other than English. The order overturns a 2000 policy by former President Bill Clinton that mandated language assistance for non-English speakers. Trump set to sign order declaring English the official U.S. language The executive order states, "Establishing English as the official language will streamline communication, reinforce shared national values, and foster a more cohesive and efficient society." This marks the first time in nearly 250 years that the U.S. has designated an official language at the federal level. However, the order clarifies that agencies are not required to eliminate or alter existing language assistance programs. The order emphasizes the importance of English in uniting the nation, stating, "Encouraging the learning and adoption of our national language will help new Americans integrate, achieve the American dream, and contribute to society." Attorneys sue Trump Administration to keep 10 migrants including Bangladeshi out of Guantanamo Bay It also highlights the economic and social benefits of English proficiency, enabling newcomers to engage in their communities and participate in national traditions. The order acknowledges the multilingual heritage of the U.S., celebrating generations of Americans who have learned English and passed it on to their children. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 68 million of the country's 340 million residents speak a language other than English, including over 160 Native American languages. Spanish, Chinese languages, and Arabic are among the most commonly spoken non-English languages.Previous attempts by Republicans to designate English as the official language, including a failed 2021 legislative effort, faced opposition. Critics argued that an official language was unnecessary given the widespread use of English and could lead to discrimination against non-English speakers. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump linked non-English languages to his calls for stricter immigration policies, claiming, "They have languages that nobody in this country has ever heard of. It's a very horrible thing." Trump's moves test the limits of presidential power and the resilience of US democracy Globally, around 180 countries have official national languages, with many recognizing multiple languages. The United Kingdom is among the few countries without an official language. In the U.S., more than 30 states have designated English as their official language, while Alaska and Hawaii have also granted official status to several native languages.Source: BBC