Biden Expected to Nominate Boston Mayor Walsh for Labor Secretary

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President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as labor secretary, U.S. news agencies report. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo is reportedly being nominated for commerce secretary.  Walsh, who has been Boston’s mayor for two terms after 17 years as a Massachusetts state representative, has a long history with labor unions. He previously led Boston Building and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella organization for unions. While the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has shown its support for Walsh, other notable U.S. unions, including the United Auto Workers and the Utility Workers Union of America, indicatedmore

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Trump Transportation Secretary Latest Administration Official to Resign After Capitol Attack

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, announced her resignation Thursday, the first Cabinet secretary to resign because of Wednesday’s deadly invasion of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.  Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is a close Trump political ally, said she was “deeply troubled” by Wednesday’s violence that was fueled by Trump’s rhetoric. “Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed,” Chao said in a statement. “As I’m sure is the case with many ofmore

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Prominent Hong Kong Student Activist Charged with Subversion

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Authorities in Hong Kong have reportedly charged pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong with subversion under the new national security law.  News of the new charge was posted on Wong’s Facebook account Thursday.  The 24-year-old activist is currently serving a 13-and-a-half month prison sentence for organizing an unauthorized protest in 2019.  It comes one day after at least 53 pro-democracy activists were arrested in Hong Kong in the biggest crackdown on opposition members in the semi-autonomous city since the law was approved by Beijing last July.  Among those arrested in the pre-dawn raids included several members of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party who took partmore

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Officials Seek Answers to Why Security Failed at US Capitol Wednesday

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Washington, D.C., officials have joined U.S. lawmakers in calling for an investigation of the police force that protects the Capitol, while offering praise for their actions, after Wednesday’s storming of the seat of the country’s legislative branch by a mob of pro-Trump protesters. Video shared on social media and by news organizations shows Capitol Police officers overwhelmed by the vastly larger crowds pushing past waist-high barricades and evading officers who failed to halt their progress. Other participants scaled walls and smashed windows to get inside. Other video posted to social media showed some Capitol Police officers opening barricades for Trump backers andmore

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US Prosecutors Prepare to Bring Charges Against Capitol Hill Rioters

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U.S. law enforcement authorities are aggressively pursuing leads to identify and arrest hundreds of pro-Trump supporters who took part in the first violent attack on the U.S. Capitol in more than two centuries.While police arrested only a dozen or so people Wednesday afternoon when the rioters stormed the Capitol, several dozen others have since been arrested, and officials vowed to pursue the rest. Identifying and arresting them, however, could take weeks, they said.“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack on our Government and the rule of law face the full consequences of theirmore

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Foreign Students Get Green Light to Continue Study Online  

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Federal guidance for international students enrolled in U.S. universities is likely to remain the same for Spring semester 2021 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, an ICE spokesperson announced. TheFILE – Masked students walk through the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., Sept. 10, 2020. …If the international student guidance officially continues into the Spring 2021 semester, here’s what it may mean to current and prospective international students at U.S. higher education institutions. What this means for existing students  Continuing international students who held valid nonimmigrant student visas on March 9, 2020 may continue to take their course load online whether insidemore

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Former Trump Aide Quits Diplomatic Post After Capitol Mayhem

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Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney says he is quitting his diplomatic position, adding to a growing list of resignations from the Trump administration following Wednesday’s deadly invasion of the U.S. Capitol building by supporters of President Donald Trump.      Mulvaney announced Thursday he is resigning as special envoy to Northern Ireland and said other administration officials have considered stepping down.   “I can’t do it. I can’t stay,” Mulvaney said on CNBC. “Those who choose to stay, and I have talked with some of them, are choosing to stay because they’re worried the president might putmore

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US Capitol Has Seen Violence Over 220 Years, But Not Like This

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In more than 220 years, the U.S. Capitol had seen nothing like it: a roiling mob, forcing its way past its majestic marble columns, disrupting the passage of power, desecrating the seat of the world’s greatest democracy. But this was far from the first time the Capitol has been scarred by violence.1814 In 1814, just 14 years after the building opened, British forces in the War of 1812 tried to burn it down. The invaders looted the building first, and then set the southern and northern wings ablaze — incinerating the Library of Congress. A sudden rainstorm prevented its totalmore

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World Leaders Offer Mixed Reactions After Mayhem at US Capitol

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Mixed reactions of shock, sadness and sarcasm continue to be heard from around the world over Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump angry over his loss in November’s presidential election.   “What happened today in Washington, D.C., is not America,”  French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video message on Twitter late Wednesday.  “We believe in the strength of our democracies.  We believe in the strength of American democracy.” We believe in democracy.#WeAreOnepic.twitter.com/dj3hs66KKn— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 7, 2021  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed” to see the “rioting and violence” inmore

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Capitol Hill Chaos Holds Lessons for India, Analysts Say

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In India, the world’s largest democracy, which has long looked to the United States as a model to be emulated, the overrunning of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters evoked shock and disbelief, even as political analysts cautioned that there are important lessons to be learned.    Others expressed concern that the domestic turmoil highlighted by the events could weaken the global leadership role of the United States.     Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was distressed to see news of rioting and violence in Washington. “Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowedmore

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US Lawmakers Demand Investigation of Capitol Security Failures

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U.S. lawmakers are calling for an investigation of the police force that protects the Capitol, while also offering praise for their actions, after Wednesday’s storming of the seat of the country’s legislative branch by a mob of pro-Trump supporters.The push for answers was led by two Democrats who in the new Congress will lead the subcommittees that have budget oversight for the U.S. Capitol Police.   “There will be many videos, some [will] raise concern, some will show heroism. We need a full investigation on how the Capitol’s security was breached this quickly,” said Senator Chris Murphy.Congressman Tim Ryan pointed to a lack ofmore

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South Koreans Confused, Disgusted at US Election-related Violence

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South Korea, whose political development and systems of government have long been influenced in part by the United States, is reacting with bewilderment to this week’s deadly post-election violence in Washington, D.C.People angry at President Donald Trump’s defeat in the recent U.S. election forcibly entered the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, scuffling with police, vandalizing congressional offices, and prompting scenes of chaos, including armed standoffs, which resulted in lawmakers being temporarily evacuated.Capitol Police shot one woman to death after she attempted to break through a barrier inside the building, while three others died from unspecified “medical emergencies,” according to police. Police alsomore

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US Considering Sanctions on Those Involved in Hong Kong Arrests, Pompeo Says

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington is considering sanctions and other restrictions on those involved in the arrest of more than 50 people in Hong Kong and warned it could target the territory’s economic and trade office in the United States.In a move likely to further rile Beijing, Pompeo announced in the same statement that U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft would visit Chinese-claimed Taiwan, which is not a UN member due to China’s objections.Pompeo also said he was “appalled” by the arrest of an American citizen as part of Wednesday’s crackdown and added: “The Unitedmore

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GW Bush Condemns ‘Violent Assault’ by Trump Supporters on Capitol, Law Enforcement

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George W. Bush, the only living Republican former president, condemned Wednesday’s “violent assault” on the U.S. Capitol, where a pro-Trump riot forced a recess and resulted in one confirmed fatality as lawmakers were certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.“I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement,” Bush wrote in a prepared statement.“The violent assault on the Capitol — and disruption of a Constitutionally mandated meeting of Congress — was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed bymore

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Raphael Warnock Becomes the First Black Senator in Georgia’s History

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Democrat Raphael Warnock is the projected winner of one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs Wednesday, becoming the first African American to be elected to the U.S. Senate in the state’s history. Warnock, who defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler, is a pastor of the Atlanta church where American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. preached. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo has this profile of Warnock. …

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Thousands Storm US Capitol in ‘Shameful Assault . . . on Our Democracy’

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Thousands of flag-waving supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump swarmed over the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers to evacuate their chambers and delaying by several hours a normally routine procedure clearing the way for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to be sworn in as president and vice president on Jan. 20.House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced after hours of chaos around the white-columned edifice that police had secured the area and legislators would reconvene to continue the work of certifying the Electoral College vote that determines the next president.“Today, a shameful assault was made on our democracy,” Pelosimore

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Georgia Senate Wins Give Democrats Control of US Congress

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Democrats have won control of the U.S. Senate — and Congress as a whole — after scoring a pair of wins in Tuesday’s Senate runoff races that drew the attention of the nation. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports from Atlanta, Georgia, on the consequences for the Biden presidency. Producers: Katherine Gypson, Adam Greenbaum. Camera: Adam Greenbaum. …

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Facebook, YouTube Pull Trump Video; Twitter Locks Trump Account

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Facebook and Alphabet’s YouTube took down a video from President Donald Trump on Wednesday that continued to make the baseless claim the election was fraudulent as he told supporters who had stormed the U.S. Capitol to go home.Twitter restricted users from retweeting the video “due to a risk of violence,” as hundreds of protesters sought to force Congress to undo the president’s election loss to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. Twitter restricted a later tweet from Trump that again falsely alleged he had won the election.Later Wednesday night, Twitter locked the president’s account for 12 hours over “repeated and severe violations”more

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US Lawmakers Recount Chaos on Capitol Hill

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U.S. lawmakers recounted Wednesday frantic scenes of evacuations and being ordered to grab gas masks as pro-Trump extremists stormed the Capitol.The mob forced the Senate into a recess while it was in the process of certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory.“I was one of a dozen Representatives in the gallery above the House floor. We pulled out gas masks and had to get down on the ground,” Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat, wrote on Twitter.“Capitol police barricaded the doors and had guns drawn,” she recounted. “We were eventually told that we had to quickly exit.”I am safe andmore

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Trump Supporters Swarm Statehouses Across US; Some Evacuated

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Supporters of President Donald Trump massed outside statehouses from Georgia to New Mexico on Wednesday, leading some officials to evacuate while cheers rang out at several demonstrations as a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.Hundreds of people gathered in state capitals nationwide to oppose President-elect Joe Biden’s win, waving signs saying, “Stop the steal” and “Four more years.” Most of them did not wear masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, and some carried guns in places like Oklahoma, Georgia, Arizona and Washington state.There were some scuffles in states like Ohio and California, with some instances of journalists or counterprotesters being pepper-sprayedmore

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Biden Urges Trump to Condemn Violence on Capitol

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As violent Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, forcing a lockdown Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden called on President Donald Trump to address the nation and urge peace.”I call on President Trump to go on national television now, to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege,” Biden said.President-elect Biden addresses the nation: https://t.co/BXM3SZK25R— Biden-Harris Presidential Transition (@Transition46) January 6, 2021“It’s not a protest – it’s insurrection,” Biden said. He condemned what occurred at the Capitol and called those who stormed the building “extremists” who do not represent America. “At this hour, our democracy ismore

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World Leaders Condemn Pro-Trump Riot at US Capitol

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International leaders expressed shock and condemned the unprecedented scenes on Capitol Hill as a pro-Trump riot breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. “Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter. Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 6, 2021European Union officials indicated their support formore

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