U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the Trump administration’s strategy in Iran in a tense Capitol Hill hearing Friday. The panel marked the first time Pompeo has answered questions from lawmakers in an open setting since the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in early January. VOA’s Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more on Congressional Democrats’ concerns about transparency in US foreign policy.
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Chinese Navy Fires Laser at US Aircraft
The United States Navy says that a Chinese Navy destroyer targeted a U.S. patrol aircraft with a laser last week while it was flying over the Philippine Sea, about 600 kilometers west of Guam.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement that a Chinese ship trained the laser on the American P-8A Poseidon aircraft in an “unsafe” and “unprofessional manner,” while the P-8 was operation “in international airspace in accordance with international rules and regulations.”
The U.S. Navy said the Chinese action was in violation of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), a multilateral agreement reached in 2014, and also inconsistent with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and China defense departments on safety of air and maritime encounters, the statement said.
The laser was captured by a sensor onboard the P-8A and was not visible to the naked eye.
“Weapons-grade lasers could potentially cause serious harm to aircrew and mariners, as well as ship and aircraft systems,” the Navy said.
The P-8A Poseidon is deployed to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan and conducts routine operations, maritime patrol, and reconnaissance in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
Somalia ‘Now in Good Standing’ With World Bank
The World Bank on Thursday said it is normalizing relations with the Federal Government of Somalia after 30 years.
The bank noted the Somali government’s “strong record of fiscal, political, social and economic reforms in recent years” in making the move.
“Normalizing relations means that the country is now in good standing with the World Bank,” World Bank Country Manager Hugh Riddell told VOA Somali. “It means that going forward Somalia will be able to access grants, grants financing for poverty reduction.”
He said the new grants will help Somalia invest in basic needs of the Somali people.
After 30 years, the @WorldBank Group & Somalia took an important step today toward reestablishing financial relations + increasing WBG support for the Somali people.
I thank @SomaliPM & @DrBeileh for their good work + important reforms.
Read more here: https://t.co/Jn0q8IFX86pic.twitter.com/4ZHvYmPwVt
— David Malpass (@DavidMalpassWBG) February 27, 2020
News of the World Bank’s move came just a day after the International Monetary Fund announced it had secured “sufficient financing pledges” to provide comprehensive debt relief to Somalia. More than 100 IMF member countries have pledged to provide US$334 million in financing, IMF said.
.@KGeorgieva: More than 100 countries—including low-income countries—have agreed to contribute the money IMF needs to provide debt relief to #Somalia. https://t.co/nSSsj8UJwFpic.twitter.com/NPIOptt2s2
— IMF (@IMFNews) February 26, 2020
The African Development Bank and African Development Fund approved a framework for $122.55 million to clear Somalia’s arrears on the same day as the IMF announcement.
Somalia owes more than $5 billion to external creditors and hopes to achieve debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
Riddell said the nod from the World Bank does not mean that Somalia will borrow more money. This was in response to concern from Somali observers that the improvement in financial standing by the Somali government could translate into borrowing and taking on more debt.
“This does not mean that Somalia will have access to lending, there will be no loans from the World Bank; the financing that will come will be purely grants,” Riddell said.
“Somalis need not worry that this will lead to borrowing by the Somali government, and the World Bank money will be purely 100 percent grants,” he added.
Riddell says the bank has been working closely with the Somali Ministry of Finance and the central bank since 2012. He praised the reforms made.
“Some of the basic reforms that have taken place over the past seven years have been increasing revenue generation, not only Mogadishu port, Mogadishu airport but also increasingly the private sector,” he said. “That means that the government is able to generate its revenues from businesses, and those businesses are happy to pay increasing amounts of tax to the government because of the transparency that is now in the budget system and the oversight of the expenditures that is now carried out by the Ministry of Finance.”
He also said that Somalia’s Auditor General has been carrying out annual audits of the budget and is reporting to the parliament. He said laws have been passed that enabled the central bank of Somalia to carry out supervisory functions in the financial sector of remittances, as well supervise the new Somali banks that have been formed.
The Somali prime minister has welcomed the move by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, and described it as a “landmark milestone.”
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire tweeted: “#WB & #AfDB announce to reengage #Somalia, clear arrears & ultimately relieve the country of the debt burden under the HIPC Initiative, paving the way 4 tremendous foreign direct investment! Our commitment to reform begins to pay dividends. Deeply indebted!”
Landmark milestone as #WB & #AfDB announce to reengage #Somalia, clear arrears & ultimately relieve the country of the debt burden under the HIPC Initiative, paving the way 4 tremendous foreign direct investment! Our commitment to reform begins to pay dividends. Deeply indebted!
— SomaliPM (@SomaliPM) February 27, 2020
Coronavirus Emergency Funding to Leap Political Hurdles
U.S .lawmakers are working to quickly pass a bipartisan deal providing billions of dollars in emergency funding to address the worldwide spread of coronavirus. Congressional Democrats have criticized the Trump administration for a poorly coordinated response, calling the $2.5 billion White House proposal insufficient. But as VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, health officials assured lawmakers U.S. efforts are working.
What the Numbers Tell us About the Dangers of COVID-19
The novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has infected more than 81,000 people worldwide and killed nearly 3,000. Those numbers have been a critical gauge of the infection’s spread, but they do not reflect the entire problem. Scientists consider several key questions when assessing the danger posed by the outbreak.
How many infected?
Almost all of the confirmed cases so far have been in China, with about 3,000 scattered around the rest of the world. In China, Beijing changed the testing criteria multiple times, leading to fluctuating numbers that have made it difficult to determine the outbreak’s growth. Outside China, some countries have reported faulty test kits or long delays in getting results. One large study in China found that more than 80% of the cases are mild, and some infected people show no symptoms. This means the number of infected could be much higher than the official tally.
How dangerous?
In the study published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer than 14% of patients were considered “severe,” meaning people experienced shortness of breath, low oxygen or other lung problems. Fewer than 5% were “critical,” meaning patients experienced respiratory failure, multiple organ dysfunction or septic shock. Public health specialists said a significant source of risk during epidemics comes from overwhelmed health care systems that become unable to care for people who need other medical treatment.
How deadly?
The fatality rate in China has fluctuated, but now is about 2.3%. But scientists have pointed out that if the actual number of infected patients is much higher than the confirmed cases indicate, the percentage of people who die from infection is actually lower.
What’s the risk?
If the numbers hold up, the majority of people who become infected will experience mild cases, similar to a common cold or seasonal flu. China’s hardest hit provinces, which struggled to keep up with surging infections, had higher death rates than other areas of the country. Older people and people with preexisting health conditions are most at risk. Initial numbers indicate that children have contracted the coronavirus at lower rates than adults.
Congress Warns Pentagon Not to Move Money to Fund Trump Wall
Lawmakers from both parties told Pentagon leaders on Wednesday that the Defense Department is undermining its own efforts to get military money by diverting billions of dollars for the construction of President Donald Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall.
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and the committee’s top Republican warned Defense Secretary Mark Esper that overturning congressional funding decisions to shift money for the wall is an enormous problem that will have consequences.
The plan to shift money has triggered rare Republican opposition to one of Trump’s priorities.
Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said the result may be that Congress will place greater restrictions on the Pentagon’s ability to move money around to meet military needs. The chairman, Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, said the money transfer is “very, very damaging to the Pentagon.”
“The message it sends is the Pentagon has plenty of money,” said Smith, adding that it “undercuts any arguments for any need for resources.”
The Pentagon announced this month that it was slashing billions of dollars in funding for Navy and Air Force aircraft and other military programs to free up money for the construction of the wall.
Esper approved the $3.8 billion border wall request from the Department of Homeland Security, and the Pentagon acknowledged that more cuts could be coming to provide additional dollars for the wall. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Mexico is paying for his promised “big beautiful wall,” but that has never happened.
The Pentagon’s decision, announced in “reprogramming” documents provided to lawmakers, stripped money from major aircraft and procurement programs that touch Republican and Democratic districts and states.
Despite congressional opposition, Trump faced no consequences when making similar transfers last year, when the Pentagon canceled dozens of military construction projects to free up $3.6 billion and transferred $2.5 billion in counterdrug money.
Altogether, Trump has obtained just over $3 billion for border barrier construction by working through regular congressional channels, subject to limitations imposed by lawmakers. He has used various transfer and emergency authorities to shift almost $7 billion more from the emergency declaration, from a forfeiture fund containing money seized by law enforcement and from funding for military counterdrug activities.
Specifically, the plan targets money for more than a dozen aircraft, including two F-35 fighters sought by Texas Rep. Kay Granger, the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, and other members of the Texas congressional delegation.
It also cuts money for eight Reaper drones, four Air Force C-130 transport aircraft, two Marine V-22 Osprey helicopters and also for amphibious ships, National Guard equipment and Army trucks.
Colleges Call Students Back From Italy Amid Virus Concerns
The spread of the new coronavirus to Italy has led universities to reassess study abroad programs in the country, with many American schools this week calling their students back to the U.S.
Schools including Syracuse University in upstate New York and Elon University in North Carolina, as well as Sacred Heart University and Fairfield University, both in Connecticut, said they are canceling programs in Italy, where the death toll rose to 12 on Wednesday and the caseload reached 374.
Syracuse will assist the 342 students studying at its Florence campus return to the U.S., school officials announced Tuesday. School officials said they were concerned about restrictions on students’ ability to travel and move about the city.
“We believe this is absolutely necessary to reduce the risk of our students being unable to leave Italy due to Italian confinement efforts,” said Steven Bennett, the university’s senior vice president for international programs and academic operations.
Many universities in the U.S., Australia and Europe already have canceled study abroad programs in China, where the outbreak began. Around the world, more than 81,000 people have been infected. More than 78,000 of those have been in China, where over 2,700 have died.
Italy is the second most popular destination for American students studying abroad, behind only the United Kingdom. In the 2017-2018 school year, nearly 37,000 Americans studied in Italy, according to the Institute of International Education.
While many universities have been monitoring reports of the virus’ spread, a growing number have decided to call for students to leave midway through the semester.
The University of New Haven has recommended that the 80 students at its program in the Italian region of Tuscany return to the U.S. The university will assess in late March whether it’s safe for them to return and, in the meantime, the students will receive online instruction, school officials said.
Sacred Heart University decided to call for 17 students to return from a program in Rome by this weekend, and Fairfield University is closing a program in Florence that enrolls 142 students. Twenty-one Elon students in Florence also have been asked to return to the U.S.
New York University, which already has transitioned to online instruction at its program in Shanghai, announced this week it is suspending its classes in Florence and will begin holding classes remotely next week.
“While we do not believe there is a pressing health threat to the NYU Florence community, the past month has taught us that countries may swiftly and unexpectedly make decisions that can significantly affect one’s ability to travel,” NYU spokesman John Beckman said.
Trump Ally Roger Stone Says Jurors Biased; Wants New Trial
A federal judge heard arguments Tuesday on whether to grant Trump ally Roger Stone a new trial based on his claims of juror bias in the trial that led to his conviction and sentencing on charges related to the Russia investigation.
The hearing was initially sealed, but U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson agreed to open it as long as there was no identification of jurors who could potentially testify. Stone asked for a new trial Feb. 14 after a previous request had been denied.
Following the verdict, one juror wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, explaining why he felt they were right to convict. And the forewoman spoke about the case in a Facebook post.
During a trial, jurors are not allowed to read about the case or speak about it to anyone, but after their verdict is rendered, they are released from duty and can speak publicly if they wish.
Jackson said jurors in the case had faced harassment even before they commented, and she worried for their continued safety. She detailed comments about jurors made by Trump in tweets, by Fox News commentator and Trump supporter Tucker Carlson and right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
“I think it’s without question then, that this is a highly publicized case in a highly polarized political climate in which the president himself has shone a spotlight on the jury,” she said. “Individuals who are angry about Mr. Stone’s conviction may choose to take it out on them personally.”
Stone’s lawyers said they feel they were misled by the forewoman, even though they had her jury questionnaire and had a hired a jury consultant – who they said did no Google searches on potential jurors before the trial. They pointed to articles she sent online in posts made before the trial on Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, and other posts on the Russia investigation. Jackson asked why the posts suggest she misled them.
“It’s a question about did she lie?” Jackson asked. “I want to know what she lied about in this questionnaire.”
Stone was convicted in November on all seven counts of an indictment that accused him of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election.
He was the sixth Trump aide or adviser to be convicted on charges brought as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Before the Feb. 20 sentencing, the Justice Department leadership backed away from its initial recommendation just hours after Trump tweeted his displeasure at the recommendation of up to nine years in prison, saying it had been too harsh. The highly unusual move prompted the four trial prosecutors to quit the case, and one left the Justice Department altogether.
Attorney General William Barr defended the decision in an ABC News interview where he also said the president’s tweets involving the Justice Department were making it “impossible” for him to do his job. He asked the president to stop tweeting, but just hours later Trump was back at it, saying he had never asked Barr to open criminal investigations – but he had the authority to do so if he wished.
The continued spotlight, in turn, prompted Barr to consider quitting, an administration official told AP. The dust has settled a bit, but it’s not clear how Trump will take the most recent news of his longtime ally.
On Tuesday while on a trip to India, he tweeted again about the forewoman, claiming she was biased and so was the judge.
At Stone’s sentencing, Jackson said the evidence clearly showed that Stone testified falsely to Congress and repeatedly pressured a potential witness either to back up his lie or refuse to testify.
Near the end, her voice rose as she said that Stone’s entire defense strategy seemed to amount to “So What?” Stone did not testify and called no witnesses on his behalf.
“This is NOT campaign hijinks. This was not Roger being Roger. You lied to Congress,” she told Stone. “The dismay and disgust . at the defendant’s actions in our polarized climate should transcend (political) parties.”
She sentenced Stone to 40 months in prison, plus two years’ probation and a $20,000 fine.
Students Wary of University Honor Code Updates
Did the conservative Brigham Young University (BYU) update its student code of conduct and loosen restrictions on homosexuality … or not?
Reports last week announced that the updated honor code was less restrictive about same-sex behavior among its nearly 34,000 students. BYU, which operates on four campuses in Utah, Idaho and Hawaii, is a private, not-for-profit school governed by the religious doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), also known as Mormons. Nearly all BYU students belong to the LDS church.
“We have removed the more prescriptive language and kept the focus on the principles of the Honor Code, which have not changed,” wrote BYU spokesperson Todd Hollingshead in an email to VOA. “We did this to align the Honor Code with the doctrine and policies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Hollingshead said the university is trying to be more inclusive to its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students. The updated policy took out any negative connotations regarding homosexuality.
“We believe that removing the more prescriptive language from the Honor Code is helpful for our LGBTQ students,” Hollingshead wrote. “We want our LGBTQ students to feel welcome and included on our campus.”
But the existing guidance and honor code on the BYU website and approved Feb. 12 is definitively hetero.
“Be honest. … Live a chaste and virtuous life, including abstaining from any sexual relations outside a marriage between a man and a woman. … Encourage others in their commitment to comply with the Honor Code.”
There are numerous references endorsing relationships between a man and a woman, but sexual relations are restricted to married church members.
While the official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints defines “same-sex attraction” as “emotional, physical, romantic, or sexual attraction to a person of the same gender,” it does not condone it.
“There may have been some miscommunication as to what the Honor Code changes mean,” stated the official BYU Twitter account. “Even though we have removed the more prescriptive language, the principles of the Honor Code remain the same.”
Some students celebrated the initial announcement.
“I’m here, I’m queer and I deserve to feel safe,” Matty Easton tweeted. “Girls and gays, we did it!”
Less than a year ago I joined my student body in protesting BYU’s honor code, a policy that banned same-gender romantic relationships.
As of today, homosexual relationships are now treated the same as heterosexual ones at BYU :’)
Girls and gays, we did it! ❤️? pic.twitter.com/67VGLC3mgU
— Matty Easton (@easton_matty) February 19, 2020
Others say the policy toward LGBTQ students remains unclear.
“Hey @BYU. If I wrote an essay with the same vagueness as your Honor Code, my writing professors would give me an F,” tweeted Andy Denison. “If you’re going to make an point, you must state it, not be vague about it so you can claim it might be there when it’s convenient to you.”
Hey @BYU
If I wrote an essay with the same vagueness as your Honor Code, my writing professors would give me an F. If you’re going to make an point, you must state it, not be vague about it so you can claim it might be there when it’s convient to you.
— NDY ? (@andy_denison) February 20, 2020
LGBTQ students and their supporters claimed the rule was unfair, since it was not required of heterosexual couples. In the past, students criticized language that barred gay couples from holding hands, which is permitted for heterosexual couples. The university bans all sex before marriage for all students.
Behind the policy changes are complaints from students about the way the honor code is enforced. BYU has an honor code office to which anonymous charges can be made about student behavior on or off campus that violates the code. The office conducts an interview and investigation that may result in dismissal.
Students posted their disagreement with honor code office policies and actions to Instagram last year, where they created @honorcodestories. Posts compared BYU sexual assault investigations to victim-blaming and shaming.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Honor Code Stories (@honorcodestories) on
“The goal of this Instagram account is to give students a voice and to let them know that they are not alone. We are here to shine a light on what goes on within The Honor Code Office.”
Climate Change Could Pose ‘Catastrophic’ Security Threat, Experts Warn
Climate change could become a “catastrophic” threat to global security, as people lose their livelihoods, fall ill and battle over scarce water and food, a host of U.S. security, military and intelligence experts warned on Monday.
Pressures from global warming could intensify political tensions, unrest and conflict, fuel violent extremism and break down government security systems, the experts said in a report by the Center of Climate and Security, a nonpartisan policy institute.
War-torn countries in Africa and the Middle East were cited as most at risk, but industrialized regions are vulnerable, it said.
“Even at scenarios of low warming, each region of the world will face severe risks to national and global security in the next three decades,” the report said.
“Higher levels of warming will pose catastrophic, and likely irreversible, global security risks over the course of the 21st century.”
Concerns over the impact of climate change have led to calls to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the pace of global warming amid instances of climate-related extreme weather such as wildfires and floods.
A United Nations report last year warned of dire consequences as well.
The research released on Monday warned of displaced populations driven from their homes by rising heat, drought and dwindling water and food supplies.
Disease would spread, and border security and infrastructure would break down as resources grow more scarce, fueling extremism, crime and human trafficking, it said.
“We’re really looking at a bleak future if we see more and more countries become fragile,” said Rod Schoonover, a former intelligence analyst and co-author of the report, who spoke at a briefing about the report.
Panel members included former U.S. government security officials and climate security experts.
The experts assessed threats under two scenarios — if the planet warmed by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius or by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius — by the end of the century.
The U.N. has warned that if emissions are not drastically lowered, the average global temperature will increase by 4 degrees Celsius by then.
A global pact to fight climate change was agreed upon in Paris in 2015 that aimed to keep the earth’s temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius.
The administration of President Donald Trump has initiated efforts to pull the United States out of the Paris pact. “I don’t mean to be a doomsayer, but this is bad stuff,” said retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, a former U.S. Army chief of staff, who spoke at the briefing but was not directly involved in the report.
“My question is, ‘Is the U.S. going to lead or are we going to stand around and watch?'” he said. “We need someone to step up and say ‘I’ll do it. Send me.'”
US Still Eyeing Ways to Curb Sales to Huawei, Sources Say
U.S. government officials are still considering ways to further curb sales to China’s Huawei Technologies, despite President Donald Trump’s tweets and comments last week in support of sales to China, according to people familiar with the matter.
An interagency meeting was held Thursday to discuss national security and China export issues, including proposals to restrict sales of chips to Huawei and a plan to block the sale of jet engines for China’s new passenger airplane.
While blocking General Electric Co from supplying jet engines appeared to be off the table after Trump opposed efforts to stop their sale, sources told Reuters on Monday new restrictions aimed at limiting Huawei’s presence in the global telecommunications market were still on the table.
Trump told reporters last week that U.S. chipmakers should be able to sell to other countries, but he was not clear on how to handle Huawei, the world’s second-largest smartphone maker. Trump said on Tuesday he wanted U.S. companies “to be allowed to do business.”
“I mean, things are put on my desk that have nothing to do with national security, including with chipmakers and various others,” he said.
National security concerns should not be used as an excuse to make it difficult for foreign countries to buy U.S. products, he said.
Trump’s views contrasted with the sharp restrictions his administration has placed on U.S. companies trading with Huawei on U.S. national security and foreign policy concerns.
The United States alleges the Chinese government could use Huawei equipment to spy, an accusation Huawei has rejected. Policymakers have been sharply divided ahead of a possible cabinet-level meeting, which had been scheduled for Feb. 28 but has now been pushed to a later date. Some officials have favored a tough line on Huawei and China, while others are more focused on trading with the world’s second-largest economy.