Zimbabwe’s Vice President Kembo Mohadi resigned Monday after sexual misconduct allegations, a rare move by a public official in the southern African country.Local news outlets have since late last month been awash with audio recordings of phone conversations allegedly of Mohadi soliciting sex from married women, including a subordinate in his office.First published by online publication ZimLive, the lurid clips included one where a man can be heard scheduling to meet for sex at his office.”I am stepping down as the vice president of the Republic of Zimbabwe … with immediate effect,” the 71-year-old leader said in a letter posted on the Information Ministry’s Twitter account.He said he was quitting “not as a matter of cowardice” but out of respect for his office “so that it is not compromised or caricatured by actions that are linked to my challenges as an individual.””I have been going through a soul-searching pilgrimage and realized that I need the space to deal with my problems outside the governance chair,” he said.He repeated his denial of any wrongdoing, saying he was “a victim of information distortion, voice cloning, and sponsored spooking and political sabotage,” adding he would seek legal redress.Mohadi’s resignation set off a buzz on social media with speculation fast shifting to who President Emmerson Mnangagwa would pick as his replacement.Jacob Ngarivhume, an opposition politician and government critic, said he welcomed Mohadi’s resignation and hoped it was the “first of many as more evidence of (ruling) Zanu-PF impropriety is released.”Mohadi, a retired soldier and veteran of the country’s liberation war, was one of Zimbabwe’s two vice presidents alongside Constantino Chiwenga.He served in several ministerial positions under former president Robert Mugabe and was appointed vice president in 2017 following the longtime ruler’s ouster.
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Month: March 2021
Crowds Again Protest Myanmar Coup, Defy Crackdown
Protesters in Myanmar marched in several cities Monday in defiance of a deadly crackdown on demonstrators Sunday. Security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades Monday to disperse demonstrators in Yangon, a day after 18 people across Myanmar were killed and more than 30 others were injured in the deadliest day of demonstrations since the February 1 military coup, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office. In the southeastern city of Dawei, where several people were reported killed Sunday, protesters returned to the streets on Monday, but in fewer numbers. FILE – Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi waits for the arrival of her delegation before the Japan Myanmar Summit meeting in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 9, 2018.Also on Monday, Myanmar’s ousted de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, appeared via videoconference at a court in the capital, Naypyitaw. It was her first public appearance since she and other members of Myanmar’s civilian government were removed from office and detained by the military. A lawyer for the 75-year-old leader said she looked well. The lawyer said prosecutors charged her with two new crimes during the court session: attempting to incite public unrest and violating a section of the telecommunications law regarding operating equipment without a license. Suu Kyi was already charged with illegally importing and using six unregistered walkie-talkie radios found during a search of her home, and for breaking the country’s natural disaster law by holding public gatherings in violation of COVID-19 protocols. The United States and other Western nations have demanded her release, as well as her lieutenants, and called on the junta to restore power to the civilian government. Demonstrators take shelter behind a barricade and some vehicles as riot police officers stand in front of them during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, March 1, 2021.In another development Monday, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said during an address on state television that protest leaders and “instigators” would be punished. He said the army is also investigating financial abuse by the civilian government. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the recent killings of protesters in Myanmar, also known as Burma, “represent an escalation” of the situation there and said the Biden administration was preparing “further costs on those responsible.” In a tweet on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “We condemn the Burmese security forces’ abhorrent violence against the people of Burma & will continue to promote accountability for those responsible.”We condemn the Burmese security forces’ abhorrent violence against the people of Burma & will continue to promote accountability for those responsible. We stand firmly with the courageous people of Burma & encourage all countries to speak with one voice in support of their will.— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) People attend the funeral of a woman who was shot dead Feb. 28, 2021, while police were trying to disperse an anti-coup demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 1, 2021.Last week, Min Aung Hlaing said the military was using “minimal force” to deal with protests. But at least 21 protesters have been confirmed killed during demonstrations, and the army has said one police officer has been killed. The junta has declared a one-year state of emergency. Min Aung Hlaing has pledged that new elections will be held to bring about a “true and disciplined democracy” but did not specify when they would take place. Myanmar’s electoral commission denied the military’s claims of election fraud.
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South Africa Surges with Continent’s Largest Vaccine Campaign
South Africa only started coronavirus vaccinations in the last two weeks, but President Cyril Ramaphosa says the country is moving forward, with more than 67,000 health workers inoculated in the first 10 days as part of the first stage. “The start of our vaccination campaign has so far gone extremely well,” he said in a televised address on Sunday. “It has shown what we can achieve much when we work together as a government, the scientific community, the private sector and community-based organizations. All provinces have established vaccination sites and have put in place plans for the expansion of the program as it will be gaining momentum.” FILE – A South African woman is briefed before taking a COVID-19 test at the Ndlovu clinic in Groblersdal , 200 kms north-east of Johannesburg, Feb. 11, 2021.The second phase will start around late April to include the elderly, essential workers, those who work or live in institutions, and those with other health risks. In all, South Africa hopes to vaccinate 40 million of its nearly 59 million people. Ramaphosa also announced that South Africa would drop its coronavirus restrictions to one, the lowest possible level. The eased regulations still require masks to be worn in public, and place limits on alcohol sales and crowd sizes, but represent the most lenient restrictions the country has seen in a year. In all, the nation has seen more than 1.5 million confirmed cases, the highest burden on the African continent, and close to 50,000 deaths, according to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global outbreak. FILE – An ambulance is parked near tents erected at the parking lot of the Steve Biko Academic Hospital, amid a nationwide coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown, in Pretoria, South Africa, Jan. 11, 2021.Richard Lessells, one of South Africa’s top viral researchers, says he thinks authorities made the right move in stopping use of the AstraZeneca vaccine because it was not found to be entirely effective against the highly contagious variant that has driven most of South Africa’s new infections. The nation has since switched to a mix of different vaccines which have shown greater efficacy against the variant, including the products from Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. And he says South African regulators are looking at other vaccines, including those made in Russia and China. Lessells says South Africa’s relatively late start in vaccination wouldn’t have impacted the nation’s deadly second wave. “Clearly, there was a lot of concern about us being late to the party and late getting started,” he told VOA. “The reality, however, is that whether we’d gotten started early or not, the vaccination wouldn’t have impacted on that second wave that we saw, that really dreadful second wave because that was already in motion in December…What’s critical now is to get vaccine into as many people as possible before any resurgence and any possible third wave.” He also said researchers are working to develop a vaccine against the highly contagious new variant. FILE – A woman walks past newspaper billboards during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Johannesburg, South Africa, Feb. 8, 2021.In Johannesburg, the nation’s economic hub, residents had mixed feelings about the vaccination campaign. Some said they would be eager to get the shot as soon as possible. “This vaccine is going to help us for this virus of coronavirus,” said 24-year-old Johannesburg resident Eugene Makhubela. “Because many people in South Africa died, because of this virus.” The Rainbow Nation has a long road ahead. But, says Ramaphosa, this is a country that has known hardship: not just in the difficult fight against the racist apartheid system, but also in fighting its legacy of inequality. On Sunday, he also said the government would continue benefits for those affected economically by the pandemic. “So much has changed in our country and in our lives,” he said. “But the spirit of our people has not changed. You have endured the greatest hardships, but you have remained resolute, united and hopeful. Now, a year after the virus first reached our shores, we have a clear path towards containing infections and, ultimately, overcoming the disease.”
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NY Governor Facing COVID Data, Sexual Harassment Allegations
For weeks early last year, one U.S. state governor, New York’s Andrew Cuomo, stood out for his adept handling of the coronavirus pandemic as he shut down nonessential businesses in the state to prevent the spread of the virus and at daily nationally televised news conferences attacked the federal government’s halting response.The three-term, 63-year-old Democratic governor was viewed as a role model for forthright leadership amid a crisis.As a result, by mid-year, as the virus passed quickly throughout the U.S., he was able to declare that New York, the fourth biggest U.S. state with 19 million residents, “went from the worst situation in the nation or frankly the world … and we brought the spread down dramatically.”Now, however, Cuomo is facing twin crises of his own making — accusations of downplaying the pandemic in New York’s nursing homes and sexually harassing two young women on his staff — sharply undercutting his upstanding image and seriously calling into question how long he may last in office.FILE – Families of COVID-19 victims who passed away in New York nursing homes protest Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s response to coronavirus cases in care centers, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Oct. 18, 2020.He is accused of dramatically under-reporting the number of COVID-19 deaths among long-term care residents at nursing homes in the state. The figure is now 15,000, up from the 8,500 previously disclosed.A top Cuomo aide told state lawmakers that officials feared that the information was “going to be used against us” by possible federal investigations originating at the Justice Department under the administration of former President Donald Trump, long a Republican political rival of Cuomo’s.Now, multiple news accounts say Justice is indeed investigating the death toll even as a Democrat, President Joe Biden, a political ally of Cuomo’s, has assumed power in Washington.In the second instance, Cuomo is facing allegations that he has sexually harassed two women working for him in the governor’s office.State lawmakers, including some Democratic colleagues of Cuomo’s, have called for his resignation and investigations after both the revelations of the increased nursing home death toll and his unwelcomed comments to the women.One of the women, Lindsey Boylan, a former state economic development official, alleged that he harassed her on several occasions from 2016 to 2018 and, unsolicited, kissed her on the lips at his New York city office, an allegation Cuomo denied.The other woman, Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide to the governor, accused him of sexually harassing her last year. She told the New York Times that the governor asked her about her sex life and whether she had ever had sex with older men.“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett told the newspaper. “And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job.” She left her state job in November.Asked Monday about the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden believes “every woman coming forward should be treated with dignity and respect.” Psaki added, “That applies to Charlotte, that applies to Lindsey,” referring to both of Cuomo’s accusers.Cuomo on Sunday acknowledged that he may have made inappropriate comments to Bennett that could “have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”The governor said his comments were a part of his work life, where he sometimes “teased people about their personal lives and relationships.”“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended,” Cuomo said in a statement. “I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”Cuomo said he would allow the state attorney general, Letitia James, to appoint whomever she wanted to investigate the harassment allegations against him and grant that person subpoena powers for witnesses.
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US Sending Patrol Boats, Equipment to Ukraine
The Pentagon appears to be making good on Washington’s pledge to help Ukraine stand up to what the United States has described as “Russian aggression.” The Defense Department announced Monday a $125 million aid package for Kyiv as part of its ongoing Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. A Pentagon statement said the package includes two armed Mark VI patrol boats to help Ukraine “patrol and defend its territorial waters.”It also includes additional training, counter-artillery radars, medical support, and satellite imagery and analysis, and improvements that will allow Ukraine to improve interoperability with NATO. FILE – Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a media briefing, Feb. 17, 2021.”This action reaffirms the U.S. commitment to providing defensive lethal weapons to enable Ukraine to more effectively defend itself,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters Monday. The two patrol boats will give Kyiv a total of eight such vessels to operate in Ukrainian waters. According to the boat’s manufacturer, the vessels are designed to patrol in shallow waters, as well as around harbors and bays. Last June, the State Department approved the sale of up to 16 of the patrol boats to Ukraine, along with gun systems and infrared radar, for an estimated cost of $600 million. The aid announced Monday is just the first part of a larger $275 million package approved by Congress for fiscal year 2021. The Defense Department said the final $150 million would be released once the State Department “certifies that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on key defense reforms.” “We obviously continue to encourage Ukraine to continue to enact reforms, to modernize the defense sector in line with NATO principles and standards,” Kirby said. Those reforms include an increased focus on civilian control of the military and continued modernization of Ukraine’s defense sector. During an address at the virtual Munich Security Conference last month, U.S. President Joe Biden called standing up for Ukraine’s territorial integrity a “vital concern.”
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US Expresses Concern Over Cambodia Internet Controls
The United States is expressing concern over the Cambodian government’s recent move to set up a national internet gateway that critics say will give authorities more power to surveil and censor internet users in the country. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter told VOA on Monday that the United States champions the freedom of expression on the internet as a matter of policy and she expressed concern over the Cambodian measures’ impact on Khmer Americans. “We have a significant amount of Khmer Americans who are here in the United States. And we want to ensure that they’re able to really speak to their family and their friends and relatives who are still back in the country,” she said. FILE – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to government civil servants in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 7, 2020.Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen signed the new sub-decree on February 16, requiring internet service providers to reroute their services through a National Internet Gateway (NIG) within the next 12 months. Hun Sen’s government says the directive will boost Cambodian information technology infrastructure and control content that could harm “national security and social order.” But critics said the move is giving the Cambodia government more control over the flow of information on the internet and the ability to block content and websites. Internet Gateway Will Further Curb Free Speech in Cambodia, Rights Groups SayCambodia’s plan for national internet gateway will give authorities greater control over internet content in an already restricted country, rights groups warn The State Department will soon unveil its 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. In its 2019 annual report, the State Department cited government entities monitoring online discussions in Cambodia. “Three days before the 2018 national election, the government ordered local telecommunication companies to block several independent news websites,” according to the State Department. Critics have accused the country of patterning its internet regulations on China, where authorities have locked down the domestic internet behind a massive government firewall. “Prime Minister Hun Sen struck a dangerous blow against internet freedom and e-commerce in Cambodia by expanding the government’s control over the country’s internet,” said Phil Robertson, who is the Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division. In a statement, Cambodia’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications refuted the accusations that the new NIG directive would pave the way for a Chinese-style censorship, saying such allegations are “unfounded” and “politically motivated.” It added a new law would soon be drafted to protect personal data.
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US Envoy in Afghanistan on Resumption of Peace Talks
U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met Monday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, head of Afghanistan’s peace council, to discuss steps for accelerating a process that could end decades of war in the country. “We discussed the peace process, talks in Doha, the US current review & the steps forward,” tweeted Abdullah, who heads the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR). The State Department announced Sunday that the aim of Khalilzad’s trip is to resume discussions with all parties, including the Taliban and regional countries, to find a way to achieve “a just and durable political settlement and permanent and comprehensive cease-fire.”This is Khalilzad’s first trip to the region since U.S. President Joe Biden took office. It comes after the negotiation teams of the Afghan government and the Taliban met in Doha last week following more than a month of hiatus.The visit also comes exactly a year after the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban in Doha that the Biden administration is now reviewing.The deal paved the way for a majority of U.S. troops to withdraw from the country and direct talks to start between representatives of the Afghan government and the insurgent group.However, it also angered the Afghan government, which felt the U.S. excluded it from the process and promised too much to the insurgents.The deal called for the removal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. However, increased violence in the country, along with reports that the Taliban have failed to cut ties with al-Qaida as per the Doha agreement, have forced the Biden administration to review the deal and the deadline for withdrawal of troops.The Taliban have warned that any deviation from the deal could lead to serious consequences.Taliban Urges US Public to Demand Early Pullout From AfghanistanBiden administration is reviewing whether the Taliban is honoring its commitments before deciding to withdraw remaining 2,500 US troopsSayed Eshaq Gailani, a member of the leadership council of the HCNR, said it was important for Khalilzad to discuss a delay in troop withdrawal with the Taliban or else they would increase the level of violence in Afghanistan which was already too high as per NATO and U.S. officials. According to Afghanistan’s human rights body, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), the war in Afghanistan continued despite the signing of the U.S.-Taliban deal and 8,500 civilians either killed or wounded last year.AIHRC spokesman Zabihullah Farhang said target killings increased three-fold during the past year.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Abdullah last week that the U.S. supported a “durable political settlement and permanent and comprehensive cease-fire in Afghanistan.”
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EU Commission to Propose Vaccine Passports for Travel in Europe
The European Union’s executive arm said Monday it will propose rules for a passport to allow those who have been vaccinated or recently tested for COVID-19 to travel for work or tourism throughout the region.From her Twitter account, EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said legislation will be presented later this month for the digital pass, which she called a “green pass,” that hopefully could help EU member nations rebuild their tourism industries.Following last week’s EU summit, where the idea was first discussed, Von der Leyen said the vaccine certificate could be launched in three months’ time, and that the pass would uphold data protection standards.“Green pass” is the term used in Israel for the for a digital or paper document issues to allow the bearer to prove they have been inoculated and can therefore enter entertainment, sporting and dining venues.There is a debate, however, among EU member nations, with some arguing it may be premature to issue such “passports” as it’s unclear how much protection vaccines give against transmission.Others have argued about the fairness of allowing only those who have had access to vaccines to travel while many others must still live under restrictions.The commission said last week it would seek to avoid discrimination against citizens who have not received a vaccine.
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Huawei Executive Back in Court to Fight US Extradition
A Canadian court is set to launch hearings Monday on whether a senior Huawei executive should be extradited to the United States.The U.S. wants Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the Chinese telecom’s founder and chief financial officer of the company, extradited to face fraud charges. She was arrested at Vancouver’s airport in 2018 and has been under house arrest in an area mansion since.Her arrest prompted China to arrest two Canadian citizens in apparent retaliation. China also cut imports of several Canadian products.The U.S. said Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company, Skycom, to skirt U.S. sanctions and sell equipment to Iran. Officials allege Meng misled HSBC bank about the company’s activity in Iran.Meng’s lawyers say her arrest was politically motivated and that the U.S used her as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with China while Donald Trump was president. They plan to cite comments made by the former president as proof.They will also say Canadian officials questioned her without her having a lawyer present and forced her to provide access to her electronic devices before she was officially under arrest.They also say the U.S. is overreaching its jurisdiction by prosecuting a Chinese citizen for activity that happened in Hong Kong.The hearings are expected to last several weeks.
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Sahel Child Marriage is Growing Rapidly
United Nations data shows Africa’s Sahel countries have the highest rate of child marriage in the world, with more than half of all girls being married before the age 18. Henry Wilkins reports from Burkina Faso on a former child bride who fled her 54-year-old husband and now mentors other child marriage survivors.Producer: Bronwyn Benito
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Thousands Flee Rebel Violence in Central African Republic
Monique Moukidje fled her home in Central African Republic’s town of Bangassou in January when rebels attacked with heavy weapons, the fighting killing more than a dozen people.“I ran away because the bullets have no eyes,” the 34-year-old said sitting in the shade while waiting for water purification tablets, a tarp, and other supplies to help her in Mbangui-Ngoro, a village where she and hundreds of other displaced people are sheltering.She is among an estimated 240,000 people displaced in the country since mid-December, according to U.N. relief workers, when rebels calling themselves the Coalition of Patriots for Change launched attacks, first to disrupt the Dec. 27 elections and then to destabilize the newly-elected government of President Faustin Archange Touadera. The rebels’ fighting has enveloped the country and caused a humanitarian crisis in the already unstable nation.Hundreds of thousands of people are also left without basic food or health care, and with the main roads between Central African Republic and Cameroon closed for almost two months, prices have skyrocketed leaving families unable to afford food.The rebels control nearly two-thirds of the country, making it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid. Aid delivery was stopped for nearly a month in some zones.“The most pressing needs are on the axis (the main roads),” says Marco Doneda, project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders based in Bangassou, on the country’s southeastern border with Congo.When rebels left Bangassou in mid-January, after an ultimatum from the United Nations peacekeeping force, some established their bases in nearby towns, like in Niakari, about 17 kilometers (10 miles) from Bangassou. Doctors Without Borders has been trying to reach the populations there with mobile clinics since then, but they have been prevented by the possibility of military action or unpredictable fighting between the rebels and the army.Along the main supply road from Cameroon to Bangui, Central African Republic’s capital, and in Bambari and Bossangoa, the government forces and its Rwandan and Russian allies have led drives against the rebel forces in the past two weeks.The impact of violence and the lack of humanitarian access is visible in Siwa, a camp for internally displaced people, a few kilometers (miles) from Bangassou.Hundreds of people must rely only on filthy brown water to drink, cook, and clean. They are living in makeshift shelters made of leaves and branches from palm trees. No toilets have been built and food distribution only arrived six weeks after the camp was created.A displaced man hopes his wife will receive treatment and psychological support after she was raped by armed men.“I didn’t have the strength to defend my wife,” he said. “I’m a farmer. I don’t have the means to bring her to Bangassou for treatment, but I’m worried, I can’t leave her like this. Her body is not wounded, but in her mind, she is not all right.” The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual violence.Central African Republic’s instability erupted into fighting in Bangui in 2013 when the Seleka rebels coming from the north seized power from then-President Francois Bozize.Later that year, the Seleka government was challenged by a militia group that formed in response and called themselves the anti-Balaka. Fighting spiraled, with targeted attacks that left thousands dead in the capital and displaced hundreds of thousands more.The newly formed rebel coalition includes armed groups from both the ex-Seleka and anti-Balaka.The Seleka rebel president eventually stepped aside amid international pressure and an interim government organized democratic elections in 2016, which Touadera won.Touadera won re-election to a second term in December with 53% of the vote, but he continues to face opposition from forces linked to ex-president Bozize, who was disqualified from taking part in the presidential vote. Much of the recent violence began after the courts rejected his candidacy before the Dec. 27 elections.Residents of Central African Republic are discouraged by the country’s years of violence and insecurity.“We really moved backward,” said Pierrette Benguere, prefect of the Mbomou area that includes Bangassou. “It is discouraging to see my country having to start over again with the negotiations we’ve been holding on and off since 2003.”
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Survey: Foreign Journalists in China See ‘Rapid Decline in Media Freedom’
China used coronavirus prevention measures, intimidation and visa curbs to limit foreign reporting in 2020, ushering in a “rapid decline in media freedom,” the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) said on Monday. For the third year in a row, no journalists told the group that working conditions had improved, the FCCC said in an annual report based on 150 responses to a survey of correspondents and interviews with bureau chiefs. “All arms of state power — including surveillance systems introduced to curb coronavirus — were used to harass and intimidate journalists, their Chinese colleagues, and those whom the foreign press sought to interview,” it said. Authorities cited public health concerns to deny reporters access to sensitive areas and threatened them with enforced quarantine, it added. Visa restrictions were also used to put pressure on reporting. At least 13 correspondents were given press credentials valid for 6 months or less, the FCCC said. Foreign reporters based in China typically receive one-year visas and must renew them annually. Journalists were also used as “pawns” in China’s diplomatic disputes, it added. FILE – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, speaks during a routine press conference in Beijing on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday that the report’s claims were “baseless.” “We always welcome media and journalists from all countries to cover news in China according to the law … what we oppose is ideological bias against China and fake news in the name of press freedom,” he said, at a daily news briefing. China expelled more than a dozen foreign journalists at U.S. media organizations in 2020, amid a series of tit-for-tat actions between the countries. Washington also slashed the number of journalists permitted to work in the United States at four major Chinese state-owned media outlets. In September, Australia helped two of its foreign correspondents leave China after they were questioned by the country’s state security ministry. Journalists reporting from far western Xinjiang, where China has been accused of large-scale human rights abuses, encountered especially intense harassment, the report said. FILE – Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, attends a public event in Beijing, China, Aug. 12, 2020.Last year Chinese authorities detained Cheng Lei, an Australian citizen working for Chinese state media, and later Haze Fan, a Chinese national working for Bloomberg News, both on suspicion of endangering national security. Both remain in detention. Some Reuters journalists are members of the FCCC.
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France’s Sarkozy Convicted of Corruption, Sentenced to Jail
A Paris court on Monday found French former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling and sentenced him to one year in prison and a two-year suspended sentence.The 66-year-old politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted for having tried to illegally obtain information from a senior magistrate in 2014 about a legal action in which he was involved.The court said Sarkozy is entitled to request to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet.This is the first time in France’s modern history that a former president has been convicted of corruption.Sarkozy’s co-defendants — his lawyer and longtime friend Thierry Herzog, 65, and now-retired magistrate Gilbert Azibert, 74 — were also found guilty and given the same sentence as the politician.The court found that Sarkozy and his co-defendants sealed a “pact of corruption,” based on “consistent and serious evidence”.The court said the facts were “particularly serious” given that they were committed by a former president who used his status to help a magistrate who had served his personal interest. In addition, as a lawyer by training, he was “perfectly informed” about committing an illegal action, the court said.Sarkozy had firmly denied all the allegations against him during the 10-day trial that took place at the end of last year.The corruption trial focused on phone conversations that took place in February 2014.At the time, investigative judges had launched an inquiry into the financing of the 2007 presidential campaign. During the investigation they incidentally discovered that Sarkozy and Herzog were communicating via secret mobile phones registered to the alias “Paul Bismuth.”Conversations wiretapped on these phones led prosecutors to suspect Sarkozy and Herzog of promising Azibert a job in Monaco in exchange for leaking information about another legal case, known by the name of France’s richest woman, L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt.In one of these phone calls with Herzog, Sarkozy said of Azibert : “I’ll make him move up … I’ll help him.”In another, Herzog reminded Sarkozy to “say a word” for Azibert during a trip to Monaco.Legal proceedings against Sarkozy have been dropped in the Bettencourt case. Azibert never got the Monaco job.Prosecutors have concluded, however, that the “clearly stated promise” constitutes in itself a corruption offense under French law, even if the promise wasn’t fulfilled.Sarkozy vigorously denied any malicious intention.He told the court that his political life was all about “giving (people) a little help. That all it is, a little help,” he said during the trial.The confidentiality of communications between a lawyer and his client was a major point of contention in the trial.“You have in front of you a man of whom more that 3,700 private conversations have been wiretapped… What did I do to deserve that?” Sarkozy said during the trial.Sarkozy’s defense lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont, argued the whole case was based on “small talk” between a lawyer and his client.The court concluded that the use of wiretapped conversations was legal as long as they helped show evidence of corruption-related offenses.Sarkozy withdrew from active politics after failing to be chosen as his conservative party’s presidential candidate for France’s 2017 election, won by Emmanuel Macron.He remains very popular amid right-wing voters, however, and plays a major role behind the scenes, including through maintaining a relationship with Macron, whom he is said to advise on certain topics. His memoirs published last year, “The Time of Storms,” was a bestseller for weeks.Sarkozy will face another trial later this month along with 13 other people on charges of illegal financing of his 2012 presidential campaign.His conservative party is suspected of having spent 42.8 million euros ($50.7 million), almost twice the maximum authorized, to finance the campaign, which ended in victory for Socialist rival Francois Hollande.In another investigation opened in 2013, Sarkozy is accused of having taken millions from then-Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to illegally finance his 2007 campaign.He was handed preliminary charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of stolen assets from Libya and criminal association. He has denied wrongdoing.
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Deadly Drug Overdoses Epidemic Rages On
More than 86,000 people died from drug overdoses last year in the U.S. – a massive increase of just over 24 percent. It is an epidemic that as VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports, has been shoved in the shadows by the pandemic – but is no less serious a public health issue.Camera: Veronica Balderas Iglesias Produced by: Veronica Balderas Iglesias
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Prince Philip Moved to Another London Hospital for Infection Treatment
Prince Philip has been transferred to another London hospital to continue treatment for an infection, Buckingham Palace said Monday.The palace says Philip, the 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was transferred from King Edward VII’s Hospital to St Bartholomew’s Hospital. The Bart’s Heart Centre is Europe’s biggest specialized cardiovascular center, the National Health Service said.In addition to treatment for an unspecified infection, he will also undergo testing and observation for a pre-existing heart condition, the palace said.The palace says Philip “remains comfortable and is responding to treatment but is expected to remain in hospital until at least the end of the week.’Philip was admitted to the private King Edward VII’s Hospital last month after feeling ill. Philip’s illness is not believed to be related to COVID-19. Both he and the queen, 94, received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine in early January.Philip, who retired from royal duties in 2017, rarely appears in public. During England’s current coronavirus lockdown, Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, has been staying at Windsor Castle, west of London, with the queen.Philip married the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and is the longest-serving royal consort in British history. He and the queen have four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
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South Africa Surges Forward with Continent’s Largest Vaccine Campaign
After fits and starts, the largest vaccination effort on the African continent has finally begun, in South Africa. VOA’s Anita Powell walks us down the long, winding road that is bringing hope to millions.
Camera: Zaheer Cassim
Producer: Jon Spier
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Biden to Meet with Mexican President Amid Migration Issues
President Joe Biden is planning a virtual meeting Monday with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — a chance for the pair to talk more fully about migration, confronting the coronavirus and cooperating on economic and national security issues.Mexico’s president has said he intends during the meeting to propose to Biden a new Bracero-style immigrant labor program that could bring 600,000 to 800,000 Mexican and Central American immigrants a year to work legally in the United States. A senior Biden administration official declined to say whether the U.S. president would back or oppose the proposal, saying only that both countries agree on the need to expand legal pathways for migration. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.The original Bracero program allowed Mexicans to work temporarily in the United States to fill labor shortages during World War II and for a couple of decades after the war. López Obrador said the U.S. economy needs Mexican workers because of “their strength, their youth.”The Biden official said the meeting will enable Biden begin to institutionalize the relationship with Mexico, rather than let it be determined by tweets — a preferred form of diplomacy by his predecessor, Donald Trump. The United States shares a trade agreement — most recently updated in 2018 and 2019 — with Mexico and Canada, which are its second- and third-biggest trade partners after China. The trade agreement could complicate López Obrador’s efforts to possibly defund and eliminate independent regulatory, watchdog and transparency agencies in Mexico.There are also questions of whether López Obrador will warm to Biden’s efforts to address climate change and move to cleaner energy sources. The Mexican president supports a measure to make that country’s national grids prioritize power from government plants, many of which burn coal or fuel oil.The Trump era was defined by the threat of tariffs, crackdowns on migration and his desire to construct a wall on the U.S. southern border, yet Trump appeared to enjoy an amicable relationship with his Mexican counterpart.
Mexico paid nothing for Trump’s cherished border wall, despite the U.S. leader’s repeated claims that it would. But López Obrador’s government did send troops to Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala to deal with an unprecedented wave of asylum-seekers bound for the U.S. Mexico hosted about 70,000 people seeking U.S. asylum while they waited for dates in immigration courts, a policy known as Remain in Mexico and officially as Migrant Protection Protocols.The Biden administration immediately began to unwind Remain in Mexico, suspending it for new arrivals on the president’s first day in office and soon after announcing that an estimated 26,000 people with still-active cases could be released in the United States while their cases played out.But Biden, through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has kept extraordinary pandemic-related powers in place to immediately expel anyone arriving at the U.S. border from Mexico without an opportunity to seek asylum.Mexicans and many Central Americans are typically returned to Mexico in less than two hours under Title 42 authority — so named for a section of a 1944 public health law. Biden aides have signaled they have no immediate plans to lift it.Yet Biden has also shown an openness to immigrants who previously came to the country illegally. He is backing a bill to give legal status and a path to citizenship to all of the estimated 11 million people in the country who don’t have it. Biden also broke with Trump by supporting efforts to allow hundreds of thousands of people who came to the U.S. illegally as young children to remain in the country. López Obrador said Saturday that an aging United States will also need temporary immigrant workers from Mexico to sustain economic growth.”It is better that we start putting order on migratory flows,” he said he plans to tell Biden.
But pressures are building at the U.S. southern border with an increase in children crossing into the country without visas. This has created a challenge for the Biden administration. Border Patrol agents are apprehending an average of more than 200 children crossing the border without a parent per day, but nearly all 7,100 beds for immigrant children maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services are full.The Biden administration has also preserved a policy, imposed at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, of quickly expelling people captured along the border and has tried to dissuade people from attempting the journey.”This is not the time to come to the United States,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a February briefing. “We need the time to put in place an immigration process so people can be treated humanely.”
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Timing of Australia Film on Thai King Criticized
A documentary that highlights the king of Thailand’s time in Australia has been met with some criticism. The documentary, made by the Australian government, showcases historical footage of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s six-and-a-half years in Australia at a boarding school and with the military. The documentary was shown to the Thai king and queen at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok last week. It includes interviews with the monarch’s classmates during his time in Australia, including the current governor-general of Australia, David Hurley. The embassy said the film “highlights the shared history between the Thai royal family and Australia.” The king lived in Australia between 1970 and 1976. As crown prince, he attended school in Sydney and then trained with the military in Canberra.
But the timing of the release of the documentary has been questioned. It comes after months of calls for Thailand’s monarchy to be reformed. Dozens of protesters face lengthy prison sentences for allegedly defaming the monarch. Greg Raymond is a lecturer in the strategic and defense studies center at the Australian National University. He believes the film’s release should have been delayed. “I do think the timing is slightly unusual and I would even add slightly amiss and that is because the place of the monarchy in Thai society is under debate in a way that it has not been for many decades,” he said. “Right now, people in Thailand have different views about what the role of the monarchy should be. They are concerned that the monarchy does play too great a role in politics, they are concerned that it is reasonably unaccountable and above the law and above the constitution.”
Raymond says that Australia’s relationship with Thailand is crucial given China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia. Thailand is Australia’s 10th largest goods and services trading partner. FILE – Protesters turn on mobile phones with lights during a rally outside the headquarters of the Siam Commercial Bank, a publicly-held company in which the Thai king is the biggest shareholder, Nov. 25, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand.Protests in Bangkok last year attracted large crowds calling for the monarchy to be reformed and for the government to resign. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the documentary was made before the recent demonstrations and was typical of the type of diplomacy undertaken by officials.
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Myanmar’s Suu Kyi Makes First Public Appearance Since February 1 Coup
Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court Monday, her first public appearance since she and other members of Myanmar’s civilian government were removed from office and detained by the military on Feb. 1. A lawyer for the 75-year-old Suu Kyi said the ousted de facto leader looked well as she appeared via videoconference in the capital, Naypyitaw. The lawyer says prosecutors charged her with two new crimes during the court session — attempting to incite public unrest and violating a section of the telecommunications law operating equipment without a license. Suu Kyi was already charged with illegally importing and using six unregistered walkie-talkie radios found during a search of her home, and for breaking the country’s natural disaster law by holding public gatherings in violation of COVID-19 protocols. Meanwhile, security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in Yangon Monday, a day after 18 people across Myanmar were killed and more than 30 others injured in the deadliest day of demonstrations since the coup, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office.In this image from a video, anti-coup protesters run away from tear gas launched by security forces in Yangon, Myanmar, March 1, 2021. Defiant crowds returned to the streets of Myanmar’s biggest city on Monday.Witnesses to Sunday’s bloody protests say police used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and in some cases live ammunition in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city. According to the Associated Press, photos of shell cases from live ammunition were posted on social media. Media videos show demonstrators dragging some of those injured away from the protests, leaving bloody smears on pavement. Police also aggressively sought to break up protests in other cities, including Mandalay and Dawei. “Throughout the day, in several locations throughout the country, police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force and less-than-lethal force,” said a statement from U.N. human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani. The statement called on the military to “immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters.”At least 18 people were killed & 30 wounded in #Myanmar today. “We strongly condemn the escalating violence against protests in Myanmar & call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protestors,” says spox Ravina Shamdasani 👉https://t.co/nqhVYtXZfvpic.twitter.com/sAvKPwR4F7— UN Human Rights Asia (@OHCHRAsia) February 28, 2021Later Sunday, the U.N. special rapporteur, Tom Andrews, released a statement that listed options for U.N. member states and the security council to take action. “As the military junta of Myanmar ratchets up its violence against the people, I believe it is imperative that the international community ratchet up its response,” Andrews said.As the junta ratchets up its brutal attacks against peaceful protesters in Myanmar, the world must ratchet up its response. Words of condemnation are welcome but insufficient. We must act. I’m releasing a statement today w options for UN member states & the UN Security Council. pic.twitter.com/q34vaaoYky— UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews (@RapporteurUn) February 28, 2021Among the options laid out in his statement are a global arms embargo, sanctions against businesses owned or controlled by the junta, and the convening of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the issue. On sanctions, Andrews urged countries that have already established some to “immediately consider more.” The United States late Sunday condemned the bloody crackdown on protests and hinted at potential sanctions. “We condemn the Burmese security forces’ abhorrent violence against the people of Burma & will continue to promote accountability for those responsible,” tweeted Secretary of State Antony Blinken, referring to Myanmar’s former name. “We stand firmly with the courageous people of Burma & encourage all countries to speak with one voice in support of their will.”We condemn the Burmese security forces’ abhorrent violence against the people of Burma & will continue to promote accountability for those responsible. We stand firmly with the courageous people of Burma & encourage all countries to speak with one voice in support of their will.— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 28, 2021“We are preparing additional actions to impose further costs on those responsible for this latest outbreak of violence and the recent coup. We will have more to share in the coming days,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. Popular protests have been staged across Myanmar on a daily basis since the military overthrew the civilian government, claiming widespread fraud in last November’s election, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won in a landslide. The European Union condemned violence against protesters Sunday, calling security forces shooting unarmed citizens a “blatant disregard for international law.” “The military authorities must immediately stop the use of force against civilians and allow the population to express their right to freedom of expression and assembly,” EU Minister of Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said in a statement. Last week, junta commander Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said the military was using “minimal force” to deal with protests. But at least 21 protesters have been confirmed killed during demonstrations, and the army has said one policeman has been killed. The junta has declared a one-year state of emergency. Min Aung Hlaing has pledged that new elections will be held to bring about a “true and disciplined democracy,” but did not specify when they would take place. Myanmar’s electoral commission denied the military’s claims of election fraud. The United States and other Western nations have demanded the release of Suu Kyi and her lieutenants and called on the junta to restore power to the civilian government.
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Biden Urges Workers to ‘Make Your Voice Heard’ as Amazon Employees Vote on Union
President Joe Biden defended workers’ rights to form unions and warned against intimidation of workers in a video posted on Twitter on Sunday night, as Amazon.com Inc employees in Alabama vote on whether to unionize. Biden didn’t mention Amazon, but specifically referenced “workers in Alabama” in the video and a tweet introducing it. He said every worker should have a free and fair choice to join a union, and no employer could take that away. “It’s your right…So make your voice heard,” he said. “Unions lift up workers, both union and non-union, but especially Black and Brown workers,” Biden said in the video. “There should be no intimidation, no coercion, no threats, no anti-union propaganda. No supervisor should confront employees about their union preferences.” Amazon, America’s second-biggest private employer, has no unionized labor in the United States, and workers at its fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, would be the first if they vote in favor. Such a decision could encourage workers attempting to organize at other Amazon facilities. A spokeswoman from the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU) said there had been many reports of “various intimidation tactics used by Amazon on this campaign and during the voting period.” Amazon, which has long avoided unionization, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.FILE – In this Oct. 1, 2020, photo an Amazon worker wears a mask and gloves as he delivers boxes downtown Los Angeles.The company has trained managers to spot organizing activity. A website advocating Amazon workers shun unions, doitwithout dues.com, warned the Bessemer employees, “why pay almost $500 in dues? We’ve got you covered* with high wages, health care, vision, and dental benefits.” The last attempt by Amazon workers to unionize was in 2014. A top adviser to Biden and officials from the RWDSU discussed the union’s drive to organize Amazon workers at the Bessemer site after the inauguration, Reuters reported earlier this month. On Sunday, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum welcomed what he called Biden’s “clear message of support” for the Amazon workers seeking to bring the first union to an Amazon warehouse. “As President Biden points out, the best way for working people to protect themselves and their families is by organizing into unions. And that is why so many working women and men are fighting for a union at the Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama,” he said in a statement. Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO federation of unions also hailed Biden’s tweet: “@POTUS is right: Every worker should have the free and fair choice to join a union.” Biden has vowed to increase union membership in the United States after years of steady declines. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the union membership rate in the private sector was around 6.2% in 2019, compared to around 20% in 1983.
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Trump Reaffirms Control of Republican Party, Hints at 2024 Run
Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden’s policies and reaffirmed leadership of the Republican Party at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida on Sunday, his first major speech after leaving office. He hinted but did not confirm whether he will run again in 2024. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story.
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Trump Assails Biden, Hints at 2024 Run for White House
Less than six weeks after leaving office, former U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday unleashed a torrent of attacks on his successor, contending President Joe Biden has had the “most disastrous first month in modern history” in the White House and strongly hinting he may try to reclaim the presidency in the 2024 election.“In one short month, we’ve gone from America first to America last,” Trump told a cheering crowd of hundreds of conservative supporters crammed into a hotel ballroom in Orlando, Florida.“I may even decide to run again,” Trump told the gathering at the Conservative Political Action Conference but ruled out forming a third party. He vowed to campaign for “strong, tough Republican leaders” to try to retake control of the House of Representatives and Senate in the 2022 congressional elections halfway through Biden’s four-year term and then the White House two years later.Trump Rejoins US Political Fray at Conservative ConclaveOut of office, Trump set to claim his dominance of Republican Party“I wonder who that will be,” Trump said of the party’s 2024 presidential nominee in his first major address since leaving office. “Who, who, who will that be?” In a 90-minute speech, he left no doubt that it could be him, citing a poll taken at the highly partisan conference showing a 97% approval rating for his four years in the White House even as national polls of voters show Biden with a wide approval rating and Trump’s stock diminished since his White House tenure ended.Trump’s loss to Biden was fresh on his mind as he continued to voice months of unfounded allegations that he was cheated out of reelection.He voiced particular disdain for the conservative-dominated U.S. Supreme Court, three of whose justices he appointed. He said the country’s highest court “didn’t have the guts or the courage” to hold a hearing on his election fraud claims. Trump and his supporters lost about 60 court challenges of the November vote.His supporters at the conference shouted, “You won! You won!” even though Biden won the national popular vote by 7 million votes and the Electoral College vote that decides U.S. presidential elections by a 306-232 margin.Trump did not directly mention the storming of the U.S. Capitol by hundreds of his supporters on January 6, mayhem that led to five deaths and his impeachment on a charge that he incited the insurrection by urging his supporters to go to the Capitol to confront lawmakers as they were certifying Biden’s victory.Republicans Hold Annual Conference With Trump Still at Center Stage Prominent annual gathering for conservatives will feature speech by former president on SundayTrump was acquitted in a Senate trial in early February, with the chamber voting 57-43 to convict him, short of the two-thirds vote necessary for a conviction.In his speech Sunday, Trump named all 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach him a week before he left office January 20 and all seven U.S. senators who voted to convict him in the five-day Senate trial.“Get rid of them all,” Trump demanded.He said lawmakers who have attacked him are “a handful of Washington political hacks.” He credited Democrats as being “smart” and “vicious,” but said they “have bad policies.”Trump assailed Biden’s dozens of executive orders, new directives that have overturned Trump’s tough immigration policies to thwart migrants at the U.S.-Mexican border and called for the U.S. to rejoin the World Health Organization and the international Paris climate change agreement.Trump’s supporters booed at the mention of Biden rejoining the Paris accord.He demanded that Biden reopen schools across the country, accusing him of fealty to teachers’ unions, some of which oppose classroom instruction amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Trump attacked Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, saying a chunk of it would go to “bail out badly run Democrat cities.”With millions of Americans now being vaccinated, Trump said, “Never let them forget this was our plan.”The Biden White House dismissed Trump’s speech.”While the GOP casts about for a path forward, President Biden is going to remain laser-focused on crushing the virus, re-opening schools, and getting Americans back to work,” White House spokesman Michael Gwin said after the speech.Despite the cheers at the conservative gathering, Trump’s political role in Republican circles in the coming months remains uncertain. A base of Trump voters remains loyal for sure, but some Washington lawmakers are skeptical of his staying power and some appear to be planning their own 2024 presidential campaigns. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley and others are eyeing a run for the presidency. Haley has specifically said it is time for the party to move past the Trump era.Trump is the only president in U.S. history to be twice impeached and twice acquitted and the first president in 90 years to lose political control of the White House and both chambers of Congress in a single term in office.Conservatives at the three-day conference repeatedly cheered mention of his name, with many of them posing for pictures with a large golden caricature of his face that was sculpted in Mexico and was wheeled around the convention hall.Asked whether Trump still controls the Republican Party, Senator Rick Scott of Florida told the “Fox News Sunday” show, “It’s the voters’ party.” But he said he believes Trump is “going to be helpful” in the immediate future.“We’re on the right side of the issues,” Scott said of Republicans. “The Democrats are on the wrong side.”But one Republican lawmaker who voted to convict Trump on the impeachment charge, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, told CNN that if Republicans reclaim the White House in four years, “it will be because we speak to the issues, not by putting one person (Trump) on a pedestal. CPAC is not the entirety of the Republican Party.”“You’ve got to speak to voters who didn’t vote for us last time,” Cassidy said. “If we idolize one person, we will lose.”“I don’t think he’ll be our nominee,” Cassidy said. “We need a person who lifts all boats.”
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Senate Considers Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package
After passage in the U.S. House of Representatives with Democratic support only, President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package heads to the Senate where it will test his call for unity. Michelle Quinn reports.Producer: Mary Cieslak
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