The Biden administration’s top diplomat to China on Wednesday predicted an increase in tourism, commercial flights, and people-to-people ties between the world’s two largest economies but said talks to form a working group on the fentanyl crisis have stalled.

Addressing a live-webcast gathering of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, Ambassador Nicholas Burns made the comments just weeks before Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to arrive in the U.S. for meetings with administration officials on bilateral trade, fentanyl and other topics expected to shape future top-level meetings.

Travel, tourism

Wednesday’s event, held in Beijing, came as travel between the countries is rising.

“Right now, there are 24 direct [commercial] flights per week,” said Burns. “That is doubling this month, so it’d be 48 flights by the end of this month.”

Burns also told the group the Biden administration is “working hard” to expand the number of direct flights between the U.S. and China, which saw nearly 340 each week before the pandemic.

Burns said he expects to see an increase in tourism “maybe slowly but surely” as the two governments work to promote it. While the administration does not support an economic “decoupling” with China — a gradual severing of commercial and financial ties — Burns said “people-to-people contacts had been decoupled” at the official and unofficial level in previous years.

“There will be a U.S.-China tourism summit in Xian in the spring of 2024, and then another summit in the United States in 2025,” Burns said, adding that 2022 saw only some 160,000 Chinese tourists in Los Angeles compared to an estimated 1.2 million in 2019.

Fentanyl

Burns urged China to act to stop the flow of precursor chemicals to drug cartels and work with the U.S. to address the fentanyl crisis.

“The diplomatic problem is that the Chinese refused, as of now, to have a sustained conversation with us for how we can work to prevent Chinese companies from exporting precursor chemicals to the drug cartels in Mexico, and 90% of the precursor chemicals that the drug cartels use come from Chinese companies.”

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department announced a sweeping crackdown on the global fentanyl network, charging eight Chinese chemical companies and 12 of their employees in connection with the deadly opioid crisis ravaging the United States. This is the second time the department has charged Chinese companies and their employees for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States.

During Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing in June, he said both the U.S. and China agreed to “explore setting up a working group or joint effort” to stop the flow of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals into the U.S. that contribute to the fentanyl crisis. U.S. officials have admitted both countries are not yet at the point of establishing the fentanyl working group.

Biden-Xi meeting at APEC?

“We have 1,000 differences between our governments, and we have areas where we can work together, but we’ve got to live in peace. We’ve got to find a way to communicate,” Burns said, alluding to an upcoming meeting between administration officials and China’s top diplomat later this month.

Biden on Friday said he could possibly meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month on the margins of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, although such a meeting has not been set up.

“I always think communication is important, but it has to be framed within our values,” said Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who now chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“I think Xi understands that about our concerns of the economic warfare, that we’ve seen the human rights violations, the support for Russia’s aggression [in Ukraine], our concerns about ethnic communities, we are concerned about Taiwan,” Cardin recently told VOA’s Mandarin Service.

Israel-Hamas

As Blinken arrives in Israel on Thursday to express unwavering U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself, Washington is providing ammunition, Iron Dome interceptors, and other defense material to bolster Israel’s security.

Burns said the U.S. is disappointed with China’s initial reaction to Hamas attacks on Israel, “which was very neutral and very flat and did not at all express any sensitivity to the loss of life.”

Shortly after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer raised that concern directly with Xi, China later issued a statement saying it “condemns actions that harm civilians” without naming Hamas. China also insists on implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent Palestinian state.

“Hamas does not accept the two-state solution,” said Burns. “Hamas does not accept the state of Israel. Hamas, by its very creed, wants to destroy the state of Israel and kill Israelis.”

Asked if he believes China can assume a larger role brokering Middle East peace, Burns said he does not “see real indications of that.”

Like Russia, China views Hamas as a legitimate representative of the Palestinians in Gaza and maintains a healthy relationship with the group, according to Giorgio Cafiero, an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University.

Cafiero told VOA on Wednesday that while China and Israel have maintained deep economic relations since they established diplomatic ties in 1992, Beijing has tried to avoid taking sides in the region’s conflicts and has consistently opposed the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Some analysts said the Israel-Hamas conflict has challenged China’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.

“There’s no prospect for China to mediate any kind of Israeli-Palestinian peace deal,” said Seth Jones, director of the International Security Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Based on the Chinese decision not to condemn a Hamas activity, they’re going to be looked at with deep suspicion by the Israelis.”

“Time will tell, but my expectation is that China’s cautious response to Hamas’s attack on Israel will expose the limits of [the People’s Republic of China] influence in the region,” Ryan Hass, a former U.S. National Security Council China director and now a scholar at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Beijing historically has been wary of being drawn into taking sides. I don’t expect that will change now.”
…

The United States is providing Ukraine with up to $200 million in additional military aid in a package announced Wednesday, as the Biden administration tried to temper concerns that the growing needs from Ukraine and now Israel could spread the U.S. too thin. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has details.
…

Three books that explore and celebrate the diversity of American culture were awarded Kirkus Prizes on Wednesday night, with each winner receiving $50,000.

James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, a novel set in an eclectic Pennsylvania town in the 1930s, won in the fiction category. Héctor Tobar’s Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of ‘Latino’ received the nonfiction award, and Ariel Aberg-Riger’s America Redux: Visual Stories From Our Dynamic History won for young reader’s literature.

The awards were presented by the trade publication Kirkus Reviews.

“History and community emerged as central themes in the most outstanding works of literature published this year. We see these ideas come to life in wildly different ways in all three of this year’s winners, each one compelling from beginning to end, begging to be celebrated, discussed, and shared,” Meg Kuehn, publisher of Kirkus Reviews, said in a statement.

Previous winners of the Kirkus Prize, established in 2014, include Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, Jason Reynolds’ As Brave as You and Susan Faludi’s In the Darkroom. 
…

The Republic of Palau is one of three Pacific Island nations negotiating a Compact of Free Association Agreement that would give Washington the right to deny access to other nations — including China — in exchange for U.S. economic assistance.

Palau is in line to receive $90 million if and when Congress approves an extension of its current 20-year compact, which expires next year. The country ran on a total budget of less than $150 million in fiscal year 2021, according to Palau government documents.

VOA spoke to Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. days after the U.S. Congress passed a continuing resolution that avoided a U.S. government shutdown but failed to provide the funding for this strategic island chain.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity:

VOA: When you ran for office in 2020, you promised to be tough on China. What have you done to fulfill that promise?

Whipps: One of our goals is to build a more resilient economy that’s not so dependent on one partner, and especially a partner that’s sometimes unfriendly. So, we’ve worked with the United States to conclude our Compact of Free Association Agreement, which was really critical. Our Congress ratified it in July, and we were hoping that on October 1, the U.S. Congress would do the same, because that’s when it’s supposed to be implemented.

VOA: Palau has continued to recognize Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory. What has that cost Palau?

Whipps: From 2016 to 2019, right before COVID, our tourism numbers from China dropped by more than 50%. We were blocked out of any type of marketing in the PRC because we continued to recognize Taiwan. [Tourism] is such a large part of our GDP. When they cut back, [our GDP] dropped by over 30%. In the U.S., that would be more severe than the Great Depression.

VOA: Palau’s government faces a budget shortfall of $37 million. How do you plan to address that?

Whipps: For the past three years, because tourism hasn’t recovered, we have been forced to get loans from the Asian Development Bank, financing government to keep it going, to keep workers going. This year’s budget was totally dependent on our agreement under the compact, because under the compact agreement, we would be receiving $90 million this year. Fifty million of that goes into the trust fund, but the other $40 million goes into paying off debts and economic assistance.

VOA: Would Palau have become solvent on October 1 if you had received that money?

Whipps: Absolutely.

VOA: The continuing resolution didn’t give you any extension. What was your reaction when you realized that?

Whipps: I think the most important image that it projects on Palau and the people of Palau is, when the U.S. commits to something, are they really committed?

VOA: When will Palau no longer be able to pay its bills?

Whipps: January 1.

VOA: The number we’re talking about here, over 20 years, is around $7 billion for all three compact states. Is this a good deal for American taxpayers in your view?

Whipps: For Palau, that’s $890 million. We didn’t believe that our value is truly realized by the United States. However, we understand that we have to have some compromise, and we have to move forward.

VOA: Palau is approximately 2,300 kilometers from Taiwan, right?

Whipps: Correct. We understand our strategic importance, but we also understand the value of democracy and freedom, and the rule of law. And we understand how we need to be a partner in ensuring peace and stability in the region. That peace will bring prosperity to all, and we need to work together and ensure that.

VOA: How much pressure are you under to prove that this U.S. partnership is worth it for Palauans?

Whipps: It’s a constant battle. I’ll just give you an example. There’s a new radar base being built in Palau. There’s been increased military exercises. So, one of the things [some people are saying] is, ‘Oh the president is inviting the military, and now we’re a target for China.’ It’s constant. And that’s why it’s so important that we fulfill our commitments, that we show solidarity.

VOA: What is your message to the U.S. Congress and the Biden administration?

Whipps: Thank you for the last almost 80 years of partnership. Palau is a free nation because of the 28,000 service men who, during World War II, helped Palau become an independent nation and a free nation. And that’s something that Palauan people don’t forget. We value that freedom, and we want to maintain that freedom. And let’s continue to work together, because we are stronger together and let’s not that malign influence infiltrate.
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Supporters of Israel rally in Los Angeles as city authorities ramp up security measures, especially near synagogues, Jewish community centers and areas that have been home to the region’s Palestinian community. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian.
…

NASA on Wednesday showed off its first asteroid samples delivered last month by a spacecraft — the most ever returned to Earth.

Scientists and space agency leaders took part in the reveal at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The ancient black dust and chunks are from the carbon-rich asteroid named Bennu, almost 60 million miles away. NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected the samples three years ago and then dropped them off sealed in a capsule during a flyby of Earth last month.

Scientists anticipated at least a cupful of rocks, far more than what Japan brought back from a pair of missions years ago. They’re still not sure about the exact quantity. That’s because the main sample chamber has yet to be opened, officials said.

“It’s been going slow and meticulous,” said the mission’s lead scientist, Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona.

Black dust and particles were scattered around the outside edge of the chamber, according to Lauretta.

“Already this is scientific treasure,” he said.

Besides carbon, the asteroid rubble holds water in the form of water-bearing clay minerals, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
…

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to meet Wednesday to start closed-door, internal voting to try to agree on a nominee to be the next House speaker.

The two leading candidates, Representatives Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise, addressed members of their party at a forum late Tuesday seeking to make their case to take the job following last week’s ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

McCarthy told colleagues not to nominate him to reclaim the post.

Republicans hold a slim 221-212 majority in the House, meaning they will need to unite behind a candidate in order to reach the required simple majority threshold to elect a speaker.

McCarthy needed 15 rounds of voting to win in January as Democrats fully backed their candidate, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, as some Republicans held out until McCarthy made certain concessions.

Among the concessions was allowing any single member to file a motion to vacate and force a vote on whether to remove the speaker.  Republican Representative Matt Gaetz filed a motion after McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to avert a government shutdown.

The speaker vacancy has brought work in the House to a halt, with a mid-November deadline pending to finish work on multiple funding bills or else again face the prospect of a government shutdown. Aid for Ukraine is also waiting for approval. 

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. 
…

Olympic gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton is “fighting for her life” in intensive care after being diagnosed with a rare form of pneumonia, her daughter said Tuesday.

Retton, 55, the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around gold medal when she triumphed at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, is being treated at an undisclosed hospital, her daughter McKenna Kelley said.

Kelley revealed the details about her mother’s condition in a crowdfunding appeal issued through her Instagram account.

“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life,” she wrote.

“She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details.”

Kelley’s fundraising page is aiming to raise $50,000 for her mother’s medical care. She revealed in the post that her mother does not have health insurance.

“Anything, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom,” she wrote.

Retton became one of the faces of the 1984 Olympics for her dazzling performances that earned her the all-around gold as well as two silver medals and two bronze.

The then-teenager from West Virginia clinched gold in the all-around after winning a thrilling battle with Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo.

Szabo led the competition by 0.15 points after the uneven bars and balance beam, but Retton produced perfect 10s on the floor exercise and the vault to snatch victory.

Retton’s win made her the first woman from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around gold.

Her gold medal-winning performance was made all the more remarkable by the fact she had suffered a knee injury before the games that required surgery.

 
…

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is cutting short a trip to Asia and will return to the United States on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senate leader said on Tuesday, responding to events in Israel.

The group led by Schumer, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China, will move up a meeting with South Korean President Soon Suk Yeol. The group also had been expected to visit Japan.

“Following very productive meetings in China – including with President Xi – and in light of the tragic events unfolding in Israel, the bipartisan members of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s congressional delegation are moving up their meeting with South Korean President Yoon to Wednesday and will return to the US on Thursday. Leader Schumer will be back in New York Thursday evening,” the spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.

Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States. He will be back home in New York on Thursday evening, will receive a classified briefing and updates, attend community events, go to Shabbat and spend time reflecting with his family.

 
…

A U.S. Navy sailor charged with providing sensitive military information to China pleaded guilty in Los Angeles on Tuesday to conspiring with a foreign intelligence officer and receiving a bribe, federal prosecutors said. 

Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, originally pleaded not guilty when he was charged August 4. The Justice Department alleges that Zhao, based at Naval Base Ventura County near Los Angeles, a city in the U.S. state of California, conspired to collect nearly $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos involving Navy exercises, operations and facilities. 

The information included plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, which detailed the location and timing of naval force movements, prosecutors said. The Chinese officer told Zhao the information was needed for maritime economic research to inform investment decisions, according to the indictment. 

Zhao, who also went by the name Thomas Zhao and held a U.S. security clearance, “admitted he engaged in a corrupt scheme to collect and transmit sensitive U.S. military information to the intelligence officer in violation of his official duties,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release Tuesday. 

Zhao, of Monterey Park, California, faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He has been in custody since his arrest on August 3. 

Second sailor charged

Zhao was charged on the same day as another California-based Navy sailor who is accused of similar crimes. But they are separate cases, and federal officials haven’t said if the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme. 

Jinchao Wei, a 22-year-old assigned to the USS Essex based in San Diego, California, is charged with providing detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers. He pleaded not guilty in federal court in San Diego. 

Officer accused in Seattle

Last week, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer was charged in Seattle with attempting to provide classified defense information to the Chinese security services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sergeant Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, was arrested October 6 at San Francisco International Airport as he arrived from Hong Kong, where he had been living since March 2020, the Justice Department said. 

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with retention and attempted delivery of national defense information. U.S. District Court records in Seattle did not yet list an attorney representing Schmidt on the charges, and neither the U.S. attorney’s office nor the federal public defender’s office had information about whether he had a lawyer. 

An FBI declaration filed in the case quoted Schmidt as telling his sister in an email that he left the U.S. because he disagreed with unspecified aspects of American policy. 
…

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that “we have Israel’s back,” as Washington attempts to defuse tensions in the Middle East after a stunning terrorist attack by Hamas militants. More than 1,000 people, including at least 14 Americans, have been killed by Hamas militants who stormed over the border Saturday, killing and kidnapping civilians and security forces. 

VOA Ukrainian Service’s Iuliia Iarmolenko spoke Tuesday to John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, shortly before Biden addressed the nation in a televised address. 

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

VOA: Can you lay out a roadmap of how the United States is planning to address the situation in Israel? Are you preparing for a long haul or possible regional work?

John Kirby: Well, how long this conflict goes on is really something for the Israelis to speak to, not the United States. What I think you’ll hear from the president today is that we stand solidly and strongly behind Israel, their right to defend themselves, to live in peace and security, to go after these Hamas terrorists that perpetrated this barbaric violence on Israeli citizens, just innocent people going about their lives, and that we’re going to, we’re going to continue to support their needs. There’s already one tranche of military aid on its way to Israel, it should be there soon. I suspect there’ll be others. The president will talk about that in his remarks. We also are mindful that there’s a hostage situation going on. And this is not like any typical hostage situation; it’s also a war zone. So, that’s going to complicate recovery efforts, and the president will talk about how we are offering our support, our advice and counsel. We have terrific hostage recovery experts here in the United States, and we’re willing to chip in that expertise should the Israelis find that required.

VOA: The administration has been pretty cautious in describing Iran’s role in the Hamas attack on Israel. Why? And any signs of possible Russia’s involvement? 

Kirby: Make no mistake, Iran has a degree of complicity here. They’ve been supporting Hamas for many years: training, tools, weapons, capabilities. So, nobody’s walking away from the fact that Hamas wouldn’t be able to function if it wasn’t for the support that they get from Iran. What we have said and our Israeli counterparts have said as well is we just haven’t seen any direct evidence that they were involved specifically in these attacks. But we’re going to keep looking at this. We’ll keep monitoring the intelligence picture and the evidence, and we’ll see where it takes us. 

VOA: How about Russia’s involvement? 

Kirby: We see no indication that Russia was at all directly involved in these attacks either.

VOA: There are reports that President Biden did not urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to exercise restraint in Gaza in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack. Will the administration communicate any concerns or guidance before Israel’s anticipated ground operation in Gaza? 

Kirby: Well, again, without talking to Israeli military operations — that’s for them to speak to — I think we all recognize given the threats that they faced and the violence that they’ve been dealing with in the last few hours, that they have to respond aggressively against Hamas, and you’re seeing that play out. They are doing that. Nobody wants to see innocent civilians killed or hurt. Sadly, there’s been too much of that already. Almost 1,000 Israelis now butchered and slaughtered, raped and tortured in front of their family members, and nobody wants to see innocent life taken. And there, as I said, there’s been too much of it. 

One of the great things about our relationship with Israel is that we’re two vibrant democracies and we mutually believe in things like the respect for innocent life and the rule of law. And we’re always stronger together, our two countries, when we show that to the world, that we do respect innocent life and that we do respect not only the rule of law, but the law of war. So, you know, we’ll obviously, we’ll again provide the kind of support that we need to provide to Israel, and we will always stand up for the opposite example of what Hamas is doing, which is not only no respect for life, but the wanton, indiscriminate, murder, butchery of human life. 

VOA: But is it going to be communicated to Prime Minister Netanyahu? 

Kirby: We, again, this is something that we obviously share with Israel, and you know, these are, these are two countries, two partners that certainly have very open lines of communication, and this is one of the great things about our relationship.

VOA: On Ukraine, you said yesterday the administration wants to make sure that there is no gap in assistance to Ukraine, not even a day. Are you confident that that’s going to be the case? Given all the situation that transpired in Israel? Is the administration considering pairing Ukraine and Israel aid requests for faster approval in Congress? 

Kirby: It is important that Ukraine continue to get the aid that it needs. They are involved in still a counteroffensive in facing Russian aggression on their own soil. And you’re right, we don’t want to see a single lapse. That’s why we’re going to continue to work with Congress to see if we can get supplemental funding. We’ve got enough right now to get us through some time. But as I said the other day, it’s not indefinite, and that’s the reason we made a supplemental request. How those conversations with Congress play out, what that looks like, I can’t say at this point. Both Ukraine and Israel are important. Both need American military assistance, and it’s important to our national security interest, let alone theirs, but ours too, that they get that assistance. So, we’re going to continue to work with Congress.

VOA: But is there communication to put these two funding requests together for their faster approval?

Kirby: Yeah, I’m not going to talk about the process here of the conversations that we’re having with Congress. Both countries need U.S. military assistance in terms of weapons and capabilities. Both are under assault. Both have every right to defend themselves and their citizens. And in that defense, our national security interests are actually benefited. We’re going to continue to have these conversations with Congress. How that’s going to play out I just can’t say, and I wouldn’t talk about the specifics of the conversations that we’re having.

VOA: One more question on that. Does the administration consider requesting bigger funding for Ukraine, so-called “one and done” aid package till the next election in the United States?

Kirby: Again, I don’t want to get into the conversations that we’re having with members of Congress. We already submitted a supplemental for the first quarter of the fiscal year here this fall. We believe that that supplemental request was adequate to the task. We urge Congress to pass that supplemental funding, but as for what other conversations might be happening, I’d really rather not get into that.

VOA: OK. And you said yesterday also that Ukraine has some weeks of good weather to be productive and efficient with their counteroffensive. Isn’t this a good time to provide ATACMS [missiles] for Ukraine?

Kirby: Again, ATACMS are not off the table. We are having continued reviews of the additional capabilities that Ukraine needs. I’m not in a position to announce anything with respect to ATACMS. I would just tell you that as the war has evolved and changed, the capabilities that we have provided Ukraine has evolved and changed, and I would expect that that change will continue. 

VOA: Including ATACMS?

Kirby: I’m just going to leave it there. 

VOA: OK. And just let me ask this: You said yesterday that all energy right now is on helping Israel to defend itself. Do you think that there is a possibility that actors like Russia and China might use this opportunity when all eyes are on Israel to their advantage, and how to prevent that?

Kirby: It is certainly possible that other nations, other actors that are hostile to Israel could try to take advantage of the situation. And that is one of the reasons that the president, as commander-in-chief, ordered a carrier strike group into the eastern Mediterranean to send a strong signal to anybody who might be thinking that this is a good opportunity to get involved and try to broaden this conflict beyond just Hamas, and that they are to rethink that plan. They ought to rethink those considerations. So I can’t speak to anything specific with respect to Russia or China’s involvement one way or the other, but we have made it clear, and we’ll continue to make it clear that we take our national security interests in the region very, very seriously. 
…

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that “we have Israel’s back,” as Washington attempts to defuse tensions in the Mideast after a stunning terrorist attack by Hamas militants. He also pledged Washington’s continued support for Israel’s counteroffensive against what he called an “atrocity” that has killed more than 1,000 people, including at least 14 Americans. 

“In this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel,” he said. “We will make sure it has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself and respond to this attack. There’s no justification for terrorism. There’s no excuse.”

Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who both stared stonily ahead, gave details from the weekend’s events, which he said were “an act of sheer evil.”

He said he would ask Congress to take “urgent action” but did not specify. For now, there is no speaker in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, preventing Congress from passing new spending.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the White House will encourage Congress to keep a supply of military support going to Israel. Sullivan added that the White House believes there are 20 Americans not accounted for but clarified that not all of those may be held hostage.

Biden said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday — their third call since the crisis began — and said he was not surprised to see Israel’s “swift, decisive and overwhelming” response.

But he added, “We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law.” 

Four days into the start of hostilities, Biden is taking steps to lower the temperature in a part of the world whose long-simmering problems could explode beyond its borders. The conflict leaves Biden with a number of serious problems. But above all, says political analyst Daniel Byman, are the Americans killed or taken hostage. 

“There may be Americans captured by a terrorist group,” he told VOA on Zoom. “And that’s got to be a priority of any American president. And the second issue is coming to terms with the deaths of Americans in a terrorist attack in Israel. Add to that all the complexities of a very difficult regional situation, and it involves not only Israel and Hamas, but the possibility of Hezbollah and Iranian involvement.

“So, President Biden is trying to wrestle with all these, with the first step being don’t make the situation worse, but also needing to assure Israel of American support at an incredibly difficult time and prevent further loss of life and protect the safety of Americans.”

Since Saturday, the White House has launched intense telephone diplomacy with regional players and with traditional allies; has deployed significant naval resources to the region; and has used very careful language about Iran’s suspected involvement. 

But Biden’s words play alongside the images of Israel’s swift and harsh response to Saturday’s Hamas attack, which are likely to upset many in the Global South, who see the Israeli-Palestinian saga as a potent wedge issue.  
…

Donald Trump signed a document 30 years ago that gave the true size of his New York penthouse that was later listed as far larger on his financial statements, according to evidence shown Tuesday at the former president’s civil business fraud trial.

The evidence appeared in an email attachment shown as Allen Weisselberg, the former finance chief of Trump’s company, testified in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ fraud lawsuit against Trump and his Trump Organization. Trump denies any wrongdoing.

The attachment was a 1994 document, signed by Trump, that pegged his Trump Tower triplex at 10,996 square feet — not the 30,000 square feet later claimed for years on financial statements that were given to banks, insurers and others to make deals and secure loans.

Weisselberg said he recalled seeing the email but not the attachment, explaining that the attachments were documents he already had on file in the company’s offices. But in any event, he said, he didn’t pay much mind to the apartment’s size because its value amounted to a fraction of Trump’s wealth.

“I never even thought about the apartment. It was de minimis, in my mind,” Weisselberg said, using a Latin term that means, essentially, too small to care about.

“It was not something that was that important to me when looking at a $6 billion, $5 billion net worth,” Weisselberg said.

Weisselberg repeatedly said he couldn’t remember whether he discussed the financial statements with Trump while they were being finalized. The former chief financial officer said he reviewed drafts “from a 30,000-foot level” (9,100-meter level) but paid special attention to something “very important” to Trump: the descriptions of his properties.

“It was a little bit of a marketing piece for banks to read about our properties, how well they’re taken care of, that they’re first-class properties,” said Weisselberg, who added that Trump scrutinized the language used in such descriptions.

“He might say, ‘Don’t use the word “beautiful” — use the word “magnificent,”‘ or something like that,” Weisselberg testified.

Meanwhile, in Trump’s separate election interference case in Washington, prosecutors Tuesday urged the judge to protect prospective jurors’ identities, citing the former president’s “continued use of social media as a weapon of intimidation in court proceedings.” Trump lawyer John Lauro declined to comment.

In that federal criminal case, Trump has pleaded not guilty to illegally plotting to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

In New York, Weisselberg said Tuesday he learned of the Trump Tower penthouse size discrepancy only when a Forbes magazine reporter pointed it out to him in 2016. He testified that he initially disputed the magazine’s findings but said he couldn’t recall whether he directed anyone to look into the matter.

“You don’t recall if you did anything to confirm who was right?” state lawyer Louis Solomon asked.

Weisselberg said he did not.

As Forbes zeroed in on the apartment size question in 2017, emails show, a company spokesperson told another Trump executive that, per Weisselberg, they weren’t to engage on the size issue. A week later, Trump’s 2016 financial statement was released, using the incorrect square footage.

Over the years, Trump Organization executives had greatly boosted their estimate of the apartment’s value for reasons ranging from the boss’ fame to comparing it to an asking price on another triplex — though that other one ultimately sold for 60% less, another former executive testified last week.

When The Wall Street Journal wrote about the $135 million listing for a property near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2018, Weisselberg wrote a note telling a staffer to hang onto the article and “see what it ends up selling for.”

Asked Tuesday to explain, Weisselberg testified: “Anybody can ask anything for a dollar amount. That doesn’t mean it’s going to sell.”

Weisselberg, testifying as a prosecution witness, is also a defendant in the lawsuit. He took the stand after a recent jail stint for evading taxes on perks he got while working for Trump.

James’ lawsuit alleges that Weisselberg engineered Trump’s financial statements to meet his demands that they show increases in his net worth and signed off on lofty valuations for assets despite appraisals to the contrary.

Trump attended the first three days of the nonjury trial last week but hasn’t returned since.

Weisselberg left a New York City jail six months ago after serving 100 days for dodging taxes on $1.7 million in extras that came with his Trump Organization job, including a Manhattan apartment, school tuition for his grandchildren and luxury cars for him and his wife.

During sworn pretrial questioning in May, Weisselberg, 76, testified that he was having trouble sleeping, started seeing a therapist and was taking a generic form of Valium as he tried to “reacclimate myself back to society.”

Trump, in a pretrial deposition in April, said his former longtime lieutenant was liked and respected, and “now, he’s gone through hell and back.”

“What’s happened to him is very sad,” Trump said.

In a pretrial ruling last month, Judge Arthur Engoron found that Trump, Weisselberg and other defendants committed years of fraud by exaggerating the value of Trump’s assets and net worth on his financial statements.

As punishment, Engoron ordered that a court-appointed receiver take control of some Trump companies, putting the future oversight of Trump Tower and other marquee properties in doubt. An appeals court on Friday blocked enforcement of that aspect of Engoron’s ruling, at least for now.

The civil trial concerns allegations of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records. James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York. 
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October 14 is World Migratory Bird Day in the Southern Hemisphere. To better forecast bird migration, scientists are using machine learning and next-generation radar. The resulting “BirdCasts” offer new ways to help birds at risk. Shelley Schlender reports from the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado.
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When Congress passed temporary funding for the U.S. government at the end of September, it left out economic assistance for two small Pacific nations that U.S. defense officials say are critical to Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy and are targets of China’s aggressive influence campaign.

Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands control a large swath of the Pacific Ocean. Under a special agreement known as the Compacts of Free Association, or COFA, these three nations give Washington the right to deny access to other nations — including China — in exchange for American economic assistance.

But when funding for the compact expired on September 30, Palau and the Marshall Islands received no new economic assistance under the continuing resolution that kept the U.S. government open for 45 days.

“We have to draw a line somewhere,” argued Dave Stilwell, former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in an interview. “If the spirit of the compact[s] is to continue, it has to start with some limits on how the funds are spent, particularly on technology for data transfer.”

Cleo Paskal, a nonresident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, disagreed.

“Effectively, the [continuing resolution] leaves the Marshalls high and dry,” she told VOA.

Paskal said the funding shortfall is most acute in the case of Palau, which stands to receive $90 million if and when Congress approves an extension of its compact for 2024, documents show. The country ran a deficit of at least $37 million on a total budget of less than $150 million in fiscal year 2021, according to Palau government documents.

“Now, because the CR [doesn’t advance temporary funding to Palau], Palau’s debt continues, and it’s going to have to get into more debt,” said Paskal.

By contrast, Micronesia received more than $16 million in the continuing resolution, according to a U.S. official who spoke on background because he was not authorized to speak for the administration.

Paskal says the uneven treatment is a mistake for U.S. national security.

“We need that corridor of freedom that stretches from Hawaii to Philippines,” she said, “It’s how you get to the treaty allies, how you get to Taiwan.”

Under the compacts, the Biden administration has proposed spending $7.1 billion over the next 20 years to provide education, health care and environmental assistance to these island nations.

But while negotiations with Micronesia and Palau have been completed, the Marshall Islands is still in talks. Lawmakers expect to vote on the long-term funding once all agreements are signed.

“For a relatively low investment, [this] can have high impact,” said Jim Loi, chief operating officer at the Asia Group.

“This, by U.S. government budget standards, is nothing. It is literally a half day’s worth of Medicare fraud,” said Grant Newsham, a former diplomat and U.S. marine intelligence officer, in an interview.

Newsham calculates that Washington is actually saving money over the long term by signing compacts with these Pacific nations.

He said it would cost the U.S. at least $100 billion to purchase the ships, aircraft, submarines, missiles and troops needed to secure the 5.6 million square kilometers of Pacific Ocean controlled by these tiny island nations.

Loi warned that Beijing is actively seeking to exploit any doubts about U.S. commitment to the region. “I think we would expect that the Chinese are going to push and so now would not be the time for us to turn a blind eye,” he said.

Newsham is particularly concerned about Palau, which is in not only in debt but under constant economic pressure from Beijing, which shut down Chinese tourism to Palau in retaliation for its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan.

“They’re counting on the United States. They want to be a good ally, a good friend,” he said, “and we aren’t coming through with what they need.”
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A Moscow court on Tuesday rejected U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich’s appeal of his detention on spy charges and ordered him held until November 30.

Gershkovich was arrested during a reporting trip at the end of March in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, becoming the first Western reporter to be jailed on spy charges in Russia since the Soviet era.

The 31-year-old Wall Street Journal Moscow correspondent, his employer and the U.S. government have rejected the spying allegations.  

Judge Yuri Pasyunin at Moscow City Court ruled to “keep (the detention) without changes” until November 30, an AFP reporter at the court said.

Gershkovich wore a checkered shirt and jeans, smiling to journalists that he knew from behind the glass cage where he was held in court. 

U.S. diplomats were present at the hearing. 

Gershkovich had appealed an August decision to prolong his detention by three months. 

Russia has not provided public evidence of the allegations it has made against Gershkovich.

The American, who previously worked for AFP, continued to report from Russia after the Kremlin launched its Ukraine offensive, despite many Western journalists leaving the country.

He has been held at Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison. 
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Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day – celebrated on the second Monday in October – is one of the most controversial U.S. holidays. It has multiple names and Americans have mixed reactions when asked about its meaning. Johny Fernandez has more.
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Former Republican Texas congressman Will Hurd suspended his presidential bid on Monday and endorsed fellow GOP primary candidate Nikki Haley, officially abandoning a brief campaign built on criticizing Donald Trump at a time when his party seems even more determined to embrace the former president.

“While I appreciate all the time and energy our supporters have given, it is important to recognize the realities of the political landscape and the need to consolidate our party around one person to defeat both Donald Trump and President Biden,” Hurd wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

He added that Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump and governor of South Carolina, “has shown a willingness to articulate a different vision for the country than Donald Trump and has an unmatched grasp on the complexities of our foreign policy.”

Hurd was the last major candidate to join the already crowded Republican primary field when he announced his run in late June. He leaves the race barely three months later, after failing to gain traction as pragmatic moderate who pledged to lead the party away from Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. Hurd failed to qualify for both the first GOP debate in Milwaukee in August and the second debate the following month in Simi Valley, California.

“America is at a crossroads and it’s time to come together and make Joe Biden a one-term president,” Haley wrote on X in response to Hurd’s endorsement. “Thank you @WillHurd for your support and confidence. We have a country to save!”

Hurd ending his campaign follows another Republican candidate, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who became the first presidential hopeful to suspend his campaign shortly after failing to make the first debate stage.

Hurd wasn’t invited to the Milwaukee event after falling short of Republican National Committee minimums on support in the polls and sufficient numbers of donors to his campaign.

Hurd was initially defiant about missing the first debate, arguing that the Republican Party blocked him for refusing to sign a pledge for its presidential candidates to support the eventual primary winner, even if it was Trump. The RNC standards are “arbitrary, unclear, and lack consistency. This is an unacceptable process for a presidential election,” he said in a statement.

When he didn’t make the second debate, Hurd stuck a different tone, writing on X that “we narrowly missed the cut for the second debate and our campaign is at an inflection point.”

A clandestine CIA officer who worked in Pakistan, Hurd served three terms in the House through January 2021 and was the chamber’s only Black Republican during his final two years in office. He represented Texas’ then-most competitive district, which was heavily Hispanic and stretched from the outskirts of San Antonio to El Paso, encompassing more than 800 miles of Texas-Mexico border.

Hurd opted not to seek reelection in 2020, saying he was pursuing opportunities outside Congress “to solve problems at the nexus between technology and national security.” Last year, he traveled the country promoting his book “American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done.”

The 46-year-old has long been a fierce Trump antagonist, even encouraging the then-Republican presidential nominee to leave the 2016 race when the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump brags about sexually assaulting women was made public in the final weeks before Election Day.

Hurd was hoping to resonate with voters seeking a pro-business Republican with a strong national security background who was also unafraid to seek bipartisan consensus. He announced his candidacy criticizing both Biden and Trump, saying the president wasn’t up to securing the U.S.-Mexico border, combating fentanyl smuggling that has led to epidemic of American overdoses and violent crime and homelessness in the country’s cities.

“President Biden can’t solve these problems — or won’t,” Hurd said in his announcement video. “And, if we nominate a lawless, selfish, failed politician like Donald Trump — who lost the House, the Senate, and the White House — we all know Joe Biden will win again.”

Hurd stepped up his public criticism of Trump as the former president was repeatedly indicted and now faces four separate criminal cases and 91 total charges. Trump still holds a fundraising advantage and commanding lead in early primary polls.

As a result, Hurd’s few memorable moments as a White House candidate came when he was heckled by Republican crowds after repeating assertions that Trump, should he clinch the GOP nomination, would lose the general election to Biden.

“Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison,” Hurd declared at a July GOP dinner in Iowa. When sustained booing followed, he responded, “Listen, I know the truth is hard.”
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President Joe Biden met with top U.S. officials Monday to discuss Washington’s response to an all-out war between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as officials confirmed that the U.S.-designated terrorist group holds Americans among the hostages they seized in a weekend attack on Israel.

Biden “directed his team to follow up on coordination with Israel on all aspects of the crisis and to continue their work with regional partners to warn anyone who might seek to take advantage in this situation,” the White House said in a note circulated to journalists, adding that Biden is speaking to close allies.

U.S. State Department officials said Monday that Americans are among the numerous hostages seized by Hamas militants as part of their multi-pronged Saturday attack. Nine Americans are also among the dead, said spokesman Matthew Miller, who did not say how many Americans are being held hostage.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that 800 Israelis have been killed and more than 2,500 wounded. He echoed Palestinian health officials’ estimates that more than 500 Palestinians have been killed, adding that more than 3,000 have been wounded.

The number of hostages, Guterres said, numbered “over 100, possibly more,” including civilian women, children and the elderly.

“Some are being held hostage inside Israel and many others have been taken inside the Gaza Strip,” he said.

This situation poses an extraordinary challenge to Israeli leadership, wrote analyst Natan Sachs of the non-profit Brookings Institution.

“Israeli sensitivity to POWs and MIAs is world-record-setting,” he wrote, noting that Hamas’s current leader in Gaza was himself part of a swap of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for one Israeli soldier in 2011.

He added, “The Israeli government faces a conundrum: enter with force and risk many more Israeli casualties, both military and civilian. Refrain from it, and find yourself at the mercy of a terrorist organization on your border. Freeing all Hamas and Islamic jihad operatives from Israeli prisons, as these organizations demand, would be difficult for the Israeli government to agree to. Israel might eventually try to negotiate, or it might embark on risky rescue operations inside the Gaza Strip with the best case outcome being only partial success.”

Advocacy group J Street, which describes its membership as “pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans,” encouraged the White House to show its support for Israel. On Saturday, hours after the initial attacks, Biden said his commitment to Israel remains “rock solid.”

“We are deeply worried for the safety of the Israeli people, including the hostages now in Gaza, as well as for the safety of the Palestinian civilians who are now caught in the crossfire,” the group said in a statement on Monday. J Street added, “We support the Biden Administration as they take all necessary measures to aid, support and reinforce our Israeli allies, as they combat Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and guard against the threat of further attacks on additional fronts.”

Margaret Besheer at the U.N. and Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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Longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid, adding a wrinkle to a 2024 race heading toward a likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Kennedy, a member of one of the most famous Democratic families in politics, was running a long-shot primary bid and has better favorability ratings among Republicans than Democrats. It’s unclear whether GOP support would translate to a general election when Kennedy would also be running against Trump. Allies of both Biden and Trump have at times questioned whether Kennedy would be a spoiler against their candidate.

Biden’s allies so far have dismissed Kennedy’s primary campaign as unserious. Asked for comment on his potential independent run, a Democratic National Committee spokesman responded with an eye roll emoji.

Awaiting Kennedy’s remarks Monday, hundreds of supporters gathered at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, an apt location for the launch. Campaign signs teased a potential new slogan: “Declare your independence.”

Among Kennedy’s fans in the crowd were several voters who said they don’t identify as Democratic or Republican and view Kennedy as a truth teller and a breath of fresh air.

“He tells it how it is,” said Julia Hill, a 23-year-old student from New Jersey. “He doesn’t sound like a politician.”

Other supporters, such as Brent Snyder, a disabled veteran from south Philadelphia, said they had voted for Trump in the past but were looking for a change.

“The last couple years I’ve been noticing the Republican Party’s been going a way I didn’t like,” Snyder said. “Not that I agree with everything that’s happening to Trump, but I think right now he has more baggage than his country needs. The division right now is just terrible. We need someone to bring both sides together to make us work.”

Monday’s announcement comes less than a week after the progressive activist Cornel West abandoned his Green Party bid in favor of an independent White House run. Meanwhile, the centrist group No Labels is actively securing ballot access for a yet-to-be-named candidate.

Kennedy has spent weeks accusing the DNC of “rigging” the party’s primary against him and threatening that he might need to consider alternatives.

In campaign emails and videos, he blasted the DNC’s decision not to host debates between Biden and other candidates and railed against the committee’s plan to give South Carolina rather than Iowa or New Hampshire the leadoff spot on the primary calendar this election cycle.

“If they jam me, I’m going to look at every option,” he said in September at a New Hampshire barbecue held by Republican former Sen. Scott Brown.

Far-right and anti-vaccine influencers close to Kennedy also have sent strong signals on social media suggesting he should or will leave the Democratic Party. Last month, Joseph Mercola, an influential anti-vaccine doctor who is allied with Kennedy, ran a poll on X, formerly known as Twitter, asking if Kennedy should quit the party.

While Kennedy has long identified as a Democrat and frequently invokes his late father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle President John F. Kennedy on the campaign trail, he has built close relationships with far-right figures in recent years. He appeared on a channel run by the Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and headlined a stop on the ReAwaken America Tour, the Christian nationalist road show put together by Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Polls show far more Republicans than Democrats have a favorable opinion of Kennedy. He also has gained support from some far-right conservatives for his fringe views, including his vocal distrust of COVID-19 vaccines, which studies have shown are safe and effective against severe disease and death.

Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization, Children’s Health Defense, currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
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Russian shelling has destroyed or damaged 27 out of 34 schools in the Chernihiv region, according to NOVA Ukraine, a nonprofit group that provides aid to the people of Ukraine.
But even as the war continues, some schools are starting to reopen with lots of help. Anna Kosstutschenko reports from Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. Camera and video editing by Pavel Suhodolskiy.
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Monday in the United States is celebrated as both Columbus Day and as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. 

When the Spanish-financed Italian explorer Christopher Columbus made contact with native inhabitants of the Caribbean in 1492, there were more than 500 languages spoken across the Americas. In the land that became the United States, the remaining number of such languages has dwindled to about 100. Most now have only a handful of speakers. 

Alex Fire Thunder’s two young boys are a thriving exception as their ethnic Lakota language again has thousands of aspiring speakers. 

“I want them to have a strong sense of their Lakota identity. Language is everything. It’s something that nobody can take away from them,” says Fire Thunder, Oglala Lakota from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and deputy director of the Lakȟól’iyapi kiŋ nawéčižiŋ (Lakota Language Consortium). 

Fire Thunder is optimistic his sons, Odowan, 3, and Iyoyanpa, 2, will have others besides themselves to converse in Lakota when they grow up. 

“There are immersion schools. There are other second-language learners learning the language and teaching their children,” Fire Thunder, who has been among those formally teaching Lakota in schools, tells VOA.  

That was not the case for decades.  

“My mom is a speaker, but she did not transmit the language to my siblings and I,” he says. 

For generations, Native American children in North America were sent to boarding schools where they were immersed in American culture and punished for speaking their own languages. 

Teaching and learning these Indigenous languages in the 21st century are a challenge because there are scant resources and opportunities remaining. 

“If you want to learn Spanish, there are a number of countries you can go to where all you’re going to hear is Spanish and you’re going to be expected to speak Spanish, as well,” Fire Thunder says. 

For Lakota learners there are limited options. Some elders converse in Lakota at the post office or senior centers. 

“The elders that do speak are, at this point and time, all bilingual so there is no situation where you absolutely have to use Lakota,” Fire Thunder explains. “That’s something you’re not going to find if you go to Spain or Mexico.”

Lakota is part of the Sioux language group and primarily heard in the Dakotas. A unique aspect of the language is the use of kinship terms, considered an essential to Lakota cultural expression, and many of the terms do not have precise English equivalents.

“There are only about 10 to 15 languages left in the U.S. that have any viable chances in terms of moving forward beyond the next 50 years,” according to Wilhelm Meya, chairman of The Language Conservancy. 

When languages lose their last fluent speakers, it can also mean the demise of their Indigenous songs and prayers.  

“The average speaker is about 75. Children for the most part are not learning the language,” Meya tells VOA. “So, there’s a lot to do in order to try to get these languages back on their feet.”

Meya’s organization is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting endangered languages. It currently partners with 52 Indigenous communities. One successful project has been the creation of the New Lakota Dictionary, considered the most expansive Native American dictionary. 

Hundreds of Indigenous linguists, educators and scholars are to gather this week in Bloomington, Indiana, to share knowledge and inspire language revitalization efforts.

“For the elders and the speakers, they want to pass on the language, and they want to do so with hope they’re going to leave a legacy for generations going forward,” Meya says.
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With Saturday’s attack on Israel saturating the global news media, people around the world are reacting with large scale rallies. Aron Ranen reports from New York.
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Monday is Colombus Day in the United States.  It is also a day that many people now celebrate as Indigenous Peoples Day.

Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1937, in honor of Christopher Columbus’ so-called discovery of America.

Many people, especially Native Americans, have taken offense at the notion that Columbus discovered the Americas when there were already established and thriving peoples and civilizations on the North and South American continents.

“Columbus Day is not just a holiday,” says Leo Killsback a professor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University, “it represents the violent history of colonization in the Western Hemisphere” which includes slavery and the forced Christianity conversions of native peoples.

Indigenous Peoples Day is not yet a federal holiday, but President Joe Biden’s administration has officially recognized the day since 2021.  Some U.S. states already recognize Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day, while others continue to celebrate Columbus.

There is a push to have the federal holiday on the second Monday in October renamed as Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day, and an act was reintroduced into Congress last week.

Some scholars believe that an Indigenous Peoples Day provides for a more realistic view of Native Americans and white settlers’ treatment of them.

 
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