Mexico’s government will this week send a letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging Congress to approve a new trade deal, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday. Speaking at a regular government news conference alongside various ministers, Lopez Obrador said he was sure that Pelosi and Democratic lawmakers would help Mexico, and that he believed the U.S. Congress would approve the deal before the end of 2019. Nevertheless, deputy foreign minister for North America Jesus Seade, Mexico’s chief negotiator for the USMCA, said he was “pessimistic” that the accord would be approved before 2020. Mexico, which ratified the USMCA earlier this year, is eager for the agreement to be ratified because the country’s exports and foreign direct investment are heavily dependent on its unfettered access to the U.S. marketplace. The USMCA was agreed last year after a lengthy process of negotiation pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).   …

It was a running joke in his AP U.S. history class at Saint Joseph High School: Would Peter Buttigieg — the smartest kid in class, language whiz and devotee of John F. Kennedy — use his unusual last name in his eventual run for president of the United States? Or would he have a better shot of winning the voters of the future if he went by Montgomery, his middle name? It was the late 1990s, Bill Clinton was in the White House, and a round-faced teenager in South Bend, Indiana, was viewed by many around him as an eventual successor. As early as grade school, Buttigieg exhibited an attention-grabbing combination of brains and curiosity, the sort of kid with a reputation — among kids and teachers. He would be named high school valedictorian, voted senior class president and chosen Most Likely to be U.S. President. He sat at the adults table. Now, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg — not Montgomery — is indeed running for the highest office in the land. It’s an audacious leap. No mayor has ever gone straight to the White House (let alone from a city of just over 100,000). No president has ever been so young (he’ll …

The top U.N. humanitarian official says Sudan has a historic opportunity to overcome years of bloody conflict and instability, but needs urgent international assistance. Mark Lowcock, the U.N. under-secretary general and emergency relief coordinator, spoke during his first visit to Sudan since a joint military-civilian government was formed. It replaced former President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted by the military in April amid mass protests. Lowcock told The Associated Press on Saturday he’s “hopeful that further progress can be made on peace” with rebels in the country’s restive southern provinces, where fighting has displaced 1.9 million people. But he warned that Sudan faces stiff challenges, including economic collapse, malnutrition and disease. He appealed to the international community to “provide more help faster” to support the new government’s efforts to rebuild.   …

Unidentified vandals have painted swastikas on a monument to a prominent Yiddish author in the Ukrainian capital. Moshe Reuven Azman, the chief rabbi of Ukraine, posted pictures Monday of the monument to Sholem Aleichem outside Kyiv’s synagogue with big red swastikas spray-painted on it. Police have opened a probe. In a tweet, Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko denounced the anti-Semitic act as “disgusting, appalling and in need of prompt investigation.” The anti-Semitic act on the Sholom-Aleichem monument in Kyiv is disgusting, appalling and in need of prompt investigation. The perpetrator(s) must be brought to justice. — Vadym Prystaiko (@VPrystaiko) November 25, 2019 Israeli Ambassador Joel Lion tweeted that “Ukraine has to wake up,” urging authorities to track down the culprits, bring them to justice and also “educate against hatred.” Another Antisemitic act in the center of #Kyiv, on the statue of the Jewish writer Sholom Aleichem. #Ukaine has to wake up. Find the responsible and bring them to justice. Educate against hatred. Adopt @TheIHRA definition. @MVS_UA@MFA_Ukraine@TheBankova@ADL@WorldJewishCongpic.twitter.com/a20gx2HFMT — Joel Lion (@ambassadorlion) November 25, 2019 Ukraine has seen numerous cases of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries and Holocaust memorials across the country. Hateful graffiti has also been painted on synagogues and Jewish institutions across …

 A U.S. federal judge is due to issue a ruling Monday in a lawsuit filed by the House Judiciary Committee seeking to compel former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify in the impeachment probe of President Donald Trump. The Judiciary Committee originally sought McGahn’s testimony in connection with the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and allegations Trump, as president, obstructed justice by working to shut down the probe. The committee argued in a court filing last week that it is now even more urgent it hear from McGahn in light of the public hearings held this month by the House Intelligence Committee into allegations Trump illegally pressured Ukraine to investigate a Democratic rival. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said she would issue her ruling by the end of the day Monday. McGahn is among a number of Trump administration officials who have ignored congressional subpoenas from committees conducting their various investigations of Trump as the White House argued the officials were immune from being compelled to give such testimony. Others who have refused to testify include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former …

State-controlled media in China on Monday downplayed the landslide electoral victory claimed by pan democrats in Hong Kong with an editorial calling the race an “unfair… manipulation.” But such pro-Beijing propaganda and narratives were snubbed by many Chinese netizens, who urged Beijing to wake up to the reality that anti-China sentiment in the former British colony is real and rising.     Supporters of pro-democracy candidate Angus Wong celebrate after he won in district council elections in Hong Kong, early Monday, Nov. 25, 2019. With a record 71% turnout rate, nearly 3 million Hong Kongers cast their votes on Sunday. Poll results on Monday showed that the pro-democracy camp claimed more than 380 seats out of a total of 452 seats in 18 local district councils while the rival pro-Beijing camp retained only 58 seats, according to local media reports.    Vote of no confidence   The results were widely seen as a vote of no confidence in the city’s chief executive Carrie Lam and the Beijing government behind her.   Nevertheless, Global Times, China’s nationalist tabloid, said in an editorial that “it is crucial to rationally interpret” the elections results, “lest mobs should be emboldened by misreading them,” citing …

(Editor’s note: These are the final segments in our series “Climbing the Hill,” in which we followed two new members of Congress. Democrat Katie Porter was featured Sunday. )   WASHINGTON, D.C. — First-term Republican House member Pete Stauber of Minnesota wears his religion on his sleeve. He begins every morning in Washington by attending Mass at a Catholic church near the U.S. Capitol. And, recently, he met a tour of 30 students and a priest from Minnesota on the steps of the Capitol, where they finished their prayer for the nation by making the sign of the cross. “You just said the Lord’s Prayer on the steps of the greatest country in the world, at our Capitol,” the amiable Stauber explained in a brief lesson in religious freedom. “Isn’t that that awesome?” Stauber, a former professional hockey player and retired police lieutenant, is not shy about showing his religion in a secular nation riven by partisanship and a historic impeachment inquiry targeting a Republican president. Stauber is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and vigorously opposes the Democrats’ move toward impeachment. But he is also a firm believer in bipartisanship, and in less than a year has succeeded …

Jessye Norman was remembered as a force of nature as thousands filled the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday for a celebration of the soprano, who died Sept. 30 at age 74. Sopranos Renee Fleming, Latonia Moore, Lise Davidsen and Leah Hawkins sang tributes along with mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges and bass-baritone Eric Owens that were mixed among remembrances of family and friends, dance performances of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and video of Norman’s career. “Yankee Stadium is the house that Babe Ruth built and welcome to this house that Jessye Norman built,” Met general manager Peter Gelb said. “Of course Jessye wasn’t alone in filling this hallowed hall with her glorious voice. She was joined by rather important voices, from Leontyne Price to Luciano Pavarotti, but in her operatic prime in the ’80s and the 90s, her majestic vocal chords reigned supreme in the dramatic soprano and the mezzo range. Like Babe Ruth, who swung for the fences, Jessye swung for standing room in the family circle, and she always connected.” Norman’s celebration took place shortly after a memorial to actress Diahann Carroll at the Helen Hayes Theater, about a mile south. On Thursday, author Toni Morrison was memorialized …

The voting process Sunday of Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election was “peaceful, calm and orderly,” said Oldemiro Baloi, who heads international observers of the Community of Portuguese speaking countries. Results of the balloting are expected Thursday. The West African country has seen hardly any political stability since independence from Portugal 45 years ago. President Jose Mario Vaz, who is seeking a second five-year term, is the only president since independence to survive a full term without a coup or assassination. “The people of Guinea-Bissau are sovereign and I will respect the verdict of the ballot box,” Vaz said after voting in the capital, Bissau.  “I have accomplished my mission of restoring peace and tranquillity.” The president’s chief competitor was former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, one of six prime ministers Vaz fired during his presidency.   Pereira also vowed to “respect” the results of the election.  “These elections are crucial for future of the country,” he said.   Twelve candidates – all men – were running for president. Vaz fired Prime Minister Aristides Gomes in late October and named a new head of government. But Gomes refused to step down. The regional bloc ECOWAS intervened to prevent the country from exploding into …

Despite a significant decrease in recent years of the number of deaths caused by terrorism, terror groups remain a major threat to peace and stability around the world, according to a new report on terrorism. According to the 2019 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), deaths from terrorism fell for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, after reaching a peak in 2014. Since that time, the number of deaths has fallen by 52%, to 15,952 in 2018. The annual report, published last week by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), focused on terror trends and activities around the world.   Steve Killelea, executive chairman of IEP, said that “IEP’s research finds that conflict and state-sponsored terror are the key causes of terrorism.” In 2018, more than 95% of deaths caused by terror-related activities occurred in countries that were already in conflict, he said. “When combined with countries with high levels of political terror the number jumps to over 99%. Of the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism, all were involved in at least one violent conflict last year,” Killelea said in a statement to reporters. IS down but not out The GTI finds that the number of deaths from terrorism in …

Hong Kong pro-democracy forces scored a sweeping victory in local elections Sunday that saw a record number of voters deliver a stunning rebuke to Beijing. Opposition candidates won nearly 90 percent of contested seats, according to public broadcaster RTHK. The democrats will now control 17 of 18 district councils, after having previously controlled zero. The vote was a major symbolic blow to pro-China forces that dominate Hong Kong politics, and the latest evidence of continued public support for a five-month-old pro-democracy movement that has become increasingly aggressive. “Hong Kongers have spoken out, loud and clear. The international community must acknowledge that, almost six months in, public opinion has NOT turned against the movement,” student activist Joshua Wong said on Twitter. This is historic. Early returns suggest a landslide victory for the opposition camp. Hong Kongers have spoken out, loud and clear. The international community must acknowledge that, almost six months in, public opinion has NOT turned against the movement. Candidates from pro-Beijing political party bow to apologize for their defeat in the local district council election in Hong Kong, Monday, Nov. 25, 2019. Massive turnout Nearly 3 million people voted in the election — a record high for Hong Kong, …

Nearly a year ago, VOA first met with two newly elected US Representatives for a project entitled, “Climbing the Hill.”  Through the lives of California Democrat Katie Porter and Minnesota Republican Pete Stauber we hope to show you what it’s like to be a new representative at the US Capitol.  In our final installment, we look at the challenges a representative faces during a typical day.  VOA’s Carolyn Presutti started the day at 6:30am with Representative Pete Stauber, who’s already been awake for a half hour. …

Supporters of the Hezbollah and Amal movements attacked Lebanese anti-government protesters in Beirut on Monday, with army reinforcements intervening to diffuse tensions. Shortly before midnight on Sunday, men on foot and scooters arrived at a roadblock set up by anti-graft protesters across a key street in the capital, local television showed. They shouted insults and chanted in support of the chiefs of the Shi’ite movements Hezbollah and Amal, before briefly breaking through and attacking some demonstrators. Those at the roadblock chanted “peaceful, peaceful”, as the security forces and army reinforcements deployed in a thick line between both sides in the early hours of Monday morning. The counter-protesters also headed to a main nerve center of protests nearby and destroyed tents there, a local television channel said. The tensions came after a peaceful day of demonstrations, more than a month into a spontaneous nationwide street movement against the political elite. On Saturday, Lebanese security forces briefly detained five youths, including three minors, for allegedly pulling down a sign for President Michel Aoun’s political party in the town of Hammana east of Beirut, sparking outrage on social media. Security forces released them after midnight, the Committee of Lawyers for the Defense of …

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has asked Navy Secretary Richard Spencer to resign, citing his handling of the case of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq. Esper asked for the resignation Sunday and Spencer submitted it, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said. FILE – Navy SEAL Edward (Eddie) Gallagher, right, walks with his wife, Andrea Gallagher, as they arrive at a military court on Naval Base San Diego, in San Diego, California, June 26, 2019. The request involved the case of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL who was accused of war crimes committed during his deployment to Iraq in 2017. He was acquitted of the more serious charges of murder but found guilty of posing with the body of a teenaged Islamic State militant. As a result, Gallagher was demoted. But U.S. President Donald Trump intervened in the case and pardoned him and restored his rank and pay. When Trump learned last week that the Navy planned to bring Gallagher before a review board to determine if he could continue to wear the Trident Pin, which signifies membership in the elite commando unit, he intervened again. Trump tweeted: “The Navy will NOT be taking away …

Read more at https://projects.voanews.com/descent-into-is/ …

Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the Congressional committee investigating President Donald Trump, refused to answer questions Sunday as to whether he met with a former Ukrainian official to gather information on the son of former vice president Joe Biden. A lawyer representing Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, has told multiple news outlets since Friday that Nunes met Ukraine’s former top prosecutor Viktor Shokin in Vienna in 2018. The claim is controversial because Nunes did not disclose any such meeting while leading the Republican defense of President Donald Trump during related impeachment hearings. Speaking on Fox News Sunday morning, Nunes was asked point blank by the Fox news anchor whether he had met with Shokin. The congressman replied that he wanted to answer questions but could not do so “right now.” Nunes has repeatedly denounced the impeachment proceedings, which are focused on whether Trump inappropriately pressured Ukraine to open investigations, including one that could prove embarrassing to Biden, a top contender for the Democratic Party nomination to run against Trump next year. Democrats have said that if Parnas’ claim proves credible, Nunes could face an ethics investigation. Parnas, under indictment regarding suspect political contributions, …

Officials say 42 people were charged with disorderly conduct after a protest interrupted a Saturday football game between archrivals Harvard and Yale. Students from both schools occupied the midfield of the Yale Bowl during Saturday’s halftime protest. Some held banners urging their colleges to act on climate change. Other signs referred to Puerto Rican debt relief and China’s treatment of Uighurs. Most protesters walked off after about an hour; those who remained were charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct. They were issued a court summons and released, according to a statement from Yale University. Organizers of the protest had initially estimated that 20 to 30 protesters were arrested. Rachel Sadoff, a junior at Harvard, said about 150 students from the two universities had planned to participate and about 100 more who were sitting in the stands joined in. She said organizers considered the protest a success. “Our goal was to spread the word,” Sadoff said. “If more people speak up, our colleges will have to listen.” Yale officials said in a statement handed to reporters in the press box during the fourth quarter that the school “stands firmly for the right to free expression.” “It is regrettable,” a statement attributed to …

The U.S. House of Representatives will continue preparing its report this week in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, as Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says he won’t rule out the possibility of more hearings. This comes as another Democrat joins the field of candidates running for the presidency. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …

An exit poll published in Romania on Sunday after the close of voting stations shows incumbent Klaus Iohannis easily winning a second term in the country’s presidential election. Iohannis, a conservative, was facing Social Democratic Party leader Viorica Dancila, a former prime minister, in the runoff vote. An exit poll by the IRES independent think tank showed Iohannis getting 67.1 % of the votes, with 32.9% for Dancila. In the first round two weeks ago, Iohannis won 37.8% and Dancila 22.2%. The exit poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points. Official preliminary results were expected late Sunday. Iohannis has vowed to continue his efforts to fight corruption and strengthen the rule of law in this country of around 19.4 million people. “Romanian won! Modern, European, normal Romania won today,” Iohannis said at the headquarters of the National Liberal Party after the release of the exit poll. “Romanians were the day’s heroes. They went to vote in impressive numbers and this is the most important gain of this day.” “I receive this victory with joy, thankfulness, modesty and with faith in Romania,” said the 60-year-old former mayor of the city of Sibiu, a member of Romania’s ethnic German …

A few dozen people demonstrated Sunday near the U.S. Embassy outside Beirut against what they called America’s intervention in Lebanon’s affairs. Lebanese troops and riot police employed tight security measures around noon Sunday near the embassy northeast of the city. The protesters later dispersed without any reports of violence. Protesters have been holding demonstrations in Lebanon since Oct. 17, demanding an end to widespread corruption and mismanagement by the political class that has ruled the country for three decades. The protests have since snowballed into calls for the entire political elite to step aside. The protesters blasted recent comments by former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman before the House Subcommittee on the Middle East, in which he said that “the demonstrations and the reactions to them by Lebanese leaders and institutions fortunately coincide with U.S. interests.”   …

Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the Congressional committee investigating President Donald Trump, refused to answer questions Sunday as to whether he met with an former Ukrainian official to gather information on the son of former vice president Joe Biden. A lawyer representing Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, has told multiple news outlets since Friday that Nunes met Ukraine’s former top prosecutor Victor Shokin in Vienna in 2018. The claim is controversial because Nunes did not disclose any such meeting while leading the Republican defense of President Donald Trump during related impeachment hearings. Speaking on Fox News Sunday morning, Nunes was asked point blank by the Fox news anchor whether he had met with Shokin. The congressman replied that he wanted to answer questions but could not do so “right now.” Nunes has repeatedly denounced the impeachment proceedings, which are focused on whether Trump inappropriately pressured Ukraine to open investigations, including one that could prove embarrassing to Biden, a top contender for the Democratic Party nomination to run against Trump next year. Democrats have said that if Parnas’ claim proves credible, Nunes could face an ethics investigation. Parnas, under indictment regarding suspect political contributions, …

Machine gun fire answers rock-throwing protesters. Motorcycle-riding Revolutionary Guard volunteers chase after demonstrators. Plainclothes security forces grab, beat and drag a man off the street to an uncertain fate. As Iran restores the internet after a weeklong government-imposed shutdown, new videos purport to show the demonstrations over gasoline prices rising and the security-force crackdown that followed. The videos offer only fragments of encounters, but to some extent they fill in the larger void left by Iran’s state-controlled television and radio channels. On their airwaves, hard-line officials allege that foreign conspiracies and exile groups instigated the unrest. In print, newspapers offered only PR for the government or had merely stenographic reporting at best, the moderate daily Hamshahri said in an analysis Sunday. They don’t acknowledge that the gasoline price hike Nov. 15, supported by its civilian government, came as Iran’s 80 million people already have seen their savings dwindle and jobs scarce under crushing U.S. sanctions. President Donald Trump imposed them in the aftermath of unilaterally withdrawing America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. People walk near a burnt bank, after protests against increased fuel prices, in Tehran, Nov. 20, 2019. Authorities also have yet to give any overall figures …

More than three dozen people are reported dead in a series of security-related incidents in Afghanistan, including a fatal attack on a U.N. vehicle in the capital, Kabul. Several of the dead were civilians. Afghan officials said Sunday that Taliban rebels assaulted a security outpost in central Daykundi province overnight, killing eight soldiers and wounding four others. Senior provincial authorities claimed the ensuing firefight also killed at least 20 assailants, though the Taliban disputed those claims. Meanwhile, doctors and residents in western Farah province said an Afghan government air strike has killed at least nine civilians and injured several others. The mainstream local TOLO news channel reported Sunday relatives took to the streets with bodies of the victims to protest and demand an immediate investigation into the deadly incident. In Kabul, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said one foreign national was killed and five people were injured by a hand grenade hurled at a U.N. vehicle in the Makrorayan area of the city. The spokesman did not provide details but local news reports suggest the death toll may climb. The United Nations condemned the attack and confirmed the death of an international employee in the Sunday night attack. It said …