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Donald Trump’s family will likely be less formally involved in White House business in his second term as they were in the first, but some will remain key to his political operation as unofficial advisors.Here is a look at how Trump’s wife, five children and other relatives will play a role in the new administration after Monday’s US presidential inauguration.- Melania Trump -Melania — who met Trump at a party in 1998 and wed him in 2005 — returns as first lady to the White House, which she plans to make her primary residence.This would differ from Trump’s first term, when his wife did not join him at the White House for several months so that their son Barron, then 10, could finish school in New York.She fulfilled traditional first lady duties when she finally moved in — taking charge of state dinners and promoting her favorite causes, including a campaign against online bullying.She has always been her own boss — feeling little obligation to accompany her husband to rallies and other events — and courting controversy with a coat bearing the slogan, “I really don’t care, do you?” as she headed to a migrant children’s shelter.- Donald Trump Jr -Trump’s eldest son, known as Don Jr, is a darling of the MAGA movement and is considered to have his thumb on the pulse of the base.His “Triggered” podcast is influential among the president-elect’s most ardent supporters and he is said to have had significant sway in the selection of JD Vance as vice president.But the 47-year-old is reportedly planning to forego an official White House role to continue in his job as a Trump Organization executive vice president.Trump Jr and former Fox News Host Kimberly Guilfoyle reportedly broke off their engagement after six years of dating, but she will remain in the “family business” as ambassador to Greece.- Ivanka Trump – The eldest Trump daughter largely checked out of politics after leaving the White House, where she had worked as a top advisor to her father.”The main reason I am not going back to serve now is, I know the cost and it’s a price that I’m not willing to make my kids bear,” the mother-of-three, 43, told the “Him & Her Show” podcast ahead of Trump’s inauguration.She had already previewed her decision in a statement stepping out of public life when her father launched his 2024 campaign. – Eric Trump -Trump’s second son, 41, spent his father’s first term, like his older brother, as an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, overseeing its high-end real-estate portfolio.And like Don Jr, he has been at his father’s side as an unofficial advisor throughout the president-elect’s political career, frequently appearing at rallies and defending him on cable news. He is expected to continue in both roles.His wife Lara Trump, who is pursuing a pop music career, stepped down as Republican National Committee co-chair last year and withdrew from consideration as Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s replacement when he joins the administration.- Tiffany Trump -Tiffany Trump, 31, was largely out of the spotlight during her father’s first term, only making occasional public appearances with him. The Georgetown University law graduate attended some campaign events but did not speak at the 2024 Republican National Convention for the first time in three election cycles.The only child from Trump’s marriage to Marla Maples, she is reportedly expecting a baby and is planning to remain distanced from politics.- Barron Trump -Melania Trump was at pains during her husband’s first term to shield her son Barron from the harsh glare of the press but he is now 18 and beginning to chart his own political path.Trump’s youngest boy emerged as a surprise vital cog in the president-elect’s 2024 campaign machine, as his unofficial advisor on how to appeal to Gen Z.In an August interview with high-profile YouTuber Adin Ross, the president-elect shared that Barron had told him to appear on the channel as a guest, saying, “Dad, he’s really big.”The teenager — who is six feet seven inches (201 centimeters) tall — is studying at New York University.- In-laws -Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, like his wife Ivanka, was a senior White House advisor in Trump’s first term, cultivating ties with Middle Eastern leaders while brokering the Abraham Accords.He is not expected to rejoin the Trump administration but CNN has reported that he will serve as an unofficial advisor to the president on Middle Eastern affairs.His father Charles Kushner — a pardoned felon — and Massad Boulos, Tiffany’s father-in-law, will have formal roles as ambassador to France and Middle East advisor respectively.

US media are bracing for the White House return of Donald Trump, who previously helped to boost news consumption but is now prompting outlets to protect themselves from retaliation — legal or otherwise — from the famously grudge-bearing Republican. News organizations are girding themselves for a legal assault from Trump personally, as well as federal agencies that could theoretically frustrate broadcast licenses, comb through tax affairs and otherwise make life difficult for organizations that do not toe the line. New York University journalism professor Adam Penenberg told AFP that US news outlets, who normally compete in a fierce market, would have to cooperate to face down the threat posed by Trump.”Trump’s second term promises to be less reality show and more revenge tour, especially for the press,” he said. “The question isn’t whether he’ll attack the media. He will. But can the media resist bending under the weight of those attacks?”Early moves indicated that some US media were taking an initially conciliatory approach to Trump this term, with major broadcaster ABC opting to settle a defamation suit brought by the billionaire rather than fight it.The US news media landscape is also changing in both form and ownership.With an increasing number of US consumers getting their news from social media, Meta’s billionaire owner Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of Facebook’s US fact-checking program, which had previously drawn Trump’s ire. The Washington Post, owned by tech mogul Jeff Bezos, declined to endorse a candidate for president, and in recent days spiked a cartoon critical of tycoons currying favor with the Republican. – Defense of journalism -“The news media can prepare by reinforcing legal defenses, building coalitions between outlets, and fortifying cybersecurity to guard against hacks and leaks,” said Penenberg.The New York Times has repeatedly drawn rebukes from Trump over its persistent, attention-grabbing reporting of his political, personal, financial and legal problems.It warned that smaller news organizations may be unable to stand up to legal threats from Trump.”For smaller, less financially secure news organizations, the expense of defending themselves in lawsuits from Mr Trump and his allies may be enough to encourage self-censorship,” it said in a grave editorial.For some, the crackdown has already begun. Trump has sued an Iowa daily, the Des Moines Register, and an Iowa opinion pollster, for a survey that predicted Kamala Harris would win the state that the Republican ultimately carried.The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University said the move would “intimidate” others.A few days earlier, the Disney-owned ABC network agreed to pay $15 million in damages to settle Trump’s defamation lawsuits against its news division and a journalist, a move perceived by some as a climb-down.CBS is also considering settling lawsuits from Trump, who had accused its popular “60 Minutes” show of favoring Kamala Harris, the Wall Street Journal reported. CBS did not respond to a request for comment.- Comparison to oligarchs -Several organizations are reportedly reviewing their insurance coverage for libel or other litigation from hostile officials, while one non-profit is reviewing its compliance with labor regulations. Other media are working to protect sources in the event of whistleblower investigations.Penenberg, a former senior editor, stressed that while newsrooms should prepare for lawsuits, regulatory harassment and pressure campaigns, many US presidents have governed with deep hostility to the media.Former president Richard Nixon, he said, “turned paranoia into an art form.”Trump has long derided the media, calling it “fake news” at every opportunity, while his nominee for FBI chief has said he would “come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens.”Journalism professor Mark Feldstein compared efforts by some outlets and big tech to appease the Trump administration ahead of the inauguration to what “Russian oligarchs do with President Vladimir Putin.””In one sense, it is understandable because Donald Trump has made clear how vindictive he will be toward those who oppose him,” said Feldstein, who teaches at the University of Maryland.”But the public depends on a free press to keep government officials honest.”

A former Liberian rebel commander known as “Dragon Master” has pleaded guilty to US immigration fraud for lying about his role in the civil war in his home country.Laye Sekou Camara, 46, also known as “General K-1,” was accused of fraudulently obtaining a “green card” that allowed residency in the United States.He had been scheduled to go on trial in a federal court in Philadelphia, but he entered a guilty plea on Thursday on the eve of his trial, the Justice Department said Friday.Camara was a general in a Liberian rebel group from 1999 to 2003 that fought against the government of the West African nation that was led by then-president Charles Taylor, according to court documents.Camara falsely stated on US immigration forms that he had never participated in extrajudicial killings, had never been involved in a rebel group and had never engaged in the recruitment or use of child soldiers, the Justice Department said.”Camara fraudulently claimed that he had not participated in Liberia’s civil war,” Edward Owens, a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement.”In fact,” Owens said, “Camara was a high-ranking member of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group during Liberia’s Second Civil War.”As such, he was involved in committing atrocities, including the massacre of civilians, and the recruitment of child soldiers,” he added.According to the Global Justice and Research Project, a Liberia-based non-profit that documents war crimes, and Geneva-based NGO Civitas Maxima, victims had been prepared to testify at Camara’s trial as to his involvement in the Liberian conflict.Liberia’s brutal civil wars left around 250,000 people dead between 1989 and 2003.Camara’s sentencing was set for May 19. He faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, the Justice Department said.

The US Treasury Department will start taking “extraordinary measures” next week to avoid risking a default on government debt, Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday, days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.With the government reaching its borrowing limit, the department would start making the moves on Tuesday, the day after the inauguration, Yellen said in a letter to congressional leaders.That will mean Trump’s administration has to grapple immediately with the issue of the debt ceiling — the legal limit on government borrowing to pay bills already incurred.In the past, Congress has routinely voted to lift this bar, but that tool has become a contentious issue, with Republican budget hawks calling for drastic spending reductions instead.”Extraordinary measures” are a way for the Treasury to ensure that the US government can keep paying its bills and avoid a hugely destabilizing debt default.On Friday, Yellen said: “The period of time that extraordinary measures may last is subject to considerable uncertainty.”She noted there are challenges to forecasting the government’s payments and revenue months into the future.”I respectfully urge Congress to act promptly to protect the full faith and credit of the United States,” Yellen wrote.For now, she said the Treasury would hold off investments of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund not immediately required to pay beneficiaries.It would redeem a part of investments held by the fund, and also suspend added investments of amounts credited to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund.The funds will be made whole once the debt limit is raised or suspended.”Federal retirees and employees will be unaffected by these actions,” she said.In mid-2023, US lawmakers voted to suspend the debt limit after weeks of fraught negotiations, to eliminate the threat of a default.The limit was reinstated on January 2 and set at $36.1 trillion, matching the total debt outstanding on the previous day.During December budget negotiations in Congress, Trump insisted the debt ceiling be raised or even eliminated altogether, although he was unsuccessful at the time.On Thursday, Trump’s Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent told lawmakers at his confirmation hearing that he would work with Trump to remove the limit if the incoming president wanted to do so.He also vowed that the United States would not default on its debt if he became Treasury chief.Earlier this month, Fitch Ratings said the United States faces “significant fiscal policy challenges in 2025.”It pointed to the debt limit, appropriations and “tax cuts in the context of already large deficits and an increasing debt burden.””We believe it is unlikely that these will be resolved expeditiously because of long-standing weaknesses in the federal government’s budgetary process and a narrow Republican House majority,” Fitch added.

US law enforcement agents carried out exercises using barbed wire and concrete blocks Friday at a crossing on the border with Mexico as tensions crept up ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.Vehicle crossings on an international bridge connecting Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas were halted for about 40 minutes while US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers carried out training, an AFP journalist said.According to the CBP office in El Paso, the exercises began in 2019 and aim to ensure that agents are prepared for potential border incidents.Residents in Ciudad Juarez said the exercises have multiplied as Trump prepares to take office on Monday, having vowed the largest deportation of undocumented migrants in the history of the United States.”This is the second closure I’ve seen this week,” said Yadira Martinez, who was among those trying to cross.Ciudad Juarez is one of the main gateways to the United States for migrants fleeing poverty, violence or political instability in their countries. It is also one of the official entry points for migrants with appointments to file an asylum application through the US government’s cellphone app CBP One.Earlier this week another Mexican border city, Tijuana, declared an emergency to free up funds to deal with the potential arrival of deportees.Trump, who repeatedly called the arrival of migrants an “invasion,” has promised to declare a national emergency at the border with Mexico after taking office and to expel millions who lack residency papers.

Skepticism rages about whether Elon Musk actually put in the hours to become a top player of video games “Diablo IV” and “Path of Exile 2.”The fourth main installment in the Blizzard Entertainment series “Diablo” came out in 2023 and a “Vessel of Hatred” expansion pack was released late last year.Role-playing title “Path of Exile 2,” available to those who pay for early access, is expected to be free-to-play when it is officially released this year by Grinding Gear Games.Early talk among gamers is that “Path of Exile 2” is similar enough to “Diablo” to be considered a “clone”.Versions of both games are designed to be played on Xbox and PlayStation consoles and on personal computers running the Windows operating system.- Dungeon crawling -“Diablo” is considered a “dungeon crawler,” a genre in which a player’s character fights monsters, avoids traps, and solves puzzles to progress.Gameplay, not surprisingly, often takes place in fantasy-like dungeons or chambers, with adversaries becoming increasingly difficult.Victories earn rewards that players can use to ramp up their character’s abilities.Gaming industry analyst Mat Piscatella described “Diablo” as “a fantasy action role-playing game whose primary hook for players is the never-ending search for better weapons, armor and items in order to progress in the game to go find even more better weapons, armor and items.” “There’s a story, of course, but really, it’s all about the loot,” he said.- Grinding -Using a tactic called “grinding,” players repeat simple tasks to beat low-level enemies and amass loot.”Basically, clicking on enemies a lot,” Piscatella said.Players can spend hours grinding, prompting doubt that Musk had that kind of time to fritter while running Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company, and X, formerly known as Twitter.The main story in “Diablo IV” can be finished in about 30 hours, with the time commitment multiplying if a player tackles all side missions.The game also has an online multiplayer component.According to industry watcher Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, the average “Diablo IV” player in the United States now plays between 10 and 35 hours per month.The average per-player time spent in “Path of Exile 2” in the United States since early access became an option in December ranged from 37 hours to 50.7 hours depending on whether they were using consoles or personal computers, Circana determined.- Barbarians and druids -“Diablo IV” players get to choose from six classes of characters: barbarian, druid, necromancer, rogue, sorcerer or spiritborn — each with its own strengths.Players battle their way through dungeons in an open world, building up their characters as they advance through quests and the story.There are also options for players to battle one another online. Musk has posted video and comments indicating he has played barbarian and spiritborn characters.”Path of Exile 2″ is described in online gamer forums as a more complicated action role-playing game than “Diablo.”Online posts indicate Musk has used both softcore and hardcore characters in “Path of Exile 2,” the former for acclimating to the game and the latter for testing one’s skills.

Elon Musk’s self-proclaimed persona as a top-class gamer took a thrashing on Friday, as video game enthusiasts mercilessly mocked the tech billionaire following a disastrous performance in a livestream.The uproar — tinged with hilarity –- left the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX battling the humiliating accusation that he was faking it as a skilled gamer.It erupted after Musk streamed himself last week playing “Path of Exile 2,” boasting of having one of the highest-ranked characters and inviting scrutiny from seasoned gamers.Many noted that Musk made rookie mistakes and was unfamiliar with basic game mechanics that he should have been familiar with given the advanced level of his avatar in the game.Suspicions swirled that the world’s richest man had hired help, inviting brutal comments that demolished his elite gamer persona.”This sounds like a middle-schooler giving a book report on a book they’ve never read,” said one comment under a YouTube video of Musk’s gameplay.A popular Twitch streamer called Asmongold took the criticism a step further, challenging Musk to prove that he had reached that level himself.The rebuke did not go down well.The billionaire unfollowed Asmongold on X, and soon the streamer lost his blue checkmark. The platform, previously known as Twitter, was purchased by Musk in 2022 for $44 billion.The spat did not end there. Musk shared private direct messages he had exchanged with Asmongold, which insinuated that the streamer’s opinions were not his own.”Asmon behaves like a maverick ‘independent,'” Musk wrote in a post.”But in reality has to ask his boss for permission before he can do anything. He is not his own man.”Provoking titters online, Musk’s post was attached with a Community Note — a crowd-sourced tool to debunk false information — which noted that Asmongold does not have “bosses.” The public spat led to an avalanche of comments that labelled Musk a “man-child” and lampooned his “fragile ego,” while many previous fans added that the billionaire had lost their trust.- ‘Killing the demons’ -The brouhaha punctures Musk’s carefully cultivated persona as something of a superhuman with extraordinary time management skills: running multiple corporations, posting breathlessly on X and excelling at video games — all while being a father to several children.The billionaire is also an an advisor to the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump and has been tapped to run the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with reducing government spending.”Path of Exile 2″ is considered a challenging game that expert players say requires a serious time commitment to reach the advanced level of Musk’s character — something he likely lacks. The tycoon has frequently shared his gaming experiences on social media, claiming to be one of the top players in various online games.He has said the activity forces him to “concentrate” and “killing the demons in a video game calms the demons” in his mind.The uproar has led users to question Musk’s other purported accomplishments, such as his claim that he was among the top 20 players of role-playing video game “Diablo IV.””As a gamer, you have a lot of pride in your rank/level. Trying to fake that while also being the richest guy in the world is just so absurdly unnecessary,” wrote one user on X. “I would say it also makes me wonder, if he is willing to lie about this, what else is he willing to lie about.”

Former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang was sentenced to more than eight years in prison on Friday in connection with a graft scandal that sparked an economic crisis in his home country.Chang, 69, was convicted in a US court in August for his role in the so-called “hidden debt” scandal that saw the Mozambican government contracting $2 billion in secret loans in 2013 and 2014 from international banks to buy a tuna-fishing fleet and surveillance vessels.The loans were hidden from parliament, but the debt came to light in 2016, prompting donors, including the IMF and the World Bank, to turn off financial support.The scandal triggered Mozambique’s worst economic crisis since independence from Portugal four decades earlier.An independent audit later found that $500 million had been diverted and remained unaccounted for.According to the Justice Department, Chang and his co-conspirators diverted more than $200 million of the loan proceeds to pay bribes and kickbacks.Chang was accused of receiving $7 million in bribes to help secure the loans.He was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and sentenced to 102 years in prison. He was also ordered to forfeit $7 million.Chang, who was arrested in South Africa and extradited to the United States, has already spent a total of six years in US and South African prisons and he may only have to serve another 2.5 years.”Chang’s brazen misconduct betrayed his duty to the people of Mozambique and defrauded investors, including those in the United States, of substantial amounts,” Brent Wible, a Justice Department official, said in a statement.”Today’s sentence shows that foreign officials who abuse their power to commit crimes targeting the US financial system will meet US justice,” acting US Attorney Carolyn Pokorny said.

Americans will be hit by a “Trump tariffs tax” if the US president-elect increases customs duties on Canadian products, the Canadian foreign minister said Friday, pledging a hard-hitting response in any trade war.Donald Trump, who returns to the White House next week, has said he plans to slap 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports as part of his economic and foreign policy plans that also target Mexico, China and other trade partners.”This would be the biggest trade war between Canada and the US in decades,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said. “The Americans would be starting a trade war against us.”We are ready to put maximum pressure,” she said at a press conference in Washington, adding that Canada has a series of measures prepared if Trump carries out his threat, which would have a major impact on Canadian consumers and jobs.A government source told AFP that Ottawa is considering higher duties on goods from the United States including steel products, ceramics like toilets and sinks, glassware and orange juice — in a first phase of tariffs that could be extended.”We will be strong and unequivocal in our defense of Canada and Canadians,” said outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.”The proposed tariffs would put American jobs at risk, raise prices for American consumers, put our collective security at risk and raise costs all across the continent.”One scenario from Scotiabank suggests that a trade war could cause Canadian GDP to fall by more than five percent, increase unemployment significantly and fuel inflation.

“I almost, like, don’t know how to define myself without TikTok,” content creator Ayman Chaudhary sighed, reflecting the consternation of millions over US authorities’ scheduled banning Sunday of the hugely popular app.After months of legal tussles, the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that would ban the video-sharing platform — used by 170 million Americans — in the name of national security, unless its Chinese owners reach an 11th-hour deal to sell it to American buyers.”I’m more sad than shocked,” the 24-year-old Chaudhary told AFP. “But still, it’s sad and disappointing that the US government has come together to ban an app instead of banding together to adopt a law that matters about health or education.” It remains uncertain whether TikTok will turn out the lights Sunday — for a single day or forever. Potential buyers exist, though TikTok’s owner, Chinese tech company ByteDance, has systematically refused to part with its crown jewel.President-elect Donald Trump, just days from his second inauguration, said Friday that he “must have time” to decide whether to enforce the high court’s ruling. He promised a decision “in the not too distant future.”Until then, Ayman and countless other content creators have been left gloomily contemplating a future without TikTok.- Mandarin ‘out of spite’? -“I started five years ago in 2020 during (the Covid-19) quarantine, and I’ve been employed, like, through TikTok, and now it just feels like suddenly I’m unemployed,” said Ayman, an avid reader who offers book recommendations on the platform, earning enough from ads and sponsors to pay her bills. Like thousands of other worried TikTok users, she has protectively created a profile on Xiaohongshu (“Little Red Book”), a Chinese social media network similar to Instagram. Nicknamed “Red Note” by its American users, it was the most-downloaded app on the American Apple Store this week. People are turning to Red Note, Ayman said, as “kind of a protest, because it is a Chinese-owned app, and TikTok is being banned because it’s, like, Chinese-owned.”The language-teaching app Duolingo made a clear pitch to people looking for life after TikTok.”Learning Mandarin out of spite? You’re not alone,” Duolingo posted on X. “We’ve seen a 216% growth in new Chinese (Mandarin) learners in the US compared to this time last year.”On TikTok, many American creators have published videos combining their favorite moments on the app with farewell messages urging fans to follow them to other platforms, including Xiaohongshu — while openly mocking the concerns of American lawmakers. – ‘Micro-influencers’ -“Most students don’t buy the narrative that there’s Chinese spies that are controlling the algorithm” on TikTok, said Chris Dier, a history teacher who shares educational videos on TikTok and uses them as well in his classes.He said students “think that the United States government is not a fan of TikTok because… the government can’t easily control it.”Xiaohongshu, which is entirely in Mandarin, would not appear to provide a realistic long-term alternative for frustrated American users. Popular even before the pandemic, TikTok exploded among young people living in quarantine, and became a must-have resource for many small companies and start-ups.”It’s a scary time for a lot of smaller creators, because I think TikTok is one of the very few platforms on the internet where micro-influencers can really thrive,” said Nathan Espinoza, who has more than 550,000 subscribers on the app. Indeed, the social network has built its success not so much via personal recommendations as through its ultra-powerful algorithm, which lets it rapidly identify users’ interests and funnel content of particular interest to them. “I’m a more YouTube-centric creator now,” Espinoza said. “But I wouldn’t be where I am today without TikTok, because that first viral video showed me that it’s possible, and there’s an audience for the type of videos that I make.”