America in Brief

US Trade Deals

The United States announced on Nov. 14 that it had reached a trade agreement with Switzerland, reducing tariffs to 15 percent, down from 39 percent, one of the higher rates imposed on a country.

Under the agreement, Switzerland intends to “encourage and facilitate” $200 billion of investment into the United States over the next five years, to create manufacturing and research and development jobs.”

At the same time, Liechtenstein pledged to invest at least $300 million, “and increase by 50 percent over the next five years the number of jobs created by its private sector in the United States.”

On Nov. 13, the Trump administration announced trade agreements with several Latin American countries.

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Argentina will face a 10 percent tariff, while Ecuador will be given a 15 percent tariff due to a small trade deficit.

Trump Pardons People in 2020 Election Challenges

President Donald Trump has pardoned several people who were involved in efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.

Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, along with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, were mentioned in a statement announcing the names of more than 70 people.

Lawyers Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, and Kenneth Chesebro were also pardoned.

More than 60 legal challenges were made to contest the 2020 U.S. elections. Many of the lawyers who filed those complaints faced harassment, censure, and in some cases disbarment.

“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation,” the pardon proclamation said.

The document was posted to X on Nov. 10 by U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin.

Trump Expands Foster Care

Trump signed an executive order on Nov. 13, aimed at bolstering foster care efforts in the United States.

“Fostering the Future for American Children and Families” is a part of First Lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future, a Be Best initiative created in 2018, aimed at providing educational opportunities and scholarships for children in the foster care system.

Nearly 400,000 children are in the foster care system, according to the Department of Education.

“Each year, more than 15,000 young people age out of the foster care system, and unfortunately, too many struggle to become self-sufficient,” Trump said. “The order … will provide vital new resources to help young people transition out of the foster care system and live a very happy and a very successful life.”

Many children in the foster care community lack the resources they need to complete their education and join the workforce.

According to the National Foster Youth Institute, 55 percent of foster youth graduate from high school, compared with 87 percent of the general population. And less than 5 percent obtain a college degree.

Waymo Launches 1st Motorway-Level Driverless Cars

Waymo has launched the first driverless freeway-capable taxis in the United States in San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

This will include curb-side pickups at San Jose Mineta International Airport in California, in addition to San Francisco Airport, where it is currently being tested.

Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has been rapidly expanding its services and plans to move into San Diego, Detroit, and Las Vegas.

Previously, Waymo’s robotaxis had been limited to city streets and have been driving passengers since 2015, with its full autonomous service available in the Phoenix Metro area in 2020.

London is also slated to welcome these fully driverless vehicles to its streets in 2026 as a pilot project.

“Over the coming months, we’ll lay the groundwork for our service in collaboration with our fleet operations partner Moove, and continue to engage with local and national leaders to secure the necessary permissions for our commercial ride-hailing service in London,” Waymo said.