William Hare operated the largest pottery business in Delaware, despite not having a large, industrialized operation. Christopher Espenshade’s study of Hare’s work provides insight into Delaware’s pottery industry, 19th-century changes in pottery products, and the development of the modern city of Wilmington. William Hare: Master Potter of Wilmington, Delaware, 1839-1885 – by Christopher Espenshade   […]

Event commemorates the 340th anniversary of Penn’s disembarkment at New Castle, his first landing in the New World.

Attorney General Jennings today called on U.S. Attorney General William Barr to reverse his abrupt change to a 40-year-old U.S. Department of Justice policy that until this week had kept the department from interfering with election results. In a letter to AG Barr, AG Jennings and 22 other attorneys general strongly objected to a November […]

Ex-Tower Hill employee faces seven felonies; no Delaware children or THS students among known victims A Wilmington man and former Tower Hill School employee arrested in April has been indicted on charges arising from a child pornography investigation. William Ushler, 53, was arrested and charged on April 19 by members of the Department of Justice […]

  Wilmington, DE. May 6, 2019–The Delaware Department of Labor Pencader Office will no longer offer “counter service” and process unemployment insurance applications at its location. Beginning May 20, 2019, individuals must apply for unemployment insurance online. To file an unemployment insurance claim, log on to ui.delawareworks.com and click the red/orange button “File An Unemployment […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- Thursday, July 30, 2020, Wilmington, Delaware. The Delaware Department of Labor releases public notification to inform all Delawareans currently receiving Unemployment Insurance Benefits, that the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program ended on July 25, 2020.   Due to the rise in unemployment resulting from the COVID-19 global pandemic, Congress authorized a […]

WILMINGTON (Sept. 8, 2020) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved Delaware’s application to receive Lost Wages Assistance funding from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. On August 8, 2020, President Trump made available up to $44 billion from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to Americans who have lost wages due to the […]

NEW CASTLE (Dec. 22, 2021) Forty-eight individuals and 13 groups will be honored with the 2021 Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award during a virtual ceremony to be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 17, 2022. The recipients will be recognized for significant contributions, engagement and impact in diverse service activities. Throughout the month of December, staff members […]

NEW CASTLE (Jan. 24, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for January to eligible households as part of the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance […]

The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for February to eligible households as part of the State’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

NEW CASTLE (March 23, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for March to eligible households as part of the State’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance […]

NEW CASTLE (April 26, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for April to eligible households as part of the State’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance […]

DOVER (May 4, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) announced today that the Columbus Organization will continue to operate as the Division’s Targeted Case Management Provider, providing case management support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families across the State. Targeted Case Management through the Columbus Organization provides […]

NEW CASTLE (May 25, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for May to eligible households as part of the State’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance […]

NEW CASTLE (June 28, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for June to eligible households as part of the State’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance […]

Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA). The SNAP emergency food benefit will be available on recipients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards Thursday, July 28. Eligible TANF and GA households will receive an emergency cash benefit check on or after Thursday, July 28.

Eligible Families Will Receive Emergency Food Assistance Benefits in 2 Distributions   NEW CASTLE (Aug. 2, 2022) – Eligible Delaware households will receive emergency food assistance benefits under the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to cover the summer period when children are on break and not receiving meals at school. The following children are […]

NEW CASTLE (Aug. 24, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for August to eligible households as part of the State’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance […]

NEW CASTLE (Sept. 19, 2022) – Delaware Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) offices in all three counties will be closed Friday, Sept. 23, due to an in-service staff meeting. Child support customers who have in-person business are encouraged to come earlier in the week. Account information can be accessed 24/7 by calling the Automated […]

NEW CASTLE (Sept. 27, 2022) – The Delaware Division of Social Services will issue emergency benefits for September to eligible households as part of the State’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Benefits will be issued as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance […]

Delaware Will Issue Spring 2022 P-EBT Child Care Benefit on Oct. 7 to Children under Age 6 in Households Receiving SNAP Benefits NEW CASTLE (Oct. 6, 2022) – Delaware families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits will get emergency food assistance through the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program for children under the […]

Due to a recent change in federal law passed in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, this will be the final emergency benefits payment as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Emergency benefits paid as part of two cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and General Assistance (GA) – will continue until the end of the federal Public Health Emergency in May.

On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, the Office of Animal Welfare (OAW) was recognized by the 152nd General Assembly, with House Concurrent Resolution 81 sponsored by Rep. Kimberly Williams, (D-19), and Sen. Jack Walsh, (D-9). November 2023 marked 10 years since the OAW was established under the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH). The OAW is […]

"Generative AI (GenAI) initiatives should support broader public goals and needs," says SAS' Ensley Tan. While governments recognize GenAI's potential to improve operational efficiency and citizen experience, there is more to it than setting up projects and expecting them to work. Tan, SAS Asia-Pacific Lead for Public Sector Consulting, said public [...]

From data to delivery: How GenAI will shape the future of public service was published on SAS Voices by Lucy Chan

Generative AI (GenAI) is here to stay – there’s no question about it. A recent SAS survey of 1,600 organizations found that 54% have begun implementing It, and 86% plan to invest in it within the next financial year. As organizations integrate AI into their workflows, a critical question arises: [...]

From business users to system architects: How generative AI will change the way you work was published on SAS Voices by Stu Sztukowski

It’s no surprise that MarTech in 2024 seemed to be dominated by GenAI, GenAI and … more GenAI. Perhaps this is a bit of an exaggeration, but you can’t deny this topic was a headliner in the MarTech space, along with AI and customer data platforms. Here are my top [...]

3 ways MarTech will evolve in 2025 was published on SAS Voices by Jonathan Moran

The Delaware Judiciary welcomed its first “facility” or comfort dog to the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in partnership with the Delaware Capitol Police.

A controversy over a WhatsApp group named 'Mallu Hindu Officers', allegedly administered by Kerala Industry and Commerce Department Director K. Gopalakrishnan, is in the spotlight.

1. South Africa vs India Match Prediction - Who will win today’s 3rd T20I match between SA vs IND?  CricTracker
2. SA look to break spin stranglehold while India worry about depth  ESPNcricinfo
3. South Africa vs India 3rd T20 Playing 11, live match time (IST), streaming  Business Standard
4. Time running out for Abhishek, Avesh as Ramandeep-Vyshak waiting in wings: India vs South Africa 3rd T20I Probable XIs  Hindustan Times
5. India, SA eye series lead in Centurion before decisive T20I in Johannesburg  Cricbuzz

1. Magnus Carlsen interview: I probably will have the most fun playing Gukesh  Hindustan Times
2. "It's Chaotic": Chess World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen Reveals Why He Does Not Play In India  NDTV Sports
3. Tata Steel Chess set for a Carlsen-Pragg opening  Hindustan Times
4. Magnus Carlsen returns to Kolkata after almost five years at Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz 2024  ChessBase India
5. King Carlsen hails growth of Indian chess, praises Praggnanandhaa's fighting spirit  Telegraph India

Sub-Saharan Africa is the world’s fastest growing mobile phone market, but how can telecoms companies make the most of the huge opportunities the region provides?

The trend towards the vetting of foreign investment, especially projects that involve advanced technology and national data or pose potential security threats, is on the rise. David Gabathuler and Matthew T West give a trans-Atlantic perspective.

Long-dominant global supply chains look less tenable in the light of pressures ranging from pandemics to disasters, trade tensions and protectionism.

Covid-19 crisis has laid bare the weaknesses of global value chains around the world

Apple now lets you share location of lost items with third parties via Find My accessories and AirTags.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

Check here each week to keep up with the latest from John MacArthur's pulpit at Grace Community Church.

The Group Managing Director of Nedcomoaks Group, Dr Ned Okonkwo, has stated that the adoption of electric vehicles will help reduce maintenance by almost 70 per cent. He stated this on Tuesday at the agreement signing ceremony for 2,000 EVs by CIG Motors, Nedcomoaks and Fidelity Bank in Lagos. He noted that the partnership was

The following sermon transcript does not match the video version of the sermon—it matches only the audio version. Here's a brief exp

The United States said Tuesday that Israel has made limited progress on increasing the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as Washington requested, so the Biden administration will not limit arms transfers to Israel. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that "we at this time have not made an assessment that the Israelis are in violation of U.S. law." The administration told its ally on October 13 that it had one month to increase aid to Gaza, where the situation after 13 months of war between Israel and Hamas militants has unleashed a catastrophic humanitarian situation, or face a reduction in military aid. The deadline was Tuesday. “We are not giving Israel a pass," Patel said, adding that "we want to see the totality of the humanitarian situation improve, and we think some of these steps will allow the conditions for that to continue to progress." Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israel’s top national security adviser, Ron Dermer, in Washington on Monday to go over the steps that Israel has taken. At the United Nations, U.S. envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council that Israel has taken some important steps, including restoring aid deliveries to the north, but that it must ensure its actions are “fully implemented and its improvements sustained over time.” “And we continue to reiterate, there must be no forcible displacement nor policy of starvation in Gaza, which would have grave implications under U.S. and international law,” she said. A senior U.N. human rights official said at the same meeting that the entry and distribution of aid into Gaza has fallen to “some of the lowest levels in a year” and criticized Israel’s conduct of military operations in the north. “All states, consistent with their obligations under international law, must therefore assess arms sales or transfers and provision of military, logistical or financial support to a party to the conflict, with a view to ending such support if this risks serious violations of international law,” Ilze Brands Kehris, U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights, said. Israel denies it is limiting aid to Gaza, blaming the U.N. and aid agencies for slow distribution and Hamas for stealing it. Earlier Tuesday, eight international aid organizations said that of 19 measures of compliance with the U.S. demands, Israel failed to comply with 15 and only partially complied with four. "Israel not only failed to meet the U.S. criteria that would indicate support to the humanitarian response, but concurrently took actions that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in Northern Gaza," the report said. “That situation is in an even more dire state today than a month ago.” Asked what grade the United Nations would give Israel, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric would not offer one, but said, “I think from what we've been telling you over the last few days and frankly much longer, it's pretty clear that we're nowhere near what we need.” While aid entering Gaza is insufficient overall, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it is especially bad in northern Gaza, where 85% of its attempts to coordinate aid convoys and humanitarian visits in October were denied or impeded. “As I brief you, Israeli authorities are blocking humanitarian assistance from entering North Gaza, where fighting continues, and around 75,000 people remain with dwindling water and food supplies,” acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya told the Security Council meeting. “Conditions of life across Gaza are unfit for human survival,” she said. Famine alert On Friday, U.N.-backed food security experts issued an urgent warning, saying there is a strong likelihood that famine is occurring or imminent in parts of northern Gaza and that immediate action is needed to avert a catastrophe. “By the time famine has been declared, people are already dying of hunger, with irreversible consequences that can last generations,” Rein Paulsen told the Security Council meeting. Paulsen is the director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience at the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization. “The window of opportunity to deliver this assistance is now, today, not tomorrow,” he said. Israel’s U.N. ambassador told reporters ahead of the council meeting that the report by the famine committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC as the experts are known, is “harmful propaganda” and “filled with baseless and slanderous claims” against Israel. “As I have said here in the past, there are agencies dedicated to real humanitarian work, and then there are those like the IPC, which prioritize smearing Israel over actually helping those in need,” Danny Danon said. Inside the council, he said IPC claims of imminent famine in northern Gaza are “simply false,” and that Israel facilitated over 713 trucks into the north in October. He said across Gaza, a dozen bakeries produce pita bread, and overall, Israel is allowing aid in through multiple crossing points, including the Kissufim crossing to central Gaza, which was opened on Tuesday after having been shuttered 19 years ago. “Are these the actions of a state wishing to cause a famine?” Danon asked. Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said Israel should allow international journalists into Gaza to see for themselves whether there is famine or not. “We need international media, independent media, to go and to document exactly what is happening,” Mansour told reporters. “It is genocide in northern Gaza, and we need the international media to go and tell the story.” In 13 months of war, Israel has allowed only a few handpicked reporters to accompany its troops into Gaza on brief tours to see the Hamas tunnels. It has also shuttered the bureau of Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera in Israel. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 137 journalists and media workers have been killed, nearly all of them Palestinian. As the situation worsens, the Security Council’s 10 elected members are working on a draft resolution on the protection of civilians in the conflict and the need for an immediate cease-fire, release of hostages and scaling up of aid. Biden reaffirms support for Israel President Joe Biden reiterated his support of Israel during a Tuesday Oval Office meeting with Israel’s president and echoed the wish to see the return of the remaining hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza for more than a year. “My commitment to Israel is ironclad,” Biden told President Isaac Herzog during their morning meeting in the White House. “And we share a deep friendship.” Herzog underscored his government’s main objective: “First and foremost, we have to get the hostages back.” As President-elect Donald Trump begins to put his government together, his transition office announced Tuesday that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is his nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, and real estate investor Steve Witkoff will be his special envoy to the Middle East. Air strikes in Gaza, Beirut Israeli airstrikes killed at least 14 people in Gaza on Tuesday, Palestinian authorities said, while in Lebanon, plumes of smoke rose above Beirut’s southern suburbs less than an hour after Israeli forces told residents to evacuate. A strike early Tuesday hit a house at a refugee camp in central Gaza, killing three people, according to Al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Israel's new defense minister, Israel Katz, said on X that during a meeting with military officials Tuesday, he reiterated that Israel will continue hitting Hezbollah with full force, and that there will be no cease-fire in Lebanon. The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, although about one-third of them are believed to be dead. Israel's counteroffensive has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to local health authorities. The Israeli military says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas militants. The war spread to Lebanon in mid-September, after months of rocket fire from Hezbollah into Israel and drone and airstrikes by Israel’s military in south Lebanon escalated. More than 3,200 Lebanese have been killed, most of them in the past six weeks. Both Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell and United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, battered in parliamentary elections last month, has survived a rare runoff vote against the opposition to remain the country's leader but he still faces turmoil ahead. One of his top priorities is dealing with the aftermath of a major corruption scandal in the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in which dozens of lawmakers from the party are alleged to have pocketed profits from event ticket sales as kickbacks. Ishiba also now has a much-emboldened, opposition eager to push through policies long stymied by the LDP. Support ratings for his Cabinet have fallen to about 30%. Here is a look at what's happening in Japan's tumultuous politics, and what it might mean for Ishiba and his government as they prepare to navigate a second term of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Why did the vote in parliament take place? A parliamentary vote for a new leader is mandatory within 30 days of a general election. In the past that was mostly ignored as the head of the LDP usually enjoyed a majority in the Lower House, the more powerful of Japan’s two-chamber parliament. This time, though, because Ishiba's LDP and its junior coalition partner lost its majority in the recent election, the runoff on Monday couldn't be avoided — the first in 30 years. What's next for the prime minister? Opposition's top leader, Yoshihiko Noda, has noted that nearly half of all lower house steering committees are now headed by the opposition. That’s a huge change from the pre-election domination of the LDP, which controlled all but three of the 27 committees. “We are going to have a new landscape in Japanese politics,” Noda said. Twelve of the committees in key areas, including budget, political reforms, national security and legal affairs, will be headed by Noda’s Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and two other main opposition groups. What's certain is that the era of LDP’s one-sided rule is over, for now, and the opposition has a chance to achieve policies long opposed by the ruling conservatives, including on issues like gender equality and diversity. Noda last Friday said a legal committee that is now headed by his party’s gender equality chief, Chinami Nishimura, is aiming to achieve a civil code revision to allow married couples the option of keeping separate surnames. That change has been stalled by LDP conservatives for 30 years despite widespread support by the public and a United Nations panel on discrimination against women. Who is the opposition kingmaker? Yuichiro Tamaki is head of the conservative Democratic Party for the People, which quadrupled its seats to 28 in the election. The vote elevated his party from a fringe group to a major player. He is now being cast as a potential key to Ishiba’s survival. A Harvard-educated former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, the 55-year-old Tamaki has seen success by pushing for the raising of a basic tax-free income allowance and an increase of take-home wages. His messages on social media have appealed to younger voters, who have long been ignored by LDP policies catering to conservative elderly. Ishiba apparently seems to find Tamaki’s 28-member DPP an attractive partner to secure a majority. The two parties, which have common ground in some areas — including support for greater nuclear energy use and a stronger military — have started policy talks. Ishiba met with both Tamaki and Noda on Monday but Tamaki may be cautious about moving too close to a scandal-plagued LDP ahead of another election next year. Noda is struggling to form a unified opposition to force a change of government, which he says is his next goal. What does this mean for Ishiba's government? For Ishiba, the “hung parliament” requires him to win over opposition forces so he can push his policies. While considered unstable, it might also provide a chance for a more consensus-based policy making process, experts say. “I’m taking the current situation positively as a chance to get our opposition voice heard more carefully,” Tamaki said. Ishiba also faces challenges of restoring unity in his own party. A number of senior LDP lawmakers are waiting to overthrow Ishiba, though their priority is to resolidify their footholds, not infighting — and nobody is eager to do damage control at this difficult time anyway. “The [Ishiba] administration is quite unstable. ... He will have to get opposition parties' cooperation every time he wants to get a bill approved, which could stall policies,” said University of Tokyo political science professor Yu Uchiyama. And even if Ishiba survives politically in the coming months, there could be a call for his replacement ahead of next elections. “Japan is likely to return to a period of short-lived government,” Uchiyama said. How does this affect Japan's diplomacy, security and ties with Trump? Ishiba congratulated Trump hours after his victory and in a brief telephone conversation, they agreed to closely work together to further elevate their alliance. While experts say Trump understands the importance of U.S.-Japan relations, he may — as he did in his first administration — pressure Japan to pay more for the cost of 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan or to buy more expensive American weapons. Trump's possible tariff proposals could also hurt Japanese exporters. Ishiba on Saturday renewed his pledge to pursue an ongoing military buildup plan under a strategy that calls for a counter-strike capability with long-range cruise-missiles. He has long advocated a more equal Japan-U.S. security alliance but could face difficulty pursuing those plans. ‘’It will be a fantastic experiment to see if a national unity government can get Japan through until the next election,” said Michael Cucek, an expert in Japanese politics at Temple University in Japan.  

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has left little question about the sort of economic policies he will pursue when he is sworn in for a second term as president in January. The once-and-future president has promised to extend existing tax cuts and implement new ones; to pursue a deregulation agenda, particularly when it comes to energy production; to reinstate a strong protectionist trade policy, including substantial tariffs on imports; and to undertake a "mass deportation" program that would remove a large number of the millions of undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States. While there may be little doubt about the kind of policies Trump will implement, the degree to which he will pursue them is an open question. "The problem that all economists are dealing with is they don't know how much of what Trump said on the campaign trail to take seriously," Steven B. Kamin, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, told VOA. "They don't know if he's going to do a lot of these things, or if he is, how far he'll take it." When it comes to tariffs, Trump has promised across-the-board 10%-20% levies on all imports, and charges of up to 60% on goods coming from China, which experts warn would be economically ruinous. His rhetoric about fossil fuel extraction suggests he will drive up oil and gas production, even though the U.S. is currently producing more energy than it ever has. On immigration, he and his advisers have vacillated between suggesting that all undocumented people will be forcibly removed and describing a much more targeted operation. Tax policy One thing that appears certain is that Trump will work with Congress — which seems likely to be fully controlled by the Republican Party — to extend the tax cuts that became law as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which he signed into law in 2017. Those tax cuts reduced the income taxes paid by many American workers and reduced taxable income by increasing the standard deduction. They also sharply cut the top business income tax bracket from 39% to 21%. Those provisions are all scheduled to expire over the next several years, some as soon as 2025, and Trump has proposed making them permanent. Trump has also floated the idea of other tax cuts, including further reducing the business income tax to a maximum of 15%, and making income from overtime wages, tips and Social Security payments nontaxable, all of which would reduce government revenues. Kamin said the stimulative impact of Trump's proposed additional tax changes would likely not be great, but the impact on the country's debt might be, because they will virtually guarantee additional government borrowing to finance deficit spending. "The real concern for folks that are concerned about the fiscal balance — and I'm one of them — is that by cementing in place large fiscal deficits as far as the eye can see, even in environments of strong economic activity when we should be running surpluses, that leads to increases in the debt," he said. "That, eventually, should lead to crowding out of private investment, rising interest rates, and more worries about the government's sustainability position," Kamin added. "But when the debt will reach a level that will be worrisome in that respect, nobody knows." Cost-cutting In theory, some of the deficit spending made necessary by large tax cuts could be offset by a reduction in government spending, something Trump has also floated on the campaign trail. In particular, the president-elect has proposed creating a Department of Government Efficiency, to be headed by Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of the electric car company Tesla and the rocket builder SpaceX, and the owner of X, the social network formerly known as Twitter. For his part, Musk has mused that it should be possible to slash federal spending by as much as $2 trillion per year, or about 30%. Reductions of that magnitude would require deep cuts to a vast array of programs, including elements of the social safety net such as Social Security and federal health programs like Medicaid. However, it is unclear how Trump would persuade even a Republican Congress to enact such a wide-ranging reduction in government services. Immigration policy If Trump follows through on a policy of mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, it is virtually certain to have a negative impact on economic sectors where they are present as laborers in significant concentrations, especially agriculture and construction, said Marcus Noland, executive vice president and director of studies at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "If you take lots of people out of the labor force, you reduce the amount of output, because there's less labor available, and you raise prices," Noland told VOA. "These people are not distributed evenly across the United States economy," he said. "They're concentrated in agriculture and construction, so you would disrupt those sectors the most, especially if you combine it with tariffs." Trade policy Trump's tariff proposals, especially if he follows through with his maximalist proposals from the campaign trail, could be significantly damaging. While theoretically meant to stimulate American manufacturing, Noland warned that they could have the opposite effect. "Some modeling that I worked on suggest that those tariff policies, instead of reviving the industrial sector, will actually reduce industrial activity in the United States," he warned. Blanket tariffs on imports, and especially high levies on Chinese goods, would create severe challenges for U.S. manufacturers. "The reason is that you would increase the price of industrial inputs, and so, the United States would become a high-cost place to produce," he said. "Investment would fall — and investment is intensive in industrial materials — so, ironically, it has the opposite effect of what its proponents say."