Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean 
New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
Israel Receives Body of Deceased Hostage as Rafah Crossing Reopening Hinges on Final Returns 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
Michael Dell Pledges $6.25 Billion to Boost Children’s Investment Accounts Under Trump Initiative 
Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
Trump Claims He Will Void Biden Documents Signed with Autopen 
Australia and Japan Strengthen Defence Cooperation Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
There is less than a month to go before Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. Following his previous announcements unveiling his potential Cabinet picks, Biden announced his nomination of Miguel Cardona for Education Secretary.
Biden announced his plans to nominate Cardona on Tuesday to become his Education Secretary. Should Cardona be confirmed by the Senate, he would be taking the lead in the reopening of most public schools in the first 100 days. Cardona would also become another Latino that Biden brings onto his diverse Cabinet. Currently serving as Connecticut’s education commissioner, Cardona was a public school educator in Meriden, Connecticut for 20 years.
“In Miguel Cardona, America will have an experienced and dedicated public school teacher leading the way at the Department of Education,” said Biden in a statement. The president-elect and vice president-elect Kamala Harris will be formally announcing Cardona’s nomination on Wednesday, December 23 at Wilmington, Delaware.
The nomination earned praise from many as Cardona is not affiliated with any teachers’ unions or is an advocate of school choice. Biden also pledged to reverse the policies that outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has implemented such as stricter rules for investigations of sexual harassment in schools and colleges and looser guidelines that benefit for-profit colleges. The Biden administration will likely be focused on embracing a public school-friendly agenda, according to analysts.
Despite the criticism that Cardona has received from the Connecticut Education Association regarding keeping schools open during the pandemic, the union noted his years of experience as a teacher and administrators have been integral in his appointment as the state’s education commissioner.
Once Biden is sworn into the presidency on January 20, 2021, he will also be taking over the official POTUS Twitter account, but not the followers that the account comes with. The Biden-Harris transition team has slammed the social media platform’s move to wipe out the millions of followers of the White House accounts when it is handed over to the new administration. When Trump and his administration took over the official accounts in 2017, they also inherited the millions of followers from the Obama administration.
