WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he's picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world.
Lake, an immigration hard-liner, was a television news anchor in Phoenix for nearly three decades until she left in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including sharing COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic.
Telegenic, engaging and adept at communicating, Lake launched her political career a short time later, quickly building a loyal following and national profile as she sparred with journalists and echoed Trump in her sharp criticism of what she called the “fake news.”
In a statement, Trump said Lake would be ultimately be appointed by and work closely with the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media for his incoming administration, “who I will announce soon.”
He said Lake will “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.”
The president-elect has in the past been a fierce critic of Voice of America, including saying in 2020 that “things they say are disgusting toward our country.”
The broadcaster drew additional criticism during Trump’s first term for its coverage of the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, with a White House publication, the "1600 Daily” email summary of news and events, accusing it of using taxpayer money “to speak for authoritarian regimes.” That was after VOA covered the lifting of lockdowns in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.
VOA was founded during World War II, and its congressional charter requires it to present independent news and information to international audiences. It responded to Trump’s criticism by defending its coverage.
Upon taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden’s administration swiftly removed a number of senior officials aligned with Trump from VOA and positions affiliated with it.
Lake endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were the victims of election fraud. She has never acknowledged losing the gubernatorial race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book, “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.”
Lake continued her unsuccessful fight in court to overturn it even after beginning her run for Senate — which she lost by an even higher margin last month, after trying to moderate her tone during her tone but struggling to keep a consistent message on thorny topics, including election fraud and abortion.
Trump nonetheless considered her for his vice presidential running mate before deciding on JD Vance.
Also Wednesday, Trump announced Leandro Rizzuto as his choice to be the U.S. ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States, and said he wanted Florida personal injury attorney Dan Newlin to be his administration's ambassador to Colombia.
He also picked Peter Lamelas, a physician and the founder of one of Florida's largest urgent care companies, to be the U.S. ambassador to Argentina. Lamelas is also a large donor to the past campaigns of Trump and other top Republicans.
Cooper reported from Phoenix.
FILE - Kari Lake, Republican candidate for Senate in Arizona, speaks to supporters at a campaign event, Sept. 4, 2024, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
TOKYO (AP) — Embattled Japanese automaker Nissan has tapped Jeremie Papin, who was overseeing its U.S. operations, as its chief financial officer in a major management reshuffle billed as key to a turnaround.
The move as announced in the United States on Thursday. It means Papin, chairman of Nissan’s Americas Management Committee, replaces Stephen Ma, who will oversee Nissan Motor Corp.’s China operations.
Ma’s replacement had been speculated about for some time, given Nissan’s problems in the key U.S. market, lately dominated by Tesla, Toyota and Ford.
Last month, Nissan said it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million).
That was a reversal from the 190.7 billion yen profit recorded the same quarter a year ago. Sales for the quarter through September fell to 2.9 trillion yen ($19 billion) from 3.1 trillion yen.
Chief Executive Makoto Uchida took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the results and acknowledged Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes.
“These executive changes reflect the experience and urgency needed to get the company back on track,” Uchida said in a statement. “Nissan will continue to focus on future growth and steadily execute these turnaround efforts to ensure sustainable profitability.”
Papin will steer a recovery, given his experience in strategy, business development and investment banking, according to Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car, Rogue SUV and Infiniti luxury models.
A citizen of both the U.S. and France, Papin was initially with the French automaker Renault SA, with which Nissan formed an alliance since 1999. In 2023, he was named to Nissan’s executive committee, helping shape its growth plans. Previously, Papin worked for more than a decade as a financial analyst at Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers and Nomura.
As part of the moves, effective Jan. 1, Christian Meunier, the former chief executive of Jeep, returns to Nissan as chairman of the Americas Management Committee.
Asako Hoshino will continue to oversee the customer experience, while Shohei Yamazaki, China Management Committee chairman, takes over a part of her role and will oversee the Japan-ASEAN region.
Last month, Fitch lowered its outlook on Nissan from stable to negative, citing its performance in the North American market, noting it may lower its ratings if weakness continues.
Nissan’s stock price has declined steadily over the last half year from about 500 yen ($3.30) to about 360 yen ($2.40).
The appointment of Guillaume Cartier as chief performance officer, a key figure in coordinating the managerial shifts, took effect Dec. 1. He previously oversaw Nissan’s operations in Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania.
More changes are coming in April, according to Nissan, “to build a slimmer, flatter management structure that can respond flexibly and swiftly to changes in the business environment.”
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yurikageyama
FILE - Jeremie Papin, chairperson of Nissan Americas, speaks about the all-new redesign of the company's midsize truck, the Frontier, at a ceremony marking the start of production of the 2022 model at their Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant in Canton, Miss., on July 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
FILE - Jeremie Papin, chairperson of Nissan Americas, speaks with an attendee, following the ceremony marking the start of the production of the all-new redesigned 2022 Nissan Frontier truck at their Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant in Canton, Miss., on July 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
