World

President-elect Donald Trump wants to slash government spending. A proposed advisory commission called the Department of Government Efficiency will lead the effort. It’s not a new concept. As VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, American leaders have tried to reduce the role of government almost since the beginning.

It’s known as “poor man’s cocaine.” The illegal drug Captagon was a major moneymaker for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Now, the rebels who overthrew him have been dismantling state-run factories that produce the stimulant. Reporter Joan Cabases Vega went inside one of the largest in the region and has more in this report narrated by Veronica Villanfane.