At the turn of the century, Bangladeshi immigrant Shaker Sadeak packed his bags in New York City and headed to Michigan — a state that he says afforded him the opportunity to make a living and go to school at the same time. Seven years later, he took another step, opening his own wholesale and…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump took the Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico to task in a series of Saturday morning tweets in apparent response to her criticism of the administration’s effort to help the U.S. territory recover from the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Maria. Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz accused the Trump administration of “killing us…
read moreThe president of Emily’s List rose to the podium at a recent New York fundraiser to make a proud announcement: More than 18,000 women had contacted the group since Election Day, looking to explore running for office, “an explosion,” she called it. Of course, they’re all Democrats. On the Republican side, there’s been no such…
read moreThe United States has opened a direct channel of communication with North Korea and is investigating whether the regime of Kim Jong Un is interested in pursuing talks to give up its nuclear weapons, according to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday, who is in Beijing, seeking China’s cooperation on a “maximum pressure”…
read moreAn official survey released Saturday said that China’s factory activity expanded in September at the fastest pace in five years, as the country’s vital manufacturing sector stepped up production to meet strong demand. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index rose to 52.4 in September, up from 51.7 in the previous month and the highest level…
read moreNearly all U.S. taxpayers say American tax law, which runs tens of thousands of pages, is an incredibly complicated, annoying mess. And there is no agreement on how to fix the problem. Republicans recently outlined a new effort they say will be clearer, fairer and helpful to the economy. Critics say the Republican plan would…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump promoted his sweeping tax cut proposal before the nation’s largest manufacturing advocacy group Friday, saying lower rates will make American businesses more robust global competitors. “Under my administration, the era of economic surrender is over and the rebirth of American industry is beginning,” Trump declared in a speech to the Washington-based…
read morePresident Donald Trump is touting his administration’s disaster response in Puerto Rico, even as officials in the U.S. territory warn that much more help will be needed to fend off mass hunger and disease on the hurricane ravaged island. Adding to his running series of Twitter posts on the subject, Trump noted that Puerto Rico’s…
read moreChristine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, has a message for the world’s central bankers: Don’t be Luddites. Addressing a conference in London on Friday, Lagarde said virtual currencies, which are created and exchanged without the involvement of banks or government, could in time be embraced by countries with unstable currencies or weak…
read moreThe U.S. State Department has announced it is pulling all of its non-essential diplomatic personnel out of Cuba in response to “health attacks” on 21 American diplomats in Havana. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is en route to China, released a statement Friday saying the United States is maintaining diplomatic relations with Cuba, but…
read moreWhite House officials say a federal force of 10,000 people, including 7,000 troops, are helping Puerto Rico dig out of the devastation left by Hurricane Maria. The U.S. Navy ship Comfort, a 1,000-bed hospital ship based in the U.S. state of Virginia, is scheduled to depart the U.S. mainland for the island Friday. Homeland Security…
read moreThe U.S. Senate has confirmed Jon Huntsman as the new U.S. ambassador to Russia, filling a void at a critical tie in U.S.-Russian relations. Huntsman is a former governor of the U.S. state of Utah who previously served as ambassador to Singapore and China. The confirmation was unanimous and swift, with Democrats and Republicans joining…
read moreThe government has fined U.S. tree-trimming company a record $95 million for knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants. U.S. prosecutors said the fine against Philadelphia-based Asplundh Tree Expert Co. was the largest criminal penalty ever imposed in an immigration case. Prosecutors said company managers deliberately looked the other way while supervisors knowingly hired thousands of undocumented workers…
read moreTwitter told the House and Senate intelligence committees Thursday that it had shut down more than 200 accounts after determining they were linked to Russia and sought to interfere in U.S. politics. The closed-door sessions followed similar briefings earlier this month with Facebook, which has also agreed to provide lawmakers with 3,000 Russia-linked ads involving…
read moreA day after President Donald Trump’s rebuke, health secretary Tom Price promised on Thursday to reimburse taxpayers for his cost on charter flights taken while on government business. He issued a public apology as he fought to keep his job. “I regret the concerns this has raised regarding the use of taxpayer dollars,” Price said…
read moreOn the defensive over the pace of federal help for Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans cleared the way Thursday for more supplies and government cash for the hurricane-ravaged U.S. island. Trump waived federal restrictions on foreign ships delivering cargo. And House Speaker Paul Ryan said the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief…
read moreU.S. Navy veteran Mohammed Jahanfar has traveled overseas four times in the last year to visit his Iranian fiancee, most recently hoping to complete government paperwork that would allow her to come live with him in the United States. But the 39-year-old now fears they will be forever separated after President Donald Trump’s administration rolled…
read moreAn overwhelming majority of American voters believe undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children should be allowed to remain in the country and become citizens, according to a new Qunnipiac University poll. Eighty-two percent of voters, including nearly 70 percent of Republicans, believe the so-called “Dreamer” immigrants should be able to stay…
read moreSenegalese start-ups are testing a fledgling market for online music platforms in French-speaking West Africa, where interest in digital entertainment is growing but a lack of credit cards has prevented big players from making inroads. Long celebrated in Europe for their contribution to “world” music – with Mali’s Salif Keita, Senegal’s Youssou N’Dour and Benin’s…
read moreWhat’s your dream car to drive? Saudi women are asking that question after the kingdom announced that females would be granted licenses and be allowed to drive for the first time. An Arabic Twitter hashtag asking women what car they want to drive already had more than 22,000 responses on Thursday. Some users shared images…
read moreA Supreme Court with a reconstituted conservative majority is taking on a new case with the potential to financially cripple Democratic-leaning labor unions that represent government workers. The justices deadlocked 4-4 in a similar case last year. The high court agreed Thursday to again consider a free-speech challenge from workers who object to paying…
read moreRepublican leaders in the US Senate suffered setbacks this week that could spell trouble for President Donald Trump’s agenda and complicate Republican hopes of expanding or even holding their congressional majorities in midterm elections next year. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports that an anti-establishment firebrand won a Republican primary contest Tuesday hours after the latest attempt…
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