The leaders of a House of Representatives probe of possible Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election said they had a “successful” hearing on Thursday, projecting unity after a partisan division had threatened to derail their investigation. Representatives Mike Conaway, the new Republican leader of the House Intelligence Committee probe, and Adam Schiff, the top…
read morePresident Donald Trump and House Republicans marked the hard-fought passage of their health care bill with a White House victory party Thursday, stopping to savor the first step toward the administration’s first major legislative win. The victory gave the White House and Capitol Hill Republicans a vital exercise in working together just weeks after they…
read moreThe European Union said Thursday that it’s preparing new regulations that could force a key financial market — and potentially thousands of jobs — to move away from London once Britain leaves the bloc. The EU Commission said it will present next month new rules on the oversight of this market, the so-called clearing of…
read moreNancy Lopez came to the United States 18 years ago from Mexico when she was two. While undocumented, she’s an undergraduate at City College of New York and also holds down two jobs, one at school and the other at a garden center. She pays taxes on her earnings. “What is a misconception,” Lopez…
read morePresident Donald Trump on Thursday declared Obamacare “essentially dead” after the House of Representatives narrowly passed a Republican-crafted health care replacement. Trump celebrated the bill’s approval in the White House Rose Garden, surrounded by many of the Republicans who voted to repeal and replace Obama’s Affordable Care Act. WATCH: Ryan Says ‘We Still Have A…
read moreThe man Hillary Clinton blames in part for last year’s election loss to Donald Trump, FBI Director James Comey, has defended his bombshell announcement on reopening the Clinton email probe less than two weeks before Americans went to the polls. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports, Comey also told a Senate panel his reasons for not disclosing…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on religious freedom Thursday at a National Day of Prayer event. A handout distributed to journalists by the White House late Wednesday said the order “declares that it is the policy of the administration to protect and vigorously promote religious liberty.” Christian conservatives have…
read morePresident Michel Temer’s proposal to reform Brazil’s costly social security system cleared a committee vote Wednesday, but the measure, deeply unpopular with voters, faces an uphill battle in the full Congress. The committee voted 23-14 to approve the constitutional amendment, which would make Brazilians work longer and reduce pension benefits to plug a widening budget…
read moreApple plans to create a $1 billion fund to invest in U.S. companies that perform advanced manufacturing, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said on Wednesday, the iPhone maker’s latest effort to show how it is creating U.S. jobs. The Cupertino, California company will announce the fund’s first investment later in May, Cook said during an…
read moreAlec Baldwin welcomes the chance to share the screen with President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live. “I think if he came it would be a great show,” Baldwin said in an interview Wednesday. “I think it would be better for everybody. It’s always fun to defuse some of the tensions and unpleasantness of all…
read moreVeterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin says his department is seeking to close perhaps more than 1,100 VA facilities nationwide as it develops plans to allow more veterans to receive medical care in the private sector. At a House hearing Wednesday, Shulkin said the VA had identified more than 430 vacant buildings and 735 that he…
read moreThe Texas Legislature on Wednesday passed a ban on “sanctuary cities” that allows police officers to ask about a person’s immigration status and threatens sheriffs and police chiefs with jail time if they don’t work with federal authorities. Republican Governor Greg Abbott has pledged to sign the bill into law. The Republican-led Senate passed the…
read moreDon’t expect FBI Director James Comey to reveal much about the bureau’s months-long investigation of potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia when he speaks publicly before members of Congress on Wednesday. In fact, there’s no guarantee Comey and his agency will ever fully lay bare those findings for the American public, because…
read moreFormer acting attorney general Sally Yates is expected to testify to Congress next week that she expressed alarm to the White House about President Donald Trump’s national security adviser’s contacts with the Russian ambassador, which could contradict how the administration has characterized her counsel. Yates is expected to recount in detail on Monday her Jan.…
read moreBritain wants to boost trade ties with Africa after it leaves the European Union — a project some have called “Empire 2.0.” British plans to build on historical links with its former empire could face resistance in many African countries, as exporters face years of uncertainty over future trading relations with the UK. Britain says…
read moreIn her first major interview since losing the 2016 U.S. presidential election last November, Hillary Clinton takes personal responsibility for her loss. But she told interviewer Christine Amanpour at a women’s forum in New York Tuesday that she also blames Russia and FBI Director James Comey for helping her Republican rival Donald Trump score what…
read moreLiving in large cities has its downsides, and one of them is a lack of fresh organic locally grown produce. But growing vegetables is something everyone can do and it can be done in literally a handful of soil. Two amateur gardeners in the Swedish city of Gothenburg started small, but now see gardening as…
read morePresident Trump returns to New York City this week to meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. It will be his first trip back since taking office. A recent poll shows that Trump still retains strong support among Americans who voted for him. But in his hometown, the President’s homecoming is likely to be met…
read moreU.S. lawmakers have put the nation’s airlines on notice: Improve customer service or we will make you. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing for top airline executives to testify, and to determine how Congress might respond after a passenger was violently dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight. “Seize this opportunity,” committee…
read morePresident Donald Trump is giving “serious consideration” to moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday, the day before a scheduled White House visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Trump is also “personally committed” to becoming the U.S. president who finally ends the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Pence said.…
read moreGreece reached a deal with its European lenders Tuesday for more reforms in exchange for a badly needed bailout installment so Athens could avoid possible bankruptcy. After months of often tough talks, Greek officials agreed to more pension cuts and tax increases. The European Commission and European Central Bank will bring the deal to their…
read moreMay Day is marked by marches in support of workers’ rights all around the world. In Washington, D.C., immigrants and allies rallied, not only in support of workers’ rights but to stand against President Donald Trump’s tough stances on immigration. VOA’s Aline Barros traveled to the rally in a van hired by a local business.…
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