Jared Kushner’s lawyer failed to give the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee documents President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser received about a “Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite,” the committee’s leaders said Thursday. In a letter to Kushner’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, Senators Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee’s Republican chairman and top Democrat,…
read moreFor months, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have been pressing the Justice Department to investigate Democratic scandals. They want Attorney General Jeff Sessions to appoint a second special counsel to investigate a list of 14 allegations against former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and other former Democratic officials. …
read moreBusinesses striving to stamp out slavery from their supply chains should not dismiss struggling suppliers but train them to improve the lives of workers, and technology can play a part, leading companies including Apple and Walmart said on Wednesday. In recent years modern-day slavery has increasingly come under the global spotlight, putting ever greater regulatory…
read moreThe federal bribery trial of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez ended in a mistrial Thursday when the jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked on all charges against the New Jersey politician and a wealthy donor. Prosecutors can seek to retry the lawmaker. U.S. District Judge William Walls declared the mistrial after more than six…
read moreDemocratic U.S. Senator Al Franken of Minnesota apologized to a Los Angeles newscaster Thursday after she said that he had groped her while they were on a 2006 goodwill trip to entertain American troops stationed in the Middle East. Leeann Tweeden, formerly a TV host, sports broadcaster and Playboy model, said that Franken, after he…
read moreA coalition of rights groups launched an online petition on Thursday urging IBM Corp to declare that it will not develop technology to help the Trump administration carry out a proposal to identify people for visa denial and deportation from the United States. IBM and several other technology companies and contractors attended a July informational…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump pushed Thursday for adoption of a wide-ranging overhaul of the country’s complex tax laws as he met with the majority Republican caucus in the House of Representatives shortly before a scheduled vote on the issue. Republican leaders in the House have voiced optimism that they have enough votes to approve the…
read moreThe internal watchdog at the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday he hopes to complete his review by early spring into whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation erred when it announced it was reopening its investigation into Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s emails ahead of the 2016 presidential election. “We have interviewed dozens of people. We…
read moreTwo senior U.S. senators asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday to explain “questionable management practices” at his department that they believe are weakening the country’s diplomatic power, adding to a chorus of concern in Congress. Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen delivered a letter to Tillerson asking him to begin…
read morePresident Donald Trump said Wednesday that “America’s standing in the world has never been stronger” after his just-completed two-week trip to Asia. Trump stood in the White House and gave a recap of his five-nation tour, which he called “historic” and a “tremendous success.” “Everywhere we went, our foreign host greeted the American delegation ……
read moreThe Angolan economy is set to grow 1.1 percent this year as sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest economy enjoys a mild recovery, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday following a 10-day visit to the country. But Ricardo Velloso, the Brazilian economist who led the visit, said macroeconomic imbalances remain that need to be tackled by the new…
read moreElectric trucks are having a moment in the spotlight, but they won’t replace diesel-powered trucks in big numbers until they overcome costs and other limitations. Tesla Inc. plans to unveil a semitractor-trailer this week, its first foray into trucking after more than a decade of making cars and SUVs. German automaker Daimler AG showed off…
read moreRepublicans who control two-thirds of the nation’s governorships gathered Wednesday in America’s largest red state, in part to strategize about how to maintain their political dominance. Electoral defeats last week, unfulfilled congressional promises and President Donald Trump’s plummeting popularity had some attendees concerned about a shifting political landscape. Vice President Mike Pence was to address…
read moreCritics are accusing President Donald Trump of abandoning America’s principles of human rights and press freedom during his just-completed trip to Asia. In separate critiques, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders charged Trump with effectively condoning rights abuses and anti-press practices of some of Asia’s most notorious authoritarian regimes. “The United States’ voice on…
read moreVenice is planning to divert massive cruise liners. Barcelona has cracked down on apartment rentals. Both are at the forefront of efforts to get a grip on “overtourism,” a phenomenon that can disrupt communities, imperil fragile buildings and harm the experience of travelers. Tourism-phobia has become prevalent in popular destinations, particularly major cities in Europe…
read moreAirbus announced on Wednesday that it will sell 430 airplanes to U.S. firm Indigo Partners for $49.5 billion in the European firm’s biggest deal ever. The announcement came at the Dubai Air Show and the deal includes 273 A320neos and 157 A321neos. The airlines that use the aircraft will include Frontier Airlines, JetSMART of Chile,…
read moreRecent accusations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is impacting the upper echelons of the business world. The “Weinstein Effect” has men in powerful positions facing similar accusations. It is also increasing awareness about where the line is between friendly banter to more uncomfortable, and sometimes criminal motives. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti takes…
read moreMexico will respond to U.S. demands for changes in content rules for autos and an automatic expiration clause in the NAFTA trade deal when negotiations on reworking the accord begin again this week, a top government official said on Tuesday. A fifth round of talks to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement starts on…
read moreU.S. Senate Republicans on Tuesday linked repealing a key component of Obamacare to their ambitious tax-cut plan, raising new political risks and uncertainties for the tax measure that financial markets have been monitoring closely for months. In comments that infuriated Democrats and left some senior Republicans unsure of what will come next, Senate Republican leader…
read moreThe U.S. House of Representatives passed a $700 billion defense policy bill on Tuesday, backing President Donald Trump’s call for a bigger, stronger military, but failing to decide how to fund the massive spending increase. The Republican-controlled House voted 356-70 for the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which authorizes the level of defense…
read moreThe sale of Uranium One, a Canadian firm with rights to mine U.S. uranium, to a Russian company is in the news again with the Department of Justice signaling it could appoint a special counsel to look into the matter. U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters have criticized the deal and suggested former secretary…
read moreU.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Tuesday that he believes NAFTA negotiations will produce “some sort” of a deal for President Donald Trump to evaluate but repeated his warnings that the United States will walk away from the trade pact if key problems are unresolved. Ross, speaking before the start of a fifth round…
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