White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus may have little left of his job but his title. In the swirl of Shakespearean intrigue that surrounds Donald Trump’s White House, Priebus’ fortunes have long been a source of speculation, given his limited role, colorful band of rivals and the president’s public slights. Those questions sharply escalated…
read morePresident Donald Trump’s new communications director ignited the smoldering tensions at the White House into a full-fledged conflagration Thursday, angrily daring Trump’s chief of staff to deny he’s a “leaker” and exposing West Wing backstabbing in language more suitable to a mobster movie than a seat of presidential stability. In a pull-no-punches, impromptu CNN interview…
read moreU.S. economic growth accelerated in April, May, and June, expanding at a 2.6 percent annual rate, says a new report by the Commerce Department. The gross domestic product data, published Friday, says consumer and business spending helped boost growth. IHS Markit economist Sara Johnson says U.S. growth was also helped by an accelerating global economy…
read moreJapan says tariffs on U.S. imports of frozen beef will rise to 50 percent next month, from the current 38.5 percent. “The tariff will take effect automatically as the volume of the imported U.S. frozen beef exceeded the quota set by law,” Finance Minister Taro Aso said Friday. Under World Trade Organization rules, Japan can…
read moreThe surge in far-flung and destructive cyber attacks is not good for national security, but for an increasing number of hackers and researchers, it is great for job security. The new reality is on display in Las Vegas this week at the annual Black Hat and Def Con security conferences, which now have a booming…
read moreU.S. lawmakers said on Thursday that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told them he will defer to President Donald Trump on the timing of a decision on new steel import curbs, likely meaning further delays and deliberations on the issue. Members of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee attending a briefing with Ross said…
read moreWhile President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking a reason to keep American troops in Afghanistan after 16 years of war, U.S. officials are also examining options to stabilize conflicts in the region, including a dialogue that would move forward a peace process. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is not advocating for military options, but looking…
read moreA proposed border tax in the House of Representatives was killed on Thursday, bringing relief to retailers and other large importers whose profits faced threats and removing a hurdle that had kept negotiations on the long-promised Republican overhaul of the U.S. tax code from advancing. The border adjustment tax was part of a broad reform…
read moreU.S. lawmakers have approved a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, which will now be sent to President Donald Trump for approval. Senators overwhelmingly approved the bill Thursday with a vote of 98-2, a day after the House and Senate agreed on the terms. Republican Sen. Bob Corker announced the deal…
read moreSimmering White House tensions are breaking into the open as President Donald Trump’s newly named communications chief, Anthony Scaramucci, wages a campaign to root out damaging leaks of embarrassing and sometimes classified information that have undercut the administration’s credibility. One of Scaramucci’s immediate targets appears to be White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, a…
read moreAttorney General Jeff Sessions appears to have no intention of resigning in the face of continuing expressions of disappointment about him from his boss, President Donald Trump. VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman reports. …
read moreIn a chaotic and perhaps crucial week in Washington, President Donald Trump held a campaign-style rally Tuesday in Ohio before thousands of enthusiastic supporters and a smattering of protesters. Trump is hoping to turn around his low poll numbers and get his agenda back on track with a health care victory in the Senate, a…
read moreWe know that staying active and involved with family and friends can help keep our brains healthy as we get older. A new study in Portland, Oregon, combines those activities to gauge their effectiveness in warding off dementia. Faith Lapidus reports. …
read moreThe U.S. central bank remains upbeat about the US economy, choosing to keep interest rates unchanged at historic lows after concluding its 2-day meeting Wednesday. Amid an improving job market but weak inflation, the Fed characterized US economic growth as “moderate” — far slower than what President Donald Trump promised. But now six months into…
read moreCalifornia’s secretary of state says he won’t comply with a second request for voter data from President Donald Trump’s commission investigating alleged voter fraud. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the commission’s vice chairman, sent a letter to California Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Wednesday asking again for voters’ names, party affiliations, addresses and…
read moreThe U.S. Transportation Security Administration is boosting security measures by requiring any carry-on electronics larger than a cellphone to be screened separately at U.S. airports. Security officers will ask travelers to take all larger devices out of their bags and put them in a bin by themselves, similar to the screening of most travelers’ laptops,…
read moreAfter 13 years of military service that included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Indiana National Guard reservist Cameron St. Andrew felt crushed Wednesday by President Donald Trump’s decision to ban transgender people from the U.S. military. The sergeant first class, who transitioned to living as a man while on active duty, said getting kicked out…
read moreOne day after getting a green light to debate health care in America, Senate Republicans struggled Wednesday to put forth a politically viable plan to repeal former U.S. president Barack Obama’s health care law, despite continuing pressure from the White House. Nine Republicans joined a unified Democratic caucus late Tuesday to vote down a plan…
read moreLeaders of the U.S. central bank said Wednesday that they were holding their benchmark lending rate at a low level — in a range between 1 and 1.25 percent — for the time being. Federal Reserve officials said in a report issued after their two-day policy meeting that the world’s largest economy was growing…
read moreU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday urged federal lawmakers to raise the federal debt limit before they leave Washington for their August recess to avoid increased interest costs to taxpayers and market uncertainty about a potential default. Mnuchin told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that maintaining U.S. creditworthiness was of “utmost importance” and that the…
read moreTwitter Inc heads toward its quarterly earnings report on Thursday with a stock that has risen more than 40 percent since April when much of Wall Street was ready to write off the tech company. The company’s share price popped after its most recent earnings report in April, when Twitter disclosed better-than-expected user growth.…
read more“It was the fair and right thing to do,” former President George H. W. Bush said in an interview in 1999 when asked why he supported the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which he signed into law on July 26, 1990. “I think there are a lot of people who, if given access to the workplace,…
read more