U.S. President Donald Trump is set to unveil his long-awaited plan to tackle the nation’s crumbling infrastructure Monday, and meets with state and local officials to discuss the initiative. The plan aims to turn $200 billion in federal funds into a $1.5 trillion investment for fixing America’s roads, bridges, railways and other infrastructure. The proposal…
read moreThe U.S. Senate begins debate this week on a topic Congress has left unaddressed for decades: immigration reform. “Yes, it’s going to happen right here — stay tuned,” Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said in a recent floor speech. “Next week could be historic.” President Donald Trump has consistently framed immigration reform as a security matter,…
read moreA key aide to U.S. President Donald Trump is defending the White House’s handling of spousal abuse allegations leveled against his former staff secretary before he resigned last week. Presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Sunday that “it’s very clear” that Rob Porter, who helped oversee paperwork and documents being sent to the U.S.…
read moreFederal investigators are still looking at how CSX railway crews routed an Amtrak train into a parked freight train in Cayce, South Carolina, last weekend. But even if CSX should bear sole responsibility for the accident, Amtrak will likely end up paying crash victims’ legal claims with public money. Amtrak pays for accidents it didn’t…
read moreA statement from the White House press secretary Sunday affirmed that “Israel is a staunch ally of the United States, and we support its right to defend itself from the Iranian-backed Syrian and militia forces in southern Syria.” The statement follows Israel’s attack Saturday on a dozen Iranian and Syrian targets in Syria. Israel conducted…
read moreNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s invitation to South Korean President Moon Jae-in to visit Pyongyang could complicate the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts to pressure the reclusive communist state to abandon its nuclear weapons program, analysts say. Kim extended the rare invitation to the South Korean leader through his closest confidante: his only sister Kim…
read moreIncreasing demand for long-haul truckers in the United States is drawing more African immigrants onto America’s roads. VOA’s Arzouma Kompaoré hitched a ride with African truckers whose routes to success stretch across the United States. …
read moreThe CIA on Saturday categorically denied reports that it was fleeced by a mystery Russian who promised compromising information on U.S. President Donald Trump. The secretive agency rarely issues any kind of comment, but came out to deny the report in The New York Times and a similar one in The Intercept, an online journal…
read moreOxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP said Saturday that it has cut its sales force in half and will stop promoting opioids to physicians, following widespread criticism of the ways that drugmakers market addictive painkillers. The drugmaker said it will inform doctors Monday that its sales representatives will no longer be visiting physician offices to discuss…
read moreThe U.S. Senate is set to begin an unusual debate on immigration Monday. The debate is unusual because it will begin with a blank slate instead of an actual piece of legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he will open discussion with a shell bill that has no immigration provisions in it. Lawmakers…
read moreSouth Korea says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a summit meeting in the North. Moon’s spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said Saturday Kim’s sister verbally delivered his offer in a lunch meeting with Moon at Seoul’s presidential palace. The spokesman says Moon replied that the North…
read moreIt’s been a tough week on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial average closed more than 300 points higher Friday, after plunging more than 1,000 points the day before, the second steepest decline in history. The biggest dive happened Monday when the blue chip index fell more than 1,100 points. It’s enough to make even…
read moreWith the launch of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert dismissed concerns that U.S. efforts to counter North Korea’s “charm offensive” could create a rift with South Korea. But some analysts are expressing concern that tough talk from Vice President Mike Pence on Pyongyang could put the…
read moreThe New York Times is reporting that a draft military investigation into the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Niger last year calls for the Pentagon to reduce the number of ground missions in West Africa. Military officials with knowledge of the findings told the newspaper the investigation also concludes that commanders in the field should…
read moreRide-sharing giant Uber and the self-driving car company Waymo have agreed to settle their legal battle over allegedly stolen trade secrets. The surprise agreement Friday came as lawyers for the companies prepared to wrap up the first week of the case’s jury trial in San Francisco, California. As part of the agreement, Uber will pay…
read moreThe White House confirmed late Friday that a second staff member had resigned over allegations of domestic abuse. Spokesman Raj Shah said David Sorenson, a speechwriter for the Council on Environmental Quality, resigned Friday. Two days earlier White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter stepped down amid accusations by both his former wives that he had…
read morePresident Donald Trump plans to nominate deputy White House chief of staff Jim Carroll to serve as the administration’s next drug czar. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement the White House has “full confidence” in Carroll to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy. It’s unclear whether he has…
read moreThere are growing fears that Britain could be headed for a so-called “cliff-edge” exit from the European Union, as big differences remain between Brussels and London over the shape of any future deal. The European Union’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, voiced frustration Friday that London has yet to detail what type of relationship it wants…
read moreWall Street capped a day of wild swings Friday with a late-afternoon rally that reversed steep early losses and sent the Dow Jones industrial average 330 points higher. Even with the rebound, this was the worst week for the market in about two years. Stocks struggled to stabilize much of the day as investors sent…
read moreKenya’s cut-flower industry has blossomed since the 1980s, becoming the third largest in the world, and now holding the biggest market share for exports to Europe. Kenya’s flower producers are hoping direct flights set to open between Nairobi and New York City could help them put down roots in a new market — the United…
read moreThe U.S. House of Representatives passed a massive $400 billion budget agreement early Friday intended to end a partial federal government shutdown. The lawmakers voted 240-186 to approve the accord that now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature. However, it only funds the government through March 23. Lawmakers have until then to craft…
read morePoliticians and public figures suspected of buying property with corrupt money will be forced to explain their wealth, or face the seizure of their assets under new legislation that has come into force in Britain this month. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the so-called Unexplained Wealth Orders have been welcomed by activists, who say…
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