U.S. Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Friday to attend the opening ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Earlier Friday, Pence traveled to the South Korean Navy’s 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, to visit a memorial for the South Korean warship Cheonan, which was sunk by an…
read moreThe U.S. House joined the Senate, voting to reopen the federal government. The U.S. Senate voted first to reopen the federal government. The lawmakers voted 71 to 28 early Friday to renew the government’s funding. The House of Representatives followed just before dawn on Friday. The bill will now go to the White House for President…
read moreThe latest Quinnipiac University public opinion poll has President Donald Trump’s approval rating at 40 percent, his best showing in seven months. He is likely benefiting from a strong U.S. economy, but analysts say Trump is courting political risk by continuing to criticize Democrats and the ongoing investigation into possible collusion between Russia and his…
read moreThe U.S. Senate, early Friday morning, voted 71-28 to approve a combined bill to fund the government through March 23 and a two-year federal budget. The legislation now goes to the U.S. House, where its future is less certain. A vote in the House is expected Friday morning. The U.S. government shut down at midnight…
read moreCommissions that oversee coastal lands and water pushed the Trump administration to leave California out of plans to expand offshore drilling, saying the state will throw up any barriers possible to prevent pumping and transportation of oil. The warning came weeks after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he wants to open nearly all U.S. coastlines…
read moreCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday pitched Canadian globalism and the country’s new fast-track visa as reasons why Silicon Valley companies should consider Canada as a place to do business and spend money. Trudeau brought his charm offensive to the San Francisco Bay Area amid increasing unease over U.S. immigration policy and while talks…
read moreU.S. stocks tumbled again Thursday as investors continued to fret about the possibility of rising inflation and higher interest rates. For the second time in four days, the Dow Jones industrial average sank more than 1,000 points, or 4.2 percent, to end Thursday day at 23,860. The Standard and Poor’s Index, the benchmark for many…
read moreStocks lurched lower again in midday trading on Wall Street Thursday, extending a streak of losses and putting the market on track for its second big weekly decline in a row. The market got off to a mixed start but fell steadily as the morning wore on. Technology companies, the leading sector over the past…
read moreThe White House is facing questions Thursday about why it continued to employ a key aide to U.S. President Donald Trump who had failed to win a permanent security clearance after two ex-wives told investigators he had emotionally and physically abused them. The aide, Rob Porter, resigned Wednesday after a photo surfaced of the first…
read moreChina’s export growth accelerated in January amid mounting trade tension with Washington while imports surged as factories stocked up ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Exports rose 11.1 percent compared with a year earlier to $200.5 billion, up from December’s 10.9 percent growth, trade data showed Thursday. Imports surged 36.9 percent to $180.1 billion,…
read moreIt’s crunch time for lawmakers to keep the U.S. government open, with funding running out at midnight Washington time unless Congress extends federal spending authority for the fifth time in the last six months. The Senate will vote first on a two-year bipartisan budget deal that would boost spending for the Pentagon and domestic…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump wants a military parade in Washington to top the one he viewed during Bastille Day celebrations last year in France. As VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb reports, the Pentagon is working on plans to show their military might in the American capital. …
read moreDutch lender Rabobank’s California unit agreed Wednesday to pay $369 million to settle allegations that it lied to regulators investigating allegations of laundering money from Mexican drug sales and organized crime through branches in small towns on the Mexico border. The subsidiary, Rabobank National Association, said it doesn’t dispute that it accepted at least $369…
read morePresident Trump will be among friends Thursday when he speaks to the 66th annual National Prayer Breakfast, an event dominated by staunch supporters — evangelical Christians. VOA White House correspondent Peter Heinlein explains why Trump, a man who faces many allegations about his moral character, is revered by America’s religious conservatives. …
read morePresident Donald Trump will be among friends Thursday when he speaks to the 66th annual National Prayer Breakfast, an event dominated by his staunchest supporters, evangelical Christians. He comes to the breakfast with several promises kept. “There are a lot of issues that the president has delivered on for evangelicals and for Christians,” said Jenna Browder,…
read moreThe International Rescue Committee on Wednesday announced the creation of Project Core, a $1 million job training program for refugees in Germany. The IRC said it would collaborate with computer giant Intel to equip at least 1,000 migrants with “critical skills in information and communications technology and other in-demand sectors of the German economy.” “It is…
read moreU.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has conducted a rare “filibuster,” speaking for more than eights hours in the Congress to try and force Republicans to bring up an immigration bill in the chamber. The California Democrat started talking shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday, saying that Democrats would oppose any funding bill unless House Speaker…
read moreThe roller-coaster ride continued in financial markets, with sharp swings rocking major indexes from Asia, Europe and North America. The volatility intensified after Monday’s steep drop, when the Dow Jones industrial average plunged nearly 1,200 points. But if the sharp sell-off came as a shock to some, analysts who spoke with VOA say it’s a…
read moreU.S. White House staff secretary Rob Porter said Wednesday he would resign following accusations of domestic abuse from two former wives. He did not say when his resignation would be effective. Porter, a senior adviser who is in charge of much of the documentation that goes to President Donald Trump for his signature, announced his…
read moreU.S. stocks were down at the close of Wednesday’s trading after a day of fluctuating prices. The S&P 500 lost half a percent, the Dow was off nearly one-tenth of a percent, and the NASDAQ fell more than 1 percent. Earlier Wednesday in Asia and Europe, the Euro STOXX 50 Index gained 1.8 percent. Japan’s…
read moreOne day before a threatened U.S. government shutdown, Senate leaders on Wednesday struck a bipartisan deal that would keep the federal government funded for two years but left contentious immigration topics unaddressed. “I’m pleased to announce that our bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on defense spending and other priorities have yielded a significant agreement,” Majority Leader Mitch…
read moreDemocrats are heading into the November elections with an energized party base, an unpopular president to rail against and a growing wave of GOP retirements. Now they just need a clear message. In recent weeks, lawmakers have zigzagged from digging in against President Donald Trump — even forcing a government shutdown — to trying to…
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