H. Wayne Huizenga, a college dropout who built a business empire that included Blockbuster Entertainment, AutoNation and three professional sports franchises, has died. He was 80. Huizenga died Thursday night at his home, said Valerie Hinkell, a longtime assistant. The cause was cancer, said Bob Henninger, executive vice president of Huizenga Holdings. Starting with a…
read moreHundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Washington and other U.S. cities Saturday to rally for tougher gun laws following a recent mass shooting that sparked outrage and political activism among young people across the country. Many students from Parkland, Florida, where a shooter killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month,…
read moreAustin, Texas, is not California’s Silicon Valley technology corridor. But companies from Silicon Valley and other major U.S. hubs are taking notice of Austin’s growing tech scene. Austin’s lower cost of living and doing business, combined with its smaller size, are just a few reasons that people are attracted to the area. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee…
read moreAdult film star Stormy Daniels is expected to discuss her alleged affair with President Donald Trump Sunday on the CBS program “60 Minutes.” Trump has denied the affair, which Daniels says took place in 2006. Daniels is one of three women involved in court cases stemming from contacts with Trump that could become major distractions…
read moreEuropean Union leaders have given their unqualified backing to Britain over its accusation that Russia used a nerve agent to try to kill a former double agent and his daughter in Southern England earlier this month. At a two-day summit in Brussels that ended Friday, EU leaders also demanded a permanent exemption from proposed U.S.…
read moreA new opinion poll shows that 69 percent of Americans support stricter gun control measures in the weeks after a school shooting in Florida left 17 people dead. The poll by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research said the support for gun control is up from 61 percent in October 2016…
read morePresident Donald Trump’s choice for national security adviser, John Bolton, has sparked strong reaction among foreign policy experts and former diplomats. While some have expressed alarm and others are pleased, there is broad agreement this will be the most hawkish U.S.national security team in recent memory. VOA’s Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has more from the…
read morePresident Donald Trump’s tweet, in which he threatened to veto Congress’ $1.3 trillion funding bill over immigration and border wall issues may well have been a nod to constituents who are not happy with what the huge bill does in regard to immigration. “The omnibus spending bill is a disgrace,” Mark Krikorian wrote in the conservative…
read moreTHE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 23, 2018 March 23, 2018 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY SUBJECT: Military Service by Transgender Individuals Pursuant to my memorandum of August 25, 2017, “Military Service by Transgender Individuals,” the…
read moreThe threat of a trade war sent world stock markets broadly lower in choppy trading on Friday and boosted safer assets like the yen and government bonds, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese goods. Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday that could impose tariffs on up to…
read moreRandy Poskin, a soybean farmer in rural Illinois, voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. But ask him now he feels about that decision, and you get a tepid response. “I’m not sure,” Poskin said. Like many farmers in the Midwest, Poskin is concerned about getting caught in the middle of a trade…
read moreAt a time when the norms of American political discourse are being rewritten and some democratic institutions are undergoing a stress test, Republican Senator John McCain’s absence is keenly felt on Capitol Hill and beyond, fellow senators across the political spectrum told VOA. “We miss him terribly,” independent Angus King of Maine said. “His voice…
read moreU.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alex Wong traveled to Taiwan this week on an official visit under the recently approved Taiwan Travel Act. The visit took place without strong condemnation from China. The Taiwan Travel Act was approved March 16 to encourage more official visits between Taiwan and the United States despite lack of…
read moreWhen making a case for reinforcing the U.S. southern border, President Donald Trump sometimes points to MS-13, the violent Latino gang whose members include some undocumented immigrants as well as homegrown Americans. Some 40 states report rising activity by the gang – especially in poor Hispanic immigrant communities. Cristina Caicedo Smit reports. …
read moreThe announced appointment of John Bolton, who has advocated for preventive military strikes against North Korea, to become the U.S. national security adviser has drawn muted reaction from key American allies in Asia. South Korean President Moon Jae-in strongly opposes any use of force on the Korean Peninsula and been actively involved in facilitating diplomatic…
read moreThe tragic shooting in Parkland Florida last month left a gaping hole in the lives of 17 families. But the tragedy has become a call to action for the father of one of the victims. Manuel Oliver wants young people to speak out against gun violence, and he’s joining thousands of marchers in Washington this…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a memo paving the way for major tariffs on Chinese imports. It’s part of Trump’s plan to crack down on China’s theft of intellectual property. But many U.S. farmers are worried the tariffs will prompt China to retaliate against their products. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh and Bill Gallo report…
read moreThe White House announced late Thursday which countries will be temporarily exempt from the tariffs on steel and aluminum that go into effect Friday. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on steel coming into the country and 10 percent tariffs on imported aluminum. The countries winning the temporary exemptions are Argentina,…
read moreSaudi Arabia opened its airspace for the first time to a commercial flight to Israel with the inauguration Thursday of an Air India route between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. Air India 139 landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport after a flight of about 7½ hours, marking a diplomatic shift for Riyadh that Israel…
read moreJust a week after the empire he started announced it is shutting down, Toys R Us founder Charles Lazarus died at 94. “There have been many sad moments for Toys R Us in recent weeks and none more heartbreaking than today’s news about the passing of our beloved founder,” the company said Thursday. No cause…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday, initiating actions to consider imposing tariffs on a long list of nearly 1,300 Chinese imported products worth about $60 billion. The move could limit China’s ability to invest in the U.S. technology industry, setting the stage for a possible trade war with Beijing. The decision…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump signed a document Thursday setting the stage for an estimated $60 billion in new tariffs on Chinese imports that could quickly lead to a trade war with Beijing. The U.S. leader targeted China’s alleged years-long theft of U.S. intellectual property, imposing new restrictions on Chinese investment in the U.S. that mirror…
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