The Democrats’ chances of winning back the U.S. House got a boost Monday when the Supreme Court and a separate panel of federal judges rejected Republican efforts to block newly re-drawn congressional districts in Pennsylvania. This means the November Congressional election in Pennsylvania will likely favor Democrats over Republicans. The Supreme Court rejected the Republican…
read moreGreenpeace says household brands including PepsiCo and Johnson & Johnson are refusing to disclose where they get their palm oil from despite vows to stop buying from companies that cut down tropical forests to grow the widely used commodity. The environmental group said Monday that in January it asked 16 major brands to reveal their…
read moreZimbabwe’s new leader has publicly named more than 1,800 companies and individuals accused of illegally stashing hundreds of millions of dollars overseas and not bringing the money home under a now-expired amnesty deal. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has vowed to fight corruption after the dramatic resignation in November of longtime leader Robert Mugabe, whose government was…
read moreIntrigue and uproar has spiked yet again in Washington regarding the Russia probe, with renewed questions arising about the future of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports, days after a top FBI official was fired, U.S. lawmakers are warning President Donald Trump against any intention he may have to instigate Mueller’s dismissal.…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump is expected to unveil his long-awaited plan to combat the opioid addiction crisis on Monday. The plan will include a controversial measure that seeks death penalty for some high-volume traffickers. Andrew Bremberg, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council told reporters on Sunday that the death penalty would be sought…
read moreU.S. drinkers overtook Britons as the world’s biggest buyers of Champagne in 2017, after British purchases fell heavily for the second-straight year following the vote to leave the European Union, industry data showed. Higher inflation since the Brexit referendum and slower wage growth have pinched the spending power of British consumers and left households more…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump resumed his attack Monday on the criminal investigation of his 2016 campaign’s links to Russia, branding it “a total WITCH HUNT with massive conflicts of interest!” Trump’s latest salvo against special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe came hours after White House lawyer Ty Cobb said the president is not considering firing Mueller.…
read moreIndonesian president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has instructed ministers to keep fuel prices stable over the next two years, said Energy Minister Ignasius Jonan, which would, in effect, continue a controversial fuel subsidy scheme that analysts say has negatively impacted growth and the environment. The Ministry said it would increase the per-liter subsidy for diesel and…
read moreWhen the Kushner Cos. bought three apartment buildings in a gentrifying neighborhood of Queens in 2015, most of the tenants were protected by special rules that prevent developers from pushing them out, raising rents and turning a tidy profit. But that’s exactly what the company then run by Jared Kushner did, and with remarkable…
read moreTwo U.S. Republican senators sparred Sunday over President Donald Trump’s nomination of Mike Pompeo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, as his new secretary of state, and deputy CIA chief Gina Haspel to take over at the intelligence agency. If confirmed, Haspel would be the first female director in the CIA’s 70-year history. Sen. Lindsey…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump is assailing special counsel Robert Mueller, accusing him of political bias in his investigation of Trump’s 2016 election campaign links to Russia and whether the president obstructed justice in trying to thwart the probe. “Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? …
read moreAir bags in some Hyundai and Kia cars failed to inflate in crashes and four people are dead. Now the U.S. government’s road safety agency wants to know why. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it’s investigating problems that affect an estimated 425,000 cars made by the Korean automakers. The agency also is looking…
read moreThe pot revolution is alive and well in the state of Colorado where recreational cannabis has been legal since 2014. While the full impact of legal marijuana in Colorado has yet to be determined, what is clear is that cannabis has become a giant moneymaker for the state. And as Paula Vargas reports from Denver,…
read moreMarch 20 marks the 15th anniversary of U.S. President George W. Bush announcing the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, with air strikes and ground troops deployed to target long-time dictator Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi leaders. But the mission and its complicated legacy have not been without controversy. VOA’s Jill Craig has more from Washington.…
read moreIn a series of blistering tweets, President Donald Trump falsely asserted that the House Intelligence Committee has concluded there was no collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia. Trump in his Saturday tweets lashed out at his perceived foes tied to the Russia investigation and exulted in the firing of FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe,…
read moreLawmakers and former federal officials weighed in Saturday on the firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe late Friday by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who served under former President Barack Obama, tweeted “this is dangerous” when referring to McCabe’s ouster. “Analyze McCabe firing on two levels: the substance…
read moreBritain should consider a limited extension to its exit process from the European Union if needed to ensure details of its future relationship with the bloc are agreed, a committee of lawmakers said in a report. Prime Minister Theresa May formally notified the EU of Britain’s intention to leave by triggering Article 50 of the membership treaty on March…
read moreTop-level congressional talks on a $1.3 trillion catchall spending bill are reaching a critical stage as negotiators confront immigration, abortion-related issues and a battle over a massive rail project that pits President Donald Trump against his most powerful Democratic adversary. The bipartisan measure is loaded with political and policy victories for both sides. Republicans and…
read moreGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday discussed overcapacity in world steel markets and agreed to work on solutions within the framework of the Group of 20 industrialized nations, Merkel’s spokesman said. The two leaders emphasized close ties between the two countries, which are both facing planned U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs,…
read moreFormer FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who had been criticized publicly for months by President Donald Trump and was fired late Friday by the attorney general, has kept detailed memos of his interactions with the president, according to media reports Saturday. Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe, who had been with the FBI for more…
read moreWith Rex Tillerson’s abrupt firing as U.S. secretary of state Tuesday, the focus is now on President Donald Trump’s choice to take his place, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and what this change would mean for U.S. foreign policy. “He had a lot of ‘face time’ with President Trump. He impressed Trump, is a loyalist. So you’ll…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump has signed legislation that encourages U.S. officials to travel to Taiwan to meet their counterparts and vice versa, a move that has angered China. The president signed the Taiwan Travel Act late Friday. Taiwan’s foreign ministry said Saturday that the self-ruled island’s government would “continue to uphold the principles of mutual…
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