U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says he recognizes that gun, drug and gang violence “has plagued all of us.” Still, he believes the Constitution limits how far government can go to restrict gun use to prevent crime. As a federal appeals court judge, Kavanaugh made it clear in a 2011 dissent that he thinks…
read moreThe U.K. government should increase oversight of social media like Facebook and election campaigns to protect democracy in the digital age, a parliamentary committee has recommended in a scathing report on fake news, data misuse and interference by Russia. The interim report by the House of Commons’ media committee, to be released Sunday, said democracy…
read morePresident Donald Trump falsely claimed he’s pulled off “an economic turnaround of historic proportions.” Speaking at the White House Friday after the government reported that the economy grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter, Trump declared that the gains were sustainable and would only accelerate. Few economists outside the administration…
read moreA sleek futuristic train that travels through a special tunnel and covers the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 30 minutes. This was the dream of Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX in 2013. And every year he’s getting closer to making that dream a reality. Late July was marked by the third…
read moreFriday’s positive numbers on the U.S. economic growth are “very, very sustainable,” according to U.S. President Donald Trump. His comments came after figures showed U.S. GDP growth hit 4.1 percent in the second quarter. The question is whether that growth is sustainable, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from the White House. …
read moreTwitter’s share price fell more than 20 percent Friday after the social media giant reported a drop in active users. Twitter said it had 335 million monthly users in the second quarter of the year, which was down a million from the amount of monthly users in the first quarter of the year, and below…
read moreThe Pentagon is working on a software “do not buy” list to block vendors who use software code originating from Russia and China, a top Defense Department acquisitions official said Friday. Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told reporters the Pentagon has been working for six months on a “do not…
read moreFacebook said it had deleted hundreds of offensive posts since a law banning online hate speech came into force in Germany at the start of the year that foresees fines of up to 50 million euros ($58 million) for failure to comply. The social network received 1,704 complaints under the law, known in Germany as…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump extended a word of gratitude to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Friday for returning to U.S. authorities what are believed to be the remains of 55 U.S. service members who were killed in the Korean War more than six decades ago. “I want to thank Chairman Kim for keeping his…
read moreThe Latest on the aftermath of Facebook’s release of user growth and expectations for the company ahead (all times local): 4:50 p.m. The 19 percent loss in Facebook’s stock chopped $119 billion off its market value. It was the company’s worst trading day since going public in 2012, and among the biggest one-day losses of…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he did not know about the 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Russians and his campaign staff including his son Don Jr, at which the Russians offered to provide damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. “I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr.”…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said that Trump knew in advance about a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower at which Russians offered to provide damaging information about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, CNN reported Thursday. CNN, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, said Cohen is willing to make…
read moreStarbucks and other employers in California must pay workers for minutes they routinely spend off the clock on tasks such as locking up or setting the store alarm, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The unanimous ruling was a big victory for hourly workers in California and could prompt additional lawsuits against employers in the…
read moreDemocratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri says Russian hackers tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate her Senate computer network, raising questions about the extent to which Russia will try to interfere in the 2018 elections. McCaskill, who is up for re-election this year, confirmed the attempted hack after The Daily Beast website reported that Russia’s GRU intelligence…
read moreSocial media giant Facebook, which has weathered storms about privacy and data protection, is now looking at cooler growth following a years-long breakneck pace. Shares in Facebook plummeted 19 percent to close at $176.26 Thursday, wiping out $100 billion. It was believed to be the worst ever single-day evaporation of market value for any company. The plunge…
read moreThe U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a sprawling $716 billion defense authorization bill that also aims to rein in China’s investments in the United States and prohibits the U.S. government from using technology from major Chinese telecommunications firms. The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, which must also be approved by the…
read moreThe Director General of the World Trade Organization, Roberto Azevedo warns the global economy will run out of steam and millions of jobs will be lost if political leaders do not reach a negotiated settlement to end the trade war. WTO reports there has been a significant rise in protectionist measures since mid-October, with countries…
read moreU.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday he has the “highest confidence” in his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, rebuffing the demands of a conservative bloc of Republican lawmakers that Rosenstein be impeached and removed from office. Speaking at a Boston news conference, Sessions said, “My deputy Rod Rosenstein is highly capable.” He added, “What I’d like…
read moreThis week the Trump administration is hosting an international summit in Washington aimed at advancing religious freedom around the world. Government representatives say the event showcases the link among freedom of worship, human rights and economic prosperity. “America stands for religious freedom not only because it is the morally right thing to do, but…
read moreGoogle launched a network of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Nigeria on Thursday, part of its effort to increase its presence in Africa’s most populous nation. The U.S. technology firm, owned by Alphabet Inc, has partnered with Nigerian fiber cable network provider 21st Century to provide its public Wi-Fi service, Google Station, in six places in…
read moreFacebook shares dived nearly 20 percent early Thursday after it signaled it expects weaker growth, pushing the Nasdaq decisively lower. About 25 minutes into trading, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index was at 7,840.20, down 1.2 percent, falling from Wednesday’s record close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6 percent to 25,572.77, while the broad-based S&P…
read moreThe chief of the Homeland Security Department has told members of Congress that the government is “on track” to meet Thursday’s court-ordered deadline of reuniting hundreds of migrant children with their families, lawmakers who met privately with her said. Wednesday’s assertion by Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was greeted with open disbelief and anger, according to many…
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