TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed optimism on Sunday that his country could avoid higher U.S. tariffs, saying President Donald Trump had recognized Japan’s huge investment in the U.S. and the American jobs that it creates. At his first White House summit on Friday, Ishiba told public broadcaster NHK, he explained to Trump how…
read moreEditor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. Historical precedent, legal questions swirl around Trump plan to detain migrants at Guantanamo The Trump administration’s expansion of migrant detention facilities, notably its use of the U.S. naval station at Guantanamo Bay,…
read moreWASHINGTON — Before President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress can enact much of their legislative agenda, they must deal with some unfinished business — completing work on the current budget year’s spending bills. It’s a task that by all accounts is not going well. The current stopgap measure lasts through March 14. After that, without…
read moreUkrainians Yevhenia and Kostiantyn Mukhin fled Kherson in 2022 with nothing but a backpack. They made their way to Denver, Colorado, determined to rebuild their lives, but also to spread the joy of Ukrainian culture. Svitlana Prystynska reports the story narrated by Anna Rice. …
read moreCAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — Groups representing some of South Africa’s white minority responded Saturday to a plan by President Donald Trump to offer them refugee status and resettlement in the United States by saying: thanks, but no thanks. The plan was detailed in an executive order Trump signed Friday that stopped all aid and financial…
read moreBANGKOK — The head of a Thai parliamentary committee that oversees border affairs and refugee camp officials told VOA the suspension by the United States of refugee admissions has halted a resettlement deal the U.S. struck with Thailand last year to take in thousands of Myanmar families. About 90,000 refugees from Myanmar are in Thailand in…
read moreNEW YORK — A violin made in 1714 by the legendary luthier Antonio Stradivari sold for $11.3 million at an auction in New York on Friday, short of estimates that would have made it the most expensive instrument ever sold. Sotheby’s auction house had estimated that the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” violin could sell for between $12 million…
read moreJUNEAU, ALASKA — The Alaska Legislature passed a resolution Friday urging President Donald Trump to reverse course and retain the name of North America’s tallest peak as Denali rather than change it to Mount McKinley. Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley, an…
read moreThe U.S. Department of Justice will refocus much of its staff and resources on the “total elimination” of drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations in the U.S. while disbanding units dedicated to prosecuting white-collar crime and kleptocrats and tracking foreign efforts to influence U.S. elections. The change, announced in a set of memos issued this…
read moreThe wreckage of a small commuter plane missing in Alaska has been found, Coast Guard officials said Friday. All 10 people aboard the plane – nine passengers and a pilot – are dead, according to media reports. Coast Guard spokesman Mike Salerno said rescuers saw the crash from their helicopter as they flew over the…
read morePENTAGON — The top U.S. homeland security official was set to get a firsthand look at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, visiting the U.S. naval base in Cuba a day after sending a second flight of “high-threat illegal aliens” to be held there. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the trip Friday in a social…
read morewashington — Casino mogul Steve Wynn has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal that, if granted, could give the justices a chance to revisit libel protections for journalists enshrined in a landmark 1964 ruling that has been questioned by two conservative justices and President Donald Trump. The court established a stringent limit on…
read moreAfghan refugees in the United States are expressing concern about their status as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration. In California, immigration lawyers are stepping in to address these concerns and clarify the potential effects on their status. Fahim Sediqi reports from Sacramento, California, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. …
read moreNEW YORK — All live poultry markets in New York City and some of its suburbs were ordered Friday to close for a week after the detection of seven cases of avian flu, which has also hit farms nationwide. Governor Kathy Hochul said that there was no immediate threat to public health and that the temporary…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to make the United States the cryptocurrency capital of the world. He is putting his plan into place in the early weeks of his second presidential term. VOA’s Michelle Quinn has the story. …
read moreNAIROBI, KENYA — African governments are gearing up for what is to come following the 90-day pause on most U.S.-funded foreign aid as they worry about the potential effects. In Kenya, for instance, Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said Wednesday in Nairobi that as her country navigates complex challenges, ensuring continuation of essential health services, especially…
read moreThe U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday that it was suspending acceptance of inbound packages from China and Hong Kong, then reversed that decision Wednesday. VOA’s Steve Herman reports. …
read moreWASHINGTON — The Trump administration presented a plan Thursday to dramatically cut staffing worldwide for U.S. aid projects as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, leaving fewer than 300 workers out of thousands. Late Thursday, federal workers associations filed suit asking a federal court to stop the shutdown, arguing that President…
read moreSeveral governments, including the U.S., Taiwan and Australia, have banned the use of China’s AI software DeepSeek on official devices. Analysts say these restrictions are justified, as tests show DeepSeek not only collects excessive user data but also filters sensitive topics and promotes Chinese government narratives more aggressively than Baidu and WeChat. This raises concern…
read moreU.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would create a White House faith office and direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead a task force on eradicating what he called anti-Christian bias within the federal government. Trump delivered remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast at the U.S. Capitol and used his speech to call…
read moreWASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies such as Israel, repeating action he took during his first term. The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu, who —…
read moreWASHINGTON — The Republican-led U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee Russell Vought as budget director on Thursday, placing the reins of government funding in the hands of a hard-line conservative who has advocated for reducing Congress’s power over taxpayer dollars. The Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Vought after a marathon overnight session during which Democrats…
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