LOS ANGELES — California firefighters battled wind-whipped wildfires that tore across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as officials prepared for the situation to worsen early Wednesday. The flames from a fire that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast…
read morePresident-elect Donald Trump did not rule out using military or economic coercion to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland during a wide-ranging news conference in Florida on Tuesday. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports his remarks came hours after his son made a surprise trip to Greenland. …
read moreCARACAS, VENEZUELA — Two U.S. citizens have been arrested in Venezuela, part of a group of seven whom President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday branded as “mercenaries” in the latest roundup ahead of the embattled leader’s expected inauguration to a new term later this week. Maduro said the detained U.S. citizens were “very high level” but did…
read moreLOS ANGELES — Peter Yarrow, the singer-songwriter best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk-music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war, has died. He was 86. Yarrow, who also co-wrote the group’s most enduring song, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” died…
read moreOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that there would be a wider range of speech on Facebook and other Meta platforms. “We’re going to get back to our roots around free expression on Facebook and Instagram,” he said. Here are some of the key changes: Gone will be third-party fact-checkers eyeing Facebook posts…
read moreWASHINGTON — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday held an omnibus press conference at his Florida estate, where he explained his stances on key foreign policy issues as he prepares to take office in two weeks. He forcefully called for the release of hostages seized in Israel more than a year ago by militant group Hamas,…
read moreWashington — A U.S. judge temporarily blocked Special Counsel Jack Smith from releasing a report on his investigations into President-elect Donald Trump for his mishandling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a court order showed on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who presided over the now-dismissed case accusing Trump of…
read moreThe eldest son of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrived in Greenland on Tuesday for a private visit that heightened speculation that the incoming U.S. administration could seek to take control of the mineral-rich Danish territory. The Danish state broadcaster reported that Donald Trump Jr.’s plane landed in Nuuk, capital of the vast and icy territory…
read moreAnnapolis, Maryland — The next round of bitter cold was set to envelop the southern U.S. on Tuesday, after the first significant winter storm of the year blasted a huge swath of the country with ice, snow and wind. The immense storm system brought disruption even to areas of the country that usually escape winter’s wrath,…
read morePresident Ronald Reagan is often credited with defeating the Soviet Union, in part by helping Afghan rebels, but it was the administration of President Jimmy Carter that laid the groundwork. Considered a foreign policy novice by many when he entered the White House, Carter made the early decision to provide covert aid to Afghan…
read moreThe Biden administration on Monday removed obstacles to India’s quest for nuclear power, with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan visiting New Delhi and describing the India-U.S. collaboration as “crucial” for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell asks what lies ahead for the countries as Donald Trump returns to…
read moreThe war in Gaza has intensified the connection that many Jews around the world feel to Israel and has sparked a wave of immigration to the Jewish state. At the same time, a growing number of Israelis are leaving the country, at least temporarily. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen …
read moreWASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is signing a proclamation to establish two new national monuments in California, in part to honor two tribes, a person familiar with the decision said Monday. The proclamation will create the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park and the Sattitla National Monument in Northern California, said…
read moreWashington/New York — The U.S. Defense Department said on Monday it has added Chinese tech giants including gaming and social media leader Tencent Holdings and battery maker CATL to a list of firms it says work with China’s military. The list also included chip maker Changxin Memory Technologies, Quectel Wireless and drone maker Autel Robotics,…
read moreJust before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, nearly three years ago, 23-year-old Ukrainian army Lieutenant Myroslav Pylypchuk was preparing to become a father. Instead, he found himself confronting the invaders on the frontlines, where he repeatedly faced death, including a face-off with a Russian tank in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. During subsequent fighting in…
read moreWashington — U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit New Orleans on Monday to grieve with relatives of the 14 people who were killed and 35 injured there when a man drove a rented pickup truck at high speed through a group of pedestrians in the early hours of New Year’s Day.…
read moreWashington — Japan’s Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel are filing a federal lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s decision to block a proposed nearly $15 billion deal for Nippon to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. The suit, filed Monday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, alleges that it was a political decision and…
read morePLAINS, GEORGIA — When Jimmy Carter chose branding designs for his presidential campaign, he passed on the usual red, white and blue. He wanted green. Emphasizing how much the Georgia Democrat enjoyed nature and prioritized environmental policy, the color became ubiquitous. On buttons, bumper stickers, brochures, the sign rechristening the old Plains train depot as his…
read moreMANILA, Philippines — A group of Afghan nationals arrived in the Philippines on Monday to process special immigrant visas for their resettlement in the United States, as part of an agreement between Manila and Washington. The Philippines agreed last July to temporarily host a U.S. immigrant visa processing center for a limited number of Afghan nationals…
read moreTwo wildly audacious films — Brady Corbet’s 215-minute postwar epic “The Brutalist” and Jacques Audiard’s Spanish language, genre-shifting trans musical “Emilia Perez” — won top honors at the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday. The Globes, which are still finding their footing after years of scandal and makeover, scattered awards around to a number of films.…
read moreBEVERLY HILLS, Calif — “Emilia Perez” won best musical or comedy motion picture at the 82nd Golden Globes. “The Brutalist” won best motion picture drama, and Adrien Brody took home best actor for his role in the film. “Shogun” won best television drama, and “Hacks” won for TV comedy or musical. Emilia Perez” entered the night…
read morePlains, Georgia — It never got old. No matter how many times one crammed into the modest sanctuary at Maranatha Baptist Church, there was always some wisdom to be gleaned from the measured, Bible-inspired words of Jimmy Carter. This was another side of the 39th president, a down-to-earth man of steadfast faith who somehow found time…
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