Washington — U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday followed through on his pledge to block Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel, citing concerns the deal could hurt national security. The move, long expected, cuts off a critical lifeline of capital for the beleaguered American icon, which has said it would have to idle key…
read moreWASHINGTON — The 119th U.S. Congress will come into session Friday. After a contentious government funding battle last month, though, Republican Party control of both houses of Congress and presidency faces challenges. The Senate enters the new session as Republicans take the majority from Democrats and Senator Mitch McConnell steps away from party leadership for the…
read moreNEW ORLEANS — Less than 48 hours after Wednesday morning’s attack on their city’s iconic French Quarter neighborhood, New Orleanians are trying to find a way forward. It’s something they have had to do countless times in the Crescent City’s 307-year history. In the past two decades alone, residents and businesses have come back from a…
read morewashington — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has a complex legacy on the Korean Peninsula, former U.S. officials say, including the vital role he played in defusing a crisis between the United States and North Korea in 1994. Thomas Hubbard, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 2001 to 2004, told VOA Korean by phone Wednesday…
read moreIn the latest escalation of trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, China on Thursday announced export control measures targeting 28 U.S. companies and added 10 U.S. companies to a list of entities barred from doing business in China. The larger group of companies is made up primarily of firms active in defense contracting…
read moreU.S. President Joe Biden is set to award the nation’s second highest civilian honor to 20 people at a White House ceremony Thursday. The recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal include Congressman Bennie Thompson and former Congresswoman Elizabeth Cheney, who led a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by…
read moreTOKYO — Asian shares mostly slipped Thursday, as the region’s main stock market in Tokyo stayed closed for the New Year’s holidays. Investors remained cautious amid worries about what incoming U.S. President Donald Trump might mean for policy changes, while the political uncertainty in South Korea added to a wait-and-see mood. Australia’s S&P/ASx 200 rose 0.4%…
read moreThe FBI said late Wednesday authorities were conducting search warrants in New Orleans, Louisiana, and states outside Louisiana as they investigate the attack in which a driver crashed a pickup truck into a crowd and opened fire, killing at least 15 people and injuring at least 30. Investigators were still working late Wednesday to gather…
read moreThe Tournament of Roses Parade is an annual New Year’s Day tradition with lavishly decorated floats brightening the streets of Los Angeles. Genia Dulot shows us a float highlighting efforts to give military veterans second careers in computer coding and cybersecurity. …
read moreQuantum computing is emerging as a revolutionary technology capable of solving complex problems that traditional computers cannot address. The U.S. leads in quantum innovation, driven by companies like Google and IBM, robust government funding and top-tier research institutions. China, however, has rapidly advanced through massive state-led investments, dominating global quantum patents and establishing specialized research…
read moreNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — An 18-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a nurse, a father of two and a former Princeton football star suffered fatal injuries when the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street, packed with holiday revelers early Wednesday morning. Officials have not yet released the names of the 15 people killed…
read morePALM BEACH, FLORIDA — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s planning to attend the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. Asked about it as he walked into a New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump responded, “I’ll be there.” Pressed on whether he’d spoken to members of Carter’s family, Trump…
read moreHONOLULU — Harry Chandler, a Navy medic who helped pull injured sailors from the oily waters of Pearl Harbor after the 1941 Japanese attack on the naval base, has died. He was 103. Chandler died Monday at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida, according to Ron Mahaffee, the husband of his granddaughter Kelli Fahey. Chandler…
read moreTen people were killed and 30 were injured after the suspect rammed a vehicle at high speed into a crowd of revelers in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter district along Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day, AP reported. …
read moreLike many of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, his choice to head the Department of Education has been a major supporter and campaign donor. For much of Linda McMahon’s career, she helped lead the World Wrestling Entertainment conglomerate. Despite what many analysts and educators see as her limited experience in education, big shifts in…
read moreU.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday warned about a rising number of threats to the judiciary’s independence, including calls for violence against judges and suggestions by elected officials to disregard court rulings they disagree with. Roberts in an annual year-end report on the judiciary released just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump…
read moreOTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA — An American man who fled after being sentenced to prison for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot is now seeking political asylum in Canada, as he waits and hopes for a pardon when Donald Trump returns to the White House. Antony Vo, 32, was sentenced to nine months behind bars and…
read moreVolunteers and supporters connected to former President Jimmy Carter’s philanthropic efforts in his long post-presidency mourn his passing. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more. …
read moreNEW YORK — U.S. oil production rose 260,000 barrels per day month-over-month to a record 13.46 million bpd in October as demand surged to the highest levels since the pandemic, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed on Tuesday. U.S. oil output has grown rapidly this year as drilling operations became more efficient, even as…
read moreThe U.S. military said its forces carried out multiple precision strikes in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen amid escalating tensions in the region. A statement Tuesday from the U.S. Central Command said the strikes hit Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, along with other Houthi-controlled coastal locations. The strikes were carried out by U.S. Navy ships on Monday and…
read moreWashington — The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the U.S. election this year. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said the entities — a subsidiary of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and an organization affiliated with Russia’s military intelligence agency — aimed to “stoke…
read moreSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico early Tuesday as the U.S. territory prepared to celebrate New Year’s, leaving more than 1.3 million clients in the dark. Officials said it could take up to two days to restore power. The outage hit at dawn, plunging the island into an eerie…
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