las vegas — A former Las Vegas-area Democratic elected official was sentenced Wednesday to serve at least 28 years in Nevada state prison for killing an investigative journalist who wrote articles critical of his conduct in office two years ago and exposed an intimate relationship with a female coworker. A judge invoked sentencing enhancements for use…
read moreThe U.S. Supreme Court declined on Wednesday to put on hold a new federal rule targeting carbon pollution from coal- and gas-fired power plants at the request of numerous states and industry groups in another major challenge to President Joe Biden’s efforts to combat climate change. The justices denied emergency requests by West Virginia, Indiana…
read moreOMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska’s top election official had no authority to declare unconstitutional a state law that restored the voting rights of those who have been convicted of a felony, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision with implications for the approaching election. In July, Secretary of State Bob Evnen ordered county election officials…
read moreSince the U.S. Supreme Court sent the issue of abortion back to the states in 2022, Democrats have mobilized to protect abortion rights while Republicans have worked to restrict the procedure on religious and moral grounds. The issue is motivating voters to go to the polls this election year. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has…
read moreBEIJING — Intel products sold in China should be subject to a security review, the Cybersecurity Association of China (CSAC) said on Wednesday, alleging the U.S. chipmaker has “constantly harmed” the country’s national security and interests. While CSAC is an industry group rather than a government body, it has close ties to the Chinese state and…
read moreBEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping said a successful partnership between China and the United States is an opportunity for the two countries to be enablers for each other’s development rather than an obstacle, according to state media on Wednesday. “China is willing to be a partner and friend with the United States. This will benefit…
read moreATLANTA — A judge has blocked a new rule that requires Georgia Election Day ballots to be counted by hand after the close of voting. The ruling came a day after the same judge ruled that county election officials must certify election results by the deadline set in law. The State Election Board last month passed…
read moreWASHINGTON — The Pentagon announced Tuesday that more than 800 military personnel have seen their service records upgraded to honorable discharges after previously being kicked out of the military under its former “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. It is the latest development over the decades to undo past discrimination against LGBTQ service members. The 1951 Uniform…
read moreThe United States has sent a letter to Israel demanding it facilitate an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance into Gaza. The letter, which the Pentagon said was intended to remain private, comes as a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery, or THAAD, has started to arrive in Israel to defend against future attacks. VOA…
read moremadison, wisconsin — Voting rights advocates on Tuesday asked state and federal authorities to investigate anonymous text messages apparently targeting young Wisconsin voters, warning them not to vote in a state where they are ineligible. Free Speech for People, on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, made the request to the U.S. Department…
read moreATLANTA, georgia — A Georgia judge has ruled county election officials must certify election results by the deadline set in law and cannot exclude any group of votes from certification even if they suspect error or fraud. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that “no election superintendent (or member of a board of elections…
read moreTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — While there’s still more work to do, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday praised Hurricane Milton recovery efforts, saying power has never been restored to so many so quickly after a major storm. “President (Ronald) Reagan used to say the most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and…
read moreWASHINGTON — The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on what it said was a key international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Washington has designated a terrorist organization. The U.S. Treasury Department, in action taken with Canada, said in a statement it imposed sanctions on the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner…
read moreWashington/New York — On a rainy day in September, a group of journalists gathered in a nondescript office building outside Washington. Some were seasoned reporters, others still students. But they were all there to learn how to stay safe while covering elections and unrest. Organized by the International Women’s Media Foundation, or IWMF, the training session…
read moreMEREDITH, N.H. — New England leaf-watching season is in full swing, as people from as far as Florida and Berlin flock to the region for scenic drives, train rides and bus tours to soak in the splendid hues of red, orange and bronze. With quaint towns and covered bridges scattered through swaths of changing forest, the…
read moreThere are 50 U.S. states, but voters from seven so-called battleground states are expected to determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. The Southwestern state of Arizona used to reliably lean toward Republican candidates. But President Joe Biden, a Democrat, won the state in 2020. And this year, Arizona’s electoral votes are up for…
read moreNEW YORK — About 200 demonstrators protesting Israel’s war in Gaza were arrested in a sit-in outside the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, police said. The protesters chanted “Let Gaza live!” And “Up up with liberation, down down with occupation!” in front of the stock exchange’s landmark building in lower Manhattan. “The reason we’re here…
read moreNew York — Lilly Ledbetter, an former Alabama factory manager whose lawsuit against her employer made her an icon of the equal pay movement and led to landmark wage discrimination legislation, has died at 86. Ledbetter’s discovery that she was earning less than her male counterparts for doing the same job at a Goodyear Tire &…
read moreOCEAN CITY, N.J. — For generations of vacationers heading to Ocean City, the towering “Giant Wheel” was the first thing they saw from miles away. The sight of the 140-foot-tall (42-meter) ride let them know they were getting close to the Jersey Shore town that calls itself “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” with its promise of kid-friendly…
read moreSTOCKHOLM — The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research into reasons why some countries succeed and others fail. The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research into differences in prosperity between…
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