New York — Fast-moving brush fires fanned by high winds burned through a large swath of land on New York’s Long Island on Saturday, spewing thick gray smoke into the sky and prompting the evacuation of a military base and the closure of a major highway. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and said…
read moreWashington — U..S Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday condemned the “radical Islamist terrorists” behind “massacres” of minorities in Syria and demanded that the interim administration hold those responsible to account. “The United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis, that murdered people in western Syria in recent days,” Rubio said in a…
read moreWASHINGTON — The Trump administration rescinded a waiver on Saturday that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, as part of President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, a State Department spokesperson said. The decision to let Iraq’s waiver lapse upon its expiration “ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or…
read moreThe U.S. government has revived a five-year contract with a private detention center in Texas that was designed to hold migrant families. The multimillion-dollar agreement was in effect for 10 years until 2024. Click here for the full story in Spanish. …
read moreNEW YORK — Fast-moving brush fires burned through a large swath of land on New York’s Long Island on Saturday fanned by high winds, spewing gray smoke and prompting the evacuation of a military base and the closure of a major highway. Officials said three of the four fires were fully contained while the other one,…
read moreWASHINGTON — House Republicans unveiled a spending bill Saturday that would keep federal agencies funded through Sept. 30, pushing ahead with a go-it-alone strategy that seems certain to spark a major confrontation with Democrats over the contours of government spending. The 99-page bill would provide a slight boost to defense programs while trimming non-defense programs below…
read moreTEHRAN, IRAN — Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he rejects a U.S. push for talks between the two countries because they would be aimed at imposing restrictions on Iranian missile range and its influence in the region. Speaking to a group of officials on Saturday, Khamenei did not identify the United States by name…
read moreNEW DELHI — India said Friday it is working to lower trade barriers with the United States as it tries to reach a bilateral trade deal with Washington this year. The two countries said after a February White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they will try to…
read moreWASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was appointing Fox News host Laura Ingraham and Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In February, weeks after taking office, Trump fired the center’s president, replaced the board of trustees and named himself chairman…
read moreNEW YORK — U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said it had canceled grants and contracts worth about $400 million to Columbia University because of what it described as antisemitic harassment on and near the school’s New York City campus. Friday’s announcement was made in a joint statement by the departments of Justice, Education and Health and…
read moreUS President Donald Trump convened cryptocurrency leaders at the White House to talk about digital assets and his goal to build a strategic reserve of bitcoin. Michelle Quinn reports. Camera: Michelle Quinn …
read moreWASHINGTON — Giving a new meaning to the phrase mad scientists, angry researchers, doctors, their patients and supporters ventured out of labs, hospitals and offices Friday to fight against what they call a blitz on life-saving science by the Trump administration. In the nation’s capital, a couple thousand gathered at the Stand Up for Science rally.…
read moreThis week has been a roller coaster regarding U.S. tariffs with its biggest trading partners and closest neighbors. At midnight Monday, President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, sparking fears of a trade war. A day later, the U.S. announced temporary exemptions and delays, leaving Mexico dealing with uncertainty. Veronica Villafañe…
read moreWHITE HOUSE — U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to signal that he is ready to take military action on Iran, unless the country agrees to a new deal that would restrain its rapidly advancing nuclear program. “There’ll be some interesting days ahead. That’s all I can tell you,” he told reporters in the Oval…
read moreWASHINGTON — U.S. employers added a solid 151,000 jobs last month, but the outlook is cloudy as President Donald Trump threatens a trade war, trims the federal workforce and promises to deport millions of immigrants. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring was up from a revised 125,000 in January. Economists had expected 160,000 new jobs…
read moreSediqa Khalili was a captain in the Afghan military until the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. She was evacuated to the United States, and she says she is grateful for the opportunities but heartbroken by the worsening conditions for women in Afghanistan. VOA’s Noshaba Ashna has the story, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Camera: Ajmal Songaryar …
read moreEuropean defense firms look set to profit from EU investment in rearming as the bloc reacts to the United States’ pivot away from Europe’s security under President Donald Trump. But as Henry Ridgwell reports, the $860 billion ReArm Europe Plan faces opposition from members Hungary and Slovakia. …
read moreEvery Sunday, the voices of a Ukrainian musical ensemble fill a home in a quiet suburb of Washington. For this group, music is much more than just art: It’s an expression of solidarity. Maxim Adams has the story. Camera: Artyom Kokhan …
read moreTAIPEI, TAIWAN — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday criticized the United States for imposing tariffs on Chinese imports and vowed to “resolutely retaliate” if Washington continues to increase pressure on Beijing. Speaking to local and foreign media outlets during the annual meeting of China’s parliament on Friday, Wang questioned the effectiveness of the U.S.…
read morePresident Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday establishing a government reserve of bitcoin, a key marker in the cryptocurrency’s journey toward possible mainstream acceptance. Under Trump’s new order, the U.S. government will retain the estimated 200,000 bitcoin it’s already seized in criminal and civil proceedings, according to Trump’s “crypto czar” David Sacks. “The U.S.…
read morepentagon — On a windy Thursday outside Washington at the Pentagon, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed his British counterpart to discuss how best to quickly end Russia’s war in Ukraine. “European leadership of NATO, led by the U.K., led by others, is, we believe, the future of defense on the continent,” Hegseth said. British Defense…
read morewhite house — President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed that his administration was negotiating with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group, to free the remaining hostages, and he doubled down on his earlier ultimatum that there would be “hell to pay” in Gaza if they were not released immediately. “You’re going to find out,” Trump said from…
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