MAPLE GROVE, Minnesota — Ice crystals clung to the eyelashes, parka hood, beanie hat and headscarf of Ruqayah Nasser as she took a break after her first-ever snow tubing runs in a Minnesota park on a -18 Celsius January morning. She had joined two dozen other members of a group founded by a Somali-American mother in…
read moreWASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Saturday honored Pope Francis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, the highest civilian award given by the president, saying the pontiff was “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world.” Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to the pope in person…
read moreCAPE CANAVERAL — A quarter of a century after its founding, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is finally ready for its maiden orbital voyage with a brand-new rocket the company hopes will shake up the commercial space race. The launch initially scheduled for Sunday was pushed back a day due to “unfavorable” sea conditions, Blue Origin posted…
read moreU.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal cases against Donald Trump on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat and mishandling of classified documents, has resigned, as the Republican president-elect prepares to return to the White House. Smith resigned Friday from the Department of Justice, according to a court filing on…
read moreLOS ANGELES — The largest of the raging wildfires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles this week was reported to have shifted direction Saturday, triggering more evacuation orders and posing a new challenge to exhausted firefighters. Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County neighborhoods since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people…
read moreJERUSALEM/CAIRO — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday amid a push to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, Netanyahu’s office said. After the meeting, Netanyahu dispatched a high-level delegation, which included the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency, to Qatar to “advance” talks to return…
read moreDuring his presidential campaign, Donald Trump singled out Aurora, Colorado, as an example of immigrant crime that he would solve with mass deportations. Colorado’s governor says he welcomes federal help to deport gang members but will oppose broader plans for migrant deportation. From Aurora, Colorado, Shelley Schlender reports. …
read moreBANGKOK — Nearly all of the world’s 35,000 online pharmacies are being run illegally and consumers who use them risk getting ineffective or dangerous drugs, according to the U.S. Trade Representative’s annual report on “notorious markets.” The report also singled out 19 countries over concerns about counterfeit or pirated products. The report also named about three…
read moreboston — The cost of college keeps spiraling ever higher, right? Not necessarily. New research indicates students are paying significantly less to attend public universities than they were a decade ago. And tuition increases at private colleges have finally slowed after years of hefty rises. Figures compiled by the nonprofit College Board indicate the average student…
read morewhite house — Jake Sullivan, the outgoing U.S. national security adviser, is urging the incoming Trump administration to continue President Joe Biden’s strategy of bolstering ties with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter adversaries including China and North Korea. “The case we will make to them is that the American position in the…
read moreProsecutors are demanding that former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez be given at least a 15-year prison sentence following his conviction for corruption that included acting as an agent of a foreign government. In the sentencing recommendation filed late Thursday in a Manhattan federal court, prosecutors said the 71-year-old Democrat who once represented New Jersey is…
read moreWASHINGTON — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer chips in Arizona for U.S. customers, a milestone in the Biden administration’s semiconductor efforts, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Reuters. In November, the Commerce Department finalized a $6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s U.S. unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever…
read moreATLANTA, GEORGIA — A powerful winter storm that dumped heavy snow and glazed roads with ice across much of Texas and Oklahoma lumbered eastward into Southern United States Friday, making for dicey travel and a rare snow day for many students. Arkansas and North Carolina mobilized their National Guards for tasks such as helping stranded motorists,…
read moreWith less than two weeks before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office, his aides are working with President-elect Donald Trump’s team in a last-ditch push for a ceasefire in Gaza. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports. Anita Powell contributed. …
read moreHuman Metapneumovirus (HMPV) has recently spread widely across China, overwhelming hospitals and evoking memories of the COVID-19 outbreak. HMPV is not a new virus; it has been known for years and typically has a low mortality rate. Nevertheless, epidemiologists are calling for greater transparency about the spread of the virus to help contain infections. While…
read moreMIAMI, FLORIDA — About 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 230,000 Salvadorans already living in the United States can legally remain another 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday, barely a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office with promises of hard-line immigration policies. Biden’s administration has strongly supported Temporary Protected Status, which he has…
read moreA New York judge Friday sentenced President-elect Donald Trump to an “unconditional discharge” over 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The sentence spares him penalties but allows the convictions to stand. During sentencing, the president-elect again said the case was politically motivated. VOA senior Washington correspondent Carolyn Presutti reports. Contributor: Kim Lewis; Video editor: Rob Raffaele…
read moreGENEVA — The World Meteorlogical Organization says that preventive action cannot avert natural disasters such as the wildfires raging across Los Angeles, but that it can help save lives and mitigate loss of property. “Land management and prevention, regular clearing of underbrush play a key role in fire management, and evacuation plans are important in saving…
read moreWASHINGTON — U.S. hiring picked up unexpectedly in December as employers added a strong 256,000 jobs, another sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of high interest rates. Job growth rose 212,000 last month from November, the Labor Department reported Friday. For all of 2024, the economy added 2.2 million jobs, a solid number but…
read moreNew York — In a singular moment in U.S. history, President-elect Donald Trump faces sentencing Friday for his New York hush money conviction after the nation’s highest court refused to intervene. Like so much else in the criminal case and the current American political landscape, the scenario set to unfold in an austere Manhattan courtroom was…
read moreAuthorities in the western U.S. state of California say at least 10 people have been killed in massive wildfires that have ravaged the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County medical examiner late Thursday announced the new death toll, which doubled from earlier reports. Officials warn that number could increase once the fires have…
read moreSix days of official funeral ceremonies honoring the life and legacy of US President Jimmy Carter concluded in his home state of Georgia, where VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more. Camera: Kane Farabaugh …
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