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Mini farm animals become trendy in US
NEW YORK — They’re adorable. They require less food and space. And without much coaxing, they might help cut the grass. Americans are showing more interest in owning miniature cows, goats, donkeys and other diminutive farm animals, a trend driven by hobby farmers looking for easy-to-manage livestock and homesteaders who like the idea of having a petite pig or a scaled-down sheep as a pet. Animal …
Lockouts at Canada’s 2 largest railroads may disrupt US supply chain
DETROIT — Canada’s two largest railroads are starting to shut down their shipping networks as a labor dispute with the Teamsters union threatens to cause lockouts or strikes that would disrupt cross-border trade with the U.S. Both the Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National railroads, which haul millions of tons of freight across the border, have stopped taking certain shipments of hazardous materials and refrigerated …
County in US state of Pennsylvania has uncanny ability to choose presidents
The voters of Northampton County in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania have chosen the victor of all but three U.S. presidential elections since 1920. VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman looks at how things are shaping up for Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump in this bellwether county. …
Search finds 3 more Tulsa Race Massacre victims with gun wounds
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA — The latest search for the remains of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims has ended with three more sets containing gunshot wounds, investigators said Friday. The three are among 11 sets of remains exhumed during the latest excavation in Oaklawn Cemetery, state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said. “Two of those gunshot victims display evidence of munitions from two different weapons,” Stackelbeck said. “The third …
As climate change spurs more wildfires, smoke threatens farmworkers, study says
LOS ANGELES — As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. Her saliva turned black from inhaling the toxins, until one day she had so much trouble breathing she was rushed to the emergency room. When she felt better, she went right back to work as …
Supreme Court keeps new rules about sex discrimination in education on hold in half of US
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday kept on hold in roughly half the country new regulations about sex discrimination in education, rejecting a Biden administration request. The court voted 5-4, with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch joining the three liberal justices in dissent. At issue were protections for pregnant students and students who are parents, and the procedures schools must use in responding to sexual misconduct …
New Jersey governor’s ex-chief of staff will replace Menendez until election
NEWARK, New jersey — New Jersey Democratic Governor Phil Murphy tapped his former chief of staff Friday to temporarily replace convicted U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and said he would appoint whoever wins the post in November as soon as election results were certified. Democratic Representative Andy Kim and Republican hotelier Curtis Bashaw are competing in the race. Murphy said that he spoke to both about his …
Border arrests drop 33% after asylum restrictions take hold
WASHINGTON — Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico plummeted 33% in July to the lowest level since September 2020, a result of asylum being temporarily suspended, authorities said Friday. The Border Patrol made 56,408 arrests last month, down from 83,536 arrests in June, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, its parent agency. Asylum was halted at the border June 5 because arrests for …
Harris, Trump duel on inflation, taxes
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump laid out their economic visions for the country this week, promising to rein in inflation and slash federal taxes on workers’ tips. While both ideas are popular with voters ahead of the November presidential election, experts say they are not so easy to implement. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …
US colleges revise rules on free speech in hopes of containing anti-war demonstrations
NEW YORK — As students return to colleges across the United States, administrators are bracing for a resurgence in activism against the war in Gaza, and some schools are adopting rules to limit the kind of protests that swept campuses last spring. While the summer break provided a respite in student demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war, it also gave both student protesters and higher education officials …
Australia, US look to joint production of hypersonic missile, US lawmaker says
SYDNEY — Joint production of hypersonic missiles by Australia and the United States could reduce strain on the U.S. defense industrial base and boost deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. Republican lawmaker Michael McCaul said in Sydney on Friday. In an interview, the chair of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee said the Australian manufacture of the cutting-edge weapons provided an example of how streamlined licensing …
Ernesto grows into Category 2 hurricane as it aims for Bermuda
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Ernesto strengthened into a Category 2 storm Thursday night as it barreled toward Bermuda after leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without power or water. Sweltering heat enveloped the U.S. territory, raising concerns about people’s health. A hurricane warning was in effect for Bermuda, with Ernesto expected to pass near or over the island Saturday. The storm …
Biden’s remarks on Venezuela prompt questions over US policy
white house — President Joe Biden said Thursday he supports new elections in Venezuela, giving a VOA reporter a two-word response — “I do” — when asked “do you support new elections in Venezuela?” Brazil’s leader had proposed a rerun of the July 28 election, which the White House says opposition challenger Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won. Protests have bubbled up in the wake of President Nicolas …
US applauds Sudan’s decision to open Adre border crossing with Chad
Washington — The United States welcomed Thursday’s announcement by Sudan’s sovereign council to allow the use of the Adre border crossing with Chad for three months, while continuing efforts to bring both sides of Sudan’s warring military factions to the negotiating table. The opening of the Adre border crossing is a long-awaited move by aid organizations aiming to deliver humanitarian assistance to famine-threatened areas of the …
Matthew Perry’s assistant among 5 people charged in ‘Friends’ star’s death
los angeles — A prosecutor says five people have been charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death from a ketamine overdose last year, including the actor’s assistant and two doctors. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges Thursday, saying the doctors supplied Perry with a large amount of ketamine and even wondered in a text message how much the former “Friends” star would be willing to …
Trump asks judge to delay hush money sentencing until after election
NEW YORK — Donald Trump is asking the judge in his New York hush money criminal case to delay his sentencing until after the November presidential election. In a letter made public Thursday, a lawyer for the former president and current Republican nominee suggested that sentencing Trump as scheduled on September 18 — about seven weeks before Election Day — would amount to election interference. Trump …
US imposes sanctions targeting Houthi, Hezbollah trade
Washington — The United States on Thursday issued more sanctions targeting Houthi and Hezbollah trade networks, the U.S. Treasury Department said, as Washington increases pressure on Tehran and the Iranian-backed groups. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it targeted companies, individuals and vessels accused of being involved in the shipment of Iranian commodities, including oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Yemen and the …
Kim Dotcom to be extradited from New Zealand after 12-year fight with US
Wellington, New Zealand — Kim Dotcom, who is facing criminal charges relating to the defunct file-sharing website Megaupload, will be extradited to the United States from New Zealand, the New Zealand justice minister said on Thursday. German-born Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, has been fighting extradition to the United States since 2012 following a FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith signed …