White House officials welcomed the rescue of an Israeli hostage held by Hamas Tuesday and said they are finalizing a Gaza cease-fire deal. But even if an agreement is reached, a future U.S. administration will still inherit the problem of managing tensions in the Middle East. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara looks at potential U.S. policy under Vice President Kamala Harris should she win …
US urges certain ‘negative actors’ not to fuel Sudan’s civil war
WASHINGTON — The United States is urging certain foreign nations not to fuel Sudan’s civil war by arming fighting factions, as the country faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Meanwhile, Washington has also called on Sudan’s warring sides to enforce a code of conduct to reduce abuses, noting that the army is considering the proposal after its rival paramilitary forces have agreed to it. …
Special counsel files new indictment in Trump Jan. 6 case
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday filed a new indictment against Donald Trump over his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election. The new indictment keeps the same criminal charges but narrows the allegations against him following a Supreme Court opinion conferring broad immunity on former presidents. The new indictment removes a section of the indictment that dealt with Trump’s interactions with the Justice …
Iran’s Khamenei opens door to talks with US over Tehran’s nuclear program
Dubai, UAE — Iran’s supreme leader opened the door Tuesday to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks set clear red lines for any talks taking place under the government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that Washington wasn’t to …
Wild week of US weather includes heat wave, tropical storm, landslide, flash flood and snow
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — It’s been a wild week of weather in many parts of the United States, from heat waves to snowstorms to flash floods. Here’s a look at some of the weather events: Midwest sizzles under heat wave Millions of people in the Midwest have been enduring dangerous heat and humidity. An emergency medicine physician treating Minnesota State Fair-goers for heat illnesses saw firefighters …
Judge in Texas orders pause on Biden program that offers legal status to spouses of US citizens
McALLEN, Texas — A federal judge in Texas on Monday paused a Biden administration policy that would give spouses of U.S. citizens legal status without having to first leave the country, dealing at least a temporary setback to one of the biggest presidential actions to ease a path to citizenship in years. The administrative stay issued by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker comes just days …
Army private who fled to North Korea will plead guilty to desertion
WASHINGTON — An Army private who fled to North Korea just over a year ago will plead guilty to desertion and four other charges and take responsibility for his conduct, his lawyer said Monday. Travis King’s attorney, Franklin D. Rosenblatt, told The Associated Press that King intends to admit guilt to a total of five military offenses, including desertion and assaulting an officer. Nine other offenses, …
Trial opens for man charged with killing 10 people at Colorado supermarket
denver — Jury selection began Monday in the long-delayed trial of a man charged with murdering 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021, a case in which the suspect was ruled mentally unfit to face prosecution before pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. The outcome hinges on whether the defense can convince jurors that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, was so mentally ill at …
Social platform X edits AI chatbot after election officials warn that it spreads misinformation
chicago — The social media platform X has made a change to its AIchatbot after five secretaries of state warned it was spreading election misinformation. Top election officials from Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington sent a letter this month to Elon Musk complaining that the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, produced false information about state ballot deadlines shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of …
Disposable vape products creating worldwide pollution
The rapid rise in disposable electronic cigarette, or vape, usage is creating a tidal wave of pollution, and it’s raising serious environmental concerns. Aron Ranen reports from New York City about one woman who is trying to make a difference. …
California memorial run honors US service members killed in 2021 Kabul bombing
A memorial run has been held in Simi Valley, California to honor 13 U.S. service members killed three years ago during a suicide bombing as U.S. troops were withdrawing from Afghanistan. VOA’s Genia Dulot attended this year’s run and spoke to two Gold Star families as well as the event organizer, whose son survived the attack at the Kabul airport. …
Alaska landslide kills 1,injures 3 in Ketchikan, authorities say
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — One person was killed and three were injured by a landslide that prompted a mandatory evacuation in the Alaska city of Ketchikan, authorities said. Three people were transported to Ketchikan Medical Center following the landslide, which struck around 4 p.m. Sunday and damaged homes and infrastructure, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough and City of Ketchikan said in a joint statement Sunday. Alaska Gov. Mike …
Wall Street Week Ahead — ‘Super Bowl’ Nvidia earnings stand to test searing AI trade
New York — The rally in U.S. stocks faces an important test […] with earnings from chipmaking giant Nvidia NVDA.O, whose blistering run has powered markets throughout 2024. The S&P 500 .SPX has pared a sharp drop it suffered after U.S. economic worries contributed to a sell-off at the beginning of the month and again stands near a fresh all-time high. Nvidia, whose chips …
Hurricane Hone sweeps past Hawaii, dumping enough rain to ease wildfire fears
HONOLULU — Hurricane Hone passed just south of Hawaii early Sunday, dumping enough rain for the National Weather Service to call off its red flag warnings that strong winds could cause wildfires on the drier sides of islands in the archipelago. Hone had top winds of 80 mph (130 kph), according to a 2 a.m. advisory from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, and was …
US rapper Macklemore cancels Dubai gig over alleged UAE role in Sudan war
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — U.S. rapper Macklemore has announced he is cancelling an upcoming show in Dubai over the UAE’s involvement in the conflict in Sudan, charges the Gulf state has denied. The rapper best known for hits like 2012’s “Thrift Shop” made the announcement in a post on social media on Saturday. “I have decided to cancel my upcoming show in Dubai this October,” …
Weeks after floods, Vermont businesses struggling to get visitors to return
burke, vermont — Two bouts of flooding from storms in July has hampered businesses and destinations in an economically depressed section of northern Vermont, with some still closed as they continue to repair damage and others urging visitors, who were deterred by the weather, to make the trip. Kingdom Trails, a popular destination for mountain bikers, draws tens of thousands of visitors a year. But the …
Unusual weather leads to summer snowfall in western mountains of US
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, California — An unusually cold weather system from the Gulf of Alaska interrupted summer along the West Coast of the United States on Saturday, bringing snow to Washington state’s Mount Rainier and a lookout point of California’s Sierra Nevada. Photos posted by the National Weather Service and local authorities showed a white-covered peak from Rainier and a dusting of snow at Minaret Vista, …
While in Taiwan, former US ambassador to UN says isolationist policy not ‘healthy’
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on a visit to Taiwan Saturday that an isolationist policy isn’t “healthy” and called on the Republican Party to stand with her country’s allies, while still putting in good words for the party’s nominee, Donald Trump. Haley, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, told reporters in the capital, Taipei, that …
RFK Jr. endorses Donald Trump
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his endorsement of former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, on Friday. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti reports from Glendale, Arizona, where the two politicians campaigned together for the first time. …