It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Eggs Up Grill has 90 restaurants in nine southern states, up from 26 …
US, South Korea, Japan reaffirm pledge to seek denuclearization of North Korea
MUNICH — The United States, Japan and South Korea renewed their “resolute” pledge to seek the “complete denuclearization” of North Korea, according to a joint statement from the three allies released Saturday. The statement came after new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first meetings with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Japan’s top diplomat Takeshi Iwaya on the sidelines of the Munich …
US fires 20 immigration judges from backlogged courts
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has fired 20 immigration judges without explanation, a union official said Saturday amid sweeping moves to shrink the size of the federal government. On Friday, 13 judges who had yet to be sworn in and five assistant chief immigration judges were dismissed without notice, said Matthew Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional & …
Central African Republic soldiers kidnapped by mercenaries, advocates allege
BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC — Human rights advocates and politicians in Central African Republic claim soldiers who disappeared after being detained last month were kidnapped by mercenaries backed by Russia. The Kremlin has in recent years deepened ties with the gold- and diamond-rich country’s military and government. Celestin Bakoyo and Elie Ngouengue — two soldiers who led a Wagner Group-aligned militia fighting rebels in the country’s …
US braces for flooding; parts of California face mudslides
SIERRA MADRE, CALIFORNIA — Much of the Eastern United States braced for a renewed round of harsh, soggy weather Saturday, with thunderstorms and melting snow combining to pound the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. The lower Mississippi valley was facing the threat of strong tornadoes. Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Arkansas were under flood warnings, and residents were warned by the National Weather Service to stay off …
Carafano: ‘A free, independent Ukraine is in America’s best interest’
WASHINGTON — James Carafano, senior counselor to the president and national security expert at The Heritage Foundation, responsible for its defense and foreign policy team, spoke with VOA’s Ukraine Service about the Trump administration’s goals and considerations in the negotiation process to achieve peace in Ukraine. He explained that while not a vital interest, a free and independent Ukraine that can defend itself is in America’s …
US defense secretary’s Europe debut irks allies, wins Trump’s nod
WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s attention-grabbing overseas debut may have irritated some key Republicans and alienated allies in Europe, where his statements on Ukraine and NATO went down like a lead balloon. But his forceful comments gained him a nod from one key listener: U.S. President Donald Trump. And Hegseth — who on Saturday wraps up a weeklong trip to Belgium, Germany and Poland …
US Justice Department asks court to dismiss charges against NYC mayor
NEW YORK — The U.S. Justice Department asked a court Friday to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, with a top official from Washington intervening after federal prosecutors in Manhattan rebuffed his demands to drop the case and some quit in protest. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, the department’s second-in-command, and lawyers from the public integrity section and criminal division filed …
No need for one country to control chip industry, Taiwan official says
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — There is no need for one country to control the semiconductor industry, which is complex and needs a division of labor, Taiwan’s top technology official said on Saturday after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the island’s chip dominance. Trump repeated claims on Thursday that Taiwan had taken the industry and he wanted it back in the United States, saying he aimed to restore …
Southern California slammed with debris flows, mudslides
After days of heavy rain, the strongest storm of the year brought dangerous debris flows and rock- and mudslides across Southern California on Friday, including in several areas that last month were ablaze with devastating fires. Some areas in the region received as much as 12 centimeters of rain this week, the National Weather Service said. “There are plenty of reports of debris flow,” meteorologist …
US deports 119 migrants from several nations to Panama
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA — Panama has received the first U.S. flight carrying deportees from other nations as the Trump administration takes Panama up on its offer to act as a stopover for expelled migrants, the Central American nation’s president said Thursday. “Yesterday a flight from the United States Air Force arrived with 119 people from diverse nationalities of the world,” President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday …
Chicago nonprofit helps undocumented migrants afraid to leave home
Amid nationwide immigration raids, a community organization in Chicago is helping undocumented migrants who say they are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being detained. Veronica Villafane narrates this report by Enrique Garcia Fuentes. …
Helicopter crew might not have heard tower’s instructions before crash, say investigators
WASHINGTON — The crew of the Army helicopter that collided in midair with an American Airlines jet near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport may have had inaccurate altitude readings in the moments before the crash, and also may not have heard key instructions from air traffic controllers to move behind the plane, investigators said Friday. National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters that the …
Why US regulators are banning Red Dye Number 3 from American food
U.S. health officials have banned Red Dye No. 3 from American foods, decades after the synthetic coloring was banned in Europe. As VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, studies have linked the bright red color additive to cancer in male laboratory rats. …
Taiwan pledges chip talks and investment in bid to ease Trump’s concerns
TAIPEI — Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pledged on Friday to talk with the United States about President Donald Trump’s concerns over the chip industry and to increase U.S. investment and buy more from the country, while also spending more on defense. Trump spoke critically about Taiwan on Thursday, saying he aimed to restore U.S. manufacturing of semiconductor chips and repeating claims about Taiwan having taken away …
Trump hosts India’s leader, inks US defense, energy sales
US President Donald Trump on Thursday made a range of energy and defense agreements with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his first visit to the White House in Trump’s second term. But the gains were offset by Trump’s threat to impose reciprocal tariffs on trading partners, something India sought to avoid. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House. …
Trump’s immigration policies to expand mass deportations and detentions
The Trump administration is moving quickly with its mass deportation plans by sending some migrants to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and rapidly deporting others. VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros brings us this story. …
Federal judge pauses Trump order restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth
BALTIMORE — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19. The judge’s ruling came after a lawsuit was filed earlier this month on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children who allege their health care has been compromised by the president’s order. A national group for family of …
Prosecutors quit after being ordered to end case against New York mayor
NEW YORK — The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan resigned Thursday after refusing a Justice Department order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Two senior Justice Department officials also quit after the department leadership in Washington moved to seize control of the case. Danielle Sassoon, a Republican serving as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced her …
Number of accused ‘high-threat’ migrants at Guantanamo Bay rising
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military is now housing about 68 detainees at its prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of an effort to assist the Department of Homeland Security with mass deportations. The commander of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, shared the updated figure with lawmakers Wednesday, but said he could not yet provide details on how much …
Global AI race is on, world leaders say at Paris summit
At this week’s Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, world leaders and technologists gathered to discuss the rapidly evolving field of generative artificial intelligence. Many are eager to join the global AI race, while others are proceeding with caution. Tina Trinh reports. …
Modi, Trump to meet with focus on trade, immigration, strategic ties
NEW DELHI — U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talks Thursday at the White House. Officials in New Delhi expressed optimism Modi’s visit will herald a renewed and substantive partnership. However, analysts said there will be contentious issues to navigate on trade and immigration, which are among Trump’s top priorities. Underlining that Modi will be meeting Trump within weeks of his …
Trump launches diplomatic blitz to end Ukraine war
Following a successful prisoner swap with Russia, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a multifront diplomatic blitz Wednesday to end the Ukraine conflict, saying he would meet with Russia’s leader soon and dispatching a vice president-led team to meet with Ukraine’s leader on Friday. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell catches up on the latest, from Washington. …
Lawsuit by US rights group seeks access to migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay
washington — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking access to dozens of migrants flown to a U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying they were being denied the right to an attorney. ACLU filed the complaint on behalf of families of detainees, who say the detainees themselves cannot sue because they are being held without the ability to communicate with …