USA

washington — The U.S. Justice Department announced September 4 that two Russian nationals, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, had been charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering in the Southern District of New York. “The Justice Department has charged two employees of RT, a Russian state-controlled media outlet, in a $10 million scheme to create and distribute …

Husband, father, journalist, advocate: Pavel Butorin spent nine long months fighting to secure the release of his wife, U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, from a Russian prison. His journey shows the challenges American families confront when a loved one is taken hostage or wrongfully detained by a foreign government. …

WASHINGTON — Two people who prosecutors say were motivated by white supremacist ideology have been arrested on charges that they used the social media messaging app Telegram to encourage acts of violence against minorities, government officials and critical infrastructure in the United States, the Justice Department said Monday.  The defendants, identified as Dallas Erin Humber and Matthew Robert Allison, face 15 federal counts in the Eastern …

A lack of opportunities has resulted in underrepresentation of Black designers, stylists and other creatives in the fashion industry. It’s also created a new wave of Black entrepreneurs who are passing on lessons of the business. Tina Trinh reports. (Camera and Produced by: Tina Trinh) …

For the first time in over 20 years, there were two American semifinalists in both men’s and women’s tournaments at the U.S. Open. One of them was Frances Tiafoe, an alumnus of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland. VOA Russian visited the center, where Tiafoe still trains between tennis tournaments. Rafael Saakyan and Karina Bafradzhian have the story, narrated by Anna Rice. …

WASHINGTON — How to curb and counter China’s influence and power — through its biotech companies, drones and electric vehicles — will dominate the U.S. House’s first week back from summer break, with lawmakers taking up a series of measures targeting Beijing. Washington views Beijing as its biggest geopolitical rival, and the legislation is touted as ensuring the U.S. prevails in the competition. Many of the …

President Joe Biden’s poor performance during the debate against Donald Trump in June led to his withdrawal from the race and the elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Here’s a look at other presidential debates in history that shifted the direction of the campaign. …

Houston, Texas — A tropical disturbance in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico was forecast to bring significant rainfall to parts of Texas and Louisiana this week and was expected to develop into a tropical storm and possibly even a hurricane, the National Weather Service says. The system was forecast to drift slowly northwestward during the next couple of days, moving near and along the Gulf coasts …

The Israel-Hamas war continues to claim lives as analysts warn that the suffering won’t end unless a cease-fire deal is achieved. Although a truce is still elusive, the United States hinted that a more detailed peace proposal will be made in the coming days. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. …

LONDON, Ky. — Authorities searched a rugged and hilly area of southeastern Kentucky on Sunday for a man who they believe may be linked to the shooting of nine vehicles and wounding of five people on a busy highway.  Although they said they couldn’t yet name him a suspect in Saturday’s shootings along Interstate 75, authorities said they consider 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch a person of …

American Benjamin Hoerber says he has discovered his calling helping Ukraine’s military. He initially helped transport humanitarian aid. Now he also volunteers at a forge, making supports for trenches. Tetiana Kukurika has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Sergiy Rybchynski       …

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NEW YORK — Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka beat American sixth seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the U.S. Open women’s final on Saturday. Sabalenka blocked out the wild cheers of the home crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium to break Pegula in the final game and win her first title at Flushing Meadows. A year after coming up short in the final, the second seed fought back from …

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WASHINGTON — Chrysler parent Stellantis said Saturday it is recalling 1.46 million vehicles worldwide due to a software malfunction in the anti-lock brake system that can increase the risk of a crash. The recall includes nearly 1.23 million Ram 1500 trucks from the 2019 and 2021-2024 model years in the United States, as well as about 159,000 vehicles in Canada, 13,000 in Mexico and 61,000 outside …

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Jerusalem — The family of a Turkish-American woman shot dead while demonstrating against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank demanded an independent investigation into her death on Saturday, accusing the Israeli military of killing her “violently.” Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, was “shot in the head” while participating in a demonstration in Beita in the West Bank on Friday. “Her presence in our lives was taken …

WASHINGTON — Boeing’s beleaguered Starliner made its long-awaited return to Earth on Saturday without the astronauts who rode it up to the International Space Station, after NASA ruled the trip back too risky. After years of delays, Starliner launched in June for what was meant to be a roughly weeklong test mission — a final shakedown before it could be certified to rotate crew to and …

washington — House Republicans unveiled on Friday their legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month and fund the government into late March, when a new president and Congress would make the final decision on agency spending and priorities for fiscal 2025. Republicans also added a hot-button immigration issue to the measure by requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship, such …

ASHEVILLE, north carolina — Seth Kaller, an appraiser and collector of historic documents, spreads a broad sheet of paper across a desk. It’s in good enough condition that he can handle it, carefully, with clean, bare hands. There are just a few creases and tiny discolorations, even though it’s just a few weeks shy of 237 years old and has spent who knows how long inside …

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washington — A South Korean senior official has rekindled debate over the U.S. commitment to that nation’s defense, bringing up the possibility of the U.S. rolling back its nuclear umbrella if former President Donald Trump is reelected. Kim Tae-hyo, South Korea’s deputy national security director, said in a Seoul forum Tuesday the reelection of Trump could “weaken a U.S. nuclear umbrella” designed to protect South Korea …

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that the United States will continue enforcing sanctions against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro following the seizure and investigation of two aircraft linked to him earlier this week in the Dominican Republic. On Friday, Blinken held discussions with Dominican President Luis Abinader during his first official visit to Santo Domingo as the top …