USA

WASHINGTON — Washington’s most dangerous adversaries may be working together more closely than ever before, but U.S. intelligence analysts think that for now, they are falling short of forming a tight-knit alliance that could more effectively counter the United States. Concerns among the United States and its allies about growing cooperation among Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have been increasing steadily since Moscow launched its …

HARTSDALE, NEW YORK — On most days, Mark Lindenberg either drives by or walks over to visit with Boots, his beloved pet cat who died in August 2020 at the age of 17. The New York man had his black-and-white tuxedo cat buried at the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, a picturesque spot with rolling, grassy hills near the main road. The epitaph on Boots’ tombstone reads, “You …

EUREKA, CALIFORNIA — A strong earthquake was felt widely across Northern California on Thursday, and some residents along its coast were urged to evacuate inland because of the threat of a possible tsunami. The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. local time west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County near the Oregon border, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was felt as far …

DALLAS — A federal judge on Thursday rejected a deal that would have allowed Boeing to plead guilty to a felony conspiracy charge and pay a fine for misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed, killing 346 people. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas creates uncertainty around the criminal prosecution of the aerospace giant in …

LOBITO, ANGOLA — In the blistering midday heat at Angola’s largest port, U.S. President Joe Biden beamed Wednesday as he shook hands, one by one, with nine smiling hard-hatted workers. He had journeyed all the way from Washington to meet them at the terminus of an ambitious 1,300-kilometer, U.S.-financed rail line that brings critical minerals out of Africa’s remote interior. On this December afternoon, there wasn’t …

BEIJING — China on Thursday urged the United States to “stop sending wrong signals” over Taiwan, after the announcement that Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson held a call with the self-ruled island’s President Lai Ching-te. Lai is currently visiting the American territory Guam during a Pacific tour that has angered China. Taiwan’s Presidential Office confirmed to AFP Thursday that the call had taken place, without …

Special session of the state Legislature met this week to prepare for expected legal clashes with the new administration …

State Department — The United States has dismissed Chinese objections to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s stopovers in Hawaii and Guam during a Pacific tour, reaffirming that transits through the U.S. by Taiwan’s democratically elected leaders are routine and consistent with long-standing bipartisan U.S. policy.    Amid China’s criticism, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi each spoke separately with Lai, underscoring steadfast …

WASHINGTON — U.S. government agencies held a classified briefing for all senators on Wednesday on China’s alleged efforts known as Salt Typhoon to burrow deep into American telecommunications companies and steal data about U.S. calls.  The FBI, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, the National Security Council and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency were among the participants in the …

SAN CARLOS, ARIZONA — After missing 40 days of school last year, Tommy Betom, 10, is on track this year for much better attendance. The importance of showing up has been stressed repeatedly at school — and at home.  When he went to school last year, he often came home saying the teacher was picking on him and other kids were making fun of his clothes. …

Vancouver, British Columbia — President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to introduce 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada is getting reaction, not surprisingly, in both countries. The threat of tariffs on everything coming across the world’s largest undefended border from Canada to the United States got attention but has not been met with overwhelming surprise. University of British Columbia political scientist Stewart Prest said it …

NEW YORK — Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan where he was scheduled to speak at an investor meeting Wednesday morning, according to a person briefed on the investigation. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the investigation. Police did not release the victim’s name but said a …

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments Wednesday in just its second major transgender rights case, which is a challenge to a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming health care for minors. The justices’ decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by 25 other states and a range of efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they …

Luanda/Lobito, Angola — U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday headed to a U.S.-financed African development project that weaves together his personal love of railroads with his desire to leave a legacy on the continent that will outlive his administration. The Lobito Corridor is a 1,300-kilometer rail line stretching from copper-rich Zambia to the port of Lobito in the southwest nation of Angola. The network will form …

GARYVILLE, La. — Louisiana has long relied on a vast levee system to rein in the Mississippi River and protect surrounding communities from flooding. But cutting off the natural flow of the river with man-made barriers has been slowly killing one of the nation’s largest forested wetlands. The 456 square kilometers of Maurepas Swamp just to the west of New Orleans holds Louisiana’s second-largest contiguous forest, …

U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden this week, ending a political saga that had divided American lawmakers for years. As VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, the pardon process at the end of presidential administrations has always been controversial. …

PENTAGON — The Pentagon says the U.S. military carried out a strike in “self-defense” in eastern Syria on Tuesday, destroying several weapons systems.  Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder told reporters that the military struck three truck-mounted multiple rocket launchers, a T-64 tank and mortars that presented a “clear and imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces” in the vicinity of Military Support Site Euphrates.  …

New York — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing that continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.” In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that anything short of immediate dismissal would undermine the transition of power, as well as the “overwhelming …

The end of President Joe Biden’s administration also marks the beginning of a new relationship between the U.S. and the African continent, according to the president. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Luanda, Angola, where Biden is making a historic visit. Philip Alexiou contributed to this report. …

WASHINGTON — The United States says it is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in South Korea, where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, citing the need to protect the nation from North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements. Taken by surprise, U.S. officials are actively engaging with the South Korean government to address the situation. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt …

LUANDA, ANGOLA — U.S. President Joe Biden received a warm welcome at Angola’s pink-hued Presidential Palace Tuesday as he made his first and almost certainly final visit to the African continent as president. After a red-carpet promenade, renditions of national anthems by a military band, an inspection of troops and a 21-gun salute, he and Angolan President Joao Lourenco, both flanked by diplomats, got down to …

Bangkok — China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications, as a general principle, lashing back at U.S. limits on semiconductor-related exports.   The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory …

WASHINGTON — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday said he would “block” a planned takeover of US Steel by Japanese company Nippon Steel, a deal worth $14.9 billion including debts. “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.  “Through a series of Tax …

A day after U.S. President Joe Biden announced the pardon of his son Hunter, the White House said the president is expected to issue more pardons and clemencies before he leaves office next month. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday that Biden is “thinking through that process very thoroughly.” “I don’t have a timeline for you,” Jean-Pierre said.  “As you know, this …