Foreign Actors Focused on US Elections and Spreading COVID-19 Lies, Official Says

On

U.S. officials who analyze and combat disinformation aimed at undermining democracies say foreign actors are now focusing on two topics: spreading falsehoods about coronavirus vaccine development and the U.S. elections.In an interview with VOA, the State Department’s special envoy and coordinator for Global Engagement Center Lea Gabrielle said President Donald Trump’s health also is an active topic of online discussion among overseas audiences.“When we see the trending narratives, we are seeing that news of the president being infected with COVID is trending in the online information space,” Gabrielle told VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching on Wednesday during a Skypemore

Leave a comment

Illinois Farmers Voice Support for Trump Despite Hardships

On

When he set out to plant his crops earlier this year, Illinois farmer Ron Moore was preparing for another year of trade uncertainty with China, one of the largest purchasers of the more than 300 hectares of soybeans he grows on a family farm he has tilled since 1977.The year 2020 would prove to be unlike any growing season Moore had witnessed. A global pandemic upended the food supply chain, pushing down wholesale prices for livestock and the foodstuffs they consume.“They [thinned herds] are not going to eat a lot of corn and they’re not going to eat a lotmore

Leave a comment

Q&A: Foreign Disinformation Campaigns, COVID-19 and the US Election

On

U.S. officials who analyze and combat disinformation aimed at undermining democracies say foreign actors are now focusing on two topics: spreading falsehoods about coronavirus vaccine development and the U.S. elections.In an interview with VOA, the State Department’s special envoy and coordinator for Global Engagement Center Lea Gabrielle said President Donald Trump’s health also is an active topic of online discussion among overseas audiences.“When we see the trending narratives, we are seeing that news of the president being infected with COVID is trending in the online information space,” Gabrielle told VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching on Wednesday during a Skypemore

Leave a comment

US Farmers Prepare to Vote after Receiving Billions in Federal Aid

On

When he set out to plant his crops earlier this year, Illinois farmer Ron Moore was preparing for another year of trade uncertainty with China, one of the largest purchasers of the more than 300 hectares of soybeans he grows on a family farm he has tilled since 1977.The year 2020 would prove to be unlike any growing season Moore had witnessed. A global pandemic upended the food supply chain, pushing down wholesale prices for livestock and the foodstuffs they consume.“They [thinned herds] are not going to eat a lot of corn and they’re not going to eat a lotmore

Leave a comment

Neurological, Cardiac Issues Linger in COVID-19 Youth

On

Young people have suffered less under the COVID-19 virus than older people medically, but experts say the gap has narrowed, and so-called superspreading among the young is a factor.“The FILE – A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, Sept. 30, 2014.A woman wearing face mask walks on a street in Hong Kong, Feb. 18, 2020. COVID-19 viral illness has sickened millions of people in China since December.In December 2019, as COVID-19 was emerging in China, colleges and universities worldwide released hundreds of thousands of students home for winter break. Many ofmore

Leave a comment

Trump Says He Won’t Take Part in Virtual Debate; Biden Makes New Plans

On

President Donald Trump says he will not participate in the presidential debate originally scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, allowing Democratic nominee Joe Biden to take part in an ABC News town hall event in Philadelphia that evening.Trump rejected the change to a virtual format announced Thursday morning by the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates, which explained that the format was necessary because of the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis.Asked about the virtual format on Fox Business, Trump said, “I’m not going to waste my time in a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about. You sit behind a computermore

Leave a comment

In 25th Amendment Bid, Pelosi Mulls Trump’s Fitness to Serve

On

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is questioning President Donald Trump’s fitness to serve, announcing legislation Thursday that would create a commission to allow Congress to intervene under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and remove the president from executive duties.Just weeks before the Nov. 3 election, Pelosi said Trump needs to disclose more about his health after his COVID-19 diagnosis. She noted Trump’s “strange tweet” halting talks on a new coronavirus aid package — he subsequently tried to reverse course — and said Americans need to know when, exactly, he first contracted COVID as others in the White House became infected.more

Leave a comment

Trump Campaign Works to Frame His COVID-19 Illness as Electoral Asset

On

With less than a month before the election, President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis has returned the pandemic to the forefront of the presidential race. While his administration sought to project an image of a president who is recovering quickly, his campaign is working to frame his illness as an electoral asset.Since his return Monday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Trump has projected an image of an incumbent ready to return to the job. On Wednesday he left the executive residence to work briefly from the Oval Office, where he received updates on Hurricane Delta and the ongoing negotiationmore

Leave a comment

Key Quotes from Mike Pence – Kamala Harris Debate

On

Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger California Senator Kamala Harris squared off Wednesday evening in Salt Lake City, Utah, ahead of the November 3 election. Here are some of key quotes from the debate, which was moderated by USA Today journalist Susan Page.The coronavirus pandemicHarris: “On January 28, the vice president and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic. They were informed that it’s lethal. In consequence that it is airborne that it will affect young people, and that it would be contracted, because it is airborne. And they knew what was happening and theymore

Leave a comment

Next Presidential Debate to Be Virtual; Trump Says He Won’t Take Part

On

President Donald Trump says he will not participate in the next presidential debate, after the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates announced Thursday the debate will be virtual “in order to protect the health and safety of all involved.” The commission said Trump, who is being treated for COVID-19, and Democratic challenger Joe Biden would participate from separate remote locations. In a statement, the commission said the debate, which is scheduled for next Thursday, will be held as originally planned at the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida. The “town hall” format, with the candidates taking questions from audience members, willmore

Leave a comment

Trump Dilemma: How to Campaign While Infected with COVID?

On

With less than a month before the election, President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis has returned the pandemic to the forefront of the presidential race. While his administration sought to project an image of a president who is recovering quickly, his campaign is working to frame his illness as an electoral asset.Since his return Monday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Trump has projected an image of an incumbent ready to return to the job. On Wednesday he left the executive residence to work briefly from the Oval Office, where he received updates on Hurricane Delta and the ongoing negotiationmore

Leave a comment

Quotes from Mike Pence – Kamala Harris Debate

On

Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger California Senator Kamala Harris squared off Wednesday evening in Salt Lake City, Utah, ahead of the November 3 election. Here are some of key quotes from the debate, which was moderated by USA Today journalist Susan Page.The coronavirus pandemicHarris: “On January 28, the vice president and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic. They were informed that it’s lethal. In consequence that it is airborne that it will affect young people, and that it would be contracted, because it is airborne. And they knew what was happening and theymore

Leave a comment

VP Candidates Pence, Harris Spar Amid Coronavirus Concerns

On

In a debate that illustrated the stark divide over the nation’s response to the coronavirus, Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris clashed over U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision-making in the early days of the pandemic.In a 90-minute debate Wednesday night at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Pence and Harris sparred on topics ranging from the economy and the environment, to the looming battle over Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 280 MB480pmore

Leave a comment

Trump Campaign Dilemma: How to Run with a Sick Candidate?

On

With less than a month before the election, President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis has returned the pandemic to the forefront of the presidential race. While his administration sought to project an image of a president who is recovering quickly, his campaign is working to frame his illness as an electoral asset.Since his return Monday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Trump has projected an image of an incumbent ready to return to the job. On Wednesday he left the executive residence to work briefly from the Oval Office, where he received updates on Hurricane Delta and the ongoing negotiationmore

Leave a comment

Quotes from Kamala Harris-Mike Pence Debate

On

Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger California Senator Kamala Harris squared off Wednesday evening in Salt Lake City, Utah, ahead of the November 3 election. Here are some of key quotes from the debate, which was moderated by USA Today journalist Susan Page.The coronavirus pandemicHarris: “On January 28, the vice president and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic. They were informed that it’s lethal. In consequence that it is airborne that it will affect young people, and that it would be contracted, because it is airborne. And they knew what was happening and theymore

Leave a comment

Pence, Harris Spar Over COVID-19 in Vice Presidential Debate

On

Vice President Mike Pence defended the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans while his Democratic challenger, Kamala Harris, condemned “the greatest failure of any presidential administration” during a largely civil debate Wednesday night dominated by the coronavirus.  With Trump recovering from the virus in Washington, Harris declared she would not take a vaccine if the Republican president endorsed it without the backing of medical professionals.  Pence, who leads the president’s coronavirus task force, acknowledged that “our nation’s gone through a very challenging time this year.”  But he added, “I want the Americanmore

Leave a comment

US Colleges Struggle to Balance COVID-19 With Classes

On

Colleges and universities are seeing an increase of cases of COVID-19 as students return to campus, with some seeing rapid increases while others are keeping a lid on the spread of disease.Four sources are compiling information about colleges and COVID-19, including case-tracking maps: FILE – A woman wears a mask as she walks on campus at San Diego State University, Sept. 2, 2020, in San Diego.Most U.S. colleges and universities are not conducting widespread coronavirus tests despite the rise of cases on campuses, according to an FILE – College students wear masks out of concern for the coronavirus on themore

Leave a comment

College Admissions Scandal Dad Sentenced to Homestay

On

A former tech executive was sentenced Monday to one year of home confinement for paying $300,000 to bribe his son’s way into Georgetown University as a tennis recruit, even though the son did not play tennis. Peter Dameris, of Pacific Palisades, California, appeared before a Boston federal court judge via video because of the coronavirus pandemic. He pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.   His sentence also included a $95,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 21 months of home confinementmore

Leave a comment

Trump: No More Stimulus Talks Until After Election

On

Negotiations for a potential new round of U.S. coronavirus relief funding appeared to come to a halt Tuesday with President Donald Trump saying Democratic proposals were not acceptable, and that he was directing administration officials to halt talks until after next month’s election. Trump’s statements came in a series of tweets, including one later in which he proposed approving several individual relief provisions instead of a larger collection of measures like the government has done several times this year.If I am sent a Stand Alone Bill for Stimulus Checks ($1,200), they will go out to our great people IMMEDIATELY. I am ready tomore

Leave a comment

As White House Becomes COVID Hot Spot, Trump Remains Defiant

On

President Donald Trump is back at the White House after being released from the hospital where he was treated for COVID-19, and he is tweeting, urging Americans not to be afraid of the coronavirus. Many of Trump’s inner circle and those who attended a White House event late last month have since tested positive for the coronavirus. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports on how the administration is responding to the outbreak.   …

Leave a comment

Top Trump Aide Stephen Miller Tests Positive for COVID

On

Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and speechwriter, tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday. A senior administration official said Miller had previously tested negative as White House officials have tried to contain an outbreak on the complex that has infected Trump, the first lady, and more than a dozen other aides and associates. Miller is an architect of the president’s “America First” foreign policy and restrictive immigration measures. His wife, Katie Miller, who serves as communications director to Vice President Mike Pence, previously had the virus and tested negative after the last time she saw him. Katie Miller had been in Saltmore

Leave a comment

Facebook Says It Will Ban Groups for ‘Representing’ QAnon

On

Facebook said it will ban groups that “represent” QAnon, the baseless conspiracy theory that paints President Donald Trump as a secret warrior against a supposed child-trafficking ring run by celebrities and “deep state” government officials. The company said Tuesday that it will remove Facebook pages, groups and Instagram accounts for “representing QAnon,” even if they don’t promote violence. The social network said it will consider a variety of factors to decide if a group meets its criteria for a ban, including its name, the biography or “about” section of the page, and discussions within the page, group or Instagram account. Mentions ofmore

Leave a comment

New Visa Rules Worry Some Students

On

The U.S. has proposed a new rule for international students that would set student visas to a fixed four-year term. International students looking to extend their stay would be required to apply for an extension, according to the new rule. The rule would also limit international student visas to a fixed two-year term if students are from a country with a visa overstay rate above 10% or a country on the U.S. State Department’s State Sponsor of Terrorism list.  “This change would provide the Department with additional protections and mechanisms to exercise the oversight necessary to vigorously enforce our nation’s immigrationmore

Leave a comment

Foreign Adversaries Ramping Up Attacks on US Presidential Election

On

Top U.S. intelligence and security officials say the country’s adversaries are intensifying their efforts to meddle with the country’s upcoming presidential election, indicating the threat may be changing with less than a month until voters go to the polls. The dangers, outlined in a video shared on social media by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Tuesday, are twofold – influence operations designed to change the way voters think as they fill out their ballots, and heightened attacks on U.S. election infrastructure, something that officials have tried to downplay until now. “There is no doubt adversaries are trying to undermine our democracymore

Leave a comment