Facebook Extends Ban on US Political Ads for Another Month

On

As election misinformation raged online, Facebook Inc. said on Wednesday its post-election ban on political ads would likely last another month, raising concerns from campaigns and groups eager to reach voters for key Georgia Senate races in January.   The ban, one of Facebook’s measures to combat misinformation and other abuses on its site, was supposed to last about a week but could be extended. Alphabet Inc.’s Google also appeared to be sticking with its post-election political ad ban.   “While multiple sources have projected a presidential winner, we still believe it’s important to help prevent confusion or abuse onmore

Leave a comment

US Immigration Policy Changes Expected Under Biden

On

The incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden could swiftly reverse an array of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, many of which remain among the most contentious initiatives of his administration.Biden could overturn many guidelines using the same mechanism Trump employed to implement them: executive orders. Others, however, will require more than a policy declaration, experts say.In the last four years, Trump authored more than 400 regulatory actions through his executive power.    Michele Waslin, program coordinator at the Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University in Virginia, told VOA the list includes sweeping travel restrictions, changed immigration enforcement priorities,more

Leave a comment

US State of Georgia Orders Trump-Biden Vote Recount

On

The top elections official in the southern U.S. state of Georgia on Wednesday ordered a hand audit of the close vote there between President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden. With almost all the votes counted in Georgia, Trump’s Democratic challenger for a four-year term in the White House is leading by 14,112 votes out of the nearly 5 million votes cast in the state. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, has said he wanted Trump to win the election, but pushed back against Republican claims that the Georgia vote count was plagued by irregularities. Georgia has not voted formore

Leave a comment

Trump Loyalists Get Top Pentagon Jobs After Esper Firing

On

A day after President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, three staunch loyalists to the president were named to top defense jobs. Among them was a former Fox News commentator who failed to get through Senate confirmation because of offensive remarks he made, including about Islam. The abrupt changes sent reverberations through the Pentagon as nervous civilian and military personnel waited for the next shoe to drop. And they fueled worries of a wider effort to drum out anyone considered not loyal enough to Trump. The unease was palpable inside the building throughout the day over concerns about whatmore

Leave a comment

Chinese Authorities Punish Citizens for Using Foreign Social Media

On

Chinese Communist Party officials appear to be increasing their harassment and punishment of Chinese internet users who publish on foreign social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.  China’s government firewall blocks access to those sites, but users can use VPNs and other technology to circumvent it.  A growing number of these Chinese “netizens” have been warned against visiting and posting on the social media platforms and have been forced to delete posts unfavorable to the government. Some have also been sentenced to jail terms.   FILE – A policeman stands guard next to portraits of Chinese journalist Gao Yumore

Leave a comment

Biden Meets with His Presidential Transition Advisers

On

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is meeting Wednesday with his transition advisers as he continues to plan for taking control of the American government when he is inaugurated on January 20.The projected winner of the November 3 election, Biden has named an array of advisers to look at the operations of agencies throughout the government. He said Tuesday he could announce some key appointments before the annual Thanksgiving holiday on November 26.Officials work on ballots at the Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections Headquarters, Nov. 6, 2020, in Lawrenceville, near Atlanta, Georgia.Biden’s list of transition advisers is long, filled with namesmore

Leave a comment

Trump, Republicans Rebuff Transition Process

On

President-elect Joe Biden dismissed the Trump administration’s refusal to begin the official transition process, even as key Republican Party leaders sided with President Donald Trump in his uphill legal fight to overturn Biden’s projected presidential election victory. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the latest. …

Leave a comment

US Students With Disabilities Afforded Equality

On

Catherine Wilson is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park majoring in journalism and minoring in history. She also gets distracted easily. Loud noises, a cough or even tapping can break her concentration. Consequently, Wilson has help to ensure her success in college: extended time for exams and an alternative testing environment, called “reasonable accommodations.” “I have been really successful with (extended time). I’m able to prove I know the material. And even better, I’m actually able to finish (exams),” she said in an email to VOA. In a university setting, accommodations may include “reducing a course load, electronic word processing,more

Leave a comment

Biden: ‘Embarrassment’ That Trump Has Not Conceded Election Loss

On

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday he is not worried about President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede after last week’s national election, but that he thinks it is an “embarrassment” for Trump and the country. “I think it will not help the president’s legacy,” Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, where he is working on his transition to power and planning his first steps after his expected inauguration on January 20.  Trump, without offering major evidence of voting or vote-count irregularities, has filed more than a dozen lawsuits in several states, trying to overturn Biden’s projected election victory.  Signs by supportersmore

Leave a comment

Trump’s Legal Challenge to Biden Win Seen as Uphill Battle

On

The Trump campaign’s latest legal challenge to the November 3 presidential election results may be a case of “too little, too late,” some legal experts say.With the election over and former vice president Joe Biden projected as the winner, President Donald Trump faces an uphill battle in his push to overturn the results with scant evidence of fraudulent voting or improper vote counting.That is the assessment of a number of legal experts after Trump’s reelection campaign filed a sweeping new lawsuit that challenges the legality of millions of mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, a battleground state that was carried by Biden andmore

Leave a comment