Americans Divided Over Supreme Court Decision on Affirmative Action

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Americans are divided by the Supreme Court overturning decades of precedent supporting affirmative action in college admissions, a policy that advantaged otherwise disadvantaged students from racial or ethnic minority groups.  “Unfortunately, race still matters in our society and affirmative action is essential in guaranteeing that everyone — not just the advantaged — benefit from an education that can serve as a pathway to upward mobility,” Coalition for a Diverse Harvard board member Michael Williams told VOA. Harvard University, along with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, were sued by Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit organization against racial classificationsmore

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What’s It Like to Find a Job Using OPT?

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The United States gives international students the option to work for a year after graduating, without receiving a work visa. But the process to apply is long, difficult and carries risks. Sarah Dittenber of Idaho Ed News profiled undergraduates who are beginning new jobs and contributing to Idaho’s economy, using the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. (June 2023) …

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US Refusing More Student Visas, Report Says

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ICEF Monitor, a dedicated market intelligence resource for the international education industry, has worrying news for international students seeking visas to study in the U.S. It says student visa refusals soared for 2022, with more than 1 in 3 students failing to get a visa. “This is both a notable increase in the overall refusal rate for F-1 applicants, and also considerably higher than the average rate for other non-immigrant visa classes,” ICEF Monitor notes. It takes a closer look at the trend here. (June 2023) …

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Nigerian Student in New York Joins Ocean Expedition Near Greenland

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A Nigerian student working toward a doctorate in geological sciences at the State University of New York, Binghamton, has joined an ocean expedition near Greenland and Iceland. “I was captivated by the potential for groundbreaking research and knew immediately that I wanted to be part of such a significant scientific endeavor,” Halima Ibrahim told BingUNews. She’ll work as a ship-based sedimentologist examining sediment drilled from the ocean floor. Read the full story here. (June 2023) …

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Putin ‘Somewhat Weakened’ by Mutiny, Trump Says

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WASHINGTON – Former U.S. President Donald Trump, a longtime admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Thursday that Putin has been “somewhat weakened” by an aborted mutiny and that now is the time for the United States to try to broker a negotiated peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking expansively about foreign policy in a telephone interview with Reuters, the front-runner in opinion polls for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination also said China should be given a 48-hour deadline to get out of what sources familiar with the matter say is a Chinese spy capability on the island ofmore

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Biden Refutes Top-Down Economic Policy with ‘Bidenomics’

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Here comes “Bidenomics,” President Joe Biden’s self-named plan to forge an economic future “for families and communities that have long been written off and left behind.” On Wednesday, he visited Chicago — a legendary city in the nation’s once-booming industrial and agricultural heartland — to introduce Bidenomics to the world. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Washington. Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report. …

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International Students Worry AI Detectors Wrongly Flag Them as Cheaters

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Some universities are using AI detectors to root out cheating. But international students worry that they’ll be wrongly targeted by the algorithms. A recent study from Stanford University underscores the concern, finding that AI detectors can be “unreliable and biased against non-native English writers,” the Financial Express reports. Among other things, the study found that non-native speakers’ use of translation and grammar tools can wrongly indicate the work was generated by AI. Read the full story here. (June 2023)  …

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FBI, Homeland Security Ignored ‘Massive Amount’ of Intelligence Before Jan. 6, Senate Report Says

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The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security downplayed or ignored “a massive amount of intelligence information” ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S Capitol, according to the chairman of a Senate panel that on Tuesday released a new report on the intelligence failures ahead of the insurrection.    The report details how the agencies failed to recognize and warn of the potential for violence as some of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters openly planned the siege in messages and forums online.  Among the multitude of intelligence that was overlooked was a December 2020 tip to the FBImore

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White House Takes a Bet on ‘Bidenomics’ Amid Americans’ Pessimism on Economy

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Ahead of President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign, the White House is promoting the term “Bidenomics” to make the case that his policies to “grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out” have succeeded in taming inflation and lowering unemployment. “The share of working-age Americans in the workforce is higher now than it has been for 15 years,” Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Tuesday during a news briefing. “While we have more work to do, inflation has been coming down for 11 months in a row.” She touted 13 million jobsmore

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Crowded, Diverse Republican Presidential Field Expands

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Former President Donald Trump and current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held dueling events in the early primary state of New Hampshire on Tuesday, as campaigning among the dozen or more Republicans seeking the presidency next year escalates. DeSantis was on the stump in the town of Hollis, just before Trump spoke 65 kilometers (40 miles) to the north in Concord, the state capital. The two rivals’ common target on Tuesday: President Joe Biden, who at the age of 80 is running for a second term. “If this election is about Biden’s failures and our vision for the future, we aremore

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Can US Reverse College Enrollment Declines?

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Due to a shrinking youth population, the dislocations of the pandemic and rising tuition costs, fewer Americans are choosing college. However, it remains a good choice – graduates earn more and even live longer. Katharine Meyer of the Brookings Institution offers recommendations, such as financial aid for older people and partnerships with local businesses and welfare offices. (June 2023)  …

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Trump Discussed ‘Highly Confidential’ Document in Audio Recording

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An audio recording obtained by news organizations reveals U.S. President Donald Trump discussing secret documents about a plan to attack Iran as he spoke to a writer after leaving office in 2021.  Federal prosecutors cited parts of the conversation in an indictment last month on charges that he illegally retained classified government documents and then conspired to obstruct a federal investigation.    CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times released the audio clip Monday in which Trump references reports that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley feared Trump would manufacture a conflict with Iran after losingmore

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How Are US-China Tensions Affecting Student Exchange?

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There are currently only about 350 Americans studying in China, down from 15,000 a decade ago. Meanwhile, there are over 300,000 Chinese nationals studying in the U.S. The mismatch is due to growing mistrust in the U.S. of China’s government, as well as the impact of China’s “zero-COVID” strategy on foreign travel – and it has consequences for the future. “It just seems like China is knowing much more about the rest of the world, but the U.S. is not getting to know much more about what’s going on outside of the states,” said one student at New York University’smore

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Supreme Court Unfreezes Louisiana Redistricting Case that Could Boost Power of Black Voters

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The Supreme Court on Monday lifted its hold on a Louisiana case that could force the state to redraw congressional districts to boost Black voting power.  The order follows the court’s rejection earlier in June of a congressional redistricting map in Alabama and unfreezes the Louisiana case, which had been on hold pending the decision in Alabama.  In both states, Black voters are a majority in just one congressional district. Lower courts had ruled that the maps raised concerns that Black voting power had been diluted, in violation of the landmark federal Voting Rights Act.  About a third of Louisiana’smore

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The Supreme Court’s Decisions Coming on Contentious Issues Such as Gay Rights, Religious Freedom

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The Supreme Court is getting ready to decide some of its biggest cases of the term. The high court has 10 opinions left to release over the next week before the justices begin their summer break. As is typical, the last opinions to be released cover some of the most contentious issues the court has wrestled with this term including affirmative action, student loans and gay rights.  Here’s a look at some of the cases the court has left to decide from the term that began back in October:  AFFIRMATIVE ACTION   The survival of affirmative action in higher education ismore

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Will Men Become an Underrepresented Group on Campus?

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Women make up 58% of American undergraduates, and many colleges are struggling to attract male applicants and get them to graduate on time. The gender gap is sharpest among minorities, rural communities and low-income students. Many men struggle to ask for help and believe they “do not belong” in college. Andrew Smith has more for VOA Learning English, based on reporting by Matt Krupnick of the Hechinger Report. (June 2023)   …

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Biden to Host Modi for Talks, State Dinner

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U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talks Thursday at the White House. “The visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and shared resolve to elevate the technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space,” the White House said ahead of the meeting. In a rare move for the Indian leader, Modi and Biden are scheduled to appear at a joint news conference Thursday. Modi is also due to give an address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. Thursday’s events close with a statemore

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US Not Backing Down on Biden’s Xi Dictator Comment

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The White House is not backing down on comments made by President Joe Biden likening Chinese President Xi Jinping to a dictator. “It should come as no surprise that the president speaks candidly about China and the differences that we have — we are certainly not alone in that,” a senior administration official said in a statement sent to VOA on Wednesday. At a California fundraiser for his 2024 presidential campaign Tuesday, Biden said Xi was unaware and embarrassed over a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over American territory that the U.S. military shot down in February. “That’s what’s amore

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