Republicans Pick Jim Jordan as Nominee for House Speaker

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Republicans chose Representative Jim Jordan as their new nominee for House speaker on Friday during internal voting, putting the gavel within reach of the staunch ally of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump.  Jordan will now try to unite colleagues from the deeply divided House GOP majority around his bid ahead of a floor vote, which could push to next week.  Frustrated House Republicans have been fighting bitterly over whom they should elect to replace the speaker they ousted, Representative Kevin McCarthy, and the future direction of their party. The stalemate, now in its second week, has thrown the House intomore

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US Students Make Memorable Journalism as News Industry Struggles

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Within the past year, young journalists have produced investigations that led to the resignation of Stanford University’s president, the firing of Northwestern University’s football coach, and a school shooting graphic so striking that it led a veteran newsman to say, “I’ve never seen a better front page.” All while making sure to get their homework in on time. A news industry that has been shedding jobs as long as they’ve been alive, and the risk of harassment when their work strikes nerves hasn’t dimmed the enthusiasm of many college students — often unpaid — who are keeping the flame alivemore

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US House Deadlocked Over Leadership Debate

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Republican Representative Steve Scalise dropped his bid to become speaker of the US House of Representatives late Thursday, after failing to secure enough votes to win election. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more on how the US Congress is unable to act on Ukraine and Israel until a new leader is chosen. …

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Scalise Ends Bid to Become House Speaker After Failing to Secure Enough Votes

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U.S. Representative Steve Scalise has ended his bid to become House speaker after failing to secure enough votes to win the gavel.  Scalise told Republican colleagues of his decision during a closed-door meeting late Thursday. The next steps are uncertain as the House is essentially closed while Republicans try to elect a speaker after ousting Kevin McCarthy from the job.  “I just shared with my colleagues that I’m withdrawing my name as a candidate for speaker-designee,” Scalise said as he emerged from the closed-door meeting at the Capitol.  Scalise said the Republican majority “still has to come together and ismore

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US Student Groups Blaming Israel for Violence Face Backlash

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Some students at a few U.S. universities blamed Israel this week for the Hamas militants’ attack on the Jewish state, drawing a sharp rebuke from academic leaders at the schools as well as from prominent alumni and potential employers. The debate touched off at Harvard University, the alma mater of eight former U.S. presidents and perhaps the most politically influential school in the country. A coalition of 34 Harvard student organizations said they “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence” following decades of occupation of Gaza. They called Israel an “apartheid regime” and said it was “themore

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Delay for International Students Seeking Visas 

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For international students who have been accepted to a U.S. college or university, the journey has just started. One part of that is applying for an international student visa, and that can mean months of waiting.   The World reports that lengthy wait times can cause problems for students, but also for a nation trying to attract talent from around the globe.   …

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Republican Scalise Seeks Votes from Party in Bid for House Speaker

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Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to meet Thursday as Republican Steve Scalise faces a test of whether he can get enough support from his party to become the next House speaker. Republicans nominated Scalise in a closed-door vote Wednesday to be their choice to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted last week. He won the internal party ballot 113-99, beating out House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. The 58-year-old Scalise won the backing of Republicans with support primarily coming from long-time and establishment party members. Scalise must now gain approval of the fullmore

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Republicans Nominate Steve Scalise for US House Speaker

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U.S. House Republicans voted 113-99 Wednesday to nominate Representative Steve Scalise to serve as speaker. But their narrow majority in the lower chamber of Congress and divisions within their own party leave it uncertain when and if Scalise will ascend to the leadership post. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. …

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ACT Test Scores for US Students Drop to New 30-Year Low

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High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, showing a lack of student preparedness for college-level coursework, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the test. Scores have been falling for six consecutive years, but the trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students in the class of 2023 whose scores were reported Wednesday were in their first year of high school when the virus reached the U.S. “The hard truth is that we are not doing enough to ensure that graduates are truly ready for postsecondary success inmore

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25 Years After Murder, ‘Laramie Project’ Stages Reading in Wyoming

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It has been 25 years since the body of Matthew Shepard was discovered in Laramie, Wyoming. The gay college student had been tied to a fence post, tortured, and left to die.  The murder drew national attention to violence against gay people, and attracted the interest of theater director Moises Kaufman, who turned the horror into art with “The Laramie Project.”  This 25th anniversary has triggered deep sadness for Kaufman, founder and artistic director of the New York-based Tectonic Theater Project. He wonders about all the things Shepard could have become.  “Every year around this time, it’s painful to remember,more

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Republicans to Start Voting on House Speaker Candidate

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Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to meet Wednesday to start closed-door, internal voting to try to agree on a nominee to be the next House speaker. The two leading candidates, Representatives Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise, addressed members of their party at a forum late Tuesday seeking to make their case to take the job following last week’s ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy told colleagues not to nominate him to reclaim the post. Republicans hold a slim 221-212 majority in the House, meaning they will need to unite behind a candidate in ordermore

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Business Student from India Thriving in NY

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A sophomore business student from India says he’s living his dream as a student at Fordham University in New York. At Fordham, Om Bhosale says, he’s been able to combine two interests: entrepreneurship as part of his business administration major and global business as a minor. Read an interview with him here.  …

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Pioneering Women’s College Sued Over Gender Pay Gap 

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One of the first women’s colleges in the United States is the target of a federal lawsuit, with five current or former tenured faculty members saying the school pays female professors less than their male counterparts.  The New York Times reports Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York, also faces allegations of delayed promotions for female professors and a discriminatory performance-evaluation system. (September 2023)       …

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US-China Relations Straining Academic Exchanges  

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U.S. policymakers are worried about losing potential American advances in science and technology to China, and this could lead to limits on academic exchanges. Fewer research papers are being jointly authored by scientists from the two countries, and there are signs that the United States is becoming a less desirable study destination for Chinese students. But academic ties should be preserved, according to an article in Foreign Affairs magazine. …

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VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, Oct. 1–7

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Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.  US Government to Resume Deportations to Venezuela The Biden administration announced Thursday it will resume the deportation of migrants back to Venezuela in hopes of decreasing the numbers of Venezuelans arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. On a background call with reporters — a method often used by U.S. authorities to share information with reporters without being identified — Biden officials said Venezuelan nationals who cross into the United States unlawfully will still be processed. But if itmore

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Facing a Deficit, One College Drops Foreign Languages

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West Virginia University, the flagship public institution in one of America’s poorest states, has announced a plan to get rid of all foreign languages and creative writing, and fire about 7% of its academic staff. The move is unprecedented among large American schools, and faculty and students are not happy. Nick Anderson of The Washington Post takes a deeper look at the controversy. (August 2023) …

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