US President Joe Biden ends reelection bid
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Leave a commentBiden’s decision to drop out crystalized Sunday; his staff knew one minute before the public did
WASHINGTON — At 1:45 p.m. Sunday, President Joe Biden’s senior staff was notified that he was stepping away from the 2024 race. At 1:46 p.m., that message was made public. It was never Biden’s intention to leave the race: Up until he decided to step aside Sunday, he was all in. His campaign was planning fundraisers and events and setting up travel over the next few weeks. But even as Biden was publicly dug in and insisting he was staying in the race, he was quietly reflecting on the disaster of the past few weeks, on the past three years ofmore
Leave a commentBiden withdraws from presidential race, endorses Harris as Democratic nominee
President Joe Biden announced Sunday he’s ending his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic party’s nominee on the November ballot. VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …
Leave a commentGlass-ceiling breaker Kamala Harris could be Democratic presidential nominee
Kamala Harris, America’s first-ever female vice president, could be nominated to take the top spot on the Democratic Party ticket for president of the United States. Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti looks back at her roots and her past four years in office. …
Leave a commentVance brings conservatism, youth to Trump ticket
Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance was named the vice presidential candidate to presidential candidate Donald Trump. His policies mesh with the former president’s, but his background couldn’t be different. VOA’s Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti shows us what Vance brings to the ticket. VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report. VOA footage by Mary Cieslak. …
Leave a commentIndia’s battery storage industry grows
BENGALURU, India — At a Coca-Cola factory on the outskirts of Chennai in southern India, a giant battery powers machinery day and night, replacing a diesel-spewing generator. It’s one of just a handful of sites in India powered by electricity stored in batteries, a key component to fast-tracking India’s energy transition away from dirty fuels. The country’s lithium ion battery storage industry — which can store electricity generated by wind turbines or solar panels for when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing — makes up just 0.1% of global battery storage systems. But battery storage is growing fast,more
Leave a commentAustralia warns of ‘malicious websites’ after cyber outage
sydney — Australia’s cyber intelligence agency said on Saturday that “malicious websites and unofficial code” were being released online claiming to aid recovery from Friday’s global digital outage, which hit media, retailers, banks and airlines. Australia was one of many countries affected by the outage that caused havoc worldwide after a botched software update from CrowdStrike. On Saturday, the Australian Signals Directorate — the country’s cyber intelligence agency — said “a number of malicious websites and unofficial code are being released claiming to help entities recover from the widespread outages caused by the CrowdStrike technical incident.” On its website, the agency said its cyber security center “strongly encourages all consumers tomore
Leave a commentTrump campaign releases letter on shooting injury, treatment
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s campaign released an update on the former president’s health on Saturday, one week after he survived an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The memo, from Texas Representative Ronny Jackson, who served as Trump’s White House physician, offers new details about the Republican GOP nominee’s injuries and the treatment he received in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Jackson said Trump sustained a gunshot wound to the right ear from a high-powered rifle that came “less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head and struck the top of his right ear.”more
Leave a commentRepublicans united on Trump, divided on abortion
During the Republican National Convention, which ended Thursday, delegates approved a political platform that barely mentions abortion — a stark contrast to previous party positions. VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman reports from the convention that this softer official stance on reproductive rights is aimed at making its candidate, Donald Trump, more appealing to undecided voters. VOA footage by Mary Cieslak. …
Leave a commentAirlines resume services after global IT crash wreaks havoc
Paris — Airlines were gradually coming back online Saturday after global carriers, banks and financial institutions were thrown into turmoil by one of the biggest IT crashes in recent years, caused by an update to an antivirus program. Passenger crowds had swelled at airports Friday to wait for news as dozens of flights were canceled and operators struggled to keep services on track, after an update to a program operating on Microsoft Windows crashed systems worldwide. Multiple U.S. airlines and airports across Asia said they were now resuming operations, with check-in services restored in Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand, andmore
Leave a commentSome older working Americans bristle at calls for Biden to step aside
NEW YORK — A swath of Americans watching U.S. President Joe Biden is seeing something beyond debate-stage stumbles and prime-time miscues: themselves. Debate about the 81-year-old Democrat’s fitness for another term is especially resonating with other older Americans who, like him, want to stay on the job. “People were telling me I should retire, too,” says 89-year-old D’yan Forest, a New York comedian. “But you’ve got to keep working, no matter what.” Forest has stumbled on an occasional joke and finds it more difficult to memorize her lines. But she’s busier than ever, drawing audiences and getting big laughs with bawdymore
Leave a commentWhat happens if Biden drops out of presidential race?
Washington — With major donors reluctant to keep campaign funds flowing and more Democrats publicly saying that his chances of winning the November election are dwindling, U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly coming closer to bowing out of the race. As of Friday, there was no indication from the campaign nor the White House that Biden would drop out. But if he does, Democrats must make a swift decision on who would replace him on the top of their ticket, and how. The most orderly scenario would be for Biden to endorse an alternative candidate and ask the delegates to transfermore
Leave a commentRepublicans ponder who might replace Biden
As some leading Democrats pressure incumbent President Joe Biden to abandon his reelection bid, Republicans are among those speculating about who might replace him on November’s ballot to face their nominee – former President Donald Trump. VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman was at this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and filed this report. …
Leave a commentDonald Trump accepts Republican nomination
The Republican National Convention ended Thursday night with a speech by the party’s official presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump. He had been in the audience watching the convention all week, but Thursday was his first public speech since he was the target of an assassination attempt last Saturday. VOA’s Senior National Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti brings us the sights and sounds from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kim Lewis and Tatiana Koprowitz contributed to this report. …
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