Aid Programs Reduced Hunger in US in 2020, but Racial Disparities Worsened 

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A huge increase in federal food aid kept the number of U.S. households considered “food insecure” from rising during 2020, despite the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. But a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that more than one in 10 U.S. households was short of food at some point last year, and that racial and regional disparities in hunger increased despite the surge in federal aid.Now, however, with the pandemic surging back throughout the country, the assistance programs that prevented an untold number of American families from facing food shortages last year are beginning tomore

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Students, Beware: That Free Curbside Futon Might Carry Critters 

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With college students back on campus this school year, insect extermination company Terminix ranked the most bedbug-infested cities in the United States.Bedbugs spread by hitching rides on luggage, backpacks and clothing, and can crawl through cracks in the walls, making common spaces of dorm living extremely vulnerable to infestations.”Bedbugs go where people go, so they can be virtually anywhere,” said Rick Cooper, senior director of bedbug services at Terminix.”Bedbugs move from infested structures, whether that be hotels, airports, schools or college campuses,” he said. “They can tag along on someone’s clothes or backpack.”Terminix based its rankings on the number of requestsmore

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White House Asks Trump Military Academy Board Appointees to Resign

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The White House said on Wednesday it had asked 18 Trump administration appointees to resign from military academy boards, saying President Joe Biden would require such officials to be “aligned with the values of this administration.”   The 18 — six each on the Board of Visitors to the Air Force Academy, the Military Academy and the Naval Academy — were asked to resign, the White House said. If they did not resign their positions, they were to be terminated at 6 p.m., the White House said. Those asked to step down include Kellyanne Conway, White House counselor under Donald Trump, and Sean Spicer, a White House spokesperson under themore

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Food, Tradition Help Homesick Students Stay Connected

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At first, Khadija Ghanizada had a tough time adjusting to the United States.  She was 17 when she first came to America on a full scholarship in 2017 to attend Emma Willard School in rural upstate New York, far from any metropolis. That was tough for Ghanizada, who came from Kabul, Afghanistan’s largest city, populated by nearly 5 million people.  She missed the busy street life.”Slowly, day by day, I started to make friends and adjust to American culture, food and the people around me. I watched American teen TV shows to learn about my peers and what they likemore

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‘Varsity Blues’ Trial Promises Fresh Insights in Old Scandal

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The first trial in the “Operation Varsity Blues” college admissions bribery scandal will begin this week, with the potential to shed light on investigators’ tactics and brighten the spotlight on a secretive school selection process many have long complained is rigged to favor the rich.Jury selection is beginning Wednesday in federal court in Boston in the case against two parents — former casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz and former Staples and Gap Inc. executive John Wilson — who are accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to help get their kids into the University of Southern California by falsely presentingmore

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Texas Governor Signs New Republican Voting Restrictions into Law

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Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Tuesday an elections overhaul that adds more voting restrictions in the booming state. Democrats had spent months protesting what they say are efforts to weaken minority turnout and preserve the Republican Party’s eroding dominance in the state. Abbott signed the sweeping changes during a ceremony in the East Texas city of Tyler, where the surrounding county went for former President Donald Trump by a more than 2-to-1 margin last year. But it was far closer in Texas overall, with Trump carrying the state by 5 1/2 percentage points, the thinnest margin of victorymore

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US Climate Envoy Kerry Gets Cold Shoulder in China

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Analysts are portraying this week’s visit to China by U.S. presidential envoy John Kerry as a diplomatic embarrassment, with Chinese leaders giving no ground on Kerry’s appeal for cooperation on climate change and offering him only video meetings with senior officials.“The Taliban got a better reception” when a delegation from the Afghan insurgent group met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on July 28, noted Anders Corr, a longtime China observer and publisher of the Journal of Political Risk.The chilly treatment of Kerry reflects how much an increasingly assertive China’s approach to Washington has changed in just amore

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Tulane University Evacuates All Students Amid Power Outages

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Tulane University began evacuating students to Houston early Tuesday and is set to close for two weeks after Hurricane Ida damaged New Orleans’ power grid. Students were required to be off campus by 5 p.m. as buses evacuated those who were on campus. The university said students would remain in Houston, with food and lodging provided by the university, until they could arrange their own flights home. “Classes will resume online only beginning September 13 through Wednesday, October 6, to give the city time to repair and reinstate power and other critical services,” the university said in a statement. More than 1 millionmore

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Texas Six-week Abortion Ban Takes Effect

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A Texas ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy took effect early Wednesday morning after the U.S. Supreme Court did not act on an emergency request by abortion rights groups to block the law enabling the ban. Barring a later ruling by the court, its inaction by midnight on the groups’ request for an injunction will allow the ban litigation continues in the groups’ lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. Abortion rights groups say 85%-90% of abortions in Texas are obtained after six weeks of pregnancy, meaning the law would most likely force many clinics to close. Such a ban has never been permitted in any state since the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade,more

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Afghanistan Exit Pushes Congress to Repeal Presidential War Powers 

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One of the lasting legacies of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks may finally be repealed by U.S. lawmakers seeking to limit presidential war-making powers. The 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (or AUMFs) for the war on terror have been a subject of heated debate on Capitol Hill almost since they were passed. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. Produced by:  Katherine Gypson   …

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Thousands March for Fair, Easy Access to Vote for All

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Thousands of Americans gathered Saturday in Washington to demand federal legislation to protect voting rights. Saqib Islam reports from the protest, March On for Voting Rights, which also marked the 58th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech on the National Mall.  Camera: Saqib Ul Islam           Producer: Saqib Ul Islam …

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Growing Hostility to Afghan Refugees Shows GOP Divide

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As the U.S. rushes to evacuate Americans and allies from the chaos of Afghanistan, a growing number of Republicans are questioning why the U.S. should take in Afghan citizens who worked side by side with Americans, further exacerbating divides within the party heading into next year’s midterm elections.  Little more than a week ago, as the Taliban’s stunning takeover of Afghanistan still was snapping into focus, former President Donald Trump issued a statement saying that “civilians and others who have been good to our Country … should be allowed to seek refuge.” But in more recent days, he has turned tomore

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Thousands March in US Cities for Voting Rights

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Thousands of protesters rallied in Washington and other U.S. cities on Saturday to demand protections for voting rights, aiming to pressure lawmakers to pass legislation to counter a wave of ballot restrictions in Republican-led states. Held on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic 1963 March on Washington, organizers of the “March On for Voting Rights” say the state-level moves to curb voting access disproportionately affect people of color. In Washington, protesters holding “Black Lives Matter” flags and signs calling for federal legislation marched from McPherson Square toward the final meeting point at the National Mall, where King gave his iconicmore

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Capitol Police Officer Who Shot Trump Supporter Says It Was ‘Last Resort’ 

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The U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot a woman as she tried to force her way into the House of Representatives during the January 6 attack said the shooting was a “last resort” because he believed she posed a threat to members of Congress. “I tried to wait as long as I could,” police Lieutenant Michael Byrd said in an interview with “NBC Nightly News” that aired Thursday, in what were his first public remarks since the violence. FILE – This undated driver’s license photo from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, provided to AP by the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, showsmore

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US Judge Sanctions Trump-Allied Lawyers

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A U.S. federal judge imposed financial penalties and other sanctions Wednesday against nine lawyers with ties to former U.S. President Donald Trump after ruling that their lawsuit challenging 2020 election results in the state of Michigan was a “historic and profound abuse of the judicial process.”“It is one thing to take on the charge of vindicating rights associated with an allegedly fraudulent election,” U.S. District Court judge Linda Parker wrote. “It is another to take on the charge of deceiving a federal court and the American people into believing that rights were infringed, without regard to whether any laws ormore

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US Congressmen Visit Kabul Airport Amid Evacuation Effort

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Two U.S. congressman made a previously unannounced trip to the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Tuesday for what they said was a visit to assess the ongoing evacuation effort and to pressure U.S. President Joe Biden to extend his August 31 for withdrawing the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan. “We conducted this visit in secret, speaking about it only after our departure, to minimize the risk and disruption to the people on the ground, and because we were there to gather information, not to grandstand,” said a joint statement from Congressman Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Congressman Peter Meijer, a Michigan Republican. The lawmakers, who served on the House Armedmore

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2 Congress Members Fly to Kabul Amid Evacuation

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Two members of Congress flew unannounced into Kabul airport in the middle of the ongoing chaotic evacuation Tuesday, stunning State Department and U.S. military personnel who had to divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers, U.S. officials said. Representatives Seth Moulton, a Democrat, and Peter Meijer, a Republican, flew in and out on charter aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours. That led officials to complain that they could be taking seats that would have otherwise gone to other Americans or Afghans fleeing the country, but the congressmen said in a jointmore

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Plea Deal Possible for Capitol Rioter Dressed as George Washington

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Prosecutors are discussing a plea deal for a Missouri man who participated in the deadly January 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol dressed as George Washington. Isaac Yoder, a locksmith from Missouri, has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges that include violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.At a hearing Tuesday before a district judge, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst said discussions had begun “about a possible resolution without a trial” in Yoder’s case.The FBI said Yoder admitted to investigators in March that he entered the Capitol on January 6.Multiple photographs have been published of Yoder dressed as the firstmore

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House Advances Biden’s Social Safety Net Legislation  

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Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives advanced President Joe Biden’s legislative priorities on Tuesday, approving a $3.5 trillion social safety net budget plan.Lawmakers also agreed to hold a vote by late next month on $1 trillion in infrastructure spending to fix the country’s crumbling roads and bridges and expand broadband service.The 220-212 vote on the sizable spending measures was not the final say on the legislation, but it signaled that Democrats, who hold narrow majorities over Republicans in both the House and Senate, might be able in the coming weeks to forge approval of spending programs that Biden promisedmore

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Hochul Becomes NY’s First Female Governor as Cuomo Exits

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Kathy Hochul became the first female governor of New York at the stroke of midnight Tuesday, taking control of a state government desperate to get back to business after months of distractions over sexual harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo.The Democrat from western New York was sworn in as governor in a brief, private ceremony in the New York State Capitol overseen by the state’s chief judge, Janet DiFiore.Afterward, she told WGRZ, a Buffalo television station, she felt “the weight of responsibility” on her shoulders.“I’ll tell New Yorkers I’m up to the task. And I’m really proud to be able tomore

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Hochul to Become NY’s First Female Governor as Cuomo Exits

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Kathy Hochul was set to become the first female governor of New York at the stroke of midnight, taking control of a state government desperate to get back to business after months of distractions over sexual harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo. The Democrat from western New York was to be sworn in as governor in the first minutes of Tuesday in a brief, private ceremony overseen by the state’s chief judge, Janet DiFiore. Her ascent to the top job will be a history-making moment in a capital where women have only recently begun chipping away at what was long a male-dominated political culture. Cuomo wasmore

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As Cuomo Exits, He Takes Last Swipe at Harassment Accusers

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Andrew Cuomo defended his record over a  decade as New York’s governor and portrayed himself as the victim of a “media frenzy” Monday as he prepared for a midnight power transfer that will make Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul the state’s first female governor. Cuomo, a Democrat, was set to end his term at 11:59 p.m., just under two weeks after he announced he would resign rather than face a likely impeachment battle over sexual harassment allegations. Hochul was scheduled be sworn in just after midnight by the state’s chief judge, Janet DiFiore, in a brief, private ceremony. In a pre-recordedmore

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