Senate Republicans Poised to Block US Voting Rights Bill

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Republicans in the U.S. Senate are expected to block the advancement of a major voting rights bill Tuesday.   The Senate top’s Democrat, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, set a procedural vote for the so-called For the People Act, but with 60 votes required to advance the bill for debate and Republicans opposing the measure in the evenly split 100-member chamber, the bill as it stands is set to stall.   There are ongoing efforts to put forth a revised version, led by Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat. His proposed changes include adding a national voter ID requirement andmore

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STEM Jobs Lead List of Fastest-Growing Occupations

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The number of STEM jobs — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — have sped past the number of non-STEM jobs by three times since 2000. And experts say there might not be enough graduates in those fields to fill the jobs.  “Look around at how many times a day you touch a computer, tablet, phone … these industries are accelerating so much that these high school kids will have jobs that don’t even exist yet,” said Kenneth Hecht, the leader of the National STEM Honor Society, an membership program that engages students from kindergarten into their career in STEM project-based learning (NSTEM). STEM covers both high-tech and long-established professions. For example, STEM jobs in demand include those in cloudmore

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Senate Republicans Set to Block US Voting Rights Bill

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Republicans in the U.S. Senate are expected to block the advancement of a major voting rights bill Tuesday.   The Senate top’s Democrat, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, set a procedural vote for the so-called For the People Act, but with 60 votes required to advance the bill for debate and Republicans opposing the measure in the evenly split 100-member chamber, the bill as it stands is set to stall.   There are ongoing efforts to put forth a revised version, led by Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat. His proposed changes include adding a national voter ID requirement andmore

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US Supreme Court Unanimously Rules Against NCAA Limitations

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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the NCAA cannot limit the compensation that student-athletes can receive, as long as it is related to their education.  In a 9-0 ruling, the court upheld a lower court ruling that expanded education-related benefits for U.S. college athletes beyond athletic scholarships. Such benefits could include free computers, graduate school tuition, study abroad programs, musical instruments and tutoring. The ruling allows schools to offer such perks to compete for the attention of college-bound athletes.  The NCAA determines the rules and regulations of U.S. collegiate competitions at schools across the country, including restrictions on athlete compensation.more

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STEM Jobs Lead Fastest-Growing Occupations

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The number of STEM jobs — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — have sped past the number of non-STEM jobs by three times since 2000. And experts say there might not be enough graduates in those fields to fill the jobs.  “Look around at how many times a day you touch a computer, tablet, phone … these industries are accelerating so much that these high school kids will have jobs that don’t even exist yet,” said Kenneth Hecht, the leader of the National STEM Honor Society, an membership program that engages students from kindergarten into their career in STEM project-based learning (NSTEM). STEM covers both high-tech and long-established professions. For example, STEM jobs in demand include those in cloudmore

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New Yorkers to Cast Votes in Mayoral Primary

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This Tuesday, local voters will cast their ballots in a primary election on the path to selecting the next mayor of New York. Some experts call the country’s biggest city and its financial capital a bellwether, despite the city’s overwhelmingly liberal lean.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …

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Suspect Arraigned in Killing of American Student in Russia

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A court in central Russia on Sunday arraigned a suspect on murder charges in the death of an American woman who was studying at a local university.The body of 34-year-old Catherine Serou was found Saturday in a wooded area near the city of Nizhny Novgorod, 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Moscow. She had been missing since Tuesday.Her mother, Beccy Serou, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, told U.S. National Public Radio that her daughter had last texted her: “In a car with a stranger. I hope I’m not being abducted.”State news agency RIA-Novosti cited the local court as saying the suspect gavemore

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Women’s College Sports Get Boost in TV Ratings, Visibility 

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Odicci Alexander became an overnight sensation at the Women’s College World Series.James Madison’s dynamic, endearingly humble pitcher was well-known among die-hard softball fans, but she introduced herself to a national audience by throwing a complete game to help her unseeded squad stun tournament favorite Oklahoma in the opening game earlier this month. She threw another complete game the next day in a victory over Oklahoma State and a star was born.As her team was being eliminated in the semifinals, Alexander drew a standing ovation when she left the field. Fans watching on TV and streaming devices were sorry to seemore

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11 US Mayors Say They are Committed to Paying Reparations for Slavery

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Eleven U.S. mayors said Friday they are committed to paying reparations for slavery but gave few details on how they would accomplish the task.The group, led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, announced a coalition to pursue reparations, Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE).“Our coalition stands on the belief that cities can — and should — act as laboratories for bold ideas that can be transformative for racial and economic justice on a larger scale,” the group said on its website.It said the 11 cities would create local commissions comprised of representatives from Black-ledmore

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US Supreme Court Again Rejects a Health Care Law Challenge

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The U.S. Supreme Court for the third time rejected a challenge to the country’s chief health insurance law that provides millions of Americans with coverage to help pay their medical costs.The court, in a 7-2 decision, dismissed on Thursday a bid by 18 Republican-led states and the administration of former President Donald Trump to upend the 2010 Affordable Care Act.It was the signature legislative achievement of former President Barack Obama, Trump’s immediate predecessor, and is popularly known in the U.S. as Obamacare.The country’s highest court also rejected challenges to the law in 2012 and 2015, with all three decisions keepingmore

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Athletes Abused by Late Doctor Demand U-Michigan Probe

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Former athletes on Wednesday urged the University of Michigan’s governing board to launch a full investigation of sexual abuse committed by a late doctor and how the school failed to stop him during his decades on campus.Standing near the school’s historic football stadium, they said a May report that detailed numerous complaints about Robert Anderson and the university’s failure to act was not enough.”So Board of Regents, so the University of Michigan — say my name,” said Jon Vaughn, a running back from 1988-91 who was repeatedly assaulted. “Because the time is now for all of you who have beenmore

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Loan Relief Granted to Defrauded For-profit College Students

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The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday it’s erasing student debt for thousands of borrowers who attended a for-profit college chain that made exaggerated claims about its graduates’ success in finding jobs.The Biden administration said it is approving 18,000 loan forgiveness claims from former students of ITT Technical Institute, a chain that closed in 2016 after being dealt a series of sanctions by the Obama administration. The new loan discharges will clear more than $500 million in debt.The move marks a step forward in the Biden administration’s effort to clear a backlog of claims in the borrower defense program, which providesmore

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Biden to Approve Creation of Juneteenth Holiday

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U.S. President Joe Biden is set to sign into a law Thursday the creation of a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.Juneteenth National Independence Day will be observed each year on June 19.WATCH LIVE at 3:30pm EST The holiday marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers informed a group of enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, of their freedom, 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.Many U.S. states already have Juneteenth as a holiday.It joins 10 other federal holidays and is the first added since Martin Luther King Jr. Daymore

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US Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Law Again

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The U.S. Supreme Court for the third time on Thursday upheld the legality of the country’s chief health insurance law that provides millions of Americans with coverage to help pay their medical costs. The court, in a 7-to-2 decision, rejected a bid by 18 Republican-led states and the administration of former President Donald Trump to upend the 2010 Affordable Care Act. It was the signature legislative achievement of former President Barack Obama, Trump’s immediate predecessor, and is popularly known in the U.S. as Obamacare. The country’s highest court had also rejected legal challenges in 2012 and 2015, with all three decisions keeping inmore

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US House Votes to End 2002 Iraq War Authorization

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The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill Thursday that would repeal the authorization of use of military force in Iraq that has been in effect since 2002.  Supporters of the measure say the repeal is necessary to restrict presidential war powers.The 268-161 House vote came one day after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his support of the legislation, saying it would prevent acts of “military adventurism” like President Donald Trump’s authorization of a 2020 aerial attack on a Baghdad airport. Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in the attack.   “The Iraq War has been over for nearly a decade,” Schumer said. “The authorization passed in 2002 is no longer necessary in 2021.”   Schumer said he planned amore

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Survey: 1 in 3 US Election Workers Feels Unsafe 

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Long after a contentious U.S. presidential election that unleashed a torrent of partisan threats against poll workers and others, many American election officials continue to feel unsafe because of their jobs, according to a recent survey.The FILE – Then-President Donald Trump looks on at the end of his speech during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.Trump blamedMany officials blamed former President Donald Trump for inspiring the threats by falsely claiming the November election had been rigged against him in favor of his Democratic opponent,more

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Congress Approves Bill to Make Juneteenth a Federal Holiday

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The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the nation.The House voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19, the 12th federal holiday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.Juneteenth commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. Confederate soldiers surrendered in April 1865, but word didn’t reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas. That was also about 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in themore

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Biden Administration, US Lawmakers Grapple With Domestic Extremism Threat

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The United States faces a growing threat from domestic violent extremists, according to a strategy released this week by the Biden administration. The warning comes as U.S. lawmakers continue to investigate the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump seeking to derail the Electoral College vote count confirming Joe Biden’s presidential victory. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more.Producer: Katherine Gypson. …

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Lawyer: US Drops Lawsuit, Grand Jury Probe Over Bolton Book

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The Justice Department has abandoned its lawsuit against John Bolton, former President Donald Trump’s short-term national security adviser, over his book that officials argued disclosed classified information, according to court documents and Bolton’s representatives. Prosecutors also dropped a grand jury investigation over the book’s publication, Bolton’s lawyer said Wednesday. The Trump administration sued last year to block the release of Bolton’s book, “The Room Where It Happened,” and to recover copies of the book that had already been distributed. The book, released in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, offered a behind-the-scenes and unflattering account of Trump’s foreign policy dealings.more

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Military Defends January 6 Response as House Steps Up Probes

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A top Army leader defended the Pentagon’s response to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, telling a House panel Tuesday that the National Guard was delayed for hours because they had to properly prepare for the deployment and that senior military leaders had determined beforehand that there was “no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of an American election.” Lieutenant General Walter Piatt, director of the Army staff, echoed comments from other senior military leaders about the perception of soldiers being used to secure the election process. He said the Pentagon wanted to be careful aboutmore

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Biden Picks Israel, Mexico, NATO Ambassadors

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President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his nominees to be ambassadors to Israel, Mexico and NATO, as he moves to strengthen U.S. alliances in tough regions. Among a slate of names announced by the White House on Tuesday were Thomas Nides, a Morgan Stanley vice chairman who served as a deputy secretary of state under former President Barack Obama, to serve as the ambassador to Israel. The close U.S. ally is welcoming a new government after Israel’s parliament ended Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year run as prime minister on Sunday. Biden also picked Ken Salazar, a former U.S. senator from Colorado and interior secretary, asmore

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US Universities Express Confidence About Return of Foreign Students

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An overwhelming majority—86%—of U.S. colleges, universities and other learning programs for higher education plan to bring international students back to campus to study in person in fall 2021.   “Universities are prepping for a strong recovery in international education enrollment as they emerge from the [COVID-19] pandemic,” said Mirka Martel, head of research for the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York.     IIE has been tracking international student mobility and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on international student travel to and from the United States since February 2020, when the pandemic started to surge in themore

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Trump Pressed Justice Department to Upend His Election Loss, Documents Show

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In the last weeks of his administration, former U.S. President Donald Trump and his aides pressured the Justice Department to investigate his unfounded voting fraud complaints and upend his election loss, newly released documents Tuesday show. Nearly five months after leaving office, Trump still contends he was cheated out of another four-year term in the White House by voting irregularities. According to the House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee, before he left office, Trump, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and a private attorney, Kurt Olsen, all sought to enlist the Justice Department to pursue election irregularities thatmore

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