Top US Health Official: COVID-19 Response Not Compromised by Politics

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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told a congressional panel Friday he is confident that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is not compromising its approval standards in a push to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine.Azar made his appearance before Congress hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he and first lady Melania Trump had both tested positive for COVID-19.The health and human services secretary was asked to appear at the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis as the committee staff released a report saying the Trump administration “engaged in a persistent pattern of political interference” intomore

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US Lawmakers, Cabinet Officials Offer Well-Wishes After Trump’s COVID-19 Diagnosis

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A little more than a month before the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump announced early Friday via Twitter that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus and have begun quarantining themselves.  In response, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: “Karen and I send our love and prayers to our dear friends President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS Melania Trump. We join millions across America praying for their full and swift recovery. God bless you President Trump & our wonderful First Lady Melania.” Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley tweeted a short while later that Pence and his wife tested negative earlymore

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Amid Growing Criticism, Trump Condemns White Supremacy

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President Donald Trump on Thursday denounced all extremist groups, including the right-wing, pro-Trump Proud Boys, following growing criticism over his apparent refusal to condemn white supremacy during Tuesday’s presidential debate.   “Let me be clear again,” Trump told conservative Fox News host Sean Hannity.  “I condemn the KKK. I condemn all white supremacists. I condemn the Proud Boys. I don’t know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I condemn that.”Trump made the comments just hours before his shocking revelation that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus after a close White House aide, Hopemore

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Trump Experiencing ‘Mild Symptoms’ After Testing Positive for COVID-19

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 White House Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows said Friday U.S. President Donald Trump is experiencing mild effects of the coronavirus after he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19.“The president does have mild symptoms and as we look to try to make sure that not only his health and safety and welfare is good, we continue to look at that for all of the American people,” Meadows said as he spoke to reporters at the White House.Trump’s chief of staff said the president is “not only in good spirits, but very energetic” and remains “committed to working very hard on behalf of the American people.”    White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows speaks to the mediamore

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Female Supreme Court Justices Can Change the Conversation

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A day after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87 of pancreatic cancer, President Donald Trump promised attendees at a rally in North Carolina that his nominee to fill her seat would be a woman.A week later, he announced her: Amy Coney Barrett, a 48-year-old conservative and circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.Ginsburg wanted more women on the Supreme Court. In a talk at Georgetown University in 2015, she said she was sometimes asked how many female justices would be enough to satisfy her.“When there are nine,” she replied, whichmore

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How Politicians Worldwide Reacted to Trump COVID-19 Infection

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A little more than a month before the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump announced early Friday via Twitter that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus and have begun quarantining themselves. In response, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: “Karen and I send our love and prayers to our dear friends President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS Melania Trump. We join millions across America praying for their full and swift recovery. God bless you President Trump & our wonderful First Lady Melania.”Karen and I send our love and prayers to our dear friends President A woman walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo Friday,more

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Biden Says He’ll Continue to Pray for Health, Safety of Trump and Family

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Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday said he and his wife Jill are sending their thoughts to President Donald Trump, his opponent in the November election, and Trump’s wife Melania, who both tested positive for COVID-19.”Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family,” Biden wrote in a tweet.   …

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Trump’s Voter Fraud Claims Could Spark Electoral College Controversy

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During Tuesday’s raucous presidential debate, President Donald Trump warned that he “won’t go along with” an election result based on mail-in ballots he alleges are fraudulent. To prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, some states have expanded voting by mail, and polling indicates significantly more Democrats than Republicans are relying on this method to cast their ballots.  In addition to the likely possibility Trump will challenge the election results in court if he loses, VOA’s Brian Padden reports there are growing concerns his campaign will also try to persuade the Electoral College to overturn the popular vote in statesmore

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Trump Supreme Court Nominee’s Impact on American Life Expected to be Profound

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U.S. lawmakers have been meeting this week with President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who would fill the seat left empty by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If confirmed as expected, Barrett will have a critical impact on court decisions on a range of issues impacting life in the United States, from abortion to health care to this November’s presidential election. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. Camera: Henry Hernandez Produced by: Katherine Gypson …

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Top Trump Aide Hope Hicks Tests Positive for Coronavirus

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Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s closest aides, has tested positive for the coronavirus.Hicks, who serves as counselor to the president and traveled with him to a rally Wednesday, tested positive Thursday, according to an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private health information. She is the closest aide to Trump to test positive so far.The White House did not immediately respond to multiple questions about the last time Trump was tested and whether he and other staffers who spent time with Hicks in recent days will be asked to quarantine.In a statement, White Housemore

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House Democrats Pass Partisan COVID Bill; Relief Talks Drag

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Democrats controlling the House narrowly passed a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Thursday night, a move that came as top-level talks on a smaller, potentially bipartisan measure dragged on toward an uncertain finish. An air of pessimism has largely taken over the Capitol.The Democratic bill passed after a partisan debate by a 214-207 vote without any Republicans in support. The move puts lawmakers no closer to delivering aid such as more generous weekly unemployment payments, extended help for small businesses and especially troubled economic sectors such as restaurants and airlines, and another round of $1,200 direct payments to most Americans.Treasurymore

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Trump Signals Opposition to Debate Rule Changes

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U.S. President Donald Trump signaled Thursday that he was opposed to changing the rules for his second and third debates against Democratic challenger Joe Biden, claiming he “easily” won their contentious, chaotic first debate earlier this week.Both candidates frequently interrupted each other’s remarks at Tuesday’s 90-plus minute debate, but Trump more so than Biden.FILE – President Donald Trump gestures while speaking during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio.More than an hour into the debate, moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News journalist, admonished the president for ignoring the agreed-uponmore

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2020 US Election Cost Approaching Record $11 Billion

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The 2020 U.S. election is likely to cost nearly $11 billion, making it by far the most expensive election in U.S. history, according to projections by a leading campaign finance watchdog.In a report released Thursday, the Center for Responsive Politics projected the cost of the 2020 presidential and congressional races at $10.8 billion, or more than 50% costlier than the 2016 election when adjusted for inflation.The CRP’s projection is based on spending so far this campaign cycle and additional spending that is likely to occur in the final month leading up to the November 3 election. Thus far, Democrats holdmore

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Trump Administration Proposes Limiting Refugee Admissions to 15,000

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The Trump administration said late Wednesday it wants to cut the number of refugees admitting into the United States to 15,000 in fiscal year 2021, which begins Thursday.The figure represents the latest in a series of annual cuts since President Donald Trump took office in 2017.In 2020, the administration put the cap at 18,000, and the United States allowed 10,892 refugees into the country before putting the program on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.That was the fewest since the modern refugee program was approved by Congress in 1980.  The annual cap during the administration of President Barack Obama wasmore

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Democrats Say Republicans Rushing Barrett Supreme Court Nomination

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Democrats on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said Republicans are rushing the Supreme Court confirmation process for Judge Amy Coney Barrett and reiterated calls for postponing the review of her nomination until after the presidential inauguration in January.In a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham released late Wednesday, Democrats said the timeline Graham has set does not allow for a thorough FBI background investigation, review of her entire judicial record or for Barrett to answer senators’ questions.“This timeline is a sharp departure from past practice,” the Democrats wrote. “Even more, it undercuts the Senate’s ability to fulfill its advicemore

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Notorious Hate Group Proud Boys Celebrates Trump’s Debate Comments

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The Proud Boys are fired up.The notorious hate group has been celebrating since President Donald Trump refused to directly disavow them and other white supremacists during Tuesday night’s presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio.Trump, who has been criticized for never explicitly denouncing right-wing extremism, was asked by debate moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News if he would condemn white supremacy.“Who would you like me to condemn?” Trump asked before Democratic challenger Joe Biden mentioned the Proud Boys, a pro-Trump right-wing group. “The Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by,” Trump responded cryptically.“But I’ll tell you what, I’ll tell you what,” Trumpmore

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Republican Lawmakers Grill Comey on Leadership of Russia Probe

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Republican lawmakers on Wednesday confronted former FBI Director James Comey about his oversight of the Trump-Russia investigation during a politically charged hearing that focused attention on problems with the probe that have become a rallying cry for President Donald Trump’s supporters.Comey, making his first appearance before Congress since a harshly critical inspector general report on the investigation, acknowledged under questioning that the FBI’s process for conducting surveillance on a former Trump campaign adviser was “sloppy” and “embarrassing.” He said he would not have certified the surveillance had he known then what he knows now about applications the FBI submitted inmore

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Mnuchin, Pelosi Make New Effort on Coronavirus Aid

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried again Wednesday to agree on a long-stalled coronavirus relief package before Congress adjourns so lawmakers can campaign ahead of the November 3 election.Mnuchin and Pelosi discussed details of the aid plan that could send more money to American families and businesses, restore unemployment aid to millions of workers laid off from jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, provide assistance to state and local governments, and offer liability protection to businesses.The sticking point in the discussions was the extent of the aid. The Democrat-controlled House is preparing to vote onmore

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US Debate Commission Promises More ‘Structure’ for Next Trump-Biden Encounters

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The independent U.S. presidential election debate agency said Wednesday that it would move soon to tighten the format of the encounters after critics panned Tuesday’s first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden as the worst in American political history.The two candidates frequently interrupted each other or talked at the same time, with debate moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News journalist, rebuking Trump for failing to adhere to the rules of the debate to allow both candidates to finish answering questions unimpeded.The Commission on Presidential Debates said the debate debacle showed the need for “additional structure” tomore

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Ski Resorts Struggle to Hire Amid Trump’s Student Visa Ban

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Milagros Sotelo was looking forward to traveling from South America to Tennessee to start a job at Ober Gatlinburg ski resort this winter. The 22-year-old student worked the last two ski seasons in the equipment rental shop at the small resort nestled in the Smoky Mountains and was excited to reconnect with friends, practice her English and take a break from law school in Lima, Peru, where she lives. But on June 22, President Trump signed an executive order temporarily barring a wide variety of foreign worker visas, including J-1 visas often issued to South American students who come tomore

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Trump, Biden Clash in Chaotic, Contentious Debate

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Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, clashed in a contentious, chaotic presidential election debate Tuesday night, trying for 90 minutes to convince American voters that the other one was unfit to lead the United States for the next four years. They argued over the world-leading coronavirus death toll of 205,000 in the U.S., the integrity and honesty of the November 3 vote, Trump’s nomination of conservative jurist Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, fractured racial relations in the U.S., environmental policies and more. Trump disputed a New York Times report this week that he only paid $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016, when he first ran formore

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3 Takeaways From Trump-Biden Debate

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President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden met Tuesday for the first presidential debate ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The 90-minute matchup was moderated by Fox News host Chris Wallace and held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Here are three takeaways from the debate: Interruptions Trump repeatedly talked over both Biden and moderator Wallace during the debate. The result was chaotic, as both men frequently interrupted each other. The prime-time broadcast often showed a side-by-side view of the candidates with each man talking, at times simultaneously. Trump was often rebuked by Wallace, who told the president to “please let the vice president talk.” At one point Biden told Trump, “Will you shut up, man?”President Donald Trumpmore

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US Court Upholds Extended Wisconsin Ballot Deadline

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A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld a ruling allowing Wisconsin’s absentee ballots in the November general election to be counted if they arrive up to six days after Election Day. The panel of three judges, all appointed by Republican presidents, agreed with a September lower court ruling that said if the ballots are postmarked by November 3, they can be accepted for counting as long as they arrive by November 9. The Republican National Committee and Wisconsin Republicans argued against allowing the deadline extension and could appeal Tuesday’s ruling.  They said voters had plenty of time to obtain and return an absentee ballot by Election Day. Wisconsin Democrats welcomed the court’s decisionmore

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