Senate Sends Biden Bill Averting Federal Shutdown

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The Senate gave final approval Thursday to legislation averting a weekend government shutdown, sending President Joe Biden a measure designed to give bipartisan bargainers more time to reach an overdue deal financing federal agencies until fall.  Final passage was by a bipartisan 65-27 vote, five more than the 60 votes needed. The House easily approved the legislation last week. Each party had concluded that an election-year shutdown would be politically damaging, especially during a pandemic and a confrontation with Russia over its possible invasion of Ukraine.   Yet as with virtually all must-pass bills, politics hitched a ride. Before passage,more

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Trump Must Testify in New York Investigation, Judge Rules

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A judge ruled Thursday that former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices.  Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump and his two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., to comply with subpoenas issued in December by New York Attorney General Letitia James.  Trump and his two children must sit for a deposition within 21 days, Engoron said.  Engoron issued the ruling after a two-hour hearing with lawyers for the Trumps and James’ office.  “In the final analysis, a State Attorney General commences investigating a business entity, uncovers copious evidencemore

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US Congress Stalled on Russia Sanctions

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U.S. lawmakers struggled to agree this week on sanctions to deter Russia’s Vladimir Putin from a possible Ukraine invasion. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson says that despite the snag, there is still pressure to mount a unified U.S. response. Producer: Katherine Gypson. …

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Sandy Hook Families Settle with Remington After 2012 Massacre 

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The families of nine victims of a massacre at an elementary school nearly ten years ago in the northeastern U.S. state of Connecticut reached a $73 million settlement Tuesday in a lawsuit against Remington Arms, the maker of the rifle used in the mass killing.  The settlement is a rare instance of a U.S. gunmaker paying damages for bloodshed arising from the criminal use of a firearm.  “While this settlement does not erase the pain of that tragic day, it does begin the necessary work of holding gun manufacturers accountable for manufacturing weapons of war and irresponsibly marketing these firearms,”more

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From Campus to Congress, Colleges Urged to End Legacy Boost

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America’s elite colleges are facing growing calls to end the decades-old tradition of giving an admissions boost to the children of alumni — a practice that critics say is rooted in racism and bestows an unfair advantage to students who need it least. Fueled by the national reckoning with racial injustice, opponents say they are gaining momentum in the battle over the contentious policy of legacy preferences. Ivy League students are pressing administrators to abandon the policy. Yale’s student government took a stance against the practice in November. A recent vote of Harvard students found that 60% oppose it. Hundredsmore

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Congress Approves Sex Harassment Bill in #MeToo Milestone

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Congress on Thursday gave final approval to legislation guaranteeing that people who experience sexual harassment at work can seek recourse in the courts, a milestone for the #MeToo movement that prompted a national reckoning on the way sexual misconduct claims are handled.  The measure, which is expected to be signed by President Joe Biden, bars employment contracts from forcing people to settle sexual assault or harassment cases through arbitration rather than in court, a process that often benefits employers and keeps misconduct allegations from becoming public.   Significantly, the bill is retroactive, nullifying that language in contracts nationwide and openingmore

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US Congress Advances Bill to Sanction Those Fueling War in Ethiopia 

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Legislation has advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives to impose sanctions on Ethiopians committing human rights abuses, blocking food aid delivery, or taking other actions that are worsening the country’s 15-month crisis. It would also sanction those providing training, weapons, or financial support to those involved in the conflict. The proposed Ethiopian Stabilization, Peace and Democracy Act was voted out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday. It can now be voted on by the full U.S. House. A similar bill is being considered in the Senate. If enacted, the bill would sanction individuals as well as suspendmore

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VP’s Husband Whisked from Event Over Bomb Threat

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U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, was quickly removed from an event Tuesday afternoon because of a reported bomb threat.    Emhoff was attending a Black History Month event at Dunbar High School in Washington when the Secret Service whisked him away.    A Secret Service agent reportedly approached Emhoff and said, “We have to go.”    “We had a threat today to the facility, so we did — basically we took the precaution of evacuating everybody, as you saw. I think everyone is safe. The building is clear. But I don’t have any specific details at thismore

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House OKs Bill Easing Budget Strains on Postal Service

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Congress would lift onerous budget requirements that have helped push the Postal Service deeply into debt and would require it to continue delivering mail six days per week under bipartisan legislation the House approved Tuesday.   The election-year bill, coming at a time of widespread complaints about slower mail service, would also require the Postal Service to display online how efficiently it delivers mail to communities.  The Postal Service is supposed to sustain itself with postage sales and other services but has suffered 14 straight years of losses. The reasons include growing worker compensation and benefit costs plus steady declinesmore

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Biden Touts ‘American Manufacturing Comeback,’ New Tennessee Plant

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President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that an Australian company that makes chargers for electric vehicles will build a manufacturing facility in Tennessee, while reiterating his commitment to make the U.S. government’s fleet of cars electric.  The new plant will produce up to 30,000 electric vehicle chargers per year and create 500 local jobs, according to Biden and the Brisbane-based company, Tritium. State officials said production is scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2022.  Biden touted “an American manufacturing comeback.” Tritium’s chargers will “use American parts, American iron, American steel,” and will be installed by union workers, Bidenmore

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Rift Among Republicans Widens Over Censure of Party Outliers

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The divide in the Republican party over former president Donald Trump widened Tuesday as senators criticized the Republican National Committee for censuring Representatives Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney last week. Kinzinger and Cheney have been outliers in their own party over the past year for criticizing Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 election and for saying he played a role in encouraging the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The RNC cited Kinzinger and Cheney’s service on the select House committee investigating the events of January 6 in its censure, writing that they were participating inmore

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VOA Interview: US Ambassador to OSCE on Russia-Ukraine Crisis

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U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter spoke with VOA’s Russian service Monday to discuss the situation along the Russia-Ukraine border. Carpenter said the allies and its partners are trying “to see if the Kremlin is interested in pursuing a diplomatic solution to this crisis, to seeking to de-escalate the situation along Ukraine’s border, which is very dire.” Here is a transcript of the interview, edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Washington and French President (Emmanuel) Macron is in Moscow. What are your expectations from these negotiations,more

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Supreme Court Sides With GOP in Alabama Election Map Case

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The Supreme Court on Monday put on hold a lower court ruling that Alabama must draw new congressional districts before the 2022 elections to increase Black voting power. The high court order boosts Republican chances to hold six of the state’s seven seats in the House of Representatives.   The court’s action, by a 5-4 vote, means the upcoming elections will be conducted under a map drawn by Alabama’s Republican-controlled legislature that contains one majority-Black district, represented by a Black Democrat, in a state in which more than a quarter of the population is Black.  A three-judge lower court, includingmore

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US Taking the Fight Against Terrorism to the App Store

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More than a decade ago, technology giant Apple began telling its smartphone customers that if something was worth doing, “There’s an app for that.” Starting now, the same can be said of fighting terrorism. The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Monday launched its aCTknowledge mobile app, ready for download from the Apple app store and from the NCTC website. “The app is a one stop shop to get unclassified counterterrorism information,” a NCTC official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the center’s foray into mobile apps. Officials said a version should also be available inmore

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Pence: Trump Is ‘Wrong’ to Say Election Could Have Been Overturned

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Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday directly rebutted Donald Trump’s false claims that Pence somehow could have overturned the results of the 2020 election, saying that the former president was simply “wrong.” In a speech to the conservative Federalist Society in Florida, Pence addressed Trump’s intensifying efforts this week to advance the false narrative that he could have done something to prevent Joe Biden from taking office. “President Trump is wrong,” Pence said. “I had no right to overturn the election.” While Pence in the past has defended his actions on January 6 and has said that he andmore

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Democratic US Senator’s Stroke Stalls Biden Agenda

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A U.S. senator was resting in the hospital Wednesday after suffering a stroke from which he is expected to recover fully, although it poses problems for the Democrats’ agenda until his return.  Ben Ray Lujan, 49, underwent brain surgery to relieve swelling late last week and remains hospitalized, according to his office, which added that he was expected back at work in four to six weeks “barring any complications.”  As he recovers, Democrats effectively lose their advantage in the Senate, which is split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris wielding the tie-breaking vote.  Unlike in the House, senators must votemore

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US Lawmakers Nearing Agreement on Russia Sanctions

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U.S. lawmakers are nearing a deal on sanctions aimed at deterring Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. Several lawmakers who recently returned from a trip to Kyiv told VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson there is broad bipartisan unity on confronting Russia. Camera: Russian Service Produced by: Katherine Gypson …

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Police Arrest Man in Colorado Over Alleged Threats to UCLA 

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A man who allegedly threatened the University of California, Los Angeles, and detailed potential violence against the prominent university over hundreds of pages has been taken into custody in Colorado following a standoff Tuesday.  The man — identified as Matthew Christopher Harris, 31 — was taken into custody Tuesday morning and is being held in Colorado on state charges after a standoff with police in Boulder. Federal charges may be pursued.  It wasn’t immediately known if Harris had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. Authorities were searching his Boulder apartment.  “Upon reviewing parts of the manifesto, we identifiedmore

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Out of Office, Trump Still the Center of Attention, Investigations

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump left office more than a year ago, but his conduct in the waning weeks of his presidency as he tirelessly sought to remain in power and his reported role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, remain a focal point of the American political scene and multiple investigations.  Trump, with a wide base of Republican voter support, is teasing another run for the presidency in 2024 after losing in 2020 to Democrat Joe Biden, now the 46th U.S. president. Both men are in their 70s, but an electoral rematch in two yearsmore

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Several Black Colleges Receive Bomb Threats for Second Day

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Several historically Black colleges and universities, known as HBCUs, received a second round of bomb threats Tuesday following similar threats on Monday. Among those receiving threats Tuesday were Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia in Washington; Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida; Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky; Fort Valley State in Fort Valley, Georgia; Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana; Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia; and Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. The threats again resulted in canceled classes and shelter-in-place orders. There have been no explosions and no word of any bombs found. Themore

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Bomb Threats Made to Historically Black Schools Across US 

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At least a half-dozen historically Black universities in five states and the District of Columbia were responding to bomb threats Monday, with many of them locking down their campuses for a time.  In warnings to students, school officials say some of the threats were directed at academic buildings.  The FBI “is aware of bomb threats received by some Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” the agency said in a statement provided by Jenna Sellitto, an FBI spokesperson in Atlanta. “The FBI takes all potential threats seriously, and we regularly work with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility.”  In Georgia,more

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In One Small Prairie Town, Two Warring Visions of America

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“In rural Minnesota we still have a work ethic, and I’ll call them Christian values, and that’s not reflected in our local newspaper,” said Al Saunders, a farmer and friend of Wolter’s who graduated from Benson High School a couple years after Anfinson. “I just can’t stomach it anymore,” said Saunders, whose family settled on part of his sprawling farm more than a century ago, and who speaks almost lovingly about the rich brown soil. Anfinson’s editorials on farm subsidies and politics leave him fuming. “Trash gets thrown at you so many times and eventually you just give up.” Hemore

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