Blind Pakistani Student is Fully Able to Win Rhodes Scholarship 

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For Khansa Maria, a student at Georgetown University’s campus in Qatar, her advocacy work for people with disabilities is personal.Maria is blind and has faced disability challenges growing up in Pakistan. And she will use that experience, she said, when she heads to Oxford University next fall as Pakistan’s 2021 Rhodes Scholar-elect, to pursue a master’s degree in evidence-based policy intervention and social evaluation.“I do have a disability, I am blind, and I firsthand experienced the impacts of not having an inclusive society,” Maria said, noting she wants to give back.“I do have a certain responsibility to my community tomore

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Biden Taps 5 Cabinet Members to Advance Infrastructure Plan

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U.S. President Joe Biden held his first Cabinet meeting Thursday, directing five Cabinet members to lead the way in explaining his $2 trillion infrastructure plan to the American public.Biden, who unveiled the massive program to repair the country’s deteriorating roads and bridges and ramp up broadband internet connections on Wednesday, also instructed all of his agency chiefs to look at their spending plans to make sure “Buy American” rules are being followed, to maximize job opportunities for U.S. workers.Biden Unveils $2 Trillion US Jobs, Infrastructure PlanPresident’s plan aims to put the United States in position to out-compete China and othermore

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Economists See Biden Infrastructure Plan Powering Growth; Criticism Muted

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President Joe Biden’s plan announced Wednesday to plow $2 trillion into an eight-year overhaul of U.S. infrastructure was met with only limited carping from many voices normally critical of government spending. Meanwhile, economists expressed broad agreement that the plan, as proposed, would power long-run economic growth.It is certainly possible that pumping that much money into the economy, with interest rates near zero and a nascent recovery already taking shape, could cause inflation, said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst for Bankrate.com.However, he said, “The other part of the discussion is, there’s clearly a huge risk from failing to address infrastructure needs.more

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US Federal Student Debt Forgiven for Disabled Borrowers

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Student loan borrowers in the United States with total and permanent disability will have their debt discharged, the U.S. Department of Education (DoED) has announced.”Borrowers with total and permanent disabilities should focus on their well-being, not put their health on the line to submit earnings information during the COVID-19 emergency,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a press release.”Waiving these requirements will ensure no borrower who is totally and permanently disabled risks having to repay their loans simply because they could not submit paperwork.” US Students With Disabilities Afforded Equality Reasonable accommodations have been available to students in the US sincemore

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Biden Releases First Diverse Slate of Judicial Nominees

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President Joe Biden released his first slate of 11 federal judicial nominations on Wednesday, including three Black women for federal circuit court vacancies, a Muslim American and an Asian American and Pacific Islander. “This trailblazing slate of nominees draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession,” Biden said in a statement that emphasized their “broad diversity of background experience and perspective.” The nominees, which include nine women, must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Black women nominated for federal circuit court vacancies include Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the U.S. Court of Appeals formore

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Hazy Forecast for Biden’s Goal of a Green Electrical Grid

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Powering a large, industrialized country can be a dirty business.The United States still relies primarily on fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal to produce nearly 400,000 gigawatt hours of electricity annually for commercial, industrial and residential consumers.President Joe Biden wants the United States, by the year 2035, to have carbon-free electricity or what is termed “net zero,” meaning an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and so-called carbon offsets, such as planting of trees.“There’s no way that it is feasible without technologies that aren’t currently in the marketplace today,” Mike Sommers, president and chief executive officer ofmore

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Thai Teen Faces Jail for Allegedly Defaming King

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A 16-year-old Thai is potentially facing jail for allegedly defaming the country’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn by wearing a crop top, as Thailand’s youth-driven pro-democracy protests are gradually being quashed by a royalist establishment armed with draconian laws.The country’s lèse-majesté law, known better as “112,” after its section in the Thai criminal code, carries three to 15 years in jail for each charge of “defaming, insulting or threatening” key players in the palace, effectively shielding the powerful monarchy from criticism.Lèse-majesté allegations have been filed against at least 71 protesters, with seven key leaders denied bail so far as they await trial.Themore

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Universities Serve as Mass Vaccination Centers

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Mass vaccination centers are emerging around the U.S. as more doses are rolled out more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Colleges and universities around the U.S. have turned into these centers, serving thousands of patients a day. VOA’s Kathleen Struck reports. Producer and camera: Mike Burke.  …

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US House Impeaches Trump for Second Time

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The Democratic-majority US House impeached President Donald Trump Wednesday, charging him with inciting an insurrection attempting to overturn the Electoral College vote count at the US Capitol last week. As VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, the trial in the US Senate will not start until after President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated next week. Producers: Katherine Gypson and Jesse Oni  …

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Washington Beefs Up Security Ahead of Presidential Inauguration

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The same day the U.S. Congress voted to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time, the nation’s capital prepared to welcome thousands more National Guard troops to help keep the peace during next week’s transfer of power.“I think you can expect to see somewhere upwards of beyond 20,000 members of the National Guard that will be here,” Robert Contee, acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, told reporters Wednesday.Defense officials confirmed the increased authorization, which came just days after the National Guard said it was sending up to 15,000 troops to the city tomore

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Trump Administration Slashes Imperiled Spotted Owls’ Habitat

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The Trump administration said Wednesday that it would slash millions of acres of protected habitat designated for the imperiled northern spotted owl in Oregon, Washington state and Northern California, much of it in prime timber locations in Oregon’s coastal ranges. Environmentalists immediately decried the move and accused the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under President Donald Trump of taking a parting shot at protections designed to help restore the species in favor of the timber industry.  The tiny owl is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and was rejected for an upgrade to endangered status last year by themore

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Can Trump Pardon Himself Before He Leaves Office?

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Once confined to scholarly circles, the debate over whether a president can pardon himself has gained urgency in the wake of last week’s violent storming of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters. The riots led to Trump’s historic second impeachment this week and sparked Democratic calls for a federal investigation into Trump’s role in inciting the violence.  That in turn has renewed the question of whether Trump may use the power of presidential pardon on himself in order to escape future prosecution. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California signs the article of impeachment against President Donald Trump in an engrossmentmore

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US House Impeaches Trump for Inciting Deadly Capitol Riot

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The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on Wednesday, declaring that he incited insurrection last week when he implored thousands of his supporters to march to the Capitol to try to overturn his reelection loss, prompting a mob demonstration that turned into deadly mayhem.The 232-197 majority for impeachment, with just a week remaining in Trump’s four-year term as the U.S. leader, was made up of Democratic Party lawmakers joined by 10 of Trump’s fellow Republicans.The House vote made Trump the first of the country’s 45 presidents in its 245-year history to be impeached twice.He was acquitted by themore

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US House Impeaches Trump for ‘Incitement of Insurrection’

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The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted in favor of an unprecedented second impeachment of President Donald Trump, with the majority Democrats accusing him of inciting insurrection by encouraging what became a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. The final vote tally was 232 – 197. Ten Republicans joined Democrats in approving the measure.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Trump a threat to “liberty, self-government and the rule of law.”   U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) walks to the House Chamber as Democrats debate an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol, in Washington, D.C.But a staunch Trumpmore

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House Begins Debate on Article of Impeachment Against Trump for ‘Incitement of Insurrection’

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The U.S. House of Representatives is voting Wednesday on the unprecedented second impeachment of President Donald Trump. Democrats hold a majority in the chamber and have enough votes to approve impeachment on their own, but they are being joined by a growing number of Republicans. */ /*–>*/ WATCH LIVE: US House of Representatives floor proceedingsCongresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler announced late Tuesday she would vote in favor of impeachment, saying in a statement Trump “acted against his oath of office.” “The President of the United States incited a riot aiming to halt the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next,” Herreramore

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NYC to Cancel Business Contracts with Trump Organization

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New York City, U.S. President Donald Trump’s hometown, says it will cancel all contracts with his business organization because of the deadly insurrection by Trump supporters last week at the U.S. Capitol. “The City of New York will not be associated with those unforgiveable acts in any shape, way or form,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday in a formal statement.  De Blasio said he has begun the process of “severing all contracts” to operate a carousel and two ice rinks in Central Park that net Trump’s company about $17 million a year.Trump’s son, Eric, denounced the move and said itmore

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Biden Picks Samantha Power for USAID Post

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President-elect Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he has picked Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Barack Obama, to run the agency overseeing American foreign humanitarian and development aid.   If confirmed by the Senate, Power will head the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has an annual budget of about $20 billion. Biden also announced that he is elevating the position to the National Security Council within the White House, a signal that he will prioritize outreach to other nations.   Biden has said that USAID will coordinate America’s work to lead a global responsemore

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Visa Delays Hinder Foreign Student Job Prospects

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Emma is a 27-year-old Chinese national who is pregnant and living with her husband in New York. Emanuel, 23, lives in Virginia and is from Morocco. Peter, 31, moved from China in 2014. He resides in Houston, Texas.Emma, Emanuel and Peter do not know each other, but they have one thing in common: Their international student immigration status is in jeopardy due to processing time delays in facilities overseen by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).At their request, VOA is only using pseudonyms.These delays are affecting their ability to accept job offers because some employers are asking tomore

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US Prosecutors Expect to Charge Hundreds of Capitol Rioters

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U.S. prosecutors say they have identified more than 170 people for potential criminal charges in connection with the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol and that they expect that number to run into the hundreds in the coming weeks as a massive nationwide hunt for the pro-Trump rioters continues.    Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters Tuesday that more than 70 people have been charged since the deadly attack by supporters of President Donald Trump, with prosecutors pursuing charges against at least 100 others.”That number, I suspect, is going to grow intomore

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Handful of Republican Lawmakers Say They Will Vote to Impeach Trump

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A small but growing number of Republican lawmakers is signaling support for impeaching President Donald Trump after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday to try to upend his reelection defeat, leaving five people dead.Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a member of the Republican Party’s House leadership team, said Tuesday that she would vote to impeach Trump in his final days as president.“There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” Cheney said.Also on Tuesday, New York representative John Katko and Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger,more

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US House Will Vote to Impeach Trump Wednesday

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The Democratic-majority U.S. House of Representatives will vote to impeach President Donald Trump as early as Wednesday, charging him with inciting an insurrection in an attempt to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports.  Produced by: Katherine Gypson    …

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VOA Director Reassigns White House Correspondent

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In a rebuke from Congress, U.S. Representatives Gregory Meeks of New York and Michael McCaul of Texas chastised the heads of USAGM and Voice of America on Tuesday for reassigning a VOA White House correspondent.     Patsy Widakuswara was told late Monday she is being reassigned, hours after the veteran reporter attempted to question Secretary of State Mike Pompeo following a speech he delivered at VOA headquarters.    “This is the United States of America – we do not punish our journalists for seeking answers to their questions. A free and fair press is at the core of our Constitutionmore

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US Identifies Over 170 Capitol Rioters for Possible Criminal Charges

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U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday that they have identified more than 170 people for potential criminal charges in connection with the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol last week and expect the number to run into the hundreds in the coming weeks as a massive nationwide manhunt for the pro-Trump rioters continues.  Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters more than 70 people have been charged so far in the District of Columbia, with prosecutors pursuing charges against at least 100 others.  “That number, I suspect, is going to grow into the hundreds,” Sherwin saidmore

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US Military Leaders Warn Troops Against Political Violence

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Amid worry about renewed violence on Inauguration Day, the military’s top leaders issued a written reminder to all service members Tuesday that the deadly insurrection at the Capitol last week was an anti-democratic, criminal act, and that the right to free speech gives no one the right to commit violence. A memo signed by all members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also reminded military members that Joe Biden was duly elected as the next president and will be sworn in office on January 20. The memo was unusual in that the military leadership, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Jointmore

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