Former U.S. President Donald Trump continues to defy expectations as he surges ahead of other Republican contenders for the presidential nomination despite multiple indictments against him — and with words of support from some of his own rivals. As he was indicted again Tuesday over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, VOA’s Anita Powell looks at the unprecedented path of the former president. …
Leave a commentThe federal judge assigned to the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump has stood out as one of the toughest punishers of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack fueled by Trump’s baseless claims of a stolen election. She has also ruled against him before. Trump is to appear Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, a former assistant public defender who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama. She often handed down prison sentences in January 6, 2021, riot cases that were harsher than Justice Department prosecutors recommended. Trump was indicted Tuesday onmore
Leave a commentLANSING, Michigan — A former Republican attorney general candidate and another supporter of former President Donald Trump have been criminally charged in Michigan in connection with accessing and tampering with voting machines after the 2020 election, according to court records. Matthew DePerno, a Republican lawyer who was endorsed by Trump in an unsuccessful run for Michigan attorney general last year, was charged with undue possession of a voting machine and conspiracy, according to Oakland County court records. Daire Rendon, a former Republican state representative, was charged with conspiracy to commit undue possession of a voting machine and false pretenses. Bothmore
Leave a commentMany countries practice cultural diplomacy by funding research centers at colleges, such as Germany’s Goethe Institutes or the U.K.’s British Council. But in the U.S., China’s Confucius Institutes have been accused of stealing scientific research and intimidating campus critics of Beijing. A new report from the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine provides recommendations for colleges that aim to balance cultural openness with security risks. Natalie Schwartz of Higher Ed Dive summarizes the findings. (July 2023) …
Leave a commentA man who was a Princeton University student when the FBI arrested him on charges related to the U.S. Capitol riot pleaded guilty on Monday to joining a mob’s attack on police officers during one of the most violent clashes on January 6, 2021. Larry Fife Giberson was on the front lines when rioters attacked police officers in a tunnel on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace. Giberson, 22, of Manahawkin, New Jersey, waved other rioters into the tunnel and then joined in a coordinated push against officers guarding an entrance to the building, according to a court filing. Giberson triedmore
Leave a commentYvonne Spann Sowers and her daughter Eyamba Sowers Scott say their thirst for lifelong learning brought them back to the classroom after fulfilling careers in public service. “I still felt like I needed to learn some more,” said Spann Sowers. They chose to become “non-traditional learners,” and despite age, self-doubt and medical issues, both succeeded. Read the whole story from Mary Walrath-Holdridge in USA Today. (July 2023) …
Leave a commentThe race to choose a Republican nominee for the 2024 U.S. presidential election is heating up in Iowa. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, the Iowa GOP’s Lincoln Dinner Friday brought nearly all of the party’s candidates to one place, allowing each to woo voters ahead of the January 15 caucus. …
Leave a commentFormer President Donald Trump was charged Thursday with illegally retaining a classified document detailing an operational U.S. military plan of attack on Iran, and with two counts of attempting to “alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal evidence” during the investigation into the classified documents he took to his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …
Leave a commentDES MOINES, IOWA — Donald Trump and his top rivals for the GOP presidential nomination took the stage one by one Friday night to address an influential gathering of Iowa Republicans, with none of the top-tier hopefuls mentioning that new federal charges had been filed against the former president just a day earlier. Instead, Trump’s competitors mostly reserved their sharpest criticism for President Joe Biden and a Democratic Party they argued had lost touch with mainstream America — failing to pounce on additional counts over Trump’s retention of classified documents that might have otherwise been an opportunity to cut intomore
Leave a commentMany of actor Cillian Murphy’s colleagues in the new movie Oppenheimer are real scientists. The film, which chronicles the father of America’s atomic bomb, was filmed near the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Real nuclear scientists were recruited to pose as background extras in many scenes. Scientists explained their research to the actors, including Robert Downey Jr., and were consulted on many of the details of the film. Though they weren’t trained actors, it wasn’t too hard, they say. “As a scientist, I just had to be myself a little bit,” said one scientist. Stephanie M. Lee interviewsmore
Leave a commentPresident Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts for millions of Americans was effectively killed by the U.S. Supreme Court. However, there are smaller alternatives for borrowers. Some states, including some that challenged Biden’s plan, offer loan forgiveness programs, and federal programs exist for public service workers, people with disabilities and many others. Chris Quintana, Medora Lee and Alia Wong of USA Today round up the options for graduates. (July 2023) [[ ]] …
Leave a commentU.S. News & World Report has a breakdown on the 15 U.S. colleges offering the most financial aid for international students. International students, the article notes, often face high costs: “Not only are there expenses for tuition, housing, meal plans, books and supplies, but international students also have to pay for travel costs, including airline tickets and visa applications.” The average financial aid package at these schools tops $70,000. (June 2023) …
Leave a commentU.S. graduate programs are seeing a surge in foreign enrollment. So says ICEF Monitor, which describes itself as “a dedicated market intelligence resource for the international education industry.” It finds that Indian students, particularly master’s students, are driving the surge. Read the full story here. (June 2023) …
Leave a commentU.S. State Department officials and a recent report by ApplyBoard, a Canadian-based international student recruitment platform, indicate the United States is set to issue the most student visas in a year since fiscal 2016. The tally of visas issued in fiscal 2023 has passed 392,000 to date. In fiscal 2016, a total 471,728 F1 visas were issued. It could be close: Compared to fiscal 2022 — October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 — more than 411,131 international student visas were issued, including F1, according to the State Department. An F1 visa is for those attending an academic program ormore
Leave a commentHigher education is under deep scrutiny from America’s 2024 presidential contenders. For example, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has tried to defund all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in Florida’s public universities. Many college leaders feel that academic freedom is under threat, and that they have to speak out to save it. But many others have remained silent. Josh Moody of Inside Higher Ed dives into their anxieties and motivations. (June 2023) …
Leave a commentThe show Never Have I Ever follows an Indian American girl growing up in Los Angeles, and a major plot point in its final season is her attempts to get into Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The show explores the difficulties of getting a good recommendation letter, and the agonizing choice of whether to apply “early decision” or at the regular deadline. Scott Jaschik for Inside Higher Ed explores what the show gets right and what it doesn’t. (June 2023) …
Leave a commentDALLAS — As the Taliban swept back into power in Afghanistan, in the summer of 2021, Fahima Sultani and her fellow university students tried for days to get into the Kabul airport, only to be turned away by gun-wielding extremists. “No education, just go back home,” she recalled one shouting. Nearly two years later, Sultani, now 21, is safely in the U.S. and working toward her bachelor’s degree in data science at Arizona State University in Tempe on a scholarship. When she’s not studying, she likes to hike up nearby Tempe Butte, the kind of outing she enjoyed in hermore
Leave a commentThe latest “nation’s report card” saw large declines in math and reading for 13-year-olds. Math scores, in particular, saw the biggest decline in 50 years, and fewer teens than ever say they like to read for fun. Lauren Camera summarizes the findings for U.S. News and World Report. (June 2023) …
Leave a commentThe United States will add eight new fields of study for international students looking to acquire practical work experience in the country, the Department of Homeland Security announced last week. The eight new fields of study include: landscape architecture; institutional research; mechatronics, robotics and automation engineering technology/technician; composite materials technology/technician; linguistics and computer science; developmental and adolescent psychology; geospatial intelligence; and demography and population studies. The new fields will all be added to the science, technology, engineering, mathematics Optional Practical Training, or STEM OPT, program. Announced in a July 12 Federal Register notice, the additions will provide international students withmore
Leave a commentIn the United States, degrees are usually split between academic ones (English, math, physics, dance) and professional ones (law, nursing, business). The public can often be skeptical of academic degrees because they seemingly don’t lead directly to a career. But Rick Van Kooten, the dean of arts and sciences at Indiana University, writes in The Hechinger Report that the sciences and humanities are essential in a world fueled by AI artificial intelligence and automation. (June 2023) …
Leave a commentForeign students educated in the United States are often bright, hardworking and eager to land a job. But the backlog for U.S. work visas has created an opportunity for other countries to snag talented workers. Britain, Canada and Australia offer streamlined visas for graduates with in-demand skills or prestigious degrees. As one immigration lawyer in London put it: “We are the beneficiaries of the failures of the U.S. system.” Jon Marcus of The Hechinger Report has more. (June 2023) …
Leave a commentDifferences are emerging between Congress and the White House concerning missile defense policy, as outlined in the proposed annual defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act. The $874 billion budget passed by the House on Friday calls for the military to maintain a “credible nuclear capability” to deter adversaries, while developing and deploying layered defense systems that can defeat complex missile threats “in all phases of flight.” In a statement last week, the White House criticized this section of the proposed NDAA on grounds that it would “undermine U.S. strategic deterrence” with China and Russia. “The Administration stronglymore
Leave a commentCan international students get scholarships to attend U.S. schools? Chase bank says yes and offers tips on how to do it. Among the suggestions: Don’t hesitate to apply to a lot of options and be wary of paying anyone to help you find scholarships. (June 2023) …
Leave a commentThe University of North Carolina School of the Arts wants to make attendance as easy as possible for its international students. It has put together a series of frequently asked questions, along with details about entering the U.S., campus resources for international students and F-1 student visa compliance requirements. Check it out here. (June 2023) …
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