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GOP Presidential Candidate Nat'l Security Advisor Dr. Walid Phares talks about Ukraine, Israel, more

Dr. Harvey Risch takes on the federal government's CDC once again to correct the record on COVID-19

Sen. Johnson (R-WI) says Hunter Biden's attorney's are grandstanding the House Oversight Committee

TRUMP'S PATH TO 2024

ROMNEY PICKS DEMS OVER TRUMP IN 2024

THE UN CALLS FOR LESS MEAT CONSUMPTION

Biden Pressure on Israeli Tactics Will Leave Hamas Intact and in Power

LAW AND BORDER EPISODE 19 WITH BEN BERGQUAM PART 1

LAW AND BORDER EPISODE 19 WITH BEN BERGQUAM PART 2

LAW AND BORDER EPISODE 19 WITH BEN BERGQUAM PART 3

LAW AND BORDER EPISODE 19 WITH BEN BERGQUAM PART 4

LAW AND BORDER EPISODE 19 WITH BEN BERGQUAM PART 5

LAW AND BORDER WITH BEN BERGQUAM EPISODE 18 PART 1

LAW AND BORDER WITH BEN BERGQUAM EPISODE 18 PART 2

LAW AND BORDER WITH BEN BERGQUAM EPISODE 18 PART 3

HUNTER BIDEN TO TESTIFY

IS BIDEN THE NEW CARTER?

ALL STAR GAME BACK IN ATLANTA

IRELAND FED UP WITH OPEN BORDERS

ISRAEL AT WAR UPDATE

REVIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM

BIDEN'S THANKSGIVING HYPOCRISY

SOUTH CAROLINA SENDS TROOPS TO BORDER

Videos

U.S. President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, paid their respects late Tuesday to Brian Sicknick, the U.S. Capitol Police officer who died defending the Capitol from a pro-Trump mob that stormed the building last month.
Sicknick’s remains arrived at the Capitol a short time earlier and dozens of Capitol Police officers stood at attention as his urn was carried up the steps to the Rotunda where he is lying in honor.
Capitol Police were given an opportunity to participate in a viewing period overnight.
Congressional leaders took part in the solemn arrival ceremony, and lawmakers will pay tribute to Sicknick at a Wednesday morning ceremony before his remains are taken to Arlington National Cemetery.
U.S. Capitol Police officers pay their respects to U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick as an urn with his cremated remains lies in honor on a black-draped table at the center of the Capitol Rotunda, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, in Washington. …House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority ..


Bidens Pay Respects to Late Capitol Police Officer

House Democratic impeachment managers and lawyers for Donald Trump on Tuesday laid out their arguments in separate briefs ahead of the former president&#039;s Senate trial next week on charges of inciting a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
The House Democratic prosecutors charged that Trump&#039;s incendiary words and actions in the run-up to the attack led his followers to descend on the Capitol &#8220;like a loaded cannon&#8221; to try to prevent the certification of Democrat Joe Biden&#039;s election victory over Trump. The riots left five people, including a Capitol Police officer, dead and dozens of others injured.
&#8220;President Trump&#039;s conduct must be declared unacceptable in the clearest and most unequivocal terms,&#8221; they wrote.
Trump&#039;s defense lawyers rejected the charges and questioned the constitutionality of the trial, saying there is no precedent for trying a president after he has left office. They also said the former president stands by his claim that ..


House Democrats, Trump Lawyers Lay Out Clashing Views Ahead of Impeachment Trial

The U.S. Senate confirmed Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday as transportation secretary in President Joe Biden’s administration.
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, tweeted he was “honored and humbled” by the Senate’s 86-13 confirmation vote and that he was “ready to get to work.”
Buttigieg, an opponent of Biden during the Democratic presidential primaries, is the first openly gay person to fill a U.S. Cabinet position.
The 39-year-old will play a leading role in advancing Biden’s infrastructure rebuilding and climate change agendas.
He assumes control of an agency with 55,000 employees and a multibillion-dollar budget.
He has vowed to begin quickly promoting safety and restoring trust in the country’s transportation systems as airlines, city subway and bus systems, and Amtrak struggle to regain customers lost during the coronavirus pandemic.
Buttigieg is also expected to play a leading role in implementing Biden’s $2 trillion climate and infrastructure plan that will focus on rebuilding ..


US Senate Confirms Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary

U.S. President Joe Biden signed executive orders Tuesday to start to dismantle former President Donald Trump’s restrictive immigration policies, including an attempt to reunite families that had been separated at the U.S.-Mexican border.
“I’m not making new law. I’m eliminating bad policy,” Biden said while signing the orders.
In the first hours of his presidency two weeks ago, Biden acted to halt construction of Trump’s $16 billion wall along the border and sent a far-reaching immigration bill to Congress, where lawmakers have long been stalemated between liberals looking to ease the path to U.S. citizenship and conservatives seeking to stem unauthorized immigration.
Biden’s immediate focus is on the 3,100-kilometer southern border with Mexico, where Trump tried to keep thousands of migrants from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala from entering the U.S.
Trump led repair and expansion of a border wall and imposed tough detention and deportation policies for those who made it..


Biden Signs Executive Orders Reversing Trump Immigration Policies

The influential anti-Donald Trump group Lincoln Project is denouncing one of its co-founders after multiple reports that over several years he sexually harassed young men looking to break into politics.
The Lincoln Project in a statement on Sunday called co-founder John Weaver, 61, &#8220;a predator, a liar, and an abuser&#8221; following reports that he repeatedly sent unsolicited and sexually charged messages online to young men, often while suggesting he could help them get work in politics.
&#8220;The totality of his deceptions are beyond anything any of us could have imagined and we are absolutely shocked and sickened by it,&#8221; the Lincoln Project, the most prominent &#8220;Never Trump&#8221; Republican super PAC to emerge during the 45th president&#039;s time in the White House, said in its statement.
The online magazine The American Conservative first reported the sexual harassment allegations earlier this month.
Days later, Weaver, a strategist who advised the late Republican Sen. John McCain and former Ohio ..


Young Men Accuse Lincoln Project Co-Founder of Harassment

Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday a new team of lawyers to lead his defense at his second impeachment trial.
Defense lawyer David Schoen, a frequent television legal commentator, and Bruce Castor, a former district attorney in Pennsylvania who has faced criticism for his decision to not charge actor Bill Cosby in a sex crimes case, will represent Trump at the Senate trial that begins next week.
In a statement issued through Trump’s office, both attorneys said Sunday they were honored to take the job.
“The strength of our Constitution is about to be tested like never before in our history. It is strong and resilient. A document written for the ages, and it will triumph over partisanship yet again, and always,” Castor said.
U.S. Capitol Police officers stand watch outside the Senate as lawmakers vote on procedures to proceed with the impeachment of former President Donald Trump for inciting the January 6, 2021.Two prominent South Carolina lawyers, Butch Bowers and De..


Days Before Impeachment Trial, Trump Names New Lawyers

U.S. President Joe Biden signed two orders expanding health care on Thursday, saying they would &#8220;undo the damage&#8221; of policies favored by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump.
Biden restored U.S. funding for foreign nongovernmental groups that give information to women about abortions, and also opened a special three-month enrollment period for uninsured Americans who now want to buy health insurance, as well as for those who lost their coverage because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump, like past Republican presidents, had supported what critics have called the &#8220;global gag rule&#8221; on abortion information and had refused to reopen the government&#039;s market for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Biden&#039;s order also increased access to health care funding for impoverished Americans under a program called Medicaid.
&#8220;There&#039;s nothing new that we&#039;re doing here,&#8221; Biden said, other than to restore programs as they were before Trump changed them. Biden ..


Biden Orders Expanded Health Care on Two Fronts

Coffee shops in downtown Tripoli, Libya, are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, so Mohammed Abdulwaheb, 37, got his &#8221;to-go&#8221; and drank it in the parking lot. 
Libya and other countries had been subject to the Trump-era &#8220;travel ban&#8221; for four years before it was lifted last week. Back then, Abdulwaheb had wanted to attend graduate school in the United States. But that was a long time ago, he said.
&#8220;The ban wasn&#039;t fair,&#8221; Abdulwaheb added. &#8220;And of course it impacted our lives. The end of the ban will especially improve the lives of Libyans in America.&#8221;
But experts say it will take time to unravel the regulations that grounded so many travelers. And locals in Libya, Nigeria and Sudan — three impacted countries — say resolving the personal setbacks experienced by individuals may take even longer. 
FILE &#8211; Demonstrators opposed to President Donald Trump&#039;s travel ban listen to speakers during a rally outside the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, in Richmond, Virginia, Jan..


Effects of Trump-Era Travel Ban Expected to Linger

Facebook Inc&#039;s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday the company would no longer recommend civic and political groups to users of the platform.
The social media company said in October that it was temporarily halting recommendations of political groups for U.S. users in the run-up to the presidential election. On Wednesday, Facebook said it would be making this permanent and would expand the policy globally.
On Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Ed Markey wrote to Zuckerberg asking for an explanation of reports, including by news site The Markup, that Facebook had failed to stop recommending political groups on its platform after this move.
He called Facebook&#039;s groups &#8220;breeding groups for hate&#8221; and noted they had been venues of planning for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Speaking on a conference call Wednesday with analysts about Facebook&#039;s earnings, Zuckerberg said that the company was &#8220;continuing to fine-tune how this works.&#8221;
Facebook groups are communities that form aroun..


Facebook Says it Will Permanently Stop Recommending Political Groups to Users

Three times in American history, the House of Representatives has impeached a president, and each time the Senate has voted to acquit him — most recently a year ago when then-President Donald Trump was charged with seeking to pressure Ukraine&#039;s president into gathering political dirt against Trump’s political rival, Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump made history again this month, when he became the first president to be impeached a second time — this time accused of instigating his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol January 6 to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s election victory over Trump.
The new impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection was approved by the House on January 13, a week before Trump left office. But with the Senate set to formally try the former president beginning on February 9, a constitutional controversy is swirling over whether the Senate can try and convict a former president.
The question is not an academic one. On Wednesday, 45 of 50 Senate Republica..


Controversy Rages Over Whether Trump’s Impeachment Trial Is Constitutional 

The new top U.S. diplomat, Antony Blinken, is pledging to work with core allies and partners to confront complex global challenges, while investing in a diverse and inclusive American Foreign Service.
Blinken was officially welcomed to the State Department on Wednesday as secretary of state by approximately 30 of the women and men representing a small cross-section of the larger workforce. 
&#8220;I&#039;m incredibly excited about the work ahead,&#8221; Blinken said later at an afternoon press briefing, where he declared his respect for the press and promised to be transparent with reporters.
&#8220;Here&#039;s what you can count on – we&#039;re resuming daily press briefings starting next week – on Tuesday. That&#039;s an essential part of the day and we&#039;re bringing it back,&#8221; he said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is sworn in as the 71st U.S. Secretary of State by Acting Under Secretary of State for Management Carol Z. Perez, at the Department of State in Washington, Jan. 26, 2021. (State D..


Newly-Confirmed US Secretary of State Pledges Cooperation on Global Challenges

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden&#039;s nominee Antony Blinken to lead the U.S. State Department on Tuesday. As VOA&#039;s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, Blinken faces numerous challenges worldwide as the nation&#039;s top diplomat.
Camera: Adam Greenbaum Produced by: Katherine Gypson


US Senate Confirms Biden Nominee as Secretary of State

President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Justice on Tuesday to end its reliance on private prisons and acknowledge the central role government has played in implementing discriminatory housing policies.
In remarks before signing the order, Biden said the U.S. government needs to change &#8220;its whole approach&#8221; on the issue of racial equity. He added that the nation is less prosperous and secure because of the scourge of systemic racism.
&#8220;We must change now,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;I know it&#039;s going to take time, but I know we can do it. And I firmly believe the nation is ready to change. But government has to change as well.&#8221;
Biden rose to the presidency during a year of intense reckoning on institutional racism in the U.S. The moves announced on Tuesday reflect his efforts to follow through with campaign pledges to combat racial injustice.
Housing policies
Beyond calling on the Justice Department to curb the use of private prisons and address housing discrimination, the new order..


Biden Orders End of Federally Run Private Prisons

Most Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted Tuesday against holding an impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump on whether he incited insurrection in the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, signaling that he likely has enough votes to secure an acquittal.
The vote was 55-45 in favor of proceeding with a trial, but only five Republicans joined all 50 Democrats. A two-thirds vote is required for conviction, which would require 17 Republicans to turn against Trump, assuming the Democrats vote as a bloc after hearing the case against him when the trial starts in earnest February 9.
In this image from video, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., makes a motion that the impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump is unconstitutional in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 26, 2021.A Trump supporter, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, forced the vote on whether to proceed with the trial, calling it an “unconstitutional sham.”
Paul contended that the Senate cannot hold a tr..


5 Republicans Join Democrats in Vote to Push Trump Impeachment Trial Forward

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday on the nomination of Antony Blinken to be the country’s next secretary of state.
At a confirmation hearing last week, Blinken said he is ready to confront the challenges posed by China, Iran, Russia and North Korea.
He said China “poses the most significant challenge” to U.S. national interests, while noting there is room for cooperation.
&#8220;There are rising adversarial aspects of the relationship; certainly, competitive ones, and still some cooperative ones, when it is in our mutual interests,” he added.
Nominated Secretary of State Antony Blinken participates as US President Joe Biden speaks during a cabinet announcement event in Wilmington, Delaware, on Nov. 24, 2020.He also pledged to rebuild State Department morale and the diplomatic corps. Blinken said he sees U.S. standing abroad as leadership based on “humility and confidence.”
Blinken was deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration and has close ties with President J..


US Senate to Vote on Blinken Nomination as Secretary of State

U.S. senators will be sworn in Tuesday as jurors in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
The trial itself will not begin until the week of February 8, after Democratic and Republican leaders agreed to a short delay in order to give both the lawmakers who will serve as prosecutors and Trump’s defense team time to prepare. The extra time will also allow the Senate a chance to confirm more of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees.
House lawmakers who will serve as trial prosecutors made a ceremonial walk to the Senate chamber Monday evening to deliver the article of impeachment charging Trump with inciting insurrection in connection with the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters earlier this month. The assault sent lawmakers scrambling for safety and resulted in the deaths of five people.
Lead House manager Jamie Raskin from Maryland read the charges, saying Trump “gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of the govern..


US House Lawmakers Deliver Article of Impeachment to Senate

The Senate on Monday approved President Joe Biden&#039;s nomination of Janet Yellen to be the nation&#039;s 78th treasury secretary, making her the first woman to hold the job in the department&#039;s 232-year history.
Yellen, a former chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, was approved by the Senate on a 84-15 vote, becoming the third member of Biden&#039;s Cabinet to win confirmation.
She is expected to play a key role in gaining congressional approval of Biden&#039;s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which is running into stiff opposition from Republicans who believe the price tag is too high.
FILE &#8211; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 30, 2020.Speaking on the Senate floor before the vote, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer noted the former Federal Reserve chairwoman had bipartisan support.
Schumer said Yellen has a &#8220;breathtaking range of experience&#8221; and support for her nomination reflected &#8220;just how ..


Janet Yellen is First Woman to Lead US Treasury Department

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to officially send its articles of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, charging former President Donald Trump with inciting insurrection in connection with the storming of the Capitol by a mob of his supporters earlier this month.
The trial in the Senate is set to begin the week of February 8 after Democrats and Republicans agreed to a short delay in order to give both the lawmakers who will serve as prosecutors and Trump&#039;s defense team time to prepare. The extra time will also allow the Senate a chance to confirm some of President Joe Biden&#039;s Cabinet nominees.
Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline.
Download File360p | 9 MB480p | 13 MB540p | 17 MB720p | 37 MB1080p | 72 MBOriginal | 83 MB Embed&#8221; />Copy Download AudioWATCH: Trump’s Impeachment Article Heads to SenateA two-thirds majority in the Senate would be required to convict Trump. With the Senate politica..


US House to Deliver Impeachment Articles to Senate

Jill Biden, the wife of recently inaugurated President Joe Biden, has made it clear that education policy will be a priority for her in the White House. Jill Biden is familiar with life in Washington as her husband spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president under Barack Obama. VOA&#039;s Esha Sarai and Carolyn Presutti bring us more about the new U.S. first lady in this profile.
Video editors: Marcus Harton, Esha Sarai


Dr. Jill Biden Steps Into First Lady Role

As Joe Biden begins his first full week as U.S. president, he faces many challenges. Chief among them: ramping up the nationwide coronavirus vaccination effort and next month’s Senate impeachment trial of his predecessor, Donald Trump. Michelle Quinn reports.
Video editor: Mary Cieslak


Challenges Abound as Biden Begins First Full Week as President

Politics

The United States returns to a unified government this week as Joe Biden becomes the 46th president and Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate. With the U.S. House continuing under the Democratic party leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Biden has an opportunity to enact big legislative changes. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports.


With Control of the White House and Congress, Democrats Have 2 Years to Enact Change

With U.S. President-elect Joe Biden set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, one question being debated is whether Congress will pursue a second impeachment of outgoing President Donald Trump over his alleged role in last Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol building. Michelle Quinn reports.


US Lawmakers Discuss Next Moves as Nation Grapples to Understand Violence at Capitol Building

What started as a day of celebration for Black organizers, voters and other Georgians who helped deliver two historic Senate runoff victories was overshadowed Wednesday when a violent, mostly white mob of President Donald Trump&#039;s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
But Black leaders and organizers say the rioters&#039; insurrection won&#039;t deter the momentum achieved after the hard-fought victories of Georgia Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Instead, it serves as a harsh reminder of the work that lies ahead for the nation to truly grapple with white supremacy and racism, which Trump&#039;s presidency emboldened.
&#8220;It&#039;s a little bit bittersweet because on one hand it feels like vindication that if we invest in our communities and our organizations, then amazing things can happen,&#8221; said Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, which estimates that it reached 2.8 million individuals in Georgia through text and phone banking campaigns, digital and social med..


Black Leaders Cheer Georgia Success, Push for More Progress

Lawmakers from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are scheduled to meet Wednesday in a joint session of Congress to count and certify electoral votes based on the result of the November presidential election.
This usually routine and ceremonial function — a final step after the Electoral College officially elected Joe Biden on December 14 — has turned into a litmus test of Republican lawmakers&#039; loyalty to President Donald Trump. More than 100 Trump loyalists are set to challenge certification.
Here&#039;s what we can expect from the meeting.
What usually happens?
Under the 12th Amendment, both chambers must meet to officially count and certify the Electoral College results from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties in the Senate and House are appointed as &#8220;tellers&#8221; from each chamber. Vice President Mike Pence, in his capacity as president of the Senate, presides over the joint session. If he cannot presi..


Will Congress Block Certification of Biden’s Victory?

More than 100 Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives and a dozen senators say they will join an almost assuredly futile effort Wednesday to try to block certification of the Electoral College vote showing that Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump in the November election.
The certification of the 306-232 Electoral College vote favoring Biden is the last step before he is set to be inaugurated as the country’s 46th president on January 20.
Both chambers of Congress would need to uphold the challenges to Biden’s victory for the election outcome to be upended. Democrats narrowly control the House and are certain to certify Biden’s win, while the Democratic minority in the Senate, along with some Republicans who have acknowledged Biden’s win, are likely to do the same in the Senate.
Trump, who for weeks has made baseless claims that he was defrauded of election to a second four-year term, continues to cheer on protests of his loss, an outcome that will m..


Dozens of House, Senate Republicans Joining Likely Futile Effort to Reject Biden Victory

Congress has overridden President Donald Trump&#039;s veto of a defense policy bill, a first by lawmakers since Trump took office nearly four years ago.
In an extraordinary New Year&#039;s Day session, the Republican-controlled Senate easily turned aside the veto, dismissing Trump&#039;s objections to the $740 billion bill and handing him a rebuke weeks before his term ends.
Trump had lashed out at lawmakers from his own party on Twitter, charging earlier this week that &#8220;Weak and tired Republican &#039;leadership&#039; will allow the bad Defense Bill to pass.&#8221;
Trump called the looming override vote a &#8220;disgraceful act of cowardice and total submission by weak people to Big Tech. Negotiate a better Bill, or get better leaders, NOW!&#8221;
The 81-13 vote in the Senate followed an earlier 322-87 override vote in the House of the widely popular defense measure. The bill provides a 3% pay raise for U.S. troops and guides defense policy, cementing decisions about troop levels, new weapons systems a..


In a First, Congress Overrides Trump Veto of Defense Bill 

The congressional joint session to count electoral votes is generally a routine, ceremonial affair. But President Donald Trump&#039;s repeated efforts to challenge Democrat Joe Biden&#039;s victory will bring more attention than usual to next Wednesday&#039;s joint session of the Senate and the House.
The congressional count is the final step in reaffirming Biden&#039;s win, after the Electoral College officially elected him on Dec 14. The meeting is required by the Constitution and includes several distinct steps.
Some Republicans who are echoing Trump&#039;s baseless claims of fraud have said they will officially object to the results, forcing votes in the Republican-run Senate and the Democratic-controlled House that will almost certainly fail. A group of House Republicans had been looking for a senator to sign on because there must be support from at least one member of each chamber to force the votes. That support came Wednesday from Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a possible contende..


How Congress Will Count Electoral College Votes

U.S. President Donald Trump is spending the holiday weekend at his Florida resort as both Democrats and Republicans wait to see whether he will sign a critical pandemic relief and government funding package that he sharply criticized earlier this week.
The $2.3 trillion spending legislation, which includes $892 billion for coronavirus relief, has been flown from Washington to his Mar-a-Lago club to be available for him to sign into law. Trump has not specifically threatened to veto the bill, but he surprised lawmakers in both parties by labeling the legislation as a “disgrace” after it had been passed in the House and Senate, capping months of negotiations.
President Donald Trump&#039;s motorcade drives to Trump International Golf Club, Dec. 25, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla.Trump said the package gave too much money to special interests and foreign aid, and said direct payments of $600 for most Americans should be increased to $2,000. That was seen as a rebuke to members of his own Re..


US Spending Bill Awaits Trump’s Decision

U.S. President Donald Trump vetoed a $740 billion bill setting policy for the Department of Defense on Wednesday, despite its strong support in Congress, raising the possibility that the measure will fail to become law for the first time in 60 years.
Trump said he vetoed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, because it &#8220;fails to include critical national security measures, includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military&#039;s history, and contradicts efforts by my administration to put America first in our national security and foreign policy actions.&#8221;
&#8220;It is a &#039;gift&#039; to China and Russia,&#8221; he said in a message to the House of Representatives.
Although his previous eight vetoes were all upheld thanks to support from Trump&#039;s fellow Republicans in Congress, advisers said this one looked likely to be overridden, just weeks before he leaves office on January 20.
Both the Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-majority House of Re..


Major Defense Bill, Strongly Backed in Congress, Draws Trump’s Veto

Top congressional lawmakers struck a late-night agreement on the last major obstacle to a COVID-19 economic relief package costing nearly $1 trillion, clearing the way for votes as early as Sunday.
A Democratic aide said in an email that an agreement had been reached late Saturday and that compromise language was being finalized to seal a deal to be unveiled on Sunday.
The breakthrough involved a fight over Federal Reserve emergency powers that was defused by an odd couple: the Senate’s top Democrat and a senior conservative Republican.
“We’re getting very close, very close,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said earlier Saturday as he spent much of the day going back and forth with GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Toomey had been pressing a provision to close down Fed lending facilities that Democrats and the White House said was too broadly worded and would have tied the hands of the incoming Biden administration.
The COVID-19 legislation has been held up after months of di..


Deal on Fed Removes Obstacle to US COVID Relief

Congress passed a two-day stopgap spending bill Friday night, averting a partial government shutdown and buying yet more time for frustratingly slow endgame negotiations on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package.
The virus aid talks remained on track, both sides said, but closing out final disagreements was proving difficult. Weekend sessions were on tap, and House leaders hoped for a vote on Sunday on the massive package, which wraps much of Capitol Hill&#039;s unfinished 2020 business into a take-it-or-leave-it behemoth.
The House passed the temporary funding bill by a 320-60 vote. The Senate approved it by voice vote almost immediately afterward, and President Donald Trump signed it late Friday.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, walks to his office from the Senate Floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Dec. 18, 2020.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said both sides remain intent on closing the deal, even as Democr..


Congress Averts Shutdown; Fight Continues Over Pandemic Aid

Republican and Democratic congressional leaders expressed hope late Tuesday about reaching an agreement on a new round of coronavirus aid that has eluded U.S. lawmakers for months.
&#8220;I think we&#039;re moving in the right direction,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said after two rounds of talks. “I think there&#039;s a possibility of getting it done.”
The meetings included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
&#8220;We&#039;re making progress and hopefully we can come to an agreement soon,” Schumer said. “I think there is a genuine desire to come to an agreement.&#8221;  
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, speaks virtually with retired U.S. General Lloyd Austin, nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to be his Secretary of Defense, at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 15, 2020.Without a deal, several key programs are set to expire at the end of month, including unemployment aid that reaches 12 million out-of-work A..


Lawmakers Race to Make COVID-19 Aid Deal Ahead of Holiday Break

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday that could prevent Chinese companies from listing their shares on U.S. exchanges unless they adhere to U.S. auditing standards.
The measure passed by unanimous voice vote, after passing the Senate earlier this year, sending it to the White House, which said President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law.
&#8220;The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act&#8221; bars securities of foreign companies from being listed on any U.S. exchange if they have failed to comply with the U.S. Public Accounting Oversight Board&#039;s audits for three years in a row.
While it applies to companies from any country, the legislation targets Chinese companies such as Alibaba, tech firm Pinduoduo Inc. and oil giant PetroChina Co Ltd.
Measures taking a harder line on Chinese business and trade practices generally pass Congress with large margins, as both Democrats and Trump&#039;s fellow Republicans echo the president&#039;s hard line against B..


Bill Forcing Chinese Firms to Meet US Accounting Standards Passes Congress

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says time is running out for U.S. lawmakers to reach an agreement on a second massive round of aid addressing the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
With just a handful of days left in session this year, members of Congress are racing to reach an agreement after months of fruitless negotiations.
McConnell told reporters Tuesday he had been in discussion with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows earlier in the day to determine what legislation U.S. President Donald Trump would be willing to sign.
“The way you get a result, you have to have a presidential signature. So, I felt the first thing we needed to do was to find out what the president would in fact sign. We believe we&#039;ve got the answer to that,” McConnell said. He added that given the dwindling days in session, any agreement on coronavirus relief would more than likely be tied to the omnibus bill funding the U.S. government past a D..


US Lawmakers Running Out of Time to Pass Coronavirus Aid

At least there won&#039;t be a government shutdown.
But as lawmakers return to Washington for an abbreviated preelection session, hopes are dimming for another coronavirus relief bill — or much else.
Talks between top Democrats and the Trump administration broke off last month and remain off track, with the bipartisan unity that drove almost $3 trillion in COVID-19 rescue legislation into law this spring replaced by partisanship and a return to Washington dysfunction.
Expectations in July and August that a fifth bipartisan pandemic response bill would be agreed on despite increased obstacles has been replaced by genuine pessimism. Recent conversations about COVID-19 aid among key players have led to nothing.
Democrats seem secure in their political position, with President Donald Trump and several Senate GOP incumbents lagging in the polls. Trump is seeking to sideline the pandemic as a campaign issue, and Republicans aren&#039;t interested in a deal on Democratic terms — even as n..


Hopes Fade for Coronavirus Deal as Congress Returns to Work

U.S. counterintelligence officials will no longer brief lawmakers on threats to the upcoming presidential election in November, telling them such in-person briefings have led to leaks of “sensitive intelligence” and the politicization of information.
Officials with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence verbally informed key lawmakers and congressional committees of the change Saturday, saying the intelligence on threats to the November 3 presidential election would still be provided, just in a different form.
“We are committed to meeting our statutory responsibilities and keeping Congress fully and currently informed,” an ODNI official told VOA on the condition of anonymity.
FILE &#8211; U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 5, 2020.“For clarity and to protect sensitive intelligence from unauthorized disclosures, we will primarily do that through written finished intelligence products,” the official said, adding, “We are concerned about un..


Top US Intelligence Official Ends In-Person Election Security Briefings for Congress

The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing for the possibility congressional staff members may have to telework because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The preparations are being launched &#8220;in light of the unique and unusual circumstances presented by the coronavirus.&#8221;
U.S. financial regulators are also preparing contingency plans, as there are COVID-19 cases in suburban Washington, New York, San Francisco and New Jersey, all places where regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and banking regulators have offices.
The Reuters news agency reports the financial watchdogs are allowing more telework, limiting travel and canceling conferences.


House of Representatives, Federal Agencies Prepare to Telework

U.S. President Donald Trump says the highest-ranking member of the country&#039;s legislative branch, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, &#8220;broke the law&#8221; when she shredded a copy of the State of the Union speech he delivered to Congress.
The president told reporters Friday that Pelosi&#039;s act, which was caught on camera just after Trump completed his address late Tuesday, was &#8220;disrespectful to our country, and actually very illegal.&#8221;
A Florida congressman of Trump&#039;s Republican party, Matt Gaetz, has filed an ethics complaint against Pelosi, accusing her of potentially violating federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2071).
The regulation prohibits the destruction of government records, but it only applies to documents that have been &#8220;filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States.&#8221;
&#039;Brilliant&#039; or &#039;tasteless&#039;
&#8220;That&#039;s really a law about preserving official documents, such as the official copy that would make it to the National Archives,&#8221; said..


Trump Accuses House Leader of ‘Very Illegal’ Act

Democrats on Tuesday accused the top Senate Republican of rigging U.S. President Donald Trump&#039;s impeachment trial with proposed rules that would prevent witnesses from testifying and bar evidence gathered by investigators.
Trump&#039;s trial on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges begins in earnest in the Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday in a rare use of the constitutional mechanism for ousting a president. The Democratic-led House of Representatives approved the charges last month on a party-line vote.
Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has vowed to coordinate the televised trial with the White House, proposed on Monday rules that would execute a potentially quick trial without new testimony or evidence.
He unveiled a resolution that would give House Democratic prosecutors and Trump lawyers 48 hours, evenly split, to present their arguments over four days. Opening arguments are expected to begin this week and could well run into each night..


Democrats Accuse McConnell of Rigging Trump’s Impeachment Trial

In the U.S. Senate, except for important votes, the seats are often empty and only a handful of lawmakers might be listening in person as one of their loquacious colleagues opines on the issue of the day. When present on the floor, senators often carry on private conversations or text or tweet on their cellphones.
But all that will change at the impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump, only the third such event in American history. Strict rules have been set that will be new and constraining to many lawmakers — and to Americans watching on television across the country.
For one thing, all 100 lawmakers, acting as jurors to decide whether to convict Trump of two articles of impeachment and remove him from office, have been told to show up for the entire trial. None may skip the long hours of proceedings to meet with constituents or lobbyists or to attend a political fundraiser. They&#039;ve been told to stay in their assigned seats and not to bring along reading material either..


At Trump’s Impeachment Trial, 100 Senators Face Strict Rules

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Trump was unseen player in election, experts say

California Governor Beats Back Recall Challenge

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CHECK OUT ALL THE LATEST VIDEOS

Sen. Marshall: "Senator Schumer, empty threats to force the Senate to work a full week does not scare us. The invasion at our border does." Schumer said he would discuss the border issue with Biden and Democratic leaders but he plans to hold a vote on a foreign aid package even if there isn't an agreement with Republicans on border security funding.

Republicans vow to oppose Israel, Ukraine package if it lacks U.S. border security measures

Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools removed sexually explicit novel about promiscuous gay teen from high school libraries shortly before telling appeals court parents can't legally stop lessons for much younger kids.

Democrats versus Muslims: Liberal states back school district's ban on opt-outs for LGBTQ lessons

Hunter Biden has agreed to testify before the Oversight Committee, but only if the hearing is public. Oversight Chairman Comer refused the demand, saying that the first son has to follow the same rules as everyone else, setting up a potential subpoena fight. The problem for the Committee is that the process with the most likely chance of success may take the longest.

Hunter Biden demands public hearing, Comer says behind closed doors first, teeing up subpoena fight

The UN roadmap to eating less meat isn’t legally binding, but it is expected to have influence over policymakers who are setting more and more rules to purportedly fight climate change. Many food producers aren't so sure those rules will work.

U.S. beef producers say UN's proposal for eating less meat demonizes industry, ineffective

It’s not clear why Evers’ office created his alternative email account.

Group files request for Wisconsin governor’s secret emails

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The White House has warned private entities, especially technology companies, about the risks of their products ending up in Iranian hands. Russia has been using drones in its war against Ukraine, attacking cities and destroying infrastructure, and — according to the White House — is working with Iran to produce them from inside Russia.


VOA Persian's White House correspondent Farhad Pouladi on Friday spoke with John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, about this and other issues the administration is tackling regarding the Islamic Republic.


VOA: On Iran and Russia cooperation on drones, what advice does the administration have by issuing this new advisory?


NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS JOHN KIRBY: Well, we want to make sure that private entities, certainly technology companies, understand the risks of their products potentially ending up in Iranian hands to be used for the manufacture of Iranian drones in this case that can be used to kill innocent Ukrainian people. So, the purpose of the advisory was really to make sure that the business community understands our concerns and is taking a look at its own procedures and procedures.


VOA: In the past two weeks, Iran unveiled a hypersonic missile called Fattah and a 2 kilometer-range missile called Kheibar. With the arms embargo under UNSC Resolution 2231 coming to an end in October, and considering Russia’s veto power, what is the U.S. hoping to do?


KIRBY: Well, I can't get ahead of the U.N. process here. But you're right. This activity by Iran, particularly with ballistic missiles, is a violation of 2231. Again, I won't get ahead of the process here and where it's going. Clear violations, we're going to continue to work with our allies and partners at the U.N. and outside the U.N. to make sure that we're putting enough pressure on Iran so that they stop this destabilizing activity. Their ballistic missile program continues to improve. It presents a clear threat to the region, certainly to our friends in the region. And now some of these capabilities, not ballistic missiles necessarily but in terms of UAVs, [unmanned aerial vehicles] now, this capability, this technology is being used inside Ukraine to kill innocent Ukrainians. And now we know that Iran is working with Russia on the potential construction of a manufacturing facility, or the conversion of one, to be used inside Russia to actually produce, organically, there inside Russia, Iranian-designed UAVs, so all the more reason to continue to put pressure on the regime.




VOA: So, Europeans swap their prisoners with Iran. What is the holdup for the Americans in Iran? You mentioned it behind the podium that a blue passport is a blue passport. So what is the holdup for them?


KIRBY: I would tell you that we never lose sight of our obligations, our sacred obligation to get home wrongfully detained Americans overseas, including in Iran. I don't have anything with specific cases to talk to you today. I can just tell you that we never stopped working on this. We're always going to try to find a way to bring these Americans home in a way that comports with our obligation to them but also with our national security. And we're doing that right now.


VOA: The IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] Board of Governors and the U.S. “urged Iran to fully cooperate with the agency.” And if it fails, the board should be prepared to hold Iran to account at the appropriate time. Isn't that just a slap on the wrist from the U.S.?


KIRBY: We have done an awful lot inside the United States, just unilaterally let alone multilaterally with other countries, to hold the regime accountable for their destabilizing activities, for their constant pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities, for their support to Russia inside Ukraine, for their attacks on maritime shipping. I could go on, and on, and on. And we're not going to take any tools off the table to continue to hold them accountable going forward. So I think in Tehran, again, I won't speak for the regime, but I'd be hard pressed to look at the pressure they're under and for them to believe that the United States is simply slapping them on the wrist. Now, yes, we want them to comply with the requirements of the IAEA as they should, as they must, but we're not going to take any options off the table in terms of our ability to continue to put pressure on them so that they do comply, so that ... we can get to a place where they don't have a nuclear weapons capability.


VOA: Going to the sanctions issue as part of Iran's nuclear deal, specifically on Iranian blocked assets, that can be used only for humanitarian relief and humanitarian commodities. Any changes to that, especially when it comes to news reports that Iran's Central Bank chief was here?


KIRBY: I mean, I don't have — I don't have anything on those press reports. Look, we have sanctions in place that are going to stay in place to hold the regime accountable for their activities in the region, for the way they're treating their own people, and certainly for the manner in which they're supporting Ukraine — I’m sorry, Russia — in their fight inside Ukraine and killing innocent Ukrainian people.

White House Warns Private Entities: Products Could Be Used in Iran Drones

In early May, The New York Times Magazine published an in-depth story about Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with details about his alleged connections with a criminal group that is being prosecuted for a range of crimes including drug trafficking and murder.


The story drew broad attention internationally, not just in the Balkans where local investigative outlets have reported many of the same allegations, which Vucic denies.


The State Department declined to comment on the merit of the allegations in the story, however at least one high-ranking State Department official shared the story on social media. And the allegations were raised last month during a congressional hearing about the Western Balkans.


Outside analysts though have been vocal.


"It's a shocking and horrific story that the highest levels of government are so intertwined with criminal enterprises. I think we have seen this in enough other nations that it is a growing concern, the conflation between authoritarian governments and criminal networks," Gary Kalman, executive director of Transparency International USA, told VOA's Serbian Service.


"It's terrible. It's too bad," said Susan Rose-Ackerman, professor of law and political science at Yale University, who co-authored the book "Corruption and Government." She told VOA that connections between people in political power and organized crime create an extreme version of political corruption.


The Times story reported that the connections between police and the criminal group, led by a soccer hooligan Veljko Belivuk, nicknamed Trouble, were well documented. The story also claimed "there is little doubt that Belivuk and his gang are in prison because Europol cracked the code" of the phone-messaging app through which they communicated.


Author Robert Worth reported that Belivuk testified in court that "his gang had been organized 'for the need and by the order of Aleksandar Vucic.'" He added that the group, among others, used to intimidate political rivals and prevent fans at soccer games from chanting against Vucic.


Worth also wrote that he is skeptical that Vucic was unaware of all the groups did since Vucic "now exercises near-total control over almost every aspect of public life" in Serbia.


International context


Vucic has been in politics since the 1990s. He served as information minister to Slobodan Milosevic, where he led a crackdown on the press, and he publicly voiced support for Serbian war criminals.


His Serbian Progressive Party has now been in power for more than 10 years, during which he was also a prime minister.


Vucic's spokespeople declined Worth's requests for comments, but in an interview for pro-government Happy TV in Serbia, Vucic said that the "preposterous New York Times story was ordered" and that he understands it as a message during the dialogue about normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.


Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which Serbia has never recognized.


"I know how they do it," said Vucic for Happy TV. "You know, CIA sets you up, CIA watches you, if you don't behave well and don't listen, this is only the beginning."


It has become common practice in past years that Serbian authorities denote any criticism as treason, conspiracy against the country or a plot to overthrow the government.


Both Worth and The New York Times denied such allegations.


VOA interviewees noted that the most significant aspect of the story was the fact that it was published in English, in a reputable outlet with a great number of readers.


"It is an exposé of Aleksandar Vucic and his government. And it put it in an international context, given that it's The New York Times," Tanya Domi, professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, told VOA. "Everybody is reading this."


Is Serbia a reliable partner for the United States?


"Is this reporting credible?" Senator Bob Menendez asked the State Department's counselor Derek Chollet during a May hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about U.S. policy toward the Western Balkans, referencing the Times story.


"We believe it is. I can't speak to the specifics of the article, but there is absolutely a lot of corruption," replied Chollet, with Gabriel Escobar, State Department deputy assistant secretary, sitting next to him.


"So what are the real prospects for a reliable partner in Serbia with that background?" Menendez asked.


"We're doing this with eyes open, but we are holding Vucic to account and his colleagues to account for their corruption, for their behavior and activity," said Chollet, noting that corruption is a major issue in the whole region.


But in an interview for VOA's Bosnian Service, Kurt Bassuener, senior associate at the Democratization Policy Council, pointed out that the U.S. has not sanctioned any Vucic administration official for corruption as it has done in some neighboring countries.


"They essentially dodged it," Bassuener said of State Department officials. "They didn't deal with any of the substance. And I think that's emblematic of the overarching policy, which is pacification toward the region."


Domi believes the United States and the West are pursuing the idea that Serbia is "a stabilizing force in the region." But if the goal of such foreign policy toward the Western Balkans is to draw Serbia closer to the West and further from Russia, Domi says there is no proof such a strategy works.


Serbia is one of the rare European countries that has not introduced sanctions against Russia, and there is a strong pro-Russian sentiment in the country.


Transparency International's Kalman said Washington's strategy with Serbia could shift in the future.


"I think there is a possibility that the U.S., given sort of Serbia's role and where it sits in the world, that they might put some pressure on to try and improve things in Serbia," he said.


"How far they push and whether or not they are concerned that the Serbian government will start an alliance with countries and interests that the U.S. counter to their national security, and so then they back up. I don't know the answer to that question," Kalman said.

Reporting on Serbian Leader's Links to Criminal Groups Raises Questions for US

Former U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on social media Thursday night that he has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, apparently for mishandling sensitive government documents.


"The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.


Several media outlets said Trump has been indicted on seven counts related to his handling of classified documents and obstruction of justice.


Trump wrote that he had been summoned to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday.


Trump's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


A spokesperson for Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is handling the investigation, declined to comment.


Reuters could not immediately learn the exact charges Trump is facing.


In a sworn statement to a federal court last year, an FBI agent said there was probable cause to believe several crimes were committed, including obstruction and the illegal retention of sensitive defense records.


The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating whether Trump mishandled classified documents he retained after leaving the White House in 2021.


Investigators seized roughly 13,000 documents from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, nearly a year ago. One hundred were marked as classified, even though one of Trump's lawyers had previously said all records with classified markings had been returned to the government.


Trump has previously defended his retention of documents, suggesting he declassified them while president. However, Trump has not provided evidence of this, and his attorneys have declined to make that argument in court filings.

Trump Says He Has Been Indicted in Classified Documents Case

Federal prosecutors have notified former U.S. President Donald Trump's attorneys that he is the target of an investigation into his handling of classified materials, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, adding to his legal troubles as he campaigns for the White House in 2024. 


The Justice Department typically notifies people when they become targets of an investigation to give them an opportunity to present their own evidence before a grand jury. The notification does not necessarily mean Trump will be charged.  


News of the notification to Trump's legal team surfaced just two days after his attorneys met with Justice Department officials to discuss the case.  


The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump's attorneys in the documents case could not be reached for comment. 


Trump's legal team was notified on Monday, the person said. Although there are some signs that the documents investigation is coming to a close, the timing of when a person is told they are a target cannot necessarily be used as a predictor of when charges might be brought, said David Schoen, an attorney who represented Trump ally Steve Bannon during his criminal trial on contempt of Congress charges. 


"Sometimes they are issued at the beginning of a long investigation and sometimes at the conclusion of an investigation," he said. 


Trump, the front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly described the multiple investigations as politically motivated.  


A federal grand jury has been investigating Trump's retention of classified materials after leaving the White House in 2021. 


A second criminal investigation is looking into alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.


A spokesperson for Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the probes, declined to comment. 


Thousands of documents 


Investigators in August 2022 seized roughly 13,000 documents from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. One hundred of these were marked as classified, even though one of Trump's lawyers had previously said that all records with classified markings had been returned.  


Trump has defended his retention of documents, suggesting that he declassified them while he was president. However, Trump has not provided evidence of this, and his attorneys have not made that argument in court filings. 


Trump handed over 15 boxes of records in January 2022, a year after leaving office, but federal officials came to believe he had not returned all the documents.  


The Justice Department issued Trump a grand jury subpoena in May 2022 asking him to return any other records bearing classified markings, and top officials traveled to Mar-a-Lago to retrieve the materials. 


Trump's attorneys turned over 38 pages marked as classified to FBI and Justice Department officials and showed them a storage room at Mar-a-Lago but did not permit the agents to open any of the boxes. 


One of Trump's lawyers also signed a document attesting that all records with classified markings had been returned to the government, a claim later proven false after the FBI searched his home.  




Trump's legal woes are growing.  


A jury in federal court in Manhattan in May decided in a civil lawsuit that Trump must pay $5 million in damages for sexually abusing former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll and then defaming her by branding her a liar. 


Trump also faces a criminal investigation by a county prosecutor in Georgia relating to his efforts to undo his 2020 election loss in that state. 


Trump's legal woes are growing.

Trump's Lawyers Notified That Former President Is Target of Classified Documents Probe

Several challengers this week have jumped into the race to try to thwart former U.S. president Donald Trump from capturing the Republican Party's presidential nomination for a third consecutive time. Most notable among the new entrants: Trump’s longtime vice president, Mike Pence. VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman at the White House explains Pence wasted no time doing what he previously hesitated to — forcefully criticize his former boss’ conduct in office.

Former VP Pence Takes Aim at Trump for Republican Nomination

U.S. President Joe Biden's public approval was at 41% in recent days, close to the lowest level of his presidency but little changed following a tense negotiation with congressional Republicans over the federal government's debt, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.


The four-day poll, which ended on Monday, showed a marginal increase in Biden's popularity from last month, when 40% of respondents said they approved of his performance since taking office in January 2021. The poll has a margin of error of three percentage points. 


The economy remained the top concern, amid high rates of inflation and a push by central bankers to tame prices by raising interest rates, which has made mortgages and car loans costlier.


Democrat Biden reached a deal last week with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the top elected Republican official, to suspend a limit on federal borrowing following weeks of talks. The deal averted the financial disaster that would have unfolded if the government were forced to stop paying all its bills.


The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed only 27% of Americans approve of how McCarthy is handling his job.


Some 56% of the poll's respondents supported sending more U.S. weapons and financial aid to Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces, about the same share as in a February poll.


But that backing is not evenly distributed across the two political parties. Some 73% of Democrats said they backed more aid, compared to 44% of Republicans.


The Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses from 1,056 adults, using a nationally representative sample.

Reuters/Ipsos: Biden's Approval Rating at 41%, Americans Concerned About Economy

After a history-making victory, Nigerian immigrant Yemi Mobolade was sworn in on June 6 as mayor of Colorado Springs, the second-largest city in the western U.S. state of Colorado.


Colorado Governor Jered Polis said he is inspired by Mobolade’s story.


“Somebody who has dedicated his life to making Colorado Springs and America a better place, whose story we can all identify with, who came here, who started businesses,” Polis said at the inauguration ceremony.


Mobolade moved to the U.S. 27 years ago as a student and became a U.S. citizen in 2017. He started a family, opened two restaurants and a church, and then won election in this traditionally conservative city as its first elected Black leader.


“I wake up every morning and I think it’s a dream, and then I realize, no, this really happened,” Mobolade said.


 


But what earned him the trust of many residents, some said, is his stint as the small business development manager for Colorado Springs from 2019 to 2022.


Some residents told VOA that Mobolade’s electoral victory sends a message that their state is welcoming to people from all walks of life.


“Colorado Springs is lavishly hospitable,” Michael Lipede told VOA. “If the natives of Colorado have not received us with an open heart, there is no way we will accomplish all we have accomplished,” said Lipede, a lead pastor at Redeemed Christian Church of God Living Faith Sanctuary in Colorado Springs.


In a city of nearly 500,000 people that is more than 75% White, residents found hope in the fact that so many voters were willing to support someone from a different background.


“Coloradans ... don’t believe in ethnicity, they believe in competence and capacity and capability, and they found out that Mr. Yemi has it all.” Olawale Akinremi, a Colorado Springs resident told VOA.


“I feel hopeful about today. I love our new mayor, Yemi Mobolade. He is a man of strength, faith, character, and courage. And we are so fortunate to have him leading our city,” Cindy Aubrey, Colorado Springs resident said.


Another resident, Nkechi Onyejekwe said “I think it is something that is very amazing to celebrate and I think it is something very timely as well,” she told VOA, adding that “Colorado Springs has a very diverse population and I think that their legislative bodies should also reflect that.”


Ami Bajah-Onyejekwe, a Pueblo Colorado resident said it is important for people to see someone they can look up to in positions of leadership. “Just by seeing someone who looks like you, who has similar background to yours and see where that person has reached, and the goals they have achieved,” she said, “gives hope and says, ‘I can do it as well.’”


Mobolade has pledged to be a leader for all of Colorado City’s increasingly diverse population.


“I think today matters for a lot of young black kids because it tells them that the sky’s the limit, that they too can step into the arena and lead,” he said.


This story originated in VOA’s Hausa Service.