Author: Fworld

In late November, a member of Donald Trump’s transition team approached national security officials in the Obama White House with a curious request: Could the incoming team get a copy of the classified CIA profile on Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the United States? Marshall Billingslea, a former Pentagon and NATO official, wanted the information …

Thunderstorms and wind had delayed the Hindenburg’s arrival in New Jersey from Germany on May 6, 1937. The father of 8-year-old Werner Doehner headed to his cabin after using his movie camera to shoot some scenes of Lakehurst Naval Air Station from the airship’s dining room. “We didn’t see him again,” recalled Doehner, now 88 …

Graduation season is officially underway across the U.S. In New York City, that honor extends to American flag-waving children from 25 countries who recently took the Pledge of Allegiance and became naturalized citizens. VOA takes you to the ceremony and celebration. …

Adolph Kiefer, the 100-meter backstroke champion at the 1936 Berlin Games who was America’s oldest living Olympic gold medalist in any sport, has died. He was 98.   He died Friday at his home in Wadsworth, Illinois, about 50 miles north of Chicago, according to grandson Robin Kiefer.    Olympic champion at 17 Kiefer had …

A white police officer in the southern U.S. state of Texas who shot into a car of teenagers, killing a 15-year-old African-American boy, has been charged with murder. Roy Oliver of the Balch Springs Police Department turned himself in to authorities Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, police officials said. Oliver had …

In 1950 Harvey Matthews remembers playing with friends in a cemetery across the street from their family farm outside Washington, D.C.  “I was a kid, I played in it. So now where did the bodies go? Can you tell me where did the remains go? No one has answered that question for me yet” he …

A senior State Department official said the United States continues to enjoy a very good relationship with Myanmar, amid speculation that the country is tilting toward China and even though de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi skipped a chance to meet Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington this week. Tillerson hosted foreign ministers …

Small-business owners are applauding President Donald Trump’s plan to overhaul the tax system, saying lower taxes for everyone means more buying power for consumers and more money for businesses to hire workers. But can the White House plan simplify the nation’s cumbersome tax code fairly? And how would lower- and middle-income Americans fare? Mil Arcega …

The State Department wants to review social media, email addresses and phone numbers from some foreigners seeking U.S. visas. It’s part of the Trump administration’s enhanced screening of potential immigrants and visitors. The department is seeking public comment on the requirement. But it’s also requesting White House budget office approval so the plan can take …

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Thursday to seek their support in pressing North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs. Tillerson’s first meeting with all members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations will also address another pressing regional issue – China’s assertive pursuit of …

Former U.S. president Barack Obama officially endorsed French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron Thursday, calling a victory by Marcon “very important to the future of France and the values we care so much about.” Obama said he admired Macron’s “liberal values” and said Macron is committed to a better future for the French. “Because of how …

President Donald Trump is defending his decision not to name China a currency manipulator while, at the same time, reaffirming his determination to put the interests of American workers first. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports, North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs continue to preoccupy a president who regularly bashed China during last year’s campaign, but …

John Legend is expected on a Massachusetts college campus this week to receive a social justice award.   The singer-songwriter becomes the first recipient of the Salem Advocate for Social Justice award when he accepts the honor Tuesday at Salem State University.   Legend is to perform and also discuss his work on criminal justice, …

After more than three months in office without passing any major legislation, President Donald Trump faces a week that offers the possibility of averting a government shutdown and progress on health care. Trump has spent his first 100 days coming to terms with the slow grind of government even in a Republican-dominated capital, and watching …

U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to Washington to discuss various issues, including the threat North Korea presents to regional security. After the two spoke by phone Saturday, a White House statement said, “It was a very friendly conversation, in which the two leaders discussed the concerns of the Association of …

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised “a big decision” on the Paris climate agreement in the next two weeks. He spoke on his 100th day in office, at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He spoke in an arena that holds up to 10,000 people where his audience was supportive, greeting him with cheers of “USA! …

Twenty-five years ago, a jury acquitted four white police officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King, sparking looting and violence that would turn into one of the deadliest race riots in American history. On Saturday, hundreds of people marked the anniversary with marches advocating peace and hope. A “Future Fest” began at Florence …

Tens of thousands of environmental activists are expected to march in the U.S. capital city Saturday in an effort to draw support for climate-related causes. The event, dubbed the People’s Climate March, is meant to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office, according to its organizers, who have condemned what they see as …

San Antonio, Texas, is home to the greatest concentration of Catholic missions in North America, including The Alamo, the state’s first mission dating to 1718. The most visited historic landmark in Texas was also a fort and the site of a battle that played a pivotal role in the state’s dramatic history. San Antonio Missions …

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is updating its website to reflect the views of the Trump administration. The agency has removed several pages from the Obama administration explaining the science behind climate change. The EPA said in a statement the website is “undergoing changes that reflect the agency’s new direction under President Donald Trump and …

The United States issued about 40 percent fewer temporary visas in March to citizens of seven countries covered by President Donald Trump’s temporary travel bans than it did in an average month last year, according to a Reuters analysis of preliminary government data released on Thursday. At the same time, the data showed that the …

Saturday, April 29 will mark the anniversary of the outbreak of riots in Los Angeles, sparked by the acquittal of white police officers accused of beating a black motorist, Rodney King.  Mike O’Sullivan spoke to police and community members about the state of race relations, 25 years later. …

As U.S. President Donald Trump delivered the keynote address Friday at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in downtown Atlanta, scores of gun control advocates are planning to demonstrate across town against the nation’s most powerful gun lobby group. Trump, who supported tougher gun restrictions before he entered the political arena, became the first president …

President Donald Trump on Thursday created an office at the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve accountability and protect whistleblowers, calling it a “bold step forward.” Trump, who made improving veterans’ care a prominent issue in his presidential campaign, said the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection will make clear “that we will never, ever …

U.S. diplomats used a meeting with their Iranian counterparts to press the release of Americans being detained in Iran, the Trump administration said Thursday. It is the first public acknowledgment of direct U.S.-Iranian discussions since President Donald Trump took office. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the talks occurred on the sidelines of a meeting …

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will make his United Nations debut Friday, chairing a high-level Security Council session on the threat posed by North Korea’s quest to build a nuclear bomb. No immediate council action is expected, but Tillerson is expected to push for other members to join the U.S. in ratcheting up the …