After reports that President Donald Trump was considering an executive order to withdraw the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement, the White House said Wednesday that Trump agreed not to take such action after phone calls with the leaders of Canada and Mexico. Since launching his bid …
your ad herePlan to Give Health Care to Every Californian Moves Forward
California lawmakers pushed forward Wednesday with a proposal that would substantially remake the health care system of the nation’s most populous state by replacing insurance companies with government-funded health care for everyone. The idea known as single-payer health care has long been popular on the left and is getting a …
your ad hereOscar-Winning Director Jonathan Demme Dies
Oscar-winning U.S. film director Jonathan Demme, who terrified audiences and also made them laugh, died Wednesday in New York at 73. His family said Demme suffered from cancer of the esophagus. Demme may be considered one of the most eclectic directors in Hollywood history — directing rousing comedies, horror, concert …
your ad hereUS Central Bank Could Lean Against Trump Tax Cut
President Donald Trump’s plan to slash business and household taxes could shift the U.S. economy into higher gear, but it may have one effect the White House would not welcome — interest rates ratcheted higher than expected by a wary central bank. The Trump administration says hundreds of billions of …
your ad hereIvanka Trump, World Bank Discuss Women Entrepreneur Fund
Ivanka Trump has been involved in discussions with the World Bank about establishing a funding operation to support female entrepreneurs, bank and administration officials said Wednesday. The officials stressed that nothing has been set up yet and that talks are ongoing about how this would be structured. They said it …
your ad hereMnuchin: Trump Has ‘No Intention’ of Releasing Tax Returns
President Donald Trump “has no intention” of releasing his tax returns to the public, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday, asserting Americans have “plenty of information” about the president’s financial matters. For decades, presidents have released their tax returns. But Trump has so far refused, suggesting he would share the …
your ad hereAre the Arts a Good Government Investment?
Musician David Byrne, known for his work with the 1980s pop band Talking Heads, wrote an urgent blog post this month. “I just got back from a rally at City Hall,” he said, referring to a New York City rally to support arts funding. “I spoke very briefly, making the …
your ad hereTrump’s Cuts to US Refugee Program Lead to 300-plus Layoffs
The president’s desire to cut refugees is also costing U.S. jobs. A reduction in refugee resettlement that began after an executive order by President Donald Trump in late January has led to at least 300 layoffs in the U.S. nonprofit sector and nearly 500 positions abroad, according to data collected …
your ad hereExperimental Drug Cures Malaria in Mice
Scientists have developed a compound that both cured and prevented malaria in animals. They say the experimental drug even is effective against resistant strains of the mosquito-borne parasite. If the experimental treatment pans out in humans, it could be a huge breakthrough in the treatment and prevention of malaria, …
your ad hereLow-cost Drug Could Save Thousands of Mothers’ Lives Across Developing World
A new study says a low-cost and widely available drug could save the lives of one in three mothers who would otherwise bleed to death after childbirth. The global trial of more than 20,000 women also found the drug reduced the need for urgent surgery to control bleeding, such as …
your ad hereNearly 2 Million Children Participate in Polio Trials that Proved Successful
Up to this day in 1954 in American history, even a president of the United States, later President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, could be struck down by the debilitating effects of paralysis that is the signature of poliovirus. The irony is that very few Americans perceived Roosevelt as “handicapped,” according to …
your ad hereIndia’s Planned Investment in Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee Port Gets a Push
India’s plans to invest in a strategic port in Sri Lanka as a counterbalance to China’s massive infrastructure investments in the Indian Ocean island country got a push Wednesday as Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited New Delhi. China’s development of the key Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, which …
your ad hereSecurity Firm: Cyberattacks Against Saudi Arabia Continue
Researchers at U.S. antivirus firm McAfee say the cyberattacks that have hit Saudi Arabia over the past few months are continuing, revealing new details about an unusually disruptive campaign. Speaking ahead of the blog post ‘s publication Wednesday, McAfee chief scientists Raj Samani said the latest intrusions were very similar, …
your ad hereRomania: Hundreds of Taxis, Buses Protest Uber
Some 200 taxis and buses have parked outside the government offices in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, demanding that Uber and other online taxi services be outlawed in the country. Transport in the already crowded city was disrupted Wednesday morning as the protest, scheduled to last until the evening, got underway. …
your ad hereArts Program in Poor Performing Schools Boosts Learning
In some of the lowest performing elementary and middle schools in the U.S., students are learning in an unconventional way. “I like to act and I like to sing and I like to dance,” said 10-year-old Kayla Driakare, whose teachers at Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School are incorporating much …
your ad hereExperts Discuss Danger from Space Debris
Scientists meeting at the 7th European Conference on Space Debris, held in Darmstadt, Germany, say the density of space trash orbiting earth in some areas is so high that it may soon become dangerous to fly through it. VOA’s George Putic reports. …
your ad hereA Glimpse Inside the VR Hospital of the Future
The future is full of virtual reality games, and applications. But one place where its utility is clearly going to have a positive impact is in the world of medicine. In London, the Virtual Reality Show is displaying some of the technologies that will change the way medicine, surgery, and …
your ad hereSwordsmith Carves His Own Style in Making Blades
In upstate New York, John Lundemo is making a living by making high end swords. He carves each sword with a distinctive style of his own, a style he developed over the years. Inspiration for his creativity comes from different places. And as Faiza Elmasry tells us, that’s what makes …
your ad hereArts Program in Poor Performing Schools Boost Learning
President Trump’s proposed cuts to the federal budget for the arts is creating concern that it may impact a program started by former first lady Michelle Obama that is showing signs of success. Turnaround Arts gets some funding from federal tax dollars, and it helps some of the nation’s lowest …
your ad herePope Urges Powerful to Act Humbly in Surprise TED Talk Appearance
Pope Francis made a surprise appearance at a TED talk conference on Tuesday, urging powerful leaders “to act humbly” and said he hoped technological innovation would not leave people behind. The 18-minute video was filmed in Vatican City and broadcast to the audience at the annual TED 2017 conference in …
your ad hereBison Births Are First in Canadian National Park Area in 140 Years
Bison calves have been born in the area that makes up Alberta’s Banff National Park for the first time in 140 years, Parks Canada officials said Tuesday, marking a milestone in attempts to reintroduce a wild herd to the area. Conservation officers said three calves had been born since Saturday …
your ad hereElla Fitzgerald’s 100th Birthday Marked with Grammy Exhibit
The Grammy Museum is putting rare Ella Fitzgerald memorabilia on display for what would have been the singing legend’s 100th birthday. The museum’s “Ella at 100: Celebrating the Artistry of Ella Fitzgerald” exhibition includes the first Grammy Award that Fitzgerald won — the first awarded to an African-American woman — …
your ad hereCanada Increasingly Draws Trump’s Ire
President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Tuesday said they did not fear a trade war with Canada after American punitive action on lumber and milk. “They have a tremendous surplus with the United States,” Trump said, adding “people don’t realize Canada’s been very rough on the United …
your ad hereTrump Set to Call for Big US Corporate Tax Cut
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to call for a sharp reduction in the nation’s corporate tax rate, the highest among the world’s industrialized countries. Trump is planning to unveil his tax plans Wednesday, with aides saying he will ask Congress to slash the current 35 percent rate down to …
your ad hereWikipedia Founder Launches Site to Fight Fake News
The founder of Wikipedia is starting a website he says will fight so-called fake news. Jimmy Wales says his Wikitribune site will bring journalists and volunteer fact checkers together to stop the spread of false news stories. “We want to make sure that you read fact-based articles that have a …
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