The climate is not only changing globally, it’s changing in Washington. With Democrats in control of the House of Representatives, climate change is on the agenda again. Some Democrats are proposing what they call the Green New Deal, an ambitious and controversial program to transform the nation’s energy supply. VOA’s …
your ad here3D Heart Gives Surgeons Early Look at Patients
It’s a stretch but with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we thought we’d talk about the heart, but with a tech twist. Each heart is different, and that can make surgery challenging. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports on new technology that creates a 3D model of a specific patient’s heart …
your ad hereSupporters Renew Push for Nationwide Paid Family Leave in US
Democrats pushed on Tuesday for a nationwide paid family leave system in the United States, the only developed nation that does not guarantee pay to workers taking time off to care for children or other relatives. The proposal would establish a national insurance program to provide workers with up to …
your ad hereSlow-going Restoration at Fire-gutted Brazilian Museum
Five months after fire gutted Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum, the site that once held some of the nation’s greatest treasures remains a ruin of scorched walls, twisted metal and piles of ash. Museum director Alexander Kellner said Tuesday that plans to rebuild the structure have just gotten underway, starting …
your ad hereMalawian Boy Saves Famine-stricken Village with Wind Turbine in Berlinale Film
A movie premiering in Berlin tells the true story of a young boy from a famine-stricken village in Malawi who studies books about energy then builds a wind turbine that enables farmers to irrigate their land. Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” tells the story of …
your ad hereOverseas Tariffs Sour US Whiskey Exports
American whiskey makers are feeling the pain after their major overseas markets imposed hefty duties on their liquor in retaliation against President Donald Trump’s tariffs on aluminum imports. U.S. global whiskey exports, which include rye and bourbons, recorded a nifty 28 percent year-over-year increase in the first six months 2018, …
your ad hereNASA About to Pull Plug on Mars Rover, Silent for 8 Months
NASA is trying one last time to contact its record-setting Mars rover Opportunity, before calling it quits. The rover has been silent for eight months, victim of one of the most intense dust storms in decades. Thick dust darkened the sky last summer and, for months, blocked sunlight from the …
your ad hereFed Chairman: Prosperity Not Felt in All Areas
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell traveled Tuesday to a historically black university in the Mississippi Delta to deliver a message that the nation’s prosperity has not been felt in many such areas around the country. Powell said that many rural areas had been left out and needed special support, …
your ad herePentagon Outlines its First Artificial Intelligence Strategy
The U.S. military wants to expand its use of artificial intelligence in warfare, but says it will take care to deploy the technology in accordance with the nation’s values. The Pentagon outlined its first AI strategy in a report released Tuesday. The plan calls for accelerating the use …
your ad hereCardi B Deactivates Instagram Account After Grammy Criticism
Cardi B has deactivated her Instagram account following social media criticism of her winning a Grammy for best rap album. Some people said the 26-year-old rapper didn’t deserve the Grammy over other nominees. The criticism was amplified by a now-deleted BET tweet that pitted Cardi B against her longtime rival …
your ad hereStudy: More Diverse Movie Leads in 2018 Than Ever
The top films in 2018 featured more female and people of color in lead roles than ever before, according to a new study from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. In a report released Tuesday, researchers found that women were the lead or co-lead in 40 of the …
your ad hereRussian Lawmakers Back Bill on ‘Sovereign’ Internet
Russian lawmakers backed tighter internet controls on Tuesday to defend against foreign meddling in draft legislation that critics warn could disrupt Russia’s internet and be used to stifle dissent. The legislation, which some Russian media have likened to an online “iron curtain,” passed its first of three readings in the …
your ad hereWorld’s Oldest Known Wild Bird Hatches Chick on Midway Atoll
The oldest known wild bird in the world has become a mother again at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. wildlife officials said. The Laysan albatross named Wisdom hatched a chick earlier this month at the remote atoll northwest of Hawaii, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday. Wisdom is at least …
your ad hereGeorge Clooney Compares Markle Coverage to Princess Di
George Clooney is frustrated by the way the media is treating Megan Markle, comparing it to how the media covered Princess Diana. Clooney told reporters the American actress who became the Duchess of Sussex is “a woman who is seven months pregnant and she has been pursued and vilified …
your ad hereReddit Value at $3B After $300M in Finance Led by Tencent
Social media service Reddit Inc. says it has raised $300 million in a financing round led by Chinese internet giant Tencent. Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, told CNBC on Monday that values the privately held company at $3 billion. Half the new money came from Tencent, Asia’s most valuable tech company. …
your ad hereHarrison Ford knocks Trump, Others Who ‘Denigrate Science’
Harrison Ford offered an emphatic plea on Tuesday for protecting the world’s oceans, calling out President Donald Trump and others who “deny or denigrate science.” The 76-year-old actor, best known for his roles in “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones,” stressed the importance of acknowledging the effects of climate change on …
your ad hereToys R US Plans Second Act Under New Name
Toys R Us fans in the U.S. should see the iconic brand re-emerge in some form by this holiday season. Richard Barry, a former Toys R Us executive and now CEO of the new company called Tru Kids Brands, told The Associated Press he and his team are still …
your ad hereIowa Democrats Propose ‘Virtual’ Caucuses in 2020
The Iowa Democratic Party on Monday proposed the biggest changes to the state’s famed caucuses in nearly 50 years by recommending Iowans be able to participate virtually. If approved, the measure would allow people to caucus using telephones or smart devices during the days leading up to the Feb. …
your ad hereEarth’s Earliest Mobile Organisms Lived 2.1 Billion Years Ago
Scientists have discovered in 2.1-billion-year-old black shale from a quarry in Gabon the earliest evidence of a revolutionary development in the history of life on Earth, the ability of organisms to move from one place to another on their own. The researchers on Monday described exquisitely preserved fossils of small …
your ad hereMexican Union Declares Victory in Strike at 48 Border Plants
A union declared total victory in a mass strike by about 25,000 workers at 48 assembly plants in a Mexican border city, but the movement spawned a storm of wildcat walkouts Monday at other businesses. The Industrial Workers and Laborers’ Union won 20 percent wage increases at all 48 …
your ad hereReport: Vale Knew Deadly Dam Had Heightened Risk of Collapse
Vale SA, the world’s largest iron ore miner, knew last year that the dam in Brazil that collapsed in January and killed at least 165 people had a heightened risk of rupturing, according to an internal document seen by Reuters on Monday. The report, dated Oct. 3, 2018, shows that …
your ad hereUS Sees Growing Threats to ‘Freedom of Action’ in Space
Russia and China are racing to advance their space-based military capabilities and could soon prevent the United States and its allies from using outer space freely. The warning, in a new report Monday from the Defense Intelligence Agency, builds on a series of warnings issued by the defense and intelligence …
your ad hereTrump Administration Unveils Order to Prioritize, Promote AI
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order asking federal government agencies to dedicate more resources and investment into research, promotion and training on artificial intelligence, known as AI. Under the American AI Initiative, the administration is directing agencies to prioritize AI investments in research and development, increase …
your ad hereUS Youth Smoking Decline Stalls, And Vaping May Be to Blame
Cigarette smoking rates have stopped falling among U.S. kids, and health officials believe youth vaping is responsible. For decades, the percentage of high school and middle school students who smoked cigarettes had been declining. For the past three years, it has flattened, according to new numbers released Monday. There may …
your ad hereHulu Making Howard the Duck, 4 More Marvel Animated Shows
Hulu is teaming with Marvel to make four separate animated series based on comic book characters like Howard the Duck. Director Kevin Smith and comics Chelsea Handler and Patton Oswalt are among the people who have signed deals with the streaming service to help produce the cartoons. Smith will work …
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