Category: United States

An armed man believed to be traveling from Indiana was shot by U.S. Secret Service agents near the White House after a confrontation early Sunday, according to authorities.  No one else was injured in the shooting that happened around midnight about a block from the White House, according to a Secret Service statement. President Donald Trump was in Florida at the time of the shooting.  The Secret Service received information from local police about an alleged “suicidal individual” who was traveling from Indiana and found the man’s car and a person matching his description nearby.  “As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel,” the Secret Service said in a statement.  The man was hospitalized. The Secret Service said his condition was “unknown.”  The Metropolitan Police Department will investigate because the shooting involved law enforcement officers. A message left Sunday for the police department wasn’t immediately returned.  …

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration rescinded a waiver on Saturday that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, as part of President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, a State Department spokesperson said. The decision to let Iraq’s waiver lapse upon its expiration “ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief,” the spokesperson said, adding that Trump’s campaign on Iran aims “to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups.” Trump restored “maximum pressure” on Iran in one of his first acts after returning to office in January. In his first term, he pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, a multinational agreement to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The U.S. government has said it wants to isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenues in order to slow Tehran’s development of a nuclear weapon. Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons and says its program is peaceful. For Iraq, the end of the waiver “presents temporary operational challenges,” said Farhad Alaaeldin, foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. “The government is actively working on alternatives to sustain electricity supply and mitigate any potential disruptions,” Alaaeldin told Reuters. “Strengthening energy security remains a national priority, and efforts to enhance domestic production, improve grid efficiency and invest in new technologies will continue at full pace.” Washington has imposed a range of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program and support for terrorist organizations, effectively banning countries that do business with Iran from doing business with the U.S. “President Trump has been clear that the Iranian Regime must cease its ambitions for a nuclear weapon or face Maximum Pressure,” said national security spokesperson James Hewitt. “We hope the regime will put the interests of its people and the region ahead of its destabilizing policies.” Pressure on Baghdad Trump initially granted waivers to several buyers to meet consumer energy needs when he reimposed sanctions on Iran’s energy exports in 2018, citing its nuclear program and what the U.S. calls its meddling in the Middle East. His administration and that of Joe Biden repeatedly renewed Iraq’s waiver while urging Baghdad to reduce its dependence on Iranian electricity. The State Department spokesperson reiterated that call on Saturday. “We urge the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as … “Trump administration ends Iraq’s waiver to buy Iranian electricity” →

The U.S. government has revived a five-year contract with a private detention center in Texas that was designed to hold migrant families. The multimillion-dollar agreement was in effect for 10 years until 2024. Click here for the full story in Spanish.   …

UNITED NATIONS — Female activists raised their voices at the United Nations on Friday as they marked International Women’s Day amid a global trend of backsliding on hard-won rights. “International Women’s Day is a powerful moment, and this year, more than ever, the call of gender equality has never been more urgent, nor the obstacles in our way more apparent, but our determination has never been more unshakable,” said Sima Bahous, executive director of U.N. Women. Bahous called on women everywhere to confront the backlash, emphasizing that their movement is powerful and growing. “Equality is not to be feared, but instead to be embraced,” she said. “Because an equal world is a better world.” Women in all parts of the world are facing challenges to their reproductive rights, personal safety, education, equal pay and political participation. This year marks the 30th anniversary of a women’s conference in Beijing that recognized women’s rights as human rights, producing an action platform that has helped drive policy and progress. The United Nations says more girls are in school and more women hold positions of power today than before, but they still face violence, discrimination and financial inequality. “We cannot stand by as progress is reversed,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the gathering. “We must fight back.” At the current pace, he said, eradicating extreme poverty for women and girls will take 130 years. “The fight for gender equality is not just about fairness,” Guterres emphasized. “It is about power — who gets a seat at the table and who is locked out.” U.N. goodwill ambassador for Africa Jaha Dukureh endured female genital mutilation (FGM) as an infant. At age 15, she was forced into marriage with a much older man in her homeland, Gambia. Her organization, Safe Hands for Girls, works to end the practice of FGM and address the physical and psychological toll on its victims. Dukureh told the gathering that governments have a duty to invest in social protection and education for women and girls. “For all women and girls, economic independence is the foundation of freedom,” she said. “A woman who can provide for herself can make choices. A girl who has an education can build her own future.” Commission on the Status of Women On Monday, hundreds of women’s advocates and activists will descend upon U.N. headquarters to hold their annual meeting known as the Commission on the Status of … “Women’s rights advocates warn UN to confront backlash against progress” →

NEW YORK — Fast-moving brush fires burned through a large swath of land on New York’s Long Island on Saturday fanned by high winds, spewing gray smoke and prompting the evacuation of a military base and the closure of a major highway.  Officials said three of the four fires were fully contained while the other one, in Westhampton, was 50% contained. Two commercial buildings were partially burned, but officials said homes were not in the line of fire. One firefighter was flown to a hospital to be treated for burns to the face.  “Our biggest problem is the wind,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said. “It is driving this fire.”  New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and said state agencies were responding to the fires around the Pine Barrens, a wooded area that is home to commuter towns east of New York City.  “This is still out of control at this moment,” Hochul told Long Island TV station News 12.  “We’re seeing people having to be evacuated from the Westhampton area,” she said, adding that more evacuations may be needed.  Hochul said homes, a chemical factory and an Amazon warehouse were at risk.  Videos posted to social media showed flames shooting into the air and columns of black smoke rising above roads.  Air National Guard helicopters dropped water on the flames.  The Town of Southampton issued a warning in the afternoon against starting recreational fires due to the wildfire risk. That came around the time that the videos began appearing.  In a statement, Hochul said the National Guard was providing support by helicopter and working with local law enforcement.  “Public safety is my top priority, and I’m committed to doing everything possible to keep Long Islanders safe,” she said.  In her comments to News 12, Hochul declined to estimate the extent of the flames, saying only that they were growing rapidly.  Rough satellite data indicated that fire and smoke stretched roughly 3 kilometers (2.5 miles) along Sunrise Highway, according to NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System.  Police closed a section of the highway, which is a thoroughfare to the East End of Long Island.  The fires raged near the Francis S. Gabreski Airport, from which the National Guard launched at least one helicopter. One of the commercial buildings that partially burned was near the airport.  Personnel at the base evacuated as a precautionary measure starting around … “Wind-driven brush fire in New York 50% contained” →

WASHINGTON — House Republicans unveiled a spending bill Saturday that would keep federal agencies funded through Sept. 30, pushing ahead with a go-it-alone strategy that seems certain to spark a major confrontation with Democrats over the contours of government spending. The 99-page bill would provide a slight boost to defense programs while trimming non-defense programs below 2024 budget year levels. That approach is likely to be a nonstarter for most Democrats who have long insisted that defense and non-defense spending move in the same direction. Congress must act by midnight Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, is teeing up the bill for a vote on Tuesday despite the lack of buy-in from Democrats, essentially daring them to vote against it and risk a shutdown. He also is betting that Republicans can muscle the legislation through the House largely by themselves. Normally, when it comes to keeping the government fully open for business, Republicans have had to work with Democrats to craft a bipartisan measure that both sides can support. That’s because Republicans almost always lack the votes to pass spending bills on their own. Crucially, the strategy has the backing of President Donald Trump, who has shown an ability so far in his term to hold Republicans in line. Trump praised the bill, writing on X that Republicans have to “remain UNITED — NO DISSENT — Fight for another day when the timing is right.” “Great things are coming for America, and I am asking you all to give us a few months to get us through to September so we can continue to put the Country’s ‘financial house’ in order,” he said. House Republicans’ leadership staff outlined the contours of the measure, saying it would allow for about $892.5 billion in defense spending and about $708 billion in non-defense spending. The defense spending is slightly above the prior year’s level, but the non-defense spending, the aides said, was about $13 billion below last year. The measure also will not include funding requested by individual lawmakers for thousands of community projects around the country, often referred to as earmarks. The bill does not cover the majority of government spending, including programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Funding for those two programs are on auto pilot and are not regularly reviewed by Congress. The top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Connecticut Representative … “House Republicans unveil spending bill, avoid shutdown” →

TEHRAN, IRAN — Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he rejects a U.S. push for talks between the two countries because they would be aimed at imposing restrictions on Iranian missile range and its influence in the region. Speaking to a group of officials on Saturday, Khamenei did not identify the United States by name but said a “bullying government” was being persistent in its push for talks. “Their talks are not aimed at solving problems, it is for … let’s talk to impose what we want on the other party that is sitting on the opposite side of the table,” he said. Khamenei’s remarks came a day after President Donald Trump acknowledged sending a letter to Khamenei seeking a new deal with Tehran to restrain its rapidly advancing nuclear program and replace the nuclear deal he withdrew America from during his first term in office. Khamenei said U.S. demands would be military and related to the regional influence of Iran. “They will be about defense capabilities, about international capabilities of the country,” he said. They will urge Iran “not to do things, not to meet some certain people, not to go to a certain place, not to produce some items, your missile range should not be more than a certain distance. Is it possible for anybody to accept these?” Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, said such talks would not address solving problems between Iran and the West. Although Khamenei did not name any person or country, he said the push for talks creates pressure on Iran in public opinion. “It is not negotiation. It is commanding and imposition,” he said. Trump, in comments to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, did not mention the letter directly. But he made a veiled reference to possible military action, saying, “We have a situation with Iran that, something’s going to happen very soon. Very, very soon.” Trump’s overture comes as Israel and the United States have warned they will never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, leading to fears of a military confrontation as Tehran enriches uranium at near-weapons-grade levels — something done only by atomic-armed nations. Tehran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb as tensions are high with the U.S. over its sanctions and with Israel as a shaky ceasefire holds in its … “Iran’s top leader rejects talks with US after Trump makes overture” →

NEW DELHI — India said Friday it is working to lower trade barriers with the United States as it tries to reach a bilateral trade deal with Washington this year. The two countries said after a February White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they will try to reach a deal by fall, aiming to increase bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters Friday the objective of the bilateral trade agreement would be “to strengthen and deepen India-U.S. two-way trade in the goods and services sector, increase market access, reduce tariff and nontariff barriers, and deepen supply chain integration between the two countries.” Trump has accused Delhi of imposing unfair trade barriers through high tariffs and has been putting pressure on India to cut duties on U.S. imports. India, for example, imposes tariffs of up to 110% on all car imports. “India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You cannot even sell anything in India,” Trump said Friday at the White House. “They have agreed. By the way, they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done.” There was no immediate comment from Indian officials. Conciliatory approach Analysts say India has adopted a conciliatory approach on tariffs, opting to engage the U.S. in talks as it looks to avoid friction. India already has lowered duties on some imports that will benefit American companies, such as high-end motorcycles and bourbon. “The U.S. is, first of all, India’s largest export market, so we do not want to upset that,” said New Delhi-based trade analyst Biswajit Dhar. “Then there are other considerations at play. There is a sense that the U.S. is a valued strategic partner, so we don’t want trade tensions to upset that equilibrium, also.” While India has been spared tariffs so far from the Trump administration, reciprocal tariffs that Trump has said he will be announcing early next month could affect Indian exports to the U.S. in areas from pharmaceuticals and drugs to auto components. Two-way trade in goods between the countries was more than $129 billion last year, with Indian exports surpassing $87 billion. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal visited Washington this week to discuss trade issues with American officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. During remarks to an Indian television network, Lutnick called … “India says it is working to cut tariffs as it eyes US trade deal” →

NEW YORK — U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said it had canceled grants and contracts worth about $400 million to Columbia University because of what it described as antisemitic harassment on and near the school’s New York City campus. Friday’s announcement was made in a joint statement by the departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services as well as the General Services Administration. The Trump administration declined to specify the grants and contracts affected or its evidence of antisemitic harassment. The announced cuts would come out of what the administration said was more than $5 billion in grants presently committed to Columbia. Much of the funding goes to healthcare and scientific research but Reuters could not verify the figures. The announcement of “immediate” cuts was likely to face legal challenges, with civil rights groups saying the contract cancellations lacked due process and were an unconstitutional punishment for protected speech. Columbia has been at the forefront of a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student protest movement that swept across campuses over the last year as Israel’s war in Gaza has raged. The university has said it has worked to combat antisemitism and other prejudice on its campus while fending off accusations from civil rights groups that it is letting the government erode academia’s free speech protections. Columbia protesters, some of whom seized control of an academic building for a few hours in April and set up tent encampments on campus lawns, have demanded the school stop investing in companies that support Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territories. There have been allegations of antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism in protests and pro-Israel counter-protests. Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups behind the pro-Palestinian protests, includes Jewish students and groups among its organizers. They say that criticism of Israel is being wrongly conflated with antisemitism. Some Jewish and Israeli students have said the protests are intimidating and disruptive. “Cancelling these taxpayer funds is our strongest signal yet that the federal government is not going to be party to an educational institution like Columbia that does not protect Jewish students and staff,” Leo Terrell, who leads the Justice Department’s antisemitism task force, said in the statement. Wyn Hornbuckle, a Justice Department spokesperson, declined to specify the grants and contracts that were cut. Hornbuckle also declined to describe the government’s evidence of antisemitism at Columbia. Spokespeople for the other three departments did not respond to … “US cancels $400M in funding to Columbia University” →

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was appointing Fox News host Laura Ingraham and Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In February, weeks after taking office, Trump fired the center’s president, replaced the board of trustees and named himself chairman of the organization. The moves represented a takeover by Trump of a cultural institution that is known for its signature Kennedy Center Honors performances and is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera. “This completes our selection,” Trump said on social media after announcing the appointments of Ingraham and Bartiromo. Trump said last month special U.S. envoy Richard Grenell will serve as the interim executive director of the center. Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump, a Republican, has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants and top officials at agencies in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists. During his first term in office, Trump declined to attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors, considered the top award for achievement in the arts. In December, at the last show attended by former President Joe Biden, the center’s leaders made clear Trump was welcome to come in the future. Earlier this week, the hit musical Hamilton canceled its run at the center after Trump’s takeover.  …

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is ordering changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that would disqualify workers of nonprofit groups deemed to have engaged in “improper” activities. An executive order signed Friday directs the Education Department to modify the program to deny loan relief to some borrowers. It would exclude loan forgiveness to people whose work is tied to illegal immigration, foreign terrorist groups or other illegal activity. Congress created the program in 2007 to encourage careers in the government or nonprofit groups. It offers to cancel any remaining student debt after borrowers make 10 years of payments while working in public service. It’s open to government workers, teachers, police, religious pastors and certain nonprofit employees, among others. More than 2 million Americans have eligible employment and open student loans, according to December data from the Education Department. At her Senate confirmation hearing, Education Secretary Linda McMahon pledged to continue Public Service Loan Forgiveness as ordered by Congress. “That’s the law,” she said in response to questions from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Under current rules, nonprofits are eligible if they focus on certain areas including public interest law, public health or education. Trump’s order appears to target those who work in certain fields at odds with his political agenda, including immigration. Advocates have gone to court to defend the program in the past, and Trump’s action is almost certain to face legal challenges. It drew quick backlash from advocates. “Threatening to punish hardworking Americans for their employers’ perceived political views is about as flagrant a violation of the First Amendment as you can imagine,” said Aaron Ament, president of the National Student Legal Defense Network. Updating eligibility rules typically requires the Education Department to go through a lengthy federal rulemaking process. Any new regulation that started this year would usually not take effect until 2027. The forgiveness program has been the subject of a political tug of war since Trump’s first term, when borrowers first started hitting the 10-year finish line. The vast majority who applied for relief in 2017 were rejected because they were found to have enrolled in ineligible payment plans or failed to meet other criteria. An investigation by a federal watchdog group concluded the Education Department had failed to make the program’s eligibility rules clear. Under President Joe Biden, the Education Department loosened the program’s rules through a federal rulemaking process, expanding eligibility to people … “Trump order aims to deny student loan relief to some borrowers” →

WASHINGTON — Calls to revoke China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status have grown louder in recent months. In a memo released on the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump asked his Cabinet members to “assess legislative proposals regarding PNTR.” Three days later, Republican Representative John Moolenaar, the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Democratic lawmaker Tom Suozzi introduced the first bipartisan bill that would revoke China’s PNTR status. China has held PNTR status since 2000, when Congress first passed legislation on the matter. Prior to that, Beijing’s trade status was reviewed annually. VOA recently sat down with Republican Representative Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, who also proposed legislation, along with Republican lawmaker Chris Smith, to revoke China’s PNTR status. He said China is stealing American technology, setting up police stations in various cities across the U.S. and engaging in unfair trade practices. “One of the most important things we can do is to revoke China’s PNTR and have it renewed on an annual basis,” he said. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: The relationship between the U.S. and China has gone through dramatic changes since China entered the WTO in 2001. How do you describe the current state of U.S.-China relations? How did we get here?   U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany: I think the goodwill of the American people has been abused. When you look at the theft of intellectual property — I just mentioned the police stations, something that is anathema to American society — I believe this goes back to when most favored nation status was given to Communist China and that’s why I’ve introduced legislation with Representative Chris Smith from New Jersey to revoke that permanent status and have it be renewed annually. I believe we will get much greater accountability by the Communist Chinese government. I think this is one of the most important things that we can do. We have the largest consumer base, and that has led to prosperity for China over the last few decades. I believe they should respect that, and they have not. One way in which we can deal with this is to have an annual renewal for most favored nation status. VOA: You represent Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district. How have the actions taken by China affected people in your district, especially on the trade front? Tiffany: I’ll … “US lawmaker backs tariffs, calls for changing China’s trade status” →

US President Donald Trump convened cryptocurrency leaders at the White House to talk about digital assets and his goal to build a strategic reserve of bitcoin. Michelle Quinn reports. Camera: Michelle Quinn …

WASHINGTON — Giving a new meaning to the phrase mad scientists, angry researchers, doctors, their patients and supporters ventured out of labs, hospitals and offices Friday to fight against what they call a blitz on life-saving science by the Trump administration. In the nation’s capital, a couple thousand gathered at the Stand Up for Science rally. Organizers said similar rallies were planned in more than 30 U.S. cities. Politicians, scientists, musicians, doctors and their patients made the case that firings, budget and grant cuts in health, climate, science and other research government agencies in the Trump administration’s first 47 days in office are endangering not just the future but the present. “This is the most challenging moment I can recall,” University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann told the crowd full of signs belittling the intelligence of President Donald Trump, his cost-cutting aide Elon Musk and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Science is under siege.” Astronomer Phil Plait told a booing crowd, “We’re looking at the most aggressively anti-science government the United States has ever had.” Rally co-organizer Colette Delawalla, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, said, “We’re not just going to stand here and take it.” Science communicator, entertainer and one-time engineer Bill Nye the Science Guy challenged the forces in government that want to cut and censor science. “What are you afraid of?” he said. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen challenged the crowd, some in white lab coats if only for show, to live up to the mad scientist moniker: “Everybody in America should be mad about what we are witnessing.” The crowd was. Signs read “Edit Elon out of USA’s DNA,” “Delete DOGE not data,” “the only good evidence against evolution is the existence of Trump” and “ticked off epidemiologist.” Health and science advances are happening faster than ever, making this a key moment in making people’s lives better, said former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, who helped map the human genome. The funding cuts put at risk progress on Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cancer, he said. “It’s a very bad time with all the promise and momentum,” said Collins. “I’m very worried about my country right now,” Collins said before breaking out into an original song on his guitar. Emily Whitehead, the first patient to get a certain new type of treatment for a rare cancer, told the crowd that at … “US researchers and doctors rally for science against Trump cuts” →

The U.S. Department of Justice dropped a proposal Friday to force Alphabet’s Google to sell its investments in artificial intelligence companies, including OpenAI competitor Anthropic, to boost competition in online search. The DOJ and a coalition of 38 state attorneys general still seek a court order requiring Google to sell its Chrome browser and take other measures aimed at addressing what a judge said was Google’s illegal search monopoly, according to court papers filed in Washington. “The American dream is about higher values than just cheap goods and ‘free’ online services. These values include freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom to innovate, and freedom to compete in a market undistorted by the controlling hand of a monopolist,” prosecutors wrote. A spokesperson for Google said the “sweeping proposals continue to go miles beyond the court’s decision, and would harm America’s consumers, economy and national security.” A spokesperson for Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he would continue a crackdown on Big Tech, which began during his first term and continued into former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump has tapped veteran antitrust attorney Gail Slater to lead the DOJ’s efforts. Google holds a minority stake worth billions of dollars in Anthropic. Losing the investment would give a competitive advantage to OpenAI and its partner Microsoft, Anthropic wrote to the court in February. Evidence prosecutors obtained since making their draft recommendation in November showed a risk that banning Google from AI investments “could cause unintended consequences in the evolving AI space,” they said in the final proposal Friday. They asked that Google be required to give prior notice to the government about future investments in generative AI. Google, which has said it will appeal, has made its own proposal that would loosen agreements with Apple and others to set Google as the default search engine on new devices. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has scheduled a trial on the proposals for April. The blockbuster case is one of several U.S. antitrust cases against Big Tech companies. Apple, Meta Platforms and Amazon.com also face allegations of maintaining illegal monopolies in their respective markets. Since Trump’s reelection, Google has sought to make the case that the DOJ’s approach in the case would hobble the company’s ability to compete in AI and “jeopardize America’s global economic and technological leadership.” Many of the measures prosecutors … “US drops antitrust case against Google over AI, not Chrome” →

columbia, south carolina — A South Carolina man who killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat was executed by firing squad Friday, the first U.S. prisoner in 15 years to die by that method, which he saw as preferable to the electric chair or lethal injection.  Three volunteer prison employees used rifles to carry out the execution of Brad Sigmon, 67, who was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m.  Sigmon killed David and Gladys Larke in their Greenville County home in 2001 in a botched plot to kidnap their daughter. He told police he planned to take her for a romantic weekend, then kill her and himself.  Sigmon’s lawyers said he chose the firing squad because the electric chair would “cook him alive,” and he feared that a lethal injection of pentobarbital into his veins would send a rush of fluid and blood into his lungs and drown him.  The details of South Carolina’s lethal injection method are kept secret in the state, and Sigmon unsuccessfully asked the state Supreme Court on Thursday to pause his execution because of that.  On Friday, Sigmon wore a black jumpsuit with a hood over his head and a white target with a red bullseye over his chest.  The armed prison employees stood 15 feet (4.6 meters) from where he sat in the state’s death chamber — the same distance as the backboard is from the free-throw line on a basketball court.   The volunteers all fired at the same time through openings in a wall. They were not visible to about a dozen witnesses in a room separated from the chamber by bullet-resistant glass.   Witnesses included three family members of the Larkes. Also present were Sigmon’s attorney and spiritual adviser, a representative from the prosecuting solicitor’s office, a sheriff’s investigator and three members of the news media.  Sigmon’s lawyer read a closing statement that he said was “one of love and a calling to my fellow Christians to help us end the death penalty.”  The firing squad is an execution method with a long and violent history in the U.S. and around the world. Death in a hail of bullets has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in America’s Old West and as a tool of terror and political repression in the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.  Since 1977 only three other prisoners in the U.S. … “South Carolina man executed by firing squad” →

A historic measles outbreak in West Texas is just short of 200 cases, Texas state health officials said Friday, while the number of cases in the neighboring state of New Mexico tripled to 30. Most of the cases across both states are in people younger than 18 and those who are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. Texas health officials identified 39 new infections of the highly contagious disease, bringing the total count in the West Texas outbreak to 198 people since it began in late January. Twenty-three people have been hospitalized so far. Last week, a school-age child died of measles in Texas, the nation’s first measles death in a decade. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week that it was sending a team to Texas to help local public health officials respond to the outbreak. New Mexico health officials had been reporting for weeks a steady number of cases in Lea County — which borders the epicenter of Texas’ outbreak. But on Friday, state health officials provided The Associated Press a week-by-week count that showed cases had steadily increased from 14 in the week of Feb. 9 to 30 this week. A spokesperson for the health department said more cases were expected and that many of the cases reported Friday weren’t identified until after people’s illnesses had run their course. The department has said it hasn’t been able to prove a clear connection to the Texas outbreak, though on Feb. 14 it said a link was “suspected.” On Thursday, New Mexico health officials confirmed an unvaccinated adult who died without seeking medical care had tested positive for measles. The state medical investigator has not announced the official cause of death, but the state health department said Friday it was “measles-related.” The CDC said Friday that it had also confirmed measles cases in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington. But the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks make up for most of the nation’s case count. The rise in measles cases has been a major test for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who has questioned the safety of childhood vaccines. Recently, he has stopped short of recommending people get the vaccine, and has promoted unproven treatments for the virus, such as cod liver oil. Kennedy dismissed the Texas … “More than 200 measles cases reported in Texas, New Mexico” →

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO — Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s and died of heart disease and other factors likely days after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of a rare virus spread by mice, according to autopsy results released Friday in New Mexico. Hackman, 95, Arakawa, 64, and one of their dogs were found dead Feb. 26 in separate rooms of the couple’s Santa Fe home. Hackman’s heart disease and the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome that caused Arakawa’s death were announced at a press conference at the Santa Fe sheriff’s office. Hackman’s wife died a week before he did, results showed. A reporter asked Sheriff Adan Mendoza if Hackman’s advanced Alzheimer’s had hindered him from perceiving her death. “I would assume that is the case,” Mendoza told reporters. “He was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s, and it is quite possible he was not aware she was deceased,” Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, told reporters. Arakawa is believed to have died around Feb. 11, authorities said Friday, citing the date of her last email. Jarrell determined Hackman died on Feb. 18, based on his pacemaker activity. Hantavirus is a rare disease in the U.S., with most cases concentrated in the western states of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. In northern New Mexico, the virus is predominantly spread through the droppings and urine of deer mice. The virus is often transmitted through the air when people sweep out sheds or clean closets where mice have been living. It begins with flu-like symptoms and can lead to heart and lung failure, with around 38% to 50% of cases resulting in death. New Mexico has experienced between one and seven cases annually in recent years, according to health data. State health inspectors found no particular sign of rodents inside Hackman’s home but did detect rodent activity in structures outside the house, State Veterinarian Erin Phipps told reporters. Hackman and Arakawa, a pianist, had called Santa Fe home since the 1980s and were active in the city’s art community and culinary scene. In recent years, the couple were seen less often in town as Hackman’s health deteriorated. They lived a very private life before their deaths, Mendoza said. A caretaker at their gated community discovered the couple dead. Sheriff’s deputies found Hackman in the kitchen. Arakawa and a dog were found … “Autopsies show Gene Hackman died of heart disease; wife died of hantavirus” →

Sediqa Khalili was a captain in the Afghan military until the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. She was evacuated to the United States, and she says she is grateful for the opportunities but heartbroken by the worsening conditions for women in Afghanistan. VOA’s Noshaba Ashna has the story, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Camera: Ajmal Songaryar …

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added a solid 151,000 jobs last month, but the outlook is cloudy as President Donald Trump threatens a trade war, trims the federal workforce and promises to deport millions of immigrants. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring was up from a revised 125,000 in January. Economists had expected 160,000 new jobs last month. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.1% as the number jobless Americans rose by 203,000. Employment rose in health care, finance, transportation and warehousing. The federal government shed 10,000 jobs, the most since June 2022, although economists don’t expect Trump’s federal layoffs to have much of an impact until the March jobs report. Restaurants and bars cut nearly 28,000 jobs last month on top of a loss of almost 30,000 in January. “The labor market continues to hold up, but we’re still a far cry from where we were a year or two years ago,’” said Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo. House expects hiring to slow and unemployment to creep higher as Trump continues to cut spending on programs and slash the federal workforce, while imposing tariffs on America’s trading partners. The spending cuts “are likely to spill over into the private sector, hitting contractors and nonprofits, and we still have a trade war that is picking up,” House said. “There are multiple battles for the labor market to fight off, multiple shocks it’s having to work through in the months ahead.” The economy’s unexpectedly strong recovery from the pandemic recession of 2020 set loose an inflationary surge that peaked in June 2022, when prices came in 9.1% higher than they’d been a year earlier. In response, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023, taking it to the highest level in more than two decades. The economy remained sturdy despite the higher borrowing costs, defying expectations of a recession, thanks to strong consumer spending, big productivity gains at businesses and an influx of immigrants who eased labor shortages. The American job market has remained remarkably resilient, but it has cooled from the red-hot hiring of 2021-2023. Employers added a decent average of 168,000 jobs a month last year. But that was down from 216,000 in 2023, 380,000 in 2022 and a record 603,000 in 2021 as the economy rebounded from COVID-19 lockdowns. Inflation came down — dropping to 2.4% in September — allowing the … “US employers add 151,000 jobs; unemployment up to 4.1%” →

In a win for Elon Musk’s X corporation, the U.S. state of California will no longer require social media companies to report about their content moderation practices. VOA’s Matt Dibble has more from Silicon Valley. …

Washington — U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and sent a letter to its leadership on Thursday saying he hoped the Islamic Republic, arch foe of longtime U.S. ally Israel, would agree to talk.  “I said I hope you’re going to negotiate, because it’s going to be a lot better for Iran,” Trump said in the interview with Fox Business Network broadcast Friday.  “I think they want to get that letter. The other alternative is we have to do something, because you can’t let another nuclear weapon.”  There was no immediate response from the foreign ministry in Iran, where it is currently the weekend, to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.  The letter appeared to have been addressed to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The White House did not immediately respond to a request about that.  “There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal,” Trump said. “I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people.”  Trump has upended U.S. foreign policy after taking office in January, adopting a more conciliatory stance towards Russia that has left Western allies wary as he tries to broker an end to Moscow’s three-year-old war in Ukraine.  Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, a multinational agreement to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons, in 2018, a year into his first White House term.  He said in February he would like to make a deal with Iran that prevents that country from developing a nuclear weapon.  Russia has offered to mediate between the United States and Iran, a source briefed on discussions told Reuters on Tuesday, as the Kremlin vowed to do everything possible to facilitate a peaceful solution to tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.  Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed international efforts to resolve the situation around Iran’s nuclear program with Iranian ambassador Kazem Jalali, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.    …

Beijing’s next moves may be cautious, though, analysts say …

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday criticized the United States for imposing tariffs on Chinese imports and vowed to “resolutely retaliate” if Washington continues to increase pressure on Beijing. Speaking to local and foreign media outlets during the annual meeting of China’s parliament on Friday, Wang questioned the effectiveness of the U.S. government’s tariffs against China and called on Washington to avoid conflicts and confrontation. “The U.S. should think about what they have gotten out of all the trade wars and tariff wars that they have initiated all these years,” Wang said, adding that the economic and trade relationship between the two countries should be “mutual and reciprocal.” “No country can fantasize about developing good relations with China while suppressing and containing it,” he said, calling such behavior a “two-faced approach” that will be detrimental to the stability of bilateral relations and attempts to build trust. Wang’s remarks come three days after the U.S. imposed an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, bringing the total amount of tariff on Chinese products to 20% and prompting Beijing to slap tariffs of between 10% to 15% on a wide range of American agricultural products. “[U.S. Treasury] Secretary [Scott] Bessent expressed serious concerns about the PRC’s counternarcotics efforts, economic imbalances, and unfair policies, and stressed the Administration’s commitment to pursue trade and economic policies that protect the American economy, the American worker, and our national security,” the Treasury said in a statement following a Feb. 28 telephone conversation with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, using the acronym for China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China. Despite his criticism of the U.S. tariffs against China, Wang said Beijing remains committed to maintain a “stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations” based on “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.” “I hope that the United States will listen to the voices of the two peoples, recognize the general trend of historical development, look at China’s development objectively and rationally, actively and pragmatically carry out exchanges with China,” he told a roomful of journalists. In addition to bilateral relations with the U.S. Wang also criticized Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, saying the plan, which includes deploying mid-range capability missiles to countries like the Philippines, has only “stirred up trouble and create differences” in the region. “Instead of being the battleground of big power competition, Asia should be the place to showcase international … “China criticizes Trump tariffs, threatens possible retaliation” →

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday hosts top cryptocurrency players at the White House, a political boost for an industry that has struggled to gain legitimacy — and where the Republican president faces conflict of interest concerns. The president’s “crypto czar,” Silicon Valley investor David Sacks, has invited prominent founders, CEOs and investors along with members of a Trump working group, to craft policies aimed at accelerating crypto growth, and providing legitimacy that the industry has long sought. On Thursday night, Trump signed an executive order establishing a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve,” a move that Sacks said made good on a campaign promise to an increasingly important component of his coalition. Summit guests include twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, founders of crypto platform Gemini, as well as Brian Armstrong of Coinbase and Michael Saylor, the boss of major bitcoin investor MicroStrategy. In a post on X, Sacks said the event would take place as a roundtable, and despite industry interest, the White House would have to “keep it small.” For believers, cryptocurrencies represent a financial revolution that reduces dependence on centralized authorities while offering individuals an alternative to traditional banking systems. Bitcoin, the world’s most traded cryptocurrency, is heralded by advocates as a substitute for gold or a hedge against currency devaluation and political instability. Memecoins Critics, meanwhile, maintain that these assets function primarily as speculative investments with questionable real-world utility that could leave taxpayers on the hook for cleaning up if the market crashes. The proliferation of “memecoins” — cryptocurrencies based on celebrities, internet memes, or pop culture items rather than technical utility — presents another challenge. Much of the crypto industry frowns upon these tokens, fearing they tarnish the sector’s credibility, amid reports of quick pump-and-dump schemes that leave unwitting buyers paying for assets that end up worthless. Trump also faces conflict of interest concerns. U.S. crypto investors were major supporters of Trump’s presidential campaign, contributing millions of dollars toward his victory in hopes of ending the Biden administration’s deep skepticism toward digital currencies. Trump also has significant financial ties to the sector, partnering with exchange platform World Liberty Financial and launching the “Trump” memecoin in January, as did his wife, Melania. Once hostile to the crypto industry, Trump has already taken significant steps to clear regulatory hurdles. Under Thursday’s executive order, the bitcoin stockpile will be composed of digital currency seized in U.S. criminal proceedings. The use … “Trump to host White House crypto summit” →

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday establishing a government reserve of bitcoin, a key marker in the cryptocurrency’s journey toward possible mainstream acceptance. Under Trump’s new order, the U.S. government will retain the estimated 200,000 bitcoin it’s already seized in criminal and civil proceedings, according to Trump’s “crypto czar” David Sacks. “The U.S. will not sell any bitcoin deposited into the Reserve. It will be kept as a store of value. The Reserve is like a digital Fort Knox for the cryptocurrency often called ‘digital gold,’” Sacks said on social media. The executive order calls for a “full accounting” of the government’s bitcoin holdings, which Sacks said have never been fully audited. He added that the U.S. government has previously sold off about 195,000 bitcoin over the last decade for $366 million. He said those bitcoins would be worth about $17 billion if the government hadn’t sold them. Sacks said the order allows for the Treasury and Commerce departments “to develop budget-neutral strategies for acquiring additional bitcoin.” Once a skeptic who said a few years ago that bitcoin “seems like a scam,” Trump has embraced digital currencies and leaned into his unofficial role as the “crypto president” in ways that can both help the crypto industry and enrich himself and his family. Wealthy players in the crypto industry, who felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, spent heavily to help Trump win last year’s election. Establishing a bitcoin reserve was one of several crypto-related promises Trump made on the campaign trail last year. Trump is also pushing Congress to pass industry-friendly legislation, and under his administration the Securities and Exchange Commission has started dropping enforcement actions it had taken against some major crypto companies. On Friday, Trump is set to host many key industry leaders at a White House “Crypto Summit.” Bitcoin is the oldest and most popular cryptocurrency. Created in response to the 2008 financial crisis by an anonymous person or persons, bitcoin has blossomed from an experiment by libertarian cryptography enthusiasts into an asset with a market cap of about $1.7 trillion. While it hasn’t taken off as a way to pay for everyday things, bitcoin has found popularity as a store of value that’s not controlled by banks, governments or other powerful entities. Bitcoin’s supply is capped at 21 million coins, a built-in scarcity that supporters say makes it a great hedge against inflation. Critics … “Trump signs executive order to establish government bitcoin reserve” →