U.S. prosecutors aggressively pursuing the perpetrators of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have identified nearly 300 individuals suspected of involvement in the violent rampage that left five people dead, officials announced Friday.The number of suspects under investigation – 275 as of Friday morning – was expected to top 300 by the endRead more

The National Rifle Association on Friday filed petitions with a U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking protection from creditors by restructuring, the gun rights advocacy group announced. The NRA filed the Chapter 11 petitions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas, it said in a news release. The NRA said it would restructure as a Texas nonprofit to exit whatRead more

Retail sales in the United States fell for a third consecutive month as pandemic-related shutdowns continue to roil the economy. The Commerce Department said retail sales fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.7% in December compared to a year ago. Retail sales were also down in October and November. The traditional surge in sales around the holidays seemsRead more

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has promised a quick and dramatic reversal of the restrictive immigration policies put in place by his predecessor President Donald Trump. While Biden pledged to undo many of Trump’s policies starting the first day he takes office on January 20, the layers of reforms will take much longer to implement.  ImmigrationRead more

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence made an unscheduled visit to the U.S. Capitol late Thursday and thanked military troops guarding the facility for their service. Pence talked to several soldiers and thanked them as a group for “stepping forward to provide security at our nation’s Capitol at such an important time in the life ofRead more

At age 22, poet Amanda Gorman, chosen to read at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, already has a history of writing for official occasions.   “I have kind of stumbled upon this genre. It’s been something I find a lot of emotional reward in, writing something I can make people feel touched by, evenRead more

In a new CBS/YouGov poll, 21% of Republicans said they approved of the bloody siege on the U.S. Congress by supporters of President Donald Trump. Many more believe the November election was rigged. As the U.S. heads into a turbulent transition of power, Patsy Widakuswara has the story on this divided and angry nation. Producer:Read more

Democratic impeachment managers are planning to showcase President Donald Trump’s role leading up to last week’s deadly rampage at the U.S. Capitol as it tries to convict him of inciting insurrection at a Senate impeachment trial that is set to start soon after President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated next Wednesday. Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado toldRead more

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a coronavirus response plan Thursday evening, emphasizing the urgency of passing legislation to help Americans through the pandemic and the economic crisis it has wrought.”During this pandemic, millions of Americans, through no fault of their own, have lost the dignity and respect that comes with a paycheck,” Biden said inRead more

A racing pigeon has survived an extraordinary 13,000-kilometer (8,000-mile) Pacific Ocean crossing from the United States to find a new home in Australia. Now, authorities consider the bird a quarantine risk and plan to kill it. Kevin Celli-Bird said Thursday that he discovered the exhausted bird that arrived in his Melbourne backyard on December 26 had disappeared from aRead more

A government watchdog report has concluded that leaders in President Donald Trump’s Justice Department were aware that their zero-tolerance policy would trigger family separations but nevertheless moved forward with prosecutions. The report from the inspector general for the Justice Department, released Thursday, found that the agency’s leaders failed to effectively coordinate with other parts of governmentRead more

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Thursday called last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump “shocking” and unacceptable, and he said those responsible must be held accountable.Stoltenberg’s comments were his first public reaction since Trump supporters stormed the Capitol January 6, seeking to stop the U.S. Congress from formallyRead more

Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration and Jennifer Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol when Biden is sworn in as the nation’s 46th president next Wednesday. The announcement of their participation comes one day after word that Tom Hanks will host aRead more

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is set to unveil Thursday a coronavirus response plan that includes boosting the rate of vaccinations and helping counter the economic effects of the pandemic. Biden is scheduled to detail the program in an evening address. He has already set a goal of administering 100 million vaccine shots in the first 100 days after he takesRead more

The Democratic-majority US House impeached President Donald Trump Wednesday, charging him with inciting an insurrection attempting to overturn the Electoral College vote count at the US Capitol last week. As VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, the trial in the US Senate will not start until after President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated next week. Producers:Read more

Racing against a surging COVID-19 death toll, the United States is releasing all available doses of the coronavirus vaccine and has instructed states to immediately begin vaccinating Americans 65 and older and adults with medical conditions. Patsy Widakuswara has this story.  …Read more

The U.N.’s humanitarian chief warns that if Washington’s new terrorist designation of Houthi rebels in Yemen is not reversed, it could drastically impact aid imports and push the already desperate country into a large-scale famine.“The most urgent priority in Yemen right now is to prevent a massive famine,” Mark Lowcock will tell a meeting ofRead more

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was charged Wednesday with willful neglect of duty after an investigation of ruinous decisions that left the city of Flint with lead-contaminated water and a deadly regional outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.The charges, revealed in an online court record, are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and aRead more