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Trump's Choice for Russia Ambassador Unlikely to Stir Controversy

U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Obama's China ambassador for the U.S. top envoy in Russia. Jon Huntsman, a Republican, served as U.S. ambassador to Singapore during the first Bush administration and was elected twice as governor of Utah. In 2011 he resigned from his post in Beijing to enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but soon dropped out. VOA's Zlatica Hoke has more about Trump's nominee for a high profile diplomatic post.

Ahead of Pence Balkans Trip, Senior US Diplomat Vows Sustained Regional Commitment

As Vice President Mike Pence prepares to visit Montenegro for talks with Western Balkan leaders, a senior State Department official says U.S. engagement in the region remains strong. The comments by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, Hoyt Brian Yee, come amid concerns that deep cuts in the proposed State Department budget could diminish Washington’s role in fragile democracies exposed to Russian interference. On issues where U.S. and Russian interests align in...

Illinois Man Charged with Kidnapping Chinese Scholar Pleads Not Guilty

An Illinois man charged with kidnapping Chinese student Yingying Zhang pleaded not guilty Thursday and will go on trial Sept. 12. Brendt Christensen entered his plea at his brief arraignment before a federal judge in Urbana, Illinois, south of Chicago. Zhang has been missing since June 9. Investigators are sure she is dead, but have not found her body. Some of her relatives who came to Illinois from China to help with the search were in the courtroom Thursday. Zhang came to the...

Minneapolis Police Chief: Australian Woman ‘Didn’t Have to Die’

The chief of Minneapolis’ police department said on Thursday the fatal shooting of an unarmed Australian woman by a junior police officer violated department training and procedures, and that the victim “didn’t have to die.” The death of Justine Damond, 40, from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen fired through an open window of a police patrol car, has outraged her relatives and the public in both Australia and the United States. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called it...

US Senate Rallies Behind John McCain

News that Republican Senator John McCain has brain cancer triggered expressions of shock and an avalanche of well wishes from across Washington and around the world. VOA's Michael Bowman reports, McCain's absence deprives the Senate of one of its strongest, most resolute voices and deprives Republicans of a vote they desperately need.

White House Press Secretary Spicer Resigns

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has resigned. Sources quoted in media reports say his decision to step down is linked to the appointment of new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci. They say President Trump's spokesman offered his resignation shortly after Scaramucci, a New York financier, was named. Spicer’s press briefings had drawn large audiences on television and social media. Recently, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has taken...

Eager for Triumph, Trump Pushes Divided Republicans on Health Care

The Republican-controlled Senate will make one more attempt to repeal Obamacare next week, hoping to make good on a major campaign pledge made by President Donald Trump. Trump and his Republican allies suffered a major setback when the latest effort to repeal and replace Obamacare failed in the Senate, riven by divisions between conservatives and moderates over what should come next. The next attempt at a vote will come Tuesday. On Thursday, the White House and GOP leaders looked for...