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Residents Work to Clear Destruction Left by Hurricane Michael

Armed with a chain saw, Panama City resident Johnny Gonzalez was sawing through as many fallen trees as it takes to clear roadways and driveways. Hurricane Michael left a path of destruction, downing trees and power lines. In the coastal town of Panama City, near where the hurricane made landfall, some residents were still trapped in their homes, surrounded by fallen trees. Gonzalez knows the feeling of helplessness. He went to a church to seek shelter from the hurricane and thought it...

Honduran Migrant Caravan Grows as it Moves Toward the US

The migrant caravan that started in San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras has grown as it crosses the country. Some are walking. Some are in vehicles. But they all seem to have a common goal -- they want a better life. Many of them want to seek that life in the United States. March organizer Bartolo Fuentes told Reuters that participants are fleeing poverty and violence back home. San Pedro Sula has one of the world's highest murder...

Hurricane Michael Death Toll Climbs to 17

The search continued Saturday in Florida for people who may have been killed or trapped by Hurricane Michael, while survivors of the powerful storm sought food, water and other essential goods. The death toll rose to at least 17 after a body was found Friday in rubble in Mexico Beach, the town where Michael made landfall. "It's like a war zone," Florida Gov. Rick Scott said as he toured the obliterated community Friday, two days after the Category 4...

Taliban, US Agree to Sustain Direct Dialogue on Afghan Peace

The United States and the Taliban held a new round of direct talks this week in Qatar, where the two sides agreed to continue the dialogue process to promote a negotiated settlement to the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesman, while announcing details of Friday’s meeting, the second in less than three months, said that U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad led his delegation and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who heads the Taliban’s “political office” in the...

Immigrants Face Hurdles to Prove Abuse by US Agents

Within hours of being booked at a Border Patrol station in far West Texas, two teenage sisters from Guatemala came forward to allege that an agent conducted an improper strip search. The agent in question denied the allegations, including the sisters’ claims that he touched their genitals. He insisted he had only fingerprinted the sisters before taking them back to their cell. Investigating the case came down to the sisters’ word versus the agent’s. And as in dozens of similar cases,...

Trump Suggests Defense Chief Could Leave

U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis could be one of his next key officials to leave the government. The Republican president, said in an interview Sunday on CBS's "60 Minutes" news show, that he has no indication that Mattis is leaving, but added, "It could be that he is. I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth." The U.S. leader described the retired Marine Corps general as "a good guy. We get...

Hurricane Recovery Expected to Take Years

Residents of Florida's coastal cities Panama City and Mexico Beach are working to salvage what they can after their homes were flattened or severely damaged when Hurricane Michael swept over the Florida Panhandle last week. The death toll climbed to 19 since October 10 when the storm made landfall. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports the recovery is expected to take years.