US & Canada

Tropical Storm Isaias killed at least four people on Tuesday as it made its way up the US Atlantic Coast, including two deaths at a North Carolina trailer park that was struck by a tornado spun off by hurricane-force winds. The storm knocked out power to more than 2.8 million …

The United States says Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar will travel to Taiwan in the coming days, marking the highest-level visit to the self-ruled island in decades, amid escalatory posturing toward China. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto US embassy in Taipei, made the announcement …

Supporters of former US First Lady Michelle Obama want her as the vice president to former Vice President Joe Biden. In an open letter Tuesday, the Draft Michelle Obama for VP Committee called on the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to pick her as his running mate. “As a candidate, she …

Trump’s ‘Axios on HBO’ interview proves how much he relies on marketing to counter reality The power of positive thinking can’t make the coronavirus crisis disappear — and neither can the president’s preferred charts or willful ignorance. In Donald Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal,” he offered readers a …

The United States announced Wednesday its highest-level visit to Taiwan since it switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979, a move Beijing blasted as a threat to “peace and stability”. The visit, headed by health chief Alex Azar, comes as relations between the world’s two biggest powers plunge to historic …

Amnesty International has condemned the excessive use of force by US police in its recent crackdown on demonstrators protesting against racial discrimination and police brutality in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd. According to reports, in a report published on Tuesday, the rights group said the police …

Democrats, Republicans differ over priorities in new round of coronavirus aid between $1 trillion and $3.3 trillion. Negotiators on a huge coronavirus relief bill reported slight progress after talks between congressional Democrats and the White House resumed in the United States Capitol, with issues like food for the poor and …

United States President Donald Trump, in a wide-ranging interview, has contended the coronavirus outbreak in the country was under control, downplaying the legacy of recently deceased congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, and again calling into question the use of mail-in voting in the upcoming election. In the interview, …

US President Donald Trump encouraged all Floridians to vote by mail Tuesday, just a week after he told Axios interviewer Jonathan Swan that mail-in voting on a large scale results in “massive cheating.” “There is no way you can go through a mail-in vote without massive cheating,” Trump said during …

The State Department’s top official on Venezuela said Tuesday that the Trump administration will continue recognizing lawmaker Juan Guaidó as the nation’s interim president even if President Nicolás Maduro’s government ousts the opposition from the control of congress — its last major stronghold. “He will not change the legal status …

President Donald Trump’s demand that the U.S. government get a cut from a potential Microsoft purchase of TikTok is the latest unprecedented scenario in an unprecedented situation. Microsoft is in talks to buy parts of TikTok, a forced sale after Trump threatened to ban the Chinese-owned video app, which claims …

A huge blaze has erupted at a construction site in downtown St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota. The flames can be seen for miles and have been recorded by onlookers from all over the city center. The city’s fire department tweeted that the crews on-site had to spray the building …

Tropical Storm Isaias raced up the Atlantic seaboard on Tuesday, generating powerful winds that put New York City and other parts of the U.S. Northeast under a rare tornado warning, after a twister killed at least two people in North Carolina. The fast-moving storm knocked out power for 1.4 million …

US teachers across the country have protested the reopening of schools while many states are witnessing the resurge of the coronavirus. They rallied in more than 35 school districts, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, calling for a safe, scientific, racially just and fully funded approach to reopening schools …

China said on Tuesday it will retaliate if Washington continues what it described as hostile actions against Chinese journalists based in the United States. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the ministry understands that no Chinese journalist in the United States have had their application for a visa renewal …

Kelyn Yanez used to clean homes during the day and wait tables at night in the Houston area before the coronavirus. But the mother of three lost both jobs in March because of the pandemic and now is facing eviction. The Honduran immigrant got help from a local church to …

As the first major wildfires of the season burn in California, the massive Apple Fire has scorched 26,450 acres in Riverside County and was only 5% contained as of Monday morning. The fire that has destroyed at least one home and two outbuildings began shortly before 5 p.m. local time …

Teachers and support staff at more than 35 school districts across the United States on Monday staged protests over plans to resume in-class instruction while COVID-19 is surging in many parts of the country. The protesters, who formed car caravans and attached signs and painted messages on their vehicles, demand …

US President Donald Trump threatened to sue Nevada after Democratic lawmakers passed a bill on Sunday that would send mail-in ballots to every voter ahead of November’s presidential election in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump, who has claimed without evidence that voting by mail will lead to rampant fraud, …

State Department officials voiced concern over risks to civilians before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rammed through $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies, a former aide was quoted Monday as telling lawmakers. Democrats in Congress issued subpoenas to compel appearances by four aides to …