U.S. President Donald Trump again insisted American Jews should vote Republican because voting for a Democrat would show ignorance or a lack of loyalty. His original statement was part of an attack on four Democratic lawmakers, of whom two are not allowed to visit Israel, apparently at his behest. Many American Jews say Trump’s questioning of their loyalty is akin to a historical trope that has fed xenophobia against Jews. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports Israelis’ reactions to Trump’s remarks.   …

Microplastics contained in drinking water pose a “low” risk to human health at current levels, but more research is needed to reassure consumers, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday. Studies over the past year on plastic particles detected in tap and bottled water have sparked public concerns, but the limited data appears reassuring, the U.N. agency said its first report on potential health risks associated with ingestion. Microplastics enter drinking water sources mainly through run-off and wastewater effluent, the WHO said. Evidence shows that microplastics found in some bottled water seem to be at least partly because of the bottling process and/or packaging such as plastic caps, it said. “The headline message is to reassure drinking water consumers around the world, that based on this assessment, our assessment of the risk is that it is low,” Bruce Gordon of the WHO’s department of public health, environmental and social determinants of health, told a briefing. FILE – A man on a boat collects plastic materials from dirty water in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 17, 2019. What happens to plastic in the body? The WHO did not recommended routine monitoring for microplastics in drinking water. But research should focus on issues including …

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has accused nongovernmental organizations of setting forest fires a day after the government monitoring agency said the country has seen a record number of wildfires this year. Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, which monitors deforestation and wildfires, said as of Tuesday, 74,155 were burning in the Amazon rainforest, an 84% increase from the same period last year.  A charred trunk is seen on a tract of Amazon jungle that was recently burned by loggers and farmers in Iranduba, Amazonas state, Brazil, Aug. 20, 2019. “Maybe — I am not affirming it — these [NGOs] are carrying out some criminal actions to draw attention against me, against the government of Brazil,” Bolsonaro told reporters.  When asked if he had evidence, he said he had “no written plan,” adding “that’s not how it’s done.” Earlier this month, the head of the NISR was fired after he opposed the president’s claim that the agency had manipulated deforestation data to make the administration look bad. “This is a sick statement, a pitiful statement,” said Marcio Astrini, Greenpeace Brazil’s public policy coordinator. “Increased deforestation and burning are the result of his anti-environmental policy.” Conservationists have blamed Bolsonaro for the plight of …

OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who made fighting climate change the central theme of his presidential campaign, announced Wednesday night that he was ending his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination.     Inslee announced his decision on MSNBC, saying it had become clear that he wouldn’t win. He has kept the option of running for a third term as governor open throughout his presidential campaign but didn’t immediately say what his political plans were.     Inslee, 68, became the third Democrat to end his presidential bid after U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California pulled out of the primary last month, followed by former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper last week.     While Inslee had qualified for the first two presidential debates this summer, he struggled to gain traction in the crowded Democratic field and was falling short of the requirements needed to appear on two high-profile stages next month: the third DNC debate in Houston and a CNN town hall focused on climate change, Inslee’s key issue.   Low poll ratings   He had recently hit one of the markers — 130,000 unique donors. But he had yet to reach 2% in any poll and would have needed to hit that …

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was looking “very seriously” at ending the right to citizenship for babies born to non-U.S. citizens on American soil. Trump spoke to reporters as he departed the White House for a speech in Louisville, Kentucky. He said birthright citizenship was “frankly ridiculous.” “We’re looking at it very, very seriously,” he said. This isn’t the first time Trump has claimed he’d do away with it — he said something similar in October. But the citizenship proposal would inevitably spark a long-shot legal battle over whether the president can alter the long accepted understanding that the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil, regardless of a parent’s immigration status. Hurdles in President Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship Executive order James Ho, a conservative Trump-appointed federal appeals court judge, wrote in 2006, before his appointment, that birthright citizenship “is protected no less for children of undocumented persons than for descendants of Mayflower passengers.” But Trump has said he was assured by his lawyers that the change could be made “just with an executive order” — an argument he has been making since his early days as a candidate, when he dubbed …

The one thing Federal Reserve officials were in broad agreement about at their last meeting was this: not tipping their hands about what happens next. Minutes released Wednesday showed a fractious meeting on many fronts last month when a divided Fed cut interest rates for the first time in a decade. But the consensus to not reveal their intentions was clear, and may show that the steady browbeating by President Donald Trump has begun to influence how the Fed communicates. Undercommit, and it may throw markets off course and draw more fire from Trump, who has been relentless in demanding not one but a slew of rate cuts and even a return to crisis-era bond buying to supercharge a softening but still-growing economy. Overcommit, and it looks like capitulation to the White House, a possible blow to the Fed’s perceived status as an independent, technical agency that does not consider politics in its policy decisions. FILE – Federal Reserve board member Jerome Powell speaks after President Donald Trump announced him as his nominee for the next chair of the Federal Reserve in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Nov. 2, 2017. Trump adamant on rate cuts Yet …

A federal judge on Wednesday allowed President Donald Trump to appeal key preliminary rulings in a lawsuit accusing him of violating anti-corruption provisions of the U.S. Constitution with his private business dealings, most likely freezing the case for months.  The written order by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington was a setback for a group of about 200 Democratic lawmakers, led by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and including members of the House of Representatives and Senate, who brought the case in 2017.  Sullivan previously declined such an appeal, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit urged him last month to reconsider the president’s request.  FILE – U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan Under Sullivan’s order, Justice Department lawyers arguing for Trump will be able to seek fast-track review of a determination that the Democratic lawmakers had legal standing to bring the case, as well as a ruling that rejected Trump’s interpretation of the constitutional language at issue in the case.  Sullivan’s order will keep on hold the discovery phase of the litigation, in which the Democratic lawmakers intended to serve subpoenas on Trump businesses asking about their foreign customers. The judge had halted that process in July.  The case before Sullivan accuses Trump of violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause that bans the president from accepting gifts or …

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the test of a new U.S. missile banned under a now-defunct arms treaty has raised new threats to Russia and will warrant a response. The U.S. tested a modified ground-launched version of a Navy Tomahawk cruise missile that accurately struck its target more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) away. Sunday’s test came after the U.S. and Russia withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty that banned such weapons. Speaking after talks Wednesday with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Putin argued that the quick test indicated the U.S. had begun work on the missile long before declaring its intention to withdraw from the pact. FILE – The Defense Department conducted a flight test of a conventionally configured ground-launched cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, Calif., Aug. 18, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Defense.gov) “The Americans have tested this missile too quickly after having withdrawn from the treaty,” Putin said. “That gives us strong reason to believe that they had started work to adapt the sea-launched missile long before they began looking for excuses to opt out of the treaty.” The U.S. has explained its withdrawal from the treaty by Russian violations — the claim …

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he wants Russia back at the Group of Seven summits of the world’s leading economies, even though it still controls Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Moscow was booted from the group over its unilateral 2014 annexation of the peninsula. As the G-7 leaders head to the French Atlantic seaside town of Biarritz for their annual meeting this weekend, Trump said it would make sense for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be part of the group again. Trump seemed unconcerned that Russia considers Crimea part of its territory, instead blaming former U.S. President Barack Obama for Russia’s takeover of Crimea. “They took over during [Obama’s] term, not mine,” Trump said. “The fact is President Putin totally outsmarted President Obama on Crimea and other things. He made a living on outsmarting President Obama and frankly because of it, Obama was upset and he got [Putin] out of what was the G-8 into the G-7.” FILE – Then-U.S. President Barack Obama (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G-8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, June 17, 2013. “We spend a lot of time talking about Russia at those meetings and they’re not there,” Trump …

JERUSALEM – Israel’s prime minister on Wednesday steered clear of Donald Trump’s comments questioning the loyalty of American Jews who support the Democratic Party, in sharp contrast to the tide of condemnation from Jewish critics who accused him of trafficking in anti-Semitic stereotypes.    Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to keep quiet on the controversy reflected the importance of his close alliance with Trump — a relationship that has dented the bipartisan support Israel has traditionally enjoyed in Washington as well as Israel’s equally important ties with the American Jewish community.    With an eye on re-election, Trump has attempted to use his close ties with Netanyahu to win over Jewish voters, who overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. Critics say it is part of a broader strategy that has also targeted minorities and immigrants with sometimes racist rhetoric to try to shore up his base of white, working-class voters.    Most recently, Trump has focused these efforts on trying to paint Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan as the faces of the Democratic Party.    FILE – U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, right, and Rashida Tlaib, both Democrats, are seen during a news conference at the Capitol, in Washington, July 15, 2019. Last …

The Trump administration is calling on Cuba to drop criminal charges against a journalist facing a year in prison for “resistance” and “disobedience.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said Washington “strongly condemns” the prosecution of Roberto Quinones. Pompeo said the detention and trial of Quinones showed “flagrant disregard for legal norms.” According to media watchdog The Committee to Protect Journalists, Quinones was detained and beaten in April by Cuban police while covering a trial in Guantanamo for the website CubaNet. He was released after five days in detention, but Cuban authorities initiated new proceedings against him, alleging that his conduct during detention constituted “resistance” and “disobedience,” for which they imposed a fine. When Quinones refused to pay the fine, he was ordered to serve a year in jail, the organization said. CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney called the sentence “outrageous.”  “If authorities in Cuba want to convey an image of progress and openness to the international community, mistreating, jailing and fining a journalist sends the wrong message,” he said. Quinones is awaiting the results of an appeal.   …

Zimbabwe rights activists are calling for Western sanctions against the country to remain in place, despite calls this week by the Southern African Development Community for them to be lifted.  Government supporters say the sanctions are hurting ordinary people.  But critics say it is the government’s policies, not sanctions, that are to blame for the poor economy, and that lifting sanctions would send the wrong message about the country’s human rights record.  Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare. …

Italy’s president begins consultations on Wednesday on seeing if there is any way another working coalition government can be formed following Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s resignation. The head of state wants to see if he can avoid dissolving parliament three-and-a-half years ahead of schedule. If not, the country will hold a snap general election in the fall. President Sergio Mattarella is scheduled to meet all of the country’s political parties to see if a new coalition can be formed that will allow the present parliament, elected in March 2018, to continue to sit. The consultations follow the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, which he announced in the upper house of parliament Tuesday afternoon. Conte said the decision of the League party which requested a no-confidence vote on the government had forced him to interrupt this government experience. Conte accused the League party leader and the country’s interior minister, Matteo Salvini, of bringing down the ruling coalition for personal and political gain. Some two weeks ago, Salvini declared the coalition unworkable and called for a snap general election. Addressing the senators, Conte attacked what he called Salvini’s irresponsible and reckless behavior, saying it was “liable to tip the country into …

China has confirmed it has detained an employee of Hong Kong’s British consulate. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the employee has been placed “in administrative detention for 15 days as punishment” for violating a law on public order. He didn’t provide further details but said the man was a Hong Kong resident and not a British citizen. Hong Kong’s local news website HK01 said the employee, identified as Simon Cheng, failed to return to the former British colony from the neighboring southern city of Shenzhen on Aug. 9, where he had gone to attend a business meeting. Britain’s Foreign Office said it was “extremely concerned” by reports that he had been detained.  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a statement Tuesday saying it is providing support to Cheng’s family and is “seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong province and Hong Kong.” Hong Kong has been gripped by nearly two months of heated and often violent anti-government protests. Beijing was angered when British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had a telephone conversation Friday with Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam about the demonstrations earlier this month.  China’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it “solemnly demands” that the British “immediately stop …

Out with the new and in with the old. As department stores watch their customers flock to second-hand stores, some are trying to bring them back by partnering with online resale sites. Last week, J.C. Penney and Macy’s announced a pilot program to set aside sections inside a few dozen of their stores for used merchandise sold by ThredUP. James Reinhart, co-founder and CEO of ThredUP, says his company has a similar deal with retailer Stage Stores, which opened 12 resale shops last year for a total of 45. Neiman Marcus was the first big department store chain to get into the resale business. In April, it bought a minority stake in Fashionphile, an online seller of pre-owned designer accessories. And this fall, it will launch shops inside some of its own stores where customers can sell — but not buy — pre-worn designer items to Fashionphile. Presumably these customers will take the money from their sales and spend it at Neiman Marcus — or at least that’s what the department store is hoping for. The moves mark the most dramatic evidence of how resale is becoming so mainstream that traditional sellers can no longer ignore it. They come as …

Tropical Storm Chantal is spinning slowly over far North Atlantic, moving away from North America and posing no threat to land. The National Hurricane Center tracked the storm about 445 miles (715 kilometers) south of Cape Race, Newfoundland on Wednesday morning.     The weather service says Chantal has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and moving toward the east at near 22 mph (35 kph). Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 kilometers), mainly south of the center.   Chantal is expected to dissipate into a tropical depression in a couple of days. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.   …

China on Wednesday blasted a huge planned U.S. arms shipment to self-ruled Taiwan and threatened to sanction firms involved in the sale of F-16 fighter jets. The U.S. State Department on Tuesday approved the transfer of 66 Lockheed Martin-built F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan in a U.S.$8 billion deal, following another huge military hardware sale agreed just last month. The deals come as ties between Washington and Beijing are already strained by a punitive multi-billion dollar trade war. “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard our interests including imposing sanctions on the U.S. companies participating in this arms sale to Taiwan,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing. The sale “is a serious U.S. interference in our internal affairs and undermines our sovereignty and security interests”, he said. China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary. It bristles at any countries that might lend Taiwan diplomatic support or legitimacy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Tuesday that President Donald Trump had approved the proposed sale after Congress was notified last week. The F-16s “are deeply consistent with the arrangements, the historical relationship …

Protesters in Hong Kong brought their message to commuters Wednesday on the one-month anniversary of a subway station attack by suspected gang members.  Mike O’Sullivan reports that protesters want an independent investigation into the violent incident.   …

Thirty-some years ago, polio used to cripple hundreds of thousands of children a year. So far this year, about 60 children have gotten polio. The focus now is largely on only two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. Yet, there are reports that the eradication effort is stumbling. VOA’s Carol Pearson has more. …

India has slightly eased its communications blockade in Kashmir but conditions in the contested region are still not normal some two weeks after the Indian government announced it was revoking Kashmir’s autonomy.  While some landlines have been reconnected, mobile and Internet access are reportedly still cut-off, a situation that has hurt local businesses, including the tourism industry.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has named Iran as the biggest threat to the security and stability of the Middle East. In a speech to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday addressing complex challenges facing the Middle East, Pompeo called for “fresh thinking” to solve “old problems.” Some participants blamed regional and international powers, including the United States, for adding to the tensions in the region with their selfish unilateral moves. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports. …

To get medical supplies or food, people in some places around the world are showing not a government ID but the iris in their eyes or their thumbprint. Deana Mitchell talked to one Silicon Valley company that is providing the new tech tools of identity. …

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Tuesday in an official notification to Congress. The potential deal is for 66 aircraft, 75 General Electric Co engines, as well as other systems, the agency said in a statement, adding it served the interests of the United States and would help Taiwan maintain a credible defense. China has already denounced the widely discussed sale, one of the biggest yet by the United States to Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province. It has warned of unspecified “countermeasures.” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, a Republican, has welcomed the proposed sale of the Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 jets. “These fighters are critical to improving Taiwan’s ability to defend its sovereign airspace, which is under increasing pressure from the People’s Republic of China,” he said in a recent statement.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Monday that President Donald Trump notified Congress of the sale last week. Pompeo told Fox News the sale was “consistent with past U.S. policy” and that the United States was “simply following through on the commitments we’ve made …

U.S. envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun says the Trump administration is ready to resume stalled negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program. Speaking Wednesday in Seoul where he was meeting with South Korean officials, Biegun said the United States is “prepared to engage as soon as we hear from our counterparts in North Korea.” President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter earlier this month that he had received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressing a desire “to meet and start negotiations” after the conclusion of U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises, which ended Tuesday. North Korea considers the exercises a threat to its existence, and since late last month it carried out six short-range ballistic missile tests that Kim said were in response to the drills. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday he was concerned about the latest missile tests, disagreeing with Trump, who has shrugged off their importance. “I wish that they would not” launch the missiles, the top U.S. diplomat told CBS News. The two latest projectiles, fired last Friday, flew 230 kilometers into the waters off North Korea, but, aimed differently, could reach South Korea as well as American troops and civilians living …