A freakish heat wave is making early autumn feel like the dog days of summer in much of the southern and eastern U.S., with forecasters predicting Wednesday that temperatures could get close to triple digits. Washington hit 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 Celsius) late in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), surpassing the city’s previous monthly record of 96 degrees on Oct. 5, 1941. And October records were due to topple across the country, the NWS said. Tourists visiting the Lincoln Memorial shield themselves from the sun in Washington, Oct. 2, 2019. Temperatures in some places could be as many as 30 degrees higher than normal, the NWS said, while a quarter of the country will reportedly experience temperatures above 90 degrees. It’s been so bad this week that some schools in Ohio and Maryland that have no air conditioning are sending children home early or closing altogether. In Tipp City, Ohio, teachers gave kids popsicles and held some classes in shady spots outdoors, NBC affiliate WDTN reported. Records were set or tied Tuesday in more than a dozen cities including Cleveland, Ohio, New Orleans, Louisiana and Syracuse, New York, the Weather Channel reported. Atlanta could break its …

The U.S. government plans to collect the DNA of all migrants detained after entering the country illegally, officials said Wednesday. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is developing a plan to take DNA samples from each of the undocumented immigrants and store it in a national database for criminal DNA profiles, they said. Speaking to journalists on grounds of anonymity, DHS officials said the new policy would give immigration and border control agents a broader picture of the migrant and detainee situation. And stored on the FBI’s CODIS DNA database, it could also be used by others in law enforcement and beyond. “It does enhance our ability to further identify someone who has illegally entered the country,” said one official. “It will assist other organizations as well in their identification ability.” Officials said they were in fact required to take the DNA samples by rules about the handling of arrested and convicted people that were issued by the Justice Department in 2006 and 2010, but which had not been implemented. They said the program for collecting DNA was still being developed, and they did not have a date set for implementation. Collecting and storing the DNA of people simply detained …

Democratic presidential contenders on Wednesday vowed to pursue far-reaching limits on guns while standing up to the gun lobby, tackling an issue that has increasingly become a chief concern for their party’s voters. Nine of the leading candidates gathered in Las Vegas for an all-day forum on gun safety, one day after the city marked two years since it suffered the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, which killed 58 people. The candidates offered details of various policies they have championed, including universal background checks, banning assault-style weapons and requiring gun owners to obtain licenses. FILE – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker waits to speak at the Polk County Democrats Steak Fry in Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 21, 2019. But they also urged the hundreds of gathered activists to continue pressing the issue, arguing that their movement already has the power to prevail over the National Rifle Association. “We cannot wait for this hell to be visited upon your community for you to be activated for this fight,” said U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who spoke passionately about witnessing firsthand the everyday scourge of gun violence in his low-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. “It is a life-and-death issue …

U.S President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he likely will bring lawsuits against some of the people involved in the investigation into whether he or his 2016 election campaign colluded with Russia. “I probably will be bringing a lot of litigation against a lot of people having to do with the corruption investigation having to do with the 2016 election,” Trump told a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Trump did not name names but has long expressed frustration at some of the central figures in the investigation by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller such as former FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired Comey in May 2017. The Mueller probe found insufficient evidence to establish that Trump and his campaign had engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia. The Russian state did run a hacking and propaganda operation to disrupt the U.S. election, Mueller found.   …

Russia and European powers, eager to end a protracted military conflict in war-torn eastern Ukraine, welcomed a new accord between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists, but many in Ukraine dismissed the election agreement Wednesday as a capitulation to Moscow. In the deal signed Tuesday, Ukraine, Russia and mediators Germany and France agreed a local election could be held in Ukraine’s rebel-held east, where a grinding five-year conflict between the separatists and Ukrainian troops has killed more than 13,000 people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the accord as a major step toward resolving the conflict. The election pledge was seen as the final hurdle to Zelenskiy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of France and Germany setting a summit for peace talks. People attend a rally against recent approval of a new deal between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 2, 2019. But other Ukrainian politicians raised alarms about the accord, saying it opens the door to cementing Russia’s presence in the region. “This is capitulation to Russia,” former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, now a member of parliament, told reporters. Poroshenko said the deal is “playing into Russia’s hand” because Ukraine committed to holding the local election but did …

Iran’s state TV says the constitutional watchdog has ratified a bill granting citizenship to children of Iranian mothers but non-Iranian fathers. Wednesday’s ratification came after parliament approved the bill in May following decades-long demands by rights activists. Under the new law, children born to Iranian mothers will be eligible for Iranian citizenship. Until now, more than 100,000 children of Iranian women who had married foreign nationals, mostly Afghans and Iraqis but also men of other nationalities, weren’t recognized as Iranian citizens in the eyes of the law. The new law is expected to go into effect in less than a month, guaranteeing these children the right to education, health care and other social benefits. Hard-liners have long opposed the bill, saying it paves the way for foreign influence in Iran.                    …

A new video that shows people casually discussing gene editing and designer babies is making waves because of who posted it: the government-funded group leading efforts to set standards for the ethically dicey science. The National Academy of Sciences posted the video earlier this week. It also sent a tweet that it removed after criticism arose. The tweet asked, “Do you dream of having a top student or star athlete?” And it said gene editing might eventually make this possible. Most scientists and the academy itself oppose altering the DNA of embryos to bestow such traits. Last year, a Chinese researcher’s claim to have edited the genes of twin girls was widely denounced and led to new calls for oversight. The academy has formed a scientific panel to consider that.   …

Finnish police said Wednesday they believe a man who killed a woman and wounded nine other people while wielding a sword and a firearm inside a classroom acted alone. Chief investigator Olli Toyras of the National Bureau of Investigation says the man, who wasn’t officially named, is suspected of murder and several murder attempts. No motive or reason for Tuesday’s attack at a vocational school was immediately known. Police fired twice to stop the man, a Finnish citizen born in 1994, after he refused to obey a police order, Toyras said Wednesday. The suspect, who was seriously wounded, is in custody at a hospital. Toyras said the man was a student at the Savo Vocational College, which occupies the second floor of the Herman shopping center in Kuopio, central Finland. The city is 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of the capital, Helsinki. Finnish media say the victim was a student at the school and “the primary target” of the dark-clad attacker who entered a class with a bag and took out a sword and struck the teacher with it. They said those injured were students and staff of the school, mostly women aged 15-50. It wasn’t clear if the attacker …

Former Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas is expected to run again in 2020, but not in his old Dallas district that Democrats flipped last year.   Prominent Republican megadonor Roy Bailey and two GOP operatives with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press that Sessions will run for the rural central Texas seat of outgoing Rep. Bill Flores.   Bailey, who is finance co-chairman of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, said he has discussed the decision extensively with Sessions. The two GOP operatives requested anonymity to discuss Sessions’ candidacy.    “He has been motivated by the Democrats move towards impeachment of our duly elected President,” Bailey said in a text message to the AP.   Sessions, who spent 22 years in Congress, was a longtime GOP party leader and once the campaign chief for House Republicans. He was ousted by Democrat Colin Allred — a loss that was further proof of Texas’ big cities growing more liberal.   Flores’ district runs through Waco, where Sessions was born, and is considered a safe Republican enclave. An announcement was scheduled for Thursday in Waco.   Flores is one of 20 House Republicans leaving Congress next year. Seventeen are retiring after their current …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-awaited pre-indictment hearing on corruption charges began Wednesday in Jerusalem, as a jittery political world eagerly sought clarity on his legal standing amid the stalemate that followed the country’s second inconclusive election of the year. Netanyahu is currently struggling to prolong his lengthy rule by building a unity government with his primary opponents, the centrist Blue and White party, who refuse to partner with him because of the serious crimes of which he is suspected. Israel’s attorney general has recommended charging Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases. Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing, calling them part of a media-orchestrated witch hunt. The allegations against him include suspicions that he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of champagne and cigars from billionaire friends, offered a critical publisher legislation that would weaken his paper’s main rival in return for softer treatment and allegedly used his influence to help a wealthy telecom magnate in exchange for favorable coverage on a popular news site. Netanyahu has long promised he’d clear his name in the hearing. A team of his lawyers arrived at the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem to argue that all charges should be dropped. …

Romania’s Parliament says a no-confidence vote on the government of Prime Minster Viorica Dancila is set for Saturday. The decision was criticized by opposition parties, which saw Wednesday’s unusual weekend scheduling decision as intended to keep the motion from passing. Dancila has been leading a minority government since late August, when the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats quit a governing coalition with her Social Democrats. The no-confidence motion was signed by 237 lawmakers and 233 votes will be needed for it to pass. Dancila predicted it would fail. Meanwhile, Dancila has nominated Gabriela Ciot, the Foreign Ministry’s state secretary for European affairs, as commissioner in the incoming European Commission. Romania’s previous candidate, Rovana Plumb, was rejected by the European Parliament’s legal committee over some undisclosed personal loans.   …

A top Vatican cardinal has expressed skepticism about ordaining married men to address the priest shortage in the Amazon, defending the value of priestly celibacy on the eve of a big Vatican meeting where the issue is officially on the agenda. Cardinal Marc Ouellet on Wednesday launched his book “Friends of the Bridegroom: For a Renewed Vision of Priestly Celibacy.” It addresses challenges facing priests amid a decline in vocations and reputational damage from sex abuse scandals. Ouellet, a Canadian who heads the Vatican’s bishops’ office, said he wasn’t opposed to a debate about ordaining married men at this month’s synod on the Amazon.   But he said he was skeptical given the region doesn’t even have enough catechists to teach lay people about their faith, much less train priests. …

According to the United Nations, a third of the world’s food is either lost or wasted every year. Two startups are tackling food waste at the local level, allowing businesses to sell their leftovers at a discount instead of throwing everything away. Tina Trinh reports. …

One year after the murder of Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, President Donald Trump remains a reliable ally of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying the special relationship between the two countries is bigger than any one issue.   But many in the U.S. Congress are still pressing for changes in U.S. policy towards Saudi Arabia until those responsible for the murder are held accountable. VOA’s Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. …

Millionaire businesswoman Varisiri Methachittiphan is an immigrant success story. She started out in the U.S. as a typical Thai student, eager to study and enjoy new experiences. Then she adopted Nala, a 5-month-old kitten, from a shelter in California. What happened next is pure internet magic. VOA’s Warangkana Chomchuen tells their story.  …

Marking the one-year anniversary of the killing of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, the United Nations special rapporteur and Khashoggi’s fiancé both warn the international community: only action — not words — will send a message that no one can get away with murder. VOA’s Ramon Taylor reports. …

International sporting law forbids athletes with disabilities from competing against those who don’t. Inevitably, some players outshine their counterparts despite missing limbs or senses.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has the story of a man with disabilities who rolls past the competition. …

North Korea has tested what appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile — an important advancement in Pyongyang’s weapons program and a major provocation just days ahead of working-level nuclear talks with the United States. South Korea’s military says it is “highly likely” North Korea tested a Bukkeukseong-type submarine-launched ballistic missile, or SLBM, early Wednesday from the sea near the coastal city of Wonsan in Gangwon province. Seoul says the missile flew about 450 kilometers but reached an altitude of about 910 kilometers, meaning it was launched at a lofted trajectory that would make its maximum distance much longer. It is not yet clear whether the North launched the SLBM from a submarine or an underwater platform. If confirmed, it could be the first time since 2017 that North Korea has tested a missile that is capable of flying distances that exceed what is considered to be “short range.” Its exact maximum range is not yet known. The provocation comes at a particularly fragile moment. Late Tuesday, North Korea’s vice foreign minister said Pyongyang and Washington have agreed to hold long-delayed, working-level talks on October 5. The two sides will have “preliminary contact” the day before, she said. It’s not …

Brazil’s top court is expected to make a ruling this week that could lead to the annulment of dozens of cases brought by the sprawling Operation Car Wash that has snared top politicians and businesspeople across Latin America. The probe, once heralded as a model of anti-corruption efforts, has been heavily criticized in Brazil following allegations that some prosecutions were politically tainted. Here’s a look at the challenges the operation faces: What is Operation Car Wash? “Operation Car Wash” began in March 2014 as an investigation into money laundering involving a gas station owner in the southwestern state of Parana. The suspects reached plea bargains that opened windows onto an immense graft scheme. Prosecutors say executives of major construction companies effectively formed a cartel that decided which firms would be awarded huge contracts with the state oil company Petrobras and how much to inflate prices to cover payoffs for politicians and Petrobras executives. What Has It Achieved? The inquiry has led to the sentencing of 159 individuals, including former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, former congressional Speaker Eduardo Cunha, former Rio de Janeiro Gov. Sergio Cabral and Eike Batista, once Brazil’s richest man. Prosecutors say Brazil can expect to …

Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno announced an end to government subsidies for holding down fuel prices and said Tuesday night that he will send congress a proposal to overhaul taxes and labor rules as a way to revitalize the economy. In an address broadcast on television and radio, Moreno said he was eliminating the $1.3 billion subsidy for gasoline and diesel. The move will raise the price of gasoline to $2.30 a gallon from $1.85 and the cost of diesel to $2.27 from $1.03. He said a tax overhaul bill that he would send to the National Assembly within hours would include a provision for a three-year special tax on companies with annual revenue above $10 million. The extra money would go to education, health and safety, he said. Moreno said the proposal also would provide for reducing taxes on technological and cellular equipment, machinery and industrial equipment for simplifying refunds for exporters that pay foreign trade taxes. To stimulate the creation of jobs, he said he is proposing a new law to make hiring easier, encourage facilities for telework and help those who start businesses. “The goal is more work, more entrepreneurship and better opportunities … boosting economic growth and …

Lawmakers sworn into Indonesia’s parliament on Tuesday are being urged to push through a sexual violence bill to protect women from abuse that rights groups say has reached “emergency” levels. Sexual violence is prevalent in the Southeast Asian country of 260 million. Tens of thousands of people in recent weeks have protested against a proposed new criminal code that would outlaw sex outside marriage and penalize women who have abortions. Women’s rights activists are also calling on newly installed lawmakers in the world’s third-largest democracy to revive a bill shielding women from violence that for years has failed to pass parliament due to conservative opposition. Over 400,000 cases of violence against women, including domestic and sexual abuse, were reported in 2018 compared to nearly 280,000 in 2013, according to data compiled by the National Commission on Violence Against Women. “We want to see the bill passed by 2020 because we have waited for too long,” Azriana Manalu, chairwoman of the government-backed commission which helped draft the legislation, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Jakarta. The proposed bill seeks to expand the crime of sexual violence to include harassment, exploitation and forced abortions and forced prostitution. Conservative groups, including …

Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it will pay $20.4 million to settle claims by two Ohio counties, allowing the U.S. healthcare giant to avoid an upcoming federal trial seeking to hold the industry responsible for the nation’s opioid epidemic. J&J became the fourth drugmaker to settle claims ahead of the Federal Court trial against multiple manufacturers and distributors in Cleveland scheduled for later this month. The case is considered a bellwether for more than 2,600 lawsuits by state and local governments that are pending nationally. “The settlement allows the company to avoid the resource demands and uncertainty of a trial as it continues to seek meaningful progress in addressing the nation’s opioid crisis,” J&J said in a statement. “The company recognizes the opioid crisis is a complex public health challenge and is working collaboratively to help communities and people in need,” it added. FILE – An emergency opioid overdose kit is seen at the statehouse in Concord, New Hampshire, Sept. 29, 2015. Opioids were involved in 400,000 overdose deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2017, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. J&J which formerly marketed the painkillers Duragesic and Nucynta, said the settlement …

A group of intruders who disguised themselves as security forces protecting al-Hol refugee camp in northeastern Syria have helped smuggle out several women affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) fighters, local authorities told VOA. “Some smugglers put on SDF uniforms or security police outfits, and they helped some IS women escape the camp for money,” said Judy Serbilind, who monitors IS female affiliates detained at the overcrowded camp. Serbilind refused to disclose the number of the escaped women but said there were dozens. She said most of them came from outside of Syria, particularly from Europe. “We believe that they fled to Idlib then to Turkey. We think some of them might reach out to the embassies of their countries and some (will) stay in Turkey.” Al-Hol is a makeshift encampment set up for those who were displaced during the war against IS in eastern Syrian province of Dir el-Zour. The camp’s population skyrocketed from about 10,000 refugees in December 2018 to over 70,000 by April 2019 following a U.S.-led operation that defeated IS from its last stronghold of Baghouz. After several escape incidents, fearing a larger attempt by IS to infiltrate the camp, Kurdish-led security forces who guard the …

U.S. Attorney General William Barr is personally involved in investigating President Donald Trump’s complaints that he and his campaign were improperly targeted by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies during the 2016 election campaign. Barr earlier this year began to investigate the investigators who looked into whether his campaign colluded with Russia. Moscow interfered in the U.S. electoral process with a campaign of hacking and propaganda, according to U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who charged several Trump campaign officials with crimes but did not find enough evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy with Russia. Barr’s investigation is one of at least three inquiries into the matter by the Department of Justice. It is being handled by John Durham, a seasoned prosecutor who is respected by Republicans and Democrats alike. Some former Justice Department officials say Barr, the top law enforcement official in the United States, is legitimizing baseless conspiracy theories and improperly harnessing government resources to help Trump win re-election in 2020. A department spokeswoman declined to comment about those allegations. Barr’s work could also attract the attention of congressional Democrats who are pursuing an inquiry into impeachment of Trump. Barr has asked Trump to help him get assistance from …