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VOA NEWS

September 26, 2019

(This is VOA) news. I'm David Byrd.

President Donald Trump again denied any wrongdoing in his July phone call with Ukraine's president Wednesday even as congressional Democrats said that Trump tried to pressure Volodymyr Zelenskiy into investigating former Vice president Joe Biden's son.

Speaking Wednesday afternoon in New York, Trump said he supports the Ukrainian leader's efforts to combat massive corruption and he derided impeachment investigations against him as a "joke."

"When they look at the information, it's a joke. Impeachment? For that? When you have a wonderful meeting, or you have a wonderful phone conversation?"

Hunter Biden served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company at the same time as his father was leading the Obama administration's diplomatic dealings with Kyiv. Though the timing did raise concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there's been no evidence of any wrongdoing by either the former vice president or his son.

Meanwhile, members of Congress were able to review a whistleblower complaint that has triggered impeachment investigations against President Trump.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democratic, said that he had reviewed the complaint and he found it deeply disturbing.

"... and the idea that the Department of Justice would have intervened to prevent it from getting to Congress throws the leadership of the that department into further ill repute."

The summary's disclosure came one day after Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump and allegations that he sought Ukraine's help to smear Democratic political opponent Joe Biden and to help Trump with his 2020 reelection bid.

For more on these stories, please visit our website voanews.com. This is VOA news.

A United Nations special report warns that much of humanity is threatened by global warming's devastating impact on oceans and frozen regions of the Earth.

AP's Shelley Adler has details.

"The oceans and the icy parts of the world are in big trouble and that means we're all in big trouble, too."

Michael Oppenheimer, professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University, one of the lead authors of the report.

"If we don't slow down emissions and we stay in a high emissions trajectory, sea level is gonna rise faster and faster. Extreme flood levels are gonna get more and more extreme faster than our ability to catch up and do something about it."

Shelley Adler, Washington.

The attorneys general from 17 U.S. states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over rule changes that weakened the Endangered Species Act.

Led by California, Maryland and Massachusetts, the coalition of states filed the suit Wednesday in San Francisco. It follows a lawsuit filed last month by seven environmental and animal rights groups.

Xavier Becerra is California's Attorney General. "We are announcing that we are taking legal action against the Trump administration once more, this time, to protect the Endangered Species Act and the plants and the animals that depend on it."

The changes introduced by the Trump administration include requiring consideration of economic cost when deciding whether to save a species from extinction. The law currently says the cost to logging or oil interests will have no bearing on whether an animal or other species deserves protection.

The revised regulations would also end blanket protection for a species listed as threatened, a designation that is one step away from being endangered, and would reduce some wildlife habitat.

An unrepentant Prime Minister Boris Johnson brushed off cries of "Resign!" and dared his foes to topple him Wednesday at a raucous session of Parliament. It came one day after Britain's highest court ruled Johnson acted illegally in suspending Parliament ahead of the Brexit deadline.

Amid shouts, angry gestures and repeated cries of "Order!" in the House of Commons, Johnson emphatically defended his intention to withdraw Britain from the European Union on October 31.

"This government that I lead has been trying truly to get us out. And most people, most people - indeed most supporters of the party opposite - regardless of how they voted three years ago - think the referendum must be respected."

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn called for Johnson to resign and rejected Johnson's taunting demand for a no-confidence vote in the government.

For more, visit our website. I'm David Byrd, VOA news.

VOA NEWS

September 25, 2019

This is VOA news. I'm Marissa Melton.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered an impeachment probe of President Donald Trump.

AP's Sagar Meghani has more.

The stage is now set for an election year blow between President Trump and Congress.

"I'm announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry"

It's something House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had long resisted. But as questions grew about whether the president abused his office by leaning on a foreign government to help his reelection prospects, Democratic pressure grew from freshman members to top Pelosi allies.

Speaking before her announcement, the president dismissed it all as a continuing witch hunt.

"We have the strongest country in the world, the best economy we've ever had, and she's talking impeachment," but says he thinks this could be a positive for him heading into election season.

Sagar Meghani, Washington.

The White House has released a statement in response to Pelosi's announcement today. In part, it says "House Democrats have destroyed any chances of legislative progress for the people of this country by continuing to focus all their energy on partisan political attacks. Their attacks on the president and his agenda are not only partisan and pathetic, they are in dereliction of their Constitutional duty."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also spoke out in support of the president on Tuesday.

"This election is over. I realize 2016 did not turn out the way Speaker Pelosi wanted it to happen but she cannot change the laws of this Congress. She cannot unilaterally decide we're in an impeachment inquiry."

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck parts of northeastern Pakistan Tuesday, killing at least 19 people, injuring more than 300 others.

Local officials said the quake caused extensive damage to roads and buildings in Mirpur district near the epicenter in the Pakistani administrative part of Kashmir.

From the VOA news center in Washington, this is VOA news.

In a major blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain's highest court ruled that his decision to spend [par...] suspend Parliament for five weeks in a crucial countdown to the country's Brexit [dex...] deadline was illegal.

AP correspondent Karen Chammas has more.

In a major blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain's highest court ruled that his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks in the crucial countdown to the country's Brexit deadline was illegal.

"The court is bound to conclude therefore that the decision to advise her majesty to prorogue parliament was unlawful."

This was the final unanimous decision read out by Supreme Court President Brenda Hale, saying that Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament unjustifiably impeded lawmakers from carrying out their constitutional functions.

Opposition Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Johnson has no respect for democracy.

"It demonstrates a contempt for democracy and an abuse of power by him."

Johnson himself reacted with disappointment to the final decision.

"I strongly disagree with this decision of the Supreme Court. I have the upmost respect for our judiciary."

Karen Chammas, London.

Britain's biggest repatriation effort since World War II is ramping up. Thousands of Thomas Cook travel customers are stranded.

The AP's Ed Donahue has more.

More than 14,000 customers are back in the UK. Another 135,000 are due back over the next two weeks. Thomas Cook is out of business.

??? is in Cancún, not at the beach, at the airport. The scene is "chaos." She found out about Cook's demise through the news. "No one knows what's going on. We want ??? everything."

Tensions are high.

Airport employees are offering little help.

Britain's business secretary is calling for a fast track of its investigation of the collapse of Thomas Cook.

I'm Ed Donahue.

Consumer confidence fell sharply last month. AP correspondent Shelley Adler has that story.

The September tumble is most likely an indication that growing economic uncertainties are taking a toll on American households.

The Conference Board, which is a business research group, says its consumer confidence index fell about 9 points from August. In addition, consumers' feelings about both current economic conditions and expectations for the next six months also slipped.

Although this month's pullback in confidence was greater than economists expected, it still remains at a healthy level.

Shelley Adler, Washington.

The families of more than 300 people killed in two Boeing 737 Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia are eligible for compensation from the airline.

Boeing has set up a $50 million fund to compensate the families. The fund began taking applications on Monday and will continue through the end of the year.

The 737 Max remains grounded.

Marissa Melton, VOA news.