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I'm VOA's Joe Ramsey with your worldwide news update.
Several U.S. states on Tuesday sued to stop one of President Donald Trump's first actions in office. AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports. New Jersey and more than a dozen other states are challenging President Trump's executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. "Presidents in this country have broad powers, but they are not kings." :New Jersey Democratic Attorney General Matt Platkin. "The executive order renders many children born on American soil without citizenship, creating for the first time a class of American-born children whose health and well-being are threatened by their own government." Trump's order would end the policy of automatically granting citizenship to people born in the United States. That's a move he said on the campaign trail he would do once he was in office. Platkin and immigrants' rights groups point to the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. It says people born in the U.S. and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens. I'm Haya Panjwani. President Trump on Tuesday wrapped up four days of inaugural-related events with a traditional church service and a message from one of the speakers. AP correspondent Sagar Meghani reports. During an interfaith service at Washington National Cathedral, "I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country. We're scared now." The Rev. Mariann Budde, Washington's episcopal bishop, urged the president to show compassion for LGBTQ+ people and undocumented workers. "The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals." Asked about the service after returning here, "Not too exciting, was it? I didn't think it was a good service. No." Sagar Meghani, at the White House. This is VOA News. U.S. President Donald Trump faced criticism on Tuesday over his pardons of more than 1,500 people charged with crimes in the January 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. Reuters correspondent Freddie Joyner reports. Trump's pardons extended from the people who committed only misdemeanors such as trespassing, to those who attacked police officers, and to the far smaller group who planned the assault on democracy. Some Republican lawmakers have criticized the pardons including Senator Thom Tillis, who said pardoning rioters who assaulted police sent a wrong message. More than 600 people were charged with assaulting or obstructing police during the riot, according to U.S. Justice Department figures. Some 140 police officers were injured. Reuters correspondent Freddie Joyner. Some across Africa are applauding President Trump's executive orders regarding gender and diversity, while others are expressing deep concern. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja, Nigeria's capital. On his first day as the 47th U.S. president, Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders. These include orders revoking some protections for transgender people and defining the sexes strictly as male and female. Some like Bishop John Praise Daniel, vice president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, welcome Trump's moves. "I'm very excited. I think Donald Trump has just done what is right." But Frank Ejiogu, founder of Creme de la Creme, a Nigerian LGBTQ advocacy group, warns of serious consequences. "We know this will have ripple effects that might catalyze violence against LGBTQ community members persons ..." Members of the LGBTQ community already face harsh penalties in many African countries. Timothy Obiezu, VOA News, Abuja, Nigeria. Officials in Turkey said at least 76 people were dead and dozens injured after a fire in a hotel at a popular ski resort in the northwestern part of the country during a school holiday. AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports. The fire broke out early Tuesday at the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu province. The governor said at least two of the victims died after jumping from the building in a panic. Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire as thick plumes of smoke floated out of some of the upper windows, while emergency services worked tirelessly to extinguish the blaze. A private Turkish TV station said some people tried to climb down from their rooms using sheets. I'm Karen Chammas. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website, voanews.com. I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA News. |