Americans who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act are feeling some relief at the failure of Republican efforts to repeal it, but they face new anxieties with President Donald Trump tweeting that “ObamaCare will explode.” Premiums have risen and major insurers have backed out of the state markets where people can buy insurance online under Obama’s signature health care law. But people who say it saved their lives or helped them start a business want lawmakers to fix these problems, not encourage them.   “It does need its fixes, I totally see that,” said Inge Hafkemeyer, 57, who credits the law’s subsidies for containing her costs as her home-based event-planning business took off in Mission, Kansas, a Kansas City suburb. “But if your roof leaks, you don’t burn down the house to fix it.”   Clare Schexnyder, 49, is convinced she’s alive today because of it. As a small …

One person was killed and 15 other people were wounded in a shooting at a crowded nightclub early Sunday in Cincinnati, in the U.S. Midwestern state of Ohio, officials say. Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said as the night unfolded several local men got into a dispute inside the bar and it escalated to shots being fired. He said the bar was very crowded with hundreds of people. “As a result there were 16 people that sustained gunshot injuries, one of which is deceased.  A total of 15 others that were injured, one is in extremely critical condition … several others [with] more serious injuries and some very minor,” the chief said. Isaac did not say if the shooters were among those wounded adding there are “a lot of interviews still to be done, a lot of evidence to process, and we certainly make that information available as it develops.” …

The Iraqi military is casting doubt on reports that U.S.-led coalition airstrikes killed as many as 100 civilians sheltered earlier this month in a building in the contested city of Mosul, citing new evidence it says shows Islamic State militants rigged the site with explosives. A Pentagon statement Saturday said an “initial review” showed coalition airstrikes March 17 “at the location corresponding to allegations of civilian casualties” in western Mosul’s Old City.  The statement said an investigation is underway. It also said coalition planes “routinely strike” IS targets in the neighborhood, and coalition forces “take all reasonable precautions during the planning and execution of airstrikes to reduce the risk of harm to civilians.” For its part, the Iraqi military’s Joint Command released a statement later Saturday that confirmed airstrikes in the embattled city. But it said an investigation of the site showed “all of [the building’s] walls were rigged with …

There are an estimated 1.1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 500,000 of them are children. For many of them, getting enough food and water are their biggest challenges. Children who are hearing impaired face even bigger obstacles. But some of them are getting help, thanks to a U.S. based charity called Deaf Planet Soul. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

These days, the only words most people see are typed. Many young people never learn cursive handwriting, but it is making a comeback. Thousands of school students around the country are learning to write in longhand. At one elementary school in New York City, teachers and students seem excited about the elegance, but also the educational power, of cursive handwriting. VOA’s Faiza Elmasry has more. Faith Lapidus narrates. …

One day you may be carrying your own drone everywhere you go. A drone has been developed to take selfies that is so thin it can be put into your pants pocket. The Selfly, as it is called, is attached to a smartphone that fits into the phone’s case. VOA’s Deborah Block tells us more. …

A scuffle broke out on a Southern California beach where supporters of President Donald Trump were marching when counter-protesters doused organizers with pepper spray, authorities said Saturday. The violence erupted when the march of about 2,000 people at Bolsa Chica State Beach reached a group of about 30 counter-protesters, some of whom began spraying the irritant, said Capt. Kevin Pearsall of the California State Parks Police. Three people were arrested on suspicion of illegal use of pepper spray and a fourth person was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery, he said. Two people suffered minor injuries that didn’t require medical attention, Pearsall said. An anti-Trump protester who allegedly used the eye irritant was kicked and punched in the sand by a group of Trump supporters, the Los Angeles Times reported. Counter-protesters said before the march began that they planned to try to stop the march’s progress with a “human …

The day after the flaming out of U.S. President Donald Trump’s first major legislative initiative, his supporters across America were lashing out — at conservatives, at Democrats, at leaders of his Republican Party in Congress. Only Trump himself was spared their wrath. Many voters who elected him appeared largely willing to give him a pass on the collapse of his campaign promise to overhaul the U.S. health care system, stressing his short time in office. “Being a businessman, he’ll not take ‘no’ for an answer,” said Tony Nappi, a 71-year-old from Trinity, Florida, one of the many disappointed Republicans on his weekend softball team. “He’ll get the job done.” Support for Trump appeared unflagging, from the playing fields of a Republican stronghold in central Florida to the small town diners of North Carolina, the suburbs of Arkansas and the streets of working-class Staten Island in New York City. Dealmaker can’t …

The gunman in a fatal shooting on the Las Vegas Strip who barricaded himself inside a public bus has surrendered peacefully after shutting down the busy tourism corridor for hours, police said. The standoff began about 11 a.m. local time Saturday with a shooting that killed one person and injured another. It happened on a double-decker bus stopped on Las Vegas Boulevard near the Cosmopolitan hotel-casino. Two people were taken to the hospital after the shooting, University Medical Center spokeswoman Danita Cohen said. One died, and the other was in fair condition, Cohen said. That person suffered minor injuries, police said. Las Vegas Police officer Larry Hadfield said just before 3:30 p.m. that the man had a handgun and surrendered without incident. Police did not open fire. Crisis negotiators, robots and armored vehicles were on the scene. Police said they believe the man is the only suspect and that they …

The United Nations begins negotiations Monday on a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. This comes as the United States commences a review of what role its nuclear weapons should now play. “Shortly after taking office, the president directed a new Nuclear Posture Review to ensure that the United States nuclear deterrent is modern, robust, flexible, resilient, ready, and appropriately tailored to deter 21st century threats and reassure our allies,” White House senior assistant press secretary Michael Short told VOA Friday. “The review is underway and is being led by the secretary of defense.” Those around the world yearning for a planet free of nuclear weapons are likely to be disappointed with the outcomes both at the United Nations and the White House. “I personally support a world without nuclear weapons,” said Steven Pifer, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. “But I …

The United Nations is to begin negotiations Monday on a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. This comes as the United States begins a review of the role its nuclear weapons should now play. VOA White House Bureau Chief Correspondent Steve Herman reports. …

Indonesia’s air force says an American military plane made an emergency landing at an airport in Indonesia’s Aceh province.   Air Vice Marshall Jemi Trisonjaya says the U.S. Air Force plane requested permission to land Friday after one of its four engines failed.   Trisonjaya said Saturday that permission was granted and the Boeing 707 successfully landed at Sultan Iskandar Muda airport in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province. The plane was carrying 20 military personnel to Japan’s Haneda airport from Diego Garcia, an American military base in central Indian Ocean.   Trisonjaya said no one on board the plane was injured.   The cause of the plane’s engine failure was unclear. …

Hundreds of fans and friends of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher gathered for a public memorial honoring the celebrated mother and daughter. The two-hour ceremony Saturday was a mix of music and dance spliced with some never-before-seen footage of the mother-daughter duo reflecting on their lives. The poignant event was a laughter-filled memorial for the late actresses. The ceremony was led by Todd Fisher, who lost his mother and sister one day apart in late December. Fisher said his mother didn’t like memorials, so he was calling it a show that would reveal his loved ones like never before. Deaths a day apart Fisher, 60, an actress and writer who starred as Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died December 27 after suffering a medical emergency days earlier aboard a flight from London. Reynolds, 84, an Oscar-nominated actress who shot to fame after starring in “Singin’ in the …

Stars and fans will gather Saturday for a public memorial to honor late actresses Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher nearly three months after their deaths.    The ceremony honoring the lives of the mother-daughter duo will be at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, the storied cemetery that is their final resting place. People will be granted attendance at the event on a first-come, first-served basis, and it will be live-streamed beginning at 1 p.m. PDT.    The ceremony is slated to feature music by James Blunt and “Star Wars” composer John Williams and display Hollywood memorabilia that Reynolds collected throughout her life.  Deaths a day apart  Fisher, 60, an actress and writer who starred as Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died December 27 after suffering a medical emergency days earlier aboard a flight from London. Reynolds, 84, an Oscar-nominated actress who shot to fame after starring in “Singin’ in …

The wounded warrior is now a cop — and he’ll be walking the beat on titanium legs.   Matias Ferreira, a former U.S. Marine Corps lance corporal who lost his legs below the knee when he stepped on a hidden explosive in Afghanistan in 2011, is joining a suburban New York police department.   The 28-year-old graduated Friday from the Suffolk County Police Academy on Long Island following 29 weeks of training.   The 6-foot-1 (1.9-meter), 215-pound (98-kilogram) rookie passed all the physical training and other requirements just like any other recruit, including running a mile and a half in around 11 minutes. He begins patrols next week, a department spokesman said.   “I just really want to be able to help people,” said Ferreira, who immigrated to the U.S. from Uruguay as a child. “I want to be involved in the community, and the police department definitely allows you …

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Friday he has asked the United Nations to help the South American nation alleviate medicine shortages, which have become increasingly severe as the oil-producing nation’s economic crisis accelerates. Triple digit inflation and a decaying socialist economic model have left medications ranging from simple anti-inflammatory drugs to chemotherapy medication out of reach for most Venezuelans. Maduro did not specify the type of aid he requested, although he stressed that the U.N. has knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry. “I have asked them for support to continue making permanent progress in the regularization of medicines for hospitals,” he said. Maduro earlier Friday met with Jessica Faieta, assistant administrator and director of the U.N. Development Program, according to state television. The Venezuelan Pharmaceuticals Federation estimates some 85 percent of drugs are unavailable to the country’s citizens. Maduro often blames the deteriorating economy and widespread shortages of goods on an …

A teenage blogger from Singapore whose online posts blasting his government landed in him jail was granted asylum to remain in the United States, an immigration judge in Chicago ruled Friday.   Amos Yee has been detained by federal immigration authorities since December when he was taken into custody at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Attorneys said the 18-year-old could be released from a Wisconsin detention center as early as Monday.    Judge Samuel Cole issued a 13-page decision more than two weeks after Yee’s closed-door hearing on the asylum application.   “Yee has met his burden of showing that he suffered past persecution on account of his political opinion and has a well-founded fear of future persecution in Singapore,” Cole wrote. Jailed twice in Singapore   Yee left Singapore with the intention of seeking asylum in the U.S. after being jailed for several weeks in 2015 and 2016. He was …

California’s Department of Corrections has announced new rules to parole inmates more quickly, in the hope of reducing the state’s prison population. The proposed regulations still must be approved by state regulators. They would reduce the remaining time in prison for inmates who get a college degree or take self-help classes. One month of a sentence would be waived each year for prisoners who join and complete programs such as alcohol and substance counseling, anger management or life-skills lessons. Those who complete a university degree would reduce their sentences by up to six months per year. Reduced sentences would be available for almost all inmates, with the exception of those serving time for the most violent crimes. Prisons near maximum population The new rules also would allow non-violent felons to seek parole after completing the time behind bars set for their primary offense, instead of waiting until the cumulative time …

One extra day could not buy President Donald Trump and his Republican Congress the first major legislative victory they needed to set the tone for the new administration. Republicans canceled a crucial health care bill vote at the last minute Friday rather than lose a battle of numbers on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. President Trump’s Own Party Hands Him Stunning Defeat The cancellation followed a chaotic Thursday when the leadership postponed a vote in the hope that 24 more hours could win a long-promised repeal and replacement of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Ryan delivered the news House Speaker Paul Ryan rallied his splintered Republican Party during an emergency meeting in the depths of the Capitol after delivering the bad news in person to Trump at the White House. The once-certain health care bill victory threw into question the rest of the Republican agenda addressing …

Fallingwater is a house in rural southwestern Pennsylvania designed in 1935 by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Although it is not easy to get to, Fallingwater is a must-see, and not just for architecture buffs. VOA’s Masha Morton takes us on a tour. …

In a major blow to President Donald Trump, the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Republicans, failed to pass a health care bill. The House Speaker withdrew the measure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, a key Trump campaign promise, less than an hour before a floor vote was scheduled. VOA congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. …

Some Americans breathed a sigh of relief, others bubbled with frustration, and nearly all resigned themselves to the prospect that the latest chapter in the never-ending national debate over health care would not be the last. The withdrawal of the Republican-sponsored health bill in the face of likely defeat Friday in the U.S. House seemed to ensure that the deep divisions over the Affordable Care Act and its possible replacement would continue to simmer. As news spread, Americans fell into familiar camps, either happy to see a Democratic effort live another day, or eager to see Republicans regroup and follow through with their “repeal Obamacare” promises. “Yessssss,” elated artist Alysa Diebolt, 27, of Eastpointe, Michigan, typed on Facebook in response to the news, saying she was relieved those she knew on Affordable Care Act plans wouldn’t lose their coverage. “I’m excited, I think it’s a good thing,” she said. Millions …

Friday’s surprising move by U.S. Republican leadership to pull the bill known as the American Health Care Act was partly because of its rejection by a small group of conservative Republicans known as the Freedom Caucus. The leader, Mark Meadows of North Carolina, said in a statement Friday that he had promised voters he would fight not only for a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, but also “a replacement with a market-driven approach that brings down costs and provides more choices for the American people.” For the Freedom Caucus, the Republican health care bill was not conservative enough, even after the Trump administration gave in to demands to withdraw some essential health benefits. The Republican bill could not pass without the support of the caucus, which has about 30 members. Trump was reportedly irritated by the decision of the Freedom Caucus when he complained …