Newsletter Archive

Decades after his Jewish relatives lost their brewery in the Czech Republic during World War II, Paul Hletko decided to resurrect the family legacy in Evanston, Illinois. His bourbon whiskey is now sold in 35 countries, but once again the family business could be derailed by war — this time a trade war. As tariff disputes escalate between the United States and its global trading partners, American bourbon whiskey is one of the US exports in the crosshairs.

President Trump stabbed North Koreans in the heart, says a defector, by heaping praise on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. After the Singapore summit between the US and North Korea, the president referred to Kim as a ‘terrific person’ and ‘great leader’ who ‘loves his people.’ About 40 percent of North Koreans are malnourished and live in poverty in the totalitarian state, which suppresses dissent by imprisoning more than 100,000 people in political prison camps, possibly subjecting them to torture, rape, murder. The UN has recommended the North Korean leadership be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.

VIDEO EXPLAINER: Former members of the US military have an entire government agency devoted to providing services for them after they leave the armed forces. There are 22 million living US veterans. Here’s what the Department of Veterans Affairs does for them.

VOA CONNECT: He learned how to play the trumpet in order to attract the girls, and got so good at it that he ended up working with music great Ray Charles. Today, Renald Richard plays for pleasure because making music soothes his soul.

Experts worry recent celebrity suicides could inspire copycats among young people. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 15-to-29-year-olds worldwide. Experts are unhappy with the attention given to the deaths of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and fashion designer Kate Spade, who took their own lives, because high-profile suicides can trigger contagion.