VIDEO: Is the Republican party becoming more pro-Russian, changing a stance the party has held for decades? As US President Trump prepares to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week, there appears to be a shift among many in the GOP, which traditionally has taken a  hard line on Russia as an adversary of the United States.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On July 12, 1957, Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the first US president to ride in the latest advance in aviation technology — the helicopter. It is the president himself who suggests using the new machine for short trips to and from the White House.  (Photo: President Eisenhower in a helicopter on the White House Lawn, on July 12, 1957.)

VIDEO: Eleven reunited families were among the 106 people deported from the US back to Guatemala this week. The reunited families on the flight were separated before the Trump administration implemented its ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy, according to Guatemala’s foreign ministry. In Guatemala City, parents recount how they feared being deported without their children.

A tense London, beset by domestic political turmoil and street protests targeting Donald Trump, began hosting the US president today, his first visit to Britain since taking office nearly 18 months ago. Queen Elizabeth will host the president and first lady for tea at Windsor Castle. Trump has long spoken of his desire to meet the monarch,  but there is some anxiety in Britain about whether the unconventional US president will adhere to protocol when he meets the queen.

VIDEO: VOA contributor Greta Van Susteren goes to a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh where 900,000 people are squeezed onto 1,200 hectares of land. Since August 2017 more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled what the US and UN call ‘ethnic cleansing’ by the Myanmar military. Here’s the  disturbing story of how the Rohingya people are desperately trying to survive.

VIDEO: Every year airlines lose about 20 million suitcases, and while most of that luggage is returned to its owners, thousands of bags are never picked up. To get an idea of what happens to all of that unclaimed baggage, VOA heads to a small town in Alabama where  bargains fly out the door at the lost luggage store.

Life came to an anxiety-ridden standstill for Haitians and tourists alike over the weekend as angry protesters retaliated against a government decision to raise various fuel prices by as much as 51 percent. People were advised to shelter in place, but calm has returned to much of Haiti. At the airport, travelers occupied every inch of the departure lounge with some expressing disappointment that their time on the island had been cut short.

Extreme heat might not fry your brain but it might impact how well your mind works.Researchers from Harvard compared students who slept with air-conditioning to those who slept in rooms without AC before, during and after a Boston-area heat wave. The researchers were surprised to find that the students without air-conditioning performed significantly worse on basic cognitive tests.