Some television news viewers might do a double-take when they first spot Tahera Rahman on air. The Chicago-born woman is the first full-time broadcast television news reporter in the United States to wear the traditional Muslim head scarf, also known as a hijab. But Rahman’s boss says the job at WHBF-TV in Illinois has nothing to do with her heritage or faith, and everything to do with her talent.The main problem, he says, is all the outside media attention that’s making it  harder for Rahman to make her deadline.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On March 8, 1817, the New York Stock Exchange is established. Sometimes known as the ‘Big Board,’ the NYSE provides a way for buyers and sellers to trade shares of stock in companies registered for public trading. (Photo: The floor of the New York Stock Exchange in 1908.)

Pressure is growing on Theresa May’s government to be tough in response to an assassination attempt on British soil that British officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin approved. A former Russian intelligence officer who spied for the British and his adult daughter are believed to have ingested a nerve agent developed in Russia. It’s not the first poisoning of a double agent to occur in Britain.

VIDEO DIARY: Northern Iraq is still reeling four months after Iraq declared victory in its fight against Islamic State militants. Some cities are nearly abandoned and others struggling to rebuild with few resources. In this video diary, VOA’s Heather Murdock tours the region with Iraqi authorities where the damage is extensive and a pervading  sense of misery hangs over the broken landscape.

The official start of the 2018 congressional election campaign began this week in Texas, which held the first primary of the season and saw both Democrats and Republicans turn out in heavy numbers. Despite talk of a ‘blue wave’ and a politically rocky first year in the White House for Donald Trump, the  president seems to have solidified Republicans behind him.

VIDEO: It looks like a mini United Nations at a free clinic in Georgia where refugees, immigrants and others without health insurance receive medical care. Founded by two immigrant doctors, the multi-cultural non-profit Clarkston Community Health Center offers basic and preventive healthcare, including mammograms and other tests, immunizations, and free or low-cost medicines. For many patients, the clinic provides an essential safety net.