Watch a conversation on the UT-Austin protests and the state of free speech on college campuses
An American Civil Liberties Union of Texas attorney and a UT-Austin professor discussed how free speech has been protected and challenged in campus protests, and what we should all learn from the last few weeks.
These illegal immigrants are eligible for Obamacare after Biden rule change
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors and were protected from deportation under an Obama-era executive order will be able to obtain health care through Obamacare under a new rule being published Friday by the Biden administration. Those who are protected via the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, along with other illegal immigrants, are currently prohibited from accessing healthcare through the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. A rule announced Friday will end that prohibition. The administration says it predicts that the rule, which will go into effect just days before the 2024 presidential election, will result in over 100,000 uninsured illegal immigrants accessing health insurance. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule would allow DACA recipients to apply for coverage through HealthCare.gov and state-based marketplaces as soon as November 1. The rule does so by making what HHS calls “technical modifications” to the definition of “lawfully present” used to determine eligibility. REPUBLICAN STATES ASK FEDERAL JUDGE TO END ‘UNLAWFUL’ DACA PROGRAM In a statement on the rule, President Biden renewed his calls for those he called “Dreamers” — an activist-preferred term to refer to illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors — to be granted a pathway to citizenship along with others of millions of illegal immigrants. “I’m proud of the contributions of Dreamers to our country and committed to providing Dreamers the support they need to succeed. That’s why I’ve previously directed the Department of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to ‘preserve and fortify’ DACA. And that’s why today we are taking this historic step to ensure that DACA recipients have the same access to health care through the Affordable Care Act as their neighbors,” he said. “On Day One of my administration, I sent a comprehensive immigration reform plan to Congress to protect Dreamers and their families. Only Congress can provide Dreamers permanent status and a pathway to citizenship. Congress must act.” Vice President Harris, in a separate statement, made a similar appeal. “President Biden and I will continue to do everything in our power to protect DACA, but it is only a temporary solution. Congress must act to ensure Dreamers have the permanent protections they deserve,” she said. The push for health care and citizenship for illegal immigrants has regularly met with fierce opposition from Republicans. When Obamacare was unveiled by President Barack Obama, he faced accusations that the legislation would give health care to illegal immigrants — with one GOP congressman yelling, “You lie” at the president during a joint session of Congress. DACA COURT RULING THE LATEST TWIST FOR CONTROVERSIAL OBAMA-ERA IMMIGRATION POLICY The Trump administration attempted to end DACA but was blocked by the Supreme Court in 2020. A separate lawsuit, filed in 2021, is still ongoing and blocked further enrollments in the program are blocked after a federal appeals court found that the Obama administration did not have the authority to institute the program. Democrats and the Biden administration have made repeated pushes for broader amnesties of illegal immigrants already in the U.S., but those efforts have failed amid unified opposition from Republicans who have rejected granting a pathway to citizenship to illegal immigrants amid an ongoing crisis at the southern border. The Biden administration has claimed that it needs additional funding and reforms to fix a “broken” system that enables the crisis. Republicans have said that the administration needs instead to restore Trump-era policies that they believe can end the crisis. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
Raipur Lok Sabha constituency: Know polling date, candidates list, past election results
Raipur is one of the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in Chhattisgarh. Raipur is Chhattisgarh’s capital and an important constituency in the state. Over the years, the constituency has been a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Catholics’ support swings for Trump over Biden by significant margin: poll
Catholics in the United States have swung dramatically against President Biden in recent years, now boasting a significant statistical break towards his GOP challenger. Pew Research released on Apr. 30 a report exploring support for presidential candidates sorted by religious affiliation. The poll found that 55% of Catholics support or lean towards supporting former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head against Biden. BIDEN SPARKS CHRISTIAN GROUP’S ANGER AFTER MAKING SIGN OF THE CROSS AT ABORTION RALLY: ‘DISGUSTING INSULT’ Conversely, only 45% of Catholics support Biden in the same one-on-one pairing. The 12% margin of support in favor of Trump marks a significant shift from 2020, when he held an extremely narrow lead — 50% to 49%. Biden currently leads among Hispanic Catholics with a narrow 49%-47% split, but the close contest marks a major shift rightward for the demographic. In 2020, a similar poll from Pew Research found Hispanic Catholics preferred Biden to Trump with a staggering 67%-26% split. BIDEN ‘DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE CATHOLIC FAITH,’ BISHOP SAYS: ‘I’M NOT ANGRY AT HIM, HE’S JUST STUPID’ Approximately 60% of protestants expressed support for Trump, according to the April survey. Conversely, about 38% said they leaned toward Biden. Atheists, agnostics, and the religiously unaffiliated broke in favor of Biden by a large margin — approximately 69% said they would back the Democratic incumbent while only 28% voiced support for Trump. Biden has leaned into his Catholic identity in his presidential campaigns, asserting himself as a devout believer despite blatant disregard for non-negotiable church teachings. However, Catholic leaders have pushed back on this self-characterization and pointed out his support of policies utterly contrary to the faith, such as pro-choice deregulation and affirmation of gender ideology. Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington D.C. previously called Biden a “Cafeteria Catholic” — saying he “picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts.”
Alabama Gov. Ivey signs bill to ensure President Biden appears on November ballot
Alabama officials on Thursday approved legislation to ensure President Joe Biden will appear on the state’s November ballot, mirroring accommodations the state made four years ago for then-President Donald Trump. The House of Representatives voted 93-0 for the legislation. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill into law the same day, a spokeswoman said. “This is a great day in Alabama when in a bipartisan manner, we passed this legislation to ensure that President Joe Biden gains access to the ballot in Alabama,” Democratic state Sen. Merika Coleman, the bill’s sponsor, said. The Republican-dominated Alabama Legislature approved the bill without a dissenting vote. ALABAMA LAWMAKERS EYE GAMBLING COMPROMISE AS LEGISLATIVE SESSION NEARS ITS END The issue of Biden’s ballot access has arisen in Alabama and Ohio because the states’ early certification deadlines fall before the Democratic National Convention begins on Aug. 19. Republican secretaries of state warned that Biden might not appear on state ballots. “Joe Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states. Election after election, states across the country have acted in line with the bipartisan consensus and taken the necessary steps to ensure the presidential nominees from both parties will be on the ballot,” the Biden campaign said in a statement. Alabama has one of the earliest candidate certification deadlines in the country, which has caused difficulties for whichever political party has the later convention date that year. Trump faced the same issue in Alabama in 2020. The Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature passed legislation to change the certification deadline for the 2020 election to accommodate the date of the GOP convention. “This is nothing new. We just need to fix this so the president can be on the ballot, just like our nominee can be on the ballot,” Republican House Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle said during the brief debate. The Alabama legislation will defer the state’s certification deadline from 82 days before the general election to 74 days to accommodate the date of the Democrats’ nominating convention. Litigation was almost a certainty if Alabama Republicans had declined to grant Biden ballot access after making accommodations in the past for GOP nominees. The Biden campaign asked Alabama to accept provisional certification, saying that has been done previously in Alabama and other states. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said he would not accept provisional certification because he didn’t think he had the authority to do so. In Ohio, the state elections chief has said the Republican-led Legislature has until Thursday to approve an exemption to the state’s 90-day rule, which sets this year’s ballot deadline at Aug. 7. No bill appears to be forthcoming, but leaders of both parties haven’t entirely ruled one out. The state House and Senate both have voting sessions scheduled for Wednesday.
In Fond Memory of Shri Harith Budhraja
He pursued learning with fervour, earning a degree in engineering from Pune University in May 2000 with 1st class with distinction and 7th in order of merit.
Daman & Diu Lok Sabha Election 2024: Check important dates, key candidates, past results and more
The date of voting for the Daman & Diu Lok Sabha Election 2024 is on 7 May ( Phase 3 ).
‘Due to elections’: SC says it may consider interim bail for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, asks ED to…
The apex court has asked ED to come prepared for a hearing on the interim bail plea of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on May 7.
Iran’s unravelling carpet sales
The historic Kashan bazaar in central Iran once sat on a major caravan route, its silk carpets known the world over. But for the weavers trying to sell their rugs under its ancient arches, their world has only unravelled since the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and wider tensions with the West. Carpet exports, which exceeded $2bn two decades ago, have plummeted to less than $50m in the last year, according to government customs figures. With fewer tourists and increasing difficulties in making international transactions, Iranian rugs are going unsold as some weavers work for as little as $4 a day. Kashan’s carpet-weaving industry has been listed as an “intangible cultural heritage” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Many of the weavers are women, with the skills needed for the Farsi weaving style passed down from generation to generation, using materials such as vine leaves as well as pomegranate skins and walnuts to make the dyes for their threads. A single rug can take months to make. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the United States increased sanctions on Iran’s government over the siege on the US embassy on November 4, 1979 and other issues. In 2000, the outgoing administration of US President Bill Clinton lifted a ban on the import of Iranian caviar, carpets and pistachios. By 2010, with concerns rising over Iran’s nuclear programme, the US again banned Iranian-made Persian rugs. But in 2015, Iran struck a nuclear deal with world powers which reduced its stockpile of enriched uranium. The carpet trade was allowed once again. Three years later, in 2018, US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the nuclear deal. Iran began enriching uranium at near weapons-grade levels and has been blamed for a series of attacks at sea and on land, including unprecedented drone and missile strikes targetting Israel last month. For the carpet weavers, that meant their wares were once again banned under US law. Making things worse is what carpet sellers see as a drop in tourists to Kashan as well. High-value American and European tourism in Iran has largely stopped, the daily Shargh newspaper warned last year. Ezzatollah Zarghami, Iran’s minister for tourism, insisted in April that six million tourists visited the country over the last 12 months, though that likely includes religious pilgrims as well as Afghans and Iraqis with lower spending power. Even foreigners who do not visit the country face the challenge of Iran’s financial system, where no major international credit card works. The collapse of the rial currency has left many Iranians unable to purchase the rugs. Wages in the industry are low, leading to a growing number of Afghan migrants working in workshops around Kashan. Adblock test (Why?)
Palestinian employee of German development agency ‘abused’ in Israeli jail
Berlin, Germany – A Palestinian employee of Germany’s state-funded development agency has been imprisoned in Israel for more than a month, where she has been beaten and subject to abusive and humiliating treatment, her family members and lawyer say. Baraa Odeh, 34, works for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and was detained by Israeli border guards on March 5 while returning to her home in Ramallah from a work trip to Germany. She has since been sentenced to three months of administrative detention without charge. Neither her husband, who is a German national, nor her family have had direct contact with Odeh since her arrest. “Our life is upside down,” her sister Shireen Odeh told Al Jazeera, adding that her family is extremely concerned for her wellbeing. “The only thing we do is think about her. We haven’t had a normal life since they arrested her.” Mahmoud Hassan, a lawyer for Odeh who has spoken to her in prison, said she has been physically assaulted and subject to inhumane conditions. “When she arrived [at Hasharon] prison, she was strip-searched while the policewoman was shouting at her. She was kept in a cell and later, a policeman that also shouted at her beat her on her leg,” said Hassan, who works with Addameer Prisoner Support, an NGO that supports Palestinian prisoners. “The policeman pushed her to the corner and the keys he had injured her hand. He kicked her. She said she had marks on her chest. He was threatening to keep her in this cell overnight. “After a couple of hours, he took her to another room that was not clean and was very cold.” The second room had security cameras. The toilet was so dirty that Odeh refused to use it. She was then transferred to the overcrowded Damon prison and strip-searched again. According to reports, detainees at the site have said it is difficult to access medical care or clean clothes. Guards have allegedly blindfolded and handcuffed prisoners when they are moved, and prevented them from sleeping. Israel has regularly detained and imprisoned workers for Palestinian aid organisations, and sometimes UNRWA, but it is unusual for the Israeli army to hold an employee of a Western organisation such as the GIZ under administrative detention. Since October 7, when the Israel-Palestine conflict escalated, Israel has sharply increased the arrest of Palestinians in the West Bank. Most have been held under administrative detention, without being charged or given due process. Administrative detention orders are often extended, sometimes for years. Prisoner rights groups and released detainees have raised the alarm on Israel’s systematic use of torture in its prisons, especially in recent months. Israel has arrested 8,425 Palestinians, including about 280 women and 540 children, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem between October 7 and April 22, according to Addameer. Some 5,210 administrative detention orders have been issued during the same period, while 16 prisoners have died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, Israel has prevented the Red Cross from making humanitarian visits to prison detainees since October 7. Germany ‘critical’ of administrative detention GIZ, one of the world’s largest international development agencies, has operated in the occupied Palestinian territories since the 1980s. It works on issues such as economic development, governance and peace-building. It is funded by the German government, one of Israel’s closest allies, and is overseen by its Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). “Israeli security forces have taken a national employee of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH into custody after a private trip. After a subsequent hearing, security forces ordered three months of administrative detention, to our knowledge unrelated to her professional employment,” said a spokesperson for GIZ. “GIZ is working with all the means at its disposal to clarify the background. We are also in close contact with the family.” Hassan told Al Jazeera she has been visited by a German consular official in prison. The German Federal Foreign Office did not comment on this visit when asked by Al Jazeera. Odeh is a technical adviser for GIZ, where she has been employed for 10 years. She has recently worked on projects focused on youth empowerment and psychosocial support for children, mainly in the West Bank. She is also a graduate student at Birzeit University, where she is active in a student representative body. After she was stopped at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing, which separates Jordan from the West Bank, Odeh was first taken to Ofer detention centre and then to Hasharon prison, where she was allegedly beaten. A few days later she was transferred to Damon prison, where dozens of female detainees have been held. On March 11, an Israeli judge ordered Odeh to administrative detention until June 4 on the grounds that she is a security threat. During a hearing on March 19, she was accused of working with a banned political group, based on confidential military information. Her lawyer said she denies this accusation, and that Israel has not offered any evidence against her. The BMZ told Al Jazeera that it does not comment on individual cases. “The protection of human life and human dignity should be the top priority in every situation – including in the context of armed conflict and in detention facilities,” a spokesperson said. “The Federal Government is critical of the practice of administrative detention – ie, the possibility of detaining people over a longer period of time based on suspicion and without trial. International humanitarian law sets strict limits on this practice.” At the time of publishing, Israeli officials had not responded to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment. Adblock test (Why?)