Lawmakers said the Justice Department has indicated Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon -- a candidate to replace Pam Bondi as attorney general -- will represent her in a transcribed interview later this month, raising ethical concerns.
OpEd: When Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in February that the Defense Department would sever ties with Harvard University, he framed the move as an act of ideological hygiene. Harvard, he suggested, is an incubator of "woke" narratives awash in liberal orthodoxy with faculty that "squelch anyone who challenges their leftist political leanings." Later, the Secretary formally added 13 more institutions to the department's list of "canceled" educational relationships, accusing each of "sacrificing freedom of expression for the suffocating confines of leftist ideology." The ironies and contradictions in the Secretary's logic to purge the military of elite education, respectfully, demand serious discussion.
Reporters Without Borders (or RSF, to use the initialism for its French name, Reporters Sans Frontières) today released the 2026 version of its venerable World Press Freedom Index ... read more
More than two months into a conflict that has failed to deliver a decisive military or diplomatic win, President Donald Trump faces the risk that a standoff with Iran will drag on indefinitely and leave an even bigger problem ... read more
The world's largest container carrier plans a new service linking Europe with isolated Middle East ports, using trucking across Saudi Arabia and smaller vessels in the Persian Gulf instead of transiting the blocked Strait of Hormuz. read more
Meanwhile ...
Araghchi Heads to China for Key Negotiations
caspianpost.com
... Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to visit Beijing later today for talks.
"During the visit he will meet his Chinese counterpart [Wang Yi] to discuss bilateral ties and regional and international developments," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement, The Caspian Post reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The meeting comes as the US and Iran remain deadlocked in negotiations to end the crippling Middle East conflict launched by Israel and the US on February 28. ...
Another view ...
UAE accuses Iran of missile, drone attacks
www.upi.com
... The United Arab Emirates activated its missile alert system for the first time since a cease-fire between the United States and Iran in April, accusing Iran of launching missile and drone attacks Monday.
The UAE's Ministry of Defense said its air defense system was "actively engaging" the threats from Iran.
"MOD asserts that the sounds heard across the country are the result of ongoing engaging operations of missiles and" unmanned aerial vehicles, the department said in a post on X.
"The public is urged to remain calm and follow the safety and security instructions issued by relevant authorities."
Officials in Fujairah, UAE, blamed a fire at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone on an Iranian attack. ...
The UAE is just to the south of Iran, on the other side of the Persian Gulf, and has a critical position along the Strait of Hormuz.
It's unclear how the attacks may affect the shaky cease-fire between Iran and the United States. ...
@#106 ... Trump didn't like it, you say, because "the border would then be a non issue."
How's that? It didn't solve the problem. How can anyone claim that? ...
Simple, Candidate Trump campaigned on the border issue. Not solving the border issue was a big political benefit for his campaign.
I am quite surprised you have not seen that.
Indeed, until ICE's actions, Pres Trump's views and actions regarding immigration were a huge political benefit for him in the polls.
Lately, not so much ...
President Trump Job Approval - Immigration
www.realclearpolling.com
...
RCP Average 4/8 - 4/28
Approve: 45.3
Disapprove: 51.9
Spread: -6.6
...
Yeah, Pres Trump used to be in the +5% to +15% area of polling on immigration.
Now, not so much.
He's underwater ...
But I again go back to my #50 post and wonder why you have been deflecting so strenuously from it?
These U.S. industries can't work without illegal immigrants (2019)
www.cbsnews.com
... The nation's attention is once again focused on the southern border, where President Trump claims the U.S. is facing a "crisis" over illegal immigration.
Sometimes forgotten as the nation focuses attention on migrants currently trying to cross the border is that millions of undocumented immigrants continue to live in the U.S. " and most of them work.
And in fact, these workers play vital roles in the U.S. economy, erecting American buildings, picking American apples and grapes, and taking care of American babies. Oh, and paying American taxes.
My work as the director of the Cornell Farmworker Program involves meeting with undocumented workers in New York, and the farmers who employ them. Here's a snapshot of who they are, where they work " and why Americans should care about them.
A snapshot of who they are
Pew Research Center estimates that about 11.3 million people are currently living in the U.S. without authorization, down from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007. More than half come from Mexico, and about 15 percent come from other parts Latin America.
About 8 million of them have jobs, making up 5 percent of the U.S. workforce, figures that have remained more or less steady for the past decade.
Geographically, these unauthorized workers are spread throughout the U.S. but are unsurprisingly most concentrated in border states like California and Texas, where they make up about 9 percent of both states' workforces, while in Nevada, their share is over 10 percent.
Their representation in particular industries is even more pronounced, and the Department of Agriculture estimates that about half of the nation's farmworkers are unauthorized, while 15 percent of those in construction lack papers -- more than the share of legal immigrants in either industry. In the service sector, which would include jobs such as fast food and domestic help, the figure is about 9 percent. ...
Airlines scramble to help stranded Spirit passengers after budget carrier collapses
www.reuters.com
... Major airlines and the U.S. government scrambled to help stranded passengers and employees after bankrupt discount carrier Spirit Airlines (FLYYQ.PK), opens new tab ceased operations on Saturday, the industry's first casualty linked to the Iran war. ...
United Airlines (UAL.O), opens new tab , Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), opens new tab, JetBlue (JBLU.O), opens new tab and Southwest (LUV.N), opens new tab are all capping ticket prices for Spirit customers who now need to rebook canceled flights and customers must provide a Spirit flight confirmation number to qualify. Rival airlines are also offering free seats to help Spirit employees get home. ...
Trump says he won't sign GOP's compromise immigration bill (2018)
thehill.com
... President Trump on Friday said that he would not sign the House GOP's compromise immigration bill, delivering a major blow to Republican leadership's plans.
"I certainly wouldn't sign the more moderate one," Trump said on "Fox & Friends" during an impromptu interview on the White House lawn. "I need a bill that gives this country tremendous border security. I have to have that."
GOP leaders reached an agreement to hold two votes next week on a pair of immigration bills including a compromise immigration bill, which is the product of weeks of negotiations between moderate Republicans and conservatives, and a more hard-line immigration measure from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) earlier in the week said that Trump was excited about the compromise bill and seemed to be on board with the plan, which sticks to the four main "pillars" outlined by the White House.
White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, a hard-liner on immigration, told members of the Republican Study Committee earlier this week that the Trump White House expects to support both immigration bills coming to the House floor next week. ...
@#1 ... Trump reiterated Tuesday while signing a proclamation. "You can't let a bunch of lunatics have a nuclear weapon or the world would be in trouble." ...
Then why did Pres Trump tear up the agreement with Iran during his first term?