Israel committed genocide against Palestinians: Amnesty
Gov. Tina Kotek dropped plans to designate rural land near Hillsboro for industrial development on Friday as Oregon’s odds of winning a federally backed semiconductor research hub before a looming statutory deadline all but vanished. The state has been pursuing the major research site since Congress authorized the CHIPS Act in 2022 and had been eyeing 373 acres south of U.S. 26 for the project. Political and business leaders hoped a National Semiconductor Technology Center could have cemented Oregon’s leadership role in technology research and brought nearly $1 billion in federal dollars to the state. They sought to expand the Portland area’s urban growth boundary to make room for the facility, using special gubernatorial authority that expires at the end of 2024. Friday’s decision is a tacit acknowledgement that Oregon’s chances of landing the site have faded and that time was running out to use Senate Bill 4, the state law that granted Kotek authority to designate rural land for the chip sector. It’s a major defeat for Oregon’s strategy to boost the state’s semiconductor industry, one of the region’s major economic engines. “With two of the three NSTC facilities already determined and the third not yet announced, Gov. Kotek believes that there is not a legal path forward to bring additional acreage into the Hillsboro UGB,” the governor’s office said in a written statement Friday. “The governor believes that for the long-term success of Oregon’s economy, there may be a need for more industrial land outside of existing UGBs, but the constraints of Senate Bill 4 limit her authority at this time.” A federal research hub had been a top priority for Intel and for Oregon economic development boosters . At one time it seemed the state was a frontrunner to land one of the three projects. But the first two research sites went to upstate New York and to Silicon Valley. It’s not clear that the Biden administration will designate a third site before the president’s term ends next month, or that the incoming Trump administration would stand by any decision made by its predecessor. Intel , which had championed the CHIPS Act and Oregon’s candidacy for a research hub, has lost much of its political influence in Washington, D.C. The chipmaker replaced its CEO last month and Intel’s own future is now in doubt as sales flag and the company’s market position deteriorates. Kotek’s decision Friday to leave the farmland’s rural designation in place doesn’t officially end Oregon’s bid for a research hub. But if the Commerce Department suddenly took a renewed interest in Oregon, it would now have to find an alternate site or secure fresh authorization from the state Legislature.
Mills’ absence means another hill to climb for ND’s top unitUniversity of Michigan will no longer use diversity statements in faculty hiring, promotion, tenureThe ruling party pushed through a constitutional reform in September to make all federal judges stand for election, replacing the system where court employees and lawyers mainly move up through the ranks. Current court employees and their supporters have staged dozens of demonstrations against the reforms, calling them part of a ruling-party campaign to weaken checks and balances and eliminate independent regulatory and oversight bodies. Now, candidates for Supreme Court seats and federal judgeships need only a law degree, a grade point average of 3.2, “five years of professional experience” and five letters of recommendation from neighbors or friends. That, and some luck in the final drawing. Officials rejected criticism that has called the process rushed or amateurish for the often highly technical posts that can hear cases including intellectual property, organized crime and Constitutional law. “The results have been spectacular,” said Arturo Zaldivar, a top advisor to President Claudia Sheinbaum. According to the plan, evaluation committees will have just over a month to review thousands of resumes and whittle the field to about 10 candidates or less for each for the 881 judgeships and nine seats on the Supreme Court. Then 1,793 names chosen at random from those selected will appear on the ballot on June 1. Critics warn that many who land on the ballot will be unknowns who perhaps have never argued a case in the courts they seek to run. “You don’t elect a doctor or a surgeon for an operation based on their popularity, you elect them based on their technical expertise, their ability, their knowledge,” said Sergio Méndez Silva, the legal coordinator for the civic group Foundation for Justice. “That also applies for a judge.” With candidates now having to run election campaigns, critics warn there's a chance drug cartels or political parties could finance them to get friendly judges onto the bench. There are also concerns that the evaluation committees deciding who makes the cut for the selection to appear on ballots may not be impartial. Most committee members were appointed by the legislative or executive branches, controlled by the ruling Morena party. Some critics argue that the current justice system, which is riddled with nepotism, corruption and a lack of accountability, needs to be changed. “We need a justice system that gives results,” said Martínez Garza, an academic and former head of the human rights commission in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon who has registered to run for a Supreme Court seat. Trials in Mexico can last for years, and the ruling party has added to the growing list of crimes for which bail is not allowed, meaning that a large percentage of the prison population is people awaiting trial.
Conference title games a chance at a banner, bragging rights and, for some, a season-wrecking lossNordson executive vice president sells $82,657 in stock
By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees after a weeks-long delay. The step lets Trump transition aides and future administration staffers obtain security clearances before Inauguration Day to access classified information about ongoing government programs, an essential step for a smooth transiton of power. It also allows those nominees who are up for Senate confirmation to face the background checks lawmakers want before voting on them. Teams of investigators have been standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers. “This agreement with the Department of Justice will ensure President Trump and his team are ready on Day 1 to begin enacting the America First Agenda that an overwhelming majority of our nation supported on Election Day,” said Susie Wiles, Trump’s designate to be White House chief of staff. Related Articles The announcement comes a week after the Trump transition team signed an agreement with the Biden White House to allow transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on Jan. 20. The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House had issued both public and private appeals for Trump’s team to sign on. Security clearances are required to access classified information, including on ongoing operations and threats to the nation, and the Biden White House and outside experts have emphasized to Trump’s team the importance of having cleared personnel before Inauguration Day so they could be fully briefed and ready to run the government. Republican Senators have also insisted on FBI background checks for Trump’s nominees before they face confirmation votes, as has been standard practice for decades. Lawmakers have been particularly interested in seeing the findings of reviews into Trump’s designated nominee for defense secretary, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. “That’s why it’s so important that we have an FBI background check, a committee review of extensive questions and questionnaires, and a public hearing,” said. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine on Monday. John Thune, the incoming Senate Republican leader, said the Trump team “understands there’s going to have to be a thorough vetting of all these nominees.” AP congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed.