Adding to alarm over U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration plans, his “ border czar ” told The Washington Post in an interview published Thursday that the administration plans to return to detaining migrant families with children. Tom Homan, who served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, said that ICE “will look to hold parents with children in ‘soft-sided’ tent structures similar to those used by U.S. border officials to handle immigration surges,” the Post summarized. “The government will not hesitate to deport parents who are in the country illegally, even if they have young U.S.-born children, he added, leaving it to those families to decide whether to exit together or be split up.” Since Trump beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris last month, migrant rights advocates have reiterated concerns about the Republican’s first-term policies — such as forced separation of families — and his 2024 campaign pledges, from mass deportations to attempting to end birthright citizenship , despite the guarantees of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Homan — who oversaw the so-called “zero tolerance” policy that separated thousands of migrant kids from their parents — said: “Here’s the issue... You knew you were in the country illegally and chose to have a child. So you put your family in that position.” Harris and President Joe Biden have come under fire for various immigration policies, but their administration did stop family detention — and when it was reported last year that the White House was weighing a revival of the practice, 383 groups urged the president to keep the pledge he made when he took office “to pursue just, compassionate, and humane immigration policies.” Under Biden, the government ended mass worksite immigration raids and — eventually — the “ Remain in Mexico ” policy that stopped asylum-seekers from entering the United States. Homan told the Post that the next Trump administration should bring them back. Less than a month before Trump’s inauguration, Biden is now facing pressure to “use the power of the pen to protect those seeking sanctuary from the coming deportation machine that will crush the human rights of our immigrant neighbors and those who have dreams of finding refuge here,” as Amnesty International USA executive director Paul O’Brien put it earlier this month. The Post reported that “of all the border hard-liners in the incoming administration, Homan is perhaps the most cognizant of the limits of the government’s ability to deliver on promises of mass deportation — and the potential for a political backlash.” Those hard-liners include dog-killing Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security; family separation architect Stephen Miller, the president-elect’s homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff for policy; and Caleb Vitello, the next acting ICE director whom Miller previously tried to install at the Office of Refugee Resettlement. “We’re going to need to construct family facilities,” Homan told the newspaper. However, he also said: “We need to show the American people we can do this and not be inhumane about it... We can’t lose the faith of the American people.” Critics of the next administration have suggested that — although Trump won the Electoral College and the popular vote last month — pursuing the GOP immigration policies, including “ concentration camps ” for migrant families, will anger the public. “Decent people all over the world will hate this country... and they should,” media columnist and Brooklyn College professor Eric Alterman said on social media in response to the Post ’s reporting. Author and New York University adjunct associate professor Helio Fred Garcia said: “Trump’s next border czar previews performative cruelty. In the first term it included kidnapping of children from their parents and returning the parents to their home countries, with no record of which kids came from which parents. A crime against humanity.” Lee Gelernt, an ACLU attorney who has argued many major immigration cases, told the Post that “the incoming administration has refused to acknowledge the horrific damage it did to families and little children the first time around and seems determined to once again target families for gratuitous suffering.” “The public may have voted in the abstract for mass deportations,” he added, referring to the November election, “but I don’t think they voted for more family separation or unnecessary cruelty to children.”
I went temporarily blind: backpackers who survived Laos vodkaNORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Wenkers Wright ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns and No. 13 Illinois State knocked off North Dakota for the first time, 35-13 in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday. The Redbirds are 9-2 (6-2 Missouri Valley Conference) and are looking to reach the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019 and sixth time in Brock Spack's 16 seasons as head coach. Illinois State opened the game with some trickery. Eddie Kasper pulled up on a fleaflicker and launched a 30-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Loyd to cap a seven-play, 70-yard opening drive. Simon Romfo tied it on North Dakota's only touchdown of the day, throwing 20 yards to Nate DeMontagnac. Wright scored from the 10 to make it 14-7 after a quarter, and after C.J. Elrichs kicked a 20-yard field goal midway through the second to make it 14-10 at intermission, Wright powered in from the 18 and Mitch Bartol caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse to make it 28-10 after three. Seth Glatz added a 13-yard touchdown run to make it 35-10 before Elrichs added a 37-yard field goal to get the Fighting Hawks on the board to set the final margin. Rittenhouse finished 21 of 33 passing for 187 yards for Illinois State. Loyd caught eight passes for 121 yards. Romfo completed 11 of 26 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown with an interception for North Dakota (5-7, 2-6). Illinois State faced North Dakota for just the fourth time and third time as Missouri Valley Conference opponents. The Redbirds lost the previous three meetings. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Democrat Bob Casey concedes to Republican David McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate contestMercadoLibre ( NASDAQ: MELI ) shares traded in the green on Monday, making it the seventh consecutive day of gains. The stock closed up 4.8% at $$2,101.19. MELI rose about 38% in the last 12 months. YTD, the stock is trading up 30.7%, compared to the broader
NoneThe premeditated killing of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was very tragic and cannot be condoned. Many of the social media comments that followed were unusual in that they were angry, unsympathetic and vitriolic, recalling horror stories about insurance denials. Such responses bring into focus the failure of our health care system as it exists now. As a retired physician, I have been exposed to the system as both a physician and a patient. When I began my surgical career in the early 1970s, I was a “doctor,” not a “provider.” Almost all hospitals were nonprofit and run by altruistic-minded individuals and charities. Health care as a for-profit business was foreign. Not anymore. Here are some notable changes that have occurred in both the diseases and their management that must be recognized to understand its complexity. First, there has been a dramatic decrease in mortality from infectious diseases. As a result, we are living longer. This should be credited to the advent of vaccines and the effectiveness of antibiotics. Unfortunately, however, this success appears to have been taken for granted. A few very vocal and perhaps misinformed people are more focused on the side effects while disregarding the enormous benefits. If this significantly changes our acceptance of these advances, it likely will turn back the clock. Do we really want that? Second, our longer lifespans have led to to more chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It is important to recognize that these diseases are not really curable. While some may be preventable, most require lifelong management and expenditure. This new health care requirement has to be taken into account. Third and most important is the advent of “for-profit” heath care and its transformation into a “business.” Therein lies the conflict. Patients demand and deserve a service, while the business exists to make a profit. It is a source of great frustration and disenchantment for both patients and physicians. The middleman in this endeavor is the insurance industry. In order to remain profitable, insurance companies control costs by denying payments whenever possible. This is capitalism. And patient suffering is a cost of doing business. The brunt of this change is borne mostly by the middle class and the poor. Unlike other businesses, health care is neither discretionary nor elastic. You can't go shopping for a better price when you have chest pain. Of note, three of the stalwarts in American business — Warren Buffett, Jamie Dimon and Jeff Bezos — with thousands of employees set out to create an efficient health care system but failed miserably and quit. My plea to our leaders is to recognize these changes and treat health care as a human right and take appropriate action. One way would be to treat it as an essential service like the utilities — water and electricity are allowed to make a reasonable profit — and not unregulated businesses whose profit motives drive their actions. Otherwise, things will only get worse. Dr. P.R. Rajagopalan of Charleston is an emeritus professor of surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina.Polish prime minister's party picks Warsaw mayor as its candidate for president
Guwahati: Infrastructure projects valued at approximately Rs 1 lakh crore are at various stages of development, said chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, noting that the state govt has been endeavouring to secure approval for several projects by Feb 25. During a press briefing in New Delhi, Sarma revealed that discussions concerning numerous crucial infrastructure projects were deliberated in his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said, “The list of the projects is extensive. We have requested the PM to consider several key projects. The PM has assured us that the projects, albeit not all, would be undertaken.” Sarma disclosed that an express highway from Guwahati to Silchar in Barak Valley via Barapani in Meghalaya is being planned, with an estimated budget of Rs 25,000 crore. “Should this project receive central govt approval and implementation, the journey duration between Guwahati and Silchar will be substantially reduced. People will be able to travel to Silchar from Guwahati and return the same day. We have requested the PM’s consideration for this project,” he elaborated. He further mentioned that a new bridge spanning the Brahmaputra River, linking Morigaon district on the south bank and Darrang district on the north bank, is being envisioned. This was also discussed with the PM. Another significant project involves establishing direct train connectivity between Guwahati and Gelephu in Bhutan, which was also addressed during his meeting with the PM. Beyond these major initiatives, he said expanding the capacity of the Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd to five million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) from the current 2.7 MMTPA is another vital project discussed with the PM. He specified that the budget would be approximately Rs 9,000 crore. Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, an Indian Oil subsidiary, is situated in Assam’s Chirang district. The CM said efforts are underway for PM Modi to lay the foundation stone for the Guwahati ring-road and the bridge over the Brahmaputra connecting Narengi on the south bank and Kuruwa on the north bank during his February visit to the state. He also anticipated positive developments regarding the Gohpur-Numaligarh underwater tunnel and Kaziranga elevated corridor by Feb. We also published the following articles recently Guwahati-North Guwahati flyover to be complete in 6 months: Sarma Guwahati's new six-lane Brahmaputra River bridge, linking Bharalumukh and Majgaon, is nearing completion, with a projected inauguration between September and October 2024. This bridge will drastically cut travel time, and tolls will apply only to lorries and night super buses to manage city traffic. Sarma, Conrad inaugurates IISF at IIT-Guwahati The 10th India International Science Festival (IISF) commenced on Saturday at IIT-Guwahati, celebrating scientific advancements and collaboration. Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya, along with other dignitaries, inaugurated the event, which is supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences. Silchar 4-laning project nears completion Silchar's infrastructure receives a major boost with the ongoing conversion of a key two-lane road into a four-lane highway. Cachar DC Mridul Yadav recently inspected the Rangirkhari Point to Birbal Bazar stretch, assessing progress and preparations for the next phase. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .
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Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF) Shares Bought by Prospera Financial Services IncCHICAGO — Newly unsealed court records now link embattled Chicago rapper Lil Durk — already facing murder-for-hire charges in Los Angeles — to the fatal 2022 shooting of an alleged gang leader outside a community center on Chicago’s Far South Side. The warrant application was filed in April 2023 but was not unsealed until Wednesday, in advance of a scheduled Thursday detention hearing in Lil Durk’s murder-for-hire case. Lil Durk — born Devontay Durk Banks — was charged last month with funding a cross-country murder-for-hire plan to exact revenge for the 2020 killing of fellow Chicago rapper King Von in Atlanta. The newly unsealed filing in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges Banks was behind the Jan. 27, 2022 killing of Stephon Mack , 24, who was shot to death shortly after he exited the Youth Peace Center of Roseland on West 111th Street. At the time of his death, according to the FBI, Mack was the leader of the Smashville faction of the Gangster Disciples. Banks’ brother, Dontay Banks, was shot to death outside a nightclub in south suburban Harvey in 2021. According to the warrant application, another Gangster Disciples faction with ties to Smashville carried out the murder. “Lil Durk was and still is offering money for people to kill those responsible for his brother’s murder, and more specifically, offering to pay money for any Gangster Disciple that is killed,” a federal agent wrote in April 2023. Banks has not been charged in the Chicago investigation, which law enforcement sources told the Tribune is still open and active. Earlier this year, federal prosecutors in Chicago charged two men, Anthony Montgomery-Wilson and Preston Powell, with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in Mack’s killing. Banks, though, is not charged in Mack’s death. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are expected to point to the shooting as reason to keep Banks in police custody before trial. In probing Mack’s death, federal investigators analyzed jail phone calls, social media postings, firearms purchases, as well as lyrics from Lil Durk’s song “Ahhh Ha,” released about a month after the shooting. The warrant application goes on to say Montgomery-Wilson and Powell “may have exchanged text messages concerning payment for Mack’s murder.” Montgomery-Wilson was arrested on an unrelated charge a few weeks after Mack’s death. A detective with the New Lenox police department then applied for and was granted a warrant to search the contents of his cellphone. Investigators then discovered a two-person text message conversation that mentioned “OTF” — the rap consortium founded by Lil Durk that prosecutors have linked to the alleged murder-for-hire plot in Los Angeles. On Feb. 10, 2022, one of the people in the text conversation asked, “Wassup with otf,” to which the other person responded, “Nothing.” Eight days later, in the same conversation, another text message read, “Did durk gave (sic) u that money.” In a statement last week, Banks’ attorneys blasted the prosecution’s focus on Lil Durk’s music and noted his yearslong record of philanthropy in Chicago. “When you see an artist’s rap lyrics quoted as ‘evidence’ against them, it is a glaring indication that there is no real evidence against that person,” Banks’ attorneys said in a statement to the Tribune. “The real truth is that Durk Banks is a Grammy Award-winning artist, a dedicated father and a loving husband,” Banks’ attorneys added. “Mr. Banks has been intensely committed to giving back to the Chicago community he loves through his Neighborhood Heroes Foundation and has put on more than a dozen charitable events over the last few years. He is looking forward to fighting against these false allegations in court.” In mid-October, federal authorities charged five others in a plot to kill rapper Quando Rondo — born Tyquian Terrel Bowman — in retaliation for the November 2020 shooting death of King Von. Banks is accused of bankrolling the effort to kill Bowman.. Bowman, his sister and his cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, 24, were riding in Bowman’s black Cadillac Escalade near a gas station in West Hollywood in August 2022 when gunmen opened fire, according to the federal charges. Bowman and his sister were not injured, but Robinson was struck multiple times and killed. ©2024 Chicago Tribune. Visit at chicagotribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Maharashtra's politics: For Sharad Pawar, results raise questions about futureNORMAL, Ill. (AP) — Wenkers Wright ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns and No. 13 Illinois State knocked off North Dakota for the first time, 35-13 in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday. The Redbirds are 9-2 (6-2 Missouri Valley Conference) and are looking to reach the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019 and sixth time in Brock Spack's 16 seasons as head coach. Illinois State opened the game with some trickery. Eddie Kasper pulled up on a fleaflicker and launched a 30-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Loyd to cap a seven-play, 70-yard opening drive. Simon Romfo tied it on North Dakota's only touchdown of the day, throwing 20 yards to Nate DeMontagnac. Wright scored from the 10 to make it 14-7 after a quarter, and after C.J. Elrichs kicked a 20-yard field goal midway through the second to make it 14-10 at intermission, Wright powered in from the 18 and Mitch Bartol caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse to make it 28-10 after three. Seth Glatz added a 13-yard touchdown run to make it 35-10 before Elrichs added a 37-yard field goal to get the Fighting Hawks on the board to set the final margin. Rittenhouse finished 21 of 33 passing for 187 yards for Illinois State. Loyd caught eight passes for 121 yards. Romfo completed 11 of 26 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown with an interception for North Dakota (5-7, 2-6). Illinois State faced North Dakota for just the fourth time and third time as Missouri Valley Conference opponents. The Redbirds lost the previous three meetings. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Chandigarh: Amid the ongoing protest of the farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (KMM) leaders have written to President Droupadi Murmu seeking an appointment with her to discuss farmers issues. It may be recalled that a large number of farmers have been camping at the two borders named above under the aegis of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the KMM since February 13 last to press the Centre for their demands including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for the crops. They had also repeatedly attempted to take out their ``Delhi chalo’’ foot-march towards Delhi but were stopped by the Haryana police by lobbing teargas shells and using water cannons which left several farmers injured. The SKM leaders in their statement issued on Thursday said they had urged the President for an appointment at an early date and time convenient to her, to share with her farmers’ concerns on the precarious situation and the rising unrest among the farmers. VIDEO | Protesting farmers call for 'Punjab Bandh' on December 30; here's what Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said on this. "The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and Samyukta Kisan Morcha have announced a Punjab Bandh on 30th December. Emergency services will continue, and... pic.twitter.com/sb7zQCn0Ea VIDEO | Here's what Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan ( @Sandhwan ) said after meeting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal at Khanauri border. "PM Modi should set aside his ego, follow his 'Raj Dharma' and talk to the farmers who are giving their lives for the country.... pic.twitter.com/01MXjtU3kX ``In the context of the deteriorating health condition of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and on other pressing issues confronting farmers, farm workers and the agriculture sector, including the introduction of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, the farmers across the country has observed protest in districts across the country on 23rd December 2024 under the banner of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM)’’, the SKM leaders' letter read. ``Farmers across the country from more than 500 districts had submitted Memorandum to you (through District Magistrates) soliciting your urgent intervention to facilitate discussion between the Union Government and all the farmer organisations on the long pending genuine demands, the neglect to which has led to the present situation’’, it added. Meanwhile, the health of Dallewal, 70, who is a cancer patient and who has been on a fast-unto-death at Khanuari border since November 26, calling on the Centre to address the farmers’ demands, continued to worsen.Army-Navy game has added buzz
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