A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge's order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year. Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hanson from Helena, Montana.NoneARway.ai Announces Board Member ChangesJohn Howard and Karl Marx (Image: Private Media/Zennie) On the unhappiness of young Australians: Adam Ford writes: 91% more likely to experience loneliness than the over 75s — for whom loneliness has long been an established problem. I think it needs to be highlighted how far off the end of the scale those numbers are. The solution to this is obviously preventing young people from interacting or networking with others on social media. Obviously. I mean no doubt social media is a driver of the trend, but delaying access for a couple of years will do literally nothing. As already noted, building resilience (in people and in the systems) is the only effective policy approach. So of course we’ve gone down the other path. Jean M writes: Interesting article and report, but I’m wondering... why is there nothing about younger Australians’ intention to have children? I suspect the difference between older and younger Australians would be stark. Surely this is no peripheral issue. There is no society that doesn’t raise children. Lonelier, unhappier but more welcoming: Younger Australians are a different people altogether Read More Robert Reynolds writes: I think, if I remember correctly, Karl Marx predicted increasing levels of alienation and isolation in the community as capitalism became more exploitative and rapacious. So, I am not overly surprised that this survey finds that: “Young people are far more likely to feel loneliness” and “lack a sense of belonging”. The only mystery to me is that more people of all ages are not feeling the same. For example, I have had two uninvited telephone calls already today purportedly from financial institutions telling me that I have a substantial debit transaction ready to be deducted from my account and that I should press “1” to authorise it, or to press “2” to speak to an operator should I not want this to happen. One of these calls was from a bank that I have no association with whatsoever. Let me tell you, as an old geriatric, I absolutely do not feel “a sense of belonging” to a society that allows this and much worse to occur, and to occur as a matter of routine. I found it interesting to compare my own views and attitudes with those of young people. The only significant difference I could detect was that, unlike the young people, I want immigration to be virtually brought to a halt. The article was also interesting from the point of view that it helps me to better understand the kind of world that my grandchildren will be growing up in (provided the warmongers and assorted mass murderers in the Pentagon and Washington DC don’t destroy us all first). On Dutton’s Trumpian migrant rhetoric: Marilyn Hoban writes: Peter Dutton has spent the last two years blaming migrants for all the ills facing Australia from housing to traffic congestion, knowing full well that he is only scaremongering. Recently we had the privilege of visiting my granddaughter’s school fete. Her school is a bilingual Spanish-English school catering to local Australians and those from South and Central America. The atmosphere was vibrant, from the Colombian, Mexican and Spanish food on offer to the music being performed by local choirs and the involvement of the whole school community. It was a magnificent snapshot of what immigration can do for this country. Well-thought-out immigration policies enrich us all. Vera Poole writes: I suggest everyone should read Gareth Hutchens’ “Does Australia have much control over temporary migration“ on ABC to realise that there are no easy solutions. Temporary migration (I’m not opposed to it) is very much at the centre of the difficulties faced by current, previous and future governments of whatever persuasion and composition. Dutton copies Trump on foreign students as Labor’s migration failure becomes clear Read More Tony McIntyre writes: John Howard tripled migration over twenty years ago and we have had a turbo-charged immigration program ever since. It was about twenty years ago when house prices started to skyrocket. That is not a coincidence. This massive immigration program was meant to supply workers. The reality is that it has increased demand for workers more than it has supplied workers. The economic benefits are grossly over-exaggerated — I read a report that suggested they average about zero. Some people and organisations benefit hugely but the rest of us are left with the costs. It seems John Howard was wrong when he said “we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances under which they come.” It appears that it is the universities and property developers who decide. Economists live in a fantasy world where resources are infinite. When I was at university the long-term sustainable population for Australia was calculated at 18 million. On militarised policing against protesters: Andi writes: Remember Battlestar Galactica ? Captain William Adama: “There’s a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.”
Musk Loses, Trial Lawyers WinRuling on Monday after an emergency hearing at Belfast High Court, judge Mr Justice McAlinden rejected loyalist activist Jamie Bryson’s application for leave for a full judicial review hearing against Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn. The judge said Mr Bryson, who represented himself as a personal litigant, had “very ably argued” his case with “perseverance and cogency”, and had raised some issues of law that caused him “some concern”. However, he found against him on the three grounds of challenge against Mr Benn. Mr Bryson had initially asked the court to grant interim relief in his challenge to prevent Tuesday’s democratic consent motion being heard in the Assembly, pending the hearing of a full judicial review. However, he abandoned that element of his leave application during proceedings on Monday, after the judge made clear he would be “very reluctant” to do anything that would be “trespassing into the realms” of a democratically elected Assembly. Mr Bryson had challenged Mr Benn’s move to initiate the democratic consent process that is required under the UK and EU’s Windsor Framework deal to extend the trading arrangements that apply to Northern Ireland. The previously stated voting intentions of the main parties suggest that Stormont MLAs will vote to continue the measures for another four years when they convene to debate the motion on Tuesday. After the ruling, Mr Bryson told the court he intended to appeal to the Court of Appeal. Any hearing was not expected to come later on Monday. In applying for leave, the activist’s argument was founded on three key grounds. The first was the assertion that Mr Benn failed to make sufficient efforts to ensure Stormont’s leaders undertook a public consultation exercise in Northern Ireland before the consent vote. The second was that the Secretary of State allegedly failed to demonstrate he had paid special regard to protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK customs territory in triggering the vote. The third ground centred on law changes introduced by the previous UK government earlier this year, as part of its Safeguarding the Union deal to restore powersharing at Stormont. He claimed that if the amendments achieved their purpose, namely, to safeguard Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom, then it would be unlawful to renew and extend post-Brexit trading arrangements that have created economic barriers between the region and the rest of the UK. In 2023, the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the trading arrangements for Northern Ireland are lawful. The appellants in the case argued that legislation passed at Westminster to give effect to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement conflicted with the 1800 Acts of Union that formed the United Kingdom, particularly article six of that statute guaranteeing unfettered trade within the UK. The Supreme Court found that while article six of the Acts of Union has been “modified” by the arrangements, that was done with the express will of a sovereign parliament, and so therefore was lawful. Mr Bryson contended that amendments made to the Withdrawal Agreement earlier this year, as part of the Safeguarding the Union measures proposed by the Government to convince the DUP to return to powersharing, purport to reassert and reinforce Northern Ireland’s constitutional status in light of the Supreme Court judgment. He told the court that it was “quite clear” there was “inconsistency” between the different legal provisions. “That inconsistency has to be resolved – there is an arguable case,” he told the judge. However, Dr Tony McGleenan KC, representing the Government, described Mr Bryson’s argument as “hopeless” and “not even arguable”. He said all three limbs of the case had “no prospect of success and serve no utility”. He added: “This is a political argument masquerading as a point of constitutional law and the court should see that for what it is.” After rising to consider the arguments, Justice McAlinden delivered his ruling shortly after 7pm. The judge dismissed the application on the first ground around the lack consultation, noting that such an exercise was not a “mandatory” obligation on Mr Benn. On the second ground, he said there were “very clear” indications that the Secretary of State had paid special regard to the customs territory issues. On the final ground, Justice McAlinden found there was no inconsistency with the recent legislative amendments and the position stated in the Supreme Court judgment. “I don’t think any such inconsistency exists,” he said. He said the amendments were simply a “restatement” of the position as set out by the Supreme Court judgment, and only served to confirm that replacing the Northern Ireland Protocol with the Windsor Framework had not changed the constitutional fact that Article Six of the Acts of Union had been lawfully “modified” by post-Brexit trading arrangements. “It does no more than that,” he said. The framework, and its predecessor the NI Protocol, require checks and customs paperwork on goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland. Under the arrangements, which were designed to ensure no hardening of the Irish land border post-Brexit, Northern Ireland continues to follow many EU trade and customs rules. This has proved highly controversial, with unionists arguing the system threatens Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom. Advocates of the arrangements say they help insulate the region from negative economic consequences of Brexit. A dispute over the so-called Irish Sea border led to the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022, when the DUP withdrew then-first minister Paul Givan from the coalition executive. The impasse lasted two years and ended in January when the Government published its Safeguarding the Union measures. Under the terms of the framework, a Stormont vote must be held on articles five to 10 of the Windsor Framework, which underpin the EU trade laws in force in Northern Ireland, before they expire. The vote must take place before December 17. Based on the numbers in the Assembly, MLAs are expected to back the continuation of the measures for another four years, even though unionists are likely to oppose the move. DUP leader Gavin Robinson has already made clear his party will be voting against continuing the operation of the Windsor Framework. Unlike other votes on contentious issues at Stormont, the motion does not require cross-community support to pass. If it is voted through with a simple majority, the arrangements are extended for four years. In that event, the Government is obliged to hold an independent review of how the framework is working. If it wins cross-community support, which is a majority of unionists and a majority of nationalists, then it is extended for eight years. The chances of it securing such cross-community backing are highly unlikely.
The Onion's bid to buy Infowars goes before judge as Alex Jones tries stopping sale
The first scientific conference of the Qatari Society for Family and Community Medicine began in Doha Friday. The two-day conference brings together more than 600 healthcare professionals to discuss the best and latest practices in family and community medicine. It also highlights the latest advancements and challenges faced in this field.The event features the participation of over 40 experts from Qatar and abroad, enriching discussions and sharing insights with healthcare workers in Qatar and the region. On the sidelines of the conference, there is an exhibition showcasing the latest scientific advancements in family and community medicine by sponsors and supporting organisations. Additionally, there is another exhibition featuring over 40 research abstracts focusing on studies and solutions to the challenges commonly faced in the family and community medicine sector. Chairperson of the Qatari Society for Family and Community Medicine Dr Samia al-Abdullah said that the conference aims to stimulate innovation and explore best practices in the field through the integration of artificial intelligence, precision medicine, and advanced technologies to revolutionise care and improve patient outcomes. She added that participants aim to foster a culture of patient safety and ethical decision-making among family and community medicine providers, emphasising emotional intelligence and psychological safety in the workplace. She also highlighted the importance of research and its opportunities for advancing family and community medicine by focusing on significant studies and encouraging evidence-based guidelines. Dr al-Abdullah expressed pride in the society’s contribution to showcasing a large number of distinguished Qatari professionals who enrich the discussions and share their experiences and recommendations. Over 100 Qatari doctors specialising in family and community medicine from various sectors in the country have registered for the conference. Dr Amal al-Ali, Chair of the Scientific Committee, stated that the speakers would provide updates on managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and chronic pain, with a focus on family medicine practices and reviews. She noted that the conference offers hands-on training and clinical workshops in essential diagnostic skills, including ECG interpretation, clinical advice in family and community medicine, the impact of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) on diabetes care, and medical ethics. Among the panel discussions, practitioners will be equipped with tools to identify, assess, and treat anxiety disorders, depression, and sleep disorders, enhancing mental health care in family and community medicine. She also highlighted a competition for the best research abstracts presented at the research exhibition, which includes over 40 scientific studies submitted by numerous healthcare professionals across various specialities, focusing on advancements in family and community medicine. The Qatari Society for Family and Community Medicine is a non-profit professional organisation under the umbrella of the Qatar Medical Association. Its primary goal is to enhance the scientific and practical skills of doctors while promoting community engagement to increase public awareness. Related Story Alfardan Medical with Northwestern Medicine provides outstanding healthcare in Qatar Shura Council participates in Baku climate conferenceNone
No ruling by 9th Circuit in Ex-Councilmember Mark Ridley Thomas’ appeal(The Center Square) – Christians helped push President-elect Donald Trump across the finish line on Election Day, a survey found. Trump received the majority of the Christian vote, while Vice President Kamala Harris received the majority of the non-Christian vote. This is according to a report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, which surveyed 2,000 voting-age adults nationally. The election was a historic comeback for Republicans on many fronts, with Trump being the first Republican to win the popular vote vote in over two decades. Among self-identified Christians, Trump also received 56% of their votes, compared to the 60% Harris received from non-Christians. Yet, because the majority of voters still identify as Christians, Trump had a larger share of the vote. “Although Harris won a larger share of the non-Christian vote than Trump’s share of the Christian votes, Christians outnumbered non-Christian voters by more than a 5 to 2 margin – delivering the decisive Nov. 5 victory to President Trump,” the report said. “Not only did most of Trump’s votes come from Christians, but they gave him a 17 million vote cushion over Harris, which proved to be an insurmountable lead.” Christians represented 72% of the voters who turned out. The report also found that Catholics had record-high turnout, despite overall voter and Christian voter turnout being well below what it was in 2020. While voter turnout was lower than 2020 in most of the Christian subgroups polled, 70% of Catholics reported voting compared to 2020’s 67%. Voters with a “biblical worldview” also voted at a higher percentage, up to 67% in 2024 from 2020’s 64%. Just days before the election, Trump predicted that Harris would struggle with the Catholic vote on Election Day. More from this section “Kamala Harris has finally lost the Catholic vote,” he said on social media on Oct. 25. “Her and the Democrats persecution of the Catholic Church is unprecedented! Her poll numbers have dropped like a rock, both with Catholics, and otherwise.” While many politicos expressed concerns that Trump’s moderate pro-life stance would disenfranchise Christian and anti-abortion voters, it seems to have much less of an impact than expected. In fact, Trump pointed to Harris’ abortion stance as pushing Catholics toward voting for him. “Kamala is demanding late-term abortion, in months seven, eight, and nine, and even execution after birth, and people aren’t buying it – and they never will,” the former president said . The report found that 20% of Christians selected abortion as the most-consequential issue this election, with inflation (38%) and immigration (34%) receiving even higher percentages. Yet, potentially even more impactful on the election than the increase in the Catholic vote was the significant drop in non-Christian turnout, even higher than those reported in Christian subgroups. The report found that adults “associated with a faith other than Christianity” and “adults who have no religious faith” had a massive drop in turnout from 2020, dropping 12% and 9% respectively. With both of these groups historically supporting Democratic candidates, this cratering in support likely had a significant impact on Harris’ chances of winning. George Barna, who serves as the director of research at the Cultural Research Center and led the survey, said Trump’s boost with Christians was just too much for Harris. “Americans forget that two-thirds of adults in this nation consider themselves to be Christians,” Barna said . “Donald Trump, for all of his perceived and ridiculed faults, did a better job than did Kamala Harris of representing hallowed Christian characteristics such as the importance and support of family, the rule of law, limited government authority, financial responsibility, and the like.”
The University of Maine’s fifth-ranked hockey team erupted for four third-period goals en route to a 6-0 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at the Houston Field House in Troy, NY on Saturday afternoon. Graduate student center and co-captain Lynden Breen had a hat trick and an assist to lead the way but he sustained a lower body injury in the third period and had to leave the game. Sophomore right wing Charlie Russell, senior center Harrison Scott and sophomore defenseman Frank Djurasevic had the other Black Bear goals and sophomore goalie Albin Boija made 16 saves in posting his third shutout of the season. UMaine improved to 9-2-2 overall and will take a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1) into Sunday’s 3 p.m. series finale. RPI fell to 5-5-1. Russell scored what proved to be the game-winner 9:37 into the game, his fourth goal of the season, as he beat graduate student goaltender Noah Giesbrecht with a backhander from the bottom of the right faceoff circle. Owen Fowler and Breen assisted on the play. Breen scored his third of the season 25 seconds into the middle period when he took a short pass from Fowler and roofed a backhander from 12 feet out. Breen added his second and third goals 1:55 apart early in the third period with the second coming on the power play. Scott and Djurasevic also scored on the power play to sew up the win. Scott’s goal was his seventh and Djurasevic notched his third. RIP’s Giesbrecht made 38 saves on 44 shots before Carsonm Dorfman replaced him and stopped all six shots he faced. UMaine outshot RPI 50-16. Russell and Djurasevic each had an assist to go with their goals and Josh Nadeau, Sully Scholle and Fowler had two assists apiece. More articles from the BDNBy MEAD GRUVER and AMY BETH HANSON, Associated Press A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge’s order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year. Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hanson from Helena, Montana.
Kyrie Irving had 32 points, six assists and seven rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-119 on Monday night without star Luka Doncic. Jaden Hardy had a season-high 23 points in his first start of the season for Dallas, which has won five of six. Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie had 22 points each. Irving had 10 points at halftime after being stifled by Hawks guard Dyson Daniels but heated up in the second half, including a stretch where he hit five consecutive field goals. Doncic missed his third straight game with a right wrist strain. Jalen Johnson had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who have lost four of five. Trae Young had 18 points and 16 assists.
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West Coast Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs is expanding her advocacy groups to suppress the mainstream public’s criticism of her mass migration policies. Immigration Hub “will expand its scope to counter far-right disinformation campaigns and push for critical policy solutions, including reforms to Section 230 of the [Internet-related] Communications Decency Act, to build safer online spaces and AI technology,” said a December 3 statement by her new group, Catalyze/Citizens. Her demand for changes in the Internet law suggests that she would use her social ties in Silicon Valley, her advocacy, and her lawyers to suppress mainstream public criticism of the nation’s wealth-shifting Extraction Migration policies. But that plan would require a new anti-free-speech law from Congress or a remarkable decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. The statement added: Through these efforts, C/C aims to champion and elect pro-immigrant leaders, mobilize uncommon allies, and drive narrative interventions that protect immigrant communities and strengthen democratic values. “Ms. Powell Jobs , whose late husband was the Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, controls a fortune worth $11 billion and has an array of interests in which she invests,” the New York Times reported on November 30. The newspaper added: She took a big swing [against Trump] herself during the election. A top aide of hers circulated polling data to help nudge President Biden out of the race, and Ms. Powell Jobs quietly contributed millions to an organization backing Ms. Harris. The group’s blame-the-narrative campaign echoes the view of many pro-migration groups that Donald Trump won the election by manipulating the voters via distorted media reports. That claim sidelines the evidence that voters recognize the vast economic and civic damage caused by the elite-driven desire for the extraction of many more foreign blue-collar and white-collar workers, renters, and consumers from poor countries. President Joe Biden’s underfunded migrati0n “was a complete narrative disaster to the public,” said Andrea Flores, the chief lobbyist at Mark Zuckberg’s FWD.us pro-migration group. She lamented to an invited audience of progressives who gathered in a D.C. cinema on November 19 that: Lack of [a pro-migration] narrative ... led everyone to hear the consistent message that Trump had been saying for eight years ... that immigration was the cause of every domestic problem, whether it was housing, whether it was the price of goods. The same message is broadcast by Powell Jobs’ Immigration Hub group, which is to be headed by a career activist, Beatriz Lopez : Under my leadership, the Hub will expand its mission to tackle the source of disinformation by championing policies and solutions that ensure social media responsibility and online and AI safety. Creating the conditions for humane immigration reform means we can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines of a critical debate on tech regulations, or fail to compete against the enormous volume and spending on anti-immigrant marketing. “Catalyze/Citizens emerged from a clear conviction – we need a robust response that matches, competes and wins against the extreme right’s anti-immigrant, anti-democratic narratives. To that end, we are committed to driving major advocacy campaigns to hold accountable Trump and his allies and elect leaders who will champion humane immigration policies and regulations to safeguard against dangerous online disinformation. The group also released a report showing Kamala Harris’s campaign was reluctant to tout their migration policy during the 2024 election, while Donald Trump was eager to tout its failures: From January to October 2024, Republican and Democratic candidates, PACs, and allied groups spent a staggering $680.5 million on immigration-focused television ads across 12 battleground presidential and senate states. Republican spending accounted for a dominant 84% ($573 million) of this total, with Democrats dedicating $107 million (16%) on immigration messaging. The stakes of the presidential election intensified these investments, surpassing the GOP’s significant anti-immigrant ad spend of 2022, where $171 million was spent to frame immigration as a national threat. But the muted response by the Harris campaign was driven by a recognition that citizens increasingly oppose the elite-driven, wealth-shifting mass migration policies that Harris supported. “There has been such a desire to tamp down the border debate [that] there’s been less of an ability to pivot to other parts of the immigration debate that could be helpful,” Carlos Odio, senior vice president for research at the polling firm Equis, told The Atlantic . On November 28. Breitbart reported on the growing effort by pro-migration groups to shift blame for their self-imposed political disaster onto Trump’s “narrative” trickery. “The problem is not their messaging — the problem is the substance of their [pro-migration] policy and its consequences,” responded Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies: The administration and its allies in the media and elsewhere had almost complete control over shaping the way people perceive this [migration] phenomenon, and they’ve failed to do that [succesfully] because the reality overwhelmed their ability to dress it up. There’s only so much you can do through press releases. If community centers are being shut down because they need to be filled with [more] illegal aliens, there’s no narrative that’s going to make that palatable to people. When somebody is released into the United States by the government, is put up in a hotel for free, and then is flown to Atlanta for free, and then goes and murders somebody , there’s no covering that up. However, the investor-backed pro-migration groups have a major incentive to shift the blame for the election result that also damaged their allies in the progressive wing of the Democrat Party. So far, the party’s advocacy groups for causes related to climate, transgenderism, cities, foreign policy, racial balancing, and diversity, have not blamed the pro-migration gorups. But the Immigraiton Hub press statement also boasted of the resources it has been spending to promote more migration into Americans’ communities: Since its founding in 2017, the Immigration Hub has played a central role in advancing fair and humane immigration policies by activating over 400 partner organizations, educating and equipping elected leaders at all levels, and driving innovative advocacy campaigns. Extraction Migration Since at least 1990, the federal government has quietly adopted a policy of Extraction Migration to grow the consumer economy after Congress voted to help investors move the high-wage manufacturing sector to lower-wage countries. The migration policy extracts vast amounts of human resources from needy countries. The additional workers, white-collar graduates , consumers, and renters push up stock values by shrinking Americans’ wages , subsidizing low-productivity companies , boosting rents , and spiking real estate prices . The little-recognized economic policy has loosened the economic and civic feedback signals that animate a stable economy and democracy. It has pushed many native-born Americans out of careers in a wide variety of business sectors, reduced Americans’ productivity and political clout , slowed high-tech innovation , shrunk trade , crippled civic solidarity , and incentivized government officials and progressives to ignore the rising death rate of discarded , low-status Americans . Donald Trump’s campaign team recognizes the economic impact of migration. Biden’s unpopular policy is “flooding America’s labor pool with millions of low-wage illegal migrants who are directly attacking the wages and opportunities of hard-working Americans,” said a May statement from Trump’s campaign. The secretive economic policy also sucks jobs and wealth from heartland states by subsidizing coastal investors and government agencies with a flood of low-wage workers, high-occupancy renters, and government-aided consumers. Similar policies have damaged citizens and economies in Canada and the United Kingdom . China, however, has grown its economy by emphasizing productivity and manufacturing. The colonialism-like migration policy has also damaged small nations and has killed hundreds of Americans and thousands of migrants , including many on the taxpayer-funded jungle trail through the Darien Gap in Panama.SPARKS — Leaders managing the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest are pursuing a project that would help reduce the risk of fires in mountainous areas of Elko and White Pine counties. The East Humboldt and Ruby Mountains Fuels Reduction and Landscape Resilience Project would help the mountainous ecosystems by providing about 20,000 acres of fuels treatments per year to a range of 245,537 acres. Public comments will be accepted through Dec. 5. The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest office provided some details on the scale and purpose of the project. “Fire has long played a role in the Great Basin, including the East Humboldt and Ruby Mountains. Currently, fires burn too intensely compared to historical fires. Several factors have contributed to this change, including an increase in human-caused fires and invasive species such as cheatgrass that result in larger, more intense fires,” according to a statement from the national forest office. Public comments on the project will be accepted through Dec. 5, 2024. Project documents are available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=65063 . For more information, contact Fuels Specialist Aryn Hayden at 775-296-1107 or aryn.hayden@usda.gov . To learn about defensible space, visit: https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=5522 To learn about Nevada Shared Stewardship, visit: https://forestry.nv.gov/natural-resource-management/shared-stewardship . “The Forest Service is focused on the East Humboldt and Ruby Mountains for this project due to the numerous large-scale fires that have burned across this landscape and continuing risk of future large-scale fires that could result in loss of homes, property, infrastructure, natural resources and critical wildlife habitat.” The project is intended to benefit the Elko Front, which includes 20 rural communities at high risk of catastrophic wildfire due to a variety of unwanted factors, the office noted. It noted how wildfires can start easily and spread rapidly thanks to the density of fuel, declining forest health, noxious weed infestations, drought conditions and man-made fires. “These conditions pose a significant threat to communities and the natural environment due to the combination of readily available fuel, dry conditions and potential ignition sources,” according to the statement. “Elko County Fire Protection District, Nevada Department of Forestry and Nevada Department of Wildlife are cooperating agencies on this project, providing specialized feedback and input as we develop and plan fuels treatment strategies,” the office noted. “Managing fuels means rearranging and removing vegetation to reduce the amount of fuel available to feed a wildfire.” Safeguarding an area against wildfires can include several tactics, such as “using chainsaws or heavy equipment to thin trees, reducing grasses and shrubs with mowing or focused grazing with livestock and using prescribed fire under favorable conditions to reduce grasses, shrubs and trees,” the office said. “This project aims to pinpoint the most effective fuels treatment strategies for specific areas.” The forest office said officials also seek to address urban areas’ lack of defensible space in order to prevent wildfires. “Lack of defensible space means there is little to no break in burnable material,” like sagebrush, grass or trees, “between an area that can burn in the event of a wildfire and someone’s home, increasing the difficulty for firefighters to safely defend a home or structure from a wildfire.” Creating more defensible space around a house can look like planting a green, well-watered yard around a house or covering the yard in gravel. “Wildfires do not stop at fences or land boundary signs, and firefighting requires full cooperation and collaboration of partners to protect our communities and natural resources,” the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest office said. “As with firefighting, we rely on our partners working together cooperatively to accomplish fuels projects and reduce fire risk across the Elko Front. Through the Nevada Shared Stewardship Agreement, the Forest Service works with federal and state agencies, tribal governments, local agencies and private landowners to identify shared priorities and achieve landscape-scale conservation goals.” Originally signing the agreement in 2019, the partners reaffirmed it on Nov. 15. “By combining resources and expertise, Nevada Shared Stewardship works to address complex environmental issues including wildfire risk across jurisdictional boundaries on a larger scale than any single entity could manage alone,” the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest office stated. “We are working diligently to complete this planning effort so we can begin implementing treatments on the ground next year and meet the goals of this project. Several challenges that we navigate on a regular basis to keep momentum and continue forward include an ever-fluctuating workforce, increasing cost of fuels work, dwindling budgets, private land access and future large-scale fires that happen before work can occur.” The project is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the office noted. Officials said they are exploring other funding options to use as backup, “while simultaneously seeking new collaborative partnerships to collectively manage this landscape and advance project goals over the coming years.” “To effectively foster a resilient landscape for generations to come, we require the active collaboration, innovative ideas and ongoing feedback from all our partnering agencies, stakeholders, local Tribal partners and the public,” the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest office said. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. 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