List of All Articles with Tag 'erica'

Thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday against contentious plans by their hard-line government to overhaul the judiciary, as the protest campaign showed no signs of abating nearly five months on. The main protest took place in Tel Aviv, Israel’s economic hub on the Mediterranean, with smaller other rallies across the country. Last Saturday, organizers of the grassroot demonstration cancelled the weekly protest due to security concerns as Israel traded fire with militants in the Gaza Strip. The protesters want the plans that were proposed by the most hard-line government in Israel’s history to be scrapped rather than delayed as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in March. Earlier this week, Israel’s president hosted representatives of the government and opposition parties for talks about the legal changes as parties tried to reach a compromise. The plans plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises, ripping open longstanding societal rifts and creating new ones. While the freeze in the legislation eased tensions somewhat, Netanyahu’s allies are pushing him to move ahead on the overhaul. Proponents of the plan, which would weaken the Supreme Court and limit judicial oversight on legislation and government decisions, say it is necessary to rein in what they say is an interventionist court and restore power to elected lawmakers. Opponents say it would upset Israel’s delicate system of checks and balances and imperil its democratic fundamentals. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, faced a barrage of criticism over the legal plan from a broad swath of Israeli society, including business leaders, the booming tech sector and military reservists, who threatened not to show up for duty if the plan was approved Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

After an epic filibuster that blocked legislation for nearly three months, state lawmakers in Nebraska approved a Republican-led ban on abortion care at roughly 10 weeks of pregnancy, combined with a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The extraordinary maneuvers in the smallest legislative body in the country have drawn national attention, as lawmakers across the United States take up a wave of bills targeting abortion rights and LGBT+ people. Protesters surrounded the state capitol chambers in Lincoln on 19 May chanting “keep your bans off our bodies” and “save our lives” as lawmakers made their final round of votes on the bill, which now heads to the desk of Republican Governor Jim Pillen, who intends to sign it into law. At least six protesters were arrested. At a show in Nebraska hours after the vote on Friday night, the artist Lizzo lambasted the legislation from the stage. “It really breaks my heart that there are young people growing up in a world that doesn’t protect them,” she said. “Don’t let anyone tell you who you are. ... These laws are not real. You are what’s real, and you deserve to be protected.” LGBT+ advocates and abortion rights groups have also signalled they are prepared to sue the state to block the measure once it is signed into law. “To be clear, we refuse to accept this as our new normal,” according to a statement from ACLU of Nebraska interim director Mindy Rush Chipman. “This vote will not be the final word. We are actively exploring our options to address the harm of this extreme legislation, and that work will have our team’s full focus. This is not over, not by a long shot.” The legislation directs the state’s chief medical officer – appointed by the Republican governor – to draft the rules for how young trans people and their families can access nonsurgical affirming healthcare. It also bans abortion at 12 weeks gestational age, or roughly nine or 10 weeks, from fertilization. The bill’s passage comes roughly three months after a group of LGBT+ and abortion rights-supporting lawmakers launched a filibuster to block any legislation from advancing in the state’s unicameral legislature until a measure banning gender-affirming care was withdrawn, or until time ran out in the 90-day session. Last month, the filibuster successfully blocked a measure from anti-abortion lawmakers to ban abortion at roughly six weeks of pregnancy. Attaching another anti-abortion measure to the gender-affirming care ban gave proponents of the bill a second chance of advancing both. Opponents forcefully opposed the inclusion of an abortion ban in a bill targeting gender-affirming care, two wholly separate issues combined into one, “but you all don’t care”, state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, who launched the filibuster effort in February, told lawmakers this week. “I wish the people in here cared about what they’re doing to people, but they don’t,” she said during debate. “Why are you doing this to our kids? Why are you doing this to our doctors? … Please stop.” State Sen. Megan Hunt, the first openly LGBT+ person elected to the state’s legislature, lambasted a Republican colleague who complained that she was missing her grandson graduate from preschool so she could vote on the bill. Ms Hunt, who changed her party affiliation from Democratic to Independent during this legislative session, also is the mother of a 12-year-old trans son. “If you want to see your grandson graduate from preschool, you should do that,” Ms Hunt told Republican state Sen Lou Ann Linehan. “Instead, you are here to drag out this session because you won’t come off this bill that hurts my son,” she said on 18 May. “You hate him more than you love your own family. And that’s why you’re here. … I am not asking you to sit here through late nights to vote on these bills that we’re dragging out. I’m asking you to love your family more than you hate mine.” She also eviscerated another lawmaker, state Sen. Ray Aguilar, who took issue with being labelled anti-LGBT+ because he said he has a gay daughter. Mr Aguilar voted in favour of the legislation. “You’re part of the problem, that is the scourge of hate and discrimination that your party is standing on in the middle of an ocean like it’s the most important thing in the world to them,” Ms Hunt said. “Your proximity to gayness does not make that OK.” More than a dozen states, mostly in the South, have severely restricted or effectively outlawed abortion in the year after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade, which affirmed a constitutional right to abortion access. In this past week, lawmakers in North Carolina and South Carolina approved abortion bans, extending restrictions on abortion care from Texas and Oklahaoma through the entire Gulf Coast and throughout the southeast. Nebraska’s legislation also joins a nationwide campaign that has seen hundreds of bills aimed at LGBT+ people, particularly at young trans people, filed in nearly every state within the last two years. At least 15 states have enacted laws or policies banning gender-affirming care for young trans people, and more than a dozen others are considering similar measures. Court injunctions have blocked bans from going into effect in three states. More than half of all trans youth in the US between the ages of 13 and 17 are at risk of losing access to what major health organisations consider age-appropriate, medically necessary and potentially life-saving affirming healthcare in their home state, according to the Human Rights Campaign. The onslaught of legislation and volatile political debate surrounding the bills have also negatively impacted the mental health of an overwhelming majority of young trans and nonbinary people, according to polling from The Trevor Project and Morning Consult. A separate survey from The Trevor Project found that 41 per cent of trans and nonbinary youth have seriously considered attempting suicide over the last year. If you are based in the US and seek LGBT+ affirming mental health support, resources are available from Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860) and the LGBT Hotline (888-843-4564), as well as The Trevor Project (866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678). If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the US, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. Read More How one North Carolina lawmaker's defection from the Democratic Party upended abortion protections Trans rights groups pledge Texas lawsuit over gender-affirming care ban: ‘Anti-science, discriminatory fear-mongering’ Republican-appointed federal judges grill FDA in mifepristone hearing Anti-abortion laws harm patients facing dangerous and life-threatening complications, report finds

Debt limit talks between the White House and House Republicans stopped, started and stopped again heading into a weekend where President Joe Biden and world leaders watched from afar, hoping high-stakes negotiations would make progress on avoiding a potentially catastrophic federal default. In a sign of a renewed bargaining session, food was brought to the negotiating room at the Capitol on Saturday morning, only to be carted away hours later. No meeting was likely Saturday, according to a person familiar with the state of the talks who was not authorized to publicly discuss the situation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Biden's administration is reaching for a deal with Republicans led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. The sides are up against a deadline as soon as June 1 to raise its borrowing limit, now at $31 trillion, so the government can keep paying the nation’s bills. Republicans are demanding steep spending cuts the Democrats oppose. Negotiations had came to an abrupt standstill Friday morning when McCarthy said it was time to “pause” talks. Then the teams convened again in the evening, only to quickly call it quits for the night. Biden, attending a meeting of global leaders in Japan, tried to reassure them on Saturday that the United States would not default, a scenario that would rattle the world economy. He said he felt there was headway in the talks. “The first meetings weren’t all that progressive, the second ones were, the third one was,” he said. The president said he believes "we’ll be able to avoid a default and we’ll get something decent done.” Negotiators for McCarthy said after the Friday evening session that they were uncertain on next steps. “We reengaged, had a very, very candid discussion, talking about where we are, talking about where things need to be, what’s reasonably acceptable," said Rep. Garret Graves, R-La. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. was asked if he was confident an agreement over budget issues could be reached with the White House. He replied, “No.” As the White House team left the nighttime session, Biden counselor Steve Ricchetti, who is leading talks for the Democrats, said he was hopeful. “We're going to keep working,” he said. McCarthy had said resolution to the standoff is “easy,” if only Biden's team would agree to some spending cuts Republicans are demanding. The biggest impasse was over the fiscal 2024 top-line budget amount, according to a person briefed on the talks and granted anonymity to discuss them. Democrats contend the steep reductions Republicans have put on the table would be potentially harmful to Americans, and they are insisting that Republicans agree to tax increases on the wealthy, in addition to spending cuts, to close the deficit. Wall Street turned lower as negotiations came to a sudden halt. Experts have warned that even the threat of a debt default would could spark a recession. Republicans argue the nation's deficit spending needs to get under control, aiming to roll back spending to fiscal 2022 levels and restrict future growth. But Biden's team is countering that the caps Republicans proposed in their House-passed bill would amount to 30% reductions in some programs if Defense and veterans are spared, according to a memo from the Office of Management and Budget. Any deal would need the support of both Republicans and Democrats to find approval in a divided Congress and be passed into law. Negotiators are eyeing a more narrow budget cap deal of a few years, rather than the decade-long caps Republicans initially wanted, and clawing back some $30 billion of unspent COVID-19 funds. Still up for debate are policy changes, including a framework for permitting reforms to speed the development of energy projects, as well as the Republican push to impose work requirements on government aid recipients that Biden has been open to but the House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has said was a "nonstarter." McCarthy faces pressures from his hard-right flank to cut the strongest deal possible for Republicans, and he risks a threat to his leadership as speaker if he fails to deliver. Many House Republicans are unlikely to accept any deal with the White House. Biden is facing increased pushback from Democrats, particularly progressives, who argue the reductions will fall too heavily on domestic programs that Americans rely on. ___ Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Josh Boak in Hiroshima, Japan, and AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Will Biden's hard-hat environmentalism bridge the divide on clean energy future? Russia warns of ‘colossal risks’ if F-16 fighter jets sent to Ukraine G7 'outreach' an effort to build consensus on global issues like Ukraine, China, climate change

Four people were injured in Los Angeles after gunfire broke out near a downtown apartment complex. Witnesses say a shooter fired from a white BMW SUV near the 100 block of Ingraham Street in Los Angeles. Three of the victims are described as black males between the ages of 25 and 30, with a fourth described as a 40-year-old Hispanic woman, Los Angeles police told Fox News digital. “[The victims] were standing in front of the thousand block of Ingraham Street when the suspects - four male Hispanics - approached the vehicle and fired multiple shots, striking the victims,” police told the outlet. The shooting reportedly occurred in the complex’s mail room.

The collapse of Afghanistan’s government at the hands of the Taliban forced thousands of the nation’s people to flee their homeland, including many of those who served as translators and other aides to US military forces. But in the more than a year and a half since, the United States has failed to offer immigration assistance to most Afghans who helped American forces, which would allow them to stay in the country on a more permanent basis. According to International Rescue Committee, the US admitted 76,000 Afghans as part of Operation Allies Welcome. In the United Kingdom, the government pledged to allow Afghans who assisted British forces to build a life in safety and security. Instead, many who have made the dangerous trip from Afghanistan to Britain have been told they face deportation. One pilot who served with distinction fled Afghanistan even as his wife and young family stayed behind, arriving in Britain in a small boat because there was no safe and legal route to escape the Taliban, since British and Nato forces left him and his squadron behind. Now he has been told by UK authorities that he faces being sent to Rwanda under a controversial immigration policy. “Everyone knew that one day the American and British armies would leave as they had supported us for a long time. But when the withdrawal came, our territorial leaders failed us,” the pilot, who is not named in order to protect his family, told The Independent earlier this year. The Independent is campaigning for the British government to give a home to those who fought with the UK against the Taliban. It has been backed by politicians of all parties, as well as religious leaders, senior military figures and celebrities including Sting and director Guy Ritchie. But the United Kingdom is not alone in its failure to fulfil the pledges made to those who assisted the war efforts. Despite broad bipartisan support in both houses of US Congress and from president Joe Biden, Congress has failed to live up to its commitments to Afghans despite supportive rhetoric. Most Afghans who came to America after the withdrawal of US military forces from the country, arrived on what is called humanitarian parole, wherein people who may be otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States are allowed to enter for humanitarian reasons. “And those folks have two years of parole, which is about to run out,” Shaun VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac and a US Navy veteran, told The Independent. “The issue with the parolees is that for every other population, where there's been a big influx like this, Congress has passed Adjustment of Status.” Adjustment of Status would allow people who were given humanitarian parole to adjust their status to that of a permanent resident. In the months following the collapse of the Afghan government and more Afghans entering the United States, a bipartisan group led by Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota sponsored the Afghan Adjustment Act. “It’s strongly supported by veterans [so] it should be must pass,” senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, told The Independent. “But there are all kinds of time pressures, a lot of competing issues.” Those competing interests meant the bill was not included in must-pass legislation like last year’s omnibus spending bill, the National Defense Authorisation Act, and an aid package to Ukraine, which means that many of the people given humanitarian parole risk losing their status by August, which marks two years since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan. Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told The Independent that the United States has had a double standard when it comes to Afghanistan and other nations enduring conflict. “I feel like we saw even in the outbreak of Ukraine, the difference between how things were expedited depending on country of origin,” she said. “And I believe that translators and many folks ... we should be really filling up the visa allotments that we have, and we have not yet.” Mr VanDiver explained that the Trump administration weakened parts of the immigration system like Special Immigrant Visas and created massive backlogs by weakening the resettlement programmes. “The impact that Afghans are feeling right now can be attributed to Stephen Miller and Donald Trump, the way that they purposely deconstructed the system for welcoming vulnerable people into our country and cares for their inaction,” he said. The legislation would need to pass through the judiciary committees in the US House and Senate. Senator Chuck Grassley, who last year served as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, opposed the legislation. Mr Grassley told The Independent that at the time he led the GOP on the committee, he was speaking for the concerns of other Republican senators. “I think it would be based on this issue of vetting,” he said. “I think that’s very important. You know, when we have 98 people across the border that haven’t been vetted and they’re on the terrorist watch list, I think we have to be very careful.” Since then, senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the co-sponsors of the Afghan Adjustment Act, has stepped up to ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said lawmakers may act on the Afghan Adjustment Act towards the end of the year when Congress must fund the government. “I think it’s important we keep our commitment to those who helped us in Afghanistan,” Mr Graham told The Independent, adding that he is not concerned about missing the August deadline. “I just want to try to rally the House and Senate around the concept that we need to do better, and that's very important,” he said. Since 2022, Republicans have taken control of the House of Representatives, making it much harder to pass the legislation in the era of hyper-polarised government. While Mr Graham is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, representative Jim Jordan, a hardliner on immigration, now leads the House Judiciary Committee, making it even tougher for the bill to pass. “But that's okay,” Mr VanDiver said. “So long as we could get [house majority leader Steve] Scalise and [house speaker Kevin] McCarthy to be supportive, then we could do it.” Until then, Mr VanDiver has helped launch an Afghanistan Community Ambassadors Programme so any Afghan in the United States can sign up and get direct information about immigration. “It’s meant to ensure that every Afghan here has access to the same information,” he said. “So it’s not like you have to know somebody.” Read More Britain’s faith leaders condemn ‘heartless’ threat to send Afghan war hero to Rwanda Our government is blinded by an obsession that is morally repugnant Minister roasted over claim ‘hundreds of thousands’ of Afghans want asylum in UK Minister roasted over claim ‘hundreds of thousands’ of Afghans want asylum in UK Rail strikes could see injured veterans miss ‘vital’ reunion G7 urges China to press Russia to end war in Ukraine, respect Taiwan's status, fair trade rules

Donald Trump’s legal troubles could be hotting up after the National Archives found a trove of records proving the former president knew he was breaking rules by taking classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, according to a report. The National Archives sent a letter, obtained by CNN, to Mr Trump this week revealing it had found 16 records showing he and his top advisers were aware of the correct declassification process when he was president. “The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records,” wrote archivist Debra Steidel Wall. These records will be turned over to Special Counsel Jack Smith as part of the criminal investigation into Mr Trump’s handling of classified documents. The revelation comes as Mr Trump continues to lash out at Ron DeSantis, as the Florida governor prepares to launch his 2024 campaign next week. “After campaigning for five months, and going nowhere but down, it looks like Ron DeSanctimonious will soon be entering the race. He has ZERO chance, and MAGA will never forget!” Mr Trump fumed on Truth Social on Thursday night. Read More Trump campaign knocks DeSantis over Disney’s cancelled Florida expansion Ron DeSantis mocked over bizarre video of roaring laughter: ‘A faulty robot’ Trump’s White House lawyer predicts ex-president will end up in jail as Mar-a-Lago probe heats up Trump whines that he is a ‘victim’ of ‘weaponisation of justice’

New York Police Department officers believe to have identified one of the two men seen on video helping ex-marine Daniel Penny restrain Jordan Neely during a subway confrontation earlier this month. The former US Marine choked a homeless street performer on the Manhattan F train, Jordan Neely, to death on the subway car earlier this month. Neely’s death was ruled by the New York medical examiner’s office as a homicide due to compression against his neck. Video footage and eyewitness accounts show a man believed to be Mr Penny with his arm wrapped around Neely for several minutes until his eyes shut and his body goes limp. On 11 May, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced Mr Penny would face a charge of second-degree manslaughter. He turned himself in to authorities in Manhattan the following morning, and he was released after posting $100,000 bail after a brief arraignment hearing. His next appearance is scheduled for 17 July. Sources told New York Post that the authorities have been scouring the surveillance footage and believe one of the two men who helped 24-year-old Mr Penny pin down the homeless man has been identified. In the video, one man can be seen trying to tie up Neely’s arms, and the other put pressure on Neely’s shoulder. The source was quoted as saying that the NYPD officials have yet to speak with the person identified in the video. In the video that was captured by a bystander on 1 May, 30-year-old Neely was seen yelling at others and throwing trash. In a statement shared with The Independent on 5 May, attorneys for Mr Penny said that when Neely “began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived”. Widely shared video footage captured by journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez shows a man believed to be Mr Penny and two other men holding Neely to the floor of a train car on 1 May. Police initially questioned but did not arrest Mr Penny. Meanwhile, attorneys for Neely’s family said the statement from Mr Penny’s legal team was neither “an apology nor an expression of regret” but “character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordan’s life.” Neely’s family has said Mr Penny should be tried for murder. The former US Marine was formally charged with second-degree manslaughter. Read More Rev Al Sharpton delivers powerful eulogy at Jordan Neely’s funeral: ‘They put their arms around all of us’ Watch: Jordan Neely’s funeral held in New York City Jordan Neely, NYC subway rider choked to death, to be mourned at Manhattan church

Wild video footage captured an Iowa police officer clinging to the roof of a man’s car as he drove at speeds of up to 50 mph during a traffic stop that escalated into a full-blown car chase. Police in the town of Carroll stopped Dennis Guider, Jr, of Illinois, for a traffic violation, only to discover that he had an active warrant in Illinois for forgery. Body camera footage released last week in court showed Officer Patrick McCarty approaching the window of a red sedan during the 5 March stop. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it sounds like you’ve got a warrant out of Illinois,” he told Guider and a female passenger. The suspect then shoved the woman out of the driver’s seat and drove away slowly. Officer McCarty drew his gun and jumped on the hood of the vehicle while ordering Guider to slow down. He then accelerated with the officer still on the hood, leading officers on a chase in which he hit reported speeds of up to 50mph. During the chase, Officer McCarty fell off the roof of the car and broke a vertebra in his lower back. Guider was sentenced to up to five years in prison on Thursday for the felony of serious injury by vehicle, after pleading guilty and avoiding an eluding arrest charge. The Illinois man, who is Black, told an Iowa court he feared for his life and was afraid when the white police officer jumped on his car with a gun drawn. “I feared for my life after the officer pull(ed) out his gun and jump(ed) on the hood of my car,” he wrote in a February letter. The officer in the case admitted in a hearing last week that he hadn’t been trained to jump onto the hood of a moving vehicle. “Each situation is different,” Officer McCarty said. “It certainly didn’t play out the way I intended.” “Officer McCarty was polite and respectful when he approached the car, was treating everybody with dignity, and then you kick your girlfriend out of the car and you take off,” District Associate Judge Joseph McCarville said during sentencing, the Des Moines Register reported. Read More Harry and Meghan – latest news: Rishi Sunak gives abrasive response to ‘near catastrophic’ car case Chilling video shows New Mexico teen gunman’s shooting rampage: ‘Come kill me’ Grandma who lost finger in dog attack told by police that animal is ‘friendly’

CHICAGO Pilots at American Airlines will get a 21% pay raise this year as part of a new

By Diane Bartz and David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. judge ruled on Friday that American Airlines Group must end

The Justice Department will be able to undo an alliance between American Airlines and JetBlue Airways that allowed them to collaborate on Northeast US flight routes, a US District Court ruling said Friday.

Former United States President Barack Obama, late night television host Stephen Colbert, and CNN's Erin Burnett are some of the "500 Americans" Russia has banned from entering the country.