DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The group is now waiting in Mexico City to get an appointment so they can legally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. They are biding time in Mexico City until they have enough money for a phone so they can use CBP One. Mexico deported only about 429 Venezuelans during the first two months of 2024, meaning nearly all are waiting in Mexico. Many fear that venturing north of Mexico City will get them fleeced or returned to southern Mexico. She said they were robbed by Mexican officials and gangs and returned several times to southern Mexico.

Persons: it's, ” Daniel Ventura, Biden, —, Joe Biden, Andres Manuel López Obrador, ”, López Obrador, Yessica Gutierrez, “, Jose Alberto Uzcategui, Stephanie Brewer, Maria Victoria Colmenares, Colmenares, Alejandro Mayorkas, Torrealba, ___, Gonzalez, Rebecca Santana Organizations: MEXICO CITY, U.S, United, Migrants, Washington Office, CBP, . Homeland, Associated Press, Washington , D.C Locations: MEXICO, U.S, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, “, Darien, Fort Atkinson , Wisconsin, Guatemala, Venezuela, Ecuadorians, United States, Mexico City, Venezuelan, Trujillo, Panamanian, America, The U.S, Tijuana, San Diego, Matamoros, Brownsville , Texas, Nicaragua, Washington ,

☆ Zimbabwe, After Expelling U.S. Officials, Accuses Them of Promoting ‘Regime Change’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The government of the southern African nation of Zimbabwe detained, interrogated and deported officials and contractors working for the United States government last month, and this week accused them publicly of promoting “regime change” in their country. The incident is the latest in the Zimbabwean government’s aggressive efforts to thwart both domestic and international challenges to its authority. The incumbent government claimed victory in a chaotic election last year that several independent observer missions said lacked fairness and credibility. But it also points to a deeper tension over the United States’ proclaimed efforts to promote democracy around the globe. Leaders in Zimbabwe have grown closer in recent years to both China and to Russia, and have supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: United States ’ Organizations: United Locations: Zimbabwe, United States, China, Russia, Ukraine

The Yemen-based branch of Al Qaeda said on Sunday that its leader, Khaled Batarfi, had died. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as A.Q.A.P., released a video announcing Mr. Batarfi’s death, showing images of him wrapped in a white funeral shroud overlaid with a black Al Qaeda flag. The United States government once considered Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to be one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organizations. The United States previously offered a $6 million reward for information about Mr. al-Awlaki, and $5 million for tips about Mr. Batarfi. Born in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Batarfi traveled in the 1990s to Afghanistan and fought alongside the Taliban before joining Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, according to a U.S. informational sheet about him.

Persons: Al Qaeda, Khaled Batarfi, Batarfi’s, ”, Gregory D, Johnsen, “, Ibrahim Al, Batarfi, Saad bin Atef, Awlaki Organizations: Al, United, Gulf States Institute Locations: Yemen, Al, Al Qaeda, United States, American, Washington, Sudanese, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda’s

☆ US military developing portable UFO detection kits as Pentagon says no evidence of alien tech found
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US military is developing portable UFO detection kits to collect better data on reports of sightings as the Pentagon says there is no evidence of alien technology found in any government investigation. The AARO office looked at US government investigations and efforts related to UFOs dating back to 1945. Some of the reported sightings of UFOs were people who unknowingly witnessed the testing or use of classified US technology. The AARO office is also collecting and investigating new reports and sightings of unidentified objects. In February, the office closed 122 cases, Phillips said, most of which was debris in the atmosphere.

Persons: Timothy Phillips, AARO, ” Phillips, Phillips, there’s, Sean Kirkpatrick, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, United, United States Government Locations: Texas, Roswell , New Mexico, United States, China

☆ What to watch for in the Michigan presidential primaries
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Gregory Krieg | Eric Bradner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“This is not an anti-Biden campaign,” Layla Elabed, a leader of the Listen to Michigan campaign, told CNN. Here’s what to watch for in Michigan:The first ballot test of Biden’s Israel strategyJust how committed are Michigan Democrats to Biden? Republicans opposed an earlier Michigan primary, and it violated Republican National Committee rules limiting which states can hold contests before March 1. After Democrats who control the legislature and the governor’s office moved the Michigan primary to February 27 despite GOP opposition, the RNC and Michigan GOP came up with the hybrid model. Tests for Biden, Trump in key stateThe drama within both the Democratic and Republican contests is playing out in one of the nation’s most important presidential swing states.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Israel –, Health –, Israel, Biden, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, uncommitted, ” Layla Elabed, “, It’s, ”, Nikki Haley, Trump, –, Haley, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Abdullah Hammoud, Joe Biden, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ” Hammoud, Biden –, ” Biden, Seth Meyers, “ We’re, it’s, —, Pete Hoekstra, Kristina Karamo, Hoekstra, Gretchen Whitmer Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Health, Biden, Republican, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republicans ’, GOP, Michigan Democrats, Gaza’s Ministry of Health, United Nations, White, Dearborn, New York Times, ” Movement, ” CNN, Michigan Republican, Michigan, Republicans, Committee, RNC, Michigan GOP, Democratic, United Auto Workers, Black Locations: Michigan, Gaza, Dearborn, South Carolina, Israel, United States, Trump, — demoting Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

☆ Sweden clears final hurdle in bid to join NATO after Hungary approves accession
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Stephanie Halasz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 194 members of parliament who voted, just six rejected Sweden’s accession. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Sweden will join the alliance now that all allies have approved Sweden’s bid to join. As NATO states, Finland and Sweden will enjoy the protection granted under Article 5 of the treaty that established the alliance – which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack against all. While most NATO members quickly approved Finland and Sweden’s applications, Hungary and Turkey held out for some time. Video Ad Feedback Turkish parliament approves Sweden's NATO membership bid 01:05 - Source: CNNShortly after the Turkish vote, Orban told NATO chief Stoltenberg that his government would also support Swedish membership.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Ulf Kristersson, Viktor Orban, Sweden’s, ” Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Orban, Stoltenberg, Putin, Luke McGee, Lauren Kent Organizations: CNN, NATO, Stockholm, Swedish, Gripen, “, United, Russia, Ukraine, Union, EU, Sweden’s, Budapest, Kyiv Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Swedish, “ Sweden, Sweden, United States, Atlantic Treaty, Eastern Europe, Russia’s, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Stockholm, EU, Europe, Israel

Some might not reach trial this year, while one is set to begin in a matter of weeks. In all, Trump faces 40 felony charges in the classified documents case. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon set a trial date of May 20, 2024, though she has signaled that it may be pushed back. The Trump campaign called the charges “fake” and asked why it took two and a half years to bring them. That case is set to be first to proceed to trial, with a judge setting jury selection for March 25.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Trump, cavalierly, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, De Oliveira, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden’s, Mike Pence, Biden, it’s, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Melania Trump, Barron, GEORGIA Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, Fani Willis Organizations: WASHINGTON, Trump, Pentagon, Nauta, U.S, Capitol, United, New York, White House, Electoral College Locations: Florida, Trump’s Florida, Washington, United States, U.S, New York, GEORGIA, Georgia, Fulton County

The near-absence of laws criminalizing the practice of fertility fraud until recently means no doctors have yet been criminally charged for the behavior. In 2019, Indiana became the second state, more than 20 years after California, to pass a statute making fertility fraud a felony. He added some of his biological children have “expressed gratitude for their existence” to him and even sent him photos of their own children. Cline’s case spurred lawmakers to pass legislation that outlawed fertility fraud but wasn’t retroactive, meaning he was never prosecuted for it. “In fertility fraud, no parent is saying that – no parent is saying I would have gotten an abortion,” she said.

Persons: Hill, –, Burton Caldwell, “, ” Hill, we’ve, ”, Jody Madeira, Laura Oliverio, wasn’t, Eve Wiley, Marvin Yussman, Yussman, Victoria Hill, ” Yussman, Dr, Donald Cline, general’s, Cline, Stephanie Bice, Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Democrat –, Kelly Wilkinson, Katherine L, Kraschel, Julia T, Woodward, Laura High, we’re, ’ Let’s, it’s, let’s, OBGYN Narendra Tohan, isn’t, Tohan, ‘, Janine Pierson, Doreen Pierson, Caldwell –, Doreen, Alyssa Denniston, Caldwell, Pierson, ” Pierson, she’d, doesn’t, texted, Jamie LeRose, Maralee Hill, Victoria, Sean Tipton, Tipton, Caldwell “, didn’t Organizations: CNN, Indiana University, Savin Rock, CNN CNN, Netflix, Oklahoma Republican, New, New Jersey Democrat, Indianapolis Star, DC, Northeastern University, Duke University Health System, CNN Fertility, United, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Seagulls Locations: Connecticut, Savin Rock Beach, West Haven , Connecticut, Indiana, California, Kentucky, Wethersfield , Connecticut, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Indianapolis, Wethersfield, New Britain, Madeira, Yale, Victoria, Hartford , Connecticut, Victoria Hill's, Norwalk, Norway, Germany, United States, Cheshire, New Haven

☆ American Firms Invested $1 Billion in Chinese Chips, Lawmakers Find
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Ana Swanson | Erin Griffith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A congressional investigation has determined that five American venture capital firms invested more than $1 billion in China’s semiconductor industry since 2001, fueling the growth of a sector that the United States government now regards as a national security threat. Funds supplied by the five firms — GGV Capital, GSR Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Walden International — went to more than 150 Chinese companies, according to the report, which was released Thursday by both Republicans and Democrats on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The investments included roughly $180 million that went to Chinese firms that the committee said directly or indirectly support Beijing’s military. That includes companies that the U.S. government has said provide chips for China’s military research, equipment and weapons, such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, or SMIC, China’s largest chipmaker. The report by the House committee focuses on investments made before the Biden administration imposed sweeping restrictions aimed at cutting off China’s access to American financing and technology.

Persons: Walden International —, Biden Organizations: —, GSR Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Walden International, Republicans, Democrats, Chinese Communist Party, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation Locations: United States

☆ Federal Records Show Increasing Use of Solitary Confinement for Immigrants
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Emily Baumgaertner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States government has placed detained immigrants in solitary confinement more than 14,000 times in the last five years, and the average duration is almost twice the 15-day threshold that the United Nations has said may constitute torture, according to a new analysis of federal records by researchers at Harvard and the nonprofit group Physicians for Human Rights. The report, based on government records from 2018 through 2023 and interviews with several dozen former detainees, noted cases of extreme physical, verbal and sexual abuse for immigrants held in solitary cells. The New York Times reviewed the original records cited in the report, spoke with the data analysts and interviewed former detainees to corroborate their stories. Overall, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining more than 38,000 people — up from about 15,000 at the start of the Biden administration in January 2021, according to an independent tracking system maintained by Syracuse University. A growing proportion of detainees are being held in private prison facilities with little means of accountability, and preliminary data from 2023 suggests a “marked increase” in the use of solitary confinement, according to the report.

Persons: Biden, Mike Alvarez Organizations: United, United Nations, Harvard, Physicians for Human Rights, New York Times, Syracuse University, ICE, Homeland Locations: United States

☆ In 1870, a Black woman sued her enslaver for reparations and won
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Christine Jean-Baptiste | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewHenrietta Wood was born into slavery to the Tousey family in Kentucky between 1818 and 1820. AdvertisementIn an April 1878 article about Wood's lawsuit, The New York Times suggested that more formerly enslaved Americans may ask for reparations. "The United States Government may be asked to make good the loss of those whose property was suddenly clothed with the right of manhood," The Times wrote. While there has been more vocal support for reparations in recent years, and individual states have instituted their own reparations committees, federal efforts have stalled. Last May, Democratic Rep. Cori Bush proposed Reparations Now, legislation that would push the federal government to provide reparations to the descendants of enslaved people.

Persons: —, Henrietta Wood, Henry Forsyth, Wood, William Cirode, Cirode, Jane, Jane Cirode, Zebulon Ward, Josephine, Robert White, Wood's, Ward, Caleb McDaniel, …, Danielle Blackman, Jim Crow, Steve Cohen, Cori Bush, Bush Organizations: Service, Business, The New York Times, United, United States Government, Times, Northwestern University's School of Law, Rice University, Seattle Times, Senate, Democratic, Tennessee Locations: Kentucky, Louisville, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Ohio, Hope, Chicago, America, United States

☆ Swifties on Political Conspiracy Theories: You Need to Calm Down
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Madison Malone Kircher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Taylor Swift often encourages her fans to devise fanciful theories about her music, but this week a very different type of wild speculation sprung up around her: political conspiracy theories being peddled by Fox News, Trump surrogates and the extended MAGA universe. The theories range widely, but include outlandish claims that Ms. Swift is secretly working for the United States government and that her relationship with Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, is part of a lengthy political scheme. ends with the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl and Ms. The attacks may be intended to embolden a right wing base, and perhaps change a few minds in other parts of the political universe, but Swifties, predictably, remain indifferent.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift, Travis Kelce, Kelce, Biden, ’ ”, Raven Mosley Organizations: Fox News, Trump surrogates, United, Kansas City Chiefs, Chiefs Locations: United States, Vancouver, Wash

☆ State Dept Says US Actively Pursuing the Creation of a Palestinian State
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Simon Lewis and Humeyra PamukWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is actively pursuing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel and exploring options with partners in the region, the State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday. "We are actively pursuing the establishment as an independent Palestinian state, with real security guarantees for Israel, because we do believe that is the best way to bring about lasting peace and security for Israel, for Palestinians and for the region," Miller said. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesAxios reported earlier on Wednesday that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had asked the State Department to conduct a review and present policy options on possible U.S. and international recognition of a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also told a group of UK lawmakers that the UK government and its allies "will look at the issue of recognizing a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations," the BBC reported on Tuesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at odds with the Biden administration over the creation of an independent Palestinian state, saying at the weekend that he would not compromise on "full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River".

Persons: Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Matthew Miller, Joe Biden's, Miller, Antony Blinken, David Cameron, . Washington, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Israel, State Department, United, United Nations, BBC, U.S Locations: Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, United States, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Gaza . British, ., Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Davos, Israeli

☆ Opinion | How ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Presses Up Against the Limits of Empathy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Maggie Blackhawk | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Scorsese takes a different tack. Rather than aim for moral development of the audience through empathy for Osage suffering, he focuses on Ernest Burkhart. Ernest is the paradigmatic wolf, just as Mr. DiCaprio has played other wolves throughout his career, on Wall Street and elsewhere. Mr. Burkhart acts on simple, underdeveloped moral principles — and often not exactly out of malice, but self-interest. Mr. Burkhart is driven by base desires — financial gain and other perquisites of power — toward horrific acts against his own family.

Persons: Scorsese, Mollie Burkhart, Ernest Burkhart, Ernest, DiCaprio, Burkhart, Scorsese’s, — Hobbes, Machiavelli, Hannah Arendt, Emmanuel Levinas, Arendt, Levinas, Vine Deloria Organizations: United, Osage, American Samoa Locations: United States, Osage Nation of Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Guam, American

The Ely Shoshone, Duckwater Shoshone, and the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation — a coalition representing about 1,500 enrolled tribal members — are lobbying the federal government to designate nearly 40 square miles (100 square kilometers) as Bahsahwahbee National Monument. He testified in a multi-decade legal battle alongside ranchers, local officials and environmental groups who all opposed the project by the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Protecting water for sacred trees is not something the agency had previously done, Sullivan said. Even if the land becomes a national monument, the water beneath Bahsahwahbee would remain under the state’s jurisdiction. The Southern Nevada Water Authority supports a monument designation that allows for the continuation of existing ranching and agricultural activities, said Bronson Mack, water authority spokesman.

Persons: ELY, — White, ”, Warren Graham, Mamie Swallow, Spilsbury, Charlene Pete’s, —, ” Pete, Ely Shoshone, Alvin Marques, David Charlet, ” Charlet, Adam Sullivan, Sullivan, Neal Desai, Bahsahwahbee, Graham, Bronson Mack, Avi Kwa, Joe Biden, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, Deb Haaland, Cortez Masto’s, Monte Sanford, “ Organizations: Rocky, Ely Shoshone, Southern Nevada Water Authority, College of Southern, Nevada Division of Water Resources, Southern, Southern Nevada Water, National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, National Register of Historic Places, Land Management, The Southern, The Southern Nevada Water Authority, Nevada Legislature, United, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation, AP, Press, Lilly Endowment Inc Locations: Nev, Nevada, Ely, Duckwater Shoshone, ”, Bahsahwahbee, Vegas, College of Southern Nevada, Southern Nevada, The, The Southern Nevada, Arizona, U.S, United States

☆ FBI and CISA warn companies to be wary of using Chinese-made drones over national security risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Chinese-made drones “continue to pose a significant risk to critical infrastructure and US national security” and companies should be wary of using them, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned in a new memo issued Wednesday. “Our nation’s critical infrastructure sectors, such as energy, chemical and communications, are increasingly relying on [unmanned aerial systems] for various missions that ultimately reduce operating costs and improve staff safety,” said CISA Executive Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security Dr. David Mussington in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security has been warning about the risks posed by Chinese-made drones, which dominate the global market for commercial drones, for years. “CISA and the FBI rightly point out the risk, and more importantly, how to mitigate these known cyber risks. It’s clear that the United States government has deemed Chinese-made drones a threat to security as China’s dominance of the electronics supply chain, including drones, is harming U.S. national security interests.”

Persons: ”, David Mussington, DJI, Brian Harrell, we’ve, “ CISA Organizations: Washington CNN, FBI, Infrastructure Security Agency, CNN, Infrastructure Security, PRC’s, Civil Fusion, Department of Homeland Security, DHS, US Army, U.S Locations: China, People’s Republic of China, United States, Canada, DJI

WHO IS GUATEMALA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL? She first became attorney general in 2018 with the support of then-President Jimmy Morales, replacing Thelma Aldana. With a doctorate in law, Porras' reputation was hit by a plagiarism scandal during her first term as attorney general. During Giammattei’s time as president, Porras left many accusations against him uninvestigated, including a corruption scandal involving COVID-19 vaccines. Now, the attorney general can be removed only for a conviction for a malicious offense.

Persons: Bernardo Arévalo, Consuelo Porras, Arévalo, Porras, Luis Almagro, Jimmy Morales, Thelma Aldana, Alejandro Giammattei, Arévalo’s, —, Claudia Paz y, ” Paz y Paz, “, Paz y Paz, Juan Francisco Sandoval, Paz y, ”, Sandoval Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, WHO, United, Organization of American, U.S, Party, Claudia Paz y Paz, Porras, Paz y Paz Locations: GUATEMALA, American, United States, Organization of American States, America, United Nations

☆ Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin released from hospital
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, according to the Pentagon, two weeks after he was admitted for complications following prostate cancer surgery. Austin will work remotely “for a period of time” before returning to the Pentagon, the Pentagon statement said. His discharge comes after Austin was hospitalized on January 1 for complications from a prostate cancer procedure in December. But a little over a week later on January 1, Austin began experiencing severe pain and was taken back to the hospital in an ambulance. “The Department of Defense is the most vital element of the United States government,” Reed and Wicker said.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Austin, ”, John Maddox, Gregory Chesnut, ” Austin, Biden, Joe Biden, “, John Kirby, Pat Ryder, Jake Sullivan, CQ Brown, Erik Kurilla, ” Ryder, Austin’s, Walter Reed, Dr, Oliver Sartor, Otis Brawley, Sen, Jack Reed, Member Sen, Roger Wicker, ” Reed, Wicker Organizations: CNN, US, Walter Reed National Military Medical, Pentagon, Trauma, Center, Prostate Disease, Murtha Cancer, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, House, Defense, National Security, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Staff, US Central Command, Central Command, Cancer Disease, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Senate Armed Services, Member, Department of Defense, United, Department Locations: Iraq, Syria, Yemen, United States

☆ Elizabeth Warren says lawmakers need a raise so that Congress isn't 'the plaything of multimillionaires and billionaires'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is backing a pay raise for members of Congress. "Congress should not be the plaything of multimillionaires and billionaires," she told BI. But she also emphasized that congressional staff need a raise even more. AdvertisementSen. Elizabeth Warren is joining calls for members of Congress to get a pay raise. But Warren, who makes plenty of money via book sales, was even more adamant when it came to the need to raise pay for congressional staff.

Persons: Sen, Elizabeth Warren, —, who've, Warren, Patrick McHenry of, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, hasn't, Republican Sen, JD Vance, Ohio, Vance Organizations: Service, Massachusetts Democrat, Republican, Democratic Rep, Senate, United, Washington Locations: multimillionaires, Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, Alexandria, Cortez of New York, United States

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arévalo is scheduled to be sworn into office Sunday afternoon. But just like almost every day since his resounding Aug. 20 election victory, the inauguration will be tinged with doubts and tensions. The still-serving Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, has tried every legal trick in the book to put him on trial or in jail before he takes office. And Arévalo’s Seed Movement party will not have a majority in Congress, and may not even have formal recognition there. Under Porras, the country’s prosecutors and judges who led that effort have become targets, forcing dozens to flee the country or be arrested.

Persons: Bernardo Arévalo, Consuelo Porras, —, Arévalo, Porras, Karin Herrera, Brian A, Nichols Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, —, Central, la Constitucion, Prosecutors, Arévalo’s, Constitutional, European Union, Organization of American, United Locations: GUATEMALA, — Guatemalan, Central American, United States, U.S

☆ Leon Wildes, Immigration Lawyer Who Defended John Lennon, Dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Adam Nossiter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Leon Wildes, a New York immigration lawyer who successfully fought the United States government’s attempt to deport John Lennon, died on Monday in Manhattan. His death, at Lenox Hill Hospital, was confirmed by his son Michael. For more than three years, from early 1972 to the fall of 1975, Mr. Wildes (pronounced WY-ulds) doggedly battled the targeting by the Nixon administration and immigration officials of Mr. Lennon, the former Beatle, and his wife, Yoko Ono, marshaling a series of legal arguments that exposed both political chicanery and a hidden U.S. immigration policy. Uncovering secret records through the Freedom of Information Act, he showed that immigration officials, in practice, can exercise wide discretion in whom they choose to deport, a revelation that continues to resonate in immigration law. And he revealed that Mr. Lennon, an antiwar activist and a vocal critic of President Richard M. Nixon, had been singled out by the White House for political reasons.

Persons: Leon Wildes, John Lennon, Michael, Wildes, doggedly, Nixon, Lennon, Yoko Ono, marshaling, Richard M Organizations: Lenox Hill Hospital, White House Locations: New York, United States, Manhattan, Lenox

☆ Can Washington Still Do Anything?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: The week's best and worst from Bill McGurn, Kyle Peterson, Allysia Finley, Dan Henninger & Paul Gigot. Images: Getty Images/AP/ Composite: Mark KellyCan the United States government still act to solve problems and aid allies in the national interest? President Biden has asked Congress for $106 billion in supplemental spending, but he needs Republican votes to do it. Republicans want to do something to reduce the flood of migrants pouring across the border and burdening American cities, but they need Democratic votes to pass it. The necessity for compromise is obvious, but America’s polarized politics and Mr. Biden’s political weakness may tank the effort.

Persons: Bill McGurn, Kyle Peterson, Allysia Finley, Dan Henninger, Paul Gigot, Mark Kelly, Biden Organizations: United Locations: United States, Ukraine, Israel, U.S

☆ Former U.S. ambassador spied for Cuba for decades, Justice Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announces that Victor Manuel Rocha, the former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, has been charged with acting illegally as a foreign agent for the government of Cuba, Dec. 4, 2023. Prosecutors say Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, spent more than 40 years spying for Cuba while he rose through the State Department, where he was U.S. ambassador to Bolivia during the Clinton administration. Rocha's case is "one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent," Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday at a press conference. "To further that role, Rocha obtained and maintained employment in the United States government in positions that provided him: (1) access to nonpublic information, including classified information; and (2) the ability to affect United States foreign policy," wrote prosecutors. I have – have created the legend of a right-wing person," Rocha allegedly said, referring to the Cuban intelligence services.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Victor Manuel Rocha, Clinton, Merrick Garland, Rocha, Rocha's Organizations: State Department, United, Southern, Southern District of, Foreign Government, DOJ, Undercover, Cuban Locations: Bolivia, Cuba, American, Miami, U.S, United States, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Republic of Cuba, States, Cuban

☆ US charges ex-ambassador with spying for Cuba over decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rocha, 73, was arrested and is expected to appear before a federal judge in Miami on Monday. Bolivian President Hugo Banzer shakes hands with Victor Manuel Rocha, the then U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, during a ceremony in the Goverment Palace in La Paz, August 3, 2000. File photo DM/JP/HB Acquire Licensing RightsRocha worked for the State Department from 1981 to 2002, the Justice Department said. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters he was unable to provide details on an ongoing law enforcement matter.

Persons: Victor Manuel Rocha, Merrick Garland, Rocha, Hugo Banzer, Matthew Miller, Miller, Andrew Goudsward, Katharine Jackson, Ismail Shakil, Simon Lewis, Rami Ayyub, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Justice, Justice Department, Cuban, United, Bolivian, HB, State Department, White, National Security Council, . military's Southern Command, Washington, Directorate of Intelligence, Thomson Locations: United States, Bolivia, Cuba, Miami, Goverment, La Paz, Florida, U.S

☆ An ex-US ambassador charged with being a longtime secret agent for Cuba bragged about it to undercover FBI officer, feds allege
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An ex-US diplomat has been federally charged over allegations he worked as a secret agent for Cuba. Feds allege that Rocha even bragged about his work for Cuba as "more than a grand slam." AdvertisementAttorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that Rocha's arrest "exposes one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent." "Those who have the privilege of serving in the government of the United States are given an enormous amount of trust by the public we serve," said Garland. We did more than they thought," Rocha told the undercover fed, the court documents allege.

Persons: Victor Rocha, Rocha, —, Merrick Garland, Garland, Fidel Castro Organizations: Feds, Service, United, Department of Justice, State Department, National Security Council, Justice Department, Cuban, Directorate, Intelligence, Department of State, US Southern Command Locations: Cuba, United States, Bolivia, Miami , Florida, Colombia, Republic of Cuba

Search resuls for: "United States Government"

25 mentions found