The Indian Panorama

Tag: Washington

  • Trump reveals new details about $1 billion in earnings in revised filing

    Trump reveals new details about $1 billion in earnings in revised filing

    In a revision to an earlier filing, the Republican presidential hopeful showed specific income from foreign ventures, speaking fees and real estate

    WASHINGTON, D.C (TIP): Former president Donald Trump disclosed new details about roughly $1 billion in earnings in a revised financial filing covering much of his post-presidency, including money from foreign ventures, speaking fees and a Florida golf course, says a Washington Post report. Trump reported several hundred sources of income in an initial April financial disclosure but provided only broad ranges for the income he received from each source. The revised Trump filing provides new details, such as a dollar amount for nearly a hundred sources of income, including his largest ones, which sum to over $1.2 billion, according to a Washington Post tally.

    The polling leader for the Republican nomination in 2024 disclosed more specific earnings from speaking fees than previously known, including at least $2 million for speaking at events hosted by Hak Ja Han Moon and a group she co-founded with her husband Sun Myung Moon, the late leader of the Unification Church, and $2.5 million to comment on a boxing match. In addition, he disclosed that his wife, Melania Trump, earned $1.2 million from speaking fees.

    Under disclosure rules, candidates typically show a broad view of their finances by providing ranges of valuation for their income and liabilities, as Trump did on his initial filing. In the new filing, Trump provided ranges for some items but also put in a number of specific larger amounts. In two cases in the revised filing, Trump disclosed earnings outside the range he had previously indicated, according to the Post tally. In reporting income from a golf resort in Ireland, Trump went from saying his earnings were less than $201 to saying he received an amount in euros that today would be equal to $6.2 million. In another instance, Trump initially reported income between $1,001 and $2,500 from a carousel in New York’s Central Park, but revised the amount to $2,873 in the July filing.

    Trump also added in the new report that he paid off an additional loan held by Deutsche Bank, a mortgage on his Doral, Fla., golf club valued at between $25 million and $50 million.

    The revised filing was provided by the Office of Government Ethics after the agency noted the existence of the updated paperwork in an online database accessible to the public. The new filing was certified on July 6 by the office’s director, Emory Rounds, whose term expired on July 12. Rounds could not be reached for comment.

    Don Fox, former general counsel and acting head of the OGE during the Obama administration, said it’s not unusual for the office to ask for clarification from filers with complicated finances.

    But he said “the fact that Emory Rounds did not sign it in April would tell me that he was not satisfied that all the disclosures required by law had been made at that time. Those are pretty wild swings in valuation.”

    Patrick Shepherd, an OGE spokesman, asked to comment on the revised filing, said via email that the agency is “committed to transparency and citizen oversight of government. However, OGE does not respond to questions about specific individuals.”

    Fox said Trump, in revising the filing with specific amounts, went beyond the requirement of providing information in ranges by disclosing the exact amount he earned. It is not typical for a candidate to go beyond the ranges, and it is not clear why Trump went beyond the requirement. The report is required under guidelines from the Office of Government Ethics that say a presidential candidate is required to file within 30 days of becoming a candidate and on or before May 15 of each year of candidacy. Trump, after receiving two extensions, filed his initial report on April 14. The filing mainly covers part of 2021 and all of 2022, and at least one reference to 2023, for a payment of $100,000.

    The new filing contains an array of updates that offer further insight into Trump’s finances and his complex domestic and international business interests. In one of the most substantial revisions, Trump had reported in his April filing that he made more than $5 million in income from a golf course at his Doral resort in Florida, while the revised filing said he earned $159 million. While those statements don’t conflict, they do provide another example of why the new filing has a larger valuation. Trump’s detailing of the more than $1 billion came from sources including hotel sales, golf revenue and licensing fees in the July disclosure. His April filing, which did not provide exact numbers on his income, reported more than 25 sources of income over $5 million.

    In the July filing, Trump reports three sources of income over $100 million, including $284 million from the sale of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, $159 million from his Miami golf resort and $199 million across four partnerships with Hudson Waterfront Associates. Some of this income had been previously known but not described in detail in his initial filing. For example, while he reported in April that the Washington hotel sale brought in more than $5 million, it had already been widely reported that the sale price was around $284 million — the amount he declared in the July filing. But some of the other newly disclosed details had not been known. The new report says Trump Media & Technology Group, which runs the social network Truth Social, reported receiving about $1.2 million in advertising, a paltry sum compared with the ad revenue of Twitter and other social media rivals Trump has long said it would supplant.

    In late 2021, the company said a planned merger with a special purpose acquisition company would raise its value to up to $1.7 billion. That merger remains frozen amid a federal investigation, and in the financial disclosure, Trump said the company was worth no more than $25 million. The new filing also sheds light on the money that Trump received as part of fundraising events.

    In one example, Trump was paid $900,300 for participating in a Dec. 3, 2021, event in Florida, and his wife, Melania Trump, was paid $250,000 for what appears to be the same event, according to the filing. Before the event, the New York Daily News reported that Trump was “set to pose for 90 photos with guests” at $10,000 a pop.

    “Trump does get a piece of the pie, but the lion’s share will go to charity,” organizer Brad Keltner told the outlet. Keltner did not respond to a request for comment.

    Trump also reported more than a dozen speaking engagements, including two at Universal Peace Federation World Summits. The events, which amounted to $2 million, were hosted by the Universal Peace Federation and its co-founder Hak Ja Han Moon, whose late husband Sun Myung Moon co-founded the group and also founded the Unification Church. Church and federation spokesmen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Trump’s single most lucrative speaking engagement was $2.5 million in fees from Triller Legends II LLC in Hollywood, Fla., on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12, 2021. After this story posted online, a lawyer for Triller confirmed that was Trump’s payment for commentating a fight between Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Trump previously called the payment amount “obscene,” TMZ reported, but the exact amount does not appear to have been known until Trump’s new filing.

    Triller said in a statement that “The payment made to Trump for his commentary was consistent with the fees typically received by celebrity commentators,” and cited what it called Trump’s “successful hosting” of previous boxing events.

    Fox, the former acting OGE head, said such filings as the one Trump submitted are essential for voters to examine before the election. “It all comes back to the integrity of the executive branch and confidence that the person holding executive branch office is conducting the people’s business, not personal business,” Fox said. “As a president is not subject to conflict-of-interest laws, the only real remedy for dealing with potential conflicts is complete transparency.”

    Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, applauded the OGE for pushing Trump to provide more detailed information, saying it is crucial for voters to understand potential conflicts of interest.

    “When we have exact numbers, you get a much better look of seeing what his actual net worth is, and where potential conflicts of interest exist,” Libowtiz said. “We haven’t had a president making millions of dollars from overseas business before. These disclosures show exactly where money is pouring in, and that’s something Americans need to know.”
    (Source: Washington Post)

  • District of Columbia includes Sikhism in social studies standards

    District of Columbia includes Sikhism in social studies standards

    WASHINGTON, D.C (TIP): Over 49,000 students can now learn about Sikhism in the District of Columbia after the local education board voted in favor of new social studies standards that for the first time ever includes the Sikh faith in the school curriculum.

    The District of Columbia has adopted new social studies standards. The new standards, voted on by the District of Columbia State Board of Education on June 21, will give approximately 49,800 students the opportunity to learn about the Sikh community. The new standards will be implemented in local schools starting from the 2024-2025 academic year. The Sikh Coalition, which worked with local education authorities on this issue, said the District of Columbia joins 17 states across the nation to include accurate information about Sikhs in their public school social studies standards. “We are thrilled that the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education has chosen to ensure that the Sikh community is represented and included in their standards,” said Harman Singh, Sikh Coalition senior education manager.

    “Inclusive and accurate standards are an important first step to combat bigotry and to reduce bullying, and they benefit all students by increasing baseline cultural competency and decreasing ignorance,” Singh said.

    Earlier in April, the US State of Virginia voted in favor of new social studies standards to include Sikhi, or the Sikh faith, in the school curriculum for the first time ever.

    Sikhism is one of the largest religions in the world and the members of the community have contributed to American society for over 125 years in the fields of civil rights, politics, agriculture, engineering, and medicine.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Indian-origin Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta sworn-in as envoy for global women’s issues

    Indian-origin Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta sworn-in as envoy for global women’s issues

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): : Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, an Indian-born global leader on gender equity and women’s economic security, has been sworn as the Ambassador-at-Large for the Office of Global Women’s Issues in the State Department. Gupta, the first woman of color to hold the position, was administered the oath of office by Indian American Vice President Kamala Harris on July 10.

    After the US Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s pick for the role by 51 to 47 votes in May, the State Department tweeted it “looks forward to her efforts to promote women and girls’ rights through US foreign policy.” Mumbai-born Gupta previously worked closely with many UN agencies and programs. She was the former Executive Director of the 3D Program for Girls and Women at the UN Foundation.

    Gupta also co-convened an international initiative commissioned by UNAIDS to plan the global response to HIV/AIDS over the next 25 years and was appointed by the Secretary-General to the role of Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF.

    According to Gupta, there are many inequities and indignities that women suffer around the world, which hold them back from participating fully in the economy. They are subject to threats to their safety and have a fear of violence even on a daily basis, and that determines their mobility.

    “In situations of conflict and emergencies and humanitarian crises they are particularly vulnerable, both in terms of their safety, but also in terms of their being able to look after their families and feed their families,” she said during her confirmation hearing last year.

    With over a decade of experience on gender and development, Gupta has also served on an oversight committee for the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program, and co-chaired the World Banks’s Global Gender-based Violence Task Force.

    In addition, she has served as the President of the International Center for Research on Women, and has numerous awards to her credit, including Harvard University’s 2006 Anne Roe Award and the 2007 Washington Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” Award. She earned a PhD in Social Psychology from the Bangalore University and an MPhil and MA from the University of Delhi in India.

     

  • US lawmakers, Indian-Americans condemn attack on Indian consulate in San Francisco, seek action against perpetrators

    US lawmakers, Indian-Americans condemn attack on Indian consulate in San Francisco, seek action against perpetrators

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): US lawmakers and influential Indian-Americans have condemned the attempted arson at the Indian consulate in San Francisco and called for expeditious action against those behind this “criminal act”.

    They also slammed the “violent rhetoric” against India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and said free speech does not mean a license to incite violence or vandalize property.

    A video by Khalistan supporters, dated July 2 and posted on Twitter, showed the act of arson at the Indian consulate in San Francisco.

    The video, with the words “violence begets violence” emblazoned over it, also showed news articles related to the death of Canada-based Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada last month.

    In a joint statement issued on Thursday, July 6, Congressmen Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz, co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, said violence against diplomatic facilities will not be tolerated.

    “As the co-chairs of the India Caucus, we strongly condemn the attempted arson and vandalism at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco and the posters circulating on social media with violent rhetoric aimed at Indian diplomats, including Ambassador Sandhu,” they said. “We support the right to free speech and freedom of expression for every American but that is not a license to vandalize property or incite violence. Violence against diplomatic facilities is a criminal offence and will not be tolerated. We urge the State Department to coordinate with law enforcement in their investigation of the damage at the Indian Consulate expeditiously and hold those involved accountable,” they added.

    Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said the attack on the Indian consulate is unacceptable.

    “I firmly condemn the repeated hateful attacks on the Indian Consulate and look forward to those involved being held accountable with appropriate legal action,” he said.

    Till Thursday, no action had been taken against those involved in the attack on the Indian consulate.

    A spokesperson of the National Security Council of the White House said the US takes the safety and security of diplomats very seriously. “We take very seriously the safety and security of diplomats living in the United States and strongly condemn acts of vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or personnel,” the spokesperson told PTI.

    Congressman Mike Lawler said the attempted arson at the Indian consulate was disturbing.

    “I had the pleasure of welcoming Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi of India to Washington, D.C. last month and look forward to a continued, strong partnership with the world’s largest democracy,” he said.

    Condemning the attack in the “strongest possible terms”, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar said, “Violence and attempts to instill terror are unacceptable in a democracy.” Congressman Rich McCormick said this attack is vile and unacceptable.

    “Americans stand by our allies and our patriotic Indian-American community,” he said in a tweet. Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna slammed the posters against Indian diplomats in the US, including Sandhu, doing the rounds on social media.

    “I know Ambassador Sandhu and respect him. When I bring up human rights issues, he always engages with civility, thoughtfulness & candor. This rhetoric puts diplomats in harm’s way. It’s dangerous and has no place in a democracy. Free speech does not mean a license to incite violence,” Khanna said. Last week’s attack was the second time within months that the Indian Consulate in San Francisco was targeted by Khalistani supporters.

    On March 19, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and damaged the consulate. Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.

    In a tweet, the South Asian Minorities Collective said, “Known for their proximity to Pakistani intelligence service, the Khalistan cult has been trying to revive itself over the past few years in US, UK and Canada.” Sikh leader Jasdeep Singh described the attack on the Indian consulate as “shameful and disgraceful”. “Whoever did it should be brought to the fullest extent of law. Targeting any consulate or any diplomat or anybody for that reason is not a good thing,” Singh told PTI. “Although it has not been identified who the perpetrators were, the community is very, very upset because it is being linked to the Khalistani movement.

    “There is a line between freedom of speech and the right to protest and getting involved in criminal activities like this one. So, we strongly condemn this criminal act,” he said. Responding to a question, Singh urged the Biden administration to make sure that consulates and diplomats of all countries, especially India, are protected and safe in the US. “The Sikh community by and large stands with the laws of this great nation, and if anyone breaks the laws of this nation, the government should go after them,” he said.

  • Biden admin urges court to deny Tahawwur Rana’s petition against extradition to India

    Biden admin urges court to deny Tahawwur Rana’s petition against extradition to India

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Biden administration has urged a court in California to deny the writ of habeas corpus filed by Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana and reiterated that he be extradited to India where he is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. A US court had approved Rana’s extradition to India in May. Rana is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles.

    “The United States respectfully requests that the Court deny Rana’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus,” said E Martin Estrada, US attorney for Central District of California in his petition filed before the US District Court for the Central District of California.

    Opposing Rana’s petition, Estrada said the petitioner is unable to demonstrate that India’s extradition request lacks sufficient evidence of probable cause. Last month, Rana had filed a writ of habeas corpus challenging a court order which approved the US government’s request that he be extradited to India.

    Rana’s attorney argued that his extradition would violate the US-India extradition treaty in two respects.

    First, Rana has been tried and acquitted in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for charges based on the identical conduct for which India seeks to prosecute him. The extradition is therefore barred under Article 6(1) of the Treaty, which declares that “(e)extradition shall not be granted when the person sought has been convicted or acquitted in the Requested State for the offence for which extradition is requested”.

    Second, the materials submitted by the government of India — comprising principally transcripts and exhibits from Rana’s trial in the Northern District of Illinois — fail to establish probable cause that he committed the offences with which India has charged him. The Indian government’s extradition request thus fails to satisfy Article 9.3(c) of the Treaty, according to Rana’s attorney.

    The court should grant the writ of habeas corpus, deny extradition and order Rana’s release, his attorney argued.

    India had filed a complaint on June 10, 2020 seeking the provisional arrest of Rana with a view towards extradition. The Biden administration had supported and approved his extradition to India. In his submission to the court on June 23, the US attorney had argued that Rana’s claims about the legitimacy of his business in Mumbai fall flat.

    The evidence does not support his assertion that the Mumbai office conducted legitimate business, but even if it did, the engagement of legitimate business activities does not preclude a finding that Rana’s business also served as a cover for his childhood friend Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley’s terrorism-related activities in Mumbai.

    “Rana’s claims about who funded the Mumbai office also do not relate to whether Rana lacked knowledge of and support for Headley’s activities. Similarly, even if Rana hoped to continue business operations in Mumbai, the evidence reveals that neither Rana nor Headley renewed the business lease that expired approximately two weeks before the start of the Mumbai attacks,” Estrada argued.

    Headley was one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Estrada said the fact that Rana received a warning before the attacks does not preclude a finding of probable cause. “In the fall of 2008, when Headley learned that Rana was going to travel to China and India, he decided to warn Rana that an attack may be forthcoming through a co-conspirator,” he said.

    “While the details of the conversation between Rana and the co-conspirator are unknown, a September 7, 2009 FBI intercept reveals that Rana told Headley that their co-conspirator had warned him (Rana) that the Mumbai attacks were imminent. Contrary to Rana’s claim, the co-conspirator’s warning does not suggest that he was unaware of the upcoming attacks,” the US attorney argued.

    Instead, it merely suggests that Rana was not aware of the date of the attack, which is consistent with the fact that Headley had informed Rana earlier that the attack plans were being delayed.

    Estrada said that Rana’s claim that he did not review Headley’s visa application is not supported by the evidence.

    “Rana does not dispute that Headley’s visa applications contain false information; rather, he claims that it is ‘unlikely that (he) checked (the applications) for accuracy’ because he would have corrected a statement indicating that Headley worked for ‘First World Immigration’, instead of ‘Immigrant Law Centre’,” he said. “While ‘Immigration Law Centre’ is a ‘DBA for Raymond J. Sanders,’ Rana’s business partner, that business and ‘First World Immigration’ shared the same address and telephone number. Significantly, India issued Headley a business visa, even though he wrote, ‘First World Immigration’ on his 2006 visa application and the accompanying support letter from Mr Sanders referred to the employing entity as ‘Immigration Law Centre’.” Thus, Rana’s claim does not undermine probable cause and is not persuasive, the US attorney said.

    India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing Rana’s role in the 26/11 attacks carried out by terrorists of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. The NIA has said that it is ready to initiate proceedings to bring him to India through diplomatic channels.

    A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations of Mumbai.

  • Silicon Valley-based startup raise USD 10 million to expand its manufacturing base in India, launch disruptive 5G and automotive solutions

    Silicon Valley-based startup raise USD 10 million to expand its manufacturing base in India, launch disruptive 5G and automotive solutions

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): A Silicon Valley-based startup co-founded by Indian Americans has raised USD 10 million to expand its manufacturing base in India and launch disruptive 5G and automotive solutions for its global customer base, it was announced on Wednesday. Co-founded in 2017 by John Mathew, Ajit Thomas, Tarun Thomas George, and Akhil A Zeeb, Cavli Wireless designs and manufactures cellular modules in 4G and 5G technologies with integrated eSIM and global connectivity.

    This Series A funding led by Chiratae Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures in addition to major US technology conglomerates, will enable Cavli to strengthen its position in the global IoT market by expanding its product portfolio, enhancing R&D capabilities, and growing its international presence, said Mathew, CEO of Cavli Wireless. Cavli plans to invest in cutting-edge technologies, such as 5G with edge processing capabilities, to address the automotive and industrial sectors globally, Mathew said.

    “With our platform solution Cavli Hubble tightly integrated with our hardware portfolio, we are pretty confident that Silicon to Cloud integration in its true sense is now a reality,” Mathew said.

    Cavli Wireless has demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and customer success, positioning the company as a leader in the intersection of Mobility & IoT space, TCM Sundaram, founder and vice chairman of Chiratae Ventures said.

    “We are excited to support Cavli’s vision and believe their unparalleled IoT connectivity expertise will enable them to become an indispensable partner for businesses worldwide,” he said. Cavli said this investment comes at a time when the global Internet of Things (IoT) market is experiencing rapid growth, with the number of connected devices projected to surpass 30 billion by 2025.

  • Dalai Lama’s kindness and humility serve as an inspiration to many around the world: Blinken

    Dalai Lama’s kindness and humility serve as an inspiration to many around the world: Blinken

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Dalai Lama’s kindness and humility serve as an inspiration to many around the world, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, July 6, as he greeted the India-based Tibetan spiritual leader on his 88th birthday.

    Blinken also said the United States is unwavering in its commitment to support the linguistic, cultural, and religious identity of Tibetans, including the ability to freely choose and venerate their religious leaders without interference.

    “I extend my warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the occasion of his 88th birthday, an auspicious day for the Tibetan community,” he said. “His Holiness’s kindness and humility serve as an inspiration to many around the world, and I have deep admiration for his ongoing commitment to peace and nonviolence,” Blinken said in a statement.

    The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 following a Chinese crackdown on an uprising by the local population in Tibet. India granted him political asylum and the Tibetan government-in-exile has been based in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh since then.

    “Today, may we reflect on his messages of compassion and tolerance as we reaffirm our commitment to upholding the human rights of all people, including those of the Tibetan community,” the top US diplomat said in a statement. China has in the past accused the Dalai Lama of indulging in “separatist” activities and trying to split Tibet and considers him a divisive figure.

    However, the Tibetan spiritual leader has insisted that he is not seeking independence but “genuine autonomy” for all Tibetans.

  • Judge rejects Donald Trump’s request to toss out defamation claims by columnist

    Judge rejects Donald Trump’s request to toss out defamation claims by columnist

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Former President Donald Trump’s claims that absolute presidential immunity and free speech rights shield him from the defamation claims of a New York columnist were rejected on Thursday, June 29, by a federal judge.

    The writer, E Jean Carroll, can continue to press claims that Trump owes her at least $10 million in damages for comments he made before and after she won a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation verdict against him last month, Judge Lewis A Kaplan said in a written opinion. Trump tried to dismiss the lawsuit on grounds that he is entitled to absolute presidential immunity, his statements were not defamatory and that his statements were opinion protected by free speech rights.

    Kaplan said Trump surrendered absolute presidential immunity as a defense by failing to assert it years ago when the lawsuit was filed. The lawsuit was delayed until recently as appeals courts considered legal issues surrounding it. Trump countersued Carroll this week, claiming that she has libeled him by continuing to insist that he raped her even after a jury found otherwise.

    After a jury returned its verdict last month in Manhattan federal court, Trump made comments on a CNN town hall that prompted Carroll to assert new defamation claims in a 2020 defamation lawsuit.

    The jury award resulted from a sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit filed last November after New York state temporarily enacted a law allowing sexual assault victims to sue for damages resulting from attacks that occurred even decades earlier.

  • Supreme Court rejects Biden student loan forgiveness plan

    Supreme Court rejects Biden student loan forgiveness plan

    Says President Biden does not have authority for his roughly $400 billion program to forgive student loan debt

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Washington Post, the first to report on the subject, reports that the Supreme Court on Friday, June 30, said President Biden does not have authority for his roughly $400 billion program to forgive student loan debt, the latest blow from a Supreme Court that has been dismissive of this administration’s bold claims of power.

    The vote was 6 to 3 along ideological lines, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. writing for the court’s dominant conservatives.

    Biden contended his administration had the authority to forgive student loan debt under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003. The law allows the education secretary to waive or modify loan provisions in response to a national emergency, such as the coronavirus pandemic. The conservative majority disagreed. “The Secretary asserts that the HEROES Act grants him the authority to cancel $430 billion of student loan principal. It does not,” Roberts wrote. “We hold today that the Act allows the Secretary to ‘waive or modify’ existing statutory or regulatory provisions applicable to financial assistance programs under the Education Act, not to rewrite that statute from the ground up.” Roberts was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

    The challenge brought together controversial issues: an ambitious program aimed at fulfilling a campaign promise for Biden’s political base; heightened suspicion by the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority about the ability of federal agencies to act without specific congressional authorization; and the power of Republican-led states to use the judiciary to stop a president’s priorities before they take effect. Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona proposed a plan that would eliminate up to $10,000 of student debt for borrowers earning up to $125,000 annually, or up to $250,000 for married couples. Those who received Pell Grants, a form of financial aid for low- and middle-income students, would be eligible for an additional $10,000 in forgiveness. About 20 million borrowers could see their balances wiped clean.

    U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar, who defended the program at oral arguments, said Cardona’s actions are not only justified by the law, but they are also exactly what Congress had in mind when it passed the Heroes Act in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

    In a dissent from the majority opinion, Justice Elena Kagan said the court was making national policy in place of Congress and the executive branch. “Congress authorized the forgiveness plan (among many other actions); the Secretary put it in place; and the President would have been accountable for its success or failure,” Kagan wrote, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. “But this Court today decides that some 40 million Americans will not receive the benefits the plan provides, because (so says the Court) that assistance is too ‘significant.’ ”

    Biden was expected to address the ruling later Friday.

    The justices have rejected the administration’s expansive arguments in the past. The court lifted a pandemic-era moratorium on rental evictions put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It threw out a coronavirus vaccination-or-testing mandate imposed on large businesses by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. And in a ruling unrelated to the pandemic, it cited the “major questions” doctrine to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s options for combating climate change.

    The challenge to the student loan program was brought by Republican-led states in one case, and two individuals from Texas in another. In both cases, the Justice Department questioned whether the plaintiffs had legal standing to file their suits. The court dismissed the challenge from Texas, but said Missouri had standing to bring the case because of a state-created organization that deals with student loans. Kagan said that her conservative colleagues strained to find a way to vote against Biden’s plan.

    “In adjudicating Missouri’s claim, the majority reaches out to decide a matter it has no business deciding,” she wrote. “It blows through a constitutional guardrail intended to keep courts acting like courts.”

    Roberts seemed sensitive to the criticism.

    “It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary,” he wrote. “We do not mistake this plainly heartfelt disagreement for disparagement. It is important that the public not be misled either. Any such misperception would be harmful to this institution and our country.”

    Roberts said the court was simply calling out the administration for taking advantage of vague language in the Heroes Act to move forward with a plan Congress likely would not authorize.

    “From a few narrowly delineated situations specified by Congress, the Secretary has expanded forgiveness to nearly every borrower in the country,” Roberts wrote. “The Secretary’s plan has ‘modified’ the cited provisions only in the same sense that ‘the French Revolution ‘modified’ the status of the French nobility’—it has abolished them and supplanted them with a new regime entirely.”

    The quote related to the French Revolution comes from a previous Supreme Court opinion.

    Indeed, Biden and other Democratic officials themselves once questioned whether the law provided such leeway.

    And Biden’s debt relief program has been a divisive issue on Capitol Hill. On June 7, Biden vetoed a Republican-led resolution to strike down the program and restart loan payments for tens of millions of borrowers. The measure passed the Senate with the backing of Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), illustrating the likely difficulty of getting any future debt relief plan through Congress.

    The administration’s best hope at the Supreme Court was to convince the justices that none of the challengers had really been injured by the program, and thus they did not have legal standing to sue. Challengers had to show they have suffered a specific, rather than generalized, injury that could be remedied by relief from a federal court. It was not enough just to object to the size of the program or even to allege that the president has exceeded his authority. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit had found that the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, a quasi-independent entity, could suffer losses from Biden’s program that would hurt Missouri, one of the challenger states. A different court said the two borrowers, Myra Brown and Alexander Taylor, had standing to proceed because Taylor doesn’t qualify for $20,000 of forgiveness, while Brown is ineligible altogether. The court unanimously dismissed the suit from the individuals, saying they did not have standing.

    But Roberts said Missouri’s challenge could proceed. “The Secretary’s plan harms MOHELA in the performance of its public function and so directly harms the State that created and controls MOHELA,” he wrote. “Missouri thus has suffered an injury in fact sufficient to give it standing to challenge the Secretary’s plan.”

    From the time Biden was elected, activists and some congressional Democrats have waged a relentless campaign to get him to fulfill his promise to cancel at least part of the $1.6 trillion in federal student debt.

    Biden initially directed the Education and Justice Departments to produce memos on his administrative power to forgive loans but expressed skepticism. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) were adamant that Biden could use the same authority to cancel debt that President Donald Trump’s administration used to temporarily waive student loan payments during the pandemic, a pause that has been extended multiple times and remains in effect. The legal battles have left millions of student loan borrowers in limbo. More than half of eligible people had applied for the forgiveness program before it was halted by the courts, with the Education Department approving some 16 million applications.

    The cases are Biden v. Nebraska and U.S. Department of Education v. Brown.

  • US economy seen skirting recession but with sticky inflation

    US economy seen skirting recession but with sticky inflation

    WASHINGTON (TIP)- The US economy is now expected to narrowly dodge a recession this year but underlying inflation will be faster than previously thought, according to the latest Bloomberg monthly survey of economists. Gross domestic product is now forecast to only contract in the final three months of the year, and it’s projected to merely stagnate in the third quarter instead of shrink, the June survey showed. While estimates were marked up for the current quarter and next — due to stronger consumer spending and upward revisions to business investment — GDP growth is seen slightly weaker through the end of 2024.
    At the same time, economists see the personal consumption expenditures price index, excluding food and energy, rising at a faster pace over the next year than they did in the May survey. That corroborates the Federal Reserve’s view as well, supporting policymakers’ assertion that another two interest-rate hikes will probably be appropriate this year.
    According to the median forecast, economists see one more rate hike in the third quarter, with the federal funds rate holding in a 5.25%-5.5% range through yearend before an expected quarter-point cut in early 2024.
    The survey of 71 economists from June 16-21 showed stronger views of the labor market. Forecasters mostly see increased hiring this year and next, and they also expect the unemployment rate will peak at a slightly lower level. That helps explain projections for sustained consumer spending.
    The findings also support the notion that the housing market bottom has passed. While sales of previously owned homes are struggling for momentum, buyers are seeking new construction and builders have been responding to demand. Economists see that trend continuing with higher new-home sales over the next year and more housing starts.
    US jobless claims hold at 20-month high
    The number of people filing for state unemployment benefits for the first time held steady at a 20-month high last week, remaining elevated for a third straight week in what may be an early indication of a softening labor market in the face of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive credit tightening.
    The housing market, meanwhile, showed further signs of stabilizing last month after standing out last year as the sector most visibly upended by the Fed’s rate hikes. However, selling prices for existing homes – the largest slice of the U.S. residential property market – tumbled from a year earlier by the most in more than a decade, a demonstration of the choppy nature of the recovery underway.
    Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday showed 264,000 new claims were filed for jobless benefits on a seasonally adjusted basis in the week ended June 17, unchanged from the prior week’s upwardly revised level, which is the highest level of initial claims activity since October 2021.

  • US set to introduce in-country renewable for H-1B visa: official

    US set to introduce in-country renewable for H-1B visa: official

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The US is set to introduce in-country renewable H-1B visas, a significant decision that would help thousands of Indian professionals in staying in the country to continue with their jobs without the hassle of travelling overseas for the renewal of their work visas.
    This is part of the people-to-people initiative, a senior administration official said ahead of the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden at the White House here on Thursday, June 22.
    The much-sought-after H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
    Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
    The United States last year issued 125,000 visas to Indian students, which is a record and they are on pace to become the largest foreign student community in the United States with a 20 per cent increase last year alone, the official explained.
    “The second thing that we’re doing is the United States Department of State is going to launch a pilot to adjudicate domestic renewals of certain petition-based temporary work visas later this year, including for Indian nationals with the intent to implement this for an expanded pool of H-1 and L visa holders,” a senior Biden administration official said.
    The programme would be eventually broadened to include other eligible categories. “It is good for people in India, good for people in the United States, really good for our businesses,” said the official.
    Until 2004, certain categories of non-immigrant visas, particularly the H-1B, could be renewed or stamped inside the US. After that, for the renewal of these visas, in particular, those on H-1B, the foreign tech workers have to go out of the country, mostly to their own country to get the H-1B extension stamped on their passport.
    The H-1B visas are issued for three years at a time.
    For all the H-1B visa holders, when their visa is renewed, they need to get their passports stamped with renewal dates. This is required if they wish to travel outside of the US and re-enter the US. As of now, H-1B visa restamping is not allowed within the US. Restamping can only be done at any US consulate.
    This was a big inconvenience for foreign guest workers and also for their employees, particularly at a time when the visa wait time is more than 800 days or more than two years.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar announces plans to form ‘Hindu Caucus’ in US Congress

    Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar announces plans to form ‘Hindu Caucus’ in US Congress

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Leaders of the Hindu community from across the country gathered at the US Capitol for the summit, organized by Americans4Hindus and supported by 20 other organizations. Dr Romesh Japra, Founder and Chairman of American4Hindus said that the event was the first-ever summit held for political engagement. He further claimed that Hindu Americans are being discriminated in the US, which is why the diaspora group thought of bringing all the organizations together.

    “This is the first-ever summit we are holding for political engagement. We’ve done a lot of great work in every field but politically, we are way behind. We feel that Hindu Americans are being discriminated. That is why we thought it is a good idea to bring all the organizations together,” California-based Japra told ANI.

    “The purpose of this caucus is not only to ensure that there is no hate against Hinduism, to ensure that there is no bigotry and no discrimination towards (the) Hindu religion and those who practice Hindu religion,” he further said.

    During the summit, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar announced plans to form a ‘Hindu Caucus’ in the US Congress that will bring like-minded lawmakers under one umbrella to ensure that there is no hate and bigotry against Hindus in the country.

    “It is important that every person has a right to choose a religion, pray (to) a God that he or she chooses without persecution, without discrimination, without hate or for those who may choose not to pray to a God,” Thanedar, who represents the 13th District of Michigan, said.

    “These are freedoms that are fundamental. These are fundamental human rights,” he added.

    Congressional caucuses are groups of members of the US Congress that meet to pursue common legislative objectives. Caucuses are formed as Congressional Member Organizations through the US House of Representatives and governed under the chamber’s rules.

    “With that thought in mind, I am pleased to work with Dr (Ramesh) Japra, I am pleased to work with Americans4Hindus to form a ‘Hindu Caucus’ in the United States Congress,” Thanedar said amid applause from the scores of Indian-Americans gathered at the Capitol Visitor Center here.

    Community leaders applauded Thanedar for taking the lead in forming the caucus, which will be open to members of both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Indian-Americans now plan to reach out to their local representatives to join the caucus.

    “Everybody’s welcome. This is an inclusive caucus. This is a positive caucus, not a hate caucus. We are not against anybody. We are for all the people and for improving the quality of life, opportunities for all. That is what we are going to focus on,” Thanedar said.

    When asked about how far the caucus has progressed, Thanedar said it is at the early stages and they are inviting all members of the Congress to join.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Former President Trump charged with 37 federal counts, including 31 violations of Espionage Act; pleads not guilty

    Former President Trump charged with 37 federal counts, including 31 violations of Espionage Act; pleads not guilty

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges that he broke the law dozens of times by hiding classified documents in his Florida home as he was formally arraigned at a Miami court, becoming the first former US president to face federal criminal charges. Wearing a navy suit and red tie, Trump, 77, was brought in about 15 minutes before the hearing began on Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Miami, Florida, and sat slumped over in his chair, hands clasped in his lap, as he waited for the judge to arrive. Trump’s son, Eric Trump, accompanied his father to the courthouse for the historic case that could alter the country’s political and legal landscape ahead of the 2024 race for the White House.

    Trump, who has announced his second bid for the presidency, looked down at the floor for most of the hearing and his lawyer waived a reading of the 49-page indictment, ABC News reported.

    Federal prosecutors accused Trump, a Republican, of willfully withholding classified documents obtained during his presidency and obstructing justice in his efforts to conceal those materials from authorities, as a detailed indictment unsealed on Friday. The former president was charged with 37 federal counts, including 31 violations of the Espionage Act.

    “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said at the arraignment in a small but packed courtroom.

    Flanked by two of his lawyers, Blanche and Christopher Kise, the former president listened impassively as US Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman said he planned to order the former president not to have any contact with witnesses in the case — or his co-defendant, Waltine “Walt” Nauta — as the case proceeds. Trump did not speak except to whisper to Blanche and Kise.

    Blanche objected to the judge’s proposal, saying that Nauta and a number of witnesses are members of Trump’s staff or security detail who rely on him for their livelihood. The facts of the case, Blanche said, revolve around “everything in President Trump’s life.”

    The judge relented somewhat, saying that Trump should not speak to Nauta or witnesses about the facts of the case. As to which Trump employees might be affected by the restriction, the judge instructed the prosecution team to provide a list. During the hearing, Goodman repeatedly referred to Trump as the “former president,” while his attorneys referred to him as “President Trump.” Nauta did not enter a plea, because he did not have a local Florida lawyer to represent him. An arraignment for him was scheduled for June 27. There was no discussion during the 45-minute court hearing of when, or where, Trump must next appear in court.

    Nauta served in the White House before and during Trump’s presidency and then followed him to Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s home and private club in Palm Beach. He is charged with conspiring with Trump to hide some of the classified documents from the government agents trying to recover them.

    The first former US president to stand accused of federal crimes, Trump could be sentenced to years in prison if found guilty. He publicly attacked special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the investigation, in the hours before his court appearance, calling the veteran prosecutor a “thug” and a “lunatic” in social media posts. Smith, who was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November, sat in the courtroom on Tuesday but did not speak at the hearing.

    While Tuesday’s court appearance was the second time in a little over two months that Trump had pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in a courtroom – he also pleaded not guilty in April to charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney – the federal charges are a more serious legal threat to the former president, CNN said.

    Trump, who is again seeking the Republican presidential nomination, faces the prospect of sitting at a defendant’s table for federal and state trials that may overlap with the presidential primaries or nominating conventions.

    The former president and his body man Walt Nauta shuffled boxes containing the classified documents around Mar-a-Lago for months in an effort to elude federal authorities, moving the material from a ballroom to a bedroom, bathroom and storage room, the indictment says.

    At Trump’s direction, prosecutors allege, Nauta also hid some of the material from the former president’s attorneys, causing them to wrongly tell the Justice Department and FBI in June 2022 that a “diligent search” in response to a grand jury subpoena had yielded only a few dozen documents. The FBI in August seized more than 100 classified documents kept in Trump’s private residence.

    Meanwhile, Trump, received a hero’s welcome on Tuesday night as he returned to his New Jersey golf club for a private fundraiser after pleading not guilty. Trump told a couple of hundred supporters he had undergone “political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or communist nation.”

    “They ought to drop this case immediately because they’re destroying the country,” the 45th president said during his 30-minute address. Trump alleged — without evidence — that President Joe Biden ordered his prosecution. He attacked special counsel Jack Smith as “a deranged lunatic.”

    “Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country. It’s a very sad thing to watch,” he said, a day before his birthday.

    “A corrupt sitting president had his top political opponents arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty.” The former president, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, argued he faces a double standard compared to Biden, whose handling of classified records from his vice presidency and Senate years is also under investigation by special counsel Robert Hur.

    “Hillary Clinton broke the law. And she didn’t get indicted,” Trump said. “Joe Biden broke the law and in many other ways we’re finding out and so far has not gotten indicted. I did everything right and they indicted me”.

    Trump argued that he refused to return the classified documents from Mar-a-Lago when asked to do so by the National Archives because he hadn’t found the time to go through the papers.

    “Many people have asked me why I had these boxes, why did you want them? The answer, in addition to having every right under the Presidential Records Act, is that these boxes were containing all types of personal belongings — many, many things — shirts and shoes and everything … clothing, memorabilia and much much more,” Trump said.

    “I hadn’t had a chance to go through all the boxes. It’s a long tedious job — takes a long time, which I was prepared to do, but I have a very busy life.” Trump said that Biden’s handling of classified records, some of which were stashed in his Wilmington garage, was worse.

    “Classified documents were strewn all over his garage floor where his now-famous Corvette is stored. He’s so proud of that car. There was no security and the door was left open most of the time,” he said.

    The ex-president argued that the Biden administration indicted him in a historical first to “distract” from corruption allegations linked to the first family’s foreign business dealings, including the recently surfaced allegation that then Vice-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter received USD 5 million apiece in bribes to do the bidding of corrupt Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings.

    “(It’s” no coincidence that these charges against me came down the very same day evidence revealed Joe Biden took a USD 5 million bribe from Ukraine,” Trump said.

    The former president sought to recast his federal criminal case as a potential boon to his candidacy.

    The White House declined to comment on the case Tuesday, June 13 during a press briefing and Biden answered “no” when asked if he would share his reaction to the arraignment.

    Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters clashed outside the Miami courthouse during the day, and one man with a “Lock him up” sign was arrested for trying to halt the former president’s motorcade as it departed.

     

    Tuesday’s hearing was handled by Magistrate Judge Goodman, but now the case will move into the courtroom of District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge whose prior rulings have raised questions about how she will handle the case, CNN said.

    (source: Agencies)

  • US eases norms on eligibility criteria for those awaiting Green Card

    US eases norms on eligibility criteria for those awaiting Green Card

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Biden administration has eased norms by releasing policy guidance on the eligibility criteria for those waiting for green cards to work and stay in America, days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.

    The guidance issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding the eligibility criteria for initial and renewal applications for Employment Authorization Document (EAD) in compelling circumstances is expected to help thousands of Indian technology professionals who are in the agonizingly long wait for a Green Card or permanent residency. A Green Card, known officially as a Permanent Resident Card, is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing permanently. Immigration law provides for approximately 140,000 employment-based green cards to be issued each year.

    However, only seven per cent of those green cards can go to individuals from a single country annually. The USCIS guidance outlines specific requirements that applicants must meet to be eligible for an initial EAD based on compelling circumstances. These include being the principal beneficiary of an approved Form I-140, being in valid non-immigrant status or authorized grace period, not having filed an adjustment of status application, and meeting certain biometrics and criminal background requirements.

    Further, USCIS will exercise discretion to determine whether an applicant demonstrates compelling circumstances justifying the issuance of employment authorization.

    “These measures are a significant step towards supporting individuals facing challenging situations and ensuring their ability to work lawfully in the United States,” said Ajay Bhutoria, a prominent community leader and advocate for immigrant rights. He highlighted the importance of these measures for individuals and their dependents who find themselves in challenging situations such as serious illness or disability, employer disputes or retaliation, significant harm, or disruptions to employment.

    Bhutoria said the non-exhaustive list of qualifying circumstances, as provided by USCIS, offers individuals an opportunity to present evidence supporting their case.

    “For instance, individuals with approved immigrant visa petitions in oversubscribed categories or chargeability areas may submit evidence like school or higher education enrollment records, mortgage records, or long-term lease records to demonstrate compelling circumstances,” he said. This provision can prove crucial in situations where families face the potential loss of their home, withdrawal of children from school, or the need to relocate to their home country due to job loss, Bhutoria added.

    Foundation of India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), which has been advocating for laid-off H1-B workers, applauded USCIS for taking such a step that would help a large number of Indian IT professionals.  “I really feel proud that a sustained advocacy for more than six months started reflecting in considerations and adjustments by USCIS,” said Khanderao Kand from FIIDS.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Blinken not expecting breakthrough in China : NSA Jake Sullivan

    Blinken not expecting breakthrough in China : NSA Jake Sullivan

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The U.S. expects a “transformational moment” in India ties during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming trip to Washington, President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser said as he downplayed chances for a diplomatic breakthrough in China when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits next week.

    “Secretary Blinken’s trip to China will be a significant event, but it’s likely not even the most significant event of next week when it comes to US foreign policy,” Jake Sullivan said. Mr. Blinken will travel to Beijing on June 18 and 19, before Mr. Modi arrives in Washington on Thursday, June 22. Mr. Biden has made deepening ties with India a cornerstone of his efforts to contain China’s expanding influence, with his administration also hoping to persuade India.

    In China, one of Mr. Blinken’s objectives will be to manage escalation to ensure that the world’s two biggest military powers do not “veer into conflict”, Mr. Sullivan said. “Vigorous competition requires vigorous diplomacy,” he added.

    That visit to Beijing will be the first by a high-ranking official since Mr. Biden took office in January 2021, and comes after he postponed a trip in February after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew through U.S. airspace.

  • USAID Administrator Samantha Power meets World Bank President Ajay Banga; discusses climate finance, financial support to Ukraine

    USAID Administrator Samantha Power meets World Bank President Ajay Banga; discusses climate finance, financial support to Ukraine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): USAID Administrator Samantha Power has met World Bank President Ajay Banga and discussed a slew of crucial matters, including climate finance, debt sustainability and economic support to Ukraine, according to an official statement.

    The meeting happened on Wednesday, June 7, and the two also discussed about Banga’s vision for the World Bank and the opportunities for more collaborations with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), given the scale of issues the world faces. “USAID Administrator Samantha Power met World Bank President Ajay Banga on Wednesday to discuss debt sustainability, climate finance, anti-corruption efforts, including how digitization initiatives can increase accountability, and economic support for Ukraine,” the statement said.

    According to a readout of the call, the two explored ways to engage the private sector in addressing global challenges, enhance job creation to generate sustainable economic growth, and strengthen internal measurement and evaluations to improve the effectiveness of aid and development efforts.

    Power and Banga also discussed access to multilateral finance for countries to build resilience before a disaster, respond effectively during the immediate aftermath, and rebuild post-disaster, said the statement.
    Samantha Power tweeted:
    Samantha Power
    @PowerUSAID
    Great to meet with Ajay Banga in his new role as president of
    @WorldBank
    We discussed his vision for tackling the many interconnected global challenges we face & our work together on issues including debt sustainability, anti-corruption & climate change. https://usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/jun-07-2023-administrator-samantha-power-meets-world-bank-group-president-ajay-banga
    (With inputs from PTI)

  • Upcoming State visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between India and US: White House

    Upcoming State visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between India and US: White House

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The upcoming Official State visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US will affirm the deep and close partnership between the two countries and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together, the White House said Wednesday, June 7. Prime Minister Modi will embark on his first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden in June. The US president and the First Lady will also host Modi at a state dinner on June 22.
    “The upcoming visit we believe will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.
    “The Prime Minister and the President will discuss ways to strengthen our two countries, shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership including defense. So that certainly will be talked about in clean energy and space,” she said responding to a question on the State Visit.
    “But I’m just not going to get into details on what the particulars will be. And as we get closer to June 22nd, we certainly have more to share,” she said in response to a question.
    Modi’s visit to the US comes ahead of the G20 Summit being hosted by India in September.
    After becoming Prime Minister in 2014, Modi has made more than half a dozen trips to the United States for bilateral and multilateral meetings with all three American presidents, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and now Biden, but this is for the first time he has been invited for an official state visit, a privilege accorded to America’s close friends and allies.
    His last visit to Washington was in September 2021 at the invitation of President Biden for a bilateral meeting. He had also attended the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit hosted by Biden.
    (Source: PTI)

  • India has incredibly important role to play in world: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

    India has incredibly important role to play in world: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): India has an incredibly important role to play in the world, powerful Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said Tuesday, , June 6, adding the two countries face many similar challenges in their respective affairs, but have some great opportunities to work together to address them.

    She said India-US relations are very important on multiple levels — ”we are two democracies. Our constitutions both start with ‘We, the People’. We have similar sets of values historically, and we have similar challenges”.

    ”It is clear that India has an incredibly important role to play in the world.,” Jayapal told PTI on the sidelines of the Indian-American Impact Summit here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited by the US President Joe Biden for an official state visit that includes a state dinner on June 22.

    Modi would also address a joint session of the Congress the same day, making him only the third world leader, other than those from Israel, to make such an address twice.

    ”We have similar challenges in terms of efforts to try and limit participation of all individuals, of all people, regardless of religion or race, or gender. I think there are many similar challenges, but also some incredible opportunities for the two countries to work together,” Jayapal said in response to a question.

    The Congresswoman said she has raised concerns about the human rights situation in India in the past.

    “I think it’s very clear to anybody who knows me that my focus has always been on lifting up the human rights of every person. That continues to be a concern of mine. I raise it here in the United States. We have human rights concerns here with our own government. I’ve been very clear about those as well over time,” she said.

    ”I think that in order for India to really prosper and reach its fullest potential, we need to make sure that we keep the country as an open democracy. One that respects the rights of all religious minorities. One that respects the ability for people to be LGBTQ, one that respects freedom of the press. I hope that Prime Minister Modi understands his responsibility as the leader of such a great country to be able to protect those rights for everyone,” Jayapal said. Earlier, participating in a live podcast at the start of the Indian-American Impact Summit, the Congresswoman called for a legislative agenda for the Indian Americans.

    ”I think it would be good to have a legislative agenda for our community that says, here are three or four important things that we would like to get passed,” she said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • PM Modi to address Indian Americans in Washington on June 23: Community leader

    PM Modi to address Indian Americans in Washington on June 23: Community leader

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a gathering of Indian Americans from across the US in Washington on June 23 on the role of diaspora in India’s growth story, an eminent community leader has said. Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US president and the First Lady will host Modi at a state dinner on June 22. The visit also includes an address to the Joint Session of the Congress on June 22.

    Modi will address an invitation-only gathering of diaspora leaders from across the country on the evening of June 23, Indian American community leader Dr. Bharat Barai said.

    The prestigious Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, which has hosted several high-profile meetings in the past, has been reserved for the prime minister’s address. The venue, named after former US President Ronald Reagan, has a capacity of 900 people, Barai told PTI on Wednesday.

    It is the first federal building in Washington designed for both governmental and private sector purposes.

    Preparations are in full swing for the only community event to be held during the visit of the prime minister. A national organizing committee of 25 eminent people has been constituted, he said.

    The event would be hosted by US India Community Foundation. A co-host committee has also been set up. The community has been given wide representation in both committees, Barai said.

    He said earlier the plans were to host Modi at a giant stadium in Chicago for him to address 40,000 Indian Americans. But because of the scheduling issues, it could not be finalized. The prime minister finally gave his consent to address the community on the evening of June 23, soon after which he is likely to leave the US for India, he said. Meanwhile, two US lawmakers spoke in the US House of Representatives this week about the significance of Modi’s visit to the US.

    “I take this opportunity to address a very important visit by Prime Minister Modi this week. I am excited that this person is coming to America to extend goodwill between our two nations in one of the most strategically important relationships we have in the world,” Congressman Rich McCormick said on Tuesday, June 6. Congressman Joe Wilson from North Carolina said the existing US-India partnership has been highlighted by Modi being warmly welcomed here in the House Chamber, Madison Square Garden, and ‘Howdy, Modi’ in Houston.

    “With India as the largest democracy and America as the oldest democracy, both have shared values of democracy with rule of law opposing authoritarians with the rule of the gun,” he said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • India, US need to have much stronger relationship, says Congressman Shri Thanedar

    India, US need to have much stronger relationship, says Congressman Shri Thanedar

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): India and the US must work on making bilateral ties stronger and focus on collaboration on education and cultural fronts, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar has said.
    He expressed hope that the two sides will talk about cooperation in the education and business sectors and find ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US this month.
    “As an Indian American Congressman, I am excited to welcome him to the United States Congress and to this country as a leader of the largest democracy in the world,” Thanedar told PTI on Tuesday, June 6, ahead of Modi’s visit. Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US president and the First Lady will also host Modi at a state dinner on June 22.
    “Not only was I born there in India, but I also grew up in India. I believe that the United States and India, the two large democracies, need to have a much stronger relationship,” said Thanedar, who grew up in Belgaum.
    “We should also talk about immigration issues, the visa issues, the Green Card backlogs. I think it’s about time that the two nations worked on making the relationship even stronger,” said the US representative from Michigan’s 13th congressional district.
    He said the country is currently having a broken immigration system that needs to be fixed.
    “We need a bipartisan resolution of this issue and our immigration system is broken. That needs to be fixed. We haven’t really worked on immigration reform for quite some time now .. since the mid-90s. It’s time that the two parties put their heads together and make a meaningful immigration reform including legal immigration,” he said.
    Currently, some countries have a long backlog of 10-12 years that is creating a lot of hardship for families, Thanedar said.
    “Businesses are looking for a skilled workforce. Our economy cannot grow without a skilled workforce. We need to train Americans as much as we can in terms of giving them the skills to get good-paying jobs,” he said.
    “At the same time, we have a larger population of South Asians and other science graduates and postgraduates and they are essential for America’s economic growth.
    “I want to do whatever I can to facilitate that, so the American economy can continue to grow, our GDP can grow even at a higher rate and we create more jobs for Americans,” Thanedar said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • 150 Thousand people from across the world to participate in World Culture Festival in US: Organizers

    150 Thousand people from across the world to participate in World Culture Festival in US: Organizers

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): More than 150 Thousand people from across the world will participate in the fourth World Culture Festival which is being organized by the Art of Living Foundation here later this year, the organizers have announced. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser along with spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar kicked off the preparation of the mega event, which is often called the Cultural Olympics.
    According to the organizers, more than 150,000 visitors from around 180 countries are likely to participate in the three-day mega event that will be held here from September 29 to October 1 this year.
    ”It is the mission of this time together that we come together as world citizens, as fellow humans, to celebrate our humanity, to reconnect, to demonstrate, that we can do big things when we work across cultures, when we work across backgrounds and beliefs and work as human beings to make this a better world,” Mayor Bowser told reporters at a news conference here on Thursday that was jointly addressed by Sri Ravishankar.
    Praising the significance of such events, she said: ”We’re expecting to welcome over a hundred thousand people, I’m told more, from more than 180 countries will come to our National Mall. And you won’t be surprised that I’m gonna say that this is the perfect place for the world to come together. We do it every single day”.
    ”I want to thank the World Culture Festival organizers and the Art of Living Foundation in advance for the hard work that we have ahead of us in partnership to welcome tens of thousands of human beings to Washington, DC,” the city mayor said.
    Sri Ravishankar said that so far more than 50,000 people have already registered for the mega cultural festival in the city on the historic National Mall in the US capital. The previous three editions of the once-in-four years’ World Culture Festival were held in Bangalore, Berlin and New Delhi.
    ”It’s time that we have to spread the message of harmony and peace. … In a world where there is a post-pandemic, especially when there is an aggression on one side and depression on the other side, and a huge mental health crisis that we are facing, I think it’s timely for us to come together in a spirit of celebration and honor our diversity, which is the wealth of humanity,” Sri Ravishankar said. He also announced that the Art of Living Foundation will honor frontline workers and health workers during the festival.
    ”We would choose two of them from the whole of the country here, United States, and would like to honor two healthcare professionals, workers; two of the firemen who have been fighting fire, two environmentalists, and then two from union leaders who are putting their heart and soul to keep life going on, on our cities and our countryside.
    ”We need to honor these people. And the World Culture Festival will be an occasion to recognize their contribution to our society,” he said.
    The three-day event at the National Mall would be seen by billions of people across the world.
    ”So, the message is very clear from all of us that we are one global family and we need to care for each other and share our rich heritage with each other,” Sri Ravishankar said.
    ”We need to bridge the gap. There is a lot of polarizations in the world. The World Culture Festival is an occasion for people to come together and celebrate each other’s differences. It is the need of the hour, to bring people together in celebration and to spread the message of peace and to say that we are one human family,” he said. He said the World Culture Festival is expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors.
    According to city officials, this festival is expected to rake in over USD 30 million in revenue.
    Art of Living Foundation said at least 50 world leaders, including current and former heads of state, members of national parliaments and international governmental organizations, have already committed to attending the Festival. Prominent among them include former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chan Santokhi, President of Suriname; Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius; Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico; Federico Franco, former President of Paraguay and Venkaiah Naidu, former Vice President of India. A global Faith Advisory Council is being convened in support of the World Culture Festival.
    The Council, composed of leaders from faiths of the world, will share messages about common values of peace, harmony and partnership to nurture greater unity and togetherness, a media release said.
    In addition, there will be a diverse international food festival associated with the event that is expected to attract thousands to sample international cuisines made by chefs from around the capital region.
    (With inputs from PTI)

  • Indian American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy wants to raise the voting age to 25

    Indian American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy wants to raise the voting age to 25

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Indian American Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy wants to raise the voting age for most Americans to 25, unless they do at least six months of military service or pass a civic test given to immigrants.
    Ramaswamy’s campaign announced the biotech entrepreneur and “anti-woke” activist’s push for a US Constitutional amendment promoting “civic duty voting,” which he announced in a news release and detailed during a campaign event in Urbandale, Iowa, Thursday.
    Suggesting the “absence of national pride is a serious threat to the future of our country” Ramaswamy argued his proposal “can create a sense of shared purpose and responsibility amongst young Americans to become educated citizens.”
    On Twitter during his Iowa event, Ramaswamy acknowledged, “I understand not everyone will like this proposal and that it will take persuasion to convince many of its merits, but I’m ready to take that on.”
    At age 37, Ramaswamy is the youngest person competing for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in a field that already includes several candidates in their 70s, including former President Donald Trump and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Fellow Indian American rival, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 51, has made the call for a new generation of political leadership central to her campaign, even positing that cognitive testing should be required for older politicians.
    As part of his proposal, Ramaswamy argued that his plan would require “no additional government bureaucracy” to administer, saying debate generated by his proposal “will itself catalyze a long overdue conversation in America about what it means to be a citizen and how to foster civic pride in the next generation.”
    “There needs to be some civic experience you need to have gone through in order to actually vote,” Ramaswamy told Media earlier. “That experience could be living seven years as an adult and voting at age 25. That experience could be direct service to the country or some first responder service,” or, he added, passing a civics test.
    The founding fathers didn’t get it “quite right” when they tied the right to vote to land ownership, Ramaswamy was quoted as saying. Similarly, it was wrong to have denied a vote to women and African Americans, he said.
    But there’s something to the notion that “you value a country more — you value anything more, including a country — that you don’t just simply inherit, but that you have a stake in building and creating in some way,” he said. Ramaswamy acknowledged to Media that there had been “vehement objections” from his team. But, he added, “we’re doing it.”
    Dismissing the idea that his proposal would discriminate against a certain group of citizens, Ramaswamy said, “My response to that is, the objective is not to stop people from voting. It’s to value voting itself and everybody’s equal and on the same foot at the age of 25 and onward.”
    The national voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 with the passage of the 26th Amendment in 1971.
    After Republicans’ less than stellar performance in last year’s midterm elections, a handful of conservative commentators called for raising the voting age, though the idea failed to gain significant traction, media noted.

  • Republican Nikki Haley for merit based legal immigration

    Republican Nikki Haley for merit based legal immigration

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Indian American Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has called for legal immigration based on merit, talent and business needs and would stop allowing any immigrants into the country before immigration reform. Legal immigration should be dependent on factors such as merit, talent and business needs, she told the media on Sunday, May 14. “Let’s not do it just because people happen to cross the fence and get away,” Haley said. “Let’s not do it because we have crowded facilities and we can’t hold anymore. That’s the wrong way to go about it. We have to make sure this is a national security issue.”
    “We shouldn’t wait for another 9/11 to realize that Republicans and Democrats have to get in the room and figure out immigration reform and start working for the American people instead of the other way around,” she added.
    Haley, first Indian American to serve in a presidential cabinet as US ambassador to UN under former President Donald Trump also distanced herself from Trump’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents.
    It happened because lawmakers have long been at a stalemate on immigration reform, she said. “It should never get to that point.” Haley said when asked if she would revive the controversial policy as a deterrence to illegal border crossings. “No, we should not be separating families, but we shouldn’t be taking families that we don’t have any control over.” Before Title 42 — a pandemic-era emergency rule that allowed the Trump and Biden administrations to expel migrants without court hearings — ended last week, Customs and Border Protection apprehensions hit all-time highs.
    Haley blamed the crisis at the border on both Republicans and Democrats, saying it “should have been dealt with a long time ago and it wasn’t.” She indicated she would stop allowing any immigrants into the country until immigration reform is passed. “I think we need to stop the bleeding of the border and completely do immigration reform before we can think of taking anybody else into this country,” she said.
    On the issue of abortion, Haley, who describes herself as against abortion, said instituting a federal abortion ban is not “realistic.”
    “I’m not going to lie to the American people. Nothing’s going to happen if we don’t get 60 votes in the Senate. We’re not even close to that on the Republican or the Democrat side,” she said when asked about what kind of limits on abortion she would seek if elected president. “At the federal level, it’s not realistic. It’s not being honest with the American people,” she added. “Why not talk about the fact that we should be trying to save as many babies as possible and support as many mothers as possible?”
    She called for the elimination of “late-term abortions,” and voiced support for adoption and increased access to contraception. As governor in 2016, she signed a law that banned abortions in South Carolina after 20 weeks.
    “You know, there’s some states that have been pro-life, I welcome that. There are some states that have erred on the side of abortion. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it is. I think that we need to make sure that people’s voices are heard,” Haley said.

  • Bill Barr says Trump’s classified documents case is his biggest legal risk: “I don’t think that argument’s gonna fly”

    Bill Barr says Trump’s classified documents case is his biggest legal risk: “I don’t think that argument’s gonna fly”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Trump-era Attorney General Bill Barr says he believes former President Donald Trump will be “very exposed” legally if he was playing “any games” with the documents marked as classified that were kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

    In an interview with CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge Thursday, May 18,  Barr also said he thinks special counsel Jack Smith could arrive at charging decisions in the Trump investigations as soon as this summer. Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to probe Trump’s retention of the documents, and his role in any alleged unlawful interference in the transfer of power after the 2020 election or the Electoral College certification on Jan. 6, 2021.

    Mar-a-Lago documents

    Barr believes the special counsel investigations into Trump’s handling of classified documents, in particular, should be cause for concern for the former president.

    “It doesn’t go a lot on intent or anything like that. It’s very clear that he had no business having those documents,” Barr told Herridge. “He was given a long time to send them back. And they were subpoenaed. And I’ve said all along that he wouldn’t get in trouble, probably, just for taking them, just as Biden I don’t think is going to get in trouble or Pence is not going to get in trouble.”

    “The problem,” he continued, “is what did he do after the government asked for them back and subpoenaed them? And if there’s any games being played there, he’s going to be very exposed.”Barr also thinks Trump’s claim in a recent CNN town hall that he was declassifying records as they left the White House isn’t going to satisfy the special counsel. Trump said in the town hall that he “took what I took, and it gets declassified.”

    “I don’t think that argument’s gonna fly,” Barr responded. “I don’t think the idea that you know, he automatically — that they were somehow automatically declassified when they were put in the boxes. I don’t think that will fly.”

    In a recent letter to Congress, Trump’s lawyers said the Justice Department should “stand down” on the probe. They also suggested the former president’s departure from the White House after the election was hastily conducted and staff “simply swept all documents from the president’s desk and other areas into boxes” that were then moved to Florida.

    Jan. 6

    The Jan. 6 investigation is going to be “harder to establish a case,” because it could run up against First Amendment issues and also, much of the case relies on proving intent, Barr said. The former attorney general estimated that charging decisions in Smith’s investigation related to Trump, his actions around Jan. 6 and the Mar-a-Lago documents could come as soon as this summer.

    “My guess is that, and this is just, I’m speculating, but I would think they’d want to do it before the end of the year. It could be later in the summer or in the fall would be the earliest I would expect it,” Barr said.

    Trump denies all wrongdoing in both investigations.

    The Durham report

    Barr, who appointed special counsel John Durham to look into the origins of the Russia investigation, said a successful probe isn’t necessarily measured by how many people were prosecuted. One person pleaded guilty and two others were acquitted in the four-year probe. Durham’s report, released on Monday, found the Justice Department and FBI “failed to uphold their important mission of strict fidelity to the law” regarding the events during the 2016 campaign.

    “I’ve said all along that’s dangerous to get into the business of saying that the standard is how many people you prosecute, because the object here was to find out what happened and to tell the story, to get to the bottom of it,” Barr said. “I think accountability looks like if people pay attention to the truth,” Barr added. “I mean, there was a lot of attention paid by the media to all the little details that they thought implicated Trump in collusion with Russia, all of which were nonsense. And yet, we had a two-year steady diet of this nonsense from the media. Now they should pay attention to the actual facts in the report. And that’s what accountability looks like.”

     Predicts Trump will be defeated in 2024 GOP primary race

    Barr continues to believe Trump will not win the Republican nomination next year. But he isn’t sure who will.

    He’s also not convinced stricter abortion laws in the states are a winning issue for Republicans.

    Barr, who said he’s always been a “pro-life Republican” and continues his work to support this position, is glad Roe v. Wade was overturned. “But there’s a distinction between what people like me and other pro-lifers believe, you know, is the moral principle and what we actually embody in our specific secular laws,” he told Herridge. He added, “I think we have to be judicious in what we propose as a law because I think the laws have to have substantial support among the people, have to reflect some kind of consensus, and it has to be a durable solution.”

    “We’re talking about rules and restrictions placed on other people,” Barr said. “And I think we have to be very careful about that. It’s not about us demonstrating our purity. It’s about finding something that allows us to live together in a stable way.”

    (Source: CBS News)

     

  • Indian Americans favor laws to check gun violence- Study shows

    Indian Americans favor laws to check gun violence- Study shows

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Last month, a young 33-year-old Indian American engineer was shot by her husband in their house in North Carolina. Nabaruna Karmakar was found dead with two gunshot wounds when the officers arrived at the couple’s home. The police arrested her husband, Michael Aron.
    Just earlier this month, the tragic mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, a suburb near Dallas, Texas left a young Indian professional dead and another injured.
    Earlier this year in January, another Indian American Pinal Patel was shot and killed in his driveway in Georgia. His wife and daughter were injured as the family was attacked by three masked men.
    The tragic incidents brought to the fore the fact that gun violence accounted for about half the increase (20%) in mortality rates that occurred among children aged 1 to 19 between 2019 and 2021.
    Indian Americans even though making up just 1.35 percent of the population are not any safer from gun violence in America, according to a study.
    There may be no figures available to prove it, but traditionally, Indian Americans do not subscribe to the idea of possessing guns for self-protection.
    Most Indians, the American Bazaar spoke to for the story, consider the prospect of having guns in households with growing children rather dangerous.
    A 2022 Asian American Voter Survey, AAPI data revealed that a whopping 83% of Indian Americans believe that the US needs stricter gun laws.
    With growing incidents involving gun violence in America and newer research such as the 2022 Pew study showing nearly half of parents expressing concern about the possibility of their children getting shot, Indian Americans too are looking at ways they can contribute towards reducing gun violence.
    The family of slain gun-shot victim, Nabaruna Karmakar are raising money to create awareness about preventing gun violence. Her family set up a GoFundMe to benefit Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.
    The Fund was formed both to educate the public about the detrimental effects of illegal guns to reduce gun violence in the United States and to lessen the burden on the government by assisting local governments and law enforcement agencies in their efforts to develop effective policies to combat illegal guns.
    The Fund supports programmatic activities of approximately 1,000 mayors in the coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, as well as other government officials and law enforcement leaders. The fundraiser has already exceeded its $10,000 goal.
    Indian Americans are also calling for informed ideas on what changes to demand and expect in the country. Some of those who have now lived in the US for decades say that it is important that newer migrants understand that possessing guns has been a constitutional right in America for centuries.
    So instead of randomly talking about revoking gun laws, one needs to push for more logical reforms like mental health evaluations before purchasing a gun or getting licenses renewed every few years or having a responsible guarantor being required for buying a gun.
    On social media expat groups are also advising Indians in America to write to their local senators to call for stricter laws around assault rifles.