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Routine interviews during permanent residency process end in handcuffs for spouses of U.S. citizens

Routine interviews during permanent residency process end in handcuffs for spouses of U.S. citizens

The New York Times reports: The married couples filed into a federal building in San Diego last week for green card interviews that they believed would secure their future together in the United States. Half of each pair was American. Stephen Paul came with his British wife and their 4-month-old baby. Audrey Hestmark arrived with her German husband, days before their first wedding anniversary. Jason Cordero accompanied his Mexican wife. It was supposed to be a celebratory milestone, the final…

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More than 220 judges have now rejected the Trump admin’s mass detention policy

More than 220 judges have now rejected the Trump admin’s mass detention policy

Politico reports: The Trump administration’s bid to systematically lock up nearly all immigrants facing deportation proceedings has led to a fierce — and mounting — rejection by courts across the country. That effort, which began with an abrupt policy change by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 8, has led to a tidal wave of emergency lawsuits after ICE’s targets were arrested at workplaces, courthouses or check-ins with immigration officers. Many have lived in the U.S. for years, and sometimes…

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Survivors on ‘narco boat’ targeted by Trump order were blown apart after Hegseth verbal command to ‘kill everybody’

Survivors on ‘narco boat’ targeted by Trump order were blown apart after Hegseth verbal command to ‘kill everybody’

The Independent reports: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly gave a verbal order to leave no survivors behind as Donald Trump’s administration launched the first of more than a dozen attacks on alleged drug-running boats that have killed more than 80 people over the last three months. On September 2, U.S. military personnel fired a missile striking a vessel in the Caribbean that carried 11 people accused of trafficking drugs into the United States. When two survivors emerged from the wreckage,…

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Trump’s approval rating drops to 36%, a new second-term low

Trump’s approval rating drops to 36%, a new second-term low

Gallup: President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has fallen five percentage points to 36%, the lowest of his second term, while disapproval has risen to 60%. The latest decline follows three months of stability, with 40% to 41% of Americans expressing approval of his handling of the presidency. His prior second-term low point in approval was a statistically similar 37% in July, and his all-time low was 34% in 2021, at the end of his first term after the Jan….

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Decades-long droughts doomed one of the world’s oldest civilizations

Decades-long droughts doomed one of the world’s oldest civilizations

Live Science reports: A series of severe, decades-long droughts ushered the end of the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, a new study finds. This Indus Valley Civilization (also known as the “Harappan” civilization) flourished between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago in a region that stretched across the modern-day India-Pakistan border. Its people created cities, such as Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, which had sophisticated water-management systems. They also created a written script, which remains undeciphered by modern…

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Rubio, son of immigrants, pushes anti-immigrant policies globally in name of ‘defending national sovereignty’

Rubio, son of immigrants, pushes anti-immigrant policies globally in name of ‘defending national sovereignty’

The New York Times reports: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered American diplomats in Europe and in Canada, Australia and New Zealand to press their host governments to restrict most immigration and to file reports if the governments appear to be overly supportive of immigrants, according to a document sent to U.S. embassies and consulates. Mr. Rubio told the diplomats to emphasize the effects of criminal acts by immigrants to encourage greater entry restrictions, according to the document, which…

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DC shooter, granted asylum under Trump, was in ‘death squad’ run by CIA in Afghanistan

DC shooter, granted asylum under Trump, was in ‘death squad’ run by CIA in Afghanistan

The New York Times reports: The Afghan refugee accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., fought in the late days of the U.S. war there as part of a “Zero Unit,” a paramilitary force that worked with the C.I.A., according to a person briefed on the investigation and an Afghan intelligence officer familiar with the matter. The units were known for their brutality and labeled “death squads” by human rights groups. The suspect, identified by federal officials…

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Trump’s vengeance campaign: At least 470 targets and counting

Trump’s vengeance campaign: At least 470 targets and counting

Reuters reports: In his second term, Donald Trump has turned a campaign pledge to punish political opponents into a guiding principle of governance. What began as a provocative rallying cry in March 2023 – “I am your retribution” – has hardened into a sweeping campaign of retaliation against perceived enemies, reshaping federal policy, staffing and law enforcement. A tally by Reuters reveals the scale: At least 470 people, organizations and institutions have been targeted for retribution since Trump took office…

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‘Traitor’: GOP and Dem reps call for Witkoff to be fired after leaked Kremlin call

‘Traitor’: GOP and Dem reps call for Witkoff to be fired after leaked Kremlin call

The Guardian reports: A handful of US representatives have reacted furiously to a leaked recording in which the special envoy to Ukraine reportedly coached Moscow on how to handle Donald Trump, but most have so far remained mute on the revelation that American officials were advising a US adversary. Don Bacon, a Republican representative, called for Steve Witkoff’s immediate dismissal. “For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign & democratic country, it…

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Europeans’ views of the U.S. are now defined by their views of Trump

Europeans’ views of the U.S. are now defined by their views of Trump

Ivan Krastev writes: The Trumpian revolution has divided Europe. Unlike during earlier moments of friction, such as the United States’ 2003 invasion of Iraq, the split is not between pro- and anti-American countries. This time, it is between pro- and anti-Trump political camps. The most important change is that European perceptions of the U.S. political system are now starkly polarized. In a June survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations, supporters of far-right parties such as Germany’s AfD, Italy’s…

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MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce

MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce

CNBC reports: Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday released a study that found that artificial intelligence can already replace 11.7% of the U.S. labor market, or as much as $1.2 trillion in wages across finance, health care and professional services. The study was conducted using a labor simulation tool called the Iceberg Index, which was created by MIT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The index simulates how 151 million U.S. workers interact across the country and how they are affected…

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We can’t diet and exercise our way out of the next pandemic

We can’t diet and exercise our way out of the next pandemic

David Wallace-Wells writes: In the event of a sudden pandemic, what should we do? This month, Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, offered a remarkably blunt answer: nothing. It’s been nearly six years now since the United States’ first reported cases of Covid-19, and the country is in a merciful lull when it comes to pandemic recriminations, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ongoing war on vaccine confidence now dominates the public health culture wars. But Bhattacharya,…

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David Sacks’ power play to become America’s AI policy gatekeeper

David Sacks’ power play to become America’s AI policy gatekeeper

The Verge reports: On Wednesday, a rumor began popping up in Washington about a momentous policy change: the White House, it was said, would issue an executive order on Friday that would finally preempt state AI laws, handing over those regulatory powers to the federal government. The minute it leaked online, lawyers and policymakers began to scour every sentence of it. There was a lot about it that seemed politically unfeasible; there was even more that seemed overbroad, possibly illegal….

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Judge’s footnote on immigration agents using AI raises accuracy and privacy concerns

Judge’s footnote on immigration agents using AI raises accuracy and privacy concerns

The Associated Press reports: Tucked in a two-sentence footnote in a voluminous court opinion, a federal judge recently called out immigration agents using artificial intelligence to write use-of-force reports, raising concerns that it could lead to inaccuracies and further erode public confidence in how police have handled the immigration crackdown in the Chicago area and ensuing protests. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis wrote the footnote in a 223-page opinion issued last week, noting that the practice of using ChatGPT to…

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