Biden’s immigration policies are ‘open-border strategies’: former acting CPB commissioner

Former Acting CPB Commissioner Mark Morgan argues ‘a crisis is coming’ if Biden enacts his immigration policies.

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  • Government report warns of potential violence and foreign interference during Georgia Senate runoffs

    With the Georgia Senate runoff races just two weeks away, the Department of Homeland Security is warning of the possibility of “ideologically motivated violence” and even a foreign influence campaign as voters prepare to go to the polls, according to a new internal report obtained by Yahoo News.

  • South Dakota’s controversial governor wields flamethrower in Instagram post

    'Is it too late to add something to my Christmas list,’ she wrote.

  • Democrats want rushed vote on Trump's $2,000 coronavirus aid checks

    Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday aim to win quick passage of legislation providing $2,000 in direct payments to Americans as part of a coronavirus economic relief initiative after President Donald Trump unexpectedly insisted on the provision. Late on Monday, Congress overwhelmingly approved an $892 billion emergency coronavirus aid bill that contains a one-time, $600 payment to individuals to help them cope with a U.S. economy hobbled by the pandemic. The aid was attached to $1.4 trillion in funding to keep the federal government operating through this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, 2021.

  • Russia’s New Territory

    In November, Russia gained a slice of somebody else’s country. It did this not through unidentified troops moving across a border, nor through hybrid warfare. Instead, it negotiated its capture in full view of, and without a single question asked by, the United States or the rest of the world.Fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh preceded the annexation. The mountainous region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but since a 1994 ceasefire between the two nations has been controlled by ethnic Armenians. The conflict flared up again in September. Two months later came a peace deal, with Russia the winner: It mediated a ceasefire that placed the Kremlin’s ostensibly peacekeeping boots on the ground. America watched idly as this happened.As Armenia’s traditional protector, Russia held the only leverage to convince Armenia to sign this ceasefire. By signing, Yerevan gave up claims to the territories it had occupied within Azerbaijan since 1994 and gained nothing — bar a ceasefire rather than a forced surrender. In return for securing for its ally a marginally smaller humiliation, Moscow gained a present and a presence.In reality — unless America is prepared to engage fully in the peace process — Nagorno-Karabakh is now Russia’s indefinitely. The Kremlin ostensibly controls the territory for five years, with an automatic rollover for an additional five should none of the three parties to the ceasefire object six months before the end of the mandate.Russia certainly won’t. It is now gatekeeper to a region central to Europe’s energy diversification (reducing the role of Russian imports). If the region is strategically important to NATO, that makes it strategically important to the Kremlin.Armenia, for mistrust of Azerbaijan, will want the peacekeepers to stay. The short but brutal conflict has proven conclusively that Armenia cannot win militarily, and that therefore ethnic Armenians must accept either governance by Azerbaijan or the protectorate of Russia. Weak and broken, Yerevan finds it less of a humiliation to accept Russian tutelage in Nagorno-Karabakh, if only to deny an archenemy a complete victory. But this is a longer-term disaster for the Armenians. It means they are effectively trapped in a Russian embrace. They cannot turn west and cannot turn east — either diplomatically or for investment — because the Russians are now in charge.Though traditionally thought of by Moscow as “on the other side,” Azerbaijan — owing to lukewarm support from the United States and EU in recent years — has been steadily deepening diplomatic and economic relations with Russia, in part from necessity and a lack of serious alternatives. Yet now, with Russian military boots on Azerbaijani territory for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, Moscow’s leverage has also become economic leverage: By militarily guaranteeing a transport corridor across Armenia — closed before the ceasefire — to Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhichevan, Russia now controls Azerbaijan’s long-sought-after, direct land route from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean and Europe.The West certainly could have seen this coming. This is how it always begins: A toehold soon morphs into a footprint. Crimea, Eastern Ukraine, South Ossetia, Abkhazia — the list of examples goes on. Russian presence becomes Russian control: the only logic of Putin’s neo-czarist ambitions.Indeed, now, only a matter of weeks after troop deployment, the Kremlin is maneuvering: Lines on maps have started to bend and flex. On the Russian Ministry of Defense website, a page shows a map outlining the area where Russian peacekeepers, by the terms of the agreement, are to be stationed and will have jurisdiction within which to operate. On December 13, miraculously, the land they control had expanded. This was changed back to the original on the next day, after Azerbaijani diplomatic pressure. But this activity demonstrates that Kremlin cartographers are getting creative — and very early in this intervention.Rumors now swell of Russian “passportization” in Nagorno-Karabakh. Manufacturing new demographic realities on the ground by granting citizenship has been used to maintain influence in the internal affairs in other post-Soviet nations. Once Russians occupy the area, the Russian state is obliged to step in.It is a classic of the Kremlin repertoire. It preceded the invasion of Crimea. It happened in two regions in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, again before wars broke out, with Russia coming out as the chief beneficiary. Most recently, passportization has been aggressively deployed in eastern Ukraine, through a helpfully streamlined process. The Kremlin forecasts that there will be over one million Russian citizens bearing newly minted documents by the end of the year. In all of these situations, Russia’s grip is secure.Passportization would mean that a negotiated settlement on the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh — what was supposed to be some form of autonomy within Azerbaijan, as in Soviet days — will never materialize. It will instead turn into a Russian-passport protectorate, giving Russia the pretext — or in Moscow’s lexicon, the legal right — to jump into the region were any imagined threat to its “citizens” to emerge.Considering the U.S.-led assistance now poured into Ukraine in the wake of Russian destabilization, it is surprising that more precautionary measures are not being taken in the South Caucasus.Yet time remains for America to step in: The ceasefire shall give way to negotiations for a final peace deal, with much left to decide. The U.S. must fully and comprehensively oppose passportization. American companies should invest in infrastructure and energy projects in the region so as to limit Russia’s room for maneuver. And U.S.-led joint investment initiatives between Armenia and Azerbaijan would help to cut the dependence of both on Russia.It’s time for America to step up diplomatic and economic efforts and reinsert itself in this process. Otherwise, Russia’s empire will continue to expand unchecked.

  • Court orders release of man charged in Daniel Pearl killing

    A provincial court in Pakistan on Thursday ordered the release of a British-born Pakistani man charged in the 2002 murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl. The Sindh High Court’s release order overturns government detention orders that Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the key suspect in Pearl’s slaying, should remain in custody. Sheikh was acquitted earlier this year of murdering Pearl, but has been held while Pearl's family appeals the acquittal.

  • California Covid patient beats roommate to death with oxygen tank

    Authorities have not yet determined motive for attack

  • Aides fear what Trump will do next as his behavior proves to be erratic after the election

    With four weeks left in President Trump’s term, he is at perhaps his most unleashed — and, as events of the past few days have demonstrated, at the most unpredictable point in his presidency.

  • Iowa care home accused of performing 'bizarre and dangerous experiments' on disabled residents

    A care home in Iowa for people with intellectual disabilities subjected residents to "bizarre experiments" and used them as "human guinea pigs," according to a US justice department investigation. The inquiry into the Glenwood Resource Center began last year following reports of an increased number of deaths. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband said: "Individuals with disabilities are not human guinea pigs, and like all persons, they should never be subject to bizarre and deviant pseudo-medical 'experiments' that injure them. "Human experimentation is the hallmark of sick totalitarian states and has no place in the United States of America.” The justice department concluded that experiments were conducted on residents without their consent. One experiment involved reportedly overhydrating residents and caused physical harm. It said others involved psychological research on impulsivity. Investigators found there had also been apparent plans by the former superintendent of the facility to conduct sexual arousal experiments using a computer containing images of nude and clothed children. The justice department said it did not find evidence the images were ever shown to residents. The former superintendent was fired last year about a month after the investigation began. Investigators also concluded that Glenwood's alleged use of restraints violated residents' rights. The justice department report identified broad failings, including by the Iowa department of human services. It said: "Iowa has been deliberately indifferent to those breakdowns and the risks they pose. "Glenwood frequently leaves residents at serious risk of harm or death by ignoring changes in condition outright, or by adopting a clinically unjustified 'wait and see' approach.” The investigation concluded there was reasonable cause to believe the conditions at Glenwood violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution. It said that a teenage resident had been restrained 293 times over the course of less than two years. Kim Reynolds, the Iowa governor, said: "What happened at the Glenwood Resource Center was unconscionable and unacceptable."

  • Biden suggests GOP senators speaking out against alleged Russian hack is a sign of bipartisan future

    President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday had some harsh words for President Trump's response to the alleged Russian cyberattack on U.S. federal agencies and companies. He accused the Trump administration of failing to prioritize cybersecurity and letting their guard down in the first place, but also expressed frustration with Trump for downplaying the seriousness of the hack and failing to officially identify a perpetrator, whom the intelligence community widely suspects is the Kremlin. Biden's ire toward the White House did not extend to the Capitol, however.Biden said he was pleased to see lawmakers from both parties speak out "loudly and clearly" against the security breach. "I want to thank prominent Republicans in the Senate particularly for speaking out," he said. "It's a sign. A sign that with a new administration we can confront these threats on a bipartisan basis with a united front here at home. That should be encouraging to the American people and a warning to our adversaries."> Biden on massive hack of US government computer systems: "The truth is this: The Trump administration failed to prioritize cybersecurity ... This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch, when he wasn't watching." pic.twitter.com/lSD6XgpWfR> > — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 22, 2020As Biden showed throughout his presidential campaign, his desire to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans on key issues is a priority, so it's no surprise to hear him single out GOP senators in this instance.More stories from theweek.com What would actually happen if Trump tried the 'martial law' idea? House GOP leader McCarthy reportedly nixes Pelosi’s attempt to pass $2,000 payments by unanimous consent Trump shows up too late to his presidency

  • China to suspend UK flights indefinitely -foreign ministry

    BEIJING (Reuters) -China will suspend direct flights to and from the United Kingdom indefinitely over fears of a new strain of the coronavirus, Wang Wenbin, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday. "After much consideration, China has decided to take reference from other countries and suspend flights to and from UK," Wang told reporters at a daily briefing. "China will closely monitor relevant developments and dynamically adjust control measures depending on the situation," Wang said.

  • Woman sues after Chicago police drag her from car by hair

    A woman who says she was yanked by her hair from a car by Chicago police during a shopping mall encounter has filed a federal lawsuit against the city. Mia Wright, 25, and four family members claim their civil rights were violated and asserts the May confrontation left her blind in one eye from flying glass caused by police breaking the windows of the car to get to its passengers. “During this attack, Mia Wright could not breathe and was in paralyzing fear as her face and neck were smashed against the concrete ground,” says the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

  • Should You Be Living in a Hotel?

    7 extended-stay accommodations that transform work-from-home into work-from-anywhereOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Missouri couple charged with murder of 4-year-old girl they claimed was possessed by a ‘demon’

    The girl’s father said he knew the couple had been beating her for weeks

  • Family of US student who broke Cayman Islands quarantine urge her release from prison

    A US college student has been jailed for four months in the Cayman Islands after she broke quarantine regulations to watch her boyfriend take part in a jet ski competition. Skylar Mack, 18, pleaded guilty to breaching a 14-day isolation requirement for visitors to the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. Jeanne Mack, her grandmother, said: "She knows she screwed up. She cries, she wants to come home. "She knows she made a mistake, she owns to up to that, but she's pretty hysterical right now." Ms Mack, a medical student at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia, was staying with Vanjae Ramgeet, 24, her boyfriend, a Cayman islands resident and professional jet ski racer. The student said she had tested negative for the coronavirus before leaving the US, and after arriving in the Cayman Islands. As part of the quarantine restrictions she was given an electronic tracking device to monitor her movements. Two days into her stay she abandoned it and went to see the jet ski competition, where she spent seven hours, according to police. She and Ramgeet both pleaded guilty to violating the quarantine requirements and were initially sentenced to 40 hours of community service, and a fine of $2,600. However, prosecutors appealed, arguing the sentence was not harsh enough, and they were then jailed. The judge, Justice Roger Chapple, said: "This was as flagrant a breach as could be imagined. It was born of selfishness and arrogance." He added: "The gravity of the breach was such that the only appropriate sentence would have been one of immediate imprisonment." The Cayman Islands has had just over 300 cases of coronavirus, and two deaths, during the pandemic. It has brought in strict regulations to keep the level of cases low.

  • A US Naval Armada and 2,500 Marines Are Off Somalia to Cover Troop Withdrawal

    The carrier Nimitz and its strike group, as well as the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, are standing by.

  • Trump's longtime Deutsche Bank private banker and her close colleague abruptly resign

    Rosemary Vrablic, a managing director and senior banker in Deutsche Bank's wealth management division, has resigned, effective Dec. 31, Vrablic and Deutsche Bank said Tuesday. Vrablic became President Trump's private banker at the German lender in 2011, at a time when Trump was having difficulties borrowing money due to his history of defaulting on loans. Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, already a client of Vrablic's, introduced her to Trump."The reasons for Ms. Vrablic's abrupt resignation were not clear," The New York Times reports. But Deutsche Bank in August opened an internal investigation into a real estate deal in which Vrablic and a longtime colleague at the bank, Dominic Scalzi, invested in an apartment building partly owned by Kushner. Scalzi is also resigning at the end of the year.The status of the internal review is unclear, the Times reports. But the relationship between Trump and Deutsche Bank is the subject of congressional, civil, and criminal investigations, including a criminal inquiry by the Manhattan district attorney. Vrablic is not among the handful of Deutsche Bank employees questioned by New York investigators yet, but her lawyer told CNN that "Ms. Vrablic is committed to cooperating with the authorities if asked."Deutsche Bank has been exploring how it can end its heavily scrutinized relationship with Trump, Reuters reports. But for Trump, his "key contacts at his biggest financial backer are leaving at a perilous time for the departing president," the Times reports. "He owes Deutsche Bank about $330 million, and the loans come due in 2023 and 2024. Mr. Trump provided a personal guarantee to get the loans, meaning that if he fails to pay them back, the bank can pursue his personal assets."More stories from theweek.com What would actually happen if Trump tried the 'martial law' idea? House GOP leader McCarthy reportedly nixes Pelosi’s attempt to pass $2,000 payments by unanimous consent Trump shows up too late to his presidency

  • Lava lake forms as Hawaii volcano erupts after 2-year break

    Lava was rising more than 3 feet (1 meter) per hour in the deep crater of a Hawaii volcano that began erupting over the weekend after a two-year break, scientists said Tuesday. Kilauea volcano within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island was gushing molten rock from at least two vents inside its summit crater, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A lava lake has formed, rising about 440 feet (134 meters) from the bottom of the crater.

  • Man faces prison for shooting dead elephant seal on California beach

    Culprit faces a maximum of one year in jail

  • World's oldest captive giant panda dies

    She leaves behind at least 150 descendants around the world - plus legions of fans, and one doting zookeeper. Xin Xing - the world's oldest giant panda and a matriarch extraordinaire - has died at the grand age of 38. The Chinese-born bear was one of the most famous of her species after giving birth to at least ten cubs during her lifetime. It made her the chief ambassador of China's so-called "panda diplomacy", with her cubs and their offspring sent to grateful zoos around the world. She is thought to have had 153 descendants in all, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren, living variously in the USA, Canada and Taiwan. As well as being a record-breaking mother - most pandas struggle to conceive in captivity – Xin Xing was among only a handful of pandas in zoos to have lived beyond the age of 30. Being aged 38 made her the equivalent of at least 110 in human years. Xin Xing - whose name in Mandarin translates as "New Star" - was born in a panda sanctuary in China's Sichuan Province, and transferred to a zoo in the south-western city of Chongqing at the age of one. She was among some 600 giant pandas in captivity, roughly a quarter of the total population. Zookeepers remember her for a prodigious appetite - she could eat 70lbs of bamboo shoots and fruit per day - and occasional fiery temper. However, according to Zhang Naicheng, her keeper for the last 28 years of her life, she grew more placid in her dotage. In an interview to mark her birthday last August - when she celebrated with a slap-up meal of watermelon, bamboo shoots and apple wedges - he said: “She is like a family member to me.”

  • U.S. cyber agency says SolarWinds hackers are 'impacting' state, local governments

    The U.S. cybersecurity agency said on Wednesday that a sprawling cyber espionage campaign made public earlier this month is affecting state and local governments, although it released few additional details. The hacking campaign, which used U.S. tech company SolarWinds as a springboard to penetrate federal government networks, was "impacting enterprise networks across federal, state, and local governments, as well as critical infrastructure entities and other private sector organizations," the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a statement posted to its website. The CISA said last week that U.S. government agencies, critical infrastructure entities, and private groups were among those affected, but did not specifically mention state or local bodies.