by Christina van Waasbergen | Dec 8, 2021 | Politics
WASHINGTON — When Mohammed Alarefi, a native of war-torn Yemen, won the U.S. visa lottery in May 2018, it was the realization of his childhood dream: a chance to move to America. “I registered every year until the miracle happened and I was chosen” for a...
by Christina van Waasbergen | Dec 8, 2021 | Immigration
WASHINGTON — The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has increased the threat to LGBTQ Afghans, according to several human rights groups who are urging the Biden administration to act quickly to allow more LGBTQ refugees from the country into the United States. Dire...
by Christina van Waasbergen | Dec 1, 2021 | Health & Science, Politics
WASHINGTON – A lawyer for Mississippi Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, arguing it has no constitutional basis, but lawyers for the federal government and an abortion clinic challenging the state’s ban on abortions for women who are more than...
by Christina van Waasbergen | Nov 18, 2021 | Health & Science
WASHINGTON — The inspector general for the Department of Veterans Affairs and advocates from veterans groups Wednesday highlighted systemic failings in how the VA handles military sexual trauma claims. Studies suggest that as many as one in three female U.S....
by Christina van Waasbergen | Nov 10, 2021 | Politics
WASHINGTON — A dispute over $28,000 could have broad implications for the rights of Puerto Ricans and residents of other U.S. territories. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on whether the exclusion of Puerto Rico from the Supplemental Security...
by Christina van Waasbergen | Nov 3, 2021 | Immigration
WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the constitutionality of federal immigration bond proceedings in Maryland. In Miranda v. Garland, Marvin Dubon Miranda and two other men who had been held by federal immigration authorities in Maryland...
by Christina van Waasbergen | Oct 21, 2021 | Politics
WASHINGTON — At what was billed as the first full congressional committee hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment since the 1970s, House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney called Thursday for the archivist of the United States to ignore the fact that the...
by Christina van Waasbergen | Oct 18, 2021 | Business
Businesses should not be allowed to refuse to accept cash because it hurts vulnerable populations, Democrats on a House Financial Services subcommittee said Thursday, as Republicans said using cash increases operating costs for small retailers. A bill co-sponsored by...
by Christina van Waasbergen | Oct 7, 2021 | Environment, Featured
WASHINGTON — People forced to flee their homes because of climate change should be considered refugees by the U.S., Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said Thursday. Speaking at an event hosted by the advocacy group Climate Refugees, Castro said America’s...
by Christina van Waasbergen | Sep 29, 2021 | Featured, Politics
WASHINGTON – Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday defended the Supreme Court’s decision to decline a request to block a Texas law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, saying it was not unusual for the court to use the “shadow docket” to...
