Congress must exercise greater oversight over the international and foreign language education programs in US academic institutions, writes Adam Kissel in The Daily Signal. Primarily created to support US interests in international security, stability and economic vitality, reports from both the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law in 2014 and the National Association of Scholars in 2022 have found that the funding has gone awry. Instead of producing critical thinkers and experts, area-study programs have been attractive to proponents of certain ideologies and promote anti-Semitism. The proposed solution is that Congress cuts funds altogether and invests in trustworthy institutions that promote diverse perspectives. Alternatively, it is suggested that Congress invest in specialised business institutions, giving market forces the opportunity to incentivise salaries and increase the scope and reach of these programs, which are seen by many as essential for US interests.
Legislation has been introduced in a number of US states targeting transgender people, with many looking to restrict gender-affirming care for minors and enforcing bathroom use based on sex assigned at birth. Advocates have warned of the further marginalisation of this community and the potential threats to their health. The issue is seen as a Republican priority and a key driver of debate in the 2024 US elections, with the party looking to gain votes from the far right by portraying Democrats as out of touch with the wider population. Numbers of Republican legislation on the issue have increased significantly over the last two years.
Parents of three transgender children in Florida are attempting to block a new law that prohibits gender-affirming care for minors. The case argues that parents are being stripped of their right to make medical decisions for their children. The new law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis this week prevents the prescription of puberty-blocking, hormone, and hormone antagonist therapies to treat gender dysphoria in minors, and also bans gender-affirming procedures or surgeries for minors. At least 17 other states have enacted similar laws. Transgender medical treatments are endorsed by major medical associations as appropriate care but have been increasingly subject to restrictions from Republican lawmakers.
Mike Bohn has resigned from his position as athletic director for the University of Southern California (USC) after 3.5 years in the role. USC's football team enjoyed a return to national contention last year, following the hiring of coach Lincoln Riley, and the men's basketball team has made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances under Andy Enfield. In a statement, Bohn cited "ongoing health challenges" as the reason for his surprising move. USC President Carol Folt paid tribute to Bohn in her letter to the school and alumni, noting his part in transforming the university's athletics from a department troubled by scandal and NCAA sanctions to a "national powerhouse." Folt aims to ensure that USC continues its ascent under new leadership as it prepares to move to the Big Ten. Bohn is a former athletic director at Idaho, San Diego State, Colorado, and Cincinnati.
Best-selling author James Patterson is teaming up with journalist Vicky Ward to write a book about the 2022 murder of four students from the University of Idaho. The pair will draw from interviews, reporting, and court transcripts as they cover the trial of suspect Bryan Kohberger, who was indicted on 9 September. Kohberger is accused of killing Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves. The book does not yet have a release date or title.
Pregnant woman, toddler fatally shot in Idaho, sheriff says
The Toronto Star
23-05-19 23:02
A pregnant woman and her 2-year-old son have been found dead with gunshot wounds in a home in northern Idaho. A preliminary investigation has concluded that Elizabeth Lawley shot and killed her boy before turning the gun on herself. Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey described it as an extremely difficult day for the family, her office, and the community.
Do No Harm, a nonprofit organisation that seeks to oppose diversity initiatives in medicine, has become a leading force in the US in seeking to ban gender-affirming care for transgender teenagers, according to an investigation by the Associated Press. The group, founded by Dr Stanley Goldfarb, a retired kidney specialist and former associate dean at the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school, has produced model legislation that has been used in at least three states. An AP analysis of statehouse bills revealed that identical or near-identical passages to Do No Harm's legislation could be found in Montana, Arkansas and Iowa. A number of Republican opponents of gender-affirming care have cited the testimony of Chloe Cole, a transgender teenager who has spoken to lawmakers about reversing her gender transition. The investigation also found that Do No Harm has lobbied several US state legislatures. The group won the $250,000 Gregor Peterson Prize last year, whose previous recipients include the Centre for American Liberty, led by former Trump campaign adviser Harmeet Dhillon.
New York City has a right to shelter, but will it establish a right to sleep outside?
The Toronto Star
23-05-21 04:07
New York City may be establishing a right to sleep in at least some public places if Mayor Eric Adams allows the “Homeless Bill of Rights” to become law. If passed, New York, a city which has for years cleared homeless encampments as they arise, would become the first big US city to establish an explicit right to sleep outside. However, this move runs against the prevailing political headwinds in other places such as Los Angeles, which passed a broad anti-camping measure two years ago. Oregon's "Right to Rest" proposal also died quietly this year after grant the right to use public spaces "without discrimination and time limitations that are based on housing status". New York's Homeless Bill of Rights would also codify the city’s longstanding right to shelter, the only one of its kind among the country’s biggest cities, with nine rights in the measure including safeguards against being forced into facilities that don’t correspond to a person’s gender identity, access to rental assistance and providing parents in shelters with diapers.
China's cyber regulator, The Cyberspace Administration of China, has announced that US chip maker Micron Technology poses a significant security risk to China's critical information infrastructure supply chain and has ordered critical national infrastructure operators to stop purchasing its products and banned it from China's market. The ban, viewed as retaliation against US efforts to curb China's access to technology, follows a seven-week investigation into Micron by the CAC. China is an important market for Micron, with China and Hong Kong generating 25% of its $30.8bn revenue last year.
Chinese companies involved in critical information have been ordered to stop purchasing products from Micron Technology following a cybersecurity review of the US-based manufacturer of memory chips that found its products posed "relatively serious cybersecurity problems." Many analysts view China's move as retaliation against the US following its efforts to cut off China's access to high-end chips. The company's Chinese customers are likely to seek homegrown or South Korean alternatives to Micron's US memory chips, potentially having a knock-on effect on Chinese supply chains.
The Chinese Cyberspace Administration has prohibited the country's operators from buying US chipmaker Micron Technology's products over concerns of “serious network security risks”. The ban is the first big measure taken against a US semiconductor group and follows a seven-week investigation into Idaho-based Micron by the CAC, seen as retaliation for US efforts to curb China’s access to key technology. Washington introduced extensive chip export controls last October and since then, the Netherlands and Japan have followed. China is a crucial market for Micron and analysts have warned that Beijing’s restrictions could even provoke Chinese firms that provide “critical information infrastructure” to eliminate Micron from their supply chains.
China has warned operators of key infrastructure against buying US-based Micron Technology's goods, claiming cybersecurity risks were identified in the products and could affect national security. The move comes amid escalating tensions over semiconductor trade between China and the US, and follows a month-long Chinese investigation into the US's largest memory-chip maker. Shares for Micron's most significant industry rivals, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, increased in Seoul, while Chinese chip stocks, including Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. and Hua Hong Semiconductor, rose more than 3% in Hong Kong. Analysts suggest the decision will have a small impact on Micron, as most of its memory chips sold in China are used in consumer electronics rather than data centres and cloud computing.
Bryan Kohberger, a criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in November 2022, will appear in court on Monday for his arraignment. Kohberger is expected to enter a plea on four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. Following a six-week investigation, Kohberger was arrested on 30 December after his DNA was found on a knife sheath left behind at the crime scene. A white Hyundai Elantra, matching his, was also captured on surveillance footage driving away from the area at the time of the murders.
In a recent report released by NBC Dateline, Kohberger was believed to have broken into the home of a female student and then installed security cameras to spy on her in the weeks before he allegedly killed the four students. Kohberger had allegedly befriended the woman after moving to Pullman, Washington State, to begin a graduate program in criminal justice at Washington State University. He installed a video security system inside her home to allow him to spy on her, as he knew her wifi password and was able to tap into the cameras. NBC Dateline also reported that Kohberger’s sister feared he was involved in the students’ murders because of reasons including his behaviour and the fact that she saw spots of blood on his clothing.
Kohberger became a suspect in the case after six weeks of near-silence from law enforcement in Idaho and Pennsylvania. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Kohberger’s apartment, where they seized various items, including cell phone records and a disposable glove, stained with blood, according to sources.
