The Greene County Democrat

Category: Newswire

  • Newswire: Chinese man jailed after trying to smuggle 2,200 ants out of Kenya in his luggage

    Newswire: Chinese man jailed after trying to smuggle 2,200 ants out of Kenya in his luggage

    Kenyan wildlife official examine luggage of ant smuggler

    Nairobi, KenyaReuters —  A Kenyan court on Wednesday ordered a Chinese ⁠man to pay a fine of 1 million shillings ($7,746) and gave him a 12-month jail term for trying to smuggle live ants out of the country.
    The magistrate in the case said a stiff sentence was needed as a ⁠deterrent, given a spate of cases in Kenya of ant-trafficking.

    It serves markets, such as China, where enthusiasts have paid large sums to maintain ant colonies in large transparent vessels known as ⁠formicariums that allow them to study the species’ complex social structures and behaviors.

    Chinese national Zhang Kequn was arrested last month at Nairobi’s main international airport with more than 2,200 live garden ants in his luggage.

    Zhang’s lawyer said he would ⁠appeal against his sentence.
    He initially pleaded not guilty to charges including dealing in live wildlife species but ‌later changed his plea to guilty.

    “Noting the increasing and rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects of massive harvesting, there is ⁠a need for a stiff deterrent,” magistrate ‌Irene Gichobi said.

    A Kenyan man, Charles Mwangi, ⁠was also charged in the case, accused of supplying the ants to Zhang. Mwangi has pleaded not guilty and is out on bail. His case was not before the court on Wednesday.

    Last year, four men were fined 1 million shillings each ⁠for trying to traffic thousands of ants. Wildlife experts said at the ‌time that the case signaled a shift in biopiracy from trophies like elephant ivory to lesser-known ⁠species.

  • Newswire: Trump announces ceasefire with Iran, fends off allegations that the US caved

    Newswire: Trump announces ceasefire with Iran, fends off allegations that the US caved

    by Zack Linly, NewsOne

    On Tuesday evening, after weeks of mixed messaging on our progress in the Iran war turned into threats to end the nation’s entire “civilization,” President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce a two-week pause on his plans to start bombing Iranian bridges, electricity plants, and factories because a ceasefire has been negotiated. And because we’ve all heard this song before, folks on social media seem to largely believe that Trump caved to end the war that is bringing his administration nothing but embarrassment and bad press. 

    Meanwhile, Trump, his Cabinet, and MAGA-friendly media outlets are working overtime to spin the narrative that it was actually Iran that caved, ignoring all evidence to the contrary — including the myriad of reports that the missile strikes have not ended.

    “Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump wrote Tuesday evening. “This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East. 

    We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate. Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated. On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution.

    Now, to anyone who isn’t a MAGA sycophant, dedicated to spinning Trump’s confused social media posts into golden nuggets, it looks like Trump stumbled across an excuse to back off from his tough talk and save a little face in the process.

    After all, Trump has been claiming for weeks that  Iran is “begging” for a deal, and that the administration “had very, very strong talks,” and “points of agreement,” only for the Iranian government to deny the “talks” are even happening. Trump previously told reporters that a 15-point proposal to end the war was sent to the Iranian government, and that it “gave us most of the points,” only for the Iranian government to completely reject Trump’s terms shortly after.

    Now, Trump is saying Iran’s 10-point counter-proposal to the U.S. is a “workable basis on which to negotiate,” which really makes it seem like he was the one “begging for a deal,” especially since the contents of Iran’s 10-point plan seem to largely benefit Iran.

    I mean, Iran even included a $2 million toll on ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz that no one had to pay before Trump decided to help the Israeli government launch an unprovoked war on Iran. What exactly are we winning here?

    That’s a lot of tough talk, only for Trump to eagerly announce that he is open to Iran’s demands, which, again, came after the nation rejected his.

    And that’s why Trump and his administration are scrambling to force-feed Americans the narrative that it’s a mutual deal that both nations will benefit from, and he’s out here launching investigations against any media outlet that says otherwise.In fact, Trump had another one of his social media meltdowns after CNN reported, “Iran claims victory, says it forced US to accept 10-point plan,” and that the Iranian Security Council said in a statement, “The enemy, in its unfair, unlawful, and criminal war against the Iranian nation, has suffered an undeniable, historic, and crushing defeat.”

  • Newswire: Black women in rural areas grapple with stark decline in obstetric care

    Newswire: Black women in rural areas grapple with stark decline in obstetric care

    by Ashleigh Fields, Special to the AFRO

    Black women in rural areas are facing the brunt of declining medical services, including access to obstetric care as new policies threaten clinic and hospital closure.

    Under the current White House administration’s summer spending package, federal reimbursement for services covered through Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act severely declined leaving rural healthcare providers to fend for themselves amid pressing patient concerns.

    “The risks facing women in rural communities is due to hardship in receiving routine screenings and also access for treatment if conditions/diseases arise. Also, in rural areas there are few specialists,” Dr. Sonya Buchanan, a preventative medicine physician and Meharry Medical College graduate, told the AFRO.

    “Most specialists practice in larger cities with larger populations. Commuting to and from for treatment of chronic illnesses or cancer may not be possible for a number of reasons including financial, logistics or missing time from work,” she added.

    In response to the 47th president’s spending bill, Georgia Rep. Nikema Williams (D) introduced the Maternal Health Equity Under Medicaid Act to raise federal matching rates to 90 percent for Medicaid expenditures on maternal healthcare.

    Nearly 1 in 5 or 20 percent of rural adults and 40 percent of rural children rely on Medicaid or Children Health Insurance Program. Amid cost concerns, rural Americans also face geographic challenges that present threats to healthcare.
    Most live an average of 10.5 miles from the nearest hospital, versus just 4.4 miles for their urban counterparts, according to the National Rural Health Association.

    “Medicaid is the largest payer of maternity care in this country and must be part of the solution to the maternal health crisis. Too many people are still falling through cracks in our healthcare system, especially Black mamas who continue to face a worsening maternal health crisis,” Williams said in a statement noting that 42 percent of births are financed by Medicaid.

    Still, women who enroll in Medicaid in their third trimester have a 4.7 times higher likelihood of experiencing maternal mortality and a 1.5 times higher risk for infant mortality, according to her office.
    “Raising the federal match for maternal care will give states the resources they need to expand care and save lives. As Republicans threaten devastating Medicaid cuts, this legislation is a clear statement: we must invest in care, not cruelty,” the Georgia lawmaker said.

    As of 2022, more than two-thirds of rural hospitals in eight states were without obstetric services, according to a Health Affairs study. From 2010- 2022, 12 states also reported the loss of 25 percent or more obstetric services in rural hospitals.

    “The mass closures of obstetric wings in rural hospitals have been a major issue for years now. In North Carolina, 40 percent of our counties have no facilities at all for maternity care. The passage of the Big Beautiful Bill—I like to call it the Big Ugly Bill—is only going to make these issues so much worse. Labor and delivery units are often the first to get cut when hospital budgets get low,” Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) told the AFRO.

    “This bill made major cuts to Medicaid dollars, which hospitals rely on to stay afloat. It also created new restrictions making it more difficult to remain eligible for Medicaid,” she added.
    The United States remains the only developed country with a rising maternal mortality rate, according to UNICEF, with deaths skewed towards women of color.

    Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications and twice as likely to lose an infant to premature death. Women in rural communities are threatened the most.

    All 50 states were given access to the federal Rural Health Transformation Fund, which provides over $100,000 to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country.

    “While it won’t fully alleviate the burden of these Medicaid cuts, our state will be using some of these dollars to keep rural hospitals in business and expand maternity care access in our state, focusing on non-medical barriers to care, too,” Rep. Adams said.

    “Let’s be honest, though—this is a band-aid to our country’s Black maternal health crisis. We need comprehensive legislation to address it, like the Momnibus Act, which we’re reintroducing soon with Rep. Underwood and Sen. Booker. We need major action soon, because our country is reaching a boiling point, and our moms deserve better,” Adams continued.

    The Momnibus Act is a package of 13-bill acts that address social determinants, mental health, workforce diversification, and data collection, with over $1 billion in proposed investments dedicated to solving the maternal mortality crisis.

    While lawmakers address issues through policy, doulas have also been stepping in to bridge the gap by providing travel services to address the lack of care in rural communities.

    “Historically, doulas were responsible for assisting those giving birth and midwives, and were often among the few enslaved individuals who were allowed to travel due to the indispensability of their services. However, as births moved into hospitals, the non-clinical support system declined — removing an invaluable service for expectant mothers, particularly those within communities disproportionately affected by maternal mortality rates and limited access to medical care and birthing services,” according to Valerie Rochester, chief health equity officer at Creating Healthier Communities (CHC).

  • Newswire: Black-led nonprofits didn’t see the lasting funding boosts promised after 2020’s racial reckoning

    Newswire: Black-led nonprofits didn’t see the lasting funding boosts promised after 2020’s racial reckoning

    by The Associated Press

    The racial reckoning that followed George Floyd ‘s murder in 2020 carried hopes of new support for disproportionately underfunded, Black-led nonprofits. American companies stepped up donations to historically Black colleges and universities. Major climate funders pledged to give more toward minority groups. Large donors sought to narrow the racial wealth gap.

    But new research released Tuesday shows that such financial gains for many Black-led nonprofits were short-lived, if they happened at all. A subset of large, Black-led nonprofits saw only temporary funding increases between 2020 and 2022, according to the analysis by nonprofit research service Candid and Black philanthropy group ABFE. Smaller organizations saw no significant change.

    The pattern of disinvestment put many community groups at a greater disadvantage when President Donald Trump’s policies curtailed funding for diversity, equity and inclusion. The nonprofit sector’s struggles deepened as the administration threatened a range of social service programs, left future grants uncertain by cutting agency staff and chilled racial justice funding through anti-DEI executive orders.

    Black Voters Matter co-founder Cliff Albright noted these community nonprofits are the same ones now tasked with helping more and more low-income families deal with spiking healthcare costs and rising food prices.”We’re literally being asked to do more with less resources,” Albright told The Associated Press.

    Small, Black-led nonprofits tended to have to rely on new rather than continuing funders, losing out on transformational relationships that sustain their longer-term goals and cushion them through challenging periods. These small organizations — those with annual expenses of $1 million or less — got just over one-third of their funding from continuing supporters, according to the report.

    The dynamic rang true for a South Side Chicago group serving a predominantly Black neighborhood among the city’s most impoverished. Asiaha Butler, the CEO of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, cofounded the nonprofit more than 15 years ago to empower her neighbors to combat their area’s negative narratives.

    That mission had a handful of consistent backers. But summer 2020 brought more than two dozen new funders. “All of a sudden, we were desirable for people to fund,” recalled Butler, adding the “spurt” became a “curse” as the quick infusion of capital tapered off.

    “We started seeing this revenue and thinking we’re gaining really great relationships with funders,” she said. “And, really, those priorities shifted quickly.”

    Lacking relationships

    Foundations lacked relationships with Black organizations of any scale prior to 2020, according to ABFE CEO Susan Taylor Batten.

    Black philanthropy professionals say that distance created a scramble when protestors demanded businesses and philanthropies address systemic racism.

    Kia Croom, whose fundraising firm works with nonprofits in Black communities, said her clients received more funding than ever from corporations. Some hired additional development staff to meet the demand — and then underwent layoffs when funds disappeared. “It was just a very transactional gift at best,” she said.

    Positive Results Center CEO Kandee Lewis oversees a Los Angeles nonprofit assisting survivors of domestic violence and other harms. It was wonderful, she said, to receive checks from new supporters. But oftentimes, the support turned out to be a one-time donation rather than the beginning of a relationship. Lewis felt the funding came only because her group was Black-led — not because funders understood its work. “They were so busy trying to figure out who was who that they didn’t really take time to get to know people,” she said.

    Limited networks

    Jaleesa Hall knows philanthropy is a relationship game. She heads Raising A Village Foundation, which aims to advance educational equity through tutoring programs. She didn’t have many high net worth members in her network when she founded the Washington, D.C., nonprofit more than six years ago.

    That circle made it difficult to catch the attention of foundations, which she said “haven’t really cracked” how to find potential grantees outside of their existing web of connections. “Small, Black-led nonprofits simply aren’t in those rooms to begin with,” Hall said.

    Most of their foundation grant dollars came from first-time funders, according to the report.

    Cathleen Clerkin, the associate vice president of research at Candid, said the nonprofits’ work is made even more challenging by the “song and dance” necessary to secure long-term investment every year. “They’re just constantly going on first dates with new funders and hoping that somebody will invest in them and understand them,” she said.

    Small nonprofit leaders are so focused on day-to-day upkeep and financial viability that they don’t have time to attend networking opportunities or money to fly out for national convenings.

    T’Pring Westbrook, a nonresident fellow at the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, co-founded a consulting group that works with small nonprofits. The problem isn’t that foundations don’t want to support marginalized communities, she said, but that they do so through “trend funding.”

    “Maybe during Black History Month there will be a funding campaign,” she said. “But the thing about a campaign is a campaign doesn’t build sustainability.”

    Restrictive practices

    Small nonprofits say they face additional barriers, regardless of race, including grant eligibility requirements. And limited staff may prevent qualifying organizations from keeping up with foundations’ required weekly or monthly reports on the status of projects they’ve funded.

    “It ends up feeling like a burden,” Hall explained. “The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”

    Philanthropy has seen a sector-wide shift towards trust-based models that offer general operating support and multi-year grants, acknowledging nonprofits’ expertise on how to best fulfill their missions. But Batten, the ABFE leader, said Black-led nonprofits generally have not reaped the benefits of those best practices.

    The report showed Black-led nonprofits had significantly fewer continuing funders than their non-Black counterparts. Only one-third received general operating support, compared to just over half of other nonprofits.

    “We are still seeing remnants of bad practice when it comes to investing in Black communities,” Batten said. “There’s just no way for a foundation to move its mission for communities in this country, let alone Black nonprofits to move theirs, if we do not evolve this sector.”

  • Newswire: Stunning photos from Artemis II show Earth, moon, eclipse from space

    Newswire: Stunning photos from Artemis II show Earth, moon, eclipse from space

    Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. ET, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the moon.

    by Kerry Breen, CBS News on Google

    Stunning photos taken by the Artemis II crew were released on Tuesday, showing spectacular views from the far side of the moon and an eclipse in space. 

    One image from NASA showed “Earthset” — the Earth dipping behind the moon. Part of the Earth is seen in darkness, while Australia and Oceania are visible on the planet’s surface. Details of the moon appear in the photo’s foreground. 

    “from the other side,” the White House said about the image.

    Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. ET, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the moon.

    Another stunning photo showed the moon eclipsing the sun. The eclipse was not visible from Earth, only to the crew aboard the spacecraft, and the astronauts needed to wear eclipse glasses to protect their eyes until the moon completely covered the sun.

    “From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth,” NASA said about the image.

    This image taken by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, shows the moon eclipsing the sun.
    This image taken by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, shows the moon eclipsing the sun.

    Astronaut Victor Glover said the sun’s corona remained visible and bright during the eclipse, creating “a halo almost around the entire moon.” He said the photos of the eclipse didn’t do the display justice.

    Another photo shared by NASA on Tuesday morning shows the ridged craters and long shadows of the moon as parts of it come into view along the boundary between lunar day and night.

    The Artemis II crew is now making their trip back toward Earth. They are expected to splash down off the California coast, near San Diego, on Friday evening.

  • Newswire: Economists warn Iran War increases risk of recession in next 12 months

    Newswire: Economists warn Iran War increases risk of recession in next 12 months

    by Joe Jurado, NewsOne

    The war in Iran is already having a profound impact on the wallets of U.S. citizens. Gas prices have skyrocketed over the last month, with no sign they’ll be coming down anytime soon. As the war in Iran continues to disrupt oil supplies and shipping routes, several economists have warned that a prolonged conflict in Iran could lead to a recession within a year. 

    According to CBS News, economists at Goldman Sachs estimate that the increase in oil prices could also increase U.S. inflation by 0.2 percentage points to 3.1% by year’s end, placing a further drag on consumer spending. During an Australian news conference, Fatih Birol, the leader of the International Energy Agency, said that the disruption the Iran War has caused in the international oil supply is worse than the 1973 and 1979 oil crises combined. As a result of that disruption, Goldman Sachs currently estimates a 30% chance of recession within the next year. 

    Fortune reports that Moody Analytics raised its estimate of a recession to 48.6%, even higher than the Goldman Sachs prediction. “Even before the conflict, I thought recession and risks were on the rise,” Moody’s Chief Economist Mark Zandi said in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday. “Recession risks are very high—and unless the hostilities are coming to an end now, the president figures out a way to stand down, declare victory and move on, and Iranians follow suit—I think recession is more than likely by the second half of the year.”

    Now, if you’re making less than six figures, it probably feels like we’ve been in a recession for the last few years. Economists have called our current situation a “K-shaped economy,” which effectively means the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The United States economy has largely been propped up by high earners who have continued spending like nobody’s business. “If they cut back on spending, it could push the economy into a recession,” PNC Financial Services Group chief economist Gus Faucher told CBS News. 

    “If you’re a consumer, you may want to hold off on making a big purchase because you’re not sure how the economy is going to look a few months from now,” Faucher added.

    The conflict in Iran has affected various sectors of the U.S. economy. The most obvious has been gas prices, which have risen to an average of $3.68 nationwide, up an entire dollar from the month before the war began. The cost of diesel, which is used in farming and trucks that ship goods, has risen even more dramatically from $3.75 a month ago to $5.37 as of this writing. 

    In Arizona, I’m currently paying $4.99 a gallon for gas. While my financial situation is decent enough that I’m not having to skip meals to make it work, that’s not the case for a growing number of Americans. 

    Beyond the price of gas, the Iran war is also impacting the cost of food. Much of the world’s fertilizer supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed during the duration of the war. The shortage in fertilizer will likely result in less food being produced, which will inevitably increase prices. Not helping matters is that the U.S. economy was already in a bit of a slump before the war started. The whole reason President Donald Trump was re-elected in 2024 was largely due to the cost-of-living crisis. The job market was already bad, and an abysmal February jobs report showing that 92,000 jobs were lost didn’t exactly inspire confidence. With unemployment going up and prices alongside it, it paints a particularly dire picture for the U.S. economy.

  • Newswire: U.S. is one of three countries to vote against U.N. resolution calling slavery a ‘crime against humanity’

    Newswire: U.S. is one of three countries to vote against U.N. resolution calling slavery a ‘crime against humanity’

    by The Associated Press

    UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations as “a concrete step towards remedying historical wrongs.”

    The resolution also urges “the prompt and unhindered restitution” of cultural items — including artworks, monuments, museum pieces, documents and national archives — to their countries of origin without charge.

    The vote in the 193-member world body was 123-3, with 52 abstentions. Argentina, Israel and the United States were the three members voting against the resolution. The United Kingdom and all 27 members of the European Union were among those that abstained.

    While the United States opposes the past wrongdoing of the transatlantic slave trade and all other forms of slavery, it “does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred,” deputy U.S. ambassador Dan Negrea said before the vote.

    “The United States also strongly objects to the resolution’s attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy,” he said. “The assertion that some crimes against humanity are less severe than others objectively diminishes the suffering of countless victims and survivors of other atrocities throughout history.”

    In the United States, support for reparations gained momentum in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. However, the issue has been a difficult one and has been caught up in a broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions.

    Unlike U.N. Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but are an important reflection of world opinion.

    “Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice,” Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, a key architect of the resolution, said before the vote.

    “The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting,” he said. “Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery.”

    Mahama noted that the vote was taking place on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, honoring the memory of about 13 million African men, women and children enslaved over several centuries.

    Diplomats applauded and some cheered the adoption of the resolution.

    The history of slavery and “its devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts” must never be forgotten, said British acting U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki, speaking on behalf of mainly Western nations, including some that enslaved Africans.

    Western nations are committed to tackling the root causes that persist today, he said, pointing to racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and intolerance. He said “the scourge of modern slavery” also must be addressed — trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation and forced criminality.

    Cyprus’ deputy U.N. ambassador, Gabriella Michaelidou, speaking on behalf of the E.U., echoed the U.S. and U.K. on concerns about “the use of superlatives” that imply “a hierarchy among atrocity crimes.”

    Michaelidou also cited the E.U.’s concern about the resolution’s “unbalanced interpretation of historical events” and legal references that are inaccurate or inconsistent with international law, including “suggestions of a retroactive application of international rules which was non-existent at the time and claims for reparations.”

    The resolution “unequivocally condemns the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans, slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring injustice against humanity.”

    In approving the resolution, the General Assembly affirms the importance of addressing the historical wrongs of slavery that promotes “justice, human rights, dignity and healing.”

    The resolution calls on U.N. member nations to engage in talks “on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology, measures of restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, guarantees of non-repetition and changes to laws, programs and services to address racism and systemic discrimination.”

    It encourages voluntary contributions to promote education on the transatlantic slave trade and asks the African Union, the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States to collaborate with U.N. bodies and other nations “on reparatory justice and reconciliation.”

  • Newswire: 14 ICE detainees have died in custody; Mexican President and authorities question recent deaths

    Newswire: 14 ICE detainees have died in custody; Mexican President and authorities question recent deaths

    By Laura Strickler, Colleen Long and Daniella Silva, NBC News

    So far this year, 14 people have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, including a Mexican man who was found unresponsive last week at a facility outside Los Angeles, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.

    As of mid-February, ICE was holding more than 68,000 immigrants, among the highest numbers ever, according to federal data. The figure fluctuates as immigrants get deported and others are taken into custody.

    In 2025, ICE reported 33 total in-custody deaths and in 2024 there were 11.

    As the Trump administration has sought to drastically increase space to detain immigrants as part of its mass deportation campaign, holding facilities have struggled with disease and overcrowding.

    Homeland Security recently changed contractors at its largest immigrant detention center at Fort Bliss outside El Paso, Texas, just seven months after it opened.

    The tented facility known as Camp East Montana has had a troubled history, starting with a fatal construction accident and three detainee deaths in less than six weeks, one of which was ruled a homicide. There have also been outbreaks of both tuberculosis and measles.

    The Trump administration has said it is shifting its deportation strategy to increase its focus on arresting and deporting immigrants who have criminal records, following the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers during deportation operations in Minnesota.

    On March 25, Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano, who was in federal custody in California after he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and theft, was found by security to be unresponsive in his bunk. ICE said in a statement that staff performed CPR and other life-saving procedures, and he was taken to Victor Valley Global Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

    Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference Monday that Mexico would take stronger measures to protest following the reported death, focusing particularly in the Los Angeles region.

    “There are several actions we are going to take to protest the death of another Mexican, one of our fellow citizens, in the United States.”

    Ex-FBI agents on Trump cases cite Todd Blanche’s remarks in suit over ‘illegal’ firings

    Ramos-Solano was arrested by ICE on Feb. 23 and sent to the Adelanto detention center. He received a physical evaluation during his intake screening and was found to have diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. ICE said he received routine medical care in custody, including daily medication for his conditions.

    Ramos-Solano’s cause of death was not immediately made public, and Homeland Security officials didn’t respond to questions about his cause of death.

    At the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles on Monday, members of Ramos-Solano’s family wept as they spoke out against his death and demanded answers.

    “What happened to my dad was very inhumane,” said Gloria Ramos, the daughter of Ramos-Solano. “I think my family and I deserve to know the truth of what happened to my dad.”

    The man’s son, Jorge Ramos, paused often as he spoke, becoming overcome with emotion.

    “He was a good dad. He was a good person. He was not a criminal. He was a hard worker,” he said.

    An official with Mexico’s foreign ministry attended the news conference and denounced the number of deaths in ICE custody this year.

    “Four Mexican nationals have died, apparently due to medical complications, highlighting a pattern of persistent structural deficiencies,” Vanessa Calva Ruiz, the director general of consular protection and strategic planning said. “The recurrence and frequency of these deaths are absolutely unacceptable.”

  • Newswire: Civil Rights leaders and Congressional Black Caucus unite to challenge Trump Administration policies

    Newswire: Civil Rights leaders and Congressional Black Caucus unite to challenge Trump Administration policies

    During a recent gathering on Capitol Hill, lawmakers and advocacy leaders sharply criticized a series of policy decisions implemented since Trump’s return to the White House, as well as the president’s rhetoric and governing approach. While participants outlined broad areas of concern, they provided limited specifics regarding immediate tactical responses.

    Representative Yvette Clarke of New York, chair of the CBC, accused the administration of pursuing policies that undermine civil rights protections, restrict voting access, weaken social safety programs, and concentrate economic and political power among elite interests at the expense of marginalized communities.

    Throughout a series of strategy sessions, activists and legislators coordinated outreach plans and policy priorities spanning education, historical curriculum standards, healthcare access, immigration enforcement, and anti-discrimination protections. Participants described the discussions as both sobering and motivating, emphasizing the urgency of collective action ahead of upcoming elections.
    Several meetings focused on safeguarding voter access during the midterm elections, amid growing concerns among activists following a federal law enforcement raid at an elections facility in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Lawmakers also examined potential legislative and legal responses to an anticipated Supreme Court ruling that could weaken a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled that a wide range of responses remains under consideration, including public demonstrations, organized boycotts, and expanded legal challenges. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck moment, and every tool available to the leadership collectively has got to be deployed to get this thing turned around,” Jeffries said following a press conference.

    The renewed mobilization comes as the administration continues efforts to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies, higher education institutions, and segments of the private sector. Early in his second term, Trump signed executive orders prohibiting what his administration described as “illegal DEI” programs within government entities and organizations receiving federal support, alongside threats to withhold funding from institutions that fail to comply.

    Administration officials have also advanced initiatives aimed at reshaping how American history and national culture are presented in schools, museums, and public institutions. Concurrently, federal agencies have increased scrutiny of civil rights complaints alleging discrimination against white individuals.
    In response, civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers have launched numerous lawsuits challenging anti-DEI measures. Recent legal developments included the administration’s decision to abandon an appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked attempts to deny funding to educational institutions over DEI-related policies.

    With Democrats currently lacking majority control in either chamber of Congress, oversight options remain limited, prompting advocacy groups to focus on litigation, state-level action, and grassroots organizing ahead of the midterm elections. Many leaders acknowledged that the rapid pace of policy changes over the past year has forced civil rights organizations into a period of strategic recalibration.

    Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, argued that the administration’s agenda repurposes legal frameworks originally designed to advance equality. “This is about how this administration is using the tools we built as a Black community to ensure that all of our people are protected,” she said.

    Parallel efforts are emerging at the state level, where a coalition of civil rights organizations and Democratic attorneys general from fourteen states and the District of Columbia has launched a legal initiative to defend DEI and accessibility policies. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the campaign aims to ensure that fundamental civil rights protections remain enforceable through coordinated legal action.

    The effort unfolds amid an evolving judicial landscape. Federal courts remain divided over race-conscious policies in hiring and workplace protections, while the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has already curtailed the use of race in college admissions and signaled skepticism toward race-based considerations in public policy.
    Despite acknowledging the scale of the challenge, civil rights leaders framed the moment as a defining political and legal struggle. Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, underscored the movement’s resolve, declaring: “We commit today to fight and fight and fight until hell freezes over, and then, I can assure you, we will fight on the ice.

  • Newswire: First 6 days of War on Iran cost US $11.3 Billion, Pentagon says, But we can’t afford SNAP, right?

    Newswire: First 6 days of War on Iran cost US $11.3 Billion, Pentagon says, But we can’t afford SNAP, right?

    “They got money for war, but can’t feed the poor.” – Tupac Shakur

    According to the Pentagon, the first week of the war against Iran that President Donald Trump involved the U.S. in voluntarily, not out of any discernible necessity, has cost the nation upwards of $11 billion.
    The New York Times reported that Pentagon officials revealed the estimated price tag for the first six days of this war of choice to lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, saying the cost of the war had already exceeded $11.3 billion.
    What’s worse is that the estimate doesn’t include all costs, and it’s much higher than previously projected.


    From the Times: The estimate did not include many of the costs associated with the operation, such as the buildup of military hardware and personnel ahead of the first strikes. For that reason, lawmakers expect the number to grow considerably as the Pentagon continues to calculate the costs that accumulated just in the first week.

    Still, it appeared to be the most comprehensive assessment Congress had received so far amid mounting questions about the objectives, scope, and time frame for the war. The New York Times and The Washington Post reported earlier that defense officials had said in recent congressional briefings that the military used up $5.6 billion of munitions in the first two days of the war.

    That is a far larger amount and munitions burn rate than had been publicly disclosed. The Center for Strategic and International Studies had estimated that the first 100 hours of the operation cost $3.7 billion, or $891.4 million each day.

    Not long ago, the U.S. government was shut down for roughly a month and a half, largely because one particular party thought we couldn’t afford to extend health care subsidies. MAGA Republicans are still trying to convince the nation that cutting SNAP benefits is an absolute necessity, lest they bankrupt the U.S. Trump has been telling U.S. citizens to cut back on their spending because his promise to bring down the price of goods turned out to be big, beautiful bullsh-t.

    But we can afford a war of choice that has cost a billion dollars nearly a dozen times over in the first week.

    Oh, well — at least our strikes on Iran aren’t killing innocent school children or anything like that.

    Meanwhile, the Trump administration just keeps boasting about how it is “DEVASTATING” Iran with constant missile strikes. The tweet below was posted by the White House on the same day it was revealed that a preliminary investigation showed the U.S. was likely responsible for a missile striking an Iranian elementary school, reportedly killing 175 people, the overwhelming majority of whom were children.

    “We won’t stop until the military objectives are met,” the White House tweeted.

    Apparently, the administration means what it says, no matter the cost, whether we’re talking about the cost of lives or additional billions in spending that we’ve been told the nation can’t afford to spend on education, food security, healthcare, or anything else that would actually put “America first.” (And that’s their slogan, not all ours.)


    Seriously, if there was any nation in need of an actual regime change, it’s currently the good, old U.S. of A.