The Ninth Circuit Acts Responsibly – for a Change – in Ending Temporary Protected Status

“Nothing lasts longer than a temporary government program,” President Reagan once said. That adage certainly applies to the Temporary Protected Status program. TPS was intended to give only short-term permission for aliens to be in the U.S., but that permission has often gone on seemingly without end.

Fortunately, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-to-1 decision, has just dissolved an injunction that prevented the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending TPS for aliens from Sudan, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Haiti who have been in the U.S. for decades.

As Judge Consuelo Callahan explained in Ramos v. Wolf, the TPS program was created in 1990 to provide “temporary relief to nationals of designated foreign countries that have been stricken by a natural disaster, armed conflict or other ‘extraordinary and temporary conditions in the foreign state.” It is codified at 8 U.S.C. §1254a; 21 countries and the Province of Kosovo have received TPS designations.

Initial TPS designations last for a period of 6 to 18 months. Sixty days before the end of the designated time-period, DHS is supposed to determine whether the conditions – such as a hurricane – that led to TPS status still exist. If DHS does nothing to terminate the TPS designation, it is automatically continued. The statute also very specifically says that the courts have no jurisdiction to review the decision by DHS to make the designation in the first place or to terminate it.

Between 2017 and 2018, the Trump administration terminated the TPS designations of Sudan, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Haiti. These countries had one major thing in common – they had been on the TPS list for about two decades, with only one exception. Sudan was designated for TPS in 1997 because of an ongoing civil war; Nicaragua in 1999 due to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Mitch; El Salvador in 2001 because of the after-effects of three earthquakes; and Haiti in 2010, also due to an earthquake. Not very temporary.

All of these countries had their TPS status extended multiple times, often due to reasons removed from the original events that caused TPS status to be granted – additional natural disasters, ongoing economic instability, and other health and safety concerns. As the detailed explanations provided by DHS pointed out, conditions in these countries had improved substantially since they were first designated for TPS (which is unsurprising given the extended time period elapsed since then and the extensive international aid many had received), to the point where it was safe for the aliens to return to their native countries.

Yet aliens from those countries filed lawsuits claiming that the terminations were illegal under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), because the administration didn’t give “adequate” reasons for ending TPS. They also claimed violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth Amendment, alleging the terminations were done with a discriminatory purpose.

https://pjmedia.com/columns/hansvonspakovskyandcourtneybaer/2020/09/25/the-ninth-circuit-acts-responsibly-for-a-change-in-ending-temporary-protected-status-n970624

Migrant or blast victim? Lebanon starts DNA testing washed up bodies

Lebanon’s security forces have started carrying out DNA tests on bodies that washed up on the country’s coast to determine whether they are victims of the 4 August Beirut blast or of a recent migrant boat tragedy, Arab News reported.

At least five bodies that were discovered washed up on Lebanon’s northern coast are being DNA tested by security forces so they can be identified.

The bodies could be some of the nine people still missing after the massive explosion which rocked Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, last month, killing nearly 200 and injuring thousands more.

At least one port worker, who had been blown into the sea during the explosion, was rescued alive from the water 30 hours after the blast. He later died in hospital, but his case has raised hope other missing people could be found at sea.

There are also fears, however, that the bodies could be migrants who were passengers on a recent doomed attempt to reach Cyprus by sea.

The boat, which hosted at least 50 Lebanese and Syrian migrants, according to Arab News, left the northern shores of Lebanon on 7 September.

The vessel was later abandoned by the ship’s handler and left to drift in the Mediterranean Sea for nearly a week, before it was discovered in international waters by UN peacekeepers.

Survivors told Al-Arabiya they had survived on sea water, powdered milk and toothpaste, but that several passengers had either died, been left at sea, or jumped overboard in an attempt to find help.

At least one man was pulled from the water alive by the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force after he attempted to swim to safety. However, several others have disappeared, and at least four bodies, believed to have been passengers on the vessel, were pulled from the sea earlier this week.

The number of attempted crossings has increased sharply in recent months, reflecting growing desperation in crisis-hit Lebanon.

Economic collapse, the coronavirus pandemic, rising poverty and the trauma of the 4 August explosion have pushed dozens of Lebanese to make for Cyprus.

The UNHCR and UNICIF have both called for the “root causes” of these migration patterns, namely “poverty and lack of economic opportunities”, to be addressed.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun on Tuesday called, during a virtual speech for the UN’s 75th anniversary, for international help to secure the safe return of Syrian refugees, saying that the Mediterranean state can no longer afford to host them.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200925-migrant-or-blast-victim-lebanon-starts-dna-testing-washed-up-bodies/

Coronavirus Testing Suspended at Boston Lab Due to Nearly 400 False Positives

False positives with coronavirus testing are being reported so often that it makes you wonder how many ARE NOT being reported.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t stopped testing or the introduction and marketing of new testing kits or any of the COVID-19 mandates being opposed by American doctors as well as citizens and people worldwide. It also hasn’t stopped invasive and sometimes harmful screening procedures (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

From NBCNews:

Coronavirus testing at Boston lab suspended after nearly 400 false positives

An investigation by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health found that there were at least 383 erroneous positive results.

A Boston lab suspended coronavirus testing after an investigation uncovered nearly 400 false positive COVID-19 results.

Orig3n, a biotechnology company which counts dozens of nursing homes as its clients, ceased testing on Aug. 8 at the request of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The suspension came days after state health officials became aware of an unusually high number of positive coronavirus tests.

An investigation found that there were at least 383 inaccurate positive results from the lab that, upon re-testing, came back as negative.

On Aug. 27, the MDPH said it notified Orig3n they had been cited with “three significant certification deficiencies that put patients at immediate risk of harm.”

“The Boston lab is required to respond with a written plan of correction, and if action is not taken it can face sanctions,” a health department spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday.

The health department said roughly 60 nursing homes either still are or have been clients of Orig3n.

https://www.activistpost.com/2020/09/coronavirus-testing-suspended-at-boston-lab-due-to-nearly-400-false-positives.html

Report: US Top Supplier of Arms in the Middle East

US and European allies supply about 75% of the weapons in the region

A new report from the Center for International Policy (CIP) found that from 2015 to 2019, the US was the number one supplier of weapons in the Middle East and North Africa, supplying 48 percent of the region’s arms. Combining the US arms with its European allies, the Western countries provided nearly three-quarters of the weapons used in the area for that period.

The US was the top weapons supplier by a wide margin, with Russia coming in second at 17 percent. The next four leading suppliers were France with 11 percent, the UK at five percent, Germany at five percent, and China trailed behind exporting three percent of the region’s weapons.

The top recipient for weapons exports was Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom received 30 percent of the weapons transferred to the region. Seventy-four percent of the arms sold to Saudi Arabia came from the US, who is the top provider of weapons for all the Gulf countries.

The CIP study said that proponents for these arms sales describe them as “a force for stability, a way to cement alliances, a way to counter Iran, or, more generally, as a tool for creating a balance of power that makes conflict less likely.”

While US officials invoke the Iranian threat to justify arms sales to countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the reality is, these weapons are mostly used to kill civilians in Yemen and end up in the hands of groups like al-Qaeda.

Besides Yemen, US arms have fueled wars in countries all across the region, in Libya, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, to name a few. The study found that US arms often end up in the hands of opposing sides in these conflicts.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/09/24/report-us-top-supplier-of-arms-in-the-middle-east/

Meet the leading Jewish political donors in this US election cycle

Tom Steyer tops list of all donors with over $80 million in combined donations through September 8; Adelsons rank No. 5, Soros No. 24

JTA — George Soros may draw some of the most vociferous criticism, but he’s hardly the biggest political donor in this cash-heavy election cycle — Democrat or Republican.

In fact, Soros is 24th on the largest givers in this cycle, and Jewish donors on both the right and left populate the list above him.

That’s according to Open Secrets, which provides the top 100 individuals or married couples donating to the 2020 campaign. Among the top 25 on the list, 15 are Jewish or of Jewish origin.

They include Tom Steyer, No. 1 on the list, and Donald Sussman, who have joined Soros in the litany of Democratic donors criticized by Republicans. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson are No. 5 — their money goes exclusively to Republican candidates. Plus there’s a host of Jewish donors who have drawn little public attention despite giving in the multimillions.

The Open Secrets rundown is up to date as of September 8. With the final weeks of the campaign seeing an accelerated fundraising push, the rankings are likely to change.

Here’s what you need to know about the big-spending Jewish donors seeking to influence this year’s high-stakes elections, especially those whose giving has made the most waves.

1. Tom Steyer

Amount given so far: $54 million to Democrats

Steyer tops the list by far. The hedge funder, who was among the candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, has donated over $54 million to Democrats — and, intriguingly, $35 to Republicans.

Lest you think Steyer is leading this cycle because of his own campaign, he has resided in the top three since the 2014 congressional cycle, and most of his money has gone to outside groups backing an array of Democratic candidates. (Steyer has endorsed Joe Biden and is fundraising for him.)

Steyer, whose father was Jewish and who identifies as ethnically Jewish, is a practicing Episcopalian, although in his youth he practiced Judaism and included a rabbi in his wedding.

1. Stephen and Christine Schwarzman

Amount given so far: $28.4 million to Republicans and $8,400 to Democrats

Stephen Schwarzman is CEO of Blackstone, an investment management firm, and served on one of Trump’s council of business advisers until they all shut down after the deadly neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville in 2017. Trump equivocated in condemning the rioters, and businesses came under pressure to cut ties with the administration.

Schwarzman told Reuters he got messages calling him a Nazi.

“It was pretty clear that the country itself felt like it was going out of control,” he said at the time. “We decided there was too much pressure for too many people all running public companies.”

His first major donation to Israel was in 2018, when he gave the National Library $10 million.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/meet-the-leading-jewish-political-donors-in-this-us-election-cycle/

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Marcus is all in for Trump. His pro-Trump posture — he gave Trump’s campaign $7 million in 2016 — has led to boycotts of Home Depot, although he retired as the hardware chain’s chairman in 2002. The New York Times, reporting this week that the Republicans were trying to get the Green Party on the presidential ballot to siphon votes from Biden, revealed that Marcus funded an identical campaign in 2016. It may have worked: The votes for the Greens were greater than the margin of Trump’s key victories in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Marcus also backs congressional candidate Laura Loomer in South Florida. Mainstream GOP Jews have endeavored to ignore Loomer, who is Jewish and a self-declared Islamophobe. She’s run a campaign that has incurred the wrath of mainstream Jewish groups for likening Democrats to Nazis. Trump has enthusiastically endorsed Loomer — he lives in the district.

1. Paul Singer

Amount given so far: $8.8 million to Republicans

Singer, 76, is a hedge funder who eased the Republican Party (somewhat) into accepting rights for LGBTQ people (his son is gay). He has a tenuous relationship with Trump and was the initial funder of the opposition research that led to revelations about Russian attempts to infiltrate the Trump campaign. But by last year he was on the Trump train, saying Democrats posed a socialist threat to the United States.

1. Stephen and Susan Mandel

Amount given so far: $8.8 million to Democrats

Stephen Mandel, a hedge fund manager, and his wife both grew up in Jewish families. Their philanthropic giving has centered on education issues. This year, in addition to donating to Democratic candidates across the country, Mandel has donated $2 million to the Lincoln Project, a PAC founded by former Republicans to prevent Trump from winning reelection.

1. George Soros

Amount given so far: $8.2 million to Democrats

Soros, 90, is a Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor who made his billions as a hedge funder. He launched his philanthropy in the 1970s, advancing democratic movements in South Africa and then as the Soviet empire began to crumble, in Central and Eastern Europe. His emphasis was the introduction of free markets, which first earned him praise from conservatives.

That dissipated once he turned his attention to liberal and Democratic politics, and especially when he spoke out against the Iraq War launched by President George W. Bush in 2003. He spent a record $27 million in 2004 to oust Bush, including millions on MoveOn, the group that along with the Howard Dean campaign set the standard that year for online fundraising.

(Adelson has said that Soros’ outsized ’04 spending spurred his own big spending: In the 2008 cycle, the casino magnate spent $30 million on Freedom’s Watch, a failed effort to set up a conservative counterpart to MoveOn, and Adelson broke spending records in 2012 in a losing bid to unseat Barack Obama — at least $100 million, possibly as much as $150 million.)

Soros within the Jewish world has staked out a confrontational posture, deriding AIPAC in 2007 as overly influential and the next year becoming the main funder of J Street, a liberal rival to the pro-Israel giant. His foundation, Open Society, has also funded civil society groups in Israel that are sharply critical of its government.

HOW TO BUY CONGRESS 101

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