“one high school student who was “known as a class clown” made “an offhand joke about committing an act of violence” last school year, according to ProPublica’s report. “Rumors spread among the students about his comment, warping it in the process. He was called to the principal’s office, where a waiting police officer asked whether he had a gun in his backpack. He showed them that he didn’t and insisted that he had just been making a joke….School officials initiated a threat assessment and gathered statements from the students who heard the joke, which were then used as evidence against him. He was expelled for a year.””
“Mr Tamang is among the 91 Indians who were forced into fighting in the war. Most of them are from poor families and were lured by agents with the promise of money and jobs, sometimes as “helpers” in the Russian army.
Instead, they were sent to the war zone. Many of them said they were stationed in parts of Ukraine under Russian control, where they had to navigate landmines, drones, missiles and sniper attacks with little to no military training.
Nine Indians have died in the conflict so far and Indian authorities say they have arrested 19 people for human trafficking.
In July, Russia promised an early release of all Indians fighting in its army, following a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Moscow, during which he raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin. The two countries have traditionally shared a warm relationship.
Forty-five of them have been discharged since then. Some have safely returned home, while others like Mr Tamang are on their way.”
“Donald Trump called for rolling back part of his signature tax law Tuesday, suggesting he would seek to reinstate the state and local tax deduction, commonly known as SALT, that he controversially capped in the 2017 legislation.
In a Truth Social post ahead of his trip to New York’s Long Island, the former president wrote that he would “get SALT back” and “lower your Taxes” if he returns to the White House in January.
Trump didn’t elaborate or get specific. But the statement appears to be the first time that Trump has called for rolling back a piece of his biggest legislative achievement, a law that he has also called for extending next year when major portions of it are set to expire.
The 2017 law capped the previously unlimited federal deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000 per filer. The policy hit hardest for Americans in high-tax blue states — especially New York, New Jersey and California — who itemize their deductions. Democrats, who represent most of those areas, fiercely objected at the time, accusing the GOP of using tax policy to wage a culture war. Some Republicans in those states also say the $10,000 cap should be lifted.
Trump’s comment marked the latest in a series of seemingly impulsive policy comments that have turned heads within his party. Most Republicans oppose an expansion of the “SALT” deduction and have criticized Democrats for pushing to lift the $10,000 cap.”
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“Despite Trump’s comments, it’s far from clear a Republican-led Congress would lift the SALT cap. Earlier this year, a group of House Republicans blocked their party from allowing a vote pushed by New York GOP members to expand the SALT deduction.”
Trump tried to steal the last election, and may do so again, so former governors are trying to convince current state officials to not go along with such democracy-ending actions.
“A bipartisan group of former governors is launching a campaign to convince their successors to certify their states’ votes after the upcoming November election — and defy possible pressure from former President Donald Trump.
Nearly 20 ex-governors have signed onto the effort, which launches Tuesday on National Constitution Day, and more are expected in the weeks ahead. The push, organized by pro-democracy group Keep Our Republic, is sending a letter — shared first with POLITICO — to all 50 statehouses that urges sitting governors to certify election results by the December 11 deadline prescribed by federal law.
Four years ago, Trump failed in his push to have a pair of Republican chief executives in battleground states – Brian Kemp in Georgia and Doug Ducey in Arizona – overturn the voters’ will in their states. But the former executives fear he may do so again this winter and succeed this time, even though federal law has been strengthened to clarify that each governor’s role is simply to certify the winner of the popular vote.”
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“Trump’s plan four years ago centered on some battleground states submitting dueling sets of electors that would muddle the Electoral College certification process on Jan. 6 and have both sets voided. That would have allowed, according to the plan, then-Vice President Mike Pence to toss them out and give the election to Trump.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, said he was “disappointed” that the nominee of his party refused to admit he lost in 2020 and appeared to be laying the groundwork for suggesting that this year’s election would be rigged.
“When you make allegations, you better have some evidence,” Corbett said. “And I have not seen any evidence.”
The group of former governors is hoping to provide political cover for those GOP executives who Trump may pressure.”
“The Haditha massacre was one of the worst U.S. actions during the Iraq War. After a roadside bomb killed a Marine in the town of Haditha in November 2005, the rest of his squad shot dead 24 unarmed Iraqi men, women, and children, many of them inside their own homes. The Marine Corps then lied about it, claiming that the victims were all killed by the bomb or by running gun battles with insurgents.
Only dogged reporting by Time Magazine forced the military to open an investigation. No one was ever jailed for the killings or the coverup. Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the commander of the squad, pleaded guilty to one count of dereliction of duty and was demoted.”
“The driver of the ICCP’s $16 million budget deficit wasn’t just the rising cost of child care, but also the agency’s overpromising of generous welfare benefits at the expense of taxpayers.”