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Politics

State Division in touch with the final People left in Afghanistan

State Department in contact with the last Americans left in Afghanistan

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds a press conference on Afghanistan at the State Department in Washington, DC on August 25, 2021.

Alex Brandon | Swimming pool | Reuters

WASHINGTON – The State Department said Thursday it is in contact with the 1,000 or so US citizens remaining in Afghanistan and that two-thirds of them are actively trying to leave the country.

Another 500 Americans have been evacuated in the past 24 hours, according to a State Department spokesman who requested anonymity to discuss the still-fluid numbers.

Collectively, this group of 1,500 U.S. citizens makes up the last of the roughly 6,000 Americans Secretary of State Antony Blinken said were in Afghanistan when the massive U.S. airlift began on August 14.

“The US government does not follow the movements of the Americans when they travel around the world,” said Blinken on Wednesday. “There could be other Americans in Afghanistan who have never signed up with the embassy, ​​who have ignored public evacuation instructions, and have not yet identified themselves.”

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“We have also found that many people who contact us and identify themselves as American citizens, even by completing and submitting repatriation assistance forms, are in fact not US citizens, which may take some time to verify.” “

On Thursday, the State Department said that around 500 more people “pretending to be Americans in Afghanistan who want to leave,” and US diplomats tried to contact them.

But the official said the department was skeptical of some of these last-minute claims:

“In our experience, many of them will not turn out to be US citizens in need of our help,” the official said.

Of the roughly 660 US citizens who have been contacted by the State Department in the past day or two and are actively attempting to leave Afghanistan, “many, if not most, of these people are almost or already out of the country,” the spokesman said.

The US is now also aware of “dozens more” American citizens “who do not want to leave Afghanistan for a number of reasons”.

The latest State Department figures underscore one of the most complex parts of the US withdrawal: the hunt down of every last American civilian in a country that lacks reliable internet and phone services.

American humanitarian workers and Christian missionaries have been active in Afghanistan for 20 years, often working in remote communities far from the big cities.

It was unclear how exactly the State Department tracked these last 1,000 people. Officials also didn’t say what would become of citizens who fail to leave the country before President Joe Biden’s August 31 deadline for military withdrawal.

Efforts to locate and remove individual US citizens became even more dangerous on Thursday when a suicide bombing outside the gates of Kabul airport killed 12 American soldiers and wounded 15 others.

A splinter group of ISIS in Afghanistan, ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which at least 60 Afghan civilians were killed.

Biden will speak on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. to discuss the terrorist attacks and ongoing evacuation efforts.

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Health

U.S. well being division mandates Covid vaccine pictures for its 25,000 workers

U.S. health department mandates Covid vaccine shots for its 25,000 employees

Xavier Becerra, the Health and Human Services (HHS) candidate, attends his Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on February 24, 2021.

Michael Reynolds | Swimming pool | Reuters

The Department of Health and Human Services is ordering Covid-19 vaccine syringes for the agency’s 25,000-plus employees, making it the latest government agency to require vaccinations in response to the global surge in the Delta variant.

The mandate announced Thursday by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra covers the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health, and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps – three agencies overseen by the department – and staff working with patients in medical or clinical research facilities of the federal government work together.

“Our ultimate goal is the health and safety of the American public, including our federal employees, and vaccines are the best tool we have to protect people from COVID-19, prevent the spread of the Delta variant, and save lives” Becerra said in a statement from HHS.

Members of the commanded corps must also be vaccinated against the virus if they are called to active duty as emergency services. The new mandate follows the agency’s existing religious and medical exemptions for vaccinations against influenza and other diseases.

The decision is made just days after the Pentagon issued a Covid vaccination mandate for all service members to be vaccinated by mid-September. The Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to issue a Covid vaccination mandate for health workers last month.

President Joe Biden also announced mandatory vaccination for all federal employees on July 29, giving them the alternative of having weekly coronavirus tests instead of showing proof of vaccination. HHS did not state whether employees could choose to get tested for the coronavirus regularly instead of getting vaccinated.

Company executives are also increasingly exercising vaccine mandates. Companies including Google, Facebook, United Airlines and Tyson Foods are now demanding that some or all of their employees be vaccinated as the number of coronavirus cases in the US has risen recently.

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Politics

U.S. contemplating methods to assist Cubans after protests, State Division says

U.S. considering ways to help Cubans after protests, State Department says

Cuban Americans demonstrate outside the White House in support of demonstrations taking place in Cuba on July 12, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Win McNamee | Getty Images

WASHINGTON – The State Department on Tuesday said the U.S. is considering an array of options to help the Cuban people, after thousands of protestors filled the streets this week over frustrations with a crippled economy hit by food and power shortages.

“We are always considering options available to us that would allow us to support the Cuban people, to support their humanitarian needs which are indeed profound, and they are profound because of not anything the United States has done, but from the actions and inactions, mismanagement, corruption of the Cuban regime,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

Price said that in 2020 the U.S. exported more than $175 million worth of goods to Cuba, including food and medicine. He also condemned the Cuban government’s forceful attempts to silence peaceful protesters and called on Havana to “release anyone detained for peaceful protest.”

Sunday’s rare protests, the largest the communist country has seen since the 1990s, come as the government struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic, pushing the island’s fragile health-care system to the brink.

People take part in a demonstration to support the government of the Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana, on July 11, 2021.

Yamil Lage | AFP | Getty Images

President Díaz-Canel Bermudez said in a national address on Sunday that his regime was “prepared to do anything” to quell the protests, according to a report from The Washington Post. “We will be battling in the streets,” he said, adding that the United States was in part to blame for the widespread discontent in Cuba.

On Monday, he appeared alongside members of his government and blamed U.S. trade sanctions for hampering Cuba’s growth.

Reacting to the Cuban president’s comments, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Monday that the United States was not to blame for the laundry list of issues plaguing Havana.

Blinken said that Cubans were “tired of the mismanagement of the Cuban economy, tired of the lack of an adequate food and of course, an adequate response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“That is what we are hearing and seeing in Cuba, and that is a reflection of the Cuban people, not of the United States or any other outside actor,” Blinken said.

President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House on Monday that the U.S. stands “firmly with the people of Cuba as they assert their universal rights.”

“The Cuban people are demanding their freedom from an authoritarian regime. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like these protests in a long long time if, quite frankly, ever,” Biden said.

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Politics

Biden Justice Division suing Georgia over new voting restrictions

Biden Justice Department suing Georgia over new voting restrictions

The Justice Department is suing Georgia, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday that a recently passed electoral law violates the protection of the voting rights law for minority voters.

“Wherever we see federal law violations, we will act,” Garland said at a press conference.

Garland said Georgia’s electoral reform law was “enacted with the aim of denying or restricting black Georgians the right to vote on the basis of race or color.”

He called the Justice Department’s new lawsuit “the first of many steps we are taking to ensure that all eligible voters can cast a vote,” that all legitimate votes are counted and that every voter has access to accurate information.

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Garland quit the federal lawsuit about three months after Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed the GOP-controlled state legislature passed the electoral revision bill.

The law has reportedly enacted a range of restrictive and potentially confusing measures that critics claim will affect voter turnout, especially in democratic and minority urban and suburban counties.

The changes sparked a national outcry among Democrats and constituencies. Large corporations and organizations such as Coca-Cola and the NCAA also protested the Peach State’s actions.

Kemp later disrupted the DOJ’s lawsuit on Friday, accusing Democrats, including President Joe Biden and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, of “armed” the agency.

“This lawsuit is born out of the lies and misinformation that the Biden government urged against Georgia’s electoral integrity law from the outset,” Kemp said in a statement.

“Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams and their allies tried to force an unconstitutional takeover of power by Congress – and failed to overwhelm our democracy.”

The governor insisted that the electoral law he signed should ensure that “it is easy to vote in Georgia and difficult to cheat”.

Kemp’s state isn’t the only one putting voting restrictions in place. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a similar bill in May, while other state parliaments across the country are considering legislation.

In Texas, the Democrats recently thwarted the passage of a restrictive voting law. Republican Governor Greg Abbott has vowed to revive it.

Garland promised Friday that the Biden government’s Justice Department would “look into new laws aimed at restricting voter access”.

Garland said it was cause for celebration that Georgia had a record turnout in the 2020 election. But SB 202, signed in March, contains numerous provisions that “make it difficult for people to vote,” he said.

The historically republican state fell apart for Biden over former President Donald Trump, an angry victory that Trump still rejects.

Trump’s conspiracy theories that widespread fraud were costing him re-election helped fuel restrictive voting laws across the country.

As part of the DOJ’s efforts to protect and expand access to voting, Garland also urged Congress to restore a federal provision that the Supreme Court placed in the landmark Shelby County v. Holder from 2013 defused.

That measure, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, required that certain jurisdictions’ proposed changes to their electoral rules could not be enforced until they demonstrated to federal authorities that those changes did not deny or restrict voting rights based on race, color, or minority status.

“If Georgia had still been covered by Section 5, SB 202 would likely never have taken effect,” Garland said. “We urge Congress to restore this invaluable tool.”

Garland also said his division’s civil rights division will publish new guidance to ensure post-election audits – several of which are controversial examples running in key states – comply with federal law.

The department is also working on guidelines for early voting and mail-in voting, as well as guidelines clarifying protections for districts when redesigning their maps, Garland said.

The attorney general also noted a “dramatic increase in threats and violent threats” against election officials at all levels, “from senior administrators to volunteer electoral workers”.

Assistant Attorney General Lisa Monaco will issue an order directing federal prosecutors to prioritize investigations into these threats, Garland said.

The Democratic leaders and the Biden government have pushed for the passage of a comprehensive bill to revise the electoral rules. They argue that legislation known as the “For The People Act” provides a variety of safeguards to protect voters from repression and other attacks on the right to vote.

Republicans have criticized the “radical” law as a naked seizure of power that would overturn all elections in favor of the Democrats.

The Republicans in the Senate blocked the submission of the bill in their chamber on Tuesday.

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Politics

Justice Division to step up enforcement of voting rights protections

Justice Department to step up enforcement of voting rights protections

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday that the Justice Department will swiftly increase its resources dedicated to enforcing voting rights protections, citing a 2013 decision by the Supreme Court as well as bills being pushed by conservatives across the country that aim to tighten election procedures.

In a speech delivered at the department’s headquarters, Garland said that in the next 30 days he will double the civil rights division’s staff dedicated to protecting the right to vote.

The department, he said, had already begun scrutinizing new laws that he said “seek to curb voter access,” as well as policies and measures that are already on the books.

In particular, Garland said the department was reviewing recent studies that showed that, in some jurisdictions, nonwhite people wait in line much longer than white people to vote.

“To meet the challenge of the current moment, we must rededicate the resources of the Department of Justice to a critical part of its original mission: Enforcing federal law to protect the franchise for all voters,” Garland said.

Garland, a former federal judge, said the department’s new steps were inspired by “a dramatic rise in legislative efforts that will make it harder for citizens to cast a vote that counts.”

“So far this year, at least 14 states have passed new laws that make it harder to vote, and some jurisdictions, based on disinformation, have utilized abnormal post-election audit methodologies that may put the integrity of the voting process at risk and undermine public confidence in our democracy,” Garland said.

The attorney general alluded to a 2020 election recount underway in Arizona’s Maricopa County supported by former President Donald Trump. The Justice Department wrote in a letter last month that the review by the state’s Republican Senate may violate federal law.

“Many of the justifications proffered in support of these post-election audits and restrictions on voting have relied on assertions of material vote fraud in the 2020 election that have been refuted by law enforcement and intelligence agencies of both this administration and the previous one, as well as by every court, federal and state, that has considered them,” Garland said.

He added, “Moreover, many of the changes are not even calibrated to address the kinds of voter fraud that are alleged as their justification.”

Garland has been at pains to emphasize the independence of his Justice Department from President Joe Biden, a Democrat, even as he distances the federal agency from its controversial record under Trump, who at times pushed its lawyers to defend his personal interests. Trump has falsely alleged that his loss in the 2020 election was fraudulent.

In addition to the wave of conservative voting bills in states such as Texas, Georgia and Arizona, Garland also cited a Supreme Court decision from 2013 known as Shelby County v. Holder.

The decision effectively struck down the pre-clearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act, which forced certain jurisdictions with records of discrimination to have election law changes approved by the Justice Department.

Garland recounted that in 1961, then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy called into his office the assistant attorney general for civil rights, Burke Marshall, and Marshall’s first assistant, John Doar.

Before the pre-clearance requirement was signed into law in 1965, Garland said, “the only way to guarantee the right of Black Americans to vote was to bring individual actions in each county and parish that discriminated against them.”

“Kennedy told his assistants that was what he wanted to do,” Garland said. “‘Well, General,’ Burke Marshall replied, ‘if you want that, you’ve got to have a lot more lawyers.'”

“Well, today, we are again without a pre-clearance provision,” Garland said. “So again, the civil rights division is going to need more lawyers.”

In addition to beefing up the staff of the civil rights division, Garland said the Justice Department will publish guidance on post-election audits and on early voting and voting by mail. He said the department will also publish new guidance ahead of the decennial redistricting cycle.

“We will publish new guidance to make clear the voting protections that apply to all jurisdictions as they redraw their new legislative maps,” Garland said.

Garland added that the department, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, will also pursue criminal charges against those who violate federal laws in spreading election disinformation in efforts to suppress the vote.

“We have not been blind to the dramatic increase in menacing and violent threats against all manner of state and local election workers,” Garland said. “Such threats undermine our electoral process and violate a myriad of federal laws.”

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon in a case over the Voting Rights Act that could have implications for legal challenges against the new voting restrictions. The court has a 6-3 majority of justices appointed by Republicans.

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Business

Division retailer retailer Belk plans to file for Chapter 11 chapter

Department store retailer Belk plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Belk department store

John Greim | LightRocket | Getty Images

The Belk department store chain announced on Tuesday afternoon that it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This marks the youngest retailer in malls as its sales have declined and challenges have accelerated during the Covid pandemic.

The North Carolina-based retailer announced that it will be entering into a restructuring agreement with its majority owner, private equity firm Sycamore Partners, along with the owners of more than 75% of its term loan debt and 100% holders of its term loan debt.

Belk said it plans to recapitalize the business, reduce the debt burden by around $ 450 million, and extend the maturity of all term loans through July 2025. Sycamore will retain majority control over Belk under the agreement.

The company announced it has received funding commitments for $ 225 million in new capital from Sycamore, KKR and Blackstone, as well as some of its existing first-term lenders. The retailer said it plans to keep paying its suppliers and that all normal business operations will continue during the restructuring process.

She hopes to end Chapter 11 bankruptcy by the end of February.

“We are confident that this agreement will put us on the right long-term path to significantly reduce our debt and provide us with more financial flexibility to meet our commitments and continue to invest in our business, including further improvements and additions to our omnichannel capabilities von Belk, “said Lisa Harper, CEO of Belk, in a statement.

America’s department store operators – including Belk and its nearly 300 stores mainly in the Southeast – are facing problems as consumers visit malls less often and buy fewer clothes during the pandemic.

Last year Neiman Marcus, JC Penney, Stage Stores and Lord & Taylor filed for bankruptcy. The latter, the oldest department store chain in the country, eventually liquidated and closed all of its stores. Penney narrowly escaped the same result after US mall owners Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners acquired it.

Sycamore, a consumer and retail investment firm, recently bought womenswear brands Ann Taylor, Loft, Lou & Gray and Lane Bryant from bankruptcy from Ascena Retail Group.

Here is the full press release from Belk.

FIX: This story has been updated to say that Belk has announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. An earlier version incorrectly stated that the company had already filed.

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Business

UAW union settles corruption probe with Justice Division

UAW union settles corruption probe with Justice Department

UAW President Rory Gamble (left) and US attorney Matthew Schneider announce a settlement agreement in Detroit on December 14, 2020 to end a year-long corruption investigation into the union.

Michael Wayland / CNBC

DETROIT – The federal prosecutor has agreed to end a multi-year corruption investigation into the United Auto Workers as part of a proposed civil settlement that includes an independent monitor that will oversee the American union for six years.

US attorney Matthew Schneider and UAW President Rory Gamble said Monday that the deal, which has yet to be formally approved by the government, comes after months of negotiations between the two sides, including several voluntary reforms by the union.

Other requirements under the contract are that the union hold a nationwide vote to potentially reform its voting process and make certain repayments, including a $ 1.5 million payment to the Internal Revenue Service. The UAW has already repaid approximately $ 15 million to training centers for improper chargebacks uncovered by officials.

“Today we are joining forces to announce that the UAW, one of the largest and most respected unions in the world, is now on its way to being free from corruption,” Schneider said during a joint press conference on Monday in the US Detroit District Attorney’s Office. “During our five-year investigation we have uncovered a staggering level of corruption and fraud by a number of senior UAW leaders.”

The investigation has led to convictions of 15 people, including two former UAW presidents, three Fiat Chrysler executives and a former General Motors board member who was a union leader. The prison terms for those involved ranged from 60 days to 6½ years. A handful of people are still waiting to be sentenced.

Schneider said the deal ended the UAW’s investigation, but more people could be charged if other illegal activities were exposed. He stressed that gambling is not a goal. He said the investigations into Fiat Chrysler and Ford Motor are still ongoing. He reaffirmed that GM is no longer a target of the probe.

“This is for our members,” Gamble said during the press event. “Today is about them. Today is about justice for their very hard-earned dues and the things they provide not just in society but in their individual communities as a whole.”

UAW President Rory Gamble (left) and US attorney Matthew Schneider clash after a settlement agreement was announced in Detroit on December 14, 2020 to end a year-long corruption investigation against the union.

Michael Wayland / CNBC

Schneider thanked Gamble for their cooperation and leading the union to reach the settlement. Gamble called the US attorney “brother” at least twice, a term that is often used in the union among members. The two ended the press conference with a punch.

The independent observer, who must be approved by the government, will not be involved in collective bargaining between the union and the companies in which its members work. The six year period can be shorter or longer depending on the needs and recommendations of the monitor.

“We are determined to make the work of the monitor very boring,” said Gamble, adding that members of the union’s highest board of directors agreed to the settlement. “We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that past mistakes are never repeated.”

When the union’s federal investigation was published in July 2017, it focused on a training center jointly operated by the UAW and Fiat Chrysler. But it was quickly expanded to perform similar operations with GM and Ford.