Saturday, June 14

Democracy

U.S. Removes Welcome for Students from China
29May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief, United States

U.S. Removes Welcome for Students from China

State Department Announces 'Aggressive Revocation' of Visas for Chinese Students May 29, 2025—In another move to assert control over U.S. universities, the Trump Administration announced an aggressive policy to revoke visas for students from China. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the department and the Department of Homeland Security would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” He said the government would also scrutinize future visa applications from China and Hong Kong. The change in policy impacts more than 270,000 students of the 1.1 million international students enrolled in U.S. universities. Moreover, the decision is expected to have a detrimental financial impact ...
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Trump Escalates Battle With Prestigious U.S. Universities
23May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Diplomacy, Middle East, Types of News: Brief, United States

Trump Escalates Battle With Prestigious U.S. Universities

DHS Says Harvard Conducts ‘Pro-Terror’ Activities May 23, 2025—As part of its ongoing battle to control U.S. federally-funded universities, the Trump Administration amplified its criticism of Harvard University on Thursday, accusing the 388-year old U.S. institution of carrying out “pro-terrorist conduct.” Harvard University responded forcefully, saying the government is trying to "control whom we hire and what we teach." The university was quick to file a lawsuit, which a federal judge supported with a restraining order against the government on Friday. But the federal action leaves both the university and students in limbo. Specifically, the Department of Homeland Security decertify the institution’s student and exchange visitors program. “This administration is holding Harvard...
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Corruption Case Proceeds Against Israeli PM After A Long Delay
10Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Democracy, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Corruption Case Proceeds Against Israeli PM After A Long Delay

Netanyahu Has Avoided Facing Court And Potentially Years in Prison Reuters video stream Dec. 10, 2024 December 10, 2024—After a long delay, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced an Israeli court today in resumption of a criminal trial on charges dating back to 2019. “Everything is at stake,” said Alexis Bloom, director of the 2024 documentary, “The Bibi Files,” during an interview with MSNBC. “This trial is an incredibly important event for Netanyahu, and he’s been assiduously trying to avoid testifying.” The case is not only significant as a domestic matter. Observers argue that it has implications for the widening wars in the Middle East. “It’s his attempt to avoid a legal reckoning that has caused all sorts of damage in the Middle E...
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El Salvador’s Bukele Rises In Popularity In Latin America
29Jul By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Democracy, Human rights, Types of News: Bit

El Salvador’s Bukele Rises In Popularity In Latin America

July 29, 2023—Reporting for the Los Angeles Times, Kate Linthicum describes El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has become a "hero on the right" for Latin American leaders even as human rights groups cry foul. It's been four years since Bukele took office and two years since he declared himself as the world's "coolest dictator." Today, many in Latin America view the president as a model for fighting gangs, violent crime, and corruption, even if it comes at the cost of civil liberties. Critics complain that the El Salvadorian leader embraces authoritarianism, but "as homicides plunged, Bukele's approval ratings skyrocketed," Linthicum writes in a LAT report this week. Even as he clears the way for mass criminal trials of hundreds of people at a time, his popularity rises in count...
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Tesla’s Interesting Timing On A New Factory In Mexico
28Feb By Patti MohrNo Comments
Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Communism, Dictatorship, Democracy, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

Tesla’s Interesting Timing On A New Factory In Mexico

AMLO Welcomes The Deal, Rails Against U.S. Government And Critics Of Electoral Law Feb. 28, 2023—Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced today that Tesla plans to build a new electric vehicle plant in Monterrey, Mexico, the second largest city in the country. He hailed the investment as something that would bring well-paid jobs to the region. The new Mexico-based factory will join a Tesla fleet of factories: four in the United States, one in China, and one in Germany. Furthermore, it will benefit from $369 billion worth of U.S. subsidies for clean energy that Congress included as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The company is likely to announce more details Wednesday during its planned "Investors Day." The news comes as countries and companies recalibrate...
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House Committee Investigating January 6 Ends Work
3Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief, United States

House Committee Investigating January 6 Ends Work

The House Jan. 6 Committee released its final report on Dec. 19, 2022. Investigation Shows The Fragility of U.S. Democracy January 3, 2023—As a new Congress begins to take shape in Washington, the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol completed its work. At its core, the committee upheld its purpose of defending democracy in the United States. A key tenet of democracy is free and fair elections. In the 2020 presidential elections, the country nearly lost in fulfilling that promise to the people. Former President Donald Trump used every means possible—including a violent attack on the legislature—to hold onto power. As the truth came to light, the evidence showed the fragility of the republic itself and the key tenets of democracy i...
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Council Of Europe Moves Forward Minus One: Russia
16Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Human rights, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, Types of News: Brief

Council Of Europe Moves Forward Minus One: Russia

March 16, 2022--The human rights body for the European continent made a big decision today: It kicked one of its 46 members out. It is another sign of the turning point in history when the world becomes more divided. In what it said was "an extraordinary meeting" in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe revoked the membership of the Russian Federation after 26 years of its participation. Human Rights Body Statement The expulsion comes a day after the council's parliamentary assembly initiated the procedure. "Through their actions in Ukraine the Russian authorities deprive the Russian people of the benefit of the most advanced human rights protection system in the world, including the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights and our vast convention system," the council's l...
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Whatever Happened to Venezuela’s Interim Government?
9Feb By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Democracy, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

Whatever Happened to Venezuela’s Interim Government?

And Where Does Juan Guaidó Stand Politically? By Ernesto Rodriguez @Ernestoalexan February 9, 2022—It’s probably not easy to be Juan Guaidó in 2022. The former upstart of Venezuelan politics is now struggling to find relevance, three years after being appointed as interim president by the National Assembly he hasn’t been able to accomplish his goal of toppling the Nicolás Maduro regime and leading the opposition to free elections. Now he is also starting to lose his international backing. Support in the European Union started wavering in recent months. Meanwhile, with the world looking away from Venezuela and towards the crisis in Ukraine and Afghanistan, interest itself is dissipating. Even with the strongholds of the United States and the United Kingdom, Venezuelan democracy is...
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Australia Has Ruled, And It’s A Grand-Slam Crackdown On Speech
16Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Domestic Politics, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Type of Post: Essays & Travel Writing, Types of News: Analysis

Australia Has Ruled, And It’s A Grand-Slam Crackdown On Speech

Three-Panel Judge Backs Immigration Official's Right to Make Personal Decision over Visa Status January 16, 2022—A three-judge panel made a decision today in the case of Novak Djokovic versus an immigration minister, and the decision is final. The 20-time-Grand Slam title champion lost his appeal to stay in the country; the government's deportation order stood, and Novak Djokovic left the country. Game over. What Happened? The troubling part of the story is the legal reasoning behind the decision. The court order on January 16 said, "reasons to be published at a later date." Ruling by three-judge panel that gave the final word in the Novak Djokovic visa case. In short, it was not because of Djokovic's vaccination status or visa status. Either one of those issues, if they ...
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Latin America: What’s Ahead in 2022 & What Happened in 2021
14Jan By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Communism, Dictatorship, Democracy, Domestic Politics, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

Latin America: What’s Ahead in 2022 & What Happened in 2021

By Ernesto Rodriguez Welcome to pandemic year three! So 2021 wasn't really what everyone wanted it to be: A year where human ingenuity and science beat a pandemic, letting everybody go back to normal. Not quite. That being said, there was something that felt more normal: Politics. Or, at least in the case of Latin American politics, it was as normal as politics ever gets. A Marked Shift Left The region dealt with the aftermath of unrest that’s happened in the last few years. And political observers saw a marked shift to left-leaning or far-left leaders taking power. That includes Peru's Pedro Castillo and Chile's Gabriel Boric winning their respective elections. It's a trend that could continue this year, with Lula Da Silva being the favorite to win the Brazilian election next Oct...
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