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Biden Devotes $36 Billion to Save Union Workers’ Pensions

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Biden Devotes $36 Billion to Save Union Workers’ Pensions

WASHINGTON — President Biden introduced Thursday that he was investing $36 billion in federal funds to save lots of the pensions of greater than 350,000 union staff and retirees, an illustration of dedication to labor only a week after a rupture over an imposed settlement of a threatened rail strike.

Mr. Biden gathered high union leaders on the White Home to make the dedication, described by the White Home as the most important ever award of federal monetary assist for employee and retiree pension safety. The cash, coming from final yr’s Covid-19 aid bundle, will avert cuts of as much as 60 p.c in pensions for Teamster truck drivers, warehouse staff, development staff and meals processors, primarily within the Midwest.

“Due to at this time’s announcement, tons of of hundreds of People can really feel that sense of dignity once more understanding that they’ve offered for his or her households and their future, and it’s safe,” Mr. Biden stated, joined by Sean M. O’Brien, president of the Teamsters, and Liz Shuler, president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., in addition to Marty Walsh, the U.S. secretary of labor.

The pension funding got here only a week after Mr. Biden prodded Congress to move laws forcing a settlement in a long-running dispute between rail firms and staff, heading off a strike that might have upended the financial system simply earlier than the vacations. Whereas the settlement included wage will increase, schedule flexibility and a further paid time off, a number of rail unions had rejected it as a result of it lacked paid sick go away. A transfer so as to add seven days of paid sick go away failed in Congress earlier than Mr. Biden signed the invoice.

The showdown over the rail settlement left Mr. Biden within the awkward place of forcing a deal over the objections of some union members regardless that he had promised to be the “essentially the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen.” The pension rescue plan introduced on Thursday put him again within the extra snug stance of allying himself with organized labor, a key constituency of the Democratic Get together.

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The $36 billion, drawn from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan handed final yr, will go to the Central States Pension Fund, which is basically made up of Teamster staff and retirees. The fund has been the most important financially distressed multi-employer pension plan within the nation. Because of shortfalls, pensioners had been dealing with 60 p.c cuts over the subsequent few years, however the White Home stated the federal funding will now guarantee full advantages by means of 2051.

Lots of the affected staff and retirees are clustered in Midwestern states which were battlegrounds in latest elections, together with Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota in addition to different states like Missouri, Illinois, Florida and Texas.

In his remarks, Mr. Biden expressed sympathy for staff and retirees dealing with cuts not of their very own making. “For 30, 40, 50 years you’re employed arduous each single day to offer for your loved ones. You do all the pieces proper,” he stated. “However then think about shedding half of that pension or extra by means of no fault of your personal. You probably did your half. You paid in. Think about what it does financially to your piece of thoughts, to your dignity.”

Mr. O’Brien hailed Mr. Biden’s transfer. “Our members selected to forgo raises and different advantages for a affluent retirement, and so they should benefit from the safety and stability that every one of them labored so arduous to earn,” he stated in a press release. Whereas a lot of public coverage is decided by huge companies, “it’s good to see elected officers get up for working households for as soon as.”

Republicans known as it a politically impressed payoff. Consultant Kevin Brady of Texas, the highest Republican on the Home Methods and Means Committee, dubbed the rescue plan “the most important non-public pension bailout in American historical past,” saying it rewarded those that mismanaged their pensions.

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“Regardless of years of bipartisan negotiations and proposals, Democrats rejected protections for union staff in different underfunded multi-employer plans that aren’t as politically linked because the Teamsters’ Central States plan,” Mr. Brady stated. “Now, American taxpayers are being compelled to cowl guarantees that pension trustees by no means ought to have been allowed to make.”

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How the Senate Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

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How the Senate Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

The Senate on Tuesday passed the long-stalled $95.3 billion package of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, along with legislation that could lead to a ban on TikTok, clearing the measure and sending it to President Biden for his signature.

Answer Democrats Republicans Independents Total Bar chart of total votes
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0

Note: Three senators did not vote.

The overwhelming vote reflected broad bipartisan support for the measure, which passed the House on Saturday by wide margins after a tortured journey through Congress that was met with right-wing resistance.

The measure includes $60.8 billion for Ukraine; $26.4 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region. It also would impose a new round of sanctions on Iran, and require the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner or ban the app in the United States.

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The measure had been stalled for months on Capitol Hill, where right-wing Republicans opposed to the aid for Ukraine pressured Speaker Mike Johnson not to allow it to be considered unless their demands for a severe border enforcement bill were met.

But when Republicans, egged on by former President Donald J. Trump, rejected linking it to a bipartisan border deal, the Senate passed the foreign assistance package on its own in February and pressured the House to do the same.

It took Mr. Johnson two additional months to figure out a way to steer around his right flank and do so. He used a convoluted maneuver in which the House cast separate votes to push through the pieces of the package and sent them to the Senate as one bill.

The TikTok provision was included as part of an effort to sweeten the deal for conservatives. Lawmakers have repeatedly cited the potential for Beijing to gain access to U.S. user data or to use the app for propaganda, including ahead of this year’s presidential election.

How Every Senator Voted

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Anti-Israel mob stages 'seder on the street’ near Schumer’s home in NYC

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Anti-Israel mob stages 'seder on the street’ near Schumer’s home in NYC

Anti-Israel agitators staged a “sedar on the street” protest in front of the Brooklyn home of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in protest of American support for Israel.

The protests came after the Senate passed a $95 billion emergency foreign aid package to Israel, Gaza and Ukraine.

Organized by pro-Palestinian groups, the protest was described as a “seder on the street” for the second night of the week-long Jewish Passover.

Photos from the protest showed large groups of demonstrators gathering in front of Schumer’s Brooklyn, New York home.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY RESPONDS AFTER ROBERT KRAFT SAYS HE’S PULLING SUPPORT OVER ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE

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The protesters urged Schumer to support an end to the U.S. providing weapons to Israel for its ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Following speeches from pro-Palestinian leaders, several people were arrested by New York Police Department (NYPD) officers.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request on how many protesters were arrested.

COLUMBIA PROTESTS ARE ‘WRITING ON THE WALL’ ABOUT ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUSES, STUDENT ORGANIZATION FOUNDER SAYS

The demonstrators at the Senate majority leader’s house came as New York City has faced an eruption of anti-Israel protests.

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Since Friday, hundreds of students and others have been arrested at Columbia, Yale, New York University and other schools.

More than 100 students were arrested at Columbia University last week, and the prestigious university has decided to cancel in-person classes in an attempt to defuse tensions.

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Supreme Court skeptical of siding with L.A. man denied visa over tattoos

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Supreme Court skeptical of siding with L.A. man denied visa over tattoos

For the record:

1:22 p.m. April 23, 2024In a previous version of this article, Luis Asencio Cordero’s surname was misspelled as Acensio Cordero.

Supreme Court justices sounded skeptical Tuesday about siding with a Los Angeles woman who claimed her constitutional rights were violated when the government denied a visa to her Salvadoran husband, in part over his tattoos.

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While some justices said they agreed that denial of a visa to a U.S. citizen’s spouse could in theory infringe on the citizen’s constitutionally protected interests, a majority suggested the government had fulfilled its legal responsibilities in this case.

Former resident Luis Asencio Cordero, who is from El Salvador, has been separated from his wife, L.A. civil rights attorney Sandra Muñoz, since 2015.

The couple sued, arguing the federal government had violated her rights to marriage and due process by failing to provide a timely explanation for denying his visa.

Initially, the government said it denied the visa due to concerns that Asencio Cordero would be likely to engage in unlawful activity if he were allowed back into the U.S.

Later, the couple learned through their lawsuit that the government believed he was an MS-13 gang member, based on his tattoos as well as an interview and background check.

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Asencio Cordero denies that his tattoos — which depict the comedy and tragedy theater masks, La Virgen de Guadalupe and a tribal design with a paw print — are affiliated with a gang. A court-approved gang expert concurred.

The Biden administration is asking the Supreme Court to reverse a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the couple.

Administration lawyers have argued that because Muñoz and Asencio Cordero could choose to live outside the U.S., her right to marriage has not been violated. The administration also argued that immigration officials have broad discretion when deciding whom to admit into the country.

Administration lawyers also said that requiring the government to disclose specific details about the evidence and intelligence used in such decisions would slow processing, pose a risk to public safety and could chill future information-sharing with foreign partners.

A long-established judicial doctrine prevents court reviews of visa determinations except in limited cases.

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Curtis Gannon, a Biden administration attorney, said Muñoz was affected “only indirectly” by the government’s actions.

“Muñoz cannot challenge the denial of her husband’s visa application any more than she could challenge a decision at the end of a removal proceeding that he will be removed from the United States, or at the end of a criminal trial that he would be sent to a prison far across the country,” Gannon told the justices.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited the long history of cases establishing the right to marriage. Assuming Muñoz is entitled to protection of that right, she said, the question is what kind of process is enough.

“Here you’re saying she’s entitled to nothing,” Sotomayor said to Gannon. “Why do we have to go that far?”

Sotomayor and fellow liberal Justice Elena Kagan suggested the government’s initial explanation for the denial was too vague.

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“How does a citation to unlawful activity tell anybody anything?” Sotomayor asked.

Other justices appeared to agree that the government had provided sufficient explanation as currently required under the law, and that State Department decisions on visas should not be second-guessed by judges.

Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., both conservatives, questioned what additional information or explanation should be required of the government if the case were to be sent back to lower courts for further review, as the couple is seeking.

“Why are we here?” Gorsuch asked. “I’m not sure what the cause of action here is.”

Conservative Justice Amy Cony Barrett said case law doesn’t require the government to explain more than it already has about the visa denial.

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“I guess I don’t see why Justice Gorsuch isn’t right, that this is just game over,” she said.

Kagan agreed, questioning why the case was ongoing given that the couple had already gotten what they’d sought: an explanation of the visa denial.

Eric Lee, Muñoz’s attorney, said the couple want to file a new visa application with evidence refuting the MS-13 membership allegation — with assurance that the federal government will review it.

A request for reconsideration is limited to one year after a visa denial. Because Asencio Cordero didn’t know why he had been denied, Lee argued, the couple missed the opportunity to prove the government wrong. Had they known the government believed he was an MS-13 member, the affidavit they later submitted by a gang expert could have been specifically tailored to explain why his tattoos weren’t consistent with the notorious gang.

“It doesn’t give us any guarantee, but that’s what due process requires,” Lee said.

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Roberts and fellow conservative Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. suggested that Lee’s arguments on behalf of the couple appeared contrary to the federal government’s right to control who enters the U.S.

“How do you weigh the liberty interests that you are asserting against the government’s interest in denying visas to people who would present a danger when they get to the United States?” Alito asked.

“I don’t see how you can avoid the conclusion that that involves weighing what I, at least, see as totally disparate and perhaps unweighable interests,” Roberts added.

Lee replied that consular officers have heavy caseloads, “and what we’re asking for is for them to give us enough information to help them make a decision.”

If the court sides with Muñoz, other families could be entitled to some explanation when they are denied visas.

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But immigrant advocates worry the court’s conservative majority could instead strengthen consular officers’ broad powers.

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