US Democrats Broach Audacious Changes to Elections, High Court

(Worthy News) – Frustrated in the Trump era, several Democratic presidential hopefuls are proposing dramatic reforms that would shake up US institutions and their centuries-old traditions, including abolishing the Electoral College and adding justices to the Supreme Court.

The changes are not typically debated in the country’s presidential campaigns, and remain largely out of reach for the moment, given the paralysis in a divided Congress and certain opposition by Republicans.

But they represent some of the new ideological litmus tests being proposed by a left-leaning party still smarting from Donald Trump’s 2016 victory and desperate to oust him in 2020. [ Source: VOA News (Read More…) ]

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Supreme Court sides with Trump in immigrant detention dispute

(Worthy News) – The Supreme Court on Tuesday backed the Trump administration’s ability to detain immigrants with criminal records at any time and hold them indefinitely while they await deportation, even if they served time for their offense years ago.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court reversed the 9th Circuit’s finding that the mandatory detention requirement for certain immigrants with criminal records applies only if an immigrant is detained by officials as soon as he or she is released from jail.

In delivering the decision, which split the justices along their ideological lines, Justice Samuel Alito said the 9th Circuit’s interpretation conflicts with the plain text and structure of the law Congress created for immigrants who have committed certain dangerous crimes. [ Source: The Hill (Read More…) ]

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China trade talks to resume next week in Beijing

(Worthy News) – Top U.S. officials will travel to China next week in a bid to finalize a new trade deal, administration officials said Tuesday.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will travel to Beijing to talk to their counterpart, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, according to multiple reports. Liu will then follow up by heading to the U.S. the week after that to continue the negotiations.

These will be the first face-to-face talks between officials since President Trump agreed to hold off on raising tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods at the beginning of March. The White House had hoped to have one-on-one talks between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Palm Beach, Fla., this month, but those talks were tentatively pushed back into April. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

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Pentagon finds $12.8 billion for Trump’s border wall

(Worthy News) – The Defense Department has identified $12.8 billion in possible funding that it could use to fulfill President Trump’s call for a border wall.

Trump last month declared a national emergency at the border, and said he wants to use $3.6 billion for border wall projects. The Pentagon’s list said it has found possible funding sources that are “in excess of the amount needed.”

Congress has passed a resolution to disapprove of Trump’s push for emergency funding, but Trump vetoed it, and lawmakers are not expected to have enough votes to override him. Opponents of Trump’s move are still hopeful that court challenge might prevent Trump from spending the money. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

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EU’s Juncker says Brexit delay decision unlikely this week

(Worthy News) – The head of the European Union’s executive branch says a decision on a delay to Brexit is unlikely at this week’s EU summit and the bloc’s leaders may have to meet again next week.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to ask the EU for a delay to Brexit, currently scheduled for March 29, ahead of an EU summit starting Thursday. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that he hadn’t received a letter as of Wednesday morning.

Juncker told Germany’s Deutschlandfunk radio: “My impression is … that this week at the European Council there will be no decision, but that we will probably have to meet again next week.” [ Source: Fox Business (Read More…) ]

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Another 10 Christians Killed in Kaduna State as Carnage Continues in Nigeria, Sources Say

(Worthy News) – Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed 10 Christians in southern Kaduna state, Nigeria on Saturday (March 16), bringing the lives lost in the past five weeks to 140 with 160 houses destroyed, sources said.

“We were all asleep in our various homes when at about 4 a.m. [Saturday], we heard gunshots everywhere in my village,” Amos Samuel, 40, of Nandu Gbok village in Sanga County told Morning Star News. “Everyone ran out of their homes to escape from the Fulani herdsmen. Three hours after the herdsmen left, those of us who survived the attack returned to the village to find that our houses were destroyed and 10 of our villagers killed.”

About 30 houses were burned in the attack, Sanga chairman Charles Danladi told Morning Star News, who also said 10 people were killed. [ Source: Morningstar News (Read More…) ]

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White evangelical support for Trump drops 9 points; largest of any surveyed religious group

(Worthy News) – White evangelical Protestant support for President Donald Trump has declined by 9 points since 2017, the largest of any surveyed racial religious demographic, while nonwhite Catholics have doubled their support for the president.

In February 2017, white evangelicals gave President Trump a 78 percent approval rating. However, by last month, this had decreased to 69 percent, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center of multiple surveys that was published Monday.

This 9 percent decline represents the largest drop in support of any of the religious groups that Pew surveyed for their report, with the second largest being among white Catholics, which went from 52 percent in 2017 to 44 percent in 2019. [ Source: Christian Post (Read More…) ]

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Hawaii bills push 1st state ban on plastics in restaurants

(Worthy News) – Hawaii would be the first state in the U.S. to ban most plastics at restaurants under legislation that aims to cut down on waste that pollutes the ocean.

Dozens of cities across the country have banned plastic foam containers, but Hawaii’s measure would make it the first state to do so. The liberal state has a history of prioritizing the environment — it’s mandated renewable energy use and prohibited sunscreen ingredients that harm coral.

A second, more ambitious proposal would go even further and prohibit fast-food and full-service restaurants from distributing and using plastic drink bottles, utensils, stirring sticks, bags and straws. [ Source: AP (Read More…) ]

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Putin Signs ‘Fake News,’ ‘Internet Insults’ Bills Into Law

(Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a controversial set of bills that make it a crime to “disrespect” the state and spread “fake news” online, Russian media reported on Monday.

The bills amending existing information laws overwhelmingly passed both chambers of Russian parliament in less than two months. Observers and some lawmakers have criticized the legislation for its vague language and potential to stifle free speech.

The legislation will establish punishments for spreading information that “exhibits blatant disrespect for the society, government, official government symbols, constitution or governmental bodies of Russia.” [ Source: Moscow Times (Read More…) ]

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Azusa Pacific Drops Ban on Same-Sex Student Relationships, Again

(Worthy News) – Azusa Pacific University (APU) has gone back and forth this school year on whether to allow students to date members of the same sex.

Last week, the Southern California Christian college decided, once again, to remove a ban on “romanticized” same-sex relationships from its code of student conduct.

“APU is an open-enrollment institution, which does not require students to be Christian to attend, and the handbook conveys our commitment to treating everyone with Christ-like care and civility,” stated APU provost Mark Stanton. “Our values are unchanged, and the APU community remains unequivocally biblical in our Christian evangelical identity.”

APU, which comes out of a Wesleyan tradition and continues to uphold a traditional view of marriage, does not require its students to be Christian, unlike about a third of fellow members of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities that require students to sign a statement of faith. [ Source: Christianity Today (Read More…) ]

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