Whether you’re looking for the latest news about a political issue, a new event, or a hot topic in the media, there’s sure to be something you’re interested in reading about in today’s edition of our Daily Dose.
U.S. Senate could give final approval to one-week extension of federal government funding before midnight Friday
Congressional leaders have agreed to tack on an additional $5 billion in funding for assorted purposes. Among other things, the bill will allow the State Department to receive $3 billion in existing Pentagon funds. But there are still some procedural hoops that must be overcome before it can be passed.
The short-term spending bill, or continuing resolution, will give the administration and Congress more time to negotiate. The measure would allow for the continuation of spending levels from the current fiscal year through Dec. 16. In addition, it would make available billions in emergency disaster assistance and help FEMA spend billions at a faster rate.
The Senate will consider legislation before it sends the bill to President Joe Biden. However, it is not expected to complete the process before Friday’s deadline. The House will also take up the aforementioned measure before the end of the week. Despite the delay, several Senate Democrats have indicated that they are ready to make a deal. The House’s top appropriator, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, said that she has no plans to bring up an omnibus appropriations package on Monday.
Republicans are divided on whether or not to approve the bill. They have criticized recent domestic spending by the Democratic-controlled Congress, arguing that it is unwise and wasteful. But some have called for omnibus appropriations to ensure that defense spending is adequate. Some have even suggested that they want to delay action on the bill until the beginning of next year.
The debate will be over whether the House has the ability to pass a more comprehensive bill before the end of the week. The new majority has not yet been fully empowered.
Georgia’s top elections official is urging lawmakers to end general election runoffs
During the midterms, the Georgia Secretary of State had a lot of questions to answer. Among them was whether a new voting system was a success. He said it was. He also promised to send technicians to every polling site on Election Day. But he said he wasn’t proposing any changes to runoff rules after the primaries.
The new voting system had its share of hiccups. Some machines didn’t work and some poll workers showed up late. Overall, the vote count was legitimate, according to Raffensperger. He also encouraged voters to cast early ballots.
Some county governments have already begun to offer early voting. Others plan to do so. However, the timing of the early voting periods doesn’t fit with the traditional time frame for runoff elections.
Democrats and Republicans are at odds over the way the state’s runoffs are conducted. Some are calling for instant runoffs, while others want a shorter time frame. Some say the change will deter people from voting. In addition, they say a shortened time period will make it difficult to get a mail-in ballot.
The Warnock campaign, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Georgia Democratic Party all joined forces to file a lawsuit against the state. They argue that the state’s law does not prohibit voters from casting a ballot on Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, a coalition of civil rights groups sent a letter to all 159 counties urging them to offer voting on the day after Thanksgiving.
The Trump campaign has claimed that there was voter fraud in Georgia. But officials there have brushed off the claims as part of the national election cycle. They also rejected the claim that the election system was rigged.
Eritrean troops “murdered” uncle in Tigray region of Ethiopia
Despite the Ethiopian government’s claim that Eritrean troops entered Tigray, and that Tigray’s governor has regained control, there are serious allegations of human rights abuses and deaths. These include sexual violence, killing civilians, and forced displacement. The Australian government has said it is deeply concerned about the situation in Tigray.
The United Nations has launched a probe into these claims. The Ethiopian Embassy in Canberra says it is committed to investigating these claims. It also says that the Eritrean government is not involved in the killings. However, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst, William Davison, believes there is a huge trust issue with the Ethiopian government’s claims.
One of Yonas’ sisters fainted when she heard about the massacre. She is poor, and misses the Tigrinya language. She and her two sisters live in Addis Ababa. They have been unable to communicate with their family for months. Their stores are empty.
The young men who serve in the TDF know the land. They’re well-equipped, and have fought with their country in the past. They are devoted to the cause. They’ve fought for their independence.
But the conflict is far from over. There are reports of human rights abuses, including forced displacement and rapes. The Eritrean government has refused to allow families to bury their dead. It’s a situation that could lead to the first famine in Ethiopia since the 1980s.
The Australian government has warned that the crisis in Tigray is a direct result of Abiy Ahmed’s economic reforms. He merged ethnic and region-based parties into a more centralised government. He refused to allow foreign media visas, and he has blocked phone networks. Hundreds of Tigrayans have been deported to Addis Ababa.
Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, a wanted terrorist, died at a hospital in Pakistan
Known as the gangster king of Punjab, Rinda was a reputed criminal and terrorist. He was the mastermind of at least a dozen terror cases in the state. His death was confirmed by the state and central security agencies. He was absconding from the law.
He was involved in many crimes in other states as well. He was a known heroin addict. He was believed to have smuggled drugs across the border and was wanted by several states in connection with these crimes. He was also suspected of killing Hindu leader Sudhir Suri. He was also wanted in a murder case in Chandigarh.
He was involved in large-scale cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons. He was also a key supplier to gangsters. He was also the ringleader of a syndicate that dealt with arms smuggling. He was arrested for the first time in 2008. He was convicted and sentenced to life in 2014. He was released from jail in 2014 and shifted base to Maharashtra’s Nanded.
He was known to have ties with almost all gangsters in the state. He was also believed to have joined hands with the terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). His relationship with the BKI was not cordial, according to reports. His association with the terrorist group was said to have caused rifts between him and BKI head Wadhawa Singh.
He was the prime weapon supplier to gangsters in the state. He recruited naive and unemployed youth. He was also responsible for the smuggling of drugs into the state from Pakistan. He also worked for the pro-Khalistan terror groups. He was reportedly in a hospital in Lahore, Punjab, on Monday.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for any information about Rinda.
Meta’s oversight board upholds company’s decision to restore a video of sexual assault allegedly on a tribal women
Earlier this week, the quasi-independent oversight board that operates as a subsidiary of the social media giant announced that the company’s internal system was a flop. As a result, the company is left to respond to a litany of recommendations. The board, which is comprised of two former top executives, two VCs and one former member of Congress, is tasked with reviewing the company’s performance and laying out the next steps. The board has 14 days to complete its job.
While the board is still wringing its hands, the triumvirate has been put to the test. A former employee reported a handful of content removals via Meta’s internal reporting channel. The most noteworthy of those was the aforementioned cat video. While the company did its best to restore the content, some users took the bait.
The big takeaway from the report is that the company’s internal system needs a good cleaning. It’s also time for the execs to take a close look at its burgeoning e-mail database, which contains the names of millions of users. After the dust has settled, Meta will have to decide whether to let the cat out of the bag on President Trump. The board is expected to reach a verdict by January 7, but the company is not expected to make any public pronouncements until then. The aforementioned execs will be on a short leash, if they have one.
It’s still a good time to take a look at the most relevant e-mails that were sent to your inbox, especially if you’re a fan of social media or the like. If you’ve got a suggestion, the aforementioned execs would love to hear it.
