Iranian American Sanaz Toossi won the Pulitzer Prize in drama Monday for her play English. 

The play takes place in 2008 near Tehran, where four Iranian adults prepare for an English proficiency test.  It examines how family separation and travel restrictions push them to learn a new language and how that may change their identity. 

The Pulitzer board called the play “quietly powerful.” 

The award includes a $15,000 prize. 

Toossi is the daughter of Iranian immigrants to the United States and grew up in the western U.S. state of California. 
…

After meeting in Beijing with U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang criticized the U.S. for what he described as an ongoing effort to “suppress” his country, saying that improved communications between the two superpowers will depend on the U.S. changing its policies.

In a readout of the Monday meeting, Qin said that U.S.-China relations have worsened since a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November, saying “a series of erroneous words and deeds by the U.S. since then have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations.”

Qin described relations between the two countries as having “hit the ice,” and he criticized U.S. policy toward Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own.

Burns, for his part, was more reticent about the talks, posting a brief update on his official Twitter account that said, “I met State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang today. We discussed challenges in the U.S.-China relationship and the necessity of stabilizing ties and expanding high-level communication.”

Possible thaw

Despite the tone of Qin’s comments, some viewed the meeting, one of the first high-level meetings between American and Chinese officials in several months, as a positive step.

Relations have been particularly strained since early February, when the U.S. spotted a Chinese espionage balloon flying over the U.S. mainland. That incident caused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel what had been expected to be an in-person visit with Qin earlier this year.

Last week, Burns seemed to signal an interest in greater dialogue between the two countries.

“Our view is we need better channels between the two governments and deeper channels, and we are ready to talk,” he said last week in a virtual appearance at an event hosted by the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank.

“We’ve never been shy of talking, and we hope the Chinese will meet us halfway on this,” Burns said.

Critical comments

The Foreign Ministry’s readout of the meeting depicted Qin as sharply critical of the U.S., urging Washington to “correct its understanding of China” and to “return to rationality.”

Appearing to refer to Burns’ comments about being willing to talk, Qin said, “It is not possible to talk about communication on the one hand, but to keep suppressing and containing China on the other hand. You cannot say one thing and do another. We must respect China’s bottom line and red line, and stop undermining China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

He added, “In particular, we must correctly handle the Taiwan issue, stop hollowing out the one-China principle, and stop supporting and condoning ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”

In what appeared to be a reference to the espionage balloon incident, Qin said, “It is necessary to persist in handling unexpected incidents in the relationship between the two countries in a calm, professional and pragmatic manner, so as to avoid another impact on Sino-U.S. relations.”

He said any future talks should be based on “mutual respect, reciprocity and mutual benefit.”

State Department reacts

In a press conference Monday afternoon, Deputy State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel commented on the meeting, saying, “Maintaining open lines of communication with the PRC [People’s Republic of China] has been a key tenet of our approach as it relates to this very complicated bilateral relationship.”

Asked whether the U.S. had anything to “correct” in its position on Taiwan, Patel said it did not.

“There has been no change to our policy with China. There has been no change to our ‘One China’ policy, which is guided by more than four decades of the Taiwan Relations Act, the three joint communiqués and the six assurances. We have been very clear-eyed about that. And we’re also going to continue standing with our friends and allies across the Indo-Pacific to advance our shared prosperity and security and values.”

Room for progress

Zuri Linetsky, a research fellow with the Eurasia Group Foundation, told VOA that he saw the dialogue between Qin and Burns as a positive sign, and said that the language in the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s readout was clear about the policy changes Beijing wants the U.S. to make, in particular toward Taiwan and trade.

“One thing that stands out to me is this discussion of ‘security and development interests’ which is, I think, a call out to the restrictions on Chinese access to semiconductors,” Linetsky said.

The Biden administration has pressured countries that use U.S. technology to make semiconductors and the machines that fabricate them to restrict sales to China. Though the U.S. has branded this as a very narrow ban, applying only to military technology or items that could be repurposed for military use, the Chinese appear to view the ban as part of a broader strategy to restrict the country’s overall development.

Linetsky said that the meeting between Qin and Burns appeared to signal that more talks might be on the horizon, though he warned that it would be a mistake to expect progress to be smooth.

“This isn’t going to happen in a straight line,” he said. “It’s going to happen in fits and starts.”

Coming investment guidance

As soon as next week, the Biden administration is expected to release new guidelines that will restrict the investments U.S. firms can make in China, to prevent technology that can be used for military purposes from being transferred to Beijing.

The policy will be part of a broader administration plan to insulate the U.S. from China without fully breaking ties, a process that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a recent speech referred to as “de-risking” rather than the more commonly used term “decoupling.”

“De-risking fundamentally means having resilient, effective supply chains and ensuring we cannot be subject to the coercion of any other country,” he said in remarks delivered at the Brookings Institution on April 27.

In that same speech, Sullivan pushed back against Chinese claims that the U.S. was trying to freeze China out of new technologies and to hinder its overall development.

“These are tailored measures,” Sullivan said. “They are not, as Beijing says, a technology blockade. They are not targeting emerging economies.”

VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching contributed to this article.
…

A group of Chinese international students studying in Washington has established an independent student union, hoping to provide a safe space and platform for other Chinese students and scholars at their university to express political dissent without harassment by pro-Beijing students and organizations.

Students from George Washington University (GWU) call the organization Torch on the Potomac.

A statement by the organization on April 25 said, “We want to provide Chinese students and scholars at George Washington University, as well as their peers in the diaspora, with a platform, social support and community independent from the Chinese Communist Party and its puppets. In addition, we welcome students from all backgrounds interested in Chinese culture, politics and identity.”

The organization has more than 12 members. All have chosen to remain anonymous for security reasons, according to Luo Qiu, one of the organizers who uses a pseudonym.

“Before this organization was established, we were sporadic,” said Thomas, who also uses a pseudonym. “Many of our Chinese students had engaged in some resistance activities, including putting up posters or organizing candlelight vigils. But because there is still this kind of fear on campus – that is, fear of C.S.S.A. and of people who are pro-Chinese Communist Party who may report us.”

The Chinese Students and Scholars Association has long been linked to the Chinese government.

“[We want to] let the school, including people outside, know that C.S.S.A. is not the only representative of our Chinese students,” Thomas said. “We also have many Chinese students who oppose the CCP and support democracy. They should also have their own voices.”

The members expressed their disappointment with GWU in their statement, believing that the university has not done enough to protect the freedom of speech of international students who criticize the Chinese government.

The statement reads, “As Chinese students and scholars by the Potomac River, by the Lincoln Memorial, and at the foot of Capitol Hill, we are thousands of miles away from the People’s Republic of China but still under the shadow of fear: we find ourselves facing systemic repression. We and our families have faced intimidation, surveillance, harassment, blackmail, and other forms of coercion. We are denied true academic freedom and civil rights despite studying at a university that claims to promote and defend rights.”

VOA contacted GWU for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

GWU reaction

Axios reported that during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, some Chinese students put up multiple posters on the school campus criticizing China’s human rights issues. Other Chinese students ripped them down, and some Chinese student organizations who are pro-Chinese-government took the matter to the president of the university, Mark Wrighton, claiming that the posters were racially discriminatory, Axios reported.

At first, Wrighton expressed support in an email for the position of the pro-government Chinese student organizations and promised to investigate the matter, according to Axios.

But after discussing with faculty and staff familiar with human rights issues in China, he pivoted to express his support for the students who put up the posters and promised to protect their freedom of speech, Axios said.

In October, some Chinese students at the university also put up posters on campus opposing Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s re-election. But those posters were also torn up.

Torch on the Potomac said in its statement that not long ago, the “Democracy Wall” on campus, which includes posters put up by students from China, Iran, Russia, Taiwan and Ukraine, was vandalized. The wall is in a hallway on the outside of a school building.

Luo said, “We tried to get the school involved in the investigation before, but the response from the school police and the dean is almost nothing.”

In a screenshot of an email obtained by VOA Mandarin, police told the students who had called them, “Unfortunately, [when] you post a poster you relinquish ownership to the poster and as long as there is zero damage to the building it will not be a destruction of property.”

VOA Mandarin contacted GWU police for specific information on the damage but did not receive a response.

‘Silencing’ of students

Rory O’Connor, president of the U.S. student organization Athenai Institute, told VOA Mandarin the vandalism of the Democracy Wall “amounts to the silencing of students who have few other means to safely speak out.”

The Athenai Institute website says the organization “is a non-partisan, student-founded nonprofit devoted to educating American students, scholars and the public about the dangers posed by the genocidal, anti-democratic Chinese Communist Party’s influence on our college campuses, and about the tools universities can use to financially disentangle themselves from the CCP and its human rights abuses.”

The Athenai Institute supported the establishment of Torch on the Potomac, according to the organizers’ statement.

O’Connor said, “I can think of few, if any, better uses of our time and resources than supporting pro-democracy Chinese students who, simply by trying to authentically express themselves, are now facing down the proxies of a fascist party-state.”

Other student organizations at GWU have also supported Torch on the Potomac, including the campus organizations for the Democratic and Republican parties, GW Chinese Feminists, GW Uyghur Human Rights Initiative and GW Russian Speaking Association, according to the Torch on the Potomac statement.

Sarah McLaughlin, scholar at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, told VOA Mandarin, “Universities can do more, too. They can make an effort to educate international students about their rights in the U.S. and on campus, and what they can do if they’re facing threats to their ability to speak freely on campus.”

Torch on the Potomac said that the school’s C.S.S.A. is behind the suppression of its political demands, and “our top priority remains to protect George Washington University students from being influenced by the C.S.S.A. at the school and the Chinese Communist Party. … For a long time, the C.S.S.A. and similar organizations have maintained a monopoly on Chinese students’ cultural and political representation.”

A report by Foreign Policy in 2018 said that C.S.S.A. organizations across the U.S. had organized international students to welcome visiting Chinese leaders and paid them a fee for being among the gathering of greeters.

The close relationship the C.S.S.A. maintains with the Chinese government is no secret. In 2017, Liu Chen, president of the C.S.S.A. at George Washington University, said in a video that the C.S.S.A. was “the only official Chinese student union. It is directed by the Chinese Embassy and operates in every international university.”

Domination of C.S.S.A.

William, who belongs to Torch on the Potomac and uses a pseudonym, said, “There was no organization like this before. In the past, C.S.S.A. dominated the public domain of Chinese international students.”

Another Torch of the Potomac member, Sally, said, “I think the goal of the organization is to show there are alternative forms of representation and that not all Chinese students are monolith.

“Because right now we see a lot of anti-Chinese sentiment and a lot of people who are talking about how they are spies in U.S. campuses,” she said. “And we realize these discussions are real, and we want to show that most Chinese students are not supporting the government, and most Chinese students are not here to be Chinese spies. But we don’t have an outlet for our voice to be heard, so we were trying to … provide those students with support so that they do not feel alone, and they don’t feel alienated and isolated.”

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
…

Mexico’s president said Monday that he would talk with U.S. President Joe Biden by telephone Tuesday about immigration and the fentanyl crisis. 

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the leaders would also discuss development programs aimed at helping to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border. The conversation will come two days before the end of pandemic-era immigration restrictions that allowed U.S. authorities to quickly expel migrants who had crossed the border illegally. 

Lopez Obrador appealed to migrants not to use smugglers to travel to the U.S. border. 

“Don’t allow yourselves to be fooled,” he said during his morning news briefing. “Don’t allow yourselves to be blackmailed by coyotes, smugglers, who put you at risk.” 

Mexico agreed last week to continue to accept migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua who are turned away at the border, as well as some other migrants from Central America. 

The Mexican president has previously asked the U.S. government to contribute more development aid to Central America so people won’t have to migrate. 

Lopez Obrador has also slammed proposals by U.S. Republican legislators to make it more difficult to apply for asylum and easier for authorities to block migrants at the border. 

“This really degrades them, morally,” he said. 

The two presidents will also discuss the fentanyl crisis. The synthetic opioid, mainly smuggled in from Mexico, has caused about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States. 

Lopez Obrador has denied that drug cartels make fentanyl in Mexico, although he has acknowledged that precursor chemicals — and, he contends, finished fentanyl — are smuggled into Mexico from China, a claim China has denied. 
…

Immigrants in the western U.S. state of Colorado have a unique place to go when they are not feeling well: a health care clinic that serves newcomers from many countries. For VOA, Svitlana Prystynska has more about the facility, which was founded by a Ukrainian immigrant. Camera: Olena Andrushenko 
…

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday it is imperative to stabilize Sino-U.S. relations after a series of “erroneous words and deeds” threw ties back into a deep freeze.  

Qin, in a meeting in Beijing with U.S. ambassador Nicholas Burns, stressed in particular that the United States must correct its handling of the Taiwan issue and stop the hollowing out of the “one China” principle.  

The relationship between the world’s two biggest economies sank to a low last year when then speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi paid an official visit to democratically governed Taiwan, angering China, which claims the island as its territory.

In response, Beijing severed formal communications channels with the United States including one between their militaries.  

“The top priority is to stabilize Sino-U.S. relations, avoid a downward spiral and prevent any accidents between China and the United States,” Qin told Burns, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

The tension between the two superpowers had eased last November when U.S. and Chinese leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met at a G20 summit in Indonesia and pledged more frequent dialogue.  

But tensions flared again in February when a Chinese high-altitude balloon appeared in U.S. airspace and in response U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a visit to Beijing.

“A series of erroneous words and deeds by the United States since then have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations,” Qin said.

“The agenda of dialogue and cooperation agreed by the two sides has been disrupted, and the relationship between the two countries has once again encountered cold ice.”

Challenges

Burns, in a post on Twitter about his talks with Qin, also spoke of the need to bring stability to the relationship.

“We discussed challenges in the U.S.-China relationship and the necessity of stabilizing ties and expanding high-level communication,” Burns said.

Last week, Blinken appeared to offer hope of a visit, telling the Washington Post that it was important to re-establish regular lines of communication at all levels.  

Also last week, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said China had invited him to visit “in the near term” for talks on averting a global climate crisis, further raising hope of resetting one of the world’s most important state-to-state relationships.  

Taiwan remains the thorniest issue in Sino-U.S. ties.  

Last month, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.

Since 1979, the U.S.-Taiwan relationship has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which gives a legal basis to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but does not mandate that the United States come to Taiwan’s aid if attacked.

As a part of the 2023 budget, U.S. Congress has authorized up to $1 billion worth of weapons aid for Taiwan using a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has helped to deliver arms to Ukraine.
…

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says America’s leading cause of overdose deaths is synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. U.S. law enforcement says illicit fentanyl is cheaply made from chemicals mostly coming from China, trafficked through Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya looks at fentanyl in Washington state in a series that today explores how stigmas about fentanyl abuse complicate treatment for addicts.
…

The White House said national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed efforts to end the war in Yemen as he met Sunday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

A White House statement said the two also discussed Saudi Arabia’s support to U.S. citizens who evacuated from Sudan following the outbreak of fighting there last month. 

Saudi state media said the talks took place in the port city of Jeddah, and that the discussion involved “strategic relations.” 

The White House said the two also took part in wider talks with national security advisers from India and the United Arab Emirates “to advance their shared vision of a more secure and prosperous Middle East region interconnected with India and the world.” 

The talks come amid strained relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia.  The sources of that tension include the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and cuts in oil production by the Saudi-led OPEC+ group. 

U.S. intelligence agencies assessed the Saudi crown prince approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi, which Saudi Arabia has denied.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Houthi rebels seized the country’s capital.  Saudi Arabia launched a military coalition in early 2015 in support of the Yemeni government. 

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Reuters. 
…

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday called on Congress to pass gun control bills in the wake of yet another mass shooting that left nine people dead, including the gunman, at a Texas mall on Saturday. 

The Democratic president renewed calls for Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as to enact universal background checks and end immunity for gun manufacturers. There is little chance the narrowly divided House and Senate would pass such legislation, although polls show most Americans support background checks. 

Biden, who has made similar pleas before, said the assailant at Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, a northern suburb of Dallas, wore tactical gear and was armed with an AR-15 style assault weapon. 

The gunman killed eight people, including children, and wounded at least seven, before a police officer killed him, police said on Saturday. 

Mass shootings have become commonplace in the United States, with at least 199 so far in 2023, the most at this point in the year since at least 2016, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit group defines a mass shooting as any in which four or more people are wounded or killed, not including the shooter. 

The tragedy in Allen, which happened just over a week after another deadly shooting in the Texas town of Cleveland, reignited the heated debate over gun control in the United States. 

The U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, and that issue is a hot button one for many Republicans, who are backed by millions in donations from gun rights groups and manufacturers. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, called the shooting “devastating” in a Sunday morning interview on Fox News but said that the way to effectively tackle gun violence lies in addressing mental health. 

“There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of anger and violence that’s taking place in America,” he said. “We are working to address that anger and violence by going to his root cause, which is addressing the mental health problems behind it.” 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats stressed the need to pass stronger gun safety legislation to curtail gun violence. 

On Saturday, TV aerials showed hundreds of people calmly walking out of the mall, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Dallas, after the violence unfolded, many with their hands up as scores of police stood guard. 

One unidentified eyewitness told local ABC affiliate WFAA TV that the gunman was “walking down the sidewalk just … shooting his gun outside.” 
…

Tracking down accurate information about Philadelphia’s elections on Twitter used to be easy. The account for the city commissioners who run elections, @phillyvotes, was the only one carrying a blue check mark, a sign of authenticity.

But ever since the social media platform overhauled its verification service last month, the check mark has disappeared. That’s made it harder to distinguish @phillyvotes from a list of random accounts not run by the elections office but with very similar names.

The election commission applied weeks ago for a gray check mark — Twitter’s new symbol to help users identify official government accounts – but has yet to hear back from the Twitter, commission spokesman Nick Custodio said. It’s unclear whether @phillyvotes is an eligible government account under Twitter’s new rules.

That’s troubling, Custodio said, because Pennsylvania has a primary election May 16 and the commission uses its account to share important information with voters in real time. If the account remains unverified, it will be easier to impersonate – and harder for voters to trust – heading into Election Day.

Impostor accounts on social media are among many concerns election security experts have heading into next year’s presidential election. Experts have warned that foreign adversaries or others may try to influence the election, either through online disinformation campaigns or by hacking into election infrastructure.

Election administrators across the country have struggled to figure out the best way to respond after Twitter owner Elon Musk threw the platform’s verification service into disarray, given that Twitter has been among their most effective tools for communicating with the public.

Some are taking other steps allowed by Twitter, such as buying check marks for their profiles or applying for a special label reserved for government entities, but success has been mixed. Election and security experts say the inconsistency of Twitter’s new verification system is a misinformation disaster waiting to happen.

“The lack of clear, at-a-glance verification on Twitter is a ticking time bomb for disinformation,” said Rachel Tobac, CEO of the cybersecurity company SocialProof Security. “That will confuse users – especially on important days like election days.”

The blue check marks that Twitter once doled out to notable celebrities, public figures, government entities and journalists began disappearing from the platform in April. To replace them, Musk told users that anyone could pay $8 a month for an individual blue check mark or $1,000 a month for a gold check mark as a “verified organization.”

The policy change quickly opened the door for pranksters to pose convincingly as celebrities, politicians and government entities, which could no longer be identified as authentic. While some impostor accounts were clear jokes, others created confusion.

Fake accounts posing as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the city’s Department of Transportation and the Illinois Department of Transportation falsely claimed the city was closing one of its main thoroughfares to private traffic. The fake accounts used the same photos, biographical text and home page links as the real ones. Their posts amassed hundreds of thousands of views before being taken down.

Twitter’s new policy invites government agencies and certain affiliated organizations to apply to be labeled as official with a gray check. But at the state and local level, qualifying agencies are limited to “main executive office accounts and main agency accounts overseeing crisis response, public safety, law enforcement, and regulatory issues,” the policy says.

The rules do not mention agencies that run elections. So while the main Philadelphia city government account quickly received its gray check mark last month, the local election commission has not heard back.

Election offices in four of the country’s five most populous counties — Cook County in Illinois, Harris County in Texas, Maricopa County in Arizona and San Diego County — remain unverified, a Twitter search shows. Maricopa, which includes Phoenix, has been targeted repeatedly by election conspiracy theorists as the most populous and consequential county in one of the most closely divided political battleground states.

Some counties contacted by The Associated Press said they have minimal concerns about impersonation or plan to apply for a gray check later, but others said they already have applied and have not heard back from Twitter.

Even some state election offices are waiting for government labels. Among them is the office of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

In an April 24 email to Bellows’ communications director reviewed by The Associated Press, a Twitter representative wrote that there was “nothing to do as we continue to manually process applications from around the world.” The representative added in a later email that Twitter stands “ready to swiftly enforce any impersonation, so please don’t hesitate to flag any problematic accounts.”

An email sent to Twitter’s press office and a company safety officer requesting comment was answered only with an autoreply of a poop emoji.

“Our job is to reinforce public confidence,” Bellows told the AP. “Even a minor setback, like no longer being able to ensure that our information on Twitter is verified, contributes to an environment that is less predictable and less safe.”

Some government accounts, including the one representing Pennsylvania’s second-largest county, have purchased blue checks because they were told it was required to continue advertising on the platform.

Allegheny County posts ads for elections and jobs on Twitter, so the blue check mark “was necessary,” said Amie Downs, the county’s communications director.

When anyone can buy verification and when government accounts are not consistently labeled, the check mark loses its meaning, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said.

Griswold’s office received a gray check mark to maintain trust with voters, but she told the AP she would not buy verification for her personal Twitter account because “it doesn’t carry the same weight” it once did.

Custodio, at the Philadelphia elections commission, said his office would not buy verification either, even if it gets denied a gray check.

“The blue or gold check mark just verifies you as a paid subscriber and does not verify identity,” he said.

Experts and advocates tracking election discourse on social media say Twitter’s changes do not just incentivize bad actors to run disinformation campaigns — they also make it harder for well-meaning users to know what’s safe to share.

“Because Twitter is dropping the ball on verification, the burden will fall on voters to double check that the information they are consuming and sharing is legitimate,” said Jill Greene, voting and elections manager for Common Cause Pennsylvania.

That dampens an aspect of Twitter that until now had been seen as one of its strengths – allowing community members to rally together to elevate authoritative information, said Mike Caulfield, a research scientist at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public.

“The first rule of a good online community user interface is to ‘help the helpers.’ This is the opposite of that,” Caulfield said. “It takes a community of people who want to help boost good information, and robs them of the tools to make fast, accurate decisions.”
…

There is nothing like the promise of a chapter closing to draw people to the movie theater, especially when tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This weekend, ” Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which says goodbye to this iteration of the space misfits and its driving creative voice, director James Gunn, earned $114 million in ticket sales from 4,450 locations in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Internationally, where the film opened in 52 territories including China, “Vol. 3” earned $168 million, giving it a $282 million global debut.

Domestically, it’s both an impressive sum for any movie and slightly less than what we’ve come to expect from a Marvel opening. Last year on the same weekend, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” riding on the success of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” raked in $187.4 million in its first three days in North America. And in November, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” also opened over $181.3 million.

But things have come back to earth this year, at least by high-flying superhero standards. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” debuted just over $106 million on its way to $474 million worldwide. At rival studio DC/Warner Bros., “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” only made $133.4 million total. The question on some analysts’ minds this weekend is whether it’s because of the specific character or a bigger issue of “superhero fatigue.”

“Guardians Vol. 3″ bumped ” The Super Mario Bros. Movie ” out of first place after four weekends atop the charts and kicked off the summer movie season, a vital and usually profitable corridor for Hollywood that runs through Labor Day and often accounts for 40% of a year’s box office.

For Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian, it’s still a solid opening for the summer season, which he said is poised to deliver the most robust profits since 2019.

“Though ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s’ debut may reflect a bit of audience fatigue for the reliable superhero genre, this is just the beginning for what promises to be an irresistible movie marketplace with a killer combination of appealing films for every taste and every audience demographic,” Dergarabedian said.

The next major superhero movie on the schedule is DC’s “The Flash,” set for June 16, which has its own flurry of intrigue around it because of star Ezra Miller’s legal and personal troubles.

“Guardians Vol. 3” sees the return of actors Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel. Reviews have been mostly positive, but a little more divided than previous installments. And it remains difficult to compare a pre-pandemic opening such as Vol. 2’s $146 million debut (May 2017) with a post-pandemic one.

“Vol. 3” is Gunn’s last Guardians/Marvel movie as he turns his focus to leading DC Studios.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” added $18.6 million in its fifth weekend to take second place, bringing its domestic total to $518.1 million. Globally, it has now surpassed $1.1 billion.

Third place went to “Evil Dead Rise” with $5.7 million, and in fourth place was “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” with $3.4 million — both were holdovers.

Studios left the weekend mostly clear for the superhero behemoth, but Screen Gems and Sony did debut their new Priyanka Chopra Jonas romantic comedy “Love Again” (featuring Celine Dion and some new songs) in 2703 locations. It made a modest $2.4 million to take the fifth place spot.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” $114 million.

2. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” $18.6 million.

3. “Evil Dead Rise,” $5.7 million.

4. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” $3.4 million.

5. “Love Again,” $2.4 million.

6. “John Wick: Chapter 3,” $2.4 million.

7. “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” $1.5 million.

8. “Air,” $1.4 million.

9. “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,” $1.2 million.

10. “Sisu,” $1.1 million.
    …

Seven people were killed and up to six were injured Sunday after they were struck by a vehicle while waiting at a city bus stop outside of a migrant shelter in the border city of Brownsville, Texas, police said.

Brownsville police investigator Martin Sandoval said the crash happened about 8:30 a.m.

Shelter director Victor Maldonado of the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center said he reviewed the shelter’s surveillance video on Sunday morning after receiving a call about the crash.

The city bus stop is across the street from the shelter and is not marked. There was no bench, and people waiting there were sitting along the curb, Maldonado said. He said most of the victims were Venezuelan men.

“What we see in the video is that this SUV, a Range Rover, just ran the light that was about a hundred feet away and just went through the people who were sitting there in the bus stop,” Maldonado said.

The Ozanam shelter is the only overnight shelter in the city of Brownsville and manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.

“In the last two months, we’ve been getting 250 to 380 a day,” Maldonado said. The shelter can hold 250, but many who arrive leave the same day. In the last several weeks, an uptick in border crossings prompted the city to declare an emergency as local, state and federal resources coordinated the enforcement and humanitarian response.

While the shelter offers migrants transportation during the week, they are also free to use the city’s public transportation.

“Some of them were on the way to the bus station, because they were on their way to their destination,” the director said.
…

Another American community mourned Sunday for lives lost to a mass shooting — this time at a Dallas-area outlet mall where a gunman stepped out of a sedan and opened fire on shoppers.

Eight people were killed and seven wounded Saturday in suburban Allen before the assailant was killed by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said.

John Mark Caton, senior pastor at Cottonwood Creek Church, about two miles from the mall, offered prayers during his weekly service for victims, first responders and the shoppers and employees who “walked out past things they never should have seen.”

“Some of our people were there. Some perhaps in this room. Some of our students were working in those stores and will be changed forever by this,” Caton said.

Recalling phone conversations with police officers, he said: “There wasn’t an officer that I talked to yesterday that at some point in the call didn’t cry.”

The church planned an evening prayer vigil in the aftermath of the shooting, which was the latest attack to contribute to the unprecedented pace of mass killings this year. Barely a week before, five people were fatally shot in Cleveland, Texas, after a neighbor asked a man to stop firing his weapon while a baby slept, authorities said.

Police did not immediately provide details about the victims at Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling outdoor shopping center, but witnesses reported seeing children among them. Some said they also saw what appeared to be a police officer and a mall security guard unconscious on the ground.

A 16-year-old pretzel stand employee, Maxwell Gum, described a virtual stampede of shoppers. He and others sheltered in a storage room.

“We started running. Kids were getting trampled,” Gum said. “My co-worker picked up a 4-year-old girl and gave her to her parents.”

Dashcam video circulating online showed the gunman getting out of a car and shooting at people on the sidewalk. More than three dozen shots could be heard as the vehicle that was recording the video drove off.

Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said seven people, including the shooter, died at the scene. Nine victims were taken to hospitals. Two of them died.

Three of the wounded were in critical condition Saturday evening, and four were stable, Boyd said.

An Allen Police Department officer was in the area on an unrelated call when he heard shots at 3:36 p.m., the department wrote on Facebook.

“The officer engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat. He then called for emergency personnel,” the post said.

Mass killings have happened with staggering frequency in the United States this year, with an average of about one per week, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

In a statement, President Biden said the assailant wore tactical gear and fired an AR-15-style weapon. He urged Congress to enact tighter restrictions on firearms and ammunition.

“Such an attack is too shocking to be so familiar. And yet, American communities have suffered roughly 200 mass shootings already this year, according to leading counts,” said Biden, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff.

Republicans in Congress, he said, “cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug.”

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has signed laws easing firearms restrictions following past mass shootings, called the mall attack an “unspeakable tragedy.”

Video shared on social media showed people running through a parking lot amid the sound of gunshots.

Fontayne Payton, 35, was at H&M when he heard gunshots through his headphones.

“It was so loud, it sounded like it was right outside,” Payton said.

People in the store scattered before employees ushered the group into the fitting rooms and then a lockable back room, he said. When they were given the all-clear to leave, Payton saw the store had broken windows and a trail of blood to the door. Discarded sandals and bloodied clothes lay nearby.

Once outside, Payton saw bodies.

“I pray it wasn’t kids, but it looked like kids,” he said. The bodies were covered in white towels, slumped over bags on the ground. “It broke me when I walked out to see that.”

Further away, he saw the body of a heavyset man wearing all black. He assumed it was the shooter, Payton said, because unlike the other bodies it had not been covered.

Tarakram Nunna, 25, and Ramakrishna Mullapudi, 26, said they saw what appeared to be three people motionless on the ground, including one who seemed to be a police officer and another who resembled a mall security guard.

Another shopper, Sharkie Mouli, 24, said he hid in a Banana Republic. As he left, he saw someone who looked like a police officer lying unconscious next to another unconscious person outside the store.

“I have seen his gun lying right next to him and a guy who is like passing out right next to him,” Mouli said.

Stan and Mary Ann Greene were browsing in a Columbia sportswear store when the shooting started.

“We had just gotten in, just a couple minutes earlier, and we just heard a lot of loud popping,” Mary Ann Greene told The Associated Press.

Employees rolled down the security gate and brought everyone to the rear of the store until police arrived and escorted them out, the Greenes said.

Eber Romero was at an Under Armour store when a cashier mentioned there was a shooting.

As he left, the mall appeared empty and all the shops had their security gates down, Romero said. That is when he started seeing broken glass and victims of the shooting on the floor of the shopping center.

Allen, a city of 105,000 residents, is about 40 kilometers north of downtown Dallas.
…

Recent attacks on mosques in Minneapolis, in the Midwest U.S. state of Minnesota, have increased concerns by Somali American imams, mosque administrators and community activists about the safety of their congregations.

Fires were set at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center on April 23 and Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque on April 24, Minneapolis police said. The locations are close to each other.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota, was inside the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque when someone set fire to the third floor.     

“I was inside the mosque, meeting with the imam about the safety of his congregation, when I heard someone shouting with, ‘There is a fire. There is a fire,’” Hussein told VOA recently. “Thank Allah no one was hurt.”

He added that more than 40 children who were in the mosque’s day care were safely evacuated.

Hussein has been involved in the American-Muslim community’s fight against hate attacks, but he said this was the first time he witnessed one.

“I could not believe my eyes, I was shocked and bewildered that I was witnessing one of the things I have been documenting for many years,” Hussein said. “We have been receiving threatening calls and messages, but this was the first time I practically witnessed it.”     

On April 29, authorities arrested Jackie Rahm Little on a state charge of second-degree arson regarding the April 24 fire at the Masjid Al-Rahma mosque.

On Thursday, Little was indicted on federal charges of arson and damage to religious property while investigators look into a series of crimes targeting Muslims and Somali Americans, The Associated Press reported.

Authorities are also investigating LIttle as a suspect in a fire that damaged the Masjid Omar Islamic Center on April 23, as well as in the January vandalism of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Minneapolis office, among other crimes, U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said at a news conference last week.

Imam Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America (IANA), which administers more than 40 mosques across America, said he fears a continuation of such arson attacks could endanger the lives of Muslim congregations in America.

“Apart from the August 5, 2017, bombing of the Dar al-Farooq (DAF) Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, the Muslims and their faith centers have been witnessing verbal attacks and anti-Muslim political rhetoric, minor acts of vandalism and spray-painted anti-Muslim graffiti. But these latest arson attacks seem to be new messages that the danger is growing,” Abdulle told VOA.

The latest attacks also come weeks after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey officially signed an ordinance that allows mosques citywide to broadcast the call to prayer five times a day, following a request from the community and imams.

In an interview with VOA, former IANA director Sh. Hassan Dhooye said, he thinks those who were behind the mosque attacks were displeased by the legislation.

“You know, for the first time a city in America has allowed its Muslim community to broadcast call prayers. For us, it was historic, and for those against us, it was an anger. I think the latest attacks could be a response to that,” Dhooye said.

Yusuf Mohamed Omar, the director of the Muslim Coalition of ISAIAH, which represents over 20 mosques in America, shares the fear with the imams.

“It grew fear in the hearts of the community because they feel their faith centers are under target,” Omar told VOA. “I think the number of those spreading hate and fear are few, but they carry out more wicked actions in different places and different times to send a signal that they are more and unstoppable.”

Immediately after the mosque attacks, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the acts and voiced support for the Muslim community on Twitter.

“Here in Minnesota, everyone must be able to practice their faith without fear,” he wrote. “To members of our Muslim community – my heart is with you today. We will not tolerate acts of violence toward our friends and neighbors.”

Mohamud Muse Hassan, a Somali local activist, said the community is encouraged by the cooperation and the level of response of the police and city authorities.

Speaking of Mayor Frey, Minneapolis police Chief Brian O’Hara and Governor Walz, Hassan told VOA, “All of them responded immediate and shared their console and concern with the Muslim community. They had meetings with the faith leaders. Such responses encourage us.”     

This story originated from this week’s VOA Somalia’s Torch Program. Some information for this article came from The Associated Press. 
…

Tennessee organizers booked more than 50 drag entertainers for next month’s Midsouth Pride festival in Memphis now that the state’s new law placing strict limits on cabaret shows is temporarily on hold.

But they are being cautious, making adjustments to performances should the limits of the first-in-the-nation law essentially banning drag from public property or in the presence of minors kick in before June celebrations.

“As soon as this stuff started making its way, I immediately started coming out with plans to be able to counteract that,” said longtime festival organizer Vanessa Rodley. “Because, at the end of the day, we can’t put on an event that then segregates a huge portion of our community, right? We just can’t do that. So you have to find ways around it.”

The show must go on.

Organizers of Pride festivals and parades in mostly conservative states where there’s been a broader push targeting LGBTQ+ rights have been under increasing pressure to censor their events. They’re taking steps like editing acts and canceling drag shows in order to still hold their annual celebrations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer identity in today’s contentious climate.

In some cases, they are trying navigate broad legislative language that can equate drag performances and story hours with “adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors,” as in the Tennessee law. In other places, Pride organizers have had to fight for local permits that were pro forma in past years, facing off with critics at local city council meetings who oppose drag.

Most Pride organizations are busy “doing their homework” and investigating how legislation popping up around the country may impact their events, said Ron deHarte, co-president for the U.S. Association of Prides. And in more progressive states like California, this year’s Pride events will be an opportunity to make a larger statement and raise awareness about the LGBTQ+ community, he said.

“Our members attract more than 20 million people in the United States to their events every year,” deHarte said. “So when you talk about the collective impact that Pride organizers can have, not only in their community but across the country, it is powerful.”

Bills to limit or ban drag were filed in more than a dozen states. The only other state set to enact a law is Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign a bill.

Kayla Bates, a founder of ELGbtq+, an organizer of the community Pride festival and parade in Elgin, Illinois, said she expects a large turnout for the inaugural event given the legislation targeting transgender rights and drag shows elsewhere.

“I think people want to really make it known that they back us and that we should feel safe and protected in our community,” she said.

Often held in June, Pride events began as way to commemorate the uprising by New York’s LGBTQ+ communities in 1969, known as the Stonewall rebellion, and as a way to celebrate the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

In New York City, a Pride rally planned for June 17 and a parade on June 25 will have a national theme: “Strength in Solidarity.” Sue Doster, co-chairperson of NYC Pride, said they’re putting a spotlight on the transgender community and drag queens, targets of the recent legislation in conservative states.

“They’re attacking these people because they’re less likely to stand up and fight back, which is why it’s important that we all come together in solidarity and speak up when we see these injustices,” she said.

Backlash against transgender individuals, drag performances and Pride events is not new. Last year, 31 members of a white supremacist group were arrested near an Idaho Pride event after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.

This year, the Pride Alliance of the Treasure Coast in Port St. Lucie, Florida has reacted to possible legislation, canceling a planned gay pride parade and restricting other events to people 21 years and older.

The Pride festival in Hutchinson, Kansas, has also adjusted its program and secured a new venue after losing its original one when a local business owner posted a video on social media decrying the event, which included a drag queen story hour, as depraved.

“Our event is completely family friendly,” said Hutchinson Salt City Pride chair Julia Johnson.

Meanwhile, organizers in the Nashville, Tennessee, suburb of Franklin, opted not to include drag performances in their Pride celebrations so they can work with local officials to get other events permitted.

In Naples, Florida, Pride organizers agreed they wouldn’t allow drag performers to be tipped on stage, and later announced that the drag show portion of its festival will be held at an indoor venue because of safety concerns.

In Memphis, drag entertainers plan to not change costumes mid-performance or accept tips from the audience if the limits are reinstated.

Even in progressive-leaning Massachusetts, there’s been debate about whether a drag show could be part of a Pride celebration in the small town of North Brookfield, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Boston. The three-member select board had rescinded a previous vote and determined a drag show violated restrictions on “adult entertainment.” Last week, the town’s lawyer said the event could take place on the town common as planned after the ACLU got involved.

Support for the community is also making a difference. In Iowa, the Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green, this week reversed his controversial decision not to sign a proclamation declaring June as Pride Month. He wrote on Facebook that he signed the proclamation out of concern for the safety and health of LGBTQIA+ residents after hearing stories and receiving letters from constituents.

“I learn a lot from these kind of letters and very much appreciate the opportunity to re-examine my assumptions and thought processes,” he wrote.
…

The U.S. Census Bureau is contemplating getting rid of a question about a person’s ancestry on its most comprehensive survey, saying it may duplicate a newly revised race question that allows respondents to list where they or their antecedents came from.

The bureau is conducting research to determine whether it gets fewer responses, whether data quality is compromised and what similarities or differences there are between the race and ancestry questions on the American Community Survey. The ancestry question has been asked since the 1980s. 

Preliminary findings show that respondents are more likely to answer the race question than the ancestry query and that the data pulled from the race question covers 88% of the 126 ancestry groups the statistical agency lists, Census Bureau officials told an advisory committee Friday. 

Some civil rights groups, though, are worried the changes are premature and want the bureau to wait until detailed race data from the 2020 census are released for comparison. They also say proposed changes to the federal government’s race and ethnicity categories by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget could affect the way people respond. 

The OMB’s proposed changes, currently under review, would combine the race and ethnic origin questions into a single query because some advocates say the current method of asking about race and separately about ethnic origin often confuses Hispanic respondents. It also would create a new category for people of Middle Eastern and North African descent, also known by the acronym MENA, who are now classified as white but say they have been routinely undercounted. 

Different perceptions

“It is possible, for example, that respondents view their ‘ancestry’ — and the ancestry of their household members, including children — differently than they view their race or ethnicity subgroup or national origin,” the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said last month in a letter asking the Census Bureau to pause its research on the matter. 

The bureau’s decision on whether to eliminate the ancestry question likely won’t come for another year or two, well after any changes to the federal government’s race and ethnicity categories are decided next year. 

The American Community Survey is the bureau’s largest survey and asks about more than 40 topics, including income, internet access, rent, disabilities and language spoken at home. Along with the census, it helps determine how $1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed each year, where schools are built and where new housing developments are located, among other things. 

Starting in 2020, the Census Bureau has allowed respondents to write detailed information about their background for the race question. For instance, the race question now allows a respondent to check a box for “Black” and then write in Haitian, Nigerian or other backgrounds in a blank box. The ancestry question asks, “What is this person’s ancestry of ethnic origin?” and allows respondents to fill in a blank box with answers like Brazilian or Lebanese. 

During the 2021 American Community Survey, estimates from the race question were larger or no different than estimates from the ancestry query in 87% of the 111 ancestry groups available from the race data, Census Bureau officials told members of the National Advisory Committee. 

However, it was lower for respondents with ancestry in several Caribbean nations as well as those with Azerbaijani, British, Celtic, French Canadian, Guyanese, Pennsylvania German, Romani and Scotch-Irish backgrounds. Census Bureau officials said Friday that they wanted to study the reasons for that. 

Moving forward, the Census Bureau needs to consider how the questions are worded and what race and ancestry terms mean in people’s everyday lives, said Iheoma Iruka, a committee member and research professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

“They are social and political, meaning they can change over time,” Iruka said. 
…

A gunman killed eight people and wounded seven others – three critically – in a shooting at a Dallas-area mall before being fatally shot by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said Saturday.

Authorities did not immediately provide details about the victims, but witnesses reported seeing children among them. Some said they also saw what appeared to be a police officer and a mall security guard unconscious on the ground.

The shooting was the latest episode of gun violence to strike the country. It sent hundreds of shoppers fleeing in panic.

Allen Police said in a Facebook post that nine victims had been taken to hospitals. Medical City Healthcare, a Dallas-area hospital system, said in a written statement it was treating eight between the ages of 5 and 61.

Dashcam video that circulated online showed a gunman step out of a vehicle outside the mall and immediately start shooting at people on the sidewalk. More than three dozen shots could be heard as the vehicle recording the video drove off.

An Allen Police officer was in the area on an unrelated call when he heard shots at 3:36 p.m., the police department wrote on Facebook.

“The officer engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat. He then called for emergency personnel. Nine victims were transported to local hospitals by Allen Fire Department,” the agency wrote in the Facebook post. “There is no longer an active threat.”

Mass killings are happening with staggering frequency in the United States this year: an average of about one a week, according to an analysis of The AP/USA Today data.

The White House said President Biden had been briefed on the shooting and that the administration had offered support to local officials. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has signed laws easing firearms restrictions following past mass shootings, called it an “unspeakable tragedy.”

A crowd of hundreds of people who had been shopping stood outside, across the street from the mall, Saturday evening. Officers circulated among them asking if anyone had seen what happened.

Fontayne Payton, 35, was at H&M when he heard the sound of gunshots through the headphones he was wearing.

“It was so loud, it sounded like it was right outside,” Payton said.

People in the store scattered before employees ushered the group into the fitting rooms and then a lockable back room, he said. When they were given the all-clear to leave, Payton saw the store had broken windows and a trail of blood to the door. Discarded sandals and bloodied clothes were laying nearby.

Once outside, Payton saw bodies.

“I pray it wasn’t kids, but it looked like kids,” he said. The bodies were covered in white towels, slumped over bags on the ground, he said.

“It broke me when I walked out to see that,” he said.

Further away, he saw the body of a heavyset man wearing all black. He assumed it was the shooter, Payton said, because unlike the other bodies it had not been covered up.

Tarakram Nunna, 25, and Ramakrishna Mullapudi, 26, said they saw what appeared to be three people lying motionless on the ground, including one who appeared to be a police officer and another who appeared to be a mall security guard.

Another shopper, Sharkie Mouli, 24, said he hid in a Banana Republic store during the shooting. As he left, he saw what appeared to be an unconscious police officer lying next to another unconscious person outside the outlet store.

“I have seen his gun lying right next to him and a guy who is like passing out right next to him,” Mouli said.

Stan and Mary Ann Greene were browsing in the Columbia sportswear store when the shooting started.

“We had just gotten in, just a couple minutes earlier, and we just heard a lot of loud popping,” Mary Ann Greene told The Associated Press.

Employees immediately rolled down the security gate and brought everyone to the rear of the store until police arrived and escorted them out, the Greenes said.

Eber Romero was at the Under Armour store when a cashier mentioned that there was a shooting.

As he left the store, Romero said, the mall appeared empty, and all the shops had their security gates down. That is when he started seeing broken glass and people who had been shot on the floor.

Video shared on social media showed people running through a parking lot while gunfire could be heard.

More than 30 police cruisers with lights flashing were blocking an entrance to the mall, with multiple ambulances on the scene.

A live aerial broadcast from the news station showed armored trucks and other law enforcement vehicles stationed outside the sprawling outdoor mall.

Ambulances from several neighboring cities responded to the scene.

The Dallas office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded.

Allen, a suburb about 40 kilometers north of downtown Dallas, has roughly 105,000 residents.
…

Tears flowed amid heartfelt embraces as Mexican families were allowed brief reunions at the border Saturday with relatives who migrated to the United States.

As a mariachi band played the popular song Las Mañanitas, about 150 families passed over the Rio Grande to meet with loved ones they had not seen for years.

Margarita Piña could not hide her emotion as she waited to greet her son, whom she hadn’t seen since he left home two years ago in the middle of the pandemic to seek a better future in the U.S.

“It’s very hard because we don’t know what they’re suffering over there,” Piña said.

Knowing their meeting would be limited to only five minutes, Piña said she would take advantage of the limited time to tell him “that we still love you very much.”

It was the 10th edition of the “Hugs, Not Walls” event, which was organized by humanitarian groups near the Casa de Adobe Museum in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, which sprawls across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Unlike at earlier reunions, a strong guard of U.S. officers was present at the event, which came just days before Washington will lift Title 42 asylum rules imposed for the pandemic that allowed the U.S. to expel more than 2.8 million migrants since March 2020.

The end to the provision Thursday is expected to encourage a surge of migrants toward the border, and U.S. authorities have beefed up security, including stringing barbed wire fencing. The government has said 1,500 troops will be sent to El Paso, in addition to 2,500 National Guardsmen already at the border.

“We have never had a border as militarized as today,” said Fernando García, head of the Network in Defense of the Rights of Migrants.

“There is a war against migrants, refugees, against us border crossers,” he added. 
…

Google is planning to make its search engine more “visual, snackable, personal and human,” with a focus on serving young people globally, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing documents.

The move comes as artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT are rapidly gaining in popularity, highlighting a technology that could upend the way businesses and society operate.

The tech giant will nudge its service further away from “10 blue links,” which is a traditional format of presenting search results and plans to incorporate more human voices as part of the shift, the report said.

At its annual I/O developer conference in the coming week, Google is expected to debut new features that allow users to carry out conversations with an AI program, a project code-named “Magi,” The Wall Street Journal added, citing people familiar with the matter.

Generative AI has become a buzzword this year, with applications capturing the public’s fancy and sparking a rush among companies to launch similar products they believe will change the nature of work.

Google, part of Alphabet Inc., did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
…

California’s reparations task force is set to wrap up its first-in-the-nation work Saturday, voting on recommendations for a formal apology for the state’s role in perpetuating a legacy of slavery and discrimination that has thwarted Black residents from living freely for decades. 

The nine-member committee, which first convened nearly two years ago, is expected to give final approval at a meeting in Oakland to a hefty list of ambitious proposals that will then be in the hands of state lawmakers. 

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who is cosponsoring a bill in Congress to study restitution proposals for African Americans, at the meeting called on states and the federal government to pass reparations legislation. 

“Reparations are not only morally justifiable, but they have the potential to address longstanding racial disparities and inequalities,” Lee said. 

The California task force’s recommendations range from the creation of a new agency to provide services to descendants of enslaved people to tailored calculations of what the state owes residents for decades of harms such as over policing and housing discrimination. 

“An apology and an admission of wrongdoing just by itself is not going to be satisfactory for reparations,” said Chris Lodgson, an organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, a reparations advocacy group. 

The apology crafted by the Legislature must “include a censure of the gravest barbarities” carried out on behalf of the state, according to the draft recommendation to be voted on. 

Such a list could include a condemnation of former California Gov. Peter Hardeman Burnett, the state’s first elected leader and a white supremacist who encouraged laws to exclude Black people from California. 

Though California entered the union as a free state, it did not enact laws to enforce such freedom, the draft states. The state Supreme Court enforced the federal Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed for the capture and return of runaway enslaved people, until the official end of enslavement in 1865, according to the draft. 

“By participating in these horrors, California further perpetuated the harms African Americans faced, imbuing racial prejudice throughout society through segregation, public and private discrimination, and unequal disbursal of state and federal funding,” the draft states. 

The task force could vote for the state to apologize publicly and acknowledge responsibility for past wrongs in the presence of people whose ancestors were enslaved. The acknowledgement could be informed by the descendants recounting injustices they have faced and include a promise that California will not repeat the same mistakes. 

The statement would follow apologies by the state for placing Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II and perpetuating violence against and mistreatment of Native Americans. 

Saturday’s meeting marks a crucial moment in a long fight for local, state and federal governments to offer recompense for policies that have driven over policing of Black neighborhoods, housing discrimination, health disparities and other harms. But the proposals are far from implementation by the state. 

“There’s no way in the world that many of these recommendations are going to get through because of the inflationary impact,” said Roy L. Brooks, a professor and reparations scholar at the University of San Diego School of Law. 

Documents outlining recommendations to the task force by economists previously showed the state could owe upward of $800 billion, or more than 2.5 times its annual budget, for over policing, disproportionate incarceration and housing discrimination against Black people. 

The estimate has dramatically decreased in the latest draft report released by the task force, which has not responded to email and phone requests seeking comment on the reduction. 

Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a former Democratic assemblymember, authored legislation in 2020 creating the task force. The goal was to study proposals for how California can offer recompense for harms perpetuated against descendants of enslaved people, according to the bill. It was not to recommend reparations in lieu of proposals from the federal government. 

The task force previously voted to limit reparations to descendants of enslaved or free Black people who were in the country by the end of the 19th century. 

The California group’s work has garnered nationwide attention, with reparations efforts elsewhere experiencing mixed results. 

Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, offered housing vouchers to Black residents but few have benefited from the program. New York state’s latest bill to study reparations passed the Assembly but the Senate has not yet voted on the measure. In Congress, a decades-old proposal to create a commission studying federal reparations for African Americans has stalled. 

Mary Frances Berry, a University of Pennsylvania history professor who wrote a book about a formerly enslaved woman’s fight for reparations, said the California task force’s efforts “should be encouraging.” 

“The fact that California was able to move this far in order to come up with a positive answer to the question of reparations is something that should … have influence on people in other parts of the country,” she said. 
…

In the wake of three of the biggest bank failures in U.S. history over the past two months, Americans are increasingly jittery about the safety of their money, worried about instability in the banking sector and concerned that fear, whether justified or not, could result in additional collapses. 

Over the past week, multiple midsize U.S. banks have watched their share prices fluctuate wildly — some losing nearly 90% of their value — as investors and depositors struggled to ascertain whether the same problems that affected First Republic Bank, shuttered on Monday, and Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, both shut down in March, were widespread. 

On Friday, investors seemed to regain some of their confidence in the sector, sending the share prices of many midsize banks back up. However, the broader environment of concern persists. 

So far, investors’ unease does not seem to have prompted significant deposit flight — when customers transfer funds from a bank they fear might be unsafe to an institution considered less risky. However, the rush to the exits that preceded the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank transpired in under 48 hours, leaving some experts nervous about a repeat. 

A broad market 

The United States, unlike many countries, has an extremely diverse banking system, with thousands of companies holding bank charters.  

In 2022, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which insures individual bank accounts, covered deposits at 4,135 individual banks. The U.S. also is home to a significant number of credit unions, which are tax-exempt not-for-profit organizations that, like banks, accept deposits, provide transaction services and make loans. 

The vast majority of U.S. banks are relatively small “community” banks that serve a limited geographic area and have at most a few branches. 

However, sitting atop the U.S. banking industry are the four institutions — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo — all of which have assets of more than $1 trillion. 

Those four banks are widely assumed to be “too big to fail,” meaning that the federal government would intervene to prevent them from collapsing to prevent widespread damage to the banking system and the U.S. and global economies.  

Who is ‘too big to fail’? 

While there is general agreement that the four largest banks are too big to fail, there has long been debate about whether that label should apply to the banks in the next tier, about 20 institutions with $100 billion to $600 billion in assets. 

Regulators muddied the water significantly with the failures of Silicon Valley, Signature, and First Republic banks, all of which had fallen into that second tier. 

In the case of Silicon Valley and Signature banks, the FDIC announced that deposit insurance would be extended to 100% of deposits. Technically, the agency is obligated to cover only the first $250,000 in any individual’s or company’s accounts. However, FDIC leadership invoked an exception that allowed it to expand coverage when failing to do so might cause a systemic crisis. 

When First Republic failed on Monday, the agency negotiated a deal with JPMorgan Chase, under which the larger bank assumed all deposits of First Republic at face value, completely protecting depositors from losses, at an estimated cost of $13 million to the FDIC’s deposit insurance fund. 

The agency faced considerable criticism for its actions, with some speculating that a precedent had been set under which depositors at any failed bank could expect to be fully insured. The agency pushed back, saying that was not the case.  

In the aftermath, many depositors at midsize banks began to wonder whether the problems that had brought down Silicon Valley, Signature and First Republic were present at their banks. They also worried whether the institutions holding their money were considered big enough to rate a federal rescue. 

Regional banks in focus 

Most of the concern has been focused on banks considered “regional” — second-tier institutions that are neither community banks nor trillion-dollar banks. 

PacWest Bancorp, another California-based lender, was among the banks hit hardest by the stock market sell-off. The bank has a large concentration of customers in the venture capital space, many of whom keep deposits that are orders of magnitude larger than the deposit insurance cap. A similar customer base led the flight from Silicon Valley Bank. 

PacWest, however, said that it did not experience heavier-than-usual deposit loss in the wake of the First Republic failure, though it did admit that it was in talks with potential acquirers. 

Other banks whose share prices have been hammered include Western Alliance Bancorp, Zions Bancorp, and Comerica. 

‘Disturbing trend’ 

If bank customers lose faith in the safety and soundness of small and midsize banks, experts said, it will be bad for the banking system and the broader U.S. economy. 

“It’s a very disturbing trend, because of its impact on smaller banks — not just community banks, but even some of the smaller regionals,” said Bert Ely, principal of the banking consultancy Ely & Co. “Once people make that shift, not everybody’s going to come back to smaller banks.” 

Ely told VOA that in his view, the investor concern is overblown.  

“All this nervousness, I think, is really misplaced, given the state of the economy,” he said, pointing out that U.S. markets remain strong and are not suffering from significant problems such as the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, which presaged the last major banking crisis. 
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To the casual viewer, competing at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show might look pretty simple: Get a dog. Groom it. Pose it. Lead it around a ring.

But there’s a lot more than that to getting to and exhibiting in the United States’ most prestigious canine event, now in its 147th year.

So here are the ins and outs of the show, which starts Saturday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

How Many Dogs Compete?

Twenty-five hundred dogs from 210 different breeds and varieties signed up to vie for the best in show trophy that gets awarded Tuesday night. (Varieties are subsets of breeds. Think smooth, longhaired and wirehaired dachshunds.)

Hailing from 49 states and 13 countries, contestants range from tiny Chihuahuas to giant Great Danes. They include familiar breeds like Labrador retrievers, rarities such as the sloughi, and a newcomer, the bracco Italiano. Agility and obedience contests Saturday involve a few hundred more dogs, including some mixed-breed ones.

How Do Dogs Get Into The Show?

All the dogs are champions, meaning they’ve racked up a certain amount of prior wins and points. Certain top dogs in the sport’s complicated rankings are invited, but other pooches also can enter.

The process of becoming a potential best in show begins when breeders suss out which puppies in a litter have the physical attributes and disposition to shine in what’s known as “conformation” competition.

Some pups eventually get to Westminster with owners who learned the ropes after unexpectedly getting a show-quality dog. Other canine contestants crisscross the country by road or even air, hitting shows every weekend with big-name professional handlers and a strategy that can entail gathering intel about rivals’ schedules, pondering judges’ past picks and even running ads to celebrate the animal’s accomplishments and boost its profile. They don’t call it “campaigning a dog” for nothing!

What’s a Dog Show Doing at a Tennis Facility?

It’s a new venue for Westminster, which was held for decades all or partly at Madison Square Garden. The pandemic prompted a move to outdoor digs at an estate in suburban Tarrytown, New York, for the past two years. Organizers were keen to return to New York City this year. Amid construction plans at a pier building that used to house the show’s early rounds, organizers linked up with the U.S. Open tennis tournament’s base in Flushing Meadows. “An iconic dog show event in an iconic venue,” Westminster President Donald Sturz enthuses.

How Does it Work?

“Conformation” dogs first face off against others of their breed – sometimes dozens of others, sometimes few or even none. Each breed’s winner moves on to a semifinal round of judging against others in its “group,” such as hounds, herding dogs or terriers. In the final round, the seven group winners compete for best in show.

What Do Judges Look For?

They’re tasked with determining which dog best matches the ideal, or “standard,” for its breed.

The standard is derived from the breed’s original function and may speak to anything from teeth to tail to temperament. For example, a hound developed to hunt in rough terrain might be required to have thick paw pads. A herding dog might need proportions that allow for quick, tight turns.

Judges do hands-on examinations and watch the dogs in motion, taking in each dog’s assets and imperfections. Especially in the finals, distinctions can be very subtle. Show folk often say that victory can go to “the dog on the day” — or as the rest of us might say, the one that just brings it.

What Breeds Have Won The Most?

In records going back to 1907, Wire fox terriers have scampered away with the top prize 15 times, most recently in 2019. Scottish terriers, English springer spaniels, standard poodles and Pekingeses all have five or more wins.

Many breeds have yet to triumph, including such popular ones as the Labrador retriever. But winless breeds should never say never: A bloodhound took best in show for the first time just last year.

Westminster’s agility and obedience competitions were added only within the last decade. So far, almost all the agility championships have gone to border collies, and nearly all the obedience titles to Labs. One Lab, named Heart, won five times in a row.

Has A Mixed-Breed Dog Ever Won?

While Westminster has said there a few mixed-breed entrants in early shows, the best in show prize wasn’t awarded until 1907 and has gone only to purebreds. The pedigreed set also has won all the agility and obedience trials to date, but there’s a special prize every year for the top mix (or “all American dog,” in show parlance).

The focus on purebreds irks groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which regularly protests Westminster as a reprehensible canine beauty pageant. The kennel club says it celebrates all dogs while highlighting “preservation breeding” of those with skills and traits that have been honed over generations. 

What Do Winners Get?

Bragging rights and trophies. There are no cash prizes, though the agility and obedience winners each get to direct a $5,000 Westminster donation to a training club or to the American Kennel Club Humane Fund.

So What’s The Point?

Showcasing dogs, particularly breeds that many people don’t see regularly, participants say. Many also value the friendships that develop at shows that bring dog lovers together across miles and backgrounds.

“We can all talk about dogs,” says dog expert David Frei, who hosted the Westminster telecast for over two decades. “That’s the beauty of the sport, and the beauty of dogs.”

 
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The cast of characters for the 149th Kentucky Derby was rewritten in the days before the race. What didn’t change: Forte is the early 3-1 favorite on Saturday in a seemingly wide-open field of 19 horses.

Four horses were scratched — Practical Move, Lord Miles, Continuar and Skinner — and three horses waiting on the also-eligible list moved into the field. They are Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero and King Russell.

Last year’s Derby was a stunner: 80-1 shot Rich Strike weaved his way through traffic and came rushing up the rail to win. NBC Sports’ overhead replay of the race was viewed more than 36 million times.

A crowd of about 150,000 is expected to jam Churchill Downs to wager and watch the 1 1/4-mile Derby. Post time is 6:57 p.m. EDT.

Forte breaks from the No. 15 post, which has produced six winners. The dark brown colt is trained by two-time Derby winner Todd Pletcher, who also has the second favorite in Tapit Trice, at 5-1.

The Todd Squad includes Kingsbarns, and it’s an impressive trio.

Forte was last year’s 2-year-old champion and has six wins in seven career starts, including five in a row. Tapit Trice is 4 for 5 and Kingsbarns is 3 for 3.

“You could say it’s the deepest squad we’ve brought so far,” Pletcher said.

Louisville-born Brad Cox won his first Derby belatedly when Mandaloun was elevated to first place after Medina Spirit’s disqualification nine months after the 2021 race.

“There’s no thrill of winning the Derby through a phone call,” he said. “There’s no celebration, there’s no winning picture.”

Cox has a leading four chances to make the winner’s circle in person this year: early 8-1 third choice Angel of Empire; Hit Show; Verifying; and Jace’s Road.

“I’m sure it would be a feeling like no other,” he said.

Gary and Mary West, who own Hit Show, are seeking retribution of their own.

Their horse, Maximum Security, crossed the Derby finish line first in 2019, but was disqualified for interference after a 22-minute delay while stewards reviewed video. Country House was awarded the garland of red roses. The Wests sued unsuccessfully to have the stewards’ decision reversed.

“They would like to cross the wire first and stay up,” Cox said. “They got a really live crack. This colt is really doing well.”

A couple of jockeys are looking for similar satisfaction.

Luis Saez rode Maximum Security in 2019 and received a 15-day suspension for interfering with others; he’s seeking his first Derby win aboard Tapit Trice. Florent Geroux, who was on Mandaloun, is on Jace’s Road.

For the second straight year, the Derby is without Bob Baffert. The Hall of Fame trainer with a record-tying six victories is soon to complete a two-year ban by Churchill Downs Inc. He was punished after Medina Spirit flunked a post-race drug test.

Baffert’s shadow still looms large over the Twin Spires. A colt previously trained by him, Reincarnate, will be in the starting gate.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. found himself on the sideline after being indefinitely suspended Thursday by Churchill Downs Inc. His Derby entry, Lord Miles, was scratched. Two of Joseph’s horses died after races at the track in the days leading up to the Derby. No cause of death has yet been found.

New antidoping and medication rules to be enforced by the sport’s new central governing body won’t take effect until May 22, after the Derby and the Preakness.

Japan is represented by Derma Sotogake and Mandarin Hero, giving the nation two chances to win the Derby for the first time.

Derma Sotogake and Two Phil’s are the most experienced runners in the field, having made eight career starts.

“He has a lot of experience and it has made him tougher and tougher,” said Christophe Lemaire, who will ride Derma Sotogake. “It is important to have that experience with 18 other horses in a high-level race.”

Confidence Game, a 20-1 shot, will try to win coming off an unheard of 10-week layoff.

Saturday’s forecast calls for partly sunny skies and a high of 25 Celsius.

 
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US officials are warning that China and Russia would capitalize on the ‘chaos’ that would ensue if the United States defaulted on its debt. The warnings come amid a monthslong standoff between President Joe Biden and Republicans in securing congressional approval to raise the nation’s debt limit. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has the story.
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