The U.S. Supreme Court stepped into Texas’ congressional redistricting debate this week, temporarily halting an order to correct two districts that lower courts found disenfranchised minority voting rights. The court’s stay is the latest in the years-long battle over racially motivated redistricting in Texas that could have a significant impact on Republican Party control of Congress. VOA congressional reporter Katherine Gypson traveled to one of the districts at the heart of the debate.
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Month: September 2017
African Migrants Find Work as Beekeepers in Italy
Aid groups have criticized efforts by European leaders to stem the flow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, arguing Europe’s economy needs more workers. One nongovernmental organization in Italy has been trying to fill the gap by training African migrants to work as beekeepers and then pairing them with local honey producers in need of employees. Ricci Shryock reports for VOA from Alessandria, Italy.
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Saudi Women Step into Security Role at Hajj for the First Time
Each year, Muslims retrace the steps of the Prophet Mohammed from nearly 1,400 years ago to Mecca and Medina, to complete the hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. About 2 million people are taking part in the event that began Wednesday and continues through Monday. Behind the scenes, more than 100,000 security men are deployed to ensure safety and security. And for the first time, Saudi women are part of security at an emergency call center in Mecca. VOA’s Deborah Block has a report.
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Want to Intern at the White House? Sign Up Soon
Brandon Gosselin didn’t think he would work in the White House this early in his career, but this summer he found himself in the Oval Office.
“I had the opportunity to serve the people, as an intern in one of the most recognizable places on Earth,” Gosselin told VOA Student Union.
The 2017 graduate of Freed-Hardeman University, a private Christian college in Henderson, Tennessee, spent the summer months working in the Office of Presidential Correspondence.
“It was a humbling experience to be interning at the White House. But it’s also a blessing to be walking the halls at one of the most historic places on all of Earth,” the Oklahoma native said.
Staff members in the Office of Presidential Correspondence read, categorize and file letters, email and telephone messages from the public to President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. They draft replies, answer questions, provide copies of presidential statements and proclamations and offer advice to those requesting general assistance from the federal government.
In addition, the White House website says, interns conduct research, attend meetings, write memos and help staff public events.
Gosselin admitted some of it was “typical intern work” — tedious, at times. However, he said serving his country kept him motivated.
“You have the ability to make an impact in this world, and interning at the White House is just a steppingstone to get there,” the young graduate said.
White House internships are highly competitive; people from across the U.S. apply. Applicants must complete a questionnaire, write an essay and provide letters of recommendation.
“Applicants are selected based on their demonstrated commitment to public service, leadership in their community and commitment to the Trump administration,” according to WhiteHouse.org.
They face questions such as “Why are you committed to supporting President Donald J. Trump’s administration?” and “Who is your favorite president, and why?” along with queries about their extracurricular activities, community service experience and character.
The White House selected three groups of interns each year, for the autumn, spring and summer months. This year’s summer interns, the first batch chosen entirely by Trump administration officials, drew attention when they posed for photos with the president at the executive mansion last month.
The young workers’ smiles were sparkling and attractive, but what caught the public eye was their makeup: all but two of the 115 interns were white, and 70 percent of them were male (81 men, 34 women).
Previous groups of White House interns also have been mostly men and mostly white, and sometimes mostly members of elite Ivy League universities, too. But the news media found something “particularly jarring” about the class of Trump interns. The HuffPost blog listed population statistics and other evidence of American diversity and concluded: Those being groomed as the future of our government should look like our country. And they don’t.”
Asked about this year’s candidates, a White House spokesperson told Student Union: “The White House Internship Program seeks to attract applicants of all backgrounds who are interested in serving their country through public service.”
Gosselin, now a veteran intern, had some advice for those seeking to follow his path: “To really set yourself apart, you have to make sure you stand out above everyone else. Be able to tell a story in a way where you can bring out your strengths. You can bring out your accomplishments in high school and especially in college that set you apart.”
Be sure to avoid typographical errors and misspellings, Gosselin cautioned: “There is zero room for error in your entire application. Make sure that everything is clean, crisp and ready to go.”
The Oklahoma native is a summa cum laude graduate of Freed-Hardeman University, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
“It’s easy to get caught up in this world, since … you’re chasing after a certain professional career,” Gosselin said. “But it’s important to realize that we all have a purpose in life and that purpose is greater than ourselves, and we have to make a decision not to serve ourselves but to serve our fellow man.”
Applications for entry to the spring 2018 class of White House interns must be received by Sept. 8 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Successful applicants will start work Jan. 10 and end their assignments April 27.
Those chosen generally will be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program or expect to gain an undergraduate or graduate degree within two years. Veterans of the U.S. armed forces who have high school diplomas may apply. All must be at least 18 years old and have U.S. citizenship.
The official website WhiteHouse.gov notes: “It is essential … that applicants are dedicated to the ideals and mission of the White House.”
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US Commander: IS Leader al-Baghdadi Likely Still Alive
Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appears to be alive, a top U.S. military commander said Thursday, contradicting Russia’s claims that it probably killed the top counterterror target months ago.
“Do I believe he’s alive? Yes,” said Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, who commands the coalition forces fighting IS in Iraq and Syria, referring to al-Baghdadi.
At first, Townsend said his belief stemmed from a lack of evidence he had seen, “rumor or otherwise,” that al-Baghdadi was dead. But, he then added: “There are also some indicators in intelligence channels that he’s alive.” Townsend did not elaborate on the intelligence.
Russian officials said in June there was a “high probability” that al-Baghdadi died in a Russian airstrike on the outskirts of Raqqa, Syria, a month earlier.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon from his headquarters in Baghdad, Townsend said U.S. and coalition forces are actively searching for al-Baghdadi. If they find him, they probably will kill him rather than capture him, he said.
A good guess about where al-Baghdadi is hiding, Townsend said, would be the so-called Middle Euphrates River Valley, stretching approximately from the city of Deir el-Zour in eastern Syria to the town of Rawa in western Iraq. He said this area is shaping up to be the group’s last stand following its ouster from nearly all of northern Iraq.
IS setbacks
The most recent IS setback was in Tal Afar, west of the also recently liberated city of Mosul, which had been the militants’ main stronghold in Iraq. The Iraqi government announced Thursday that Tal Afar had been returned to government control. Townsend called it a “stunningly swift” victory for the Iraqi army, moving “like a steamroller” into the city in a matter of days.
The IS militants, who swept into Iraq in 2014 against minimal resistance from the Iraqi army, still control a large area of eastern Syria along the border with Iraq, as well as parts of Raqqa, the capital of the group’s self-styled caliphate. Townsend said U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian forces have recaptured about half of Raqqa in ongoing fighting.
Assessing his 12 months in command of the U.S.-led coalition, Townsend said more tough fighting remains but signs are positive. It will be up to the Iraqi government, he said, to safeguard the gains troops have achieved since 2015, when Iraqi security forces began a U.S.-assisted counteroffensive in the western Anbar province.
“I think part of the rise of ISIS was disenfranchised peoples, most of them Sunnis, who looked at Baghdad and they didn’t see their government representing them or their interests or their future,” he said. “And I think that’s probably the most important thing that the government of Iraq has to do. It has to reach out, reconcile, bring all Iraqis together and be the government of all Iraqis.”
US in Iraq
Townsend said he hopes the U.S. government works out an arrangement for a long-term military presence in Iraq to minimize the chances of another IS-like episode. He said such talks are under way.
“We all saw what happened in 2011 when we parted ways completely,” he said, referencing the pullout of U.S. troops under former President Barack Obama and Iraq’s subsequent struggles.
“My personal view is I wouldn’t want to repeat that,” Townsend said. “So I think that our governments will work out something that will work for the future.”
Townsend is ending his year in command in Baghdad and will hand off next week to another three-star Army general, Paul Funk II.
He credited the Trump administration with putting greater trust in him and other commanders to execute the counter-IS campaign.
“The current administration has pushed decision-making down into the military chain of command,” Townsend said. “And I don’t know of a commander in our armed forces that doesn’t appreciate that.”
“A key result of that is that we don’t get second-guessed a lot,” he added. “Our judgment here on the battlefield in the forward areas is trusted. And we don’t get 20 questions with every action that happens on the battlefield and every action that we take.”
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European Jewish Congress: Anti-Semitism Rising in Poland
The European Jewish Congress expressed “grave concerns” Thursday over what it says is a rise in anti-Semitism in Poland and a “deteriorating relationship between the Polish government and the Jewish community.”
The Brussels-based organization says no Polish government minister has met with leaders of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland, the official community, for around a year amid the rise in anti-Semitic incidents.
“Across Europe, governments consult with the local official leaders of the community to seek their counsel and coordinate a response to anti-Semitism,” the group’s president, Moshe Kantor, said. “However, Poland stands out as an example of a leadership which appears to have little interest in opening a dialogue with the Jewish community.”
The statement comes after Jewish leaders in Poland wrote to ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski in early August with their concerns, noting the increased presence in public life of extremist far-right groups and greater hate speech and violence targeting Jews.
They didn’t receive an answer or a meeting with Kaczynski, but within days Kaczynski met with several Jewish representatives from other organizations, including the Orthodox Chabad movement.
That meeting led to fears among official Jewish community representatives that Kaczynski was trying to marginalize them and whitewash the issue of anti-Semitism.
Poland’s chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said Jews still feel much safer in Poland than they do in parts of Europe where anti-Semitism is much stronger and sometimes violent, including France, Scandinavia and Hungary. But he said the situation is getting worse and “the biggest concern is a lack of communication with the government.”
“For first time in many years people are not feeling 100 percent comfortable, as they used to,” Schudrich told The Associated Press Thursday. “It’s not that the government supports this, but we need it to be more vigilant in articulating their rejection of any form of anti-Semitism or racism.”
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World Bank: Ivorian Women Could Boost Economy by $6 Billion
As women pound the pavements of Abidjan selling their wares, direct manic traffic in blue police uniforms and host popular television shows, it’s hard to believe Ivory Coast has one of the world’s widest gender gaps.
With stark inequalities in school, as well as in access to healthcare and jobs, the United Nations ranks French-speaking West Africa’s largest economy 155 out of 159 countries when it comes to gender equity.
“Ivorian women get by because we have strength,” said Animata Touré, before trying to cajole passersby into buying her fruit in the city’s business district Plateau.
“[Life] is a bit hard,” she acknowledged.
The 46-year-old has scraped by as a hawker all her life, shelving her dream of opening a small restaurant as unrealistic.
“Who is going to give me the means to do that?”
Ivorian women earn on average half as much as men, the World Bank says, largely because they are less educated, spend several hours a day cooking and caring for children, and lack access to finance, equipment and commercial networks.
Supporting would-be female entrepreneurs, like Touré, could generate at least $6 billion, or a third of the country’s current revenues, the Bank says.
“We have huge potential here,” said Ahmed Diomande, an official in the trade ministry, describing the World Bank’s latest data as an “alarm bell.”
“The challenge is convincing men that they have a vested interest in gender parity,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at a women’s rights conference in Abidjan.
The government is working to reduce the gender gap by using a $9 million loan from Morocco to fund small- and medium-sized businesses run by women entrepreneurs, he said.
It is also backing a private-sector initiative to lift women out of the informal sector by training them as grocery store managers in more than a dozen shops in Abidjan.
As Ivory Coast’s vast, informal economy is largely run by women, authorities and business leaders are keen to help them make the leap to better-paying, regulated businesses with training and access to credit.
“Economic power is in women’s hands,” said Salimata Porquet, a former politician who fought successfully for gender equality at work to be included in Ivory Coast’s 2016 constitution.
Books for Boys
Ivory Coast needs to get more girls into school and provide them with role models across the board, from business to politics, activists say, as reducing gender inequality has proven key to the success of many emerging nations.
Discrimination starts young in Ivory Coast, where only 33 percent of women are literate compared to 53 percent of men – a gap that has widened since the early 1980s, the bank says.
Unlike most African nations, Ivory Coast does not have an equal number of boys and girls in primary school.
Many poor parents educate their boys, rather than girls, as they believe the sons will get better jobs and provide for them.
Girls, meanwhile, often become married mothers in their teens.
“The more we see women… in a field that we like, the more we have young girls trying to follow that path,” said Tchonté Silué, 23, a female blogger who runs a children’s library in Abidjan to encourage youngsters to read.
She tries to inspire Ivorian girls by sharing her story as a young woman who earned a master’s degree in the United States.
Activists say women also need to support each other as they advance in business and politics.
“If we’re able to share our experiences, that can inspire each woman to do her part,” said Marie-Thérèse Boua N’Guessan, who runs a publication about women’s leadership.
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Status Extension Urged for Sudanese, South Sudanese Nationals in US
Activists are asking the Department of Homeland Security to extend Temporary Protected Status for over 1,000 Sudanese and South Sudanese nationals living in the United States.
By September 3, DHS is expected to decide whether to extend, redesignate or terminate the program for the two countries.
The current period ends November 2 for 49 South Sudanese and 1,039 Sudanese TPS beneficiaries.
Patrice Lawrence of UndocuBlack Network, an advocacy group for undocumented black immigrants, wants an extension.
‘Stuck in this status’
“If the administration decides to not extend TPS for some of these people that have been here for decades, decades under this, there is no way for them to be able to get a green card or to get citizenship, so they are stuck in this status until something else happens,” Lawrence said.
Because of an ongoing conflict between the two countries, South Sudan was first designated for TPS in October 2011 after it gained independence from Sudan. Sudan’s designation was granted in October 1997.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, individuals can be granted a temporary immigration status if their country is designated for TPS.
Sharon Scheidhauer, a public affairs officer at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in an email: “At least 60 days prior to the current expiration date, the acting secretary or secretary of homeland security will review conditions in these countries and determine whether an extension, redesignation or termination of Sudan’s and South Sudan’s TPS designations is warranted.”
So far, no announcements have been made public.
If it is terminated, Lawrence said, beneficiaries will be forced to make an impossible decision, even as conflict in both countries continues. There are questions about whether they’ll be able to find work and provide for their families.
It’s like being between “a rock and a hard place. Where do you go? What do you do? … All your family is here and you have lost so many things. What do you do? It is an impossible dilemma,” Lawrence said.
Once granted TPS, an individual cannot be detained by the Department of Homeland Security on the basis of his or her immigration status in the United States, according to USCIS.
TPS also allows beneficiaries to legally work in the United States.
Shorter extension for Haiti
In May, Haiti was granted a six-month extension, a break from the usual 18-month extension.
Speaking near the White House at a joint rally for TPS and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA — a program that protects
eligible immigrant youth who came to the United States when they were children from deportation — Greisa Maritnez Rosas said undocumented immigrants like herself fear the government could take away programs that allow them to make a living in the U.S.
“Moving forward, I will always be unafraid,” Rosas said. “But I think it’s important to know that we are ready to continue to fight and ready to continue to put our faces and our bodies on the line to protect our democracy.”
Becky Belcore, who works for the North Korean American Service and Education Consortium, said TPS and DACA are programs that should be more comprehensive so immigrants do not live under the constant threat of being deported.
“We’re going to continue to fight. And so we will continue to advocate for both of those programs, that they should be restored, but we are also going to be looking for legislative solutions that are more permanent,” Belcore said.
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Former Presidential Hopeful in Rwanda Said to Be in Custody
A women’s rights activist and former presidential hopeful is in police custody in Rwanda, her brother said Thursday, raising concerns about the whereabouts of a rare challenger to longtime President Paul Kagame.
Police have said Diane Rwigara is free after her home in the capital, Kigali, was searched on Wednesday.
But Rwigara’s brother Aristide, who lives in the United States, told The Associated Press that his sister was arrested Wednesday along with three siblings and their mother.
Police have said Diane Rwigara is under investigation for tax evasion and forgery. She is accused of forging signatures to support a candidacy for the Aug. 4 vote.
She was disqualified ahead of the election won easily by longtime President Paul Kagame, whose government has long been accused by human rights groups of silencing opposing voices.
Kagame, who called the election a “formality” and won by nearly 99 percent of the vote, has denied the accusations.
Rwigara could not be reached; her known phone number was switched off Thursday.
“One of my sisters called my uncle, telling him the police had come to take them on Wednesday morning and we have never heard from them since Wednesday,” Aristide Rwigara told the AP.
The criminal allegations against the family are false, he said, insisting it has been targeted by Rwanda’s government.
“The government has been after my family for a long time because we refused also to do business with the ruling party,” he said.
Diane Rwigara is the daughter of the late Assinapol Rwigara, a businessman who fell out with Kagame before his death in a car accident in 2015.
In an interview with the AP earlier this year, the 35-year-old acknowledged the risks of running against one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
“People disappear, others get killed in unexplained circumstances and nobody speaks about this because of fear,” she said. “We must end this silence.”
Two days after declaring her candidacy for president, nude photographs allegedly of her were leaked on social media. It was not clear who was behind the leak.
Rwigara later was disqualified as a candidate after allegedly failing to collect enough supporting signatures ahead of the election.
Rwanda’s electoral commission said she turned in signatures of some people who had long been dead and others who belonged to a rival political party. Rwigara denied it.
Kagame has been de facto leader or president since the end of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.
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