United News of Bangladesh

The first remark President Donald Trump made when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stepped out of his car at the White House on Friday was about his attire. "You're all dressed up today," Trump commented, referring to Zelensky’s military-style black sweatshirt adorned with the Ukrainian trident. Since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022, Zelensky has consistently avoided wearing suits, button-down shirts, or ties, even during high-profile meetings with world leaders and his address to the U.S. Congress. He has stated that his choice of military clothing symbolizes solidarity with Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield. However, his outfit has long been a point of contention among critics of U.S. aid to Ukraine. What had previously been a talking point among certain right-wing commentators took center stage during Friday’s widely publicized Oval Office meeting with Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance. According to BBC reporters present, the atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically when a U.S. journalist questioned Zelensky about whether his attire was inappropriate for the occasion. Shortly after, broader issues of respect and gratitude escalated into a heated exchange, with the U.S. president and vice president reprimanding their European ally in front of global television audiences. When the floor was opened to reporters, Brian Glenn, chief White House correspondent for the conservative cable network Real America's Voice, posed a pointed question. "Why don’t you wear a suit?" Glenn asked. "You're in the highest office in this country, yet you refuse to wear one. Do you even own a suit? Many Americans feel you are not respecting the dignity of this office." The line of questioning appeared to frustrate Zelensky, who had previously maintained a diplomatic and even cordial tone with Trump. "I will wear a suit after this war is over," he replied. (The Ukrainian word for "suit" translates to "kostyum.") Zelensky then took a jab at the reporter, quipping, "Maybe something like yours, yes. Maybe something better, I don't know," prompting laughter in the room. "Maybe something cheaper." Source: BBC    

During his first six weeks in office, President Donald Trump has embarked on a dizzying teardown of the federal government and attacks on long-standing institutions in an attempt to increase his own authority. He has pardoned those who attacked the U.S. Capitol to overturn his 2020 election loss, placed loyalists atop the FBI and military, and purged the Department of Justice, which dropped investigations against Trump allies. He declared control over independent agencies such as the Federal Election Commission, punished media outlets for coverage he dislikes and his allies suggested he could defy court orders. Those who monitor democracy across the globe had warned that a second Trump term could endanger America's 240-year experiment with democracy. His opening weeks in office have done nothing to dispel those concerns. “Trump is using the classic elected authoritarian playbook,” said Brendan Nyhan of Dartmouth College, who joined more than 800 other political scientists in signing a letter warning that Trump is undermining the rule of law and the basic constitutional principle of checks and balances. “It's almost embarrassing how crude it is.” Nyhan said some of Trump's moves echo those made by others who won democratic elections and then moved to centralize control, such as Hungary's Viktor Orban. Those who have resisted authoritarians in other countries say they are alarmed by what is happening in the United States. “I feel like I’m living through this twice,” said Maria Ressa, a journalist who won a Nobel Prize after being prosecuted by the government of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019, on a call last week about the threat of Trump to democracy. “What you’re seeing is exactly that — think about it as death by a thousand cuts," she said. "You’re bleeding so much that, at some point, the body politic dies.” ‘What democracy is all about’ Trump has certainly embraced the image of a strongman. The president declared, “we are the federal law” and posted on his social media site that “He who saves his country does not violate any law” — a quote often attributed to Napolean Bonaparte. The official White House account posted on the social media site X an image of a smiling, crowned Trump with the words “LONG LIVE THE KING.” Judge gives Trump administration two days to release billions of dollars in blocked foreign aid Trump's supporters say he actually is trying to preserve American democracy by giving voters what they want — a strong president. How strong Trump can become is in question. Courts have paused several of his executive orders, including ones seeking to eliminate agencies created by Congress and ending birthright citizenship for the children of parents who are in the U.S. illegally. Trump campaigned last year promising to dismantle what he contends is a corrupt government bureaucracy, which he blames for failures during his first term and his subsequent prosecution. On his first day in office, the new president told reporters his goal was to “give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom.” Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office in February, billionaire Elon Musk, who Trump tapped to spearhead cuts to the federal government, claimed he is the one trying to “restore democracy.” Some of the lawsuits seeking to stop Musk's actions have been unsuccessful, allowing him to proceed. “The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk told reporters. “That’s what democracy is all about.” But many who track democracy warn that Musk’s conception is incomplete. “The power you gain through the ballot box is not unlimited power. That’s the essence of liberal democracy,” said Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretary general of the Stockholm-based pro-democracy group International IDEA. ‘Undermining our democratic traditions’ On the world stage, Trump and his administration have alarmed longtime allies in Europe over whether the U.S. remains committed to NATO and his siding with Russia in talks to end the war in Ukraine, a country the Kremlin invaded three years ago, and at the United Nations last month. On Friday, Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Russian officials and many Trump allies expressed glee; European nations reacted in horror. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said the close relations between the Trump administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin's government amounted to an existential threat. "This Putin-Trump alliance means abandoning our allies, supporting authoritarianism and undermining our democratic traditions,” he said in a social media post. The common theme throughout Trump’s moves is about expanding his personal power, said Josh Chafetz, a Georgetown law professor. Trump administration creates registry for immigrants who are in the US illegally “It’s not even clear what it’s power in service of,” he added, noting that Trump has few strong ideological convictions. Politicizing federal law enforcement Despite concerns that the administration would disregard the judiciary, Trump and Musk said it would obey court rulings and eventually seek congressional approval for the changes they are making. Still, Musk and some other Republicans have also called for impeaching judges who rule against the administration. There are plenty of other warning signs, chiefly the aggressive use of the Department of Justice to promote Trump's political interests. The department directed prosecutors to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, citing his cooperation with the administration's immigration crackdown. That led to several senior Justice Department officials resigning after saying such a deal was dangerous and some former top prosecutors warning about the risks to the rule of law. Trump's pick to be U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, represented some defendants who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Martin, in his interim post as the top federal prosecution in the nation's capital, contacted at least two congressional Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, to “investigate” previous statements they had made. One statement related to Musk and another dealt with the conservative Supreme Court justices who were in the majority ruling that ended the constitutional right to abortion. “This notion that you can use your power to reward your friends and punish your enemies — it reminds me of something that has long been a staple of Latin American politics,” said Casas-Zamora, who is from Costa Rica. Threatening perceived enemies Trump has escalated attacks on media outlets whose coverage he dislikes, kicking them out of their Pentagon workspace or barring them from the Oval Office and Air Force One and picking which will be allowed to cover his events. His appointee to head the Federal Communications Commission is investigating PBS and National Public Radio, which receive federal money. Trump also issued an executive order to take control of independent agencies such as the FCC, Federal Election Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission. Trump administration labels 8 Latin American cartels as 'foreign terrorist organizations' Some leading Democrats have used striking analogies in warning about Trump's actions. In a State of the State address last month that ended with a scathing assessment of Trump's actions, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who is Jewish, implored lawmakers to remember what gave rise to Nazism in Germany nearly a century ago. “If we don’t want to repeat history,” Pritzker said, "then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.”

All it took was 90 seconds for weeks of tortured diplomacy to unwind in spectacular fashion. President Donald Trump’s Oval Office thrashing of Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday laid bare the limits of a full-court press by America’s allies aimed at reshaping Trump’s determination to end Russia’s invasion even if the terms are not to Ukraine’s liking. It also stressed the profound ways Trump feels emboldened to redirect U.S. foreign policy priorities toward his “America First” agenda in ways that extend well beyond those of his tumultuous first term. The sudden blowup was the most heated public exchange of words between world leaders in the Oval Office in memory, as the usual staid work of diplomacy descended into finger-pointing, shouting and eye-rolling. The encounter left the future of the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, and Kyiv’s ability to defend itself in the brutal conflict with Russia, in mortal jeopardy.  “You either make a deal or we are out,” Trump told Zelenskyy, underscoring the American leader’s plans to dictate a swift end to the war or leave its longtime ally to continue the fight without its strongest backer. The stunning episode capped a week of what turned out to be largely futile efforts by U.S. allies to paper over differences between Washington and Kyiv and to try to steer Trump away from his flirtations with Moscow. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron huddled with Trump to lay the groundwork for an eventual European-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine aimed at deterring future Russian aggression and to encourage the U.S. president to be more skeptical of Vladimir Putin. But even as Trump and Macron greeted each other with a vise-like grip, the U.S. was splitting with its European allies at the United Nations by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in a series of resolutions marking the three-year anniversary of the war. On Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Washington and appealed to Trump for a U.S. “backstop” for European nations who would provide front-line security for Ukraine. He was in essence looking for insurance that, should a peace deal be reached, Russia won’t restart the fighting in the future. Starmer brought flattery and a state visit invitation from King Charles III to soften the ask. The approach seemed to work, as Trump struck a more conciliatory tone toward Ukraine, calling America’s support for the country against Russia’s invasion “a very worthy thing to do” and disclaiming any memory that he had called the Ukrainian leader a “dictator.” But Trump also brushed aside Putin’s past broken diplomatic promises, claiming they occurred under different presidents, and saying the Russian leader had never violated a commitment to him. It came as his aides were planning a series of negotiating sessions with Russian officials to lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between Trump and Putin in the coming weeks. All the while, Trump was focused on securing a financial stake in Ukraine’s critical minerals to recoup the tens of billions the U.S. has given to Kyiv to defend itself. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, wanted more than Washington’s vague promises that the U.S. would work to preserve its economic interest in Ukraine under the agreement and pushed for more concrete security guarantees. But Trump would not budge, and U.S. officials repeatedly said Zelenskyy would not be welcome to meet with the president to discuss Trump’s push for negotiations with Russia until it was signed. After weeks of browbeating, Zelenskyy’s government on Wednesday formally agreed to the proposal, clearing the path for Friday’s meeting. It started off cordially enough, as Trump and Zelenskyy spoke politely, even with admiration, of one of another for the first half-hour of the meeting. Trump even suggested he would continue some military assistance to Ukraine until he could secure an enduring peace deal with Russia. But when the Ukrainian leader raised alarm about trusting any promises from Putin to end the fighting, Vice President JD Vance rebuked him for airing disagreements with Trump in public. It instantly shifted the tenor of the conversation. Zelenskyy grew defensive, and Trump and his vice president blasted him as ungrateful and “disrespectful” and issued stark warnings about future American support. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, both a defense hawk and a strident ally of Trump’s, said he had warned Zelenskyy ahead of the meeting “not to take the bait” in his dealings with Trump, who has repeatedly shown a penchant for throwing criticism but a deep resistance to receiving it. It was Vance — a longtime critic of American support for Ukraine — who dangled it, when he insisted diplomacy was the only pathway forward. “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?” Zelenskyy said, listing Russia’s past violations of ceasefires. “What do you mean?” “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance responded before tearing into the Ukrainian leader. “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.” Trump then let loose, warning the Ukrainian leader, “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.” At another point, Trump declared himself “in the middle,” seeming to formally break from years of American support for Ukraine. He went on to deride Zelenskyy’s “hatred” for Putin as a roadblock to peace. “You see the hatred he’s got for Putin,” Trump said. “That’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate.” “It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” Trump said to Zelenskyy as the two leaders talked over each other. The episode was just the latest instance of Trump’s brazen moves to shift long-held American policy positions in his first six weeks back in office, portending even more uncertainty ahead for longtime American allies and partners who have already felt pressed to justify their place in Trump’s eyes. It comes just weeks after Trump floated a permanent relocation of Palestinians in Gaza and an American takeover of the territory, and as he has doubled down on plans to put stiff tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada starting next week. After the Oval Office dustup, Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House by top Trump advisers — scrapping plans for a lunch, a joint press conference and the signing of the economic agreement, even as the Ukrainian leader and his aides pushed for a “reset” on the meeting. Trump later told reporters he didn’t want to “embolden” the Ukrainian leader if he didn’t want “peace” with Russia — flipping what Ukraine had seen as an inducement for security guarantees into a cudgel. “You can’t embolden somebody who does not have the cards,” Trump said. After the disastrous encounter, Zelenskyy appeared on Fox News on Friday evening and told Bret Baier that his public spat with Trump and Vance was “not good for both sides.” But Zelenskyy said Trump — who insists Putin is ready to end the three-year grinding war — needs to understand that Ukraine can’t change its attitudes toward Russia on a dime. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine won’t enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive. “Everybody (is) afraid Putin will come back tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said. “We want just and lasting peace.” “It’s so sensitive for our people,” Zelenskyy said. “And they just want to hear that America (is) on our side, that America will stay with us. Not with Russia, with us. That’s it.” Zelenskyy acknowledged that without U.S. support, his country’s position would grow “difficult.” After repeatedly declining opportunities to apologize to Trump, Zelensky closed his Fox appearance with a sheepish expression of remorse as he struggled with the reality of Trump’s new direction in Washington: “Sorry for this.”    

US President Donald Trump has warned media outlets that he may sue them for using “anonymous” or “off the record” sources in what he calls “made-up” stories. In a post on Truth Social, Trump described such reports as “defamatory fiction” and vowed to take legal action. “At some point, I am going to sue some of these dishonest authors and book publishers, or even media in general,” he wrote. Trump administration says it’s cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts He dismissed the credibility of “anonymous sources,” claiming they do not exist and attributing the negative reports to his “Best Opening Month of any President in history.” Trump further suggested that a new law could be introduced to address the issue, insisting that those responsible should face serious consequences. Trump announces $5 million ‘Gold Card’ for US citizenship His remarks came after a Financial Times report on Tuesday alleged that Trump adviser Peter Navarro had proposed expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Navarro denied the report, calling it “nonsense” and “crazy.” Sources: Indian media

The Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90 per cent of the US Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall US assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of US development and humanitarian help abroad. The cuts detailed by the administration would leave few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing court battles with the administration. The Trump administration outlined its plans in both an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and filings in one of those federal lawsuits Wednesday. The Supreme Court intervened in that case late Wednesday and temporarily blocked a court order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid by midnight. Why Trump administration may want Ukraine’s minerals Wednesday’s disclosures also give an idea of the scale of the administration’s retreat from US aid and development assistance overseas, and from decades of US policy that foreign aid helps US interests by stabilising other countries and economies and building alliances. The memo said officials were “clearing significant waste stemming from decades of institutional drift.” More changes are planned in how USAID and the State Department deliver foreign assistance, it said, “to use taxpayer dollars wisely to advance American interests.”

The United States will have access to Ukraine’s critical mineral wealth, including key ingredients for the clean energy transition, under a deal the two countries are expected to sign later this week. President Donald Trump, who has pushed for the agreement, has long been critical of a transition to green energies, which include wind and solar power, along with electrification of transportation and appliances, all things that require the various minerals the U.S. will have access to in this deal. So if Trump is against this trend, why go after these minerals? Ukraine’s mineral wealth Countries vary in which minerals they deem strategically critical. The U.S. Department of the Interior has designated 50, and Ukraine has more than 20 of those. Deposits of titanium, which is in high demand, are spread across the country. Titanium is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, for marine uses, chemical processing and medical devices. US Senate moves forward on confirming Kash Patel as FBI director Ukraine has lithium, key to several current battery technologies, and it has uranium, used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. The country also has graphite and manganese, both used in batteries for electric vehicles. Still, the data on Ukraine’s geology is incomplete, according to Tom Moerenhout, adjunct associate professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. The maps date back to when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1991. So it’s not clear how easy or profitable it will be to get the desired materials out of the ground. “It’s one thing to have a deal that talks about how might we manage their extraction and their revenue,” Moerenhout said of the agreement. “It’s another thing entirely to actually have extractive projects, to actually have mining operations going on, and that is something that the deal does not guarantee.” Some of the mineral riches lie in parts of the country currently occupied by Russia. Ukraine’s rare earth metals Rare earths are a subset of critical minerals; there are 17 of them, and not one is a common word. For example, ytterbium and promethium are rare earths. Rare earths are important for many kinds of technology and electronics, including medical care, military, aerospace as well as clean energy uses. Ytterbium is used in infrared lasers, chemical reactions, rechargeable batteries and fiber optics. Lanthanum is used in batteries, specialty glass for eyeglasses and and camera lenses and in petroleum refining. A single piece of military equipment can require hundreds of pounds of a rare earth. Contrary to their name, rare earths are not necessarily rare. However, they do often occur in low concentrations, making processing complicated. It’s mainly China that excels at this processing currently. Geopolitical reasons for interest in Ukraine’s supply The Trump administration has steered clear of clean energy policy in favor of its “energy dominance” agenda, focused on oil and gas. As promised during his campaign, the president’s early executive orders slashed support for climate- and clean-energy related technologies, funding and programs. Electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels and other clean energy technology require the rare earths for components such as magnets and batteries; broadly, renewable energy and decarbonization are placing high demand on minerals across the globe. Trump supports giving Americans part of DOGE savings as dividends But clearly, the uses of the minerals Ukraine has go far beyond the energy transition. And Ukraine has tried hard to interest the new administration in its mineral wealth. Also, China controls much of the world’s supply of these materials. Opening access to Ukraine’s supply could reduce U.S. dependence elsewhere. “To the credit of the first Trump administration, they have always put critical minerals as a very important policy priority because they knew they were so heavily reliant on China,” Moerenhout said. “That priority for the Trump administration doesn’t change at all because they are less, let’s say, less aggressive about clean energy deployment targets in the future.”

A framework economic deal with the United States is ready, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday, but security guarantees that Kyiv views as vital remain to be decided and a full agreement could hinge on talks in Washington as early as Friday. The framework deal is a first step toward a comprehensive agreement that will be subject to ratification by Ukraine’s parliament, Zelenskyy said during a news conference in Kyiv. Ukraine needs to know where the United States stands on its continued military support, Zelenskyy said. He said expects to have a wide-ranging substantive conversation with US President Donald Trump during a visit to Washington. “I want to coordinate with the US,” Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy said that the main topics that he wants to discuss with Trump are whether the US plans to halt military aid and, if so, whether Ukraine would be able to purchase weapons directly from the US. He also wants to know whether Ukraine can use frozen Russian assets for weapons investments and whether Washington plans to lift sanctions on Russia. Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that Ukraine and the United States have reached preliminary agreement on a broad economic deal that includes US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals amid its war with Russia. US and Ukraine near an economic deal with mineral rights but no security promise, officials say After days of negotiations, Ukraine and the US will sign the preliminary agreement, but with further details of a full agreement — including US security guarantees that Kyiv officials view as vital — still to be worked out, Shmyhal said on Ukrainian public television. Since returning to office last month, Trump let Ukraine know that he wanted something in return for tens of billions of dollars in US help to fend off the full-scale invasion that Russia launched just over three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022. Trump has abruptly ditched some previous Washington policies. He scrapped efforts to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and cast doubt on US support for its European allies. That has brought momentous geopolitical shifts that could reset the war’s path this year. The preliminary agreement sets out the terms and conditions of an investment fund for the rebuilding of Ukraine, Shmyhal said.

US President Donald Trump has announced a plan to introduce a “gold card” for wealthy foreigners, allowing them to live and work in the United States with a path to citizenship in exchange for a $5 million fee. Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump declared, “We’re going to be selling a gold card. You have a green card; this is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million, and that’s going to give you green card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship. And wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card.” The President indicated that sales of the cards would commence within two weeks, suggesting that millions could be sold. When asked whether Russian oligarchs would be eligible to purchase the card, Trump responded, “Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.” Replacement for the EB-5 Programme Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who stood alongside Trump during the announcement, confirmed that the gold card would replace the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa programme. This programme, established in 1992, allows foreign investors to obtain green cards by making significant investments in projects that create jobs for American workers. “They’ll have to go through vetting, of course,” Lutnick assured, “to make sure they’re wonderful world-class global citizens.” Trump criticises USAID funding for India, sparks diplomatic tensions Under the EB-5 programme, investors must contribute a minimum of $1.05 million, or $800,000 if the investment is made in economically distressed zones designated as targeted employment areas. The programme has previously been used to finance major property developments linked to Trump and his family. Criticism and Legal Challenges The EB-5 programme has faced bipartisan criticism in Congress, with lawmakers arguing that it has strayed from its original intent and requires reform. During Trump’s first term, his administration attempted to increase the minimum investment threshold for targeted economic areas to $900,000 and for other locations to $1.8 million. However, a federal judge ruled against these changes in 2021, citing improper appointment of the acting Homeland Security secretary who authorised the policy. The Biden administration subsequently renewed the programme in 2022, raising investment requirements to their current levels. The introduction of the gold card scheme marks a significant shift in US immigration policy, with Trump positioning it as a means to attract affluent individuals while generating substantial revenue for the government. The plan is expected to spark debate in Congress, where lawmakers may challenge its implications for the broader immigration system. Source: CNN

The Trump administration is creating a registry for all people who are in the United States illegally, and those who don't self-report could face fines or prosecution, immigration officials announced Tuesday. Everyone who is in the U.S. illegally must register, give fingerprints and provide an address, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. It cited a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act — the complex immigration law — as justification for the registration process, which would apply to anyone 14 and older. The announcement comes as the administration seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of people in the country illegally and seal the border to future asylum-seekers. “An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both," the statement said. "For decades, this law has been ignored — not anymore.” On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said it would soon create a form and process for registration. Trump, Musk’s cost-cutting drive echoes Clinton’s ‘Reinventing Government’—but with key differences In one of his 10 inauguration day executive orders related to immigration, President Donald Trump initially outlined plans for creating a registry and required that Homeland Security “immediately announce and publicize information about the legal obligation of all previously unregistered aliens in the United States to comply." It was not immediately clear how many people living in the country illegally would voluntarily come forward and give the federal government information about who they are and where they're living. But failure to register would be considered a crime, and the administration has said its initial priority target for deportation is people who've committed crimes in the U.S. The National Immigration Law Center, an immigration advocacy group, said in a posting on its website before the Tuesday night announcement that “the Alien Registration Act of 1940 is the only time the U.S. government carried out a comprehensive campaign to require all noncitizens to register.” The organization said under that process, people had to go to their local post office to register, and the goal was to identify “potential national security threats broadly characterized as communist or subversive.” The group warned that the registry was meant to help find potential targets for deportation. “Any attempt by the Trump administration to create a registration process for noncitizens previously unable to register would be used to identify and target people for detention and deportation,” the organization said.

A New Jersey man has been found guilty of attempted murder for attacking author Salman Rushdie during a lecture in New York in 2022. A jury delivered the verdict on February 21 after less than two hours of deliberation, also convicting 27-year-old Hadi Matar of assault for injuring another individual on stage with Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution. Matar rushed the stage on August 12, 2022, stabbing Rushdie more than a dozen times in front of a live audience. The attack left the 77-year-old novelist blind in one eye. Rushdie testified during the seven-day trial, providing graphic details of his life-threatening injuries and the long road to recovery. Matar displayed no visible reaction to the verdict, standing silently as it was read. As he was escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs, he muttered, "Free Palestine," a phrase he had repeated throughout the trial. The judge scheduled Matar’s sentencing for April 23, where he could face up to 25 years in prison, the maximum penalty for second-degree attempted murder. District Attorney Jason Schmidt emphasized the strength of the video evidence, which he described as "rock solid." "We had multiple angles showing the attack," Schmidt stated. "This case could not be clearer." He further remarked that Matar had arrived as a visitor but would now remain in New York State for the next 25 years. Salman Rushdie's memoir of his attack is among 12 books up for a top nonfiction prize During closing arguments, Matar’s defense attorney Andrew Brautigan argued that prosecutors failed to prove intent to kill, which is crucial for an attempted murder conviction. However, Schmidt countered that repeatedly stabbing someone in the face and neck is an unmistakable attempt to take their life. Rushdie, widely known for his novel Midnight’s Children, testified that he believed he was dying when the masked attacker rushed the stage. He displayed his now-blinded right eye to the jury, usually hidden behind dark glasses. Schmidt reinforced the severity of the attack by replaying footage that captured the stabbing from multiple angles. The video also recorded audience reactions, including gasps and screams. Institution staff and attendees identified Matar as the assailant. Co-panelist Henry Reese, who was also wounded in the attack, sustained a forehead gash, leading to Matar’s additional assault conviction. Rushdie spent 17 days in a Pennsylvania hospital and over three weeks in a New York City rehabilitation center. He recounted his arduous recovery in his 2024 memoir, Knife. PEN America welcomed the conviction, calling it a "crucial step toward justice" and a reminder of the ongoing threats faced by writers challenging authority. Throughout the trial, Matar frequently took notes and occasionally smiled or laughed with his legal team during breaks. His lawyers did not call any witnesses, and Matar declined to testify in his defense. A separate federal indictment alleges Matar was inspired by a 2006 speech from a Hezbollah leader endorsing the longstanding fatwa against Rushdie. Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the decree in 1989 after the publication of The Satanic Verses, which was deemed blasphemous by many Muslims. Salman Rushdie makes rare public address after attack, warns free expression under threat While Rushdie spent years in hiding, he had resumed public appearances in recent decades, believing the threat had diminished. Matar now faces a federal terrorism-related trial, which will be held in U.S. District Court in Buffalo. Source: With input from agency