Black veterans were more often denied VA benefits for PTSD than white counterparts, newly surfaced study shows

A newly surfaced 2017 internal Veterans Affairs report shows Black veterans were more often denied benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder than their white counterparts.

After Silicon Valley Bank collapse, Washington asks: Is it to blame?

This post was originally published on this siteFifteen years after a financial meltdown sent the country into a recession, policymakers had vast power to probe a failing firm — yet missed signs of a crisis.

Republicans seek to flip the script on Social Security

This post was originally published on this siteRepublicans are seeking to flip the script on Social Security as they dial up the pressure on President Biden. Democrats for months have been on offense on Social Security, accusing Republicans repeatedly and publicly of wanting to make cuts to the entitlement program. But now some in the […]

Post Politics Now: Senate to take key vote on repealing decades-old Iraq war authorizations

This post was originally published on this siteAdvocates argue that repealing the authorizations is long overdue and necessary to assert the role of Congress in declaring war.

Mahsa Amini remains a symbol of resistance in Iran six months after her death

Six months ago this week, Mahsa Amini was arrested for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict dress code for women. Within days she was dead, sparking the country’s biggest protests in years.The 22-year ethnic Kurd became a household name inside Iran, a rallying point for demands for change. Around the world, she became a hero for women’s rights campaigners and a symbol for Western opponents of the Islamic republic.Amini was visiting the capital Tehran with her brother and cousins when she was arrested as they were leaving a metro station in the city centre last September.Accused of wearing “inappropriate” attire, she was taken to a police station by officers of the morality police.There she collapsed after a quarrel with a policewoman, according to a short surveillance video released by the authorities.She spent three days in hospital in a coma before her death on September 16, which the authorities blamed on underlying health issues.For many, the young woman from the western city of Saqez personified the fight against the obligation to wear the headscarf. Her name became the rallying point for a protest movement that gripped the country for months.The epitaph engraved on her tomb reads: “You are not dead Mahsa, your name has become a symbol”. Almost overnight, her portrait became ubiquitous in Iran’s cities, fly-postered on walls and held aloft by protesters. It even made the cover of some magazines published inside Iran, including the March edition of the monthly Andisheh Pouya.”Unknown before her death, Mahsa has become a symbol of oppression and her innocent face reinforces this image,” said political scientist Ahmad Zeidabadi.Call for openness The protests over her death in custody, which began in the capital and in her native Kurdistan province, swiftly mushroomed into a nationwide movement for change. Public anger over her death merged with “a series of problems, including the economic crisis, attitudes toward the morality police, or political issues such as the disqualification of candidates for election” by Iran’s conservative-dominated vetting body the Guardian Council, said sociologist Abbas Abdi.Spearheaded by young people demanding gender equality and greater openness without a leader or political program, the street protests peaked late last year.Hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of security force personnel. Thousands more were arrested for participating in what officials described as “riots” and blamed on hostile forces linked to the United States, Israel and their allies.In February, after the protests abated and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decreed a partial amnesty, the authorities began to release thousands of people arrested in connection with the protests.Some 22,600 people “linked to the riots” have so far been released, the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said this week.But Abdi said protesters could return to the streets again as the underlying grievances remained unaddressed.”The demonstrations are over, but I doubt the protest has ended,” he said, noting that “the main causes of the crisis remain.”In the current situation, any incident can trigger new protests.”He cited as an example the public anger sparked by a spate of mystery poisonings that have affected thousands of pupils at more than 200 girls’ schools over the past three months.Quiet change The mass demonstrations inside Iran, among the largest since the 1979 revolution, prompted some in the exiled opposition to talk of an imminent change of regime.”Some people, especially in the diaspora, have mistakenly bet on the fall of the Islamic republic in the very near future,” political scientist Zeidabadi said. Zeidabadi argued that the emigres had misunderstood the nature of the protest movement which he said was more “civic” than political.He stressed that, viewed in that fashion, the movement had produced “results”, notably a quiet relaxation in enforcement of the dress code for women. “A certain degree of freedom from the hijab is tolerated even if the law and the rules have not changed,” Zeidabadi said.He predicted similarly discreet and cautious reforms in other areas, notably the economy, which has been blighted by inflation of around 50 percent and a record depreciation of the rial against the dollar.”It seems that the Islamic republic has realized the need for a change of policy, although there is no consensus within it on a lasting response to meet the challenge.”(AFP)

Reality thwarts Biden’s plan to make government a ‘model employer’

This post was originally published on this siteThe White House pledges to make the government a “model employer,” but labor troubles and a gender pay gap hinder his support for equity and federal unions.

Stock markets hit again by banking worries

Shares in European banks fall as investors remain nervous after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

White House eyes accountability for Silicon Valley Bank collapse

The White House is exploring additional ways to ensure accountability for those who were responsible for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

Silicon Valley Bank failure renews focus on a 2018 deregulation law

This post was originally published on this siteLawmakers who voted for the rollback in 2018 are standing by their position, even as it threatens to resurface a major divide among Democrats.

Republican senators push back on DeSantis for saying Ukraine not a key U.S. interest

Republican senators broke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his remarks that defending Ukraine against Russian aggression wasn’t a “vital” U.S. interest.

Tagged 2024 GOP NomineechinaJohn KennedyJohn ThuneKevin cramerLindsey GrahamMarco Rubiomike roundsRepublican SenatorsRoger WickerRon DeSantisRussiarussian invasion of UkraineUkraine