H-1B visa reform bill introduced in US Senate
Robert Solis, the man convicted of murdering Sandeep Dhaliwal, the first turbaned Indian-American Sikh police officer in the US state of Texas while making a traffic stop in 2019, has been sentenced to death, according to a police official.
The current H-1B minimum wage of USD 60,000 was established in 1989 and since then has remained unchanged.
A man, who was found guilty of capital murder for gunning down Deputy Sandeep Dahliwal, the first turbaned Indian-American Sikh police officer in the United States state of Texas in 2019, has been convicted by a court in Houston.
The White House has asked the Republican-majority Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act that would rein in government surveillance capabilities in its present form.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the move, saying he was carrying out President Donald Trump's orders. "Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on current and former CCP officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, as guaranteed in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration or undermining human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong," Pompeo said.
Dubbed as "Jobs Governor", Haley turned South Carolina's economy around during her tenure as governor and transforming the state into a manufacturing powerhouse. She cut taxes, repealed burdensome regulations, and turned South Carolina into "the Beast of the Southeast". Under her leadership, figures note, the state's unemployment rate hit a 15-year low, and when she left office, South Carolina was at full employment.
The US House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included key components of Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi's resolution language urging the Chinese government to end its military aggression against India along the LAC.
The United States Senate has passed the landmark comprehensive immigration reform bill that will provide a pathway to citizenship to some 11 million illegal immigrants, including over 240,000 Indians.
United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a bill granting an additional $225 million to Israel for the procurement of the Iron Dome missile defense system to counter short-range rocket threats.
The Senate passed its $838bn fiscal stimulus bill by 61 votes to 27 on Tuesday, clearing the way for Congress to thrash out final legislation for President Barack Obama to sign into law.
Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected as the new speaker of the United States House of Representatives in a dramatic post-midnight ballot on Saturday, after days of intense negotiations and a series of humiliating defeats to finally capture the gavel on a historic 15th attempt.
The US president had in past expressed dismay with the $2.3 trillion package that Congress passed Monday, which includes $900 billion in coronavirus relief and $1.4 trillion to fund the government until October, conflating the two bills and saying the spending goals were misguided.
A bipartisan group of 14 US Senators on Wednesday announced a new legislation to vigorously address China's chronic undervaluing of its currency that "unfairly" impacts America, two days after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao rejected calls for his country to float its currency.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent address to a joint session of Congress, top Republican senator John McCain had moved an amendment to the National Defence Authorisation Act which if passed would have recognised India as a global strategic and defence partner.
However, the Republicans are unlikely to opt for this, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
India on Friday said it was confident of the passage of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal as it enjoyed bipartisan support among lawmakers, assuring that American firms would not be put at a disadvantage even if there is delay in getting a Congressional nod for the accord.
Lawmakers and observers have noted that the Senate is merely taking up comprehensive immigration reforms and completion of this Bill is a long way off, he said.
But the Bush Administration assured that the changes will be within the framework of the Joint Statement.
United States Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has named her Chief of Staff, Domestic Policy Advisor and National Security Advisor -- an all-women team -- which she said has the experience to hit the ground from day one.
The US maintained normal diplomatic relations with the government in Taiwan until 1979, when then-President Jimmy Carter abruptly cut off formal ties with Taipei and recognised the Communist regime in Beijing.
The House of Representatives needs to pass similar bill to avoid a government shutdown this weekend. House, in which the Republicans currently has a majority, is expected to pass the bill, but unlikely to include funding for the border wall.
Four bills -- two proposed by Republicans and two by Democrats -- went down to defeat in the US Senate late on Monday.
The Republican-controlled United States House of Representatives has approved a legislation to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, one of the most stringent pro-life bills to pass a Congressional chamber in a decade.
Introduced by Republican Congressman Ted Poe and Democratic lawmaker Rick Nolan, the legislation calls for revoking MNNA status of Pakistan, which was granted to it in 2004 by the then president, George Bush, in an effort to get the country to help the US fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Efforts to end the US government shutdown and avoid a debt default before the October 17 deadline remained elusive.
Experts believe that the incident, which US President Donald Trump termed as an "act of pure evil", is unlikely to bridge the bitter differences between the pro- and anti-gun control law lobbies in the country.
India needs a place where all regulators could gather and function as in a war room.
The bill, however, has to be passed by the Senate, wherein the Republicans enjoy a majority, before it can be signed into law by the US President Donald Trump.
The National Security Agency lost its authority to collect the phone records of millions of Americans, thanks to a new reform measure Congress passed on Tuesday
Trump defended his decision saying that the United States has done its part and now it is the time for other regional players to play their part.
It would increase economic growth for years to come.
The 'Protect and Grow American Jobs Act', which, makes important changes to the eligibility requirements for H1-B visa exemptions was re-introduced on Wednesday
Trump's move followed a rare show of bipartisanship on Thursday when legislators voted to fund large swaths of the government and avoid a repeat of the recent five-week government shutdown.
All companies that have 50% or more employees from outside the US to pay a higher visa fee of $10,000 for each such staffer, against $4,500 at present.
The amendment moved by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher on Friday requires the US Defence Secretary to certify that Pakistan is not using its military to "persecute minority groups for their legitimate and nonviolent political and religious beliefs".
Trump had scrapped the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme earlier this month which protect some 800,000 people who came to the US illegally as children.
It is entirely conceivable that Modi began realising at some point that it will be a liability for India if he is seen as Trump's fellow traveller, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Asserting that the Articles of Impeachment introduced by the House Judiciary Committee are not recognisable under any standard of constitutional theory, interpretation or jurisprudence, Trump said they include no crimes, no misdemeanours and no offenses whatsoever.
A bipartisan Congressional resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives calling on the US government to continue the policy of denying a visa to BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on the grounds of religious freedom violations.
