Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. The Trump administration is halting all asylum decisions as a result of the shooting last week of two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. The suspect is an Afghan refugee. In addition, the administration has paused the visa process for people traveling on Afghan passports. Mariam Massoumi is a Virginia-based immigration attorney.
She spoke to Weekend Edition about what this means for people from Afghanistan.
The administration has taken very aggressive actions against Afghans, including terminating temporary protected status for Afghans, as well as stating that they no longer are going to be renewing humanitarian parole. So now you have Afghans in a situation where they could be facing removal. And in addition, all Afghan immigration requests are now paused by the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Service.
Attorney Mariam Massoumi of Virginia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is requesting a presidential pardon. He's asking to cancel his corruption trial for, quote, the good of the people in the country. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports.
In a surprise move, Netanyahu is asking Israel's President Isaac Herzog for a formal pardon to end the criminal proceedings against him. Netanyahu is charged with accepting bribes and pursuing deals with media moguls for positive press coverage.
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Chapter 2: What recent changes has the Trump administration made regarding Afghan asylum seekers?
His trial has lasted for nearly six years, and now he's being called to testify in court three days a week. In a video statement, Netanyahu said that makes it impossible to handle Israel's security and diplomatic challenges. He said ending the trial would allow him to pursue common interests with the U.S. President Trump also recently called for a pardon.
Netanyahu is not admitting guilt, and a pardon before conviction is extremely rare in Israeli history. The Israeli president's office called it an extraordinary request. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
In Michigan, the Republican National Committee has filed another lawsuit challenging the voting rights of some U.S. citizens who cast ballots from outside the country. NPR's Hansi Liu Wang reports the lawsuit is among the latest GOP efforts to restrict voting by overseas citizens.
Michigan is one of more than three dozen states that allow voting by U.S. citizens who are born abroad and have never lived in the United States. That's sometimes because their U.S. citizen parents or legal guardians served abroad in the U.S. military. A Michigan law allows overseas non-resident voters to register if a parent or spouse last lived in the state before leaving the country.
The Republican National Committee, however, is arguing in court that Michigan's longstanding law violates the state's constitution. The RNC claims counting those voters' ballots will disproportionately harm Republican candidates. RNC filed a similar lawsuit in Arizona. Republican efforts to restrict voting by U.S.
citizens living abroad began last year, with last-minute lawsuits challenging ballots in Michigan and other swing states. Data shows this voting population is becoming less military and more civilian. Anzi Luong, NPR News.
This was NPR. The Turkish government has condemned Ukrainian drone strikes on two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea. The ships are part of Russia's so-called Shadow Fleet of Unmarked Vessels, sailing under various flags to bypass Western sanctions. Derry Baskaran has details.
Ukraine's security forces used underwater drones to hit the oil tankers, which were flying under Gambian flags. While the ship sustained damage, no casualties were reported. One attack was just 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. A Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson posted on social media that the attacks were carried out within Turkey's exclusive economic zone.
He said Turkey will continue talks with relevant parties to prevent the spread of war across the Black Sea. Overnight in Ukraine, four people were killed and 31 injured in Russian strikes. A Ukrainian delegation is in Washington today meeting with U.S. negotiators to discuss peace talks. For NPR News, I'm Derry Bouskeren, Istanbul.
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