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In the news today: Israel announces plan to retake Gaza City; U.S. President Donald Trump orders federal regulators to probe alleged bank discrimination against conservatives; and a U.N. report finds Afghanistan's Taliban have "weaponized" the judicial system to oppress women. Also, a summer camp run by grandmas. |
Buildings in the Gaza Strip as seen from Israel on Thursday. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) |
Israel announces plan to retake Gaza City, escalating the war with Hamas and fueling worries for hostages |
Israel said Friday it plans to take over Gaza City — an escalation of its 22-month war with Hamas that drew a dismissal from the militant group, renewed international calls to end the conflict, and stirred fears for hostages still held in Gaza. Read more. |
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Trump orders federal regulators to probe alleged bank discrimination against conservatives |
The president on Thursday signed an executive order mandating a probe into whether banks have discriminated against conservatives and certain industries like gun manufacturers and cryptocurrency companies, invoking the vast powers to go after entities that the Republican president alleges have discriminated against him and his allies. The move could open banks to potential civil or criminal investigations, fines or other punishments. Read more. |
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The executive order deals with an issue known as "debanking." When Trump and his party discuss debanking, they typically refer to banks closing the accounts of a person or company when they no longer want to do business with them. Banks usually say they close accounts or deny loans because the person or business is deemed too risky. Another type of debanking is when government regulators tell banks to avoid doing business with industries or individuals, known as reputational risk.
Conservatives have argued that reputational risk has become an umbrella term that allows banks to discriminate. And for Trump, the issue of debanking is deeply personal. In a wide-ranging interview on CNBC earlier this week, he alleged that two major banks — JPMorgan and Bank of America — cut him off after he left office in 2021. Both banks have denied they debanked Trump. Republicans have introduced legislation to cut down on alleged acts of debanking as well.
- Banks, which have benefited from Trump's deregulation agenda and prefer simpler rules and regulations, have tried to strike a cordial tone with the administration, showing themselves as willing brokers who got caught up in a difficult political environment.
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Afghanistan's Taliban have 'weaponized' the judicial system to oppress women, UN expert says |
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have "weaponized" the legal and judicial system to oppress women and girls in what amounts to "crimes against humanity," the independent U.N. investigator on human rights in the country said. Read more. |
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Richard Bennett said, in a report to the U.N. General Assembly circulated Wednesday, that after seizing power in 2021 the Taliban suspended the 2004 constitution and laws protecting the rights of women and girls. These include a landmark law that criminalized 22 forms of violence against women, including rape and child and forced marriage.
The Taliban defend their approach to justice by claiming they are implementing Islamic sharia law, but Islamic scholars and others have said their interpretation is unparalleled in other Muslim-majority countries and does not adhere to Islamic teachings. They say protecting the legal rights of women is a priority. Bennett said, however, that women have virtually no rights, and that international forums offer the best hope for justice.
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Shameem Syed helps student Zaaria Moosani during a cooking class at Olive Community Services, in July in Fullerton, Calif. (AP Photo/Zoë Meyers) |
At a summer camp run by grandmas, kids learn cooking skills and life advice
At the "Intergenerational Summer Camp" in a Southern California suburb, the grandmas are in charge. Every week, they taught a group of 8- to 14-year-olds how to cook a new dish and do a handicraft such as sewing, embroidering, clay jewelry and card marking. Some of the volunteer grandmas milled around and watched, content to just be around the youngsters. |
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