House Republicans united on border policy focus
WASHINGTON — Despite Republican Conference divisions laid bare by a dayslong internal battle for speaker, the party has emerged united on plans to focus this year on immigration issues and oversight of the Biden administration’s border policies.
Republicans in both camps during those speaker votes underscored the need for action on border security. Republicans newly tasked with leading the House’s immigration and border security committees have said the issue will be a top priority.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., announced a border security bill will be brought to the floor in the coming weeks and said lawmakers would hold a hearing about the “open border” on location. And articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have already been filed by one Republican lawmaker, and more are expected.
But Republicans’ goal for Congress to pass legislation to secure the border appears tough to accomplish. Democrats control the Senate, and Republicans have such a slim majority in the House that disagreement from only a few moderates could derail more aggressive approaches.
—CQ-Roll Call
University of Kentucky one of largest holders of Native American remains that haven’t been returned to tribes
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky is one of the largest holders of Native American remains and artifacts that have not been made available for return to tribes, a report from ProPublica published this week showed.
The William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, located at UK, holds more than 4,500 Native American remains. Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, federal agencies and institutions are required to return Native American remains and cultural items to tribes. The law was passed in 1990 by Congress, but most remains located at museums and universities across the country still have not been returned.
UK holds the sixth highest amount of Native American remains that have not yet been made available for return to tribes, according to ProPublica. Other institutions that also hold high numbers of unreturned remains include the University of California, Berkeley, the Illinois State Museum and Harvard University. Regionally, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley Authority also hold high numbers of unreturned remains and items.
Part of NAGPRA states that remains and objects do not have to be returned to tribes unless a tribe or organization makes a formal request for those items to be returned, which has allowed universities and institutions to keep the items, ProPublica reported.
—Lexington Herald-Leader
Idaho lawmaker ‘embarrassed,’ sorry for comparing women to dairy cows
BOISE, Idaho — Newly elected Idaho state Rep. Jack Nelsen apologized Thursday for saying in his first committee meeting that his experience milking cows informed his opinions on women’s health. Nelsen, a Jerome Republican, said he’s “embarrassed” and “offended others.”
“The way I phrased my statement about women and reproductive rights yesterday completely missed the mark,” Nelsen said in an emailed statement. “I am deeply sorry. I recognize the mistake and commit to doing better in the future.”
During the House Agricultural Affairs Committee’s first meeting of the legislative session, Nelsen said he’s a “lifelong dairy farmer,” who has “milked a few cows” and spends “most of my time walking behind lines of cows.”
“So if you want some ideas on repro (reproduction) and the women’s health thing, I have some definite opinions,” he said with a laugh. The comment drew sharp rebuke on social media as well as national media attention.
—The Idaho Statesman
Japan indicts suspected killer of former premier Abe
Japanese prosecutors indicted a man in his 40s on charges of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last year in a crime that horrified the country and triggered a scandal over the ruling party’s links with a fringe religion.
Tetsuya Yamagami was indicted after he was held for months of psychological evaluation and then found fit to stand trial, the Yomiuri newspaper and other local media said Friday.
The suspected gunman was arrested on the scene for allegedly shooting Abe with a homemade firearm as the former premier was campaigning for his Liberal Democratic Party in July in the western city of Nara.
The suspect told police he targeted Abe, the country’s longest-serving premier, because of his ties with the South Korean-based group formerly known as the Unification Church. The suspect blamed the group for ruining his family by taking excessive donations from his mother.
—Bloomberg News
