Category: ESTA News

The Democratic Party has decided to hold a hearing to question the Supreme Court’s decision broadly granting former President Donald Trump criminal immunity for his actions while in office. According to the political media outlet The Hill on the 9th, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) announced that he would hold a hearing on the 24th regarding the Supreme Court’s July 1 decision on the former president’s criminal immunity.

Chairman Durbin said, “Congress cannot turn a blind eye to the dangers posed by the Supreme Court’s decision to exempt Donald Trump from criminal liability,” and “We will emphasize the serious danger that this far-right ruling poses to the American people.” The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 vote that former presidents’ acts while in office “are absolutely immune from criminal prosecution if they are committed within the scope of their decisive and exclusive constitutional authority,” while other “official acts” are “presumed” to be immune, and that there is no immunity for “private (unofficial) acts.”

Former President Trump, who was criminally indicted four times on charges including attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, leaking confidential information, and falsely stating company documents related to providing hush money to silence sexual harassment, has decisively reduced the “judicial risk” that has been cited as the biggest negative factor for the presidential election through this Supreme Court decision.

Above all, since it became necessary to determine whether the charges against former President Trump were related to “official acts,” it became virtually impossible for the trial on the charge of attempting to overturn the presidential election results to proceed before the presidential election on November 5. In addition, the court postponed the sentencing schedule for the case related to the hush money payment, which was scheduled to be sentenced in a New York state court on the 18th, to after the presidential election.

In addition, some argue that the Supreme Court’s decision could allow former President Trump to pursue controversial policies without fear of being punished after leaving office if he wins the election and returns to the White House in January.

On the 28th, the Supreme Court ruled to reject the Biden administration’s request to resume the implementation of the income-based student loan repayment plan ‘SAVE’. The SAVE plan was put on hold on the 18th of last month when the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary suspension order. (Reported on page A1 of the July 20th edition of this newspaper) After that, the Biden administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court against the temporary suspension order, but it was not accepted.

The Supreme Court’s position is that the main decision on whether to implement it should be made in the appeal. In August of last year, the Biden administration implemented the ‘SAVE’ plan, which significantly reduces the repayment burden on borrowers compared to the previous income-based repayment program. The SAVE plan expanded the target for exemption from monthly student loan repayment from the previous 150% of the federal poverty line (annual income of $24,000) to 225% (annual income of $32,805).

In addition, starting this February, a measure was launched to forgive the remaining debt of ‘SAVE’ subscribers with student loan principal of less than $12,000 if the debt is repaid for 10 years, and a plan was scheduled to be launched in July to reduce the borrower’s monthly payment by half from 10% of discretionary income (the amount of actual income minus living expenses) to 5%.

However, the future is uncertain as seven Republican-leaning states, including Missouri, filed an unconstitutional lawsuit and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order temporarily and completely blocking the implementation of the SAVE program. According to the Biden administration, there are about 8 million student loan borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan.

The time when not having immigration status hurts the most is around age 65. At this age, everyone applies for Medicare. However, if you do not have immigration status, you cannot join Medicare, which everyone else receives. We have summarized the relationship between Medicare, which is essential health insurance for retirees, and immigration status.

-How is Medicare structured?

▲Medicare is composed of 4 parts. Part A is for hospitalization, Part B is for doctor visits, Part C is for Medicare Advantage, and Part D is for prescription drugs. Among them, the parts that you must sign up for through the Social Security Administration (SSA) are Parts A and B. Part A is usually free.

However, if you have not worked in the United States for 10 years, you must pay a monthly premium to sign up for Part A. If the premium is burdensome, you can choose not to buy Part A and just sign up for Part B.

On the other hand, you can only purchase Medicare Advantage Part C or prescription drug Part D if you have Part A and Part B, or Part B.

– What are the conditions to receive Medicare Part A without paying a premium?

▲ First, you must be 65 years old. Second, you must have a record of working for 10 years. Even if you did not work for 10 years, if your spouse or ex-spouse has a record of working for 10 years, you can receive Medicare benefits based on that record.

– Can recent immigrants who have not worked in the U.S. for 10 years receive Medicare?

▲ Recent immigrants who have not worked in the U.S. can enroll in Medicare after 5 years of obtaining permanent residency. Permanent residents who are married to a citizen who has worked in the United States for 10 years can benefit from enrolling in Medicare after one year of becoming a spouse of the citizen.

– How to apply for Medicare

▲ Those who have been receiving Social Security before turning 65 are automatically enrolled in Medicare. New enrollees who are not included in this category must enroll within 7 months, starting from 3 months before turning 65 and ending 3 months after turning 65.

The period during which you can enroll without penalty is this 7-month period. If you miss this enrollment period, you must pay a penalty and enroll again between January and March of the following year.

– Can Medicare beneficiaries have Medicaid?

▲ If Medicare beneficiaries do not have income, they can additionally receive Medicaid. If you receive Medicare and Medicaid at the same time, you can receive medical benefits for virtually no cost.

– What happens to Medicare when traveling abroad?

▲ You cannot receive Medicare benefits while traveling abroad. If you drop out of Medicare, you will need to re-enroll. If you are living abroad, not just traveling temporarily, you will need to cancel your Medicaid Advantage or Part D, which only provides medications.

 

Since Medicaid is linked to SSI eligibility, if you travel abroad for more than 30 days, you will lose your SSI eligibility and lose Medicaid.

The Republican vice-presidential candidate is facing a backlash after raising suspicions that the Democratic vice-presidential candidate discharged himself from the National Guard in the past to avoid deployment to Iraq.

According to American political media outlets The Hill and USA Today on the 14th, more than 1,000 veterans and their families released an open letter protesting Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance (currently a U.S. senator) and former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for raising suspicions about Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz (currently a Minnesota governor)’s military service.

In the letter, the veterans wrote, “Vance’s recent comments attacking Walz’s military service are disrespectful and deeply disappointing,” adding, “This is especially true given Vance’s own military service (in the Marines), for which we are also deeply grateful.” The veterans also criticized Rep. Vance’s attack on Governor Walz as a “politically motivated attack.”

During a campaign rally on the 7th, Rep. Vance claimed that Governor Walz discharged to avoid being deployed to Iraq, saying, “When Tim Walz’s country asked him to go to Iraq, he discharged himself, and his unit went to Iraq without him.” The claim was that Governor Walz served in the National Guard (non-regular) for 24 years starting in 1981 when he was 17 and discharged in 2005 while preparing to run for the House of Representatives, just as his unit was about to be deployed to Iraq.

It is true that Governor Walz’s unit was deployed to Iraq after his discharge, but the chronology between when the governor learned of his unit’s planned deployment and when he applied for discharge remains controversial.

Rep. Vance also criticized Governor Walz for making remarks suggesting that he had been to war with a gun in a speech calling for stronger gun control despite having no combat experience. Some of these suspicions were also issues during Governor Walz’s gubernatorial campaign, and while they are controversial, some say that raising the suspicions themselves is excessive in a society where military service is especially valued.

Governor Walz himself recently counterattacked Rep. Vance during a campaign, saying, “If I were you, I would thank you for your military service.”

A law has been enacted in New Jersey that imposes fines of up to $10,000 on employers who exploit or threaten employees based on their immigration status. Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, who is acting for New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy who is on vacation, signed a bill on the 8th that penalizes employers who exploit employees based on their immigration status or force them to not report labor law violations. The bill passed the state Senate and Assembly in May and June, respectively, and took effect immediately after Way signed it.

The new law imposes fines of up to $1,000 for the first offense, up to $5,000 for the second offense, and up to $10,000 for each subsequent offense. In addition to the existing penalties for labor law violations, fines are added for unfair acts that exploit or threaten workers. The new law also includes provisions to protect all workers regardless of their immigration status, including those with work visas.

“Workers should not be forced to remain silent about workplace injustice for fear of their immigration status being revealed to authorities,” said State Senator Teresa Ruiz, who introduced the bill in the state legislature. “The new law is intended to prevent undocumented workers from being forced to remain silent because their employers threaten to report their illegal presence to authorities, even if they are paid less than minimum wage.”

The New Jersey Immigrant Justice Coalition welcomed the bill, saying, “Hardworking immigrants deserve equal protection regardless of their immigration status. The new law will protect them from coercion and intimidation based on their immigration status.” According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are an estimated 440,000 undocumented immigrants living in New Jersey.

A Manhattan district court has sided with New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a class action lawsuit challenging the expansion of the CityFHEPS program. Manhattan District Judge Lyle Frank ruled in favor of the City Council, Legal Aid Society (LAS), and others in a class action lawsuit challenging the city’s expanded rental housing voucher program. In his ruling, Frank stated that “the Department of Social Services (DSS) has primary authority to establish and amend the program under state law,” and that “since the Council’s ordinance ultimately conflicts with state law, the lawsuit brought by the Council and LAS is hereby dismissed.”

In response, the City Council and LAS, advocacy groups for the expansion of CityFHEPS, strongly opposed this and announced that they would immediately appeal. In a statement released that day, a City Council spokesperson stated, “It is deeply regrettable that the City Government (executive branch) is directly responding to the City Council (legislative branch)’s efforts to resolve the issues of forced evictions and homelessness in the midst

of a deepening housing crisis,” and emphasized that they would “file an appeal.” LAS also added, “This ruling leaves no way to rescue thousands of citizens who are at risk of forced eviction or are already homeless,” and “If the CityFHEPS expansion ordinance passed by the City Council is not implemented, New York City will end up spending millions of dollars more to accommodate them.” The ‘rental apartment voucher expansion ordinance’ passed the City Council last year, but Mayor Adams exercised her veto, citing budget constraints, and the City Council, in response, re-voted the ordinance (42 in favor, 9 against), automatically enacting it. However, when the market refused to implement it, it eventually escalated into a lawsuit.

The rental apartment voucher expansion ordinance includes ▲eliminating the requirement to reside in a homeless facility such as a shelter for 90 days before CityFHEPS support ▲expanding the CityFHEPS support eligibility from 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) ▲dramatically expanding the beneficiaries, such as allowing CityFHEPS support even if there is a letter requesting a rent increase.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in remote work, and the need for office space where all employees can work together has decreased significantly, office vacancy rates in Fairfax County, Virginia, are on the rise. According to recent data from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), the vacancy rate in Fairfax County rose from 16.7% in July of last year to 17.2% by the end of the year, the highest in a decade. Areas with particularly high vacancy rates include the Centreville and Reston areas in the western part of the county, along Dulles Toll Road and Route 28, where some buildings are over 50,000 square feet in size but more than 65% are vacant. There are 28 buildings with particularly high vacancy rates countywide, and the combined empty space in these buildings amounts to a whopping 3.7 million square feet.

Fairfax County, which has seen a significant decrease in commercial real estate tax revenue due to these empty buildings being left empty for years, is reportedly considering ways to repurpose these buildings for other purposes, such as multifamily housing. An official from the Economic Development Authority said, “Currently, real estate companies have expressed their intention to demolish and redevelop 70 empty buildings with 7.1 million square feet of office space,” and “We are also considering converting 8 buildings to residential use.” Separately, county officials expect that interest rates will fall soon, which will help the commercial real estate market breathe a little easier. They

are also pursuing a plan to attract artificial intelligence companies, which have recently been hiring a lot of people.

A heartbreaking incident occurred in which a Korean man in his 60s went missing while hiking in the scorching heat and was found dead five days later. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office in California, Korean man Kim Han-tae (61, photo, provided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office), who lived in Chula Vista near San Diego, was found dead in Snow Creek Canyon in the Whitewater area between Palm Springs and Cabazon in Riverside County on the 10th.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said that a missing person’s report was received on the morning of the 7th for Kim. At the time, Kim had gone hiking in the rugged mountainous area of Fuller Ridge, about two miles northeast of Idyllwild, and then lost contact, the Sheriff’s Office said. After

receiving the missing person’s report, authorities mobilized a helicopter to search for him, dispatched a professional rescue team to the scene, and conducted daily search operations with the assistance of a civilian mountain search team, and finally found Kim’s body, the Sheriff’s Office said.

According to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office report, it was not immediately known what caused Kim’s death or whether he had any injuries. However, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said Kim’s death did not appear to be criminally related, raising the possibility that he died from extreme heat after being stranded in the rugged mountainous region.

Riverside County, where Kim went missing, and neighboring areas have been experiencing a brutal heatwave this week, with highs well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit daily, local media reported.

The surge in COVID-19 variant infections in New York City has put public health on high alert for the summer. According to data from the city’s Department of Health, as of March 22, the average number of COVID-19 cases per week was 687, a whopping 250% increase from two months ago.

In addition, an average of 53 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 per day, and an average of one person died. This analysis suggests that the number of infected people is increasing rapidly as we enter the summer.

The city’s Department of Health says that the COVID-19 virus currently spreading is a variant of the Omicron virus, ‘FLiRT’. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the symptoms of ‘FLiRT’ infection are like those of the existing Omicron strain. As of July, the borough with the most infections among the five boroughs is Queens, requiring special attention from the elderly and those with weak immune systems.

According to the latest data from the city Health Department as of the 30th of last month, the average number of infected people in Queens is rising sharply, reaching 236 per week. The number of infected people per 100,000 people was also 73.34, nearly 10 more than the five boroughs’ average of 63.5. Following Queens in terms of weekly infections, Brooklyn came in first with 181, followed by Manhattan with 151, the Bronx with 140, and Staten Island with 48.

The number of infected people per 100,000 people was 70.99 in Staten Island, 69.03 in the Bronx, 64.78 in Manhattan, and 49.57 in Brooklyn. Fresh Meadows in Queens was the most vulnerable to infection among the five boroughs, including Queens, with 83 infections per 100,000 people. It was followed by Long Island City-Astoria with 77 people, Bayside-Little Neck with 74 people, Forest Hill-Ridgewood with 70 people, and Flushing-Clearview with 57 people per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, the city health department stated, “The testing rate is low, so we cannot 100% diagnose the current situation,” and added, “However, recent testing and wastewater testing results show that the current situation is showing a similar surge to last summer.”

Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, is in final criminal settlement talks with the Justice Department over the series of crashes involving its 737 Max planes, Bloomberg reported on the 29th, citing sources.

The settlement, which is currently being negotiated, is expected to include provisions to increase oversight of Boeing, and a final agreement could be announced as early as next week, the sources said. Prosecutors have indicated that they believe Boeing needs to be prosecuted for the 737 Max crashes, but it is unclear whether Boeing will admit to any wrongdoing, the sources said.

The Justice Department previously reached an agreement with Boeing to pay $2.5 billion (about 3.5 trillion won) in a criminal settlement in exchange for deferred prosecution of two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. The agreement, reached in 2021, also included provisions to review compliance practices and submit regular reports. Then, on January 5 of this year, two days before the three-year deferred prosecution period under the 2021 agreement was to expire, another 737 Max accident occurred.

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger plane taking off from Portland International Airport in Oregon made an emergency landing after its windows and part of the wall were torn off while flying about 5,000 meters above the ground.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined in its preliminary investigation that four bolts that secure the door were missing during the assembly of the plane. Reuters previously reported that the Justice Department could extend the 2021 settlement or impose stricter monitoring conditions instead of prosecuting Boeing. However, if it does not prosecute Boeing, it could face strong opposition from the families of the crash victims.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg assessed that even if Boeing reaches an agreement with the Justice Department, the legal risks it faces will not be resolved.

U.S. authorities are continuing to investigate the Alaska Airlines crash, and a grand jury in Seattle could decide to bring additional charges against Boeing in connection with the crash, Bloomberg reported.