Category: ESTA News

New laws approved by the Maryland Legislature will take effect in Maryland on Saturday, July 1.

The new legislation will include legalization of possession of recreational marijuana (marijuana), search and seizure laws, Title IX to combat sexism and sexual assault, reimbursement for military medical expenses, and tax refunds for veterans.

The following are the new laws that will take effect from Saturday, July 1st.

On July 1, Maryland will allow adults 21 and older to possess less than 1.5 ounces of marijuana and grow no more than two trees.

Law enforcement officials, including police, are prohibited from stopping people or vehicles to search for and confiscate marijuana, even if it smells like marijuana. Evidence found during a police search cannot be used in court.

In addition, fines for smoking marijuana in public places will be reduced from $250 to $50 for the first offense, and from $500 to $50 for the second offense.

Public schools must provide students, parents, staff, and teachers with all information on Title IX to combat sexism and sexual violence.

As a result, you can report sexual discrimination or sexual assault damages or complaints to the Title IX coordinator.

Title IX is a bill aimed at prohibiting gender discrimination in each school activity and is also a measure to solve the problem of sexual violence.

The “Keep Our Heroes Home” bill increases the amount of state tax-free retirement income for veterans aged 55 and older from $15,000 to $20,000, and for young veterans from $5,000 to $12,500.

A landmark package of police reform legislation has been enacted that would require all law enforcement agencies in Maryland to require officers to wear body cameras by July 1, 2025. State governments provide necessary equipment for small institutions.

Each county school board must provide educational programs or services to students with disabilities that meet their individual needs.

If nearby schools cannot provide the necessary education for students with disabilities, they must create and provide individual programs. The teacher’s salary for this must also be supported by the state and county.

While the Republican Party aimed at President Joe Biden’s family in the House of Representatives and pressed the FBI to submit data, President Biden responded to the media’s related questions as “stupid questions.”

On the 15th, President Biden was asked by a reporter at an event related to a “small and certain happiness policy” on the 15th, “Why did you call you ‘Big guy’ in the FBI’s informant file related to Ukraine?” received.

This question was posed by a conservative New York Post reporter as the media exited as the event was held behind closed doors after President Biden spoke. Regarding this, President Biden confronted the reporter, saying, “Why are you asking such a stupid question?” President Biden was asked a similar question at a press conference held after the summit with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the 8th, and dismissed it as “nonsense” while asking, “Where is the money then?” The FBI informant file mentioned by the New York Post reporter is related to the suspicion of bribery by President Biden raised by the Republican Party.

Conservative Fox News reported that an FBI informant said in a 2000 interview that Biden had received $5 million from a Ukrainian energy company that his second son, Hunter, was an executive of when he was vice president.

This information is contained in an FBI document in the form of FD-1023, which is a form of recording unverified reports from secret sources, the media reported. In this document, a person from the energy company called President Biden the ‘Big Guy’.

The House Oversight Committee of the House of Representatives requested the FBI to submit these documents, and when the FBI refused to do so, it announced that it would go through the process of prosecuting FBI Director Christopher Wray for contempt of Congress.

The FBI later decided to allow access to the committee members. White House spokesman Ian Sams tweeted: “Every time a little scrutiny dispels this absurd claim, the right wing moves the goal post.”

Newspapers that have long supported him have turned their backs on ex-president Donald Trump after he was charged with secret theft.

The New York Post, a popular American conservative magazine, called former President Trump along with US President Joe Biden as ‘the two worst people in America’ through an editorial on the 9th.

The criticism came a day after former President Trump was accused of illegally leaking classified documents from the White House, storing them at his home in Mar-Lago, Florida, and obstructing the government’s attempt to retrieve them.

The New York Post opened the door to criticism, saying, “He, who is used to believing that the rules do not apply to him, ignored the law and mocked the authorities.”

The media pointed out that former President Trump was “shamefully irresponsible and petty” for leaking classified documents.

“I did it to fill his ego,” he said, “to show the guests who come to Mar-a-Lago how important he is.”

The New York Post concluded that former President Trump was unfit to be president again. The newspaper cited this incident and his attitude during the congressional riots as the grounds for his lack of presidential qualifications, saying, “Trump does not yield because he bets everything on ‘win or lose’, not on right or wrong.”

Former President Trump has been on the impeachment trial for allegedly causing protesters supporting him to break into a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election as fraudulent.

The New York Post lamented that “two unscrupulous men are the front runners challenging for the highest office in this country,” noting that US President Joe Biden is also not free from suspicions of corruption by his son Hunter Biden.

At the same time, he expressed his position that he hoped that Republican voters would not choose former President Trump, who had lost the election.

The New York Post, one of the media companies owned by conservative media conglomerate Rupert Murdoch, publicly supported Trump in the 2020 presidential election, and was once considered former President Trump’s favourite media outlet. It is noteworthy how the indictment will affect voters, especially among Republicans who have consistently supported former President Trump.

The Washington Post (WP) of the United States introduced the results of a poll that showed that Republicans consider the indictment of former President Trump more serious than the indictment in March.

Former President Trump was indicted by the New York State Prosecutor’s Office in March on charges of tampering with the books of the company by giving money to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her silence.

In a recent YouGov poll, 28 percent of Republicans said falsifying company records to pay for silence was a “serious crime,” but illegally taking classified documents and obstructing government investigations was a “serious crime.” 42% of respondents said it was a ‘serious crime’.

Among Republicans, 39% said that if former President Trump is convicted of “serious crimes,” he should not serve as president. However, former President Trump has assured that the indictment will further increase his approval rating.

Former President Trump said at a Republican event held in Columbus, Georgia on the 10th, “The only advantage of this indictment is that it raises my approval rating.”

One in seven New Jersey children live in extreme poverty below the federal poverty line.

According to a report recently released by the New Jersey children’s advocacy non-profit ‘ACNJ’, as of 2021, about 284,150 of New Jersey’s under-18s will live below the federal poverty line ($27,479 per year for a family of four). It was estimated that in the case of Bergen County, the area with the largest concentration of Koreans, 20,313 people, or 10% of those under the age of 18, were found to be living in poverty.

ACNJ pointed out that “the biggest problem facing New Jersey families with children is poverty.” This report contains various indicators that can measure the standard of living of New Jersey families. About half (49%) of New Jersey households spend more than 30% of their total income on housing rent, which is a significant burden on housing costs.

More than 50% of the households in Bergen County spend over 30% of their income on rent. By county, Morris County has the highest at $165,509, and Cumberland County has the lowest at $59,325.

Bergen County, which has a large Korean population, is the 5th highest among New Jersey counties with $144,655.

The Attorney General of Texas, who has been criticized for various unsavoury allegations such as bribery and abuse of power, is in danger of being impeached for spending huge amounts of taxpayer money while agreeing to a lawsuit with employees who accused him of corruption.

The Republican-majority House of Representatives of Texas passed the impeachment bill of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on the 27th, the Associated Press and Reuters reported. Attorney General Paxton also belongs to the Republican Party, but as several lawmakers from the same party turned their backs, the House vote passed with an overwhelming majority of 121 votes to 23 votes against.

Accordingly, Attorney General Paxton is suspended from his duties pending a decision by the State Senate. Previously, the House committee launched an investigation into him on the 23rd and announced 20 articles of impeachment on the 25th, speeding up the impeachment process. Attorney General Paxton has been plagued by various scandals for a long time, such as being indicted for violating the Securities Act in 2014 and for securities fraud in 2015, respectively.

It has to do with exposing allegations of abuse. At the time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was investigating Paxton’s alleged collusion with Nate Paul, a Texas real estate developer who provided political funds to Paxton. accused of doing They later retaliated, including being fired, and suing Paxton under the Texas Whistle-blower Protection Act. Faced with a disadvantage, Paxton agreed to pay 3.3 million dollars (approximately 4.38 billion won) in compensation instead of finalizing the lawsuit in February this year.

He then asked the legislature for approval to use state funds to pay the compensation. “If Paxton hadn’t asked for taxpayer funds as a settlement for his misconduct, he would not have faced impeachment,” said a member of the House committee that pushed for the impeachment. “Attorney General Paxton has consistently and blatantly violated laws, rules, policies and procedures,” said Congressman David Spiller before the vote.

In the meantime, Attorney General Paxton, along with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, has been at the forefront of attacking President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party government, and has been supported by Republican hardliners. Former President Donald Trump expressed his support for him by posting a post on social media that day, “Free Ken Paxton.”

According to statistics from the Honolulu Police Department, seven of eight crimes on Oahu in 2022 showed a year-over-year decrease.

rape 293 to 261, robbery 795 to 782, aggravated assault 1,407 to 1,266, property crime 28,349 to 24,117, theft 20,79 to 17,596, robbery 3,454 2,470 cases and car theft decreased from 4,816 to 4,051 cases, respectively.

Director Arthur Logan of the Police Department cited the low unemployment rate and the easing of COVID-19 quarantine rules as factors for the decrease in crime, adding that it was the result of all departments of the Police Department working together to maintain public order.

Next, Director Logan explained that so-called hot spots patrols in connection with residents had a great effect.

According to Director Logan, the police department has designated eight districts within its jurisdiction as hotspots, conducted crime prevention education for residents, and worked with residents to form a security surveillance system, making efforts to maintain public order.

Honolulu District Attorney’s Office Prosecutor Steve Armam said that reducing crime was the right thing to do, and highly praised the efforts of the Police Department and residents, as well as the efforts of the With and Seed operation, the Safe and Sound Waikiki Movement, and the city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies of Honolulu. did.

According to Prosecutor Arm, under the influence of the Safe and Sound Waikiki Movement, which started in September last year, the crime rate in the first quarter of this year showed a decrease of 64%, 25%, and 15% in robbery, theft, and assault, respectively.

Meanwhile, the increased item was murder, which increased from 21 in 2021 to 25 in 2022.

The number of gun-related murders/robbery/assaults fell from 388 in 2021 to 345 in 2022, but sharp weapon-related incidents increased from 470 in 2021 to 514 in 2022.

Hawaii State Police Officers Association (SHOHO) Vice President Stephen Keogg advised that reducing crime would require addressing the police shortage.

According to a Star Advertiser report, the department is currently short of about 370 people.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiad pointed out that a decrease in crime is good news in difficult times due to Corona 19, and said he hoped to create a better society with the efforts of the police department.

A DC woman kidnapped to Prince George’s County, Maryland, was found nude in a U-Haul truck.

According to police, 62-year-old Dennis Bell of Prince George’s County kidnapped a woman in front of a convenience store in DC’s Southeast on the morning of the 12th. Mr. Bell kidnapped this woman with her U-Haul truck and demanded she be naked, threatening her life.

At around 9:45 a.m. on the same day, several other drivers noticed the U-Haul vehicle staggering in Lanham, Prince George’s County, and reported it. and arrested the suspect, Mr. Bell.

The suspect was arrested on the evening of the 12th and is currently in custody and is currently charged with 14 counts.

The police are conducting an autopsy on the deceased and investigating the exact circumstances of the incident. A man in his 20s who killed his girlfriend who had an abortion in Texas has been arrested by police. According to the arrest warrant record of the Dallas County Court, Texas on the 13th, police arrested Harold Thompson (22), a suspect, on charges of shooting and killing Gabriela Gonzalez (26) on a residential street in Dallas on the 10th.

Police were called to the scene at around 8:20 a.m. on the day of the shooting and found González dead with multiple gunshot wounds. González’s sister, who witnessed the scene, drove by in her car. Another witness said he saw Thompson choke González prior to the shooting.

The witness said he wanted to help the victim, but he didn’t have a cell phone with him at the time, so he couldn’t call the police. CCTV footage obtained by police showed the man strangling the woman, then pulling out her gun and shooting her in the head, before shooting her several times.

A police investigation found that González had gone to Colorado for an abortion and that she had returned the night before. Thompson has refused to comment after being arrested, police said.

Texas is a Republican stronghold, one of the hottest places in the country over abortion.

While President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are scheduled to negotiate on the issue of raising the debt ceiling on the 9th, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned again of the possibility of default.

Appearing on ABC on the 7th, Secretary Yellen said, “U.S. Treasury bonds are the most secure underlying bonds of the international financial system.”

“If Congress doesn’t act as the (default) date approaches, we’re going to see the consequences in financial markets,” she said.

When asked about the possibility of President Biden’s invocation of Article 14 of the Amendment, Minister Yellen said, “There is no way to protect the US financial system and economy except for Congress to do its job,” adding, “The president has to consider whether to continue issuing debt.” It shouldn’t go that far. It’s a constitutional crisis,” he said.

“If Congress can’t do its job, then there are no good options in that case,” she added. Some US constitutional scholars believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that “all debts of the federal government must be honoured,” gives the president the power to continue issuing debt without raising the debt ceiling. Previously, Secretary Yellen sent a letter to House Speaker McCarthy and others on the 1st, warning that default could occur as early as the 1st of next month if the debt ceiling is not raised.

The U.S. Treasury Department asked Congress to raise or suspend the application of the debt ceiling, saying it had entered special measures in response to the debt ceiling being reached in January.

However, negotiations have so far stalled, with Republicans linking higher debt ceilings with cuts in fiscal spending, and the White House demanding an unconditional increase in debt ceilings.

The Washington State Department of Transportation announced that it will stop operating the automated traffic information system for phone number 511 starting May 19.

The Ministry of Transportation explained that the number of 511 users has decreased significantly as travelers can easily share traffic information through social media such as Google Maps and smartphone apps.

According to the Ministry of Transportation, the number of times travelers use the 511 number has decreased by 89% in 13 years, from 2.2 million in 2009 to 302,000 last year. On the other hand, the operating cost of a 511-phone system exceeds $150,000 per year, including labor costs.

Currently, the 511-phone system informs travelers of road congestion, crash locations, weather forecasts, mountain road traffic, ferry boarding information, highway express lane status, and more in real time. However, most of this information can also be obtained through SNS, GPS systems built into cars, and online services of the Ministry of Transportation.

The Ministry of Transport said that people without access to the Internet or smartphones can still obtain necessary traffic information over the phone, and provided phone numbers for each item as follows.