Veterans affairs agency orders staff to report each other for ‘anti-Christian bias'
VA secretary Doug Collins, in an internal email seen by the Guardian, said the department had launched a taskforce to review the Biden administration's 'treatment of Christians'.
'The VA Task Force now requests all VA employees to submit any instance of anti-Christian discrimination to Anti-ChristianBiasReporting.@va.gov,' the email reads. 'Submissions should include sufficient identifiers such as names, dates, and locations.'
The email states that the department will review 'all instances of anti-Christian bias' but that it is specifically seeking instances including 'any informal policies, procedures, or unofficially understandings hostile to Christian views'.
In addition, the department is seeking 'any adverse responses to requests for religious exemptions under the previous vaccine mandates' and 'any retaliatory actions taken or threatened in response to abstaining from certain procedures or treatments (for example: abortion or hormone therapy)'.
Donald Trump signed an executive order within weeks of his second term aimed at ending the 'anti-Christian weaponization of government', and announced the formation of a taskforce, led by the attorney general Pam Bondi, to end all forms of 'anti-Christian targeting and discrimination' in the government.
Bondi would work to 'fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide', Trump said in February.
Critics were quick to condemn Trump's announcement at the time as a thinly veiled attempt to privilege evangelical Christianity over other religious minorities.
'If Trump really cared about religious freedom and ending religious persecution, he'd be addressing antisemitism in his inner circle, anti-Muslim bigotry, hate crimes against people of color and other religious minorities,' the president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Rachel Laser, said in a statement.
'This taskforce is not a response to Christian persecution; it's an attempt to make America into an ultra-conservative Christian nationalist nation.'
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The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
Wednesday briefing: Is Rachel Reeves about to overhaul the dreaded council tax?
Good morning. Britain's fiscal outlook is bleak. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, faces the daunting task of closing a £40bn black hole in the public finances. There is intense speculation over how she intends to, as runs that oft-used phrase, balance the books. This week, my colleagues have reported that the chancellor is considering a new 'proportional' property tax. It would mark a radical overhaul of stamp duty and council tax. While there has been a good deal of focus on stamp duty, changes to council tax in England have the potential to be the most transformative – and explosive. Almost all political parties agree that the council tax system – which replaced the deeply unpopular poll tax in 1991 and has remained unchanged since – is unfair and must be reformed. But just how to do so is notoriously complex and politically tricky – especially when so many local councils are strapped for cash. To better understand how England's council tax system exacerbates inequalities and why it has proven so difficult to change, I spoke with Richard Partington, the Guardian's senior economics correspondent. That's after the headlines. Ukraine | Donald Trump ruled out the deployment of American troops in Ukraine in his first interview after yesterday's White House meeting with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders. UK news | Keir Starmer's asylum plans have been plunged into turmoil after a high court ruling blocked people seeking refuge from being housed in an Essex hotel. Gaza | Israel has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday over a new Gaza ceasefire plan accepted by Hamas amid mounting pressure for a truce. UK politics | A Reform UK-led county council has served its residents a 'plate of chaos' from the start of its leadership, according to its Conservative opposition. Work | Older employees who are disturbed by younger, more boisterous colleagues in the workplace are not victims of age harassment, an employment tribunal has ruled. When you move into a new home, one of the first letters that comes through your letterbox is the amount of council tax you owe to the local authority. This local form of taxation is paid by every household living in the area, whether renting or owning. The funds are used to pay for services from rubbish collection to meals on wheels. It is a tax that people can see and feel in their daily lives. Just how council tax came to be goes some way to explain why there has been such a reluctance to try to change it. Before council tax, a system called rates used to fund local councils. In the 1980s, Margret Thatcher's Conservative government tried to introduce a flat tax, payable no matter the value of the property you lived in, or the income you were on. This became widely known as the poll tax. 'It was controversial. The poll tax was first introduced in Scotland as a sort of pilot scheme and there was a big uproar. When it was coming to England in the late 1980s, there were huge riots, which coincided with the massive unpopularity of the tail end of the Thatcher administration,' Richard Partington tells me. 'It was one of the factors that brought down her premiership. And to replace it, they went back to this compromised, fudged system between the old rates system and the poll tax, and it was called council tax.' The system was devised in 1991 and came into effect in 1993. The problem, however, is that the amount someone pays in council tax is still based on what property prices were in 1991. Which would work, if only we hadn't built any homes since then and prices had never changed. 'There's something like 4.5m new homes or more that have been built since 1991, and then countless more conversions of factory buildings, of barns, and other non-residential properties, like shops, to homes. And you've got this army of experts trying to guess how much it would have been worth in 1991,' Richard says. It's not just those on the left who think the system, as it stands, is absurd. Richard points to criticism by David Willetts, the chair of the Resolution Foundation, who was advising on tax policy in Margaret Thatcher's policy unit in the 1980s. 'He actually thinks that council tax has become as regressive as the poll tax.' Fundamentally unfair system It is worth spelling out just how ridiculous the council tax system is. Several taxation bands dictate how much a household will have to pay to a local authority. But a resident in Blackpool living in a band B property, where the average house price is £130,000, will pay £1,860; while in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average house is worth £2.2m, the same band B bill would be £1,220. 'It hasn't taken account of the huge booming property valuations that have taken place over the past 30-odd years. And that means that you've got people living in hugely expensive homes that are paying relatively low rates of council tax. And that is sort of fundamentally unfair,' Richard says. Of course, the question of how to fix a situation where the numbers are so out of touch with reality brings its own problems – but we'll get to that later. A worsening funding crisis Council tax is not the only way local authorities get money. They also receive grants from central government. But due to austerity measures under Conservative governments, spending power funded by these grants fell in real terms by more than 50% between 2010 and 2021. This is coupled with local councils' ballooning budgets trying to cater to the growing needs of the population. Councils are in charge of a lot more than just littering and local libraries; for example, they front the costs for social care for vulnerable adults and children. 'A large part of what councils do, most people won't see on a day-to-day basis. But adult and children's social care service spending has increased so much because we've got an older and increasingly unwell population, and the cost of delivery has increased. To pay for that, there have been cuts to other areas of spending like road cleaning and libraries,' Richard says. Several councils have declared bankruptcy as a result in recent years and they won't be alone in feeling the pinch. Almost half of councils in England risk falling into bankruptcy without action to address a £4.6bn deficit amassed under Conservative-era policies, according to the government's spending watchdog. 'Most people who wouldn't come into contact with adult social or children's services think that they're paying more to their local authority and not getting much for it. They don't understand why and that's a huge issue.' Winners and losers The problem with the council tax system is that the longer we wait, the harder it becomes to fix, Richard says. With the local council funding crisis coming to a head, the Labour government cannot choose to look away like its predecessors. But the solutions floated come with their own headaches. The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, is spearheading the 'fair funding review', to figure out a new way of distributing central government grant funding to councils. That is due to come in from April next year and is under consultation. 'Among the things they're looking at is rebalancing the amount of funding for councils in more deprived areas so that they receive more money in central government funding than wealthier areas. Largely that is going to help councils in the north of England and the Midlands, where they have historically been underfunded by central government grants. And the losers will be in London and the south and the home counties,' Richard says. But a study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that some of the biggest losers will be inner London boroughs where property valuations might be high but there are pockets of deep deprivation and child poverty. 'It highlights that while reforming the system that is so broken, there are going to be all kinds of issues that pop up in the process. You might think that you're addressing one problem, but another one will arise as a consequence,' Richard says. More fundamental reforms Reeves is reportedly considering overhauling stamp duty and council tax in a bid to raise desperately needed revenue. This was an idea put forward last year by Dr Tim Leunig, who was a government adviser in Rishi Sunak's Treasury, in a report for the centre-right thinktank Onwards. 'His idea was to replace council tax and stamp duty in one go with a proportional property tax that would take more accurate account of current property valuations on a national level, and a local version that would fund local services that would over time replace council tax,' Richard explains. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The reporting suggests any changes to council tax will probably not take place until Labour wins a second term. Is this Labour kicking the can down the line? Richard doesn't think so. 'It's a slow process because there are all these issues to consider. One of the problems is that the scale of the house price changes since the 90s means that if you were to institute a council tax that was actually reflective of current property values, you'd probably crash the London property market and lots of other places where house prices have boomed since the 90s,' Richard says. He adds that there are many people across the country who might live in what are now hugely valuable properties, but it doesn't mean they bought them for those prices. And, perhaps most importantly, it doesn't mean they have high incomes to pay for a regular council tax charge that reflects the modern-day value of the home. 'People hate council tax, and the idea that your council tax would significantly rise would be politically toxic for Labour,' Richard says. 'So they've been very careful with it.' A vivid and harrowing description from an academic in Gaza of what it's like trying to write and continue doing lectures while starving – and why producing knowledge there still matters. Phoebe Notting Hill Carnival returns this weekend and police have been told not to be seen dancing with revellers. Sound ridiculous? This comment piece by the Guardian's Hugh Muir will have you chuckling. Aamna Baffled by bramble bushes bursting with fruit since mid-summer, trees dropping their lives and acorns on the ground … when it's still August? This is because the seasonal cycle is completely out of whack. Phoebe What does it take to start one's own tiny country? The Guardian's Lucy Knight meets with the 20-year-old who claims a strip of forest between Serbia and Croatia with his friends. Aamna This is quite the insight into a relationship in which one partner bringing in an exotic strain of gonorrhoea can be followed up by a session of wedding planning. Phoebe Football | Bayern Munich's move for Christopher Nkunku has stalled, delaying Chelsea's attempts to sign RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons and Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho. Cricket | A career-best haul from veteran spinner Keshav Maharaj inspired South Africa to a crushing 98-run win over Australia in the first ODI in Cairns. US Open | Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu were bulldozed by a sharp Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, the top seeds, who reached the quarter-finals of the revamped mixed‑doubles competition with a 4-2, 4-2 win. 'High court rules asylum seekers must be moved from protest hotel' says the Guardian while the Times has 'High court puts asylum hotel policy into turmoil'. The Daily Express proclaims 'Asylum hotel closure is 'a victory for the mums'' and the Daily Mail goes with 'Labour's migrant hotels policy in disarray'. Similar in the i paper: 'Migrant policy in disarray as court rules protest hotel must evict asylum seekers' while the Telegraph says simply 'Migrant hotels facing closure'. Top story in the Financial Times is 'Trump hints at US air role in push to seal Ukraine peace' and the Mirror runs with 'Brit troops 'to keep the peace''. The Metro splashes on 'Fury at Reeves '£500k wealth tax on homes''. What price will Ukraine have to pay for peace? After a week of historic summits on the future of Ukraine, will the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have to trade land for peace? Diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reports A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad A Swedish church that was built in 1912 is going on a road trip – albeit a short one. The 672-tonne church – which is in the Arctic town of Kiruna – is being moved 5km down the road. Dozens of cameras have been set up along the route to enable people across Sweden and the world to watch as part of the latest 'slow TV' extravaganza billed as 'Den stora kyrkflytten' (the big church move). More than 10,000 people, including the Swedish king, Carl XVI Gustaf, are expected to line the streets – which have been widened especially. The endeavour took eight years of planning, and the church is not expected to reopen at its new location at the end of next year. The whole town is being moved to make way for the expansion of Europe's biggest underground mine. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
India and China hail warming ties amid Trump-induced geopolitical shake-up
India's prime minister and China's foreign minister have hailed 'steady' progress in their countries' fractious relationship, agreeing to resume trade and other ties, as well as work towards resolving the long-running Himalayan border dispute, amid a global geopolitical shake-up instigated by Donald Trump's tariff regime. According to statements from China's foreign ministry, the two sides agreed to resume direct flights – reiterating a pledge made in January – as well as issuing visas to journalists and facilitating business and cultural exchanges. On social media, India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, noted 'respect for each other's interests and sensitiveness', while China's foreign ministry said the countries had entered a 'steady development track' and should 'trust and support' each other. The visit by Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, to Delhi came ahead of an expected visit to Beijing by Modi to meet with China's leader, Xi Jinping, in October. It will be Modi's first trip to China since 2018. Relations between the two nuclear powers plummeted in 2020 when a border dispute in the remote Himalayas turned deadly. Their soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat as the worst episode of violence between the neighbours in decades left an official death toll of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. Since then, the two sides have held a series of talks to de-escalate the situation. Modi and Xi last October in Russia had their first meeting in five years. Both sides have continued to fortify borders, but have agreed to a pact on border patrols, and withdrawn additional forces. India's foreign ministry on Wednesday said Wang and the Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval discussed 'de-escalation, delimitation and boundary affairs'. Chinese state media phrased the discussion as agreeing to 'explore the possibility of advancing boundary demarcation negotiations'. 'The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interest of the people of our two countries. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders,' Wang said on Monday. India said its foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar raised concerns about China's plans to build a giant dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibetan territory – set to be the world's biggest hydropower project – which Delhi fears will impact downstream communities and areas. The thawing of relations between Delhi and Beijing comes as Donald Trump's unprecedented trade tariffs continue to shake up the global order. Sana Hashmi, a fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, said the US president's tariffs and the perception of a reduced US presence in Indo-Pacific partnerships had contributed to and accelerated efforts to stabilise the India-China relationship. But there remained 'fundamental differences' between the two. 'Core security issues and the overall nature of India-China relations will not change because of Trump's policies, and the Indo-Pacific framework will continue to shape regional dynamics,' Hashmi told the Guardian. 'For now, India's priority lies in managing tensions with China while navigating turbulent waters with the US.' After India, Wang will travel to Pakistan, a close ally of China but rival of India. China's foreign ministry said Beijing wanted to 'enhance friendly cooperation with both countries'. With agencies and additional research by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu
BBC News
a few seconds ago
- BBC News
US deportations: Trump strikes deals with Honduras and Uganda
The US has reached bilateral deportation agreements with Honduras and Uganda as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration, according documents obtained by the BBC's US partner has agreed to take an unclear number of African and Asian migrants who had claimed asylum on the US-Mexico border, and Honduras will receive several hundred deported people from Spanish-speaking countries, CBS move is part of an attempt by Donald Trump's administration to get more countries to accept deported migrants that are not their own rights campaigners have condemned the policy, saying migrants face the risk of being sent to countries where they could be harmed. Under the agreement, Uganda has agreed to accept deported migrants as long as they don't have criminal histories, but it's unclear how many the country would ultimately take, CBS agreed to receive migrants over two years, including families travelling with children, but documents suggest it could decide to accept deals are part of the Trump administration's broader push for deportation arrangements with countries on several continents - including those with controversial human rights far, at least a dozen nations have agreed to accept deported migrants from other week, the US State Department announced it had signed a "safe third country" agreement with Paraguay to "share the burden of managing illegal immigration".The White House has also been actively courting several African nations, with Rwanda saying earlier this month it will take up to 250 migrants from the US.A condition of the deal specifies that Rwanda would have "the ability to approve each individual proposed for resettlement", a government spokesperson told the has previously been criticised for its human rights record, including the risk that those sent to the East African nation could be deported again to countries where they may face this year, Panama and Costa Rica agreed to take in several hundred African and Asian migrants from the documents show the Trump administration has also approached countries like Ecuador and Spain to receive deported migrants, CBS the start of his second term, Trump has embarked on sweeping efforts to remove undocumented migrants - a key election promise that drew mass support during this June, the US Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland without giving them the chance to raise the risks they might the time, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the majority ruling, calling the decision "a gross abuse".UN rights experts and human rights groups have also argued that these removals to a nation that is not the migrant's place of origin could violate international law.
