US couples with a noncitizen partner: did you decide to get married because of immigration policy concerns?
Since the month Trump was re-elected in November 2024, the New York City marriage bureau recorded a 33% increase in marriage license applications, the City first reported.
Although it's hard to say how many unmarried transnational couples there are in the US, in 2021, 12.4% of all married couples included a foreign spouse, the highest percentage on record.
If you're part of a couple with a foreign-born partner whom you're not yet married to or whom you recently wed, we'd like to hear from you.
You can share your experiences of getting married as a transnational couple in the US using this form.
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Please include as much detail as possible.
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BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
Why the Epstein case looms large in MAGA world
When Jack Posobiec walked into the Department of Justice in Washington, DC last February, he thought he would finally get some answers about Jeffrey when he and other MAGA supporters were given essentially just rehashed, already-public material - and when the government put a damper on the release of any new information this July - they balked."We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn't have to be," Posobiec posted on social media on 7 Donald Trump is finding it hard to shake loose the conspiracy theories that have animated his base since he first broke through into Republican politics a decade ago. Posobiec, who emerged from the fringes of the internet in 2016 when he spread false rumours about a child abuse ring based in a Washington DC restaurant - a conspiracy theory that became known as Pizzagate - is just one of many MAGA die-hards who believes officials are hiding key truths about Epstein's life and disgraced financier and convicted sex offender died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking a recent podcast hosted by Breitbart News editor Alex Marlow, Posobiec said the MAGA base see this case as shorthand for the thorough rot of the so-called "deep state"."It's not that they care about Epstein personally," he said. "It's that they care that there's this optic that Epstein was somehow involved with a shadowy system that actually has control over our government, control over our institutions, control of our lives, and really is a ruling power over us."Over the years, some have claimed that government officials possess files on Epstein that reveal sordid details, including that a "client lint" exists with notable names on it who may have participated in some Epstein's alleged has, in the past, played to that crowd. During last year's election campaign, he said he would have "no problem" releasing Epstein case files, and after the election directly answered a question about whether he would "declassify" the files by saying: "Yeah, yeah, I would."Conspiratorial thinking has been a part of President Trump's movement from the outset. His entry into the once-crowded world of Republican Party politics a decade ago came as he amplified the false theory that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United however, the world of conspiracy is biting back. Epstein's crimes are real and horrific, and there remains the possibility that further information could emerge about they have also become subsumed by grander narratives – Pizzagate, and later QAnon, the sprawling interactive conspiracy theory that swamped the internet during Trump's first term, pushing the idea that the highest echelons of society were controlled by a child-abusing elite cabal. The conspiracy theory spread through cryptic messages posted by a pseudonymous character called Rothschild, author of several books on Trump-era conspiracies, including The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult and Conspiracy of Everything, said Epstein was mentioned in several such messages dating back to late 2017."Epstein is seen as one of the major players in a global 'paedo elite' that's been trafficking children for centuries, and that Q and Trump were supposed to put an end to once and for all," he told the after the justice department meeting in February, administration officials, including FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino - who both stoked Epstein rumours for years - started to dampen talk of any major on 8 July, the Department of Justice and FBI said in a memo that Epstein's cause of death was suicide and there was no evidence he had a "client list".The president seemed eager to move on, calling the Epstein case "sordid, but it's boring" while also blaming Democrats for continuing to make it an Trump supporters are happy to follow the president's lead. But a subset of extremely online MAGA supporters are still deeply passionate about the Epstein orders officials to release Epstein court documentsProsecutor in Diddy and Epstein cases fired by justice departmentTrump's Epstein strategy could pit him against loyal supporters Several MAGA voices, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have alleged that Epstein was employed by the Israeli security services. And among more extreme elements of the movement, the conspiracy theories around Epstein sometimes veer into the Rothschild said most of the people in MAGA world are simply itching for more information – if it indeed exists – about the financier's connections with Bill Clinton and other Democrats and Trump opponents. Epstein cultivated powerful people from both major US political long history of MAGA's Epstein obsession mean Trump is now finding it difficult to satisfy the conspiratorial elements in his story took another twist late on Thursday as The Wall Street Journal reported Trump had sent Epstein a "bawdy" birthday greeting in 2003. The pair's one-time friendship is well-known, but Trump says he cut ties with Epstein long ago and filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters following the report. Meanwhile, Trump seemed more willing to indulge the conspiracy theorists, posting on Truth Social: "Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval."There is no doubt that conspiracy theories clearly have the power to motivate some of the president's base. QAnon supporters were among some of the most visible participants at the January 2021 riot at the US a survey conducted just before last November's election, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) think tank found that nearly a fifth of Americans agree with QAnon-linked statements, including most pointedly: "The government, media, and financial worlds in the US are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping paedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation."Many see the Epstein case as a confirmation of those views, and the QAnon-believing population is heavily pro-Trump, the PRRI found, with 80% backing the with that support has come influence. Posobiec, the Pizzagate and Epstein conspiracy theorist who was at the DOJ meeting in February, reportedly accompanied Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on a recent trip to also has been photographed meeting with neo-Nazi's, although he denies being a white nationalist did not respond to the BBC's request for is adamant that Epstein's case is connected to the wider conspiracy world."It ties to Covid, it ties to lockdowns, it ties to vaccines," Posobiec said, on the Alex Marlow podcast, which was recorded at a conference last week where multiple speakers brought up Epstein and demanded further revelations."It ties to so many different buckets of the anger people are feeling."Rich Logis, a former longtime Trump supporter who broke ranks and started an organisation called Leaving MAGA, said that these outlandish theories serve "as ties that bind many within the MAGA community", even amongst those who doubt says Trump's dismissal this week of their concerns this left some supporters "feeling confused and stunned"."They expected Trump to keep his promise and reveal those who allegedly aided and abetted Epstein," he the Epstein case presents a political quagmire for Trump, there is also a problem for his supporters, particularly the vocal influencer class, in figuring out where to funnel their rage. Targeting the president could backfire when it comes to their own followers."Many of the major influencers are furious," Rothschild said, "and while they might not take it out on Trump, they might take it out on the GOP (Republican Party) in general."Trump has so far stood by Pam Bondi, his attorney general. But she, Patel and Bongino may increasingly feel the pressure if MAGA's conspiracy wing continues to demand more files - whether or not they actually exist.
Telegraph
21 minutes ago
- Telegraph
US moves to free up Patriot missiles for Ukraine
The Trump administration has started freeing up Patriot air defence systems to send to Ukraine, days after the US president vowed to send more weapons to Kyiv. The Pentagon has moved Germany ahead of Switzerland to receive the next Patriots, which will allow Berlin to send Ukraine the two weapons it already has, US officials told The Wall Street Journal. Switzerland had purchased five Patriot systems which were scheduled to be delivered between 2026 and 2028. It comes days after Donald Trump announced his decision reversal on supplying weapons to Ukraine, proposing a pipeline plan to sell weapons to Nato allies in Europe, who could in turn provide them to Kyiv. Mr Trump gave Vladimir Putin a deadline of 50 days to negotiate a peace deal or face 'very significant' tariffs and sanctions, including on its trading partners. The costly Patriot systems – in high demand among US allies – have proven effective at destroying Russian ballistic missiles aimed at Ukraine's cities. 'We're sending weapons to Nato, and Nato is paying for those weapons, 100 per cent,' Mr Trump said in an interview with NBC News last week. 'So what we're doing is, the weapons that are going out are going to Nato, and then Nato is going to be giving those weapons (to Ukraine), and Nato is paying for those weapons.' Mr Trump said last week the weapons were 'already being shipped', adding: 'They're coming in from Germany and then replaced by Germany, and in all cases, the United States gets paid back in full.' Germany was believed to be the nation most invested in the scheme. Friedrich Merz, its chancellor, proposed buying Patriot air defence batteries for Ukraine in a deal with the US. Some European allies had so far refrained from committing to the $10 billion (£7.5 billion)initiative, which involves countries giving up their prized systems, including the Patriot missile batteries that Kyiv has been desperately seeking. The Trump administration will manoeuvre plans for its future deliveries to prioritise the countries who sign on to send Patriots to Ukraine, a US official told the WSJ. Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, is scheduled to meet his Nato counterparts on Monday to discuss the issue. A separate meeting Wednesday involving countries that own Patriots will be chaired by Gen Alexus Grynkewich, chief of European Command. The Swiss government said the US had 'decided to reprioritise the delivery of Patriot ground-based air defence systems' as part of its effort to support Ukraine. It is now not clear when the country will receive the equipment. Kyiv has six fully operational Patriot batteries – two from the US, two from Germany, one from Romania and one jointly given by Germany and the Netherlands, according to the arms monitoring group Action on Armed Violence. During his Oval Office meeting with Mr Trump last week, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte mentioned six Nato countries – Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada – that were willing to participate in the weapons-purchasing scheme. Some had been hesitant to make a decision on whether to join the scheme without the release of key details. France had told allies it will not join the initiative, according to officials briefed on the discussions. The Italian government said it would not purchase weapons but could help with the logistics of transporting them to Ukraine, Italian media reported.
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Wales will become home to new AI Growth Zone, UK Government
Wales has been named as the future home of an AI Growth Zone, part of the UK Government's Plan for Change, which aims to generate economic growth through advanced technology. The zone is expected to attract billions of pounds in investment and create thousands of high-skilled jobs. Peter Kyle, UK secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, said: "From the coalmines of the Valleys to Swansea's mantra of 'Copperopolis', Welsh trailblazers were the beating heart of the industrial revolution. "AI is this generation's next great industrial leap, so who better to help drive that change than a nation which has always been a by-word for innovation. "These Growth Zones will revitalize communities in the here and now – unlocking fresh investment and new opportunities for those that have been left out in the cold for too long." AI Growth Zones are designed to accelerate the development of critical infrastructure such as data centres. These centres will support breakthroughs in areas like healthcare, climate science, and other sectors by enabling the processing of vast amounts of data. The plan is part of a broader government strategy to increase the UK's computing capacity twenty-fold—ensuring the infrastructure is in place to train and deploy advanced AI models. Jo Stevens, secretary of state for Wales, said: "Wales is already home to a thriving and growing tech industry and this investment in at least one AI Growth Zone for Wales is a vote of confidence in the Welsh economy and testament to the skills and potential of our workforce. "This is another significant step forward in our central mission to kickstart economic growth, create well-paid jobs and unlock opportunity in the industries of the future." The zones are expected to attract significant private investment, particularly in areas with strong power connections and potential for clean energy use. Wales has already set a target to meet 100 per cent of its electricity needs from renewable sources within the next decade. Work is already underway to establish Wales as a leader in AI, with US-based Vantage Data Centers planning to build one of Europe's largest data centre campuses in the country.
