John Deasy: EU's Trump capitulation exposes Irish spin
• Why the US-EU trade deal could devastate Ireland's pharma sector — and why officials didn't see it coming
• How decades of overestimated 'access' in Washington have left Ireland defenceless under Trump
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Irish Independent
39 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
US government restricts sports visas for transgender women
Under the policy update, USCIS will consider 'the fact that a male athlete has been competing against women' as a negative factor when evaluating visa petitions in categories such as O-1A for extraordinary ability, EB-1 and EB-2 green cards for highly skilled workers, and national interest waivers. 'USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women,' said USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser. 'It's a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the US to participate in women's sports.' The move aligns with broader efforts by the administration of US President Donald Trump to regulate transgender participation in athletics and follows similar policies enacted at the state level across the country. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee last month updated its policy to align with an executive order signed earlier this year by Trump barring transgender women from competing in women's sports. Trump signed the 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' order in February, a directive that supporters said will restore fairness but critics argue infringes on the rights of a tiny minority of athletes.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the budget debate: striking a difficult balance
A clear danger is emerging in the run up to October's budget. It is that all the spare cash available will be spent as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael each try to get as many of their own policies into the package as they can, with the Independents also pitching in. Rather than taking a balanced view of the outlook, the negotiations thus turn into a haggling exercise. There were media reports this weekend of – unnamed– ministers saying that the economic outlook had not changed much and the budget can go ahead as planned. In this context, pressure will come on, in addition to the €9.4 billion package of tax cuts and spending increases outlined in the Summer Economic Statement, to have additional once-off measures. Ministerial statements, while suggesting there will not be a full cost-of-live package, have become more equivocal on this point. Ministers may be correct to believe that the short-term budgetary outlook has not changed markedly, with the US and EU striking a trade deal. But two points are relevant here. The first is that the two sides have really just set a framework for future talks and a lot remains to be signed off. Also, a separate US investigation into the pharma sector carries danger for Ireland., The second point is that, as Gabriel Makhlouf, the governor of the Central Bank has said, the Government needs to be careful not to add further demand to an already strongly-growing economy. This is all the more the case given the significant planned increase in State investment. READ MORE The balance will be hard to get right. But it must err towards caution. As well as the short-term issues, the economy is now facing significant uncertainties over the next few years. The trade environment is far from settled and tensions between the US and EU may still emerge. Meanwhile, the US president is determined to attract pharma investment back to the US from countries such as Ireland and this could threaten both jobs and tax revenue. And that is before we consider a troubled and rapidly changing international political situation. Ignoring these factors and squabbling over budget giveaways is the wrong approach.
Irish Daily Star
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Star
Internet melts down over man who 'looks like George W. Bush wearing a Trump wig'
Social media users said the man in the image looks like "George Bush in a Trump wig" A Florida state senator's post online quickly gained attention — due to a man in the picture who users say looks like "George Bush in a Trump wig." Florida State Sen. Jay Collins, who represents Florida's 14th district, took to X to post a picture of himself and several of his political allies as they attended the Florida Freedom Forum. "Just arrived at the Florida Freedom Forum, standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow patriots ready to defend our country right here at home," he captioned the photo."Fired up for an action-packed weekend filled with faith, freedom, and the fight to save America." The identity of the men in the photo remains unclear, aside from Collins. "That dude is what happens if you put Trump and George W in a blender," another chimed in, referencing the man standing just to Collins' left, who bears a striking resemblance to the current president but boasts the facial features of the former president. "Why are you standing next to George Bush in a Trump wig?" another user commented, attaching a surprised emoji. Yet another wrote, "Why does he look like Trump and Bush in one person?" "Is that George Bush dressed as Trump? What the hell?" one added, attaching four laughing emojis. One wrote that "43 and 47 merged," referring to Bush's and Trump's presidencies. "This is satire, right? It must be," they wrote. Who is Jay Collins? And why is he important? Jay Collins is a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who served from 1995 to 2018. He completed a tour in Afghanistan, Iraq and two in South America, sustaining numerous injuries in battle, including one that required him to perform surgery on himself on the battlefield. (He has a background in medicine and health sciences.) He eventually had to have his leg amputated, but he qualified to become a deployable Green Beret after that despite his physical limitations. Shortly after leaving the Army, from which he retired at the rank of E-8 as a first sergeant, he launched a political campaign to run for Florida State Senate, defeating incumbent Democrat Janet Cruz in November 2022. Collins has been serving the 14th Senate district since early 2023, which encompasses northwestern Hillsborough County, as well as large portions of Tampa. Article continues below Rumors have circulated recently about Collins' prospects in his political career, with some speculating that he could be tapped by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the next lieutenant governor after former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez departed to lead Florida International University.
