Trump's own 'Big Boss'? US plans reality show for immigrants to get citizenship
Imagine a reality show where immigrants from different countries come together in a shared house, competing in challenges that will be both patriotic and based on various American traditions and customs. The last man (or woman) standing gets the coveted US citizenship.Seems like Donald Trump's version of 'Big Boss', right? Well, it may soon become a reality. The Homeland Security is considering a TV show where immigrants will be made to go through a series of challenges to compete for US citizenship. advertisementWhile the plan is only in the beginning stages, a Homeland Security spokesperson said such "out-of-the-box pitches", particularly those that celebrate "what it means to be an American", were always on the priority list.The concept, titled 'The American', was pitched by reality TV veteran Rob Worsoff, known for shows like Duck Dynasty and The Millionaire Matchmaker. A Canadian immigrant himself, Worsoff said the idea dawned on him during his own naturalisation process."It's not mean-spirited. Instead, 'The American' is a celebration of what it means to be American... At a time when our morale is at an all-time low," he posted on Facebook.In his second term, Trump has enforced a strict crackdown on illegal immigration, deporting more than 271,000 individuals - the highest in nearly a decade.Earlier this month, the administration started a new self-deportation program offering flight tickets and USD 1,000 to undocumented migrants who wish to leave the US voluntarily. However, Trump has also offered a olive branch, saying "good" individuals would be taken back legally.HOW WOULD THE NEW REALITY SHOW PAN OUT?advertisementTricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security spokesperson, said the show, if at all it materialises, would be a "celebration of being an American". "It's important to revive civic duty," McLaughlin told The New York Times.She said the proposal was being reviewed by Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.The proposal by Worsoff includes a format where immigrants would travel across the US and undertake region-specific cultural challenges. He said the activities would be "stereotypically American", like collecting gold from a mine in San Francisco or seeing which immigrant could assemble a rocket first.Other tasks may include assembling a Model T in Detroit, and delivering mail on horseback in Kansas. Additionally, there would also be trivia and civic challenges."We need to be reminded of how proud and how much of an honour it is to be American," the producer said. However, he highlighted that the losers of the show should not be penalised."Everybody else in line will be humanised, and we'll get to know their face and their story, and we'll love them, and maybe they'll get a job out of it," Worsoff told CNN.Trump, however, is not alien to such surreal moves. In 2017, during his first term, he gave documentary filmmakers access to operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a show called 'Immigration Nation'.Must Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
US probing Adani Group link to Iran LPG trade, says report; firm calls it ‘baseless, mischievous'
Prosecutors in the US are investigating whether Indian businessman Gautam Adani's companies imported Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into India through the Adani Group's Mundra port, despite US sanctions on Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. This comes at a time when the Trump administration is rolling back on the enforcement of certain white-collar crimes, including cases related to foreign bribery and sanctions evasion. Tankers travelling between Mundra in Gujarat and the Persian Gulf exhibited traits common to ships evading sanctions, the WSJ report said. The US Justice Department is reviewing the activities of several LPG tankers used to ship cargoes to Adani Enterprises, it said. In a statement, the Adani Group said the report was 'baseless and mischievous'. 'Adani categorically denies any deliberate engagement in sanctions evasion or trade involving Iranian-origin LPG. Further, we are not aware of any investigation by US authorities on this subject,' it said. 'The WSJ's story appears to be based entirely on incorrect assumptions and speculation. Any suggestion that Adani Group entities are knowingly in contravention of US sanctions on Iran is strongly denied. Any assertion to the contrary would not only be slanderous but also deemed to be an intentional act to injure the reputation and interests of the Adani Group,' the statement said. 'The rights of Adani Group entities and personnel in this regard are expressly reserved.' Earlier, US President Donald Trump had warned that any country or person buying oil or petrochemicals from Iran would face immediate secondary sanctions, effectively barring them from doing business with the US. Trump made this statement in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, emphasising that such entities would not be allowed to engage in any form of business with the US. This warning is apparently part of Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign against Iran, aimed at completely shutting down the country's oil exports. Trump accused Iran of financing militant groups and emphasised the need to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. His comments appear to be directed at China, which imports over 1 million barrels per day from Iran. But US sanctions are unlikely to impact Iranian oil flowing to China, unless the White House targets Beijing's state-owned enterprises and infrastructure. Trump has taken a tough stand on Iran, including pulling the US out of the nuclear agreement negotiated by former President Barack Obama. This move is consistent with his earlier decision to impose secondary tariffs on countries buying oil from Venezuela, another OPEC member. The implications of these sanctions and tariffs will likely have far-reaching consequences for the global oil market and US relations with key players like China and Iran. The investigation into the Adani Group's alleged import of Iranian LPG comes at a time when the US administration is easing enforcement of white-collar crimes. The rollback on the enforcement of certain types of white-collar crimes, including cases related to foreign bribery, public corruption, money laundering and crypto markets, came after Trump signed an executive order directing the US Justice Department to halt prosecuting Americans accused of bribing foreign officials to secure overseas business deals. At the Justice Department, Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered prosecutors to focus their anti-money-laundering and sanctions-evasion attention on drug cartels and international crime organisations. It says the administration is effectively redefining what constitutes a crime in some business conduct cases. These decisions aim to provide relief to US citizens, but may also benefit companies and executives facing charges in US courts, like key executives of the Adani Group who are currently facing bribery charges. According to sources, the new policy could potentially provide relief to Azure Power — which had a contract (a build, operate and transfer deal) with an Adani Group firm for building a solar project that had come under the scanner for alleged bribery allegations — and, by extension, the Adani Group.
Hindustan Times
40 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Judge grants preliminary injunction to protect collective bargaining agreement for TSA workers
SEATTLE — A federal judge on Monday granted a preliminary injunction to stop Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from killing a collective bargaining agreement for Transportation Safety Administration workers. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman of Seattle said in her order that an injunction is needed to preserve the rights and benefits that TSA workers have enjoyed for years while being represented by the American Federation of Government Employees. In their lawsuit, Pechman said, the union has shown that Noem's directive to end the agreement 'constitutes impermissible retaliation against it for its unwillingness to acquiesce to the Trump Administration's assault on federal workers.' It also likely violated due process and AFGE is likely to succeed in showing that Noem's decision was 'arbitrary and capricious," she added. 'Today's court decision is a crucial victory for federal workers and the rule of law,' AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a release. 'The preliminary injunction underscores the unconstitutional nature of DHS's attack on TSA officers' First Amendment rights. We remain committed to ensuring our members' rights and dignity are protected, and we will not back down from defending our members' rights against unlawful union busting.' Messages left for Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Kipnis seeking comment were not immediately returned. AFGE had entered into a new, seven-year collective bargaining agreement with agency last May, but Noem issued a memo Feb. 27 rescinding that agreement. One week later, TSA informed the union about Noem's directive, saying the contract was terminated and all pending grievances would be deleted. AFGE filed a lawsuit against Noem, claiming the move was retaliation against the union for pushing back against the Trump administration's attacks on federal workers. AFGE had filed a separate lawsuit Feb. 19 against the Office of Personnel Management to stop the firing of probationary workers. A judge issued a temporary restraining order Feb. 27 stopping the firings — the same day Noem issued her memo. Abigail Carter, representing AFGE during oral arguments before Pechman on May 27, said Noem's move was retaliation and a violation of the union's First Amendment right to protected speech and its Fifth Amendment right to due process. 'The administration has made it clear that if you don't disagree with it politically, you and your members can keep your rights, but if you do disagree, you lose them,' Carter said. She also argued that the collective bargaining agreement was necessary because TSA workers are not covered under the federal labor-management code. The agreement protects them from dangerous working conditions and unreasonable hours. Kipnis denied the retaliation claim and said it was simply a difference in management styles. Pechman questioned that contention. Not all unions are banned by the administration, Pechman said, only the ones oppose the administration. 'Isn't this a pattern that you see?' Pechman asked Kipnis. 'Attorneys who take opposition stances get banned. Those who don't, don't have those restrictions. Isn't this the pattern that the White House has set up?" Kipnis said tension between unions and management are common and this conflict doesn't signal a violation of the workers' First Amendment rights, but instead reflects a confrontational relationship. But Pechman wasn't convinced. Previous TSA managers have found unions to be beneficial and renewed their contracts for years, she said. They found they made a happier workforce, and 'they wanted their employees to feel that they were well-treated,' she said. What has changed is this administration's attitude, she said. To that, Kipnis replied: 'Or you could characterize it as a different management style. The former administration apparently saw that as a better way to do business. ... But this administration sees a different way of doing business. And the same statute affords them the same amount of discretion.' Pechman said she understood that the administration has the right to exercise that discretion, 'but to abruptly cancel doesn't seem well reasoned, so I'm having trouble with that." She also noted, "But why the United States gets to back out of contracts that it's made is harder to accept.' In Monday's order, Pechman said TSA workers would suffer 'irreparable harm' without the injunction, noting that if they lose their collective bargaining agreement, they will lose the benefits it provides. 'While the loss of money alone does not show irreparable harm, the total harms here are more than monetary,' Pechman said. 'They include the loss of substantive employment protections, avenues of grievance and arbitration, and the right to have a workforce that can unite to demand benefits that might not be obtainable through individual negotiation.'
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
US demands final trade offers by Wednesday as tariff deadline nears
With just five weeks until a self-imposed deadline and global markets watching closely, the Trump administration is accelerating trade negotiations with multiple countries, urging them to submit their "best offers" by to a draft letter seen by Reuters, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is pressing countries to outline top-line proposals in key areas such as tariff cuts, quota allocations for US industrial and agricultural goods, and removal of non-tariff trade move comes as the administration attempts to wrap up complex negotiations that began on April 9, when President Donald Trump paused his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs for 90 days after a market backlash. That temporary pause ends on July 8. The letter outlines an aggressive timeline, reflecting a growing sense of urgency inside the White House. "Productive negotiations with many key trading partners continue at a rapid pace. It is in all parties' interest to take stock of progress and assess any next steps," a USTR official told administration officials, including White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, have repeatedly signalled that multiple agreements are "nearing completion," only one limited deal has emerged so far — with Britain. That agreement, however, is widely viewed as a loose framework for ongoing talks, rather than a final draft letter reportedly calls for detailed responses on digital trade, economic security, and country-specific commitments. Once proposals are submitted, the US plans to evaluate them "within days" and provide what the letter refers to as "a possible landing zone," potentially including reciprocal tariff the draft doesn't specify recipient nations, it's understood to target countries currently in active negotiations, including the European Union, Japan, Vietnam, and ambitious -- and often frenetic -- tariff policy represents a major part of his "America First" economic agenda as he seeks to reshape US trade relationships, reduce trade deficits and protect American industries. Republican lawmakers are also banking on tariffs to add to federal revenue and offset the cost of the tax-cut legislation now working its way through twists and turns in Trump's tariff policies have taken investors on a rollercoaster ride. In May, US stocks held their biggest rally of any month since November 2023, but that was after global indexes had cratered under the barrage of Trump's tariff announcements throughout February, March and early inputs from ReutersTune InMust Watch
