The Long Road to Justice for Afghan Women
For Afghan women, who feel deserted by the international community as their lives have been crushed under the brutal rule of the Taliban, there may finally be a potential avenue for justice.
We should welcome International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan's decision to apply for arrest warrants for the Taliban's Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, who he says bear criminal responsibility for the persecution of Afghan women and girls. The list of violations is extensive, and includes murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence and enforced disappearances.
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Hegseth jokes about US allies doing nothing in Afghanistan – despite hundreds losing their lives
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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Entire Fulbright Scholarship board quits, citing Trump admin actions
All members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced their resignation on Wednesday, releasing a statement accusing President Donald Trump's administration of political interference in the prestigious exchange program. The 12-member board alleged the Trump administration "usurped the authority of the Board" by denying Fulbright awards to "a substantial number of individuals" who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year. The board also alleged the administration is currently "subjecting" an additional 1,200 international Fulbright recipients to "an unauthorized review process and could reject more." "We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute," the board said in its statement. MORE: State Department delivers crushing news to Fulbright scholar hopefuls in Afghanistan The board oversees the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, which offers international graduate students, young professionals and artists the opportunity to study and conduct research in the United States. The government-funded, non-partisan program -- which was established by Congress in 1942 under then-President Harry Truman's administration -- operates in more than 160 countries worldwide, providing scholarships to approximately 4,000 foreign students annually. In the joint letter on Wednesday, the board said the awards that were overridden by the administration were concentrated in biology, engineering, architecture, agriculture, crop sciences, animal sciences, biochemistry, medical sciences, music and history. MORE: State Dept. suggests Afghan Fulbright hopefuls seek other options as program stalls The board claimed it has raised "legal issues and our strong objections with" senior Trump administration officials "on multiple occasions," including in writing, but says the concerns have not been acknowledged. In a statement to statement to ABC News after the board announced its resignation, a senior State Department official called the decision "a political stunt attempting to undermine President Trump." "It's ridiculous to believe that these members would continue to have final say over the application process, especially when it comes to determining academic suitability and alignment with President Trump's Executive Orders." the official said. The board, however, said in its statement that the decision was not one "we take lightly," woth the board calling on Congress, the courts and future Fulbright Boards to "prevent the administration's efforts to degrade, dismantle, or even eliminate one of our nation's most respected and valuable programs." "Injecting politics and ideological mandates into the Fulbright program violates the letter and spirit of the law that Congress so wisely established nearly eight decades ago," the board concluded in its statement. Entire Fulbright Scholarship board quits, citing Trump admin actions originally appeared on
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Advocates organizing to support immigrant families
( — Experts and advocates like immigration attorney Andrew Newcomb and First 5 California's Executive Director, Jackie Wong are telling Fox 40 how they are re-doubling efforts to support California immigrant families. Wong says that First 5 California started supporting migrant families fairly recently. 'A few years ago, when there was an Afghan refugee and asylee issue the California Children and Families Commission (First 5) decided to actually get involved in immigration because it was such a prevalent part of our lives,' says Wong 'We want to promote inclusion and really create the safe, stable, nurturing environment that is necessary for Californians to thrive.' Within the last five years they've been building up their resources and network to better support immigrant communities. One of the partners they've been working with to better equip immigrant families is immigration attorney Andrew Newcomb. Newcomb has a decade of experience in immigration law. He currently offers pro bono services to migrant families in the San Jose Mexican consulate while also hosting community workshops with First 5. We sat down with Newcomb for a Q&A for him to answer some of the most pressing questions when it comes to immigration. Here is some of his legal advice. Q: What does someone do if they are detained by ICE agents? A: 'It's best, of course, to not divulge information. You can just save those arguments for a judge that you're hearing, invoke your right to remain silent, and to speak with counsel,' said Newcomb. Q: What can someone working to obtain citizenship do if their family is of mixed status and their child is about to turn 21? A: 'There's a difference between people that came in typically with a visa or people that can benefit from a family petition prior to April 30, 2001. They can usually apply for residency here in the United States, whereas other folks may have to do a longer line which ultimately leads them to a consular office in their country of origin,' said Newcomb. Newcomb also clarified that there are defenses to deportation that are available for people who can prove they've lived in the U.S. for at least ten years and have immediate relatives who have lawful status. Q: Is someone's asylum hearing or application for citizenship different if they entered the country within the last two years? A: 'Yes. So this is basically an issue where they've expanded the definition of what constitutes an 'arriving alien' for the purposes of a process called expedited removal. When someone's in an expedited removal proceeding, they don't necessarily have the right to have their hearing heard before an immigration judge.' Newcomb also adding, 'What we're seeing here is that the government attorneys are attempting to have cases dismissed and then right after the cases are dismissed, provided the person can't prove that they've been in the United States for longer than two years, ICE officers are waiting to detain them and place them in expedited removal proceedings. However, even people whose cases have not been dismissed are also being scooped up by ICE agents, which of course creates an issue of overlapping jurisdiction, which still has to be resolved by the courts.' Q: What if someone is trying to obtain status legally, but fears arrest at one of their court hearings? A: 'It's very important for people that have been here for fewer than two years to take advantage of filing a motion to appear via video or filing a motion to continue your hearing until you're on the outside of those two years. Immigration judges here in Sacramento, just like in the Bay Area, are very receptive to those kinds of motions because at the end of the day, they want to do their jobs as arbiters of fact, and they don't want to have their cases just whisked away from them.' Newcomb says a video court hearing can increase safety while attending asylum proceedings. More resources and services, like the instructional guide to appear in court by video can be found on Newcomb's website, First 5's resources for immigrant and refugee families are available on their website, Other organizations within the Sacramento region include the Sacramento Rapid Response Network. Their 24-hour hotline is (916) 382-0256. Another resource available to migrant families is They feature a collection of videos to educate and empower immigrant communities. An additional resource to help immigrants know their rights is the 'Know Your Rights' red cards. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
