Biden taps Haaland as interior secretary
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for generations.
With Haaland’s nomination, Indigenous people will for the first time in their lifetimes see a Native American at the table where the highest decisions are made — and so will everyone else, said OJ Semans, a Rosebud Sioux vote activist who was in Georgia on Thursday helping get out the Native vote for two Senate runoffs.
“It’s made people aware that Indians still exist,” he said.
Haaland, 60, is a member of the Laguna Pueblo and, as she likes to say, a 35th-generation resident of New Mexico. The role of interior secretary would put her in charge of an agency that has tremendous sway not only over the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes, but also over much of the nation’s vast public lands, waterways, wildlife, national parks and mineral wealth.
Nigerian official says over 300 abducted schoolboys freed
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — More than 300 schoolboys abducted last week by armed men in northwestern Nigeria have been released, said the Katsina state governor Thursday.
Gov. Aminu Bello Masari made the announcement on Nigerian state TV, NTA.
More than 800 students were at the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, when it was attacked Dec. 11 by armed men. Hundreds escaped and it was thought there were more than 330 still captive.
“At the moment, 344 of the students have been released and handed over to the security operatives. I think we can say at least we have recovered most of the boys, if not all of them,” he said.
Arrangements are being made to transport them to Katsina, he said.
California hospitals buckle as virus cases surge
LOS ANGELES — Hospitals throughout California have all but run out of intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients, ambulances are backing up outside emergency rooms and tents for triaging the sick are going up as the nation’s most populous state emerges as the latest epicenter of the U.S. outbreak.
On Thursday, California reported a staggering 52,000 new cases in a single day — equal to what the entire U.S. was averaging in mid-October — and a one-day record of 379 deaths. More than 16,000 people are in the hospital with the coronavirus throughout the state, more than triple the number a month ago.
The crisis is deepening with alarming speed in California, even as the nationwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations this week and the impending release of a second vaccine have boosted hopes of eventually defeating the scourge.
Intensive care unit capacity is at less than 1% in many California counties, and morgue space is also running out.
Trump’s move to his Florida estate challenged by neighbor
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s expected move to his Mar-a-Lago club after he leaves office next month is being challenged by a lawyer who says a 1990s agreement allowing Trump to convert the Florida property into a business prohibits anyone from living there, including him.
Attorney Reginald Stambaugh sent a letter this week to the Town of Palm Beach saying he represents a neighbor who doesn’t want the president to take up residence at the 17-acre property because it would decrease the area’s property values. He also asserts that a microwave security barrier operated by the Secret Service is harming his client, who he says is exhibiting symptoms of microwave exposure. He did not give the client’s name.
The president and first lady Melania Trump changed their legal residence from New York City to Palm Beach last year. Stambaugh says that violates the 1993 agreement between Trump and the town that allowed him to turn Mar-a-Lago from a private home into a club that has 10 guest rooms for rent.
The agreement says only members can stay overnight and for no more than 21 days per year, divided into three one-week stays that cannot run consecutively. The question is whether Trump is a club member and covered by those rules. Stambaugh believes he is — and comments Trump’s lawyer made in 1993 back that up.
“In order to avoid an embarrassing situation for everyone and to give the President time to make other living arrangements in the area, we trust you will work with his team to remind them” of the agreement, Stambaugh wrote. “Palm Beach has many lovely estates for sale and surely he can find one which meets his needs.” He did not immediately respond to a call and email Thursday seeking further comment.
