Connect with us

INTERNACIONAL

Federal judge blocks blue state’s law prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks on the job

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Virginia from enforcing a new law that would prohibit federal agents — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol — from wearing masks while carrying out enforcement operations, siding with the Trump administration in a dispute over federal authority.

Advertisement

Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne granted the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request for a preliminary injunction, preventing the law from taking effect Wednesday while the legal challenge proceeds. The injunction will remain in place while the case is litigated.

Payne found the federal government is likely to succeed on the merits because Virginia’s law attempts to regulate how federal officers enforce immigration laws, violating the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

MINNESOTA SENATE VOTES TO BAN ICE FROM WEARING MASKS, ALLOW RESIDENTS TO SUE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS

Advertisement

Masked federal agents are confronted by anti-ICE agitators. (Getty Images, File)

The judge also found the government demonstrated it would likely suffer irreparable harm because enforcing the law could expose federal employees to «real risk of physical harm» while carrying out immigration enforcement duties.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit the DOJ filed last week challenging two laws signed by Democrat Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Advertisement

The DOJ argued the measures would subject masked federal agents to criminal penalties and threaten agreements between federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement.

DOJ ESCALATES BLUE-STATE ICE STANDOFF AFTER STATES REFUSE KEY FEDERAL REQUEST

«Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties,» Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said when the lawsuit was filed.

Advertisement

«Virginia’s anti-law enforcement policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents,» he added. «These laws cannot stand.»

The lawsuit argued Virginia was attempting to dictate how federal officers carry out law enforcement operations by restricting when they may wear face coverings, requiring them to display identifying information and placing conditions on cooperation agreements between local agencies and ICE.

MINNESOTA SENATE VOTES TO BAN ICE FROM WEARING MASKS, ALLOW RESIDENTS TO SUE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS

Advertisement
Abigail Spanberger speaks at inauguration

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has ended agreements between state law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images, File)

According to the DOJ, federal officers who violated Virginia’s mask and identification law could have faced a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,500, or both.

The lawsuit names Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano as defendants.

Payne’s order applies only to Virginia’s mask and identity law. The judge noted the Justice Department’s separate challenge to another provision governing immigration enforcement agreements will proceed on a different briefing schedule, with a hearing scheduled for Aug. 3.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Spanberger, Jones and Descano have all taken steps to counter the Trump administration’s ICE agenda in Virginia.

In February, Spanberger rescinded an executive order issued by former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin directing state law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Advertisement

Fox News Digital has reached out to Spanberger’s office for comment on the development.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.

Advertisement

virginia, judiciary, justice department, federal courts, politics

Advertisement

INTERNACIONAL

Boy, 2, pulled alive from rubble six days after Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Emergency workers in Venezuela on Tuesday rescued a 2-year-old boy who had been trapped beneath the rubble for six days, marking the only reported rescue of a survivor on the sixth day of operations following last week’s devastating earthquakes.

Advertisement

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez said in a Telegram post that Jordanian emergency workers pulled the child from a collapsed building in La Guaira, where the worst destruction from last week’s earthquakes occurred.

The child, identified by authorities as Klieber Moran, was rescued after spending six days trapped beneath the rubble, Rodríguez said.

Moran was taken to a hospital for treatment, she added.

Advertisement

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLEDGES $150M IN AID, DEPLOYS NAVY WARSHIPS AFTER DEADLY VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES

A Jordanian team works to rescue a child trapped under rubble following earthquakes in Venezuela, in a location given as Caracas, Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)

National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said in a televised address Tuesday that officials remain hopeful more survivors will be found.

Advertisement

«We ⁠must hold onto the hope of continuing to find people alive beneath the rubble,» Jorge said. «Early this morning, a 2-year-old boy was rescued and is currently ​receiving care at ​a health ⁠center in Caracas.»

Rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast last Wednesday.

DEATH TOLL FROM VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES RISES TO AT LEAST 235, WITH THOUSANDS REPORTED MISSING

Advertisement
A Jordanian team

Emergency workers rescued a 2-year-old boy after he spent six days trapped beneath the rubble following last week’s earthquakes in Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)

The death toll from the twin earthquakes rose to 1,943 on Tuesday, with more than 10,500 people injured, according to Venezuelan officials. On Monday, the death toll stood at 1,719.

Tuesday’s rescue marked another glimmer of hope amid the disaster that has devastated the South American country.

On Saturday, the U.S. State Department shared video showing American search-and-rescue teams pulling an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela.

Advertisement

EX-MLB PLAYER SAYS WIFE DIED IN DEVASTATING VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES

A child receives emergency medical attention after being rescued by a Jordanian team from under rubble following earthquakes in Venezuela

A child receives emergency medical attention after being rescued by a Jordanian team from under rubble following earthquakes in Venezuela. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)

The infant, who is 9 months old, was rescued along with her mother, the State Department told Fox News Digital. Both suffered only minor injuries, according to the rescue team.

«Against impossible odds, hope endures,» the State Department posted on X.

Advertisement

On Tuesday, a shipment from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) containing 47 metric tons of humanitarian supplies arrived in Venezuela.

FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION

Emergency workers rescued 2-year-old Klieber Moran

Emergency workers rescued 2-year-old Klieber Moran from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela six days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, according to Venezuelan officials. (Jordan Public Security/Handout via REUTERS)

The shipment includes emergency health kits for urgent medical care, including supplies for safe births, newborn care, disease prevention and treatment, according to the United Nations.

Advertisement

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, made up of firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists, and deployed with more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.

Advertisement

Reuters contributed to this report.



disaster response disasters, venezuelan political crisis, aftermath disasters, nicolas maduro, earthquakes

Advertisement
Continue Reading

INTERNACIONAL

Un estudio con grandes simios aportó nuevas pistas sobre el origen de la risa humana

Published

on



El humor es algo muy personal. Un chiste o una caída cómica que hace que una persona se parta de risa puede dejar a otra con la mirada perdida. Pero la risa es universal, un instinto innato que comparten los humanos de todo el mundo.

Y no solo los humanos. Los chimpancés ríen entre dientes, los gorilas sueltan carcajadas, los bonobos se desternillan. Todos los grandes simios del planeta se ríen, y suelen hacerlo con el mismo tipo de ritmo regular y repetitivo que los humanos, según han descubierto los científicos en un pequeño estudio reciente.

Advertisement

La investigación arroja luz sobre cómo evolucionó la risa junto con los grandes simios y entre ellos: se volvió más rápida y variable en los humanos que en estas otras especies de primates. Mientras que los simios no humanos parecían reírse de formas bastante fijas, los humanos eran más flexibles en sus expresiones de alegría, y cambiaban el ritmo de sus risitas según la circunstancia, descubrieron los científicos.

“Creo que podemos decir que somos los maestros de la risa”, dijo Chiara De Gregorio, investigadora de la Universidad de Warwick en el Reino Unido y una de las autoras del estudio. “Podemos soltar una risita discreta y educada delante de la reina de Inglaterra, y luego, cuando estamos en el pub con nuestros amigos, reírnos muchísimo y de una forma completamente distinta. Incluso podemos reírnos de una manera que le haga entender a la otra persona que, en realidad, no nos pareció graciosa la broma que contó“.

Este amplio repertorio requiere una considerable flexibilidad y control vocal, las mismas habilidades que los humanos habrían necesitado para el lenguaje hablado.

Advertisement

El estudio demostró la “singularidad de la risa humana”, dijo Greg Bryant, científico cognitivo de la Universidad de California, campus Los Ángeles, que no participó en la nueva investigación. “Ofrece una ventana hacia la evolución vocal humana”.

En el nuevo estudio, publicado el jueves en la revista Communications Biology, los investigadores analizaron grabaciones de risa de cuatro niños y 13 simios jóvenes en cautiverio: cuatro orangutanes, dos gorilas, tres bonobos y cuatro chimpancés. Algunas de las grabaciones contenían risas producidas durante el juego, mientras que otras capturaban risas provocadas por cosquillas.

(Muchas de las grabaciones fueron creadas originalmente hace dos décadas por Marina Davila-Ross, psicóloga comparada de la Universidad de Portsmouth, en el Reino Unido, y autora del nuevo estudio. “No tuve la suerte de estar allí haciéndoles cosquillas a los pequeños gorilas en ese momento”, dijo De Gregorio.)

Advertisement

Los científicos descubrieron que, al hacerles cosquillas, todas las especies emitían risas que compartían la misma característica rítmica básica: eran isócronas, lo que significa que cada vocalización –cada jadeo, cada gruñido o cada “ja”– se producía a intervalos regulares y uniformes, como el tictac de un reloj o un metrónomo.

Los científicos no observaron esta misma regularidad en la risa que los humanos u otros simios producían mientras jugaban, quizá porque la naturaleza física y bulliciosa de muchas de estas sesiones de juego alteraba la regularidad de la respiración.

Leé también: Los cuatro beneficios de la risa para la salud física y mental

Advertisement

Aunque la risa de los humanos y los simios compartía algunas propiedades rítmicas básicas, el tempo, o velocidad, de estos ritmos variaba considerablemente entre especies. En promedio, la risa de los humanos era más rápida que la de otros simios, y las especies más cercanas a los humanos (chimpancés y bonobos) reían más rápido que aquellas más distantes (gorilas y orangutanes).

“Imagina”, dijo Gregorio, “un metrónomo que va más lento para los orangutanes, algo así como tic… tic… tic… pero más rápido, mucho más rápido, en los humanos, así: tic-tic-tic-tic”.

Aunque los humanos eran, en promedio, quienes reían más rápido, mostraban una enorme variabilidad en la velocidad de su risa, riendo de forma lánguida en algunas circunstancias y rápidamente en otras. También fueron la única especie que cambiaba el tempo de su risa según el contexto, riendo más rápido, por ejemplo, mientras les hacían cosquillas que durante el juego.

Advertisement

El estudio tuvo limitaciones; el grupo de sujetos era pequeño, y los investigadores analizaron solo un puñado de las muchas características de la risa. Pero futuros estudios con muestras más amplias podrían ayudar a los científicos a saber más sobre cómo los humanos la hicieron suya.

“La risa es una parte tan importante de nuestra forma de comunicarnos”, dijo De Gregorio. “Es capaz de transmitir mucho más que un simple ‘estoy jugando y me lo estoy pasando bien’”.

*Por Emily Anthes, reportera científica que escribe principalmente sobre ciencia y salud animal. También cubrió la pandemia de coronavirus.

Advertisement

The New York Times, risa, monos

Continue Reading

INTERNACIONAL

State Department announces ‘total compliance’ from Venezuelan government in relief efforts after Maduro arrest

Published

on


NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Trump administration says it has complete support from the Venezuelan government amid humanitarian efforts just months after the removal of former dictator Nicolás Maduro, which sparked rage among the president’s opponents.

Advertisement

After magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck the northern part of the South American nation last week, the American government stepped in to help in a move that the administration says has been welcomed by the Venezuelan government and citizenry alike.

«We have seen total compliance from the interim authorities in Venezuela as a result of the unprecedented response by the United States to these deadly earthquakes,» a State Department official told Fox News Digital Tuesday.

US MILITARY TOUTS WORK TO ASSIST IN VENEZUELA FOLLOWING DEADLY EARTHQUAKES

Advertisement

Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed federal agents en route to a Federal courthouse in Manhattan, Jan. 5, in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images, File)

The death toll from the natural disaster stands at nearly 2,000 and continues to rise.

«Every request we have made has been immediately granted and in turn, we have seen an incredible outpouring of support from the Venezuelan people towards Americans on the ground,» the official continued.

Advertisement

TRUMP ‘SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING’ PLAN TO MAKE VENEZUELA AND ITS $40 TRILLION IN OIL PERMANENT PART OF USA

V-22 Osprey aircraft in Venezuela

A U.S. military V-22 Osprey aircraft lands in Caraballeda, La Guajira state, Venezuela, June 27, as part of rescue operations following earthquakes there. (Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images)

On Jan. 3, U.S. special forces successfully took Maduro into custody after a daring nighttime mission that overwhelmed the dictator’s armed guards. After penetrating Maduro’s palace, they took him into custody. He was relocated to the United States where he remains in jail awaiting trial on narco-terrorism and gun charges.

The progressive political left rushed to the defense of the brutal socialist authoritarian in the wake of his capture.

Advertisement

US CAPTURE OF MADURO THROWS SPOTLIGHT ON VENEZUELA’S MASSIVE OIL RESERVES

Protesters outside courthouse

Protesters gather outside the Manhattan Federal Court ahead of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s appearance in January. (Fox News, File)

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., warned that the event risked violating international law, while Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., called the United States a «rogue state.»

«Trump’s illegal and unprovoked bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of its president are grave violations of international law and the U.S. Constitution. These are the actions of a rogue state,» Tlaib wrote on social media.

Advertisement

«The American people do not want another regime change war abroad,» she added.

Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after earthquakes struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela

Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after two earthquakes struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Saturday. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

«Maduro’s illegitimate election does not give the president the power to invade without congressional approval, nor does it create a national security justification. That contention is laughable,» said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

The Trump administration has taken swift action to help the Venezuelan people amid the crisis, including mobilizing $150 million in humanitarian relief.

Advertisement

It has assembled a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) composed of more than 250 people, including three specialized Urban Search-and-Rescue (USAR) teams. The administration says the teams have conducted critical life-saving measures.

Responders searching for victims in a demolished building in Caracas, Venezuela

Responders search for victims in a demolished building in Caracas, Venezuela, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a 7.5 aftershock struck the region. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

The U.S. military has assisted with logistics.

Venezuela’s Supreme Court installed Delcy Rodríguez as the country’s interim president.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Since then, diplomatic relations with the country have been restored, though officials in Washington have made it clear that such cooperation is temporary, while emphasizing the U.S. does not view her presidency as a permanent solution.

Advertisement

state department, donald trump, venezuelan political crisis, aftermath disasters, politics, earthquakes, nicolas maduro

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Tendencias