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Texas lawmaker proposes bill to abolish death penalty in Lone Star State: ‘I think sentiment is changing’

Texas lawmaker proposes bill to abolish death penalty in Lone Star State: ‘I think sentiment is changing’

A Texas state lawmaker has introduced legislation to eliminate the death penalty in the state amid a high-profile death row case currently unfolding. Democrat state Rep. John Bucy III filed the bill for the upcoming legislative session. “I think I’ve been opposed to the death penalty my whole life as I’ve thought about its use, and should it exist in our society,” Bucy said, according to Fox 7. “Financially, if you just want to look at it economically, we spend more money to execute than to keep someone in prison, so it’s really a lose-lose situation with a high risk stake if we get it wrong,” he continued. TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE’S LAWYER SAYS ‘THERE WAS NO CRIME’ AS SHE MAKES LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO SAVE HIS LIFE This comes after the Texas Supreme Court cleared the way last week for the state to schedule a new execution date for inmate Robert Roberson, whose initial execution was delayed last month. Roberson is currently on death row over his conviction in which prosecutors say he killed his two-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, by shaking her to death, known as shaken baby syndrome. But his lawyers say Nikki actually died from other health issues such as pneumonia and that new evidence proves his innocence. His lawyers also said doctors had failed to rule out these other medical explanations for the child’s symptoms. Roberson was scheduled to be put to death on Oct. 17 before the state Supreme Court issued a stay to delay his execution shortly before it was set to take place.  If he is put to death, he would be the first person in the U.S. to be executed in a case based on shaken baby syndrome. More than 80 Texas state lawmakers, as well as the detective who helped the prosecution, medical experts, parental rights groups, human rights groups, bestselling novelist John Grisham and other advocates have called for the state to grant Roberson clemency over the belief that he is innocent. A group of state lawmakers have also visited Roberson in prison to encourage him. “I feel like I’ve gotten more engaged with this Robert Roberson case and wanted to make sure that we’re continuing this conversation about the lack of humanity tied to the death penalty,” Bucy said. Texas has executed nearly 600 people since 1982, according to Texas Coalition to Abolish The Death Penalty executive director Kristin Houle Cuellar. “Which is far more than any other state in the nation,” Houle Cuellar told Fox 7. “We have quite a reputation when it comes to the use of the death penalty in Texas.” Houle Cuellar said that there have been fewer death sentences in the state in the last decade, which she partially attributes to the introduction in 2005 of life without parole. “Prosecutors have used that discretion in opting not to seek the death penalty,” Houle Cuellar said. “Even in about 30 percent of the cases that they’ve taken to trial where they’ve sought the death penalty, jurors have rejected it.” Houle Cuellar said that Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Bexar counties lead the state in death sentences and more than half of all Texas counties have never issued a death sentence. Since 2007, multiple Texas lawmakers have unsuccessfully sought to abolish the death penalty. But Bucy says there is now enough momentum regarding the issue to reintroduce legislation to eliminate the practice. TEXAS JUDGE GRANTS INJUNCTION AHEAD OF MAN’S EXECUTION IN ‘SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME’ CASE “While it’s an uphill battle to end the death penalty in Texas, we’ve seen the number of executions go down,” he said. “I think sentiment is changing, and I also think as we see these specific cases come to life, and we start learning the specific stories, people are going to get more and more concerned about the possibility of getting it wrong.” State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt and state Rep. Joe Moody, both Democrats, have filed similar bills to abolish the death penalty, which will need to be voted on by fellow lawmakers when the legislative session begins early next year. In another Texas death row case, a judge found last month that Melissa Lucio was innocent in the 2007 death of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah. Senior State District Judge Arturo Nelson recommended that Lucio’s conviction and death sentence be overturned. The judge also found that prosecutors suppressed evidence and testimony, including statements from Lucio’s other children, that could support the claim that she was not abusive and that Mariah’s death was accidental from falling down the stairs.

From CDC to labor secretary: See Trump’s top picks for Cabinet roles

From CDC to labor secretary: See Trump’s top picks for Cabinet roles

A clearer picture emerged of who will serve in the Cabinet of America’s 47th President, with President-elect Trump assembling more of his top cabinet picks on Friday evening. All of Trump’s Cabinet choices must be confirmed by the Senate, with the process set to begin in January. The confirmation process will be made easier by a 53-seat Republican majority, after GOP candidates flipped four seats in this election. The president-elect chose a slew of key Trump supporters who assisted in his election. GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square Group, was chosen for the coveted post of Treasury secretary. Bessent was a key economic policy adviser and fundraiser for the Trump campaign. “Scott is widely respected as one of the World’s foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists. Scott’s story is that of the American Dream,” Trump said on Friday. TRUMP NOMINATES SCOTT BESSENT AS TREASURY SECRETARY; PICKS RUSS VOUGHT TO LEAD BUDGET OFFICE He has been an advocate for economic policies like lower taxes, spending restraint and deregulation that have long made up the core of the Republican Party’s platform, and has also been supportive of Trump’s use of tariffs in trade negotiations. On Friday, Trump tapped Russ Vought to lead the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought served OMB director during Trump’s first term. He also served as deputy OMB director and acting director. “He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.  Vought is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and a close Trump ally.  Trump nominated Scott Turner as the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Turner, who is chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and is a former professional football player, previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC). TRUMP PICKS SCOTT TURNER AS SECRETARY OF DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT “Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in a Friday statement. “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!” Turner, a former Texas state lawmaker, played nine seasons in the NFL as a member of the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. Trump nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., on Friday for secretary of labor.  “I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor,” Trump wrote in an official statement. “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America. I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.” Chavez-DeRemer was first elected to Congress in 2022, and lost re-election in a close race against Democrat Janelle Bynum earlier this month. Her candidacy was backed by the Teamsters union. President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., is his pick as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said in the Friday evening announcement.  Trump said that Dr. Wedlon would restore trust in the agency and transparency. Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary, a pancreatic surgeon at Johns Hopkins University, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Makary is the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins, according to the university’s website, and was a Fox News medical contributor.  “FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator. The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency,” Trump said on Truth Social. TRUMP PICKS DR. JANETTE NESHEIWAT AS NATION’S NEXT SURGEON GENERAL “He will work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic,” Trump said. Trump also nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general, saying that she would be a “fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.” “I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” he said. Nesheiwat is a former Fox News medical contributor.   Trump announced Friday that his former White House adviser, Sebastian Gorka, will serve in his incoming administration. Gorka will serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism.  Gorka, a former Trump aide, previously served as deputy assistant to the president during Trump’s first term. He’s also a former Fox News contributor. “Since 2015, Dr. Gorka has been a tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA Movement, serving previously as Strategist to the President in the

What do the ICC arrest warrants mean for Israel and its allies?

What do the ICC arrest warrants mean for Israel and its allies?

Israel and its key ally the United States have attacked the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Several European nations say they would execute the warrants if either man steps on their soil. So what might happen next? Presenter: Bernard Smith Guests: Francesca Albanese – UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory Ori Goldberg – political commentator and former academic specialising in Middle East studies Stephen Zunes – professor of politics at the University of San Francisco Adblock test (Why?)

Soldier students: Job training gives hope to Myanmar’s military defectors

Soldier students: Job training gives hope to Myanmar’s military defectors

Myanmar-Thailand border – At a secret gathering above a cafe in a town on the Myanmar-Thailand border, Ko Aye examined the inside of an Android phone alongside 10 fellow defectors from Myanmar’s military and police forces. The trainer, an ex-captain in the Myanmar army, guided the group through the process of repairing a mobile phone, a skill that could help them build a future beyond the conflict they recently left behind. Having fled the notorious institutions they were once part of, these former police officers and soldiers now live in Thailand, near the Myanmar border, where they are learning new skills to adapt to a peaceful civilian life. “If Myanmar gets peace one day, I’ll return and repair phones there,” said Ko Aye, a transgender man, for whom the workshops mark a new chapter in a resilient life journey. “Although I’ll have to practise on some broken ones at home first,” Ko Aye added with a smile, wearing one of his homemade tie-dye shirts – a craft he taught himself to earn money. A defector from Myanmar’s armed forces learns to repair mobile phones near the Myanmar-Thailand border on November 2, 2024 [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] Mocked by colleagues about his gender during his time as an airport police officer, 31-year-old Ko Aye defected after the Myanmar military coup in February 2021. He retrained as a medic with the country’s pro-democracy resistance movement and it was during that time that Ko Aye witnessed firsthand the devastation of air attacks on the civilian population who are resisting military rule in Myanmar. Eventually, Ko Aye fled to Thailand in search of safety and mental recuperation. He is now part of the first cohort of graduates from a vocational training programme launched by People’s Goal, an advocacy group for military defectors. Alongside fixing mobile phones, the programme offers bicycle, e-bike and motorcycle repair training – skills that can help forge a new path for those who have taken part in years of waging war. A repair instructor and a defector from Myanmar’s armed forces fix a bicycle during an e-bike and bicycle repair workshop on November 1, 2024, near the Myanmar-Thailand border [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] ‘Our main goal is to give hope’ Many defectors from Myanmar’s army struggle to secure work and accommodation when they arrive in Thailand after fleeing Myanmar. They lack legal residency, exacerbating fears of being arrested by Thai immigration authorities and deported to their country, where they could face torture, long prison sentences, or even execution. Fearing infiltration by military spies into their midst, most of the soldiers-turned-students on the skill training programme prefer to use aliases to protect their identities and shield their families from any potential retaliation back home. “Our main goal is to give hope for people who want to defect,” said Naung Yoe, 40, a former army major who defected three years ago. He explains how People’s Goal also provides safe houses, counselling and political education on democracy and human rights for the former members of the armed forces. Naung Yoe, 40, one of People’s Goal directors, at a training centre near the Thailand-Myanmar border on November 1, 2024 [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] One of five directors of the organisation, Naung Yoe said the training courses also serve as a beacon for soldiers who are contemplating defection, as members of the armed forces often worry about what awaits them and their families outside the cloistered world of the military. Myanmar is approaching its fourth year of widespread civil war, which erupted after the military removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, detained civilian leaders, and then killed people who peacefully protested against the army’s takeover. According to United Nations investigators, reports of systematic torture, gang rape, and child abuse have escalated under military rule. On both sides of Myanmar’s conflict, thousands of young people have been shaped by years of brutality. A generation traumatised and desensitised to violence, with their education disrupted and ready access to weaponry, presents immense challenges for their reintegration into civilian life. Naung Yoe estimated that by December 2023, approximately 10,000 police officers and 3,900 military personnel had defected or surrendered following the coup. He believes that number has since surpassed 15,000, although verifying the exact figure is impossible. People’s Goal also cannot verify whether a former soldier who approaches them for skills training has been involved in war crimes, nor can the group sanction them for such involvement. “Generally, those who have committed war crimes are unlikely to defect,” Naung Yoe said. “They never feel safe outside the military.” If a former soldier confesses to crimes, however, the organisation will pass on information to investigators from international courts that are seeking evidence of such crimes carried out by Myanmar’s military, Naung Yoe said. “Defections weaken [the] regime, and after the revolution, everyone who has committed crimes will have to face justice, somehow,” he added. Former soldiers and analysts say Myanmar’s military brutalises troops, conditioning them to believe their bloody actions are righteous, but access to social media and smartphones has diluted that indoctrination. Naung Yoe explained that soldiers – who are closely watched by their superiors – have less access to information than most of the population, but they are still aware the military is killing civilians. “Those who opposed the killings enough defected,” he told Al Jazeera. “But some defectors have gaps in their knowledge. That’s why we offer democracy training and work with civilian organisations to help them learn.” ‘Now only military power and pressure’ Phone repairs trainer Thet Oo, 30, a former captain in the military, told Al Jazeera he was sceptical about whether vocational training could encourage would-be defectors. Although he is willing to teach soldiers and police officers who have deserted later than others, Thet Oo said he has little time for those “who haven’t stood by the people” and remain in the military. “I’m doing this training to help defectors provide for themselves and improve their lives,” he said. “Enough time