REVISED VISA RULES FOR 38 COUNTRIES
washington» The Obama administration announced on Thursday that it has begun to implement restrictions to the visa waiver program Congress passed as part of the budget deal last month.
The restrictions prevent nationals of 38 countries who have either traveled to Iraq, Syria, Iran or Sudan since March 1, 2011, or those who hold citizenship from those countries, from coming to the United States under the program. The visa waiver program offers expedited electronic processing and short-term visa-free travel to tourists and business travelers.
Instead, dual nationals and travelers who have spent time in the listed countries will be required to go through the full vetting of the regular visa process, which includes an in-person interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Refuge occupiers talk with FBI B
portland, ore.» The leader of an armed group that for nearly three weeks has occupied a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon has begun speaking with the FBI.
Standing outside the municipal airport in Burns, Ore., Ammon Bundy spoke by phone Thursday to an unnamed FBI negotiator. The federal agency has used the airport, about 30 miles from the refuge, as a staging ground during the occupation.
Bundy said he went to the airport to meet with FBI officials face to face, but they declined to meet him. Bundy said the FBI had called him 14 times in a row earlier this week, but he couldn’t answer because he was in a meeting.
Danish city pushes pork
B copenhagen, denmark» A Danish city has ordered pork to be mandatory on municipal menus, including for schools and day care centers, with politicians insisting the move is necessary for preserving the country’s food traditions and is not an attack on Muslims.
Frank Noergaard, a member of the council in Randers that narrowly approved the decision earlier this week, says it was made to ensure that pork remains “a central part of Denmark’s food culture.”
Denmark is a major pork producer and it is the most popular meat, but it is forbidden to Muslims and Jews.
VA defends rate of firings
B los angeles» Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald refuted claims by members of Congress Thursday that his scandalplagued agency hasn’t dismissed enough employees, saying, “You can’t fire your way to excellence.”
McDonald told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that he and other top leaders are turning the VA around, “providing more and better care than ever before” and holding employees accountable, including firing about 2,600 workers since he took office 18 months ago. The VA has struggled to respond in the nearly two years since a scandal first emerged in Phoenix about chronic delays for veterans seeking medical care.