NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 _ TPS extension: Temporary protected status benefits, which were set to expire early next month for an estimated 400,000 immigrants from Haiti, Nepal and Central America, are being extended by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security for nine months. The extension means that the TPS beneficiaries, including nationals of Sudan as well as Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, can continue to legally live and work in the United States for the next nine months and avoid being placed in deportation proceedings, which could have begun as early as March after their documents expire on Jan. 4, 2021.
2 _ Biden Cabinet: Presidentelect Joe Biden has selected Rep. Marcia Fudge, DOhio, to serve as the secretary of housing and urban development, people familiar with the transition said on Tuesday, the second African American he has chosen for his Cabinet in two days. Biden also chose
Tom Vilsack, who served as the secretary of agriculture for eight years under former President Barack Obama, to lead that department again. Vilsack, 69, a former governor of Iowa, is the seventh member of his Cabinet Biden has now chosen.
3 _ Election ruling: The U. S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a Republican congressman’s lastditch effort to reverse the certification of Presidentelect Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, delivering what legal experts described as an ominous sign for the lingering legal challenges pushed by GOP allies of President Trump. The justices issued their decision, without comment, in a terse, twoline order dismissing the matter raised by Rep. Mike Kelly, the Butler County Republican who had argued that millions of votes in the state had been unconstitutionally cast by mail. Unlike in a previous Pennsylvania election dispute the justices considered this year, this time none of them publicly dissented.
_ 4 Soldiers fired: The Army on Tuesday said it had fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordered policy changes to address chronic leadership failures at the base that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence including murder, sexual assaults and harassment. Two general officers were among those being removed, as top Army leaders announced the findings of an independent panel’s investigation. The actions taken by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy come in the aftermath of a year that saw 25 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood die due to suicide, homicide or accidents, including the bludgeoning death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen. She was missing for about two months before her remains were found.
5 _ Defense bill: The House on Tuesday easily approved a defense policy bill, defying a veto threat from President Trump and setting up a possible showdown with the president. The 33578 vote in favor of the $ 731 billion defense measure came hours after Trump renewed his threat to veto the bill unless lawmakers clamp down on social media companies he claims were biased against him. The final vote, with 140 Republicans joining 195 Democrats to back the bill, was well above the twothirds support required to override a veto.