Latest news with #Lieberman
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
Trump freezes $6 billion in public school funds right before school year begins
The Trump administration has made a sweeping pause and reduction in federal education funding, withholding more than USD 6 billion in grants just weeks before the new school year starts. This is likely to hit public school education hard even though it does not directly affect private schools or higher education funds are not general education budgets of states, but federal grants that public school systems rely on to run specific programmes, particularly those serving low-income, rural, or special needs students. They are critical for after-school programmes, teacher training, English-language learning and student support, are now under review by the Office of Management and move puts significant strain on state and local districts already planning their academic budgets. According to ABC News, a terse memo issued on June 30 confirmed that no grant award notifications would be issued 'prior to completing that review.'The delay comes mere days before millions of students return to classrooms, raising fears among educators and policymakers that key services may be cut, scaled back or CHALLENGES AND CRITICISM MOUNTMore than 20 states, led by California and Connecticut, have filed lawsuits against the administration, calling the funding freeze unlawful and warning of grave harm to vulnerable students. Connecticut alone estimates a loss of USD 53.6 million for the 2025-26 academic legal action is taking place amid escalating tensions: a recent Supreme Court decision lifted a block on the administration's plan to cut nearly 1,400 staff positions at the Department of argue this move undermines civil rights enforcement and federal student-aid GRANTS PUT PRESSURE ON PROGRAMMESThe frozen funds include those for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (supporting after-school and summer programmes), adult literacy, English learner instruction, and teacher professional Week reported that USD 1.4 billion of these funds have since been approved and released, but over USD 5 billion remains advocates and local districts are warning that this sudden withholding could force cutbacks in staffing, early literacy support, and special education Lieberman of Education Week observed that an abrupt loss of Title IV-B grants, which provide after-school enrichment, puts around 1.4million children at risk, with some programmes already starting to scale ON EQUITY AND OUTCOMESCivil rights groups and educational researchers say the funding cutbacks disproportionately affect rural students, English learners, rural communities, and students with unions fear larger class sizes and stretched resources. As Becky Pringle of the NEA put it, the cuts are a 'slap in the face' for educators and including ten Republican senators, have urged the administration to restore the withheld funds, sparking a review into after-school programmes. On July 18, funding for these services was partly released, following bipartisan THIS A POLITICAL TARGETING OF BLUE STATES?While the memo issued is national, critics point out that many of the states hardest hit -- like California, New York, Connecticut, and Illinois -- lean Democrat and have traditionally been strong supporters of public education lawmakers argue that the freeze may indirectly penalise states that oppose the administration's broader education and civil rights policies, though no official link has been made AHEADadvertisementWith legal proceedings ongoing and bills pending, the future of the remaining USD 5 billion in frozen grants is must decide whether to begin the school year amid funding gaps. Critics warn the cuts could have long-lasting effects on student learning and equity, unless Congress or the courts intervene swiftly.- Ends
Al Mayadeen
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Netanyahu prolonging Gaza war for far-right ministers, Lieberman says
Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and former Israeli security minister, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday of deliberately extending the war in Gaza to satisfy far-right members of his cabinet. Lieberman stated that Netanyahu is trying to appease Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir by continuing the aggression on the besieged Strip despite growing military consensus that the war has achieved its strategic goals. 'As long as the Chief of Staff says the operation in Gaza has fulfilled its objectives, what are we still doing there?' Lieberman asked. His remarks follow a statement made earlier by Israeli occupation forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who indicated that the war objectives in Gaza had been exhausted, signaling a potential shift in military posture. The growing divide between political and military leadership has added further strain to the Israeli war cabinet, where far-right influence continues to shape key decisions despite opposition from within the establishment. Meanwhile, tensions within Netanyahu's government escalated after IOF Chief Halevi warned that expanding military operations in Gaza could jeopardize the lives of Israeli captives still held in the Strip. His caution triggered a wave of backlash from far-right ministers, including Ben Gvir and Smotrich, who have long rejected any constraints on the army's actions in Gaza. A senior Palestinian official speaking to Al Mayadeen revealed that the issue of Israeli withdrawal continues to stall progress in the Doha negotiations. 'The withdrawal point is still unresolved, and it is directly linked to the aid mechanism, and vice versa,' the official said. The source added that the Israeli military refuses to withdraw from several strategic areas, including Rafah, eastern Khan Younis, eastern Gaza City, and Tal al-Zaatar in the northern part of the Strip. Furthermore, the occupation insists on maintaining control over the aid entry points it has established during the conflict, a mechanism the Palestinian Resistance unequivocally rejects. On the diplomatic front, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a three-hour overnight meeting with the Qatari delegation at the White House to advance discussions on a Gaza ceasefire. The talks follow a second meeting in 24 hours between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hamas announced on Saturday that it has completed wide-ranging consultations with fellow Palestinian factions and submitted a joint response to mediators on the latest ceasefire framework aimed at halting the Israeli occupation's war on the Gaza Strip. In a statement issued by its National Relations Office, Hamas said it held 'an extensive series of contacts' with leaders of national and Islamic factions to coordinate and agree on a single position regarding the proposal's terms and the mechanisms for implementation. The talks, described as 'serious and practical,' produced what the movement called a 'unified national consensus' backing the stance of the Palestinian Resistance. 'All factions welcomed this unified reply,' the statement noted, adding that the response was forwarded to mediators 'in a positive spirit and with full unanimity' after both internal and external consultations were finalized.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chapman's Eat Market in German Village to close after five years
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Chapman's Eat Market, a German Village eatery from the Columbus restaurateur couple behind Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge, is closing after five years in business. Husband-and-wife duo B.J. Lieberman and Bronwyn Haines announced on social media last week that Chapman's at 739 S. Third St., which opened in 2020, is permanently shuttering at the end of August. The couple said, as the restaurant nears its fifth birthday and the end of the lease, they 'were faced with the difficult decision on whether or not to continue.' Ohio horror museum featuring 'last meal' restaurant reveals opening date 'Inevitably, we chose to finish our story on a high note, celebrating all that we have accomplished and created over the years and within these walls, including the team that we've built and the memories we made,' the social media post said. Watch a NBC4 report from Chapman's 2020 opening in the video player above. Lieberman was one of two Columbus chefs named among the semifinalists for last year's James Beard Awards, prestigious national honors that recognize talent in the culinary and food media industries. He and Haines also launched Ginger Rabbit at 17 Buttles Ave. in 2022, and most recently opened Metsi's Wood-Fired Italian at 36 E. Lincoln St. last month. Chapman's, named among the New York Times' best U.S. restaurants in 2021, is home to a curated menu of appetizers, salads, pastas and entrees, like Levantine cod, smoked Cornish game hen, and a 6-ounce beef tenderloin. Sides, like beef fat fries and wilted green beans, round out the menu. Granville's historic Buxton Inn listed for $5.85 million Lieberman and Haines said Chapman's final day of service will be announced in August. Until then, the restaurant is open 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 'We hope each and every one of you will join us for a final meal before we say goodbye — whether it's your last general tsos cauliflower, khao soi or maple budino, we look forward to serving and celebrating with you,' the social media post said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
27-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Federal judge denies OpenAI bid to keep deleting data amid Tribune copyright lawsuit
A federal judge has upheld a ruling directing OpenAI to preserve logs and data slated for deletion after news outlets including the Chicago Tribune suing the technology giant accused the company of hiding evidence of copyright infringement. The new ruling, issued Thursday in Manhattan Federal Court, denied the company's objection to an earlier court order directing OpenAI to keep any data used to train its artificial intelligence bots — logs which plaintiffs say may contain details of widespread content piracy. OpenAI executives have maintained that they are merely safeguarding users' privacy by objecting to any data retention request or order. But lawyers for the plaintiffs said the privacy argument is nothing more than a distraction. 'This is like a magician trying to misdirect the public's attention,' said Steven Lieberman, a lawyer representing the News and several other media outlets. 'That is absolutely false. The judge has made clear and plaintiffs have made clear that they don't want to receive information that personally identifies the users of these conversations. If data is turned over, it will only be turned over anonymously. And OpenAI knows that. No one's privacy it's at risk.' The publishers' key argument at the core of their lawsuit is that the data that powers the company's popular ChatGPT has included millions of copyrighted works from the news organizations. The publications have argued that such content has been used without consent or payment — which translates to copyright infringement on a massive scale. Various reports have placed the company's value at $300 billion, making it one of the most valuable private companies in the world, thanks in part to its online chatbox, ChatGPT, which was released in 2022. But when it comes to raw material — redistributed creative content — OpenAI took the cheap and easy way out, Lieberman said. 'They just stole it from the newspapers, from magazines and from book authors,' he said. A representative from OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OpenAI has argued that the vast amount of data used to train its artificial intelligence bots is protected by 'fair use' rules. The doctrine applies to rules that allow some to use copyrighted work for purposes like criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching and research. However, lawyers for the newspapers have argued that the fair use test involves transforming a copyrighted work into something new, and the new work cannot compete with the original in the same marketplace. The court has rejected OpenAI's position that the newspapers haven't produced 'a shred of evidence' that people are using ChatGPT or OpenAI's API products to get news instead of paying for it. The New York Times originally brought the suit in December 2023. The Tribune, along with other newspapers in affiliated companies MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing, filed in April 2024. The other outlets included The New York Daily News, The Mercury News, The Denver Post, The Orange County Register and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Eyewitness News
26-06-2025
- Health
- Eyewitness News
'It's heartbreaking': Cancer drugs shipped to more than 100 countries fail quality tests
Vital chemotherapy drugs used around the world have failed quality tests, leaving cancer patients in more than 100 countries at risk of ineffective treatments and fatal side effects, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) can reveal. The drugs in question form the backbone of treatment plans for numerous common cancers, including breast, ovarian and leukemia. Over the past six years, they have been shipped to every populated continent on the planet, to both low- and middle-income countries like Nepal, Ethiopia and North Korea, and wealthy nations such as the US, UK and Saudi Arabia. The test findings come from a landmark study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, who analysed 189 samples of various cancer drugs. About one-fifth failed. "We were all taken aback when we saw the results,' said Marya Lieberman, the professor who led the research. The worst-performing drug in the study is made by Indian manufacturer Venus Remedies. All eight samples of the company's cyclophosphamide product failed, with six containing less than half the stated active ingredient. Venus Remedies told TBIJ that our results were 'not scientifically plausible' given the company's 'validated manufacturing systems and quality controls.' It said it has received no complaints or concerns about the batches in question and shared the results of its own testing that indicated they were of a good standard. The manufacturer said storage conditions in the supply chain – which can impact drug quality – might have affected the researchers' test results. However, the absence of similar quality issues across the entire data set suggests this is not the case. Venus Remedies is one of three companies or regulators that queried the methodology used by the lab, saying it deviated from international standards or could give erroneous results. However, Lieberman said that her researchers' methods follow international standards as closely as possible and employ similar standards to a regulatory lab. Both the findings and methods have been scrutinised by independent academics. Two other manufacturers whose products failed the testing, Zuvius Lifesciences and GLS Pharma, have supplied failed brands to over 40 countries. Of the 17 companies to have manufactured failed drugs, 16 are based in India. Five have been previously flagged by regulators for producing substandard drugs, including Zee Laboratories, which has been flagged 46 times since 2018. Some drugs contained so little of their key ingredient that pharmacists said giving them to patients would be as good as doing nothing. Other drugs, containing too much active ingredient, put patients at risk of severe organ damage or even death. 'Both scenarios are horrendous,' said Shereen Nabhani-Gebara, vice chair of the British Oncology Pharmacists Association. 'It's heartbreaking.' Zuvius Lifesciences, GLS Pharma, and Zee Laboratories did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Doctors from multiple countries told TBIJ of the drugs in question not working as expected, leaving patients suddenly unresponsive to treatment. Other patients suffered side effects so toxic that they could no longer tolerate the medicine. 'It's very worrying,' a pharmacist in Malawi told TBIJ. These findings expose huge holes in the global safety nets intended to prevent profit-seeking manufacturers from cutting corners and to protect patients from bad drugs. More than two in three countries around the world are reportedly unable to ensure the quality of medicines their populations are exposed to. One such country is Nepal, which is also one of the biggest importers of the failed chemotherapy brands in this investigation. The country's medicines regulator does not have the capacity to test cancer drugs and although it can recall cancer drugs based on external evidence, it has never done so. 'Neither patients nor their families have any way of knowing the quality of these drugs,' said Smriti Pokharel of the Wish Nepal Foundation. 'No one seems willing to take responsibility for ensuring proper treatment for cancer patients.' Much of the global demand for cancer treatment is met by generic drugs, which can be made once the original manufacturer's exclusivity rights have expired. The bad drugs found by TBIJ in this investigation were all generics. In India, the world's largest producer of generic drugs, questions have been raised over whether manufacturers are properly punished for producing drugs unfit for purpose. 'The Indian government's interest is in trying to protect the industry,' said public health activist and former Big Pharma whistleblower Dinesh Thakur. India's drug regulator defended the oversight system, saying that failing drugs are recalled and manufacturers face 'either administrative penalties or legal prosecution in court'. Thakur pointed to limitations in the World Health Organization's means of ensuring that people across the world have access to safe effective drugs. He described one WHO standards certificate scheme as 'not worth the paper it's written on'. The WHO did not respond to several requests for comment made by TBIJ. One cancer pharmacist in Ethiopia estimated that it could take over a year for a patient to save for cancer treatment. If that medicine then turns out to be faulty, they simply might not be able to afford to pay for another. 'Most people believe cancer is incurable,' they said. 'When they end up with a medicine that won't cure them, that's another tragedy.'
