All eyes were on Pennsylvania on Tuesday, as the critical swing state held pivotal elections that could send a clear statement ahead of the November 2024 presidential election.

While former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden had already secured their party nominations, they both easily won the Republican and Democratic primaries in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, gaining even more support.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn., and businessman David McCormick won the Democratic and Republican Senate primaries, respectively, and will square off in a closely contested battle in the fall.

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pennsylvania, defeated Bhavini Patel, a member of Allegheny County’s Edgewood Borough Council, in a hard-fought primary in the state’s 12th congressional district.

However, those were not the only tight contests on Tuesday. Here’s a summary of the USA TODAY Network’s live coverage of the most recent primaries.

Eugene DePasquale secures Democratic bid for attorney general

Eugene DePasquale, the former state auditor general, beat a crowded field of opponents to win the Democratic primary for the open attorney general seat. He will face Republican David Sunday in what’s expected to be competitive general election race.

David Sunday wins GOP attorney general primary

David Sunday, a York County district attorney, beat state house member Craig Williams in the Republican primary. He’s set to face off against Democrat Eugene DePasquale in the November election.

–Karissa Waddick

Republican Ryan McKenzie wins primary election in Pennsylvania’s 7th District 

Ryan McKenzie won the GOP primary to challenge Democratic Rep. Susan Wild for the Lehigh, Pennsylvania, area congressional seat in November. The seat in the state’s 7th District is a top target for Republicans in November.

Janelle Stelson to face GOP Rep. Scott Perry in PA’s 10th District

Democrat Janelle Stelson will challenge Republican Rep. Scott Perry for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional seat in November. Stelson beat five Democratic competitors in the primary.

A former news anchor, Stelson is aiming to win over independents and moderate conservatives in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, district to defeat Perry in the general election. The Cook Political Report has labeled the race as leaning in Perry’s favor.

Rep. Summer Lee fights off challenger in PA’s 12th District

Democratic Rep. Summer Lee beat Bhavini Patel in the primary for the state’s 12th district. Her win comes as a potential positive sign for other progressives in Congress who are facing challenges from moderate Democrats over their opposition to additional U.S. military aid for Israel.

Lee’s advocacy for a ceasefire in Gaza became a central theme of the campaign. Her opponent argued that Lee’s criticism of Israel hurt Biden’s reelection efforts. But those arguments ultimately did not win over voters.

Moderate Republican Brian Fitzpatrick fends off challenger in GOP race for 1st District

Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick defeated right-wing challenger Mark Houck in the Bucks County congressional primary, according to a call by the Associated Press.

The race was viewed as a test of how important the issue of abortion could be for the Republican Party’s base in 2024. Fitzpatrick is a widely regarded as a moderate Republican. Houck advocated for a near total ban on abortions, while Fitzpatrick has called for compromise.

David McCormick clinches GOP primary for closely watched Senate seat

David McCormick won the Republican nomination for Senate in Pennsylvania. He ran unopposed in the race and will face incumbent Sen. Bob Casey in the general election.

Donald Trump, Joe Biden lock down Republican and Democratic primaries

Donald Trump and Joe Biden won their respective party primaries in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, picking up dozens of additional delegates as they both seek a second term in the White House.

Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump campaigned in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, despite it being a major general election target for both candidates.

Instead, Trump appeared in a New York City courtroom for the second day of witness testimony in his hush money trial. And Biden delivered a speech in Tampa, Florida, attempting to tie Trump to the southern state’s law banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy.

Both candidates traveled to Pennsylvania last week for major campaign stops ahead of the primary.

MIAMI (AP) – The social media corporation established by ex-President Donald Trump has submitted an application for a business visa program that he aimed to limit during his tenure and that numerous of his supporters desire him to reduce if he were to serve a second term.

Trump Media & Technology Group, the company responsible for Truth Social, submitted an application in June 2022 for an H-1B visa for an employee earning an annual salary of $65,000, which is the minimum wage level permitted by the program. According to federal immigration data, the corporation received approval for a visa a few months after. The corporation asserts that it did not employ the worker.

AP – VOR News Image

Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One

The act of applying for the visa highlights the contradiction between Trump the candidate, who has advocated for a protectionist approach that encourages corporations to prioritize American workers, and Trump the businessman, who has expressed his intention to utilize all available means for his companies. The investment firm established by Jared Kushner, who is both President Trump’s son-in-law and a White House adviser, submitted an application and received approval to employ a foreign individual as an associate through the visa program.

According to a statement from Trump Media & Technology Group, the application was submitted when the company was under previous management. However, it is worth noting that the current CEO, Devin Nunes, who was already leading the company, was involved in the application process when it was initially filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.

The company has never employed, and has no intentions of employing, a worker through the H-1B visa program. The company stated that upon discovering the application, which was submitted under a previous management period, the present management promptly halted the process in November 2022.

The cost for corporations to file an H-1B visa petition is approximately $5,000 per employee. Companies have the ability to retract applications even after they have been granted approval. The data maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services does not include information about visa revocations. However, a representative from the Labor Department, which also monitors H-1B applications, stated that they have no documented evidence of Truth Social submitting a request for withdrawal.

An ubiquitous instrument utilized by technology enterprises.
Technology companies frequently employ individuals through the H-1B program. Prior to assuming the presidency, Trump openly acknowledged his utilization of visas, mostly for the purpose of importing foreign models and a limited number of workers for his hotels and resorts. This information is based on an examination of the petitions filed since 2009.

However, apart from renewing current applications, his companies seemed to have ceased requesting H-1B visas until the creation of Truth Social.

According to the Labor Department, Trump Media & Technology Group submitted an application for an employee to receive a salary of $65,000. The employer is listed as Will Wilkerson, who is a co-founder of the company and a former senior vice president of operations. The employment is located in Atlanta, as indicated by the provided address.

In August 2022, Wilkerson submitted a whistleblower complaint to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accusing the corporation of committing securities breaches. He lost his job, and The Washington Post reported that he is now actively working with federal investigators. His legal representatives stated that he would refrain from providing any comments.

‘I should be prohibited from using it.’
Trump often discusses the influx of migrants who unlawfully cross the U.S.-Mexico border, but his policy agenda throughout his presidency also involved restrictions on legal immigration, such as family-based visas and the visa lottery program.

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Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One

During a primary debate in 2016, Trump expressed his disapproval of the H-1B visa program, describing it as both “very detrimental” and “inequitable” for American workers.

“To begin with, I possess extensive knowledge and understanding of the H-1B visa.” And it’s a tool that I frequently utilize, even though I should not have permission to do so. “We should not possess it,” he stated. “Furthermore, it is crucial to acknowledge that I am a businessman and I must prioritize my actions based on necessity.”

Three months into his presidency, Trump issued an executive order titled “Buy American and Hire American.” This order instructed Cabinet members to propose changes that would prioritize the allocation of H-1B visas to applicants who were either well paid or highly talented, with the aim of safeguarding American workers. He has previously asserted that the program was utilized by technology businesses to acquire overseas employees at a reduced salary.

Under his administration, a research conducted by the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy revealed that the government was intensifying its examination of cases by issuing additional information requests to companies seeking to employ foreign workers and rejecting a higher number of petitions.

The “Project 2025” handbook, created by supporters anticipating Trump’s potential assumption of power, suggests that the H-1B program should be restructured to function as an exclusive mechanism for attracting the most talented individuals at competitive wages, while also ensuring that American workers are not put at a disadvantage by the program.

Nicolas Morales, an economist specializing on labor and migration at the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, stated that over 60% of the total visas granted are attributed to companies in the professional, scientific, and technical services sectors. Morales stated that he has discovered that the visa program has proven advantageous for small enterprises in maintaining their operations.

Participating in and being selected in the H-1B lottery is advantageous for them. “It enhances their likelihood of survival,” he stated. “Over the next five years, small companies that heavily rely on skilled labor are expected to remain active.”

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Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One

The applications necessitate employers to affirm that they will furnish foreign workers with equivalent benefits as those provided to U.S. workers, and remunerate them at a higher rate than individuals with comparable expertise and qualifications, or above the standard wage for that particular occupation. Companies are required to notify their workers of the filing by displaying a notice in two locations at the workplace.

A significant portion of the criticism surrounding the H-1B program is to corporations providing foreign workers with salaries that fall under the lower wage brackets. The application submitted by Kushner’s investment firm to employ a foreign worker seems to address the allegation adequately.

The Labor Department approved a document in which Kushner’s investment firm stated that it would provide a salary of $200,000 to this employee. This amount falls inside the highest compensation range for H-1B visas, which are usually granted to individuals who are highly skilled in their industry and hold senior positions. According to recent data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the company has been granted a visa approval.

Kushner has abstained from joining the Trump campaign and has been actively pursuing his own business ventures by submitting applications for tourism projects in the Balkans.

SOURCE – (AP)

Port-au-Prince, Haiti – As the sun sets, a hefty man yells into a megaphone, drawing a curious crowd around him. Next to him is a little cardboard box containing many currencies worth 10 Haitian gourdes, or around 7 US cents.

“Everyone give whatever they have!” the man yells as he grabs the arms and hands of individuals approaching a district in the capital of Port-au-Prince that has been targeted by violent gangs.

The community recently voted to purchase a metal barricade and construct it themselves in an effort to protect inhabitants from the unrelenting violence that killed or maimed over 2,500 people in Haiti between January and March.

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HAITI Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital

“Every day, I wake up and find a dead body,” said Noune-Carme Manoune, an immigration officer.

Life in Port-au-Prince has become a survival game, pushing Haitians to their limits as they struggle to keep secure and alive while gangs outnumber the police and the government is mainly absent. Some are erecting metal barricades. Others accelerate aggressively as they approach gang-controlled regions. The few who can afford it hoard water, food, money, and medicine, all of which have become scarce since the main international airport shuttered in early March. Marauding bandits have effectively stopped the country’s largest ports.

“People in the capital are trapped; they have nowhere to go,” stated Philippe Branchat, the International Organization for Migration’s leader in Haiti, in a recent statement. “The capital is surrounded by armed groups and threats. “The city is under siege.”

Phones frequently buzz with warnings reporting gunshots, kidnappings, and fatal shootings, and some shops have so many armed guards that they resemble tiny police stations.

Gang attacks were once limited to specific places, but they can now occur anywhere and at any time. Staying at home does not ensure safety: A stray gunshot hit a man in the back while he was playing with his daughter at home. Others were killed.

Schools and petrol stations are closed, with fuel on the illicit market retailing for $9 per gallon, or about three times the official price. Banks now ban consumers from withdrawing more than $100 per day, and cheques that used to clear in three days now take a month or more. Police officers must wait weeks to be paid.

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Haitians Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital

“Everyone is under stress,” said Isidore Gédéon, a 38-year-old guitarist. “People are distrustful of one another following the prison breach. The state does not have control.”

On February 29, gangs with an estimated 80% control of Port-au-Prince initiated coordinated attacks on crucial governmental infrastructure. They set fire to police stations, attacked the airport, and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing over 4,000 inmates.

At the time, Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Kenya to advocate for the deployment of a police force supported by the United Nations. Henry is still barred from entering Haiti, and a transitional presidential committee charged with appointing the country’s new prime minister and Cabinet might be inaugurated in as soon as this week. Henry has promised to quit once a new leader has been installed.

Few expect that this will be the end of the crisis. Not only are gangs causing bloodshed, but Haitians have also embraced a vigilante movement known as “bwa kale,” which has slain several hundred suspected gang members or associates.

“There are certain communities I can’t go to because everyone is scared of everyone,” he stated. “You could be innocent, and you end up dead.”

In only one month, more than 95,000 people have fled Port-au-Prince as gangs invade towns, torch homes, and kill people in opposing territory.

Those fleeing by bus to Haiti’s southern and northern provinces face the possibility of being gang-raped or killed as they transit through gang-controlled areas where gunmen have opened fire.

According to the International Organization for Migration, violence in the capital has rendered approximately 160,000 people homeless.

“This is hell,” said Nelson Langlois, a producer and camera operator.

Langlois, his wife, and their three children spent two nights sleeping flat on their home’s roof as gangs raided the neighborhood.

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Haitians Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital

“Time after time, we peered over to see when we could flee,” he said.

Langlois, who was forced to split up due to a lack of shelter, now lives at a Vodou temple while his wife and children reside somewhere in Port-au-Prince.

Langlois, like the majority of city dwellers, spends much of his time indoors. The days of playing pickup soccer on dirt roads and drinking Prestige beer in pubs while listening to hip-hop, reggae, or African music are over.

“It’s an open-air prison,” Langlois explained.

The violence has also pushed companies, government organizations, and schools to close, leaving many Haitians unemployed.

Manoune, a government immigration official, stated that she has been making money by selling treated water because she is out of work due to postponed deportations.

Meanwhile, Gédéon stated that he no longer plays the drums for a living, saying that pubs and other venues have closed. He sells small plastic bags of water on the street and has worked as a handyman, repairing fans and fixing appliances.

As the crisis worsens poverty in Haiti, students are also entering the workforce.

Sully, a tenth-grade student whose school stopped over two months ago, stood on a street corner in Pétion-Ville, selling fuel he bought on the illegal market.

“You have to be careful,” added Sully, who requested that his last name be omitted for safety reasons. “During the morning it’s safer.”

He sells approximately five gallons every week, earning about $40 for his family, but he can’t afford to join his classmates who are learning online.

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Haitians Scramble To Survive, Seeking Food, Water And Safety As Gang Violence Chokes The Capital

“Online class is for people more fortunate than me, who have more money,” he remarked.

The European Union confirmed last week the establishment of a humanitarian air bridge from Panama to Haiti. Five flights arrived in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s only working airport, bringing 62 tons of medicine, water, emergency shelter equipment, and other crucial supplies.However, crucial items cannot be guaranteed to reach those in most need. Many Haitians are still confined in their homes, unable to buy or look for food amid flying gunshots.

According to aid organizations, approximately 2 million Haitians are on the edge of hunger, including over 600,000 children.

Nonetheless, individuals are devising strategies to survive.

Back in the area, residents are putting up a metal barricade, and sparks fly as one man cuts metal while others shovel and mix concrete. They are well into the project and aim to complete it soon.

Others are doubtful, noting accounts of gangs jumping into loaders and other heavy machinery to demolish police stations and, most lately, metal barricades.

SOURCE – (AP)