US Congressman Ro Khanna has slammed president Donald Trump’s plans to declare a national emergency to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.
The California Democrat took to Twitter to urge the president to end the ongoing government shutdown, pointing out how Americans were being affected by the shutdown,
"Trump may want to declare a 'national emergency' to sidestep Congress and build a border wall. The real 'national emergency' is that young Americans are drowning in student debt, families are forced into bankruptcy due to health costs & millions of our citizens are left behind," Khanna, who represents California's 17th district, said in the tweet.
"Not only did Trump leave hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay for the holidays due to the shutdown, but he's also frozen their 2019 pay increase. Can someone please tell me how this will grow the economy?... End this shutdown now," Khanna said in another tweet on Wednesday (9).
Khanna is not the only Indian-American to slam the president for the ongoing shutdown. Indian-American senator Kamala Harris, in an interview on Wednesday, called the shutdown a "crisis of the President's own making".
She also spoke about her presidential ambitions and said she believes the country is ready for a woman of colour as president.
"We have to give the American people more credit, and we have to understand that the American public and the people of our country are smart people, who will make decisions about who will be their leader, based on who they believe is capable, who they believe has an honest desire to lead, to represent, to see them, to be a voice for them even if they have no power," Harris said in an interview.
"Those are the kinds of people who we are as a country. And so the pundits can talk all day, and all night, and there's a lot of chatter about which demographic will do this or that. It has been my life's experience that the American people are smart and they make decisions about what's in the best interest of their household, their family and their community. And I have faith that in 2020, and in any other election, that will be their motivation when they vote."
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)