Trump Administration Cancels National Links Trust Lease for Washington Public Golf Courses 
Zohran Mamdani Names Steve Banks as New York City Corporation Counsel Amid Clash With Trump 
Lockheed Martin Secures $92.8M AEGIS Sustainment Contract from U.S. Navy 
Pentagon Awards $328.5 Million Lockheed Martin Contract to Support Taiwan Air Force Amid Rising Tensions 
Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Seeks Strong Peace Deal, Rejects “Weak” Agreement in New Year Address 
Trump Ends National Guard Deployments in Major Cities Amid Legal Setbacks and Crime Debate 
Najib Razak Files Appeal Against Latest 1MDB Corruption Conviction and 15-Year Sentence 
Salvador Nasralla Challenges Honduras Election Results Amid Fraud Allegations 
Trump Administration Audits Somali-Origin Citizenship Cases Amid Fraud Allegations 
U.S. Intelligence Disputes Russia’s Claim of Ukrainian Drone Attack on Putin 
USDA $12 Billion Farm Aid Program Draws Mixed Reactions from Row Crop Farmers 
U.S. Questions Russia’s Claim of Ukrainian Drone Attack on Putin Residence 
Kremlin Says Ukrainian Drone Attack Hardens Russia’s Stance on Peace Talks 
UN Condemns Israel’s Move to Cut Utilities to UNRWA Facilities 
Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Discussing Possible U.S. Troop Presence as Security Guarantee 
Ukraine Drone Attacks Target Moscow and Western Russia, Injure One Civilian 
Trump Administration Lifts Sanctions on Three Intellexa-Linked Executives 
The recent shooting in San Jose, California, is the latest incident of gun violence in the country. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the recent shooting and called for Congress to pass legislation regarding gun reforms.
Pelosi released a statement, extending her condolences to the victims’ families. Pelosi’s comments follow a shooting at a Valley Transportation Authority railyard that left around eight people dead, as well as the shooter. The shooter was identified to be a VTA employee, and authorities believe that he died from a self-inflicted wound.
Officials have yet to determine what type of weapon was used in the incident, as well as the shooter’s motives. Nevertheless, Pelosi called on Congress to pass the gun violence prevention bills and that House Democrats will stop pushing for its passage so it could be signed into law. The bills that Pelosi mentioned, HR 8 and HR 1446, also known as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 and the Enhanced Background Checks of 2021, were passed by the House in March and is up for a Senate vote.
“All Americans join the San Jose community in sadness and shock over today’s horrific mass shooting. As a Californian, I am personally devastated,” said Pelosi in the statement. “Our prayers are with the loved ones of the victims, and our gratitude is with the first responders for their heroic actions.”
In other news, Pelosi, along with the leaders of the Asian American community in San Francisco, highlighted the passage of the COVID-19 hate crimes act that was signed into law. The bill was introduced by Democratic lawmakers Rep. Grace Meng and Sen. Mazie Hirono following the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Signed into law by President Joe Biden last week, the bill would make it easier to report hate crimes as well as reporting resources valuable in many languages and provide grants to state and local governments for hate crime reduction programs.
“From the violence against Chinese railroad workers, Filipino farmworkers, the incarceration of Japanese (people) during (World War II), the burning of Chinatowns, the abuse of Vietnamese fishermen, the violence that we saw 120 years ago in the form of women being trafficked from Asia...to today with shootings, stabbings, beatings, and bullying of our young people,” said Dean Ito Taylor, the API legal outreach executive director. “Our community will not be silent.”
