California weighs extending eviction ban beyond June 30 – National & International News – MON 21Jun2021

CA weighs extending eviction ban. Supreme Court sides with college athletes against NCAA. Hardline cleric wins Iran presidency.

NATIONAL NEWS

CA weighs extending eviction protection beyond June 30

The nationwide CDC eviction ban ends on June 30. According to a recent Harvard Study, on that day, more than 8 million Americans will be vulnerable to eviction. Every state has received federal funds to help renters pay their past due rent. But in some states and districts, that money has been slow to make into the hands of the people who need it most. 

The state of California has more than enough money ($5.2 billion) to pay all renter debt in the state. Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to pay all past-due rent in the state. But the June 30 deadline may not give the state enough time to make all the necessary payments to renters and landlords. So, Newsom has said that he “definitively” wants to extend the eviction protections in the state beyond June 30.

In Mississippi…

June 30 is now less than 10 days away. On that day, according to the Census Bureau, as many as one-third of renters and mortgage holders in Mississippi may be in danger of losing their homes. Mississippi has received about $200 million in federal funds to keep renters in their homes. But there is no talk of extending the eviction ban in the state beyond June 30th.

If you or someone you know is a renter in danger of eviction, you can visit the Rental Assistance for Mississippians Program (RAMP) online at ms-ramp.com to apply for rental assistance. Renters may apply themselves, or landlords can apply on a renter’s behalf.

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Supreme Court sides with ex-college athletes against NCAA

The Supreme Court has ruled that universities and colleges can now offer education-related benefits to their athletes in excess of the costs of attending the school. This overturns a rule by the NCAA which previously capped education-related compensation. Justice Gorsuch said that the NCAA’s rule was unenforceable as it conflicted with federal anti-trust laws.

This means that universities and colleges with athletic programs can sweeten the deals offered to student athletes to boost recruitment. This could include even tens of thousands of dollars for computers, tutoring, scholarships and study abroad programs.

The NCAA argued that these caps preserved the amateur nature of college sports. But considering the benefits that conferences, universities and even the NCAA itself can reap based on a star athlete’s performance, advocates have long argued that athletes themselves should be eligible to receive more compensation.

The Supreme Court’s decision does not extend to paying athletes salaries or other non-education-related compensation. However, the decision will no doubt intensify recruitment competition among individual schools for top athletes.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Hardline cleric wins Iran presidency, with major global ramifications

Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi has won the presidency of Iran amid record low voter turnout. Raisi was the candidate backed by Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatolla Khamenei. Raisi is already a notorious figure on the international stage. As a former Justice Minister, he oversaw mass executions of political dissidents at the end of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. For this reason, Raisi is already subject to international sanctions from the US and other nations.

Israel reacts

Newly sworn-in Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called Raisi’s election a “wake-up call” for the international community. Here, Bennett referred to the ongoing negotiations to reinstate the 2015 nuclear deal. Bennett’s government opposes the deal just as his predecessor former PM Benjamin Netanyahu did. Netanyahu’s government reportedly even took active steps to undermine negiotiations. According to members of Israel’s covert intelligence agency Mossad, this included sabotage attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and even its scientists.

On a separate (but possibly related) note, Iran’s only nuclear power generation plant went offline today for undisclosed reasons.

Implications for nuclear deal

While a hardliner, Raisi has not opposed the reinstatement of the nuclear deal in principle. Reinstating the deal could reduce sanctions on Tehran and have wide-ranging economic benefits for the country. However, Raisi has said he will not meet with President Biden to further negotiations. Raisi also stated that while he supports the negotiations, he will not allow them to be drag on indefinitely. Furthermore, Raisi ruled out any negotiations to limit Iran’s ballistic missile program.

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