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BALANCE — Colleen Long and Will Weissert at the Associated Press ask a pressing question: "Can Biden find the right balance on immigration?" Publicly, most Democrats are "unwilling to criticize their leader on a polarizing topic that has created divisions within the party," they note — but many are having private conversations questioning Biden’s handling of immigration. "It’s hard but they’ve got to do it," said Douglas Rivlin of America’s Voice. "They’re going to face voters next year … Biden isn’t. And they have to be clear they’re pushing Biden to be the Democratic president we elected, rather than being scared of the issues because the politics are difficult." IN ‘LITTLE KABUL’ — For The New York Times, Michael D. Shear and Jim Tankersley dive deep into the housing disparities and employment challenges Afghan refugees are facing in the U.S. They point to Fremont, California’s ‘Little Kabul,’ an area once full of job opportunities and an affordable housing market that is now too expensive for many newcomers and long-term residents alike. While alternative housing and jobs are available in areas like Fargo, North Dakota; or Tulsa, Oklahoma, these communities often lack the cultural support, services, and large Afghan community found in Little Kabul, Shear and Tankersley note. "Are we setting [refugees] up to fail there?" asked lawyer and Afghan refugee Homaira Hosseini of newer resettlement destinations. "...Or are we setting them up to fail in places where there aren’t any jobs for them, but there is support?"
HOPE — CNN’s John Blake tells the story of Zak Khogyani, a pilot and photographer who volunteered to help with Afghan evacuation efforts by serving as an interpreter on evacuation flights. "[The memories] all came rushing back," said Khogyani, whose family fled Afghanistan when he was nine. "It was harder than I thought." As Khogyani greeted evacuees, many of them "told me that they were proud of me," he said, "and that I gave them hope that the future will be bright." Meanwhile, Kelly Kennedy at WOIO Cleveland tells the story of Ohio veterans Matt Carpenter and Rick Stockburger, who helped evacuate Afghan refugees amid the Taliban takeover. (Matt and Rick shared their incredible story on a recent episode of Only in America.) WELCOME EFFORTS — During an economic summit in Turkmenistan on Sunday, several leaders of Asian countries "called for boosting their economic ties and pledged to provide assistance to Afghanistan," per Alexander Vershinin of the Associated Press. In related news, the final episode of our "Welcoming Afghans" series on Only in America, features Nazanin Ash, CEO of Welcome.us, and Nadia Hashimi, a member of the coalition’s National Welcome Council. Nazanin and Nadia recounted the story of Welcome.us, a diverse coalition that has come together to welcome Afghans to the U.S. Here’s today’s collection of local stories:
Thanks for reading, Ali |
