The spotlight is focused on US Vice President J.D. Vance, during the Republican Party convention in Dallas, as he delivers a speech seen as an early test of his chances to run for the White House in 2028, at a time when party leaders are facing difficulty in finding ways to maintain the momentum of Donald Trump's presidency amid declining popularity rates and uncertainty regarding the midterm elections.
Since the Constitution prevents Trump from running for a third term, Republicans will be watching for any indications about how Vance can lead a party that Trump has transformed and any indications that Trump views his vice president as his preferred successor.
Vance is scheduled to deliver his anticipated speech at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday night, while Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech concluding this two-day event in Dallas.
Vance's speech may provide the clearest indication yet of how he will seek to reorganize the ranks of the Republican Party after Trump leaves office. Trump is known to ask those close to him in the White House whether they see Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the most suitable candidate.
In addition to Vance and Rubio, other Republicans are vying for the position, including Senator Ted Cruz from Texas.
Rubio will not deliver a speech as he is on a tour in South America.
A number of Republicans believe that the 42-year-old Vance has good opportunities to continue the party's populist agenda, and they attribute this to his young age and his appeal to the activists who now form the core of the movement that Trump represents.
Today, Americans commemorate the 25th anniversary of the “September 11” attacks launched by Al-Qaeda with two civilian planes on the World Trade Center in New York and another on the Department of Defense in Washington, in addition to a fourth plane that was shot down in Pennsylvania, during which about 3,000 people were killed.
The anniversary of those events that changed the face of America and the world comes at a time when countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, and others have not yet finished counting the final number of hundreds of thousands of victims, and perhaps more than those who fell in the ongoing American and global wars since then against Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and other terrorist groups.
Although a quarter of a century has passed since what the American press described as “Apocalypti” Day, controversy is still ongoing over “secret records” that are said to have not been published yet, especially since the attacks have widely reshaped the concept of American security and the daily lives of Americans and others. From security procedures at airports to foreign policy and changing local communities, all the way to waging wars against regimes described as constituting the “axis of evil,” led by Iran, and must be eliminated.
A deadline set by US President Donald Trump's administration to decide whether about 200,000 immigrants from El Salvador can maintain protected status from deportation has passed without any public announcement, raising hopes for many of them for another six-month extension, while also sparking confusion.
The Department of Homeland Security has remained silent about its plans, leaving lawyers and immigrant rights advocates racing against time to try to figure out what might happen next to Salvadorans who have raised families in the United States over decades.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on Thursday, saying that it would make an announcement “at the appropriate time,” and that El Salvador’s temporary protected status would remain in effect until then.
Ben Johnson, who heads the Immigration Lawyers Association, said in a post on social media yesterday, Wednesday: “Let’s be clear: This is not an official extension or decision from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the fate of temporary protected status for El Salvador.” He added that the Trump administration is leaving temporary protected status holders, their families, and their employers in limbo.
Temporary protected status allows people already in the country to remain there, with work permits for renewable periods of up to 18 months, if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that conditions are unsafe for their return. Under immigration law, the status is automatically extended for six months if the government takes no action.
