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04_02_25_Headlines Gabrielle Mendoza
Five CSU Students Affected By Visa Revocations
The Department of Homeland Security has revoked the visas of at least nine international students at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado.
According to CBS News Colorado, Homeland Security took away four CU students’ visas, and five CSU students’ visas. These visas allow international students to study at U.S. universities, under the agreement that they’ll return back to the country they traveled from after completing their studies.
It’s not yet clear why these students had their visas revoked.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment, but last week Secretary Marco Rubio said that 300 student visas have been revoked.
The Colorado students are the latest in a wave of student visa revocations across the country. Students at Columbia University, Cornell, Tufts, and the University of Minnesota – as well as many others – have either been detained by ICE or had their visa revoked over the past several weeks. Many of those students were involved in campus protests supporting Palestine.
Day Two Of Magnus White Death Trial
Individuals who witnessed the killing of 17-year-old-cyclist Magnus White were called to the stand yesterday, on day two of a trial against the person who struck and killed him with her car.
Yeva Smilianska is currently being charged with vehicular homicide. While both the defense and the prosecution agree that Yeva Smilianska hit and killed White, her attorneys don’t believe she drove in a reckless manner and are seeking a lighter sentence.
Magnus White, a 17-year-old cyclist nearing his senior year of high school, was out to trail the afternoon of July 29, when he neared Highway 119 and N. 63rd Street and was struck from behind.
Opening statements began on Monday, and included testimony from Magnus’ father Michael.
The first witness to testify yesterday was Clifford Tuttle, who had been shopping in Longmont that day and was headed to Boulder with his wife. Tuttle said he was behind Smilianska’s car and watched her swerve to the right twice before going off the road and “into the ditch.” He realized she had hit someone when she saw White “fly into the air.”
Other witnesses also said they watched Smilianska drive in an erratic manner.
Those called to court yesterday also testified about the driver’s response to the crash. Witness Rachel Blaydes said Smilianska’s reaction appeared very flat, and did not seem reflective of the situation. But Money Bonney, another witness, said the driver seemed very upset once she realized she had hit Magnus.
Body camera footage displayed in court shows Smilianska telling a Boulder police officer that her steering wheel “stopped listening” to her. She has previously argued the crash was a result of a steering malfunction, not reckless driving.
CO Joins Suit Against Trump Admin Over Health Funding
Colorado’s attorney general Phil Weiser has joined 22 other AGs in yet another lawsuit against the Trump administration.
This time around, the coalition of state attorneys general are suing the Trump administration over its decision to cut $11 billion in federal funds for public health projects.
The money helps fund a variety of public health initiatives across the country, including programs to help protect communities against COVID-19.
The suit was filed in Rhode Island federal court against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. It argues that the cuts are illegal and that the federal government did not provide “rational basis” or facts to support the cuts.
Officials are worried that the cuts will cause “serious harm to public health” and put states at “greater risk for future pandemics and the spread of otherwise preventable disease.”
Colorado’s health agencies will lose over $230 million in federal grants through the cuts, including money that’s historically been directed to COVID-19 disease tracking, childhood vaccinations, and studies of health disparities.
In addition to the funding cuts, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department kickstarted mass layoffs yesterday. The Denver Post says the department may fire up to 10,000 employees.
Gun Bill
The advocacy group Moms Demand Action is hailing the final approval of Colorado Senate Bill 3 as a victory for gun safety.
The bill cleared its final legislative hurdle Friday, according to The Colorado Sun, and is headed to Governor Jared Polis for his signature.
Senate Bill 3 would ban the manufacture and restrict the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms.
Moms Demand Action Executive Director Angela Ferrell-Zabala said with its passage, “Colorado has emerged as a national leader when it comes to lifesaving action on our gun violence crisis.”
Governor Polis has shown support for the Democrat-backed measure. The bill, among other things, would limit the sale of most semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines, as well as some pistols and shotguns. The only way buyers can get around the bill is to get approved by the county sheriff and complete up to a dozen hours of training.
The bill passed the legislature on Friday afternoon in the Senate with a 19-15 vote, and some approved changes. Under the House amendments, the bill wouldn’t go into effect until August of 2026. The amendments would also give sheriffs broad authority to deny applications from those who are looking to buy the banned weapons, though individuals could file a lawsuit to reserve that decision.
Overall, SB3 had been significantly altered since it was first introduced earlier this year. Initially, it sought to outright ban the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and some pistols.
Colorado Democrats issued a statement that said in part, “The people of Colorado have mandated that we do something about the public health crisis that is gun violence, so that’s what we’re going to do.” That’s according to KKTV.
