Latest news with #Bryan
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Legacy of past hangs over anti-immigrant violence in Northern Ireland
At the outset of the "Troubles", some Catholics and Protestants were violently forced from their homes in areas where they were in the minority, and sectarian attacks remained common through three decades of violence and the imperfect peace that followed. "Sectarianism and racism have never been very different from each other," said Dominic Bryan, a professor at Queens University Belfast who researches group identity and political violence. "It doesn't totally surprise me that as society changes and Northern Ireland has become a very different society than it was 30 years ago, that some of this 'out grouping' shifts," Bryan said, adding such prejudices could also be seen among Irish nationalists. Immigration has historically been low in Northern Ireland, where the years of conflict bred an insular society unused to assimilating outsiders. There are other factors at play too, said Bryan. The towns involved all have big economic problems, sub-standard housing and rely on healthcare and industries such as meat packing and manufacturing that need an increasing migrant workforce. "The people around here, they're literally at a boiling point," said Ballymena resident Neil Brammeld. The town's diverse culture was welcomed and everybody got along, he said, but for problems with "a select few". "The people have been complaining for months and months leading up to this and the police are nowhere to be seen." While around 6% of people in the province were born abroad, with those belonging to ethnic minority groups about half that, the foreign-born population in Ballymena is much higher, in line with the UK average of 16%. Northern Ireland does not have specific hate crime legislation, though some race-related incidents can be prosecuted as part of wider laws. Justice minister Naomi Long pledged last year to boost the existing provisions but said the power-sharing government would not have enough time to introduce a standalone hate crime bill before the next election in 2027. While five successive nights of violence mostly came to an end on Saturday, the effects continue to be felt. "I'm determined I'm not going to be chased away from my home," said Ivanka Antova, an organiser of an anti-racism rally in Belfast on Saturday, who moved to Belfast from Bulgaria 15 years ago. "Racism will not win."
Business Wire
11 hours ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Benchmark Announces Appointment of Glynis A. Bryan to Board of Directors
TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: BHE), a global provider of engineering, design, and manufacturing services, announces the appointment of Glynis A. Bryan to its Board of Directors. Ms. Bryan brings a wealth of financial and operational expertise to Benchmark's Board. She recently retired as Chief Financial Officer of Insight Enterprises, Inc., where she served from 2007 to 2024. Prior to Insight, Ms. Bryan held senior financial leadership positions at Swift Transportation Co., APL Logistics, and Ryder System, Inc. She currently serves on the Boards of Ameriprise Financial, Inc., Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, and WESCO International, Inc. 'We are thrilled to welcome Glynis to our Board,' said Jeff Benck, President and CEO of Benchmark. 'With over 20 years as a Chief Financial Officer, including her tenure at Insight Enterprises, Inc., Glynis has demonstrated exceptional skills in financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic growth initiatives. Her leadership has been instrumental in guiding companies through complex financial landscapes, making her a valuable asset to Benchmark's board. 'With her extensive background in corporate governance, Glynis offers a strategic perspective that aligns perfectly with Benchmark's commitment to excellence,' said David W. Scheible, Chairman of the Board. 'Her insights from serving on multiple prominent boards will enhance our decision-making processes and support our long-term objectives.' To learn more about Benchmark's Board of Directors, please visit About Benchmark Electronics, Inc. Benchmark provides comprehensive solutions across the entire product lifecycle; leading through its innovative technology and engineering design services; leveraging its optimized global supply chain; and delivering world-class manufacturing services in the following industries: commercial aerospace, defense, advanced computing, next-generation communications, medical, complex industrials, and semiconductor capital equipment. Benchmark's global operations include facilities in seven countries and its common shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BHE.
Politico
a day ago
- Politics
- Politico
Trump coy on fire aid for ‘incompetent' Newsom
Programming note: We'll be off this Thursday but back in your inboxes on Monday. DRIVING THE DAY: Donald Trump is keeping up his multi-front war on California, saying, 'Yeah, maybe,' when asked today if his 'recent dust-ups' with Gov. Gavin Newsom will affect the state's wildfire aid. 'Hatred is never a good thing in politics,' the president told reporters, calling Newsom 'incompetent.' 'When you don't like somebody, don't respect somebody, it's harder for that person to get money if you're on top.' Newsom said in an X post that 'sucking up to the President should not be a requirement for him to do the right thing for the American people.' 'These are families who've lost their homes, their belongings — the irreplaceable pieces of a life built over decades, reduced to ash,' the governor said. 'Only a truly disturbed person would threaten to withhold aid from victims because they don't like someone.' ON THE GROUND: Southern California Democratic lawmakers are taking stock of Trump's immigration crackdown, as protests in the region have ebbed. Recent ICE raids have hit garment manufacturers, Home Depots, farms and churches. In Assemblymember Isaac Bryan's west Los Angeles district, federal agents rounded up people at car washes. (The Los Angeles Times reported ICE has swept at least nine such businesses in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Labor advocates said agents took at least 26 people from five area car washes.) 'We are seeing kind of the fear and anxiety magnify and continue to play out while this is happening,' Bryan said. Playbook talked to Bryan about how the raids have affected his district and what he's doing in the aftermath. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How many people have been reaching out to you recently as a result of the raids, and what are they telling you? [As of Monday] I've gotten 30 to 40 phone calls and text messages. There are a bunch of community group chats where screenshots get sent kind of in rapid time. And that's a decision of the federal government. By choosing not to work with local partners, work with the state, to give advance notice, everybody is operating that kind of way. They're telling me where ICE is in the district, whether they're stationed in Palms or Mar Vista, whether it's a staging area or a place where the vehicles are just parked, or whether it's somewhere where a raid is happening … we find out pretty quickly. And community rallies together, and we try to figure out, what can we do? What are some of the things you've tried to do? Be there for the families. Observe and document who is being picked up … and then follow up with the families to see if we can locate where their loved ones have been taken. We're moving a little bit away from the big protests and events of last week — how do you see things unfolding moving forward? I don't see a lot of options for this administration. I saw them talking recently about how they wouldn't like to do it this way, but they're casting a wide net … I'm worried that asylum-seekers aren't safe. I'm worried that nobody trying to go [through] the legal process is safe because we are hearing that they are disrupting all of those legal proceedings and just apprehending folks there, as well. It's a very scary time if you are trying to seek refuge in the United States. Is there anything more you think the Legislature is going to do on this front? A number of us are thinking about potential legislative interventions and trying to wrap our head around the different constitutional and preemption concerns — what is in our authority, what is in our purview, what is not. But those conversations are actively happening. I know I have some Senate colleagues who talked to me ahead of time about things that they were thinking about. And some folks were willing to even just be challenged in court, to make the stand for California. And so I think all things are on the table right now. IT'S WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY GENDER-AFFIRMING DEFEAT: The Supreme Court today dealt transgender rights advocates a blow, upholding a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming medical care for minors, our Josh Gerstein reports. In a 6-3 ruling, the court's conservative majority rejected a challenge from transgender adolescents and their families who argued that the ban violates the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that the ban, passed in 2023, does not discriminate against people based on their 'transgender status.' The majority also rejected arguments from the law's challengers that it amounts to unconstitutional discrimination on the basis of sex. 'The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound,' Roberts wrote. 'The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements. Nor does it afford us license to decide them as we see best.' The court's liberals dissented, arguing that the law clearly draws sex-based distinctions and that Tennessee should have been required to prove in court the measure was necessary to advance an important state interest. 'The majority refuses to call a spade a spade,' Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. 'Instead, it obfuscates a sex classification that is plain on the face of this statute.' IN OTHER NEWS CALIFORNIA'S A TRENDSETTER: Blue-state lawmakers are following in the Golden State's footsteps and pushing Big Tech to pony up cash for struggling newsrooms, fearful that President Donald Trump's policies could crush already reeling local outlets, our Tyler Katzenberger reports today. Democrats in five blue states — Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Oregon and Washington — have been trying to make tech companies pay outlets in exchange for displaying news content, building off an idea Assemblymember Buffy Wicks pushed in California last year. That was already a tall task. But the White House is making it even harder, as Trump seeks spending cuts for public media and champions economic policies that states say have hurt their ability to backstop local newsroom funding. 'Whether it's tariffs on newsprint imported from Canada or a reduction in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and others — all of these have a negative impact,' said Democratic Washington state Sen. Marko Liias, who introduced a tech tax proposal this year. 'What they're doing at the federal level is pushing us in the wrong direction.' Read more from Tyler. SCREEN TIME: International students' social media will be subject to screening from U.S. diplomats, our Nahal Toosi and Eric Bazail-Eimil report. POLITICO obtained a State Department cable directing consular officers to review the online presence of foreign nationals applying for student and other educational visas. Diplomats were directed to review applicants' online presence for 'any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.' The cable also instructs embassies to flag any 'advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security' and 'support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.' The cable appears to be the latest salvo in the Trump administration's efforts to punish American colleges and universities for their handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus and root out what it alleges is rampant antisemitism and liberalism at elite institutions of higher learning. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — The U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit from Huntington Beach that attempted to overturn California's sanctuary law that restricts the involvement of local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement. (Orange County Register) — Trump indicated that his administration will not provide more funding for California's high-speed rail, which falls in line with an earlier threat this month from the U.S. Department of Transportation to withhold billions in aid from the project. (Sacramento Bee) — Transportation officials plan to halt service along five bus lines in San Francisco starting Saturday. (San Francisco Chronicle) AROUND THE STATE — The Los Angeles Dodgers have remained quiet amid protests and upheaval within immigrant neighborhoods in its hometown even as 40 percent of its fan base is Latino. (The Bulwark) — PG&E has placed more than a dozen counties on notice for a potential public safety power shutoff as wildfire concerns grow amid hot and windy weather. (Fresno Bee) — San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria applied a scarcely used tool called a line-item veto and blocked millions in spending, which included vetoing the full restoration of recreation programs at two of the area's most popular reservoirs and fixing issues in the city's wildfire prevention system. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — compiled by Juliann Ventura
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Zach Bryan at Phoenix Park: Stage times, support acts, weather and more
Thousands are set to descend on Dublin's Phoenix Park this weekend to see American country musician Zach Bryan perform live. Bryan has grown in popularity in recent years, having previously played to a crowd of 1,500 in the Helix in April 2023. Back on Irish soil, he will this time perform to more than 180,000 people across three sold-out gigs on Friday, June 20, Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22. Special guests Turnpike Troubadours and Noeline Hofmann will be opening for Bryan across the three nights. Ahead of this weekend's gigs, Aiken Promotions has issued helpful tips for concert-goers. Are there any tickets left? At the time of writing there are a limited amount of tickets, including resale tickets, available on the Ticketmaster website. Fans are advised to buy tickets from official sources only. Getting there There is a 45-minute walk from the Phoenix Park main entrance to the venue site and the venue is well served by public transport, including bus, rail and LUAS transport options. Bus, Rail, and LUAS transport options will bring people within walking distance of the venue. See here for more information. Bus: Several Dublin Bus and Go Ahead routes serve the Phoenix Park, including the 26, 38b, 39, 70, 99, C5 and C6. Private coach and minibus are independently operating services to the Phoenix Park. Parking for these coaches is available in the Phoenix Park once they register the required details withapcoachpark@ For those commuting from outside of Dublin, Bus Éireann is running concert-specific routes to the Phoenix Park from Cork, Limerick and Galway, in addition to normal services. More information is available here. Marathon Group is running special concert-specific routes from Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin and orbital routes to the Phoenix Park. They will be dropping off in the Phoenix Park, and pick up will be in the same place. For information on shuttle buses to the concerts, visit here. Luas: The Broombridge stop on the Green Line is a 30-minute walk to Phoenix Park. If travelling on the Red Line, get off at Heuston Station and walk 45 minutes to the centre of the park. Train: Trains are operating to Heuston Station ahead of all three gigs. From Heuston, Phoenix Park is a 45-minute. Alternatively, take bus route 99 from Parkgate Street to Phoenix Park. Access to the venue Gates will open at 5pm, with the show starting at 6pm and ending at 10.30pm. Early entry ticket holders will have access from 4.30pm, but early queuing is not permitted at the venue. Fans have been urged to check their tickets before attending the concert and ensure that they are attending the correct date. Concert-goers are advised to download their tickets from their Ticketmaster account to their iPhone Wallet or Google Pay wallet in advance of the show. Network coverage may not be available at the venue, so people are advised not to wait until at the venue to download their tickets. Concert-goers are advised to travel light and bring only the essentials with them, such as a small bag no larger than A4 size, their phone or device with their ticket pre-downloaded, ID, sunscreen, and weather-appropriate clothing. Inside the venue Under 18s must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian 18 years and over who is attending the event and who will remain with them and take full responsibility for them throughout the event. Concert-goers have been warned that this will be a cashless event. A variety of food and drink options will be available inside the venue and refillable water stations will also be provided. Standard 750ml plastic reusable bottles that are empty upon arrival will be permitted, but metal bottles will not be permitted. Who are the support acts? Bryan will have two acts warming up the crowd for him – Turnpike Troubadours and Noeline Hofmann. Turnpike Troubadours are an American country music band who will join Bryan in Dublin on the back of the release of their latest album, The Price of Admission. Hofmann, a Canadian singer-songwriter, gained attention last year after she collaborated with Bryan on her song Purple Gas. Weather The gigs at Phoenix Park are outdoor events and concert-goers are advised to check the weather forecast prior to the show. Met Éireann has forecast plenty of dry conditions with sunny spells and some showers on Friday. A warm day with highest temperatures of 19 to 26 degrees in light to moderate southeasterly or variable breezes has been forecast. There will be a mix of cloud and sunny spells with a scattering of showers and the chance of some heavy or thundery downpours feeding up from the south on Saturday. Highest temperatures of 19 to 23 degrees in light to moderate southerly or variable breezes are forecast. On Sunday, a mix of cloud and sunny spells with a few showers is likely. Sunday is forecast to be a fresher day with highest temperatures of 16 to 21 degrees.
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Havencrest Mortgage NMLS #2705066 Debuts in Bellevue, Offering Boutique Lending Solutions for Pacific Northwest First-Time Buyers, Tech Professionals, and Luxury Homeowners
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a move set to reshape the mortgage experience across the Pacific Northwest, Havencrest Mortgage – NMLS #2705066 has officially launched operations in Bellevue, Washington. This new brokerage introduces a modern, boutique approach to home lending that prioritizes strategy, personalization, and long-term client relationships—an approach designed to resonate with first-time buyers, tech professionals, real estate investors, and high-net-worth homeowners alike. Havencrest specializes in helping tech worker & crypto asset holders obtain mortgages. Share Founded by Bryan Brzeg, NMLS #2040912, a 34-year-old mortgage veteran with over a decade of hands-on real estate and lending experience, Havencrest Mortgage is built on the belief that financing a home should feel less transactional and more like a strategic partnership. The firm caters to buyers navigating everything from starter condos in Seattle to waterfront estates on Mercer Island. 'There's a new generation of homebuyers and investors who want more than just a rate quote—they want guidance, clarity, and a real plan,' said Bryan, President and Residential Mortgage Broker. 'At Havencrest, we deliver just that—trusted advice, smart products, and white-glove service that's rare in this industry.' Havencrest offers a wide range of residential loan programs including brokering of: Conventional, FHA, VA, and Jumbo Loans Non-QM options for self-employed borrowers, real estate investors, and foreign nationals DSCR, 12- and 24-month bank statement, and 1-year 1099 loans Non-warrantable condo loans for unique or ineligible condo projects Bridge loan programs to buy before you sell Specialized financing programs for buyers with cryptocurrency holdings and digital asset-based wealth Havencrest also specializes in helping tech professionals qualify using complex compensation structures, including RSU (restricted stock unit) income, stock bonuses, and variable pay—offering customized guidance to help clients unlock their full borrowing potential. With deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, Havencrest is uniquely positioned to serve both tech-driven clientele and multigenerational homeowners across Washington & Oregon where they are currently licensed. 'Every borrower is different. That's why we customize every mortgage strategy from the ground up—with transparency, speed, and support throughout the entire process,' Bryan added. To learn more, visit or call (425) 278-6126. Havencrest Mortgage Inc. NMLS #2705066 Notice: This is not a commitment to lend or extend credit. Restrictions may apply. Information and/or data are subject to change without notice. All loans are subject to credit approval. Not all loans or products are available in all states. Equal Housing Opportunity.
