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Dennis Romboy writes:

Farhiyo Ahmed looked forward to going for a walk.

The pregnant Somali refugee would let her parents watch her four kids, under age 8, while she took a little time for herself. But now they’re not coming from a refugee camp in Kenya where they have spent much of their lives and where the 24-year-old Ahmed and her 26-year-old husband, Ali Aden, were both born.

On his first day in office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump suspended all refugee resettlements within the U.S. for at least 90 days.

Ahmed’s parents and brother were scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on Jan. 16 but the devastating Southern California wildfires canceled their flight. Four days later, Trump issued his executive order. They sold or gave away everything they owned, including their goats, in anticipation of coming to America. They bought winter clothes that they can’t wear in the heat of Kenya. They’re back at the refugee camp trying to make do.

Through her Catholic Community Services of Utah case manager Abdifatah Wanow, a Somali refugee himself, Ahmed said the bad news left her stressed and with a headache. She’s still feeling that way now.

They weren’t the only refugee family in Utah that had their hopes for reuniting with their loved ones dashed because of Trump’s order.

Read more about how the indefinite suspension of refugee resettlements has brought heartache and uncertainty to some families.

Sen. Mike Lee pushes to defund NPR, PBS over bias accusations

Cami Mondeaux reports from Washington:

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is pushing to strip both PBS and NPR of its government funding, accusing the outlets of producing biased news and using taxpayer money to disseminate political propaganda.

Lee introduced the Defund Government Sponsored Propaganda Act on Tuesday, seeking to halt federal funds from going toward the broadcasting networks and to instead use the money to go toward paying off the national debt.

“Americans have hundreds of sources of news and commentary, and they don’t need politically biased, taxpayer-funded media choosing what they should see and hear,” Lee said in a statement.

Read more about Lee’s efforts and how other politicians have responded.

More in Utah Politics

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