U.S. Senator Tim Kaine is Hillary Clinton’s choice for running mate. Kaine is the former governor of the state of Virginia, and is a member of the Democratic Party.

Here are some of the most important facts to know about him:

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• Kaine was the first governor outside Illinois to endorse then-Senator Obama in 2007, when Obama was running for president the first time. Kaine had been considered for Obama's vice president before being passed over for Joe Biden. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
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• Kaine has served as mayor, governor, and U.S. senator. He is one
  of only 30 people in American history to have done this. (Senator Tim Kaine).
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• Vir

  

  ginia, the state where Kaine has spent most of his political career, is considered a swing state in 2016. This means that Virginia could be one of the states that helps sway the election one way or the other, depending on who wins it.
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• Kaine delivered the first speech entirely in Spanish on the Senate floor in 2013. The speech was about immigration reform. Kaine is fluent in Spanish because he spent a year doing missionary work in Honduras before he went to law school at Harvard University. (CNN)
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• While Kaine is a Catholic and personally does not agree with abortion, he supports a woman’s right to privacy and choice. (CNN)
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• Kaine is seen as very similar to Clinton’s positions on most of the big issues in the election. The New York Times called him “someone who shares her political philosophy and pragmatic approach to governing.”
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• The Washington Post called Kaine a cautious pick for Clinton, and said that in picking Kaine, Clinton may be thinking, "This is my race to win, and I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks along the way that could potentially screw that up."
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Fun fact: According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Kaine learned how to play the harmonica in 1971. He is still an enthusiastic harmonica player!

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In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

WASHINGTON — 

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.