TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Lawmakers in Georgia's legislature scuffled on Monday as the parliament debated a divisive new law dubbed the foreign agent bill. Hours later, hundreds of people protested against the legislation outside the parliament in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.
The draft — proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party — calls for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
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TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Lawmakers in Georgia's legislature scuffled on Monday as the parliament debated a divisive new law dubbed the foreign agent bill. Hours later, hundreds of people protested against the legislation outside the parliament in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.
A man stands in front of protestors with a giant EU flag outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024 to protest against the "the Russian law" as it is similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. The governing party in the country of Georgia has submitted to parliament a draft law calling for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024, to protest against the "the Russian law" similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024, to protest against the "the Russian law" similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024, to protest against the "the Russian law" similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024, to protest against the "the Russian law" similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors with a giant EU flag gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024 to protest against the "the Russian law" as it is similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. The governing party in the country of Georgia has submitted to parliament a draft law calling for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Opponents of the measure denounce it as “the Russian law” because of similar legislation used by Moscow to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin.
Video shared online shows the leader of the Georgian Dream lawmakers, Mamuka Mdinaradze, being punched in the face while speaking by an opposition lawmaker who rushed up to the podium. Several other lawmakers from opposing sides then join in the brawl, scuffling and wrestling with each other.
The bill is nearly identical to a proposal that the governing party was pressured to withdraw a year ago after large street protests. On Monday, protesters sang patriotic songs and shouted “slaves” outside the parliament, suggesting the house was bending to pressure from Russia.
Those who oppose the measure say passing the law would obstruct Georgia’s aim of joining the European Union, which last year granted the country long-desired candidate status.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze had a meeting Monday with the American, British and EU ambassadors to discuss the bill, the government said.
The law says non-commercial organizations and news media that receive 20% or more of their funding from overseas would have to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” — the only change in wording from the draft law withdrawn last year, which said that relevant groups must register as “agents of foreign influence.”
Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili would veto the law if it is passed by parliament, her parliamentary representative Girogi Mskhiladze has previously said.
But that veto might not be long-lasting as Zourabichvili’s term ends this year and under Georgia's constitution changes, the next president will be named by an electoral college that includes all members of parliament.
Protestors with a giant EU flag gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024 to protest against the "the Russian law" as it is similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. The governing party in the country of Georgia has submitted to parliament a draft law calling for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
A man stands in front of protestors with a giant EU flag outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024 to protest against the "the Russian law" as it is similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. The governing party in the country of Georgia has submitted to parliament a draft law calling for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024, to protest against the "the Russian law" similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024, to protest against the "the Russian law" similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024, to protest against the "the Russian law" similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024, to protest against the "the Russian law" similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
Protestors with a giant EU flag gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024 to protest against the "the Russian law" as it is similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. The governing party in the country of Georgia has submitted to parliament a draft law calling for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — One of the winners of a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot this month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, 46, of Portland, told a news conference held by the Oregon Lottery on Monday that he and his 37-year-old wife, Duanpen, would split the prize evenly with a friend. Laiza Chao, 55, of the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, had chipped in $100 to buy a batch of tickets with them. They are taking a lump sum payment, $422 million after taxes.
“I will be able to provide for my family and my health,” he said, adding that he'd “find a good doctor for myself.”
Saephan, who has two young children, said that as a cancer patient, he wondered, “How am I going to have time to spend all of this money? How long will I live?”
After they bought the shared tickets, Chao sent a photo of the tickets to Saephan and said, “We’re billionaires.” It was a joke before the actual drawing, he said, but the next day it came true.
Saephan said he was born in Laos and moved to Thailand in 1987, before immigrating to the U.S. in 1994. He wore a sash at the news conference identifying himself as Iu Mien, a southeast Asian ethnic group with roots in southern China. Many Iu Mein were subsistence farmers and assisted American forces during the Vietnam war; after the conflict, thousands of Iu Mien families fled to Thailand to avoid retribution and eventually settled in the U.S.
Tens of thousands of Iu Mien people live along the West Coast, with a sizeable and active community in Portland.
Saephan graduated from high school in 1996 and has lived in Portland for 30 years. He worked as a machinist for an aerospace company.
In the weeks leading up to the drawing, he wrote out numbers for the game on a piece of paper and slept with it under his pillow, he said. He prayed that he would win, saying, “I need some help — I don't want to die yet unless I have done something for my family first.”
The winning Powerball ticket was sold in early April at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland, ending a winless streak that had stretched more than three months. The Oregon Lottery said it had to go through a security and vetting process before announcing the identity of the person who came forward to claim the prize.
Under Oregon law, with few exceptions, lottery players cannot remain anonymous. Winners have a year to claim the top prize.
The jackpot had a cash value of $621 million before taxes if the winner chose to take a lump sum rather than an annuity paid over 30 years, with an immediate payout followed by 29 annual installments. The prize is subject to federal taxes and state taxes in Oregon.
The $1.3 billion prize is the fourth largest Powerball jackpot in history, and the eighth largest among U.S. jackpot games, according to the Oregon Lottery.
The biggest U.S. lottery jackpot won was $2.04 billion in California in 2022.
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan holds display check above his head after speaking during a news conference where it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Images of Cheng "Charlie" Saephan are displayed during a news conference where it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan holds display check above his head after speaking during a news conference where it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan points to his sash that reads "Iu-Mien USA" while speaking during a news conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan laughs while speaking during a press conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan holds display check above his head after speaking during a news conference where it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan speaks during a press conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Oregon Lottery External Communications Program Manager Melanie Mesaros holds a list of numbers as Cheng "Charlie" Saephan speaks during a press conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan speaks during a press conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan laughs while speaking during a press conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan holds display check before speaking during a news conference where it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan listens to a question from the media during a press conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan laughs while speaking during a press conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. Oregon Lottery External Communications Program Manager Melanie Mesaros listens at right. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan holds a check above his head after speaking during a news conference where it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Cheng "Charlie" Saephan laughs during a press conference after it was revealed that he was one of the winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot at the Oregon Lottery headquarters on Monday, April 29, 2024, in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
FILE - Plaid Pantry President and CEO Jonathan Polonsky speaks with a media member as Oregon Lottery signs are taken down after a news conference outside a Plaid Pantry convenience store on April 9, 2024, in Portland, Ore. Oregon authorities are set to reveal the winner of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot. The Oregon Lottery says it will identify the person Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, file)
FILE - A Plaid Pantry convenience store is shown, April 9, 2024, in Portland, Ore. Oregon authorities are set to reveal the winner of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot. The Oregon Lottery says it will identify the person Monday, April 29, 2024. The winning Powerball ticket was sold at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland in early April. The winner had contacted the Oregon Lottery to claim the prize. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, file)
FILE - The Plaid Pantry convenience store that sold a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot, the eighth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history, is seen in Portland, Ore., on April 8, 2024. Oregon authorities are set to reveal the winner of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot. The Oregon Lottery says it will identify the person Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Claire Rush, file)
