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www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know NATIONAL AFFAIRS Indian Consulate In Seattle Hosts Briefing Ahead Of AI INDIA Impact Summit 2026 T he Indian Consulate in Seattle hosted a Pre-Summit Roundtable November 8, 2025, ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, at- tended by US representatives Adam Smith and Michael Baumgartner. The roundtable featured presentations from leading tech CEOs from the Greater Seattlearea, focusing on themes such as the application of artificial intelligence in Agri- Tech and the potential of data centres and digital infrastructure in India. In a post on X, the Consulate said, “India AI Impact Summit 2026: Pre-Event Brief- ing Session hosted in Seattle! Thank US Rep. Adam Smith and US Rep. Michael Baumgartner for gracing the Pre-Summit Roundtable. Deeply appreciate presenta- tions fromTech and AI Industry leaders underscoring the Three Sutras / Pillars of India’s AI journey: People, Planet, Progress.” Participants also briefed US Congressman Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Congressman Michael Baumgartner, Member of the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Com- mittees about India’s progress in AI and highlighted the Seven Chakras, or Themes for Global Cooperation cen- tered around (i) Safe and Trusted AI (ii) Human Capital (iii) Science (iv) Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency (v) Inclusion and Social Empowerment (vi) Democratizing AI Resources and (vii) Economic Growth and Social Good. Today’s briefing at the new Chancery premises of the Indian Consulate in Seattle was the first such curtain raiser in a series of such sessions that are being planned in the run-up to the AI India Impact Sum- mit. Subsequent workshops and briefing sessions are being planned in leading US Universities in the US Pacific Northwest, as well as with leading Tech and AI industry stakeholders in January 2026, a statement by the Consulate said. The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 will be held from February 19-20, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking the first global-scale AI summit hosted in the Global South. It will bring together governments, industry, academia, and startups from global capitals with an aim to translate AI’s potential into tangible outcomes for People, Planet, and Progress and reaffirm India’s vision of “AI for All.” -ANI CAPAC Calls Out Defense Secretary Hegseth On Religious Restrictions Relating To Grooming D emocratic NewYork State Comp- troller Candidate Raj Goyle reacted November 9, 2025, to the news that the Micron chip factories in Upstate NY will be delayed by 2-3 years. Congresswomen Grace Meng, D-NY, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), who repre- sents a diverse population in Queens, is calling on Defense Secretary Pete Hegs- eth, to re-examine his proposed changes on grooming practices of armed forces personnel. Ahead of Veterans Day, Rep. Meng, and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-California, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus and CAPAC Veterans and Armed Services Taskforce Chair, led 48 Members of Congress No- vember 10, sending a letter to Secretary Hegseth on his plans to restrict religious accommodations for facial hair in the United States Armed Forces. Rep. Meng is serving her seventh term in the United States House of Representa- tives, and is the first female Congress- member from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro. The letter to Hegseth comes on the heels of a speech Secretary Hegseth made on September 30, to high-ranking officers, saying, “the era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done” and that there would be “no more beards, long hair, [or] superficial individual expression.” “The changes he outlined would re- quire thousands of servicemembers—in- cluding Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Rastafarians, and other religious person- nel—to choose between practicing their faith or their military service,” CAPAC said in its November 10 press release. The letter urges Secretary Hegseth to pause the 60-day implementation guide- lines for this new policy and requests clar- ity on how religious accommodations for facial hair for troops whose religion calls for it, will be maintained and respected. “Our nation’s servicemembers have proven time and time again that they can honor their religious beliefs while serving with distinction. These brave men and women put their lives on the line to pro- tect our country and the rights enshrined in the Constitution. It is nothing short of a moral failing to restrict their First Amend- ment rights while asking them to protect ours,” said Rep. Meng. “Service members should be able to serve their country while honoring their religious beliefs, full stop. It is hypocriti- cal for the Department of Defense to ask members of our Military to defend our Constitution, which includes the freedom of religion, while restricting their ability to practice their religion,” Rep. Lieu said. Some religions require or strongly recommend men to keep their beards uncut. “For Sikh soldiers, shaving is like cutting off a limb. Other faith traditions, including Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and Rastafari, have rules governing facial hair and grooming practices,” the press release noted. In 2022, a federal court had ruled in fa- vor of Sikh recruits, allowing them to train with their beards and turbans. In 2011, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi settled a lawsuit against the U.S. Army that allowed him to keep his beard and serve as a military chaplain. Last month, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congressional Jewish Caucus, and Congressional Black Caucus Chairs issued a joint statement condemning Secretary Hegseth’s com- ments regarding grooming and uniform standards within the U.S. military. The letter is endorsed by the advo- cacy organization, Sikh Coalition, and was signed by 50 Members of Congress: CAPAC Chair Grace Meng (NY-06), Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus Ted Lieu (CA-36), Reps. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Ami Bera (CA-06), Don Beyer (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Yvette Clarke (NY-11), Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05), Jim Costa (CA-21), Ja- son Crow (CO-06), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Mark DeSaul- nier (CA-10), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Lois Frankel (FL-22), John Garamendi (CA-08), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Al Green (TX-09), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krish- namoorthi (IL-08), Doris Matsui (CA-07), JimMcGovern (MA-02), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Alexan- dria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Bobby Scott (VA-03), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Thomas Suozzi (NY-03), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Norma Torres (CA-35), Derek Tran (CA- 45), and BonnieWatson Coleman (NJ-12). By a StaffWriter PHOTO:Facebook Congresswoman Grace Meng, D-NY. PHOTO:X @IndiainSettle Scenes from the briefing held at the Indian Consulate in Seattle prior to the AI Summit. 10 CITY VIEWS November 14, 2025