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Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Border Cities Brace for Flood of Migrants After Title 42 Expires

Washington Examiner: President Joe Biden has received bipartisan criticism for the end of Title 42, with Democrats slamming the president for a perceived lack of preparation as the policy comes to a close. The end of the pandemic-era expulsion policy, which allowed Border Patrol to expel immigrants from the U.S. without an asylum hearing, is expected to cause an influx of border crossings when it ends on Thursday. Blowback from Biden’s own party has been most pronounced from border state Democrats and even includes some who have historically been reticent to criticize him by name. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said in a statement that border communities are “unequipped” for the expected surge and sent a letter to various Biden administration officials asking for specific aid, saying they must “act fast” (Washington Examiner). Fox News: In response to “Joe Biden’s reckless border policies,” the Texas National Guard is loading Black Hawk helicopters and C-130s to deploy specially trained National Guard members to “hotspots along the border to intercept, to repel and to turn back migrants who are trying to enter Texas illegally,” Abbott said at a press conference from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. In a statement, the Texas National Guard said it activated 545 more service members at locations around the state Monday to “reinforce the border mission in anticipation of the end of Title 42 immigration restrictions” (Fox News).

Biden Announces He Will Veto GOP Immigration Policy

Fox News: The White House announced Monday that President Biden would veto a GOP-led border security bill if it passed through Congress. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and Tom McClintock, R.-Calif., would require renewed efforts to build a border wall, more border patrol agents and more financial incentives for them to do their job, an end to catch and release policies and other initiatives intended to better manage mass migration at the southern border. Biden’s promise to veto comes as the so-called “Title 42” policies are set to expire on Thursday – they allow border officials to more easily keep immigrants out of the country as a way to prevent the spread of COVID. The president will send 1,500 troops to the border to counter an anticipated flux of migrants (Fox News). Washington Examiner: After months of negotiations, the House is poised to vote on H.R. 2 on Thursday, the same day Title 42, a pandemic-era federal public health authority that has been used to expeditiously expel immigrants, will expire. H.R. 2 will reintroduce components of former President Donald Trump’s so-called Remain in Mexico policy, restart border wall construction, redirect funds from migrant charities, improve border surveillance, and earmark more money for border personnel (Washington Examiner).

Schools Moving to Four Day Weeks are Accompanied by Lower Test Scores

No surprise there. HotAir: A research group at Oregon State University is tracking the trend, which started in remote schools that had trouble recruiting teachers because the idea seems to have caught on. Especially with teachers and administrators, unsurprisingly. The group noticed that what was once a method used to deal with a crisis has gained momentum because, well, it is nice for the people who run the schools. Students apparently like it too. Naturally, they wondered, is this actually good for the people for whom the schools are run, and not just the ones running the schools (HotAir)? Axios: Less classroom time correlates directly with progressively lower test scores and academic achievement, studies of the 4-day school week have found. Nationally, 850 school districts — representing thousands of individual schools — have dropped the 5th day of instruction, up from 650 districts in 2019. School days are longer on the other four days, to compensate for some of the lost hours. Some schools offer day care or activities on the remaining weekday that school is closed — for which parents usually have to pay (Axios).

Lori Lightfoot on Her Exit: “There’s no question that there are some people in Chicago and across the country that don’t want mayors like me to succeed”

NBC: At the start of her final week as mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot will deliver a farewell speech to the city she served for the last four years. She also made another kind of history as she became the first incumbent candidate in city history not to advance to an April runoff to determine the city’s leader during the city’s election earlier this year. She is also the first elected incumbent to lose a reelection bid in the city since Jane Byrne was defeated by Harold Washington in the 1983 race. Despite the loss, Lightfoot said she will leave with her “head held high and a heart full of gratitude” (NBC). Daily Wire: MSNBC contributor Al Sharpton asked Lightfoot whether she believes her race played a role in her defeat, even though her successor is also black. “There’s no question that there are some people in Chicago and across the country that don’t want mayors like me to succeed” (Daily Wire).

Biden Wrestles with Using 14 Amendment to Circumvent Debt Ceiling Crisis

Speaker McCarthy and republicans have passed legislation o raise debt ceiling. Bide, democrats have not. Hill: President Biden and his team are approaching the prospect of a debt ceiling escape hatch that hinges on the 14th Amendment with extreme caution ahead of a pivotal meeting with congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday. Some officials have openly voiced concerns about the legal standing of using the 14th Amendment to solve the debt crisis and the potential financial ripple effects of going that route. While not entirely ruling it out, Biden and other senior officials are hardly embracing the idea, which revolves around language in the 14th Amendment that says the public debt “shall not be questioned.” The idea of using that language to allow Biden to unilaterally continue to issue debt has reportedly been floated privately within the administration (Hill). RNC Research: “Would President Biden rather the U.S. default on its debt obligations than accept a bill that includes any spending cuts?” Biden economic advisor Bharat Ramamurti: “Uh, well that’s not the situation before us as we speak…” (Twitter). Townhall: KJP: “If you buy a car, you are expected to pay the monthly payment…It’s that simple” (Twitter).

Karine Jean-Pierre Emphatically Claims Biden Is Not Disconnected From the People; Just 16 Percent of People Are Better Off

New York Times: Voters are broadly dissatisfied with President Biden’s job performance and are opposed to re-electing him, but they don’t like their top Republican alternatives either, reflecting a deep disconnect between what Americans want and the options available to them. In hypothetical general-election matchups, Mr. Biden, who announced his re-election campaign last month, trailed the two leading candidates in the Republican primary, former President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida (New York Times). RNC Research: Karine Jean-Pierre says “there’s no disconnect” between Biden’s priorities and the American people. Unrelatedly, just 16% of Americans say they’re better off under Biden (Twitter).

Russia Launches Largest Drone Strike Against Ukraine Cities

Reuters: Russia launched its biggest swarm of drones for months against Ukraine on Monday, the eve of Russia’s May 9 holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, striking the capital Kyiv and the Black Sea city of Odesa and shelling other cities. Kyiv’s mayor said Russia had fired 60 Iranian-made kamikaze drones at Ukrainian targets, including 36 at his city, all of which were shot down. Debris hit apartments and other buildings, injuring at least five people (Reuters). BBC: On the eastern front, the Ukrainian commander of forces in the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut said Russian troops had stepped up shelling, in a bid to take the city by Tuesday’s celebrations (BBC).

Department of Transportation Looks to Punish Airlines for Flight Cancellations

Daily Wire: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced on Monday that the agency introduced rules requiring airlines to reimburse customers who incur expenses due to certain delayed and canceled flights, a move which comes as the industry faces elevated demand and a constrained labor force. The proposed rules, which would apply when an airline delays a flight for more than three hours or cancels a flight for a “controllable” reason, would mandate that the firms offer compensation for stranded passengers, as well as a meal or meal voucher, overnight accommodations, and ground transportation between the airport and hotel (Daily Wire). Wall Street Journal: Airlines have come under growing scrutiny for operational stumbles in the years since the Covid-19 pandemic. Carriers received billions of dollars of government aid to avoid layoffs during the pandemic, and lawmakers and regulators have expressed frustration at their rocky recovery (Wall Street Journal).

Tyson Foods Stock Drops 16 Percent

Reuters: Tyson Foods Inc shares plunged 16% to a three-year low on Monday as the U.S. meatpacker posted a surprise second-quarter loss and cut its full-year revenue forecast amid slowing consumer demand. The weaker-than-expected results indicate cash-strapped shoppers are cutting back on meat spending in a high-inflation environment while a shrinking cattle herd forces Tyson to pay more for livestock, eroding margins. Tyson also continues to struggle with increased expenses for staples like animal feed (Reuters). Axios: Input prices — such as the cost of feed, grain, livestock and wages — have been eating away at Tyson’s bottom line. The company swung from a $829 million profit a year ago to a $97 million loss for the period (Axios).

10.

Biden Administration is Now Out to Get Your Dishwasher

The Biden Administration has targeted just about every common household appliance at this point. Fox News: The Department of Energy proposed new appliance rules that would cut water and energy use limits for Americans’ dishwashers well below current levels. The proposal would limit dishwashers to using 3.2 gallons of water per cycle, far below the current federal limit of 5 gallons. The rules would also require manufacturers to reduce their products’ energy consumption by nearly 30%. Most dishwashers on the market are already well below the federal standard of 5 gallons, with most using 3.5 gallons per cycle or less. Dishwashers are not the only appliances Biden’s DOE has set its sights on, however, as the regulator is also considering crackdowns on washers, dryers and refrigerators that manufacturers say could reduce performance (Fox News). Daily Mail: Jill Notini, a spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, warned that ordinary Americans will ultimately pick up the tab for the new rules. But administration officials claim that the plans will ‘lower costs for American families and businesses while tackling the climate crisis’ (Daily Mail).