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Monday, February 12, 2024

Total Number of Illegals Entering the Country in Q1 of FY24 Breaks Record

Just the News: The number of apprehensions of illegal border crossers along the southwest border in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 (Q1 FY24) is the highest in U.S. history. They totaled 785,422, greater than the individual populations of three U.S. states: Wyoming (586,485), Vermont (647,818), and Alaska (733,536) and nearly the population of North Dakota (788,940). After U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas unilaterally changed law established by Congress to facilitate the greatest number of illegal crossings in U.S. history, House Republicans and retired FBI counterintelligence officials have argued the changes directly created a national security threat (Just the News).

Alejandro Mayorkas Does Not Accept Responsibility for Border Crisis

CNBC: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday blamed House Republicans for record-high migrant crossings at the southern border after they voted largely along party lines to sink the bipartisan border security bill that included foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. During an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Mayorkas was asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether he bears responsibility for the overwhelming number of migrants trying to cross the border and the backlog of asylum claims, which President Joe Biden has called a “crisis” (CNBC). RNC Research: “Do you bear responsibility for what is happening at the border?” MAYORKAS: “We don’t bear responsibility” (X).

Hamas Tunnels Found Beneath UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza

Times of Israel: Beneath the Gaza Strip headquarters of the controversial United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known commonly as UNRWA, the Hamas terror group hid one of its most significant assets, the Israeli military has revealed. The subterranean data center — complete with an electrical room, industrial battery power banks and living quarters for Hamas terrorists operating the computer servers — was built precisely under the location where Israel would not consider looking initially, let alone target in an airstrike (Times of Israel). Wall Street Journal: Unrwa said in a statement that reports of tunnels under its Gaza headquarters “merit an independent inquiry,” and said that it “does not have the military and security expertise nor the capacity to undertake military inspections of what is or might be under its premises” (Wall Street Journal).

CBP Caught $9.5 Million Worth of Drugs Being Smuggled Into Country

Washington Examiner: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers captured more than $9.5 million in hard drugs coming over the border at the World Trade Bridge in Texas on Tuesday, officials said. Officers discovered and seized the narcotics after one officer noticed a 2004 Freightliner hauling a utility refrigerated trailer attempting to enter the United States (Washington Examiner). CBP: Following a canine and non-intrusive inspection system examination, CBP officers discovered a total of 1,033.96 pounds of alleged methamphetamine within the commodity (CBP).

President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Will Cost Double The Original Price

Daily Wire: Climate initiatives laid out in President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) come with a bigger price tag than anticipated: over $400 billion more, per the latest estimates. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revealed the increased $428 billion cost in its budget and economic outlook for the next decade. The agency admitted that its projections were subject to change, citing variables such as the pace of deployment and use of low-emissions technologies and electric vehicles, as well as the number of taxpayers who have yet to claim certain tax credits enacted in the IRA (Daily Wire). Credit Suisse: Credit Suisse estimates total federal spending at double the headline figure – to over USD 800 billion – sending the total public and private spending mobilized by the IRA to nearly USD 1.7 trillion over the next ten years (Credit Suisse).

ACLU Looks to Sue Georgia Over Proposed Cash Bail Bill

Daily Wire: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia threatened to sue the state over a bill expanding the number of crimes requiring cash bail. The ACLU affiliate said it would sue if Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) didn’t veto the bill. The organization claimed that requiring those accused of a crime to remain in jail would endanger the community, and that black individuals would be more likely to be affected by the legislation (Daily Wire). ACLU: Georgia Senate Bill 63, which forces people who can’t afford to pay bail to languish in jail, is unlawful and the ACLU of Georgia will sue if the governor signs it into law. In a state that already locks up more of its people than any other state in the country, the legislature has passed SB 63, which will dramatically increase the number of Georgians languishing in our jails and make our communities less safe. Already, 51% of the people in Georgia’s jails are Black, while just 30% of the state’s overall population is Black (ACLU).

Teenage Illegal Immigrant Arrested for Shooting at Tourist, Police Officer

Daily Caller: A juvenile Venezuelan migrant was arrested Friday after he allegedly shot a tourist in Times Square, New York City, and then allegedly shot twice at a police officer Thursday evening, authorities said. Times Square is a gun-free zone except for anyone specially authorized by law, according to New York City (NYC) Mayor Eric Adams and the NYC Department of Transportation. Jesus Alejandro Rivas Figueroa, 15, was allegedly shoplifting with classmates, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, in a sporting goods store on Broadway in the Times Square area (Daily Caller). National Review: The NYC migrant crisis has cost the city billions, and is projected to cost $11 billion more over the next two years. In order to counter the costs of providing resources for 130,000-plus migrants, the city has proposed a budget requiring cuts to law enforcement, education, and other necessary services (National Review).

U.S. National Debt Interest Payments To Become Second Biggest Government Expense

Just the News: Interest on the U.S. national debt is on pace to become the “second largest” federal government expenditure, according to a new Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) analysis of the latest Congressional Budget Office projections. The CRFB characterizes interest on the national debt — currently climbing to $35 trillion — as the “fastest growing” part of the federal government’s annual budget. The CRFB’s February report adds that “As a share of the economy, debt will grow from 97 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 – twice the 50-year historical average of 48 percent – to a record 106 percent of GDP by 2028” (Just the News). CRFB: After nearly doubling from $345 billion in 2020 to $659 billion in 2023, interest costs will double to $1.3 trillion by 2031 and reach $1.6 trillion – a record 3.9 percent of GDP – by 2034. Interest costs have already passed Medicaid and will exceed the cost of defense and Medicare this year (CRFB).

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) Decides to Not Run for Office Again

Associated Press: U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, a key Republican Congressman who has spearheaded House pushback against the Chinese government, announced Saturday that he won’t run for a fifth term. The announcement comes just days after he angered his fellow Republicans by refusing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The GOP has been looking to oust Mayorkas as a way to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. A House impeachment vote Tuesday fell just one vote short. Gallagher was one of three Republicans who opposed impeachment (Associated Press). Townhall: Gallagher said he believes the government is better when people serve for a certain amount of time and know when it’s time to retire. He also stated that he felt he had accomplished so much during his time in Congress and believed that this chapter of his life needed to end (Townhall).

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Activists Sue Doctors When Not Offered Abortion When Baby Could Have Down Syndrome

Lifesite: A half-century after the West began to move away from eugenics, we have fully embraced it once again. Abortion is used to kill nearly 90% of children diagnosed with Down syndrome in the womb; the post-Roe debate in the U.S. right now has abortion activists using disabled or sick children as a reason that feticide must be available. According to attorney Prutsch-Lang, the decision is momentous. “The OGH confirms that doctors are liable for the full maintenance costs of the child, regardless of the child’s state of health, if the birth could have been prevented through professional information or treatment,” she said (Lifesite). Live Action: The doctor will now have to pay all costs for the child, and has already been made to pay around $83,000. “In the future, further claims amounting to several hundred thousand euros will be made for the parents of the disabled child,” Prutsch-Lang said. “This ruling could have far-reaching implications for medical practice and patient rights.” Wrongful birth lawsuits are a disturbing legal trend, in which parents hijack prenatal testing — a pro-life tool that is meant to ensure preborn children receive the health care they need while still in the womb — as a means to weed out children they feel are not worthy of life. If a doctor does not offer them this opportunity to have an abortion, then they can be held accountable, as this Austrian doctor has unfortunately found out (Live Action).