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NEWS TO KNOW NOW
Title 42 ends tomorrow. Here’s what the Biden administration’s new asylum rule means.
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Texas National Guard members in Brownsville, Texas. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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As a key policy that allowed migrants to be rapidly expelled comes to an end, the Biden administration is implementing a new rule that would deny most asylum cases from migrants who are crossing illegally into the United States at the nation’s southern border.
The new policy will be put in place after the end of Title 42, a public health order invoked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Trump administration at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, tomorrow.
Here are five important things to know about the new rule.
1. What does the new asylum rule do?
Most migrants who are crossing the border illegally will no longer be eligible for asylum, with the administration saying that migrants must use lawful pathways to enter the country. Unaccompanied children will be exempt from the new rule.
2. Why is this rule being put in place now?
The new policy is an effort by the Biden administration to mitigate the amount of migrants who are coming to the U.S. with Title 42 coming to an end. In recent days, thousands of migrants began heading to many towns along the U.S.-Mexico border.
3. Who will this mostly affect?
Most non-Mexican migrants will be affected by the new rule.
4. Where Democrats and immigrant rights groups stand
Some Democrats and immigrant rights advocates have been critical of the Biden administration’s implementation of the new rule for being too harsh.
5. Where Republicans stand
Meanwhile, the GOP has criticized Biden for not doing enough to handle the influx of migrants arriving at the border.
– Rebecca Morin
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POLITICS
Why did Biden speak about the debt ceiling in New York?
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President Joe Biden traveled to Valhalla, New York, today to speak about the ongoing tensions in Washington over the nation’s debt ceiling.
What he said: “It’s important for the American people to know what’s at stake,” Biden said. “This isn’t just a theoretical debate going on in Washington, the decisions we make are going to have real impacts on real people’s lives.”
Top Democratic and Republican leaders met with Biden earlier this week in an attempt to negotiate next steps for handling the looming crisis. Those attempts appear to have fallen short for now.
In his speech, Biden put additional public pressure on Republicans, arguing that “MAGA Republicans” are “literally — not figuratively — holding the economy hostage.”
Why Valhalla? The location he visited for his remarks is notable: It’s in NY-17, one of a few congressional districts in New York that Democrats are targeting to flip from Republican to Democratic control in 2024 — part of the party’s larger plan to flip the House to a Democratic majority.
– Sophie Tatum
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Taiwan’s foreign minister talks defense against China
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How prepared is Taiwan to defend itself against a Chinese invasion? Foreign Minister Joseph Wu addressed that question at length in a press briefing I attended in Taipei yesterday. It’s been top of mind for leaders around the world, particularly since China ran military drills simulating a blockade of Taiwan after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visits last August.
“It is our belief that the defense of Taiwan is Taiwan’s own responsibility. We are determined to defend ourselves against any possible aggression.” Wu said. “We are not in the position to ask other countries to fight for Taiwan if Taiwan is not willing to fight for itself.”
In that respect, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a “critical moment” for Taiwan, he said. “People started to realize the kind of destruction and atrocity that will happen to a country suffering from authoritarian aggression.” The war has increased “the desire to defend the country,” he said about Taiwan’s young people. Notably, Taiwan will extend its mandatory military service from four months to one year starting in 2024.
– Lili Pike
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CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN)
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- Former president Donald Trump is set to take part in a CNN town hall moderated by anchor Kaitlan Collins tonight at 8 p.m. — his first time on the network since the 2016 campaign. The event comes just one day after a New York jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. Here’s how to watch.
- Congressman George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded not guilty to federal charges today at a Long Island courthouse. He faces a 13-count indictment that includes wire fraud, illegal money transfers, theft of public funds and other counts. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
- The coronavirus public health emergency first enacted under the Trump administration expires tomorrow. THE CITY has a helpful guide to what happens next.
– Cameron Hood
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Actor Robert De Niro. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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- Robert De Niro said parenting “never gets easier” after revealing he welcomed his seventh child. When asked if he’s excited about the newest addition to his family, the “About My Father” actor, 79, told Extra TV on Tuesday that he’s “okay with it,” adding with a smile, “I’m good with it.” De Niro told ET Canada earlier this week that he “just had a baby,” though he did not share who the mother of his newborn is.
- Kellie Pickler’s husband Kyle Jacobs died by suicide, the Davidson County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to The Messenger, stating that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The autopsy said that the songwriter did not have any drugs in his system, Taste of Country reported. Jacobs was found in his and Pickler’s Nashville-area home on Feb. 17. He was 49.
- What to Watch Out For: “Beetlejuice 2” will be released in theaters on Sept. 6, 2024, per Variety. Michael Keaton will return as the title character alongside Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz; new to the cast are Jenna Ortega and Justin Theroux. Production reportedly began Wednesday in London. Also on the horizon is Dolly Parton’s first rock album, “Rockstar,” set to release Nov. 17. It will feature 30 songs and collaborations with artists such as Elton John, Lizzo, Paul McCartney and Miley Cyrus.
– Charmaine Patterson
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- Singer-songwriter and activist Bono
- Model Linda Evangelista
- Sports anchor Chris Berman
- Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.)
- Olympic gold medalist swimmer Missy Franklin
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👋 That’s all for today. –Cameron Hood, Head of Newsletters
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