Thawing Out
July 28, 2021
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“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges.” — George Washington
Make Your Case Or Leave Post-Haste
Late Monday evening, the Biden administration announced that all migrant families that did not meet the qualifications for asylum in the United States would be removed with haste, after a brief screening process is completed by immigration officials at the southwestern border. This policy is known as “expedited removal,” and it has been used by both Democrats and Republicans to try to prevent unauthorized immigration to the United States.
The quick screening process involves asylum officers interviewing families to determine whether or not they have a “credible fear of persecution.” Biden has been struggling with how to handle immigration, and his tactic of sending Kamala Harris to talk people out of coming to America didn’t seem to help things at all.
The Department of Homeland Security said, “expedited removal provides a lawful, more accelerated procedure to remove those family units who do not have a basis under U.S. law to be in the United States.” Details about how the policy will be carried out were not part of the announcement, but it could be applied broadly to families from certain countries or with children of a certain age.
The CDC issued an emergency order due to the pandemic to give the administration the ability to expel anyone who comes to the border without a visa to Mexico. But the issue that has arisen from that, aside from ethical ones, is that the governments of Mexican border states don’t love this setup. They regularly turn away families with young children, or who have traveled from countries like Brazil, India, or Venezuela that are outside of Central America. Recently, human smugglers have been taking families into California, Arizona, and parts of Texas knowing that they’ll be allowed to stay because Mexican states will refuse to take them back.
The announcement on Monday was met with understandable concern from immigrant rights groups. Lee Gelernt, a lawyer at the ACLU, said that expedited removal is essentially “jamming desperate families through an expedited asylum process” and that it “would deny them the most basic due process protections.”
The ACLU has sued the government to end the use of the emergency order, called Title 42. Title 42 allows migrants to be sent back across the border even if they plan to request asylum. It is a Trump-era policy that Biden has kept. Advocates argue the executive order has been used more as an anti-immigration tool than as a protection against the virus. (NYT, NPR)
Deadly Chemical Plant Explosion
- An industrial park for chemicals was shocked by an explosion on Tuesday morning in Leverkusen, a western city in Germany. The cause of the explosion is still unknown. The explosion led to a fire at a fuel depot at Chempark. The area is dedicated to over 30 chemical companies like Bayer, Covestro, Lanxess, and Arlanxeo.
- The blast killed one person and left 16 injured. Chempark manager Lars Friedrich said that they are still searching for four more people, and that of the 16 injured, at least two are in very bad condition. Surrounding roads were close while the fire was brought under control.
- The explosion and subsequent fire sent toxic smoke into the air, and police warned citizens nearby to stay inside and keep their doors and windows closed. They also recommended keeping air conditioning units off while companies measure the toxicity of the air around the site. (CNN)
Thawing Out
- North and South Korea have started talking again. On Tuesday, the two countries spoke using communication lines that have gone unused for over a year, agreeing to improve their relationship. While this is a step in the right direction, it’s unlikely to restart discussions of North Korea getting rid of its nuclear arsenal.
- Seoul officials said that there were multiple conversations between liaison officials, at the end of which the two countries agreed to speak more regularly. The communications will hopefully help to put a stop to conflicts on their disputed sea boundary.
- Some suspect that the repaired relationship was only agreed to by North Korea in an attempt to gain more favor with the United States for when nuclear diplomacy resumes. Efforts have been paused since the U.S. instituted sanctions against North Korea. Tensions with the White House often devolve the relationship between the Koreas, with North Korea cutting off communication with South Korea. (AP)
Additional World News
- Saudi Arabia threatening years-long travel bans for trips to ‘red list’ countries (The Hill)
- Haiti arrests top security official in slain president probe (AP)
- Bhutan fully vaccinates 90% of eligible adults within a week (AP)
- Landmark Vatican fraud trial begins as cardinal faces charges over London property deal (CNN)
- Hong Kong Protester Is Convicted in First Trial Under Tough Security Law (NYT, $)
- Human Rights Watch: Israeli war crimes apparent in Gaza war (AP)
Too Close To Cal-ifornia
- With a special recall election coming up in September, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s fate is up in the air. According to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, California voters are currently split on recalling the Democratic governor. 47% of likely voters are in support of recalling Newsom, while 50% of voters are against his recall.
- This lack of enthusiasm comes as a surprise in the solidly blue state, but a lack of enthusiasm for Newsom in his Democratic base has allowed the Republican-led recall effort to gain momentum. Almost 90% of Republican voters expressed interest in the recall election, while just 58% of Democrats were interested in the election.
- The director of the Berkeley poll expressed that complacency could be a major factor in surprising state Democrats in September, saying: “I think the Newsom campaign really has to light a fire among the Democrats and say, ‘Look, the outcome is in jeopardy unless you get out there and vote.’” Conservative radio host Larry Elder leads the race ahead of dozens of other contenders (including reality star Caitlyn Jenner), but 40% of voters remain undecided on their candidate of choice. (LA Times)
Infra-stuck-ture
- Bipartisan negotiations on a $1 trillion infrastructure package stalled Monday as Senate leaders weighed in on the bill’s provisions, which span multiple committees across the Senate. The infrastructure bill, led by a group of 10 Democrats and Republicans, has been under negotiation for five weeks. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer signaled his frustration with the stalling, threatening to keep the Senate in session into its upcoming summer break, and stating: “It’s time for everyone to get to yes and produce an outcome for the American people.”
- According to sources involved in the discussions, the delays in finalization come from a variety of sources: the wide scope of the bill has attracted last-minute input from Senate leaders and multiple committees, and Senate Republicans insist that Democrats and the White House have reopened discussion on previously agreed-upon issues, but Senate Democrats dispute this claim.
- By Tuesday, disputes over the bill were largely resolved, but some smaller lingering conflicts still remain. Both Democrats and Republicans now agree that the infrastructure package will pass eventually once these details are ironed out. (WaPo, NBC News)
Additional USA News
- Veterans Affairs becomes first federal agency to require some staff be vaccinated against Covid (NBC)
- Authorities identify the final victim in the Surfside collapse, ending a month-long search and recovery operation (CNN)
- Pfizer and Moderna Are Expanding Vaccine Studies of Kids 5 to 11 (NYT, $)
- Gunman kills one before being stoned to death (Yahoo)
- Trump’s sway faces test in Texas special election runoff (CNN)
- Former California Sen. Barbara Boxer is a victim of assault and theft (CNN)
- CSU to require COVID-19 vaccinations for students, faculty, staff on campus this fall (LAT, $)
ET Phone Loeb
- Have you ever heard of ‘Oumuamua? It was a space rock that whizzed by Earth in 2017… or was it? Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb believes that ‘Oumuamua was actually an alien spaceship, or at least part of one.
- Loeb recently announced the Galileo Project that will search for other space objects like ‘Oumuamua, which Loeb believes are physical evidence of alien life. The $1.75 million project aims to use a network of Earth-based telescopes, like the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii and an 8-meter-wide telescope currently under construction in Chile, to search for other potential extraterrestrial objects, with the ultimate goal being early identification so they can send a probe to the object.
- Loeb’s team also plans to investigate unidentified aerial phenomena as well, which were a huge topic last month when U.S. intelligence officials released a report describing 144 UAP sightings. (Yahoo News)
Additional Reads
- With Simone Biles out of Tokyo Olympics team final with ‘medical issue,’ USA Gymnastics falls to Russia (ESPN)
- Spiral shark intestines work like Nikola Tesla’s water valve, study finds (Ars Technica)
- Hubble finds water vapor around Jupiter’s moon Ganymede (CNN)
- Russia ditches 20-year-old space station module to clear way for lab’s arrival (CBS)
- Scientists Finish the Human Genome at Last (NYT, $)
- Florida babysitter charged with murder 37 years later (NBC)