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☆ Democrats fret as Biden tries to bolster re-election case touting legislative wins
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

WASHINGTON — As 2022 draws to a close, President Joe Biden plans to give an upbeat national address Thursday afternoon with a unifying message. Biden would be traveling the country touting reduced insulin prices and new road projects, while House Republicans hold hearings into obscure conspiracy theories. The first is Biden runs and loses, perhaps to a younger Republican opponent who eclipses Trump as the new GOP favorite. His top aides have been meeting privately with left-leaning interest groups urging them to go out and showcase Biden’s record. “President Biden became the first president since FDR in 1934 to not lose a single incumbent United States Senate seat” in the midterms, Donilon wrote.

☆ Artists in Cuba find themselves blocked from NFT trading sites
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“The first thing that drew me to it was the freedom,” said García Alarcón, known best by his artist name, Paolo De. García Alarcón is among at least 30 Cuban artists whose profiles have been delisted from at least two American-owned NFT trading sites sites, including the largest one, OpenSea, and KnownOrigin, according to Cuban NFT artist collectives. He’s the organizer of NFTcuba.ART, a collective of around 100 Cuban artists around the world. D’Alerta and other collective leaders told the AP that the bans have even extended to personal accounts of Cuban artists who don’t live on the island. Meanwhile, leaders in the Cuban NFT space worry that the deplatforming could have a long-term chilling effect on Cuban digital artists.

☆ Biden comes under pressure over expected easing of U.S. asylum rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Jason Lange | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The policy, known as Title 42, is due to end on Dec. 21, and thousands of asylum seekers have been lining up at the U.S.-Mexico border ahead of the easing of restrictions. "It's a very dire situation," U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas, a Republican, told CBS's "Face the Nation". Gonzales called on Biden to revive past policies that tried to speed up asylum review and expedite deportations. U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat who also represents Texas, urged Biden to enact a policy requiring people to only request asylum at official border crossing points. "And if they don't follow that pathway they need to go back," Cuellar told "Face the Nation".

☆ ‘Inconvenient Anti-Semites’ in New York’s War on Hate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Elliot Kaufman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

After a long month of attacks on Jews in New York City, the big guns held a symposium at a Manhattan synagogue Monday. Kathy Hochul , Sen. Chuck Schumer and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pledged to fight anti-Semitism. Americans Against Antisemitism has studied 194 anti-Jewish assaults and 135 property incidents in New York City since 2018 but can identify only two offenders who have been sentenced to prison. Others receive probation or counseling or their charges aren’t followed up. “There are practically no serious consequences to be had,” the group concludes in a July report.

☆ 11 ancient sites that are mysteriously aligned with the sun on the winter solstice, in photos.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Archaeologists have found many ancient sites that line up with the winter solstice sun. Here are 11 sites that line up with the winter solstice, and what experts think about them. Newgrange, County Meath, IrelandPeople celebrating the sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice in 2018. ShutterstockOne of the most famous examples of ancient architecture lining up with the winter solstice is in Machu Picchu, Peru. "From the winter solstice the days are longer, which was a metaphor of the rebirth of the deceased," he said.

☆ GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw says it's 'crazy' that Republicans put forward 'two 25-year-olds to be our nominees' in the midterms: 'We lost races we easily should have won'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Dan Crenshaw critiqued some of the GOP candidates tapped to run for office in 2022. GOP voters nominated Karoline Leavitt, 25, and Bo Hines, 27, in two key House districts. However, in a recent Politico interview, GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas said that his party erred in nominating younger candidates in two of the most competitive House districts in the country. That's batshit crazy," the 38-year-old congressman told the publication of two young Republicans who won primaries to serve as their party's nominees. In New Hampshire's 1st Congressional district, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas defeated 25-year-old former Trump White House assistant press secretary Karoline Leavitt 54%-46%.

☆ Kevin McCarthy's impossible GOP math
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is far from assured of winning sufficient support in his party to become House speaker next month. The tiny GOP House majority that takes over in January, after a disappointing midterm performance, would mean a fragile governing mandate for any party at any point in American history. McCarthy’s impossible mathFrom a broader political perspective, it might be in McCarthy’s interest to stand up to the most extreme members of his conference. The path to the GOP majority went through comparatively moderate seats in places like New York that will be most at risk in the 2024 election. But it also reflected Greene’s growing personal power, after she broke with some radical GOP members and lined up to support McCarthy’s speakership.

CNN —One week into her presidency, Peru’s new President Dina Boluarte is battling to contain widespread protests that erupted after the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo. Boluarte announced Tuesday the government will set up a crisis management committee as protests calling for political change continue across the country. Boluarte, his former vice president, has since become president, and on Monday proposed bringing general elections forward two years to April 2024 during a televised speech. At least seven people have died in the protests ongoing in Peru, according to a tweet from the health ministry on Wednesday. Boluarte also doesn’t belong to a political party after she was expelled from Peru Libre due to internal disagreements.

Schumer, a New York Democrat who has long pressed the administration to terminate Title 42, is far from alone. Since March 2020, when the authority was invoked, border officials have turned away migrants at the US-Mexico border more than two million times. But just days away from the anticipated end of Title 42, plans are still being sorted out. The Biden administration is also asking Congress for more than $3 billion as it prepares for the end of Title 42, according to a source familiar with the ask. It is not specific to the end of Title 42, the source said.

☆ Biden administration warns of potential influx of migrants immediately after Title 42 ends
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Administration officials have been bracing for an influx of migrants when a public health authority, known as Title 42, ends next week. In September, Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans accounted for almost half of encounters along the US southern border, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas underscored the whole of government approach in a statement, noting that mass movement of people around the globe has posed a uniquely difficult challenge. In October, the administration rolled out a humanitarian parole program geared toward Venezuelans to encourage them to apply for entry into the United States instead of crossing unlawfully. But the calculus of migrants may change when Title 42 lifts, the memo says.

CNN —Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo has denied allegations of conspiracy and rebellion, following his dramatic ouster and arrest last week. And at least 47 individuals were hospitalized as a result of protests in the cities of Lima, Apurímac, Huancavelica and Arequipa, Peru’s Health Ministry tweeted. Travel disruptedTrains to and from Machu Picchu will be suspended from Tuesday due to Peru’s protests, railway operator PeruRail said in a statement. Peru’s National Police said that, as of Monday evening, there were blockades on national roads in at least 11 regions of the country. Correction: This story has been updated to reflect a revision by the Peruvian National Ombudsman of the known death toll from Peru's recent political protests.

“The States will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay from the termination of Title 42 for the reasons discussed in the motion,” the states argue in the filing, citing a separate ruling that blocked the end of Title 42 earlier this year. Since March 2020, when the authority was invoked, border officials have turned away migrants at the US-Mexico border more than 2 million times. “Over the weekend, the El Paso Sector experienced a major surge in illegal crossings, with a 3-day average of 2,460 daily encounters, primarily through the downtown area of El Paso. The Biden administration is asking Congress for more than $3 billion as it prepares for the end of the Trump-era border policy later this month, according to a source familiar with the ask. It is not specific to the end of Title 42, the source said.

☆ Effort to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas will only complicate the immigration puzzle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

They want the incoming Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee to launch an impeachment investigation of Mayorkas ASAP in early January. While their alleged crimes are very different, any impeachment effort against Mayorkas would likely end similarly: Belknap was acquitted in a Senate trial. Democrats, controlling the Senate majority, would surely do the same if Republicans could even muster the majority needed to impeach Mayorkas. McCarthy would rather just see Mayorkas resign, although there’s no indication Mayorkas will. “If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure.

☆ The US may have lost in the World Cup, but soccer is more popular than ever in America
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +36 min

The Atlas Lions made history as the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal. They made history as the first all-female refereeing crew for a men's World Cup match. It was Morocco's first World Cup win since 1998 — and its third-ever at the tournament. Less spoken about is that they also rate better on television than the men do in the World Cup. We’ll just have to wait and see, though with the US, Canada and Mexico hosting the 2026 World Cup, soccer isn’t going away anytime soon.

☆ El Paso faced a ‘major surge in illegal crossings’ over the weekend, senior border official says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —More than 2,400 migrants crossed into the United States near El Paso, Texas, daily over the weekend, according to a senior Border Patrol official, marking what he described as a “major surge in illegal crossings” in the region. “Over the weekend, the El Paso Sector experienced a major surge in illegal crossings, with a 3-day average of 2,460 daily encounters, primarily through the downtown area of El Paso. We will continue to keep the public informed as the situation evolves,” said acting Chief Patrol Agent Peter Jaquez of the El Paso Sector in a tweet. El Paso city has been monitoring the situation and is in ongoing discussions with federal, state and local partners, according to Laura Cruz Acosta, strategic communications director for the city. The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it had deployed additional agents to El Paso amid the surge, claiming that criminal smuggling organizations are behind the influx.

☆ Trade panel sides with Mexico, Canada in auto rules dispute, Mexico says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, Dec 9 (Reuters) - A dispute panel under a regional trade pact has sided with Mexico and Canada against the United States in a disagreement over regional content requirements for the auto sector, Mexico's presidency said on Friday in a tweet that was later deleted. "The decision could generate more incentives to generate auto parts in our country," the tweet said. Mexico's economy ministry told Reuters it would speak on the subject "once the resolution becomes official." Mexico is also in a trade dispute with the United States regarding its energy policies, which the United States calls nationalist and unfriendly to U.S. firms and a violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Reporting by Kylie Madry and Adriana Barrera; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

“I’ll get 218,” McCarthy told CNN, referring to the votes he’d need to become House speaker. Video Ad Feedback Bash asks Pelosi if McCarthy has what it takes to be House Speaker. “I’m not going to talk about hypotheticals,” said Biggs, who lost his conference’s nomination to become speaker last month after securing 31 votes. But McCarthy’s detractors said it’s an issue very much still on the table and think he may end up needing to embrace it if he still doesn’t have the speaker votes by January 3. But he refused to rule out a scenario where his caucus would help elect the next speaker if McCarthy couldn’t get the votes.

☆ Young voters propelled Raphael Warnock to victory in the Georgia Senate runoff, but the work to boost their political engagement continues: 'We're not stopping here'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sen. Raphael Warnock's runoff victory was driven in large part by his support among young voters. But young voters — with Gen Z and younger millennials flexing their political power — emerged as a critical demographic in the Georgia Senate race. Looking at the Georgia Senate runoff results, what actually happened to get more young voters to the polls? Heightened voter engagementVoters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led voter-engagement nonprofit organization, sent 2.5 million calls and texts to young Georgia voters urging them to participate. But it will take continued engagement with young voters to ensure robust participation in the future, especially in non-presidential election cycles.

☆ First Gen Z congressman, Maxwell Frost, says he was denied an apartment in DC over bad credit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Kayla Gallagher | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gen Z Congressman Maxwell Frost tweeted Thursday he got denied from a DC apartment for bad credit. "Just applied to an apartment in DC where I told the guy that my credit was really bad. He's not alone: Credit card balances have been on the rise, especially for Gen Z, as the cost of living keeps soaring. But as Insider's Kevin L. Matthews II reported, there's a "credit gap" between Black and white borrowers, further powering the racial wealth gap. That can further the gap in homeownership rates between Americans of color and white Americans.

☆ Factbox: Peru's presidents and years of political turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Police officers stand before people protesting after Congress approved the removal of President Pedro Castillo, in Lima, Peru, December 7, 2022. Here is a rundown of Peru's recent political turmoil. Kuczynski initially denied any ties to Odebrecht, a company at the heart of a political corruption probe that swept the whole region. OLLANTA HUMALA (2011-2016)Humala is facing trial over allegations he received $3 million from Odebrecht during the 2011 presidential election campaign. A charismatic political leader who served two terms, Garcia repeatedly denied the allegations of bribery.

☆ McCarthy's struggle to lock down House Speaker roils GOP caucus, delays key committee assignments
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A spokesman for McCarthy did not respond to questions from CNBC about the committee vote schedule. Instead, both sides have dug in over the past week, telling reporters they're ready to take the fight all the way to the House floor on Jan. 3. "Oh yeah, I'll take the speaker's fight to the floor," McCarthy told reporters in the Capitol recently. "The goal was never to embarrass Kevin McCarthy on the [House] floor, no one wants that," she said. It also prompted McCarthy to issue a long statement condemning her prior remarks, which he said "do not represent the values or beliefs of House Republicans."

☆ U.S. says it will expand, extend temporary status for Haitians
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

SAN DIEGO — The Biden administration said Monday that it would expand temporary legal status for Haitians already living in the United States, determining conditions in the Caribbean nation were too dangerous for their forced return. The Homeland Security Department said Haitians who were in the United States Nov. 6 could apply for Temporary Protected Status and those who were granted it last year could stay an additional 18 months until Aug. 3, 2024. The administration has extended temporary status for several countries and expanded or introduced it for Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Cameroon and Venezuela, reversing a Trump-era trend to cut back on protections for those already in the United States. Haitians who enter the United States after Monday’s announcement will be ineligible for TPS, authorities said, though that may do little to discourage some. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called last week for an expansion and extension, said more than 100,000 Haitians will be eligible for temporary status under Monday’s announcement.

☆ Argentina court hands VP Cristina Kirchner 6-year jail term in graft case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nicolás Misculin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The powerful vice president will not face immediate prison time and is also expected to appeal the sentence, with the case likely to spend years winding through higher courts. Fernandez de Kirchner served as president for two terms between 2007 and 2015 and commands rock-star crowds of supporters. She faced charges of alleged corruption in the awarding of public works during her presidency. Defenders of the vice president maintain she was a victim of judicial persecution. Lawyers said that Fernandez de Kirchner would not go to jail any time soon because she has immunity while serving as vice president.

☆ This digital platform is designed to help farmers protect their crops amid environmental changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Ibm | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Spanish entrepreneur Alejandro Blaas Nacle is using tech to help farmers protect their crops. As CEO of Plataforma Tierra, he's tapping data to help farmers make informed agricultural decisions. Plataforma Tierra can also help farmers calculate the optimal amount of fertilizer to use based on the crop type grown and the soil. There's a tool to help farmers better understand their own soil management and a comprehensive pest-management tool. By participating in this type of community, farmers can learn, for example, about a newly discovered disease or an issue with crops on a neighboring property.

☆ Real ID deadline for air travel extended another two years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Colbi Edmonds | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that it is extending the deadline to require Real ID-compliant identification for air travelers, pushing the start date from May 3, 2023, to May 7, 2025. The extension will give states more time to ensure residents have driver's licenses and identification cards that comply with enhanced security standards under the Real ID Act. The deadline for the new IDs has already been extended previously. Congress passed the new standards as part of the Real ID Act in 2005, based on a recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. The enhanced security standards for state-issued identification cards and driver's licenses aim to make IDs harder to counterfeit and allow records checks.

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