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☆ Texas Will Place a Floating Barrier Between U.S. and Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( J. David Goodman | Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The state of Texas will place a 1,000-foot floating barrier in the middle of the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from entering the United States, Gov. Greg Abbott said on Thursday, the latest in a series of escalating maneuvers by state leaders to address illegal crossings. Mr. Abbott said the barrier, a floating border wall made up of four-foot-wide buoys, would be first placed in the water off the city of Eagle Pass, an already heavily fortified section of the border that Texas officials have said is a prime location for migrant crossings. Though the floating barrier would cover only a small section of the 1,254-mile border in Texas, Mr. Abbott said the buoys could be moved to other hot spots and expanded in the future. “We can put mile after mile after mile of these buoys,” Mr. Abbott said at a news conference, flanked by photos showing what the barrier would look like once deployed on July 7.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Abbott, Mr Organizations: Gov Locations: Texas, Rio, United States, Eagle

☆ The uber-rich are spending hundreds of thousands to hire pop stars like Flo Rida to perform at their kid's bar mitzvahs and birthdays
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The wealthy are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on 30-minute performances from music artists. These private shows, like bar mitzvahs or birthdays, can draw in big names like Flo Rida and Drake. As artists make less money from their music, the idea of "selling out" is changing, New Yorker reports. To get Flo Rida at your private event however, it will run you between $150,000 and $300,000, with international shows extending that fee up to around $1 million, the New Yorker reported. A lawyer for Flo Rida confirmed to Insider that fee range was accurate and said his client "loves weddings, birthday parties and bar/bat mitzvahs."

Persons: Flo Rida, Drake, Flo Rida's, Flo, Beyonce, Rod Stewart, Steely Dan, Ryan Schinman, Ariana Grande —, Travis Scott Organizations: Morning, New Yorker, Billboard, Citigroup, McDonalds Locations: Miami, Lincolnshire, Chicago, New, Italy, Dubai, Sardinia

☆ US luxury EV maker Lucid set to enter China market
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Arizona Governor Doug Ducey speaks at the Lucid Motors plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, U.S. September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Caitlin O'HaraSHANGHAI, June 8 (Reuters) - U.S. luxury electric vehicle (EV) maker Lucid Group (LCID.O) is preparing to enter the world's largest auto market, its head of China operations Zhu Jiang said on Thursday. He declined to comment on any plans for local production. Zhu said the funding would help Lucid "bring the advanced EV technology and product experience to the industry and users globally at a faster pace." Lucid, like its peers, is battling mounting losses and tightening cash reserves amid recession fears and a price war sparked by market leader Tesla (TSLA.O).

Persons: Doug Ducey, Caitlin O'Hara SHANGHAI, Zhu Jiang, Zhu, Ford, Tesla, Peter Rawlinson, Zhang Yan, Zhuzhu Cui, Brenda Goh, Jamie Freed Organizations: Arizona, Lucid, REUTERS, Reuters, Baidu, HK, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Air, Thomson Locations: Casa Grande , Arizona, U.S, China, Saudi

You can earn up to 200,000 Marriott points, but to unlock the most points you'll need to stay six nights at Marriott Bonvoy properties. Marriott Credit Card Offers: Earn up to 200,000 PointsTwo of these cards (the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card) are from American Express, and two (the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card) are issued by Chase. Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® program. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.

Persons: —, Marriott, we've, We're, Chase, Regis, it's, you'll, You'll, you'd, Cardholders Organizations: Marriott, Orlando . Marriott, Service, American Express, American Express Marriott, Chase Marriott, Villas, Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Vacation, Residence, Vacation, Westin Vacation, The Ritz, Carlton Club, Regis Residence Club, Ritz, Carlton, TSA, Global, TSA PreCheck, New Hampshire Insurance Company, AIG Company, Reading Chevron, American, Chevron, Business, Cardholders, Chase, Sapphire, United Airlines, Hyatt Locations: Grande Lakes, Orlando, Marriott, Marriott Bonvoy, St, Regis, U.S, Chevron, airfare

☆ Brazil poultry lobby sees little risk of nationwide export ban over bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Slideshow ( 4 images )Ricardo Santin, head of a group representing firms like JBS and BRF, told Reuters the agreements with trade partners should limit any export restrictions to smaller geographic regions. Still, the details of a 2004 bilateral sanitary protocol with China, Brazil’s top chicken buyer last year, could spell some pain for exporters. WOAH outlines best practices for “zoning” and compartmentalizing HPAI infection to specific areas at risk in order to ease nation-wide restrictions, allowing countries to continue to sell and export of poultry. The U.S., which competes with Brazil in poultry export markets, had HPAI outbreaks but continued to ship products. Still, total poultry meat exports rose 3% by volume and 14% by value, as revised trade agreements limited trade restrictions compared with a previous record U.S. bird flu outbreak in 2015.

Persons: Ricardo Santin, Santin, HPAI, WOAH Organizations: SAO PAULO, Reuters, World Organization for Animal Health Locations: China, Beijing, Brasilia, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, U.S

☆ Quito: Ecuador’s underrated capital city was the first to become a UNESCO site
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Sandra Macgregor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. Singular churchesInside the Spanish colonial church of San Francisco in the city center of Quito. The museum even puts on a variety of shows, including a karaoke night of traditional Ecuadorian song. It’s especially busy at lunchtime when it fills to capacity with locals looking to indulge in affordable traditional Ecuadorian cuisine. Guided toursMetropolitan Touring’s “Live Quito Like a Local” walking tour is great for visitors with only a day or two to explore Quito.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of The Flower Moon’ gets raucous applause at Cannes premiere
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Longtime collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese continue to create magic at the movies. Their latest project, true-crime drama “Killers of The Flower Moon” starring DiCaprio and De Niro, premiered at the swanky Cannes Film Festival on Saturday and the post-screening reception was instantly impressive with a minuteslong standing ovation. A video posted to the Cannes Film Festival’s YouTube channel shows the audience inside the Grande Theatre Lumiere exuberantly applauding the movie for at least seven minutes, with more applause coming after director Scorsese thanked the audience. (From left) Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon.' The cheers and applause grew louder for DiCaprio, De Niro and Lily Gladstone, who were all in attendance at the premiere.

☆ This $18 million Invisible House is the most expensive listing in Joshua Tree — and it's already a money-maker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Brian AshbyThe modern glass architecture is situated on 67.5 acres just steps away from the Joshua Tree National Park. Brian AshbyThe home was designed by film producer and current owner, Chris Hanley, and Frank Gehry-collaborator, architect Tomas Osinski. According to co-listing agent Matt Adamo, the highest price ever achieved for a home in Joshua Tree was $3.5 million. The Invisible House in Joshua Tree, California is a mirrored 22-story horizontal skyscraper. The rooftop of the Invisible House is equipped with an array of solar panels that supply the home with electricity, heat and hot water.

☆ Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at U.S.-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at the borderChart showing that before Title 42 began, most people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border were Mexican, Guatemalan, Slavadorian or Honduran. Title 42 mostly applied to Mexican migrants Mexicans are the nationality most frequently caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and also made up the largest group of quick Title 42 expulsions. With Title 42 in place, Mexican migrants processed under Title 8 dropped, as most were deported to Mexico under Title 42. Chart showing the breakdown of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador apprehended under Title 8 and Title 42. All four nationalities began to increase once Title 42 began until Title 42 was expanded to include people from Venezuela in October 2022 and people from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua in January 2023.

☆ The Weeknd has reverted to his birth name on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Weeknd is now officially known online by his real name – Abel Makkonen Tesfaye – after following through on plans to update his social media accounts. On Monday, the Canadian artist’s Twitter and Instagram accounts had updated to display his birth name rather than his artistic name. And the change is part of a wider plan to “kill The Weeknd,” Tesfaye told W Magazine in an interview published May 8. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. “The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd,” he told W Magazine.

☆ End of Title 42 immigration policy has brought fewer migrants than expected, but overcrowding concerns remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

David Peinado Romero/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Migrants carry a baby in a suitcase across the Rio Grande on May 10. Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Migrants wait to get paid after washing cars at a gas station in Brownsville on May 10. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Migrants surrender to US Border Patrol agents after crossing the border in Yuma on May 10. Paul Ratje/Reuters Migrants wait to be processed by US Border Patrol agents in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on April 26. Hudak warned in the filing that without measures to conditionally release some migrants, Border Patrol could have over 45,000 migrants in custody by the end of the month.

On Friday, that changed when the administration of President Joe Biden ended Title 42, a COVID-inspired provision that allowed the U.S. government to turn away asylum-seekers for public health reasons. At the same time Title 42 expired, the Biden administration implemented a new regulation that presumes most migrants will be ineligible for asylum if they failed to use legal pathways for U.S. entry like CBP One. "This is mostly for my children," Lupita said. Tens of thousands of migrants rushed to the border last week trying to enter the country before the new asylum rules took effect. Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Tijuana and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Editing by Mica Rosenberg and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pandemic-related asylum restrictions known as Title 42 expire, straining U.S. immigration system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The expired rule, known as Title 42, was in place since March 2020. While Title 42 prevented many from seeking asylum, it carried no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Migrants cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents before Title 42 ends, in Matamoros, Mexico May 10, 2023. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had already warned of more crowded Border Patrol facilities to come. They were quickly apprehended by Border Patrol agents.

Migrants trying to cross the border can… Get appointment at border checkpoint Seek humanitarian parole Cross border illegally Few nationalities qualify. ‘Transit ban’ Almost everybody Can you show you’ve been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve already been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve already been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.?

[1/2] Oil tanker Kerala, chartered by Chevron, is loaded in the Bajo Grande oil terminal at Maracaibo Lake, in the municipality of San Francisco, Venezuela, January 5, 2023. To back up its license application, Chevron last year signed an oil-for-debt swap with Venezuela's state-run PDVSA. The initial exports have rapidly drained the ventures' oil inventories, which had built up for years. Chevron plans to continue pushing up heavy crude output mainly at oilfields in eastern and western Venezuela belonging to its Petropiar and Petroboscan projects, according to the sources. GOLDEN TICKETChevron's license broke a four-year U.S. prohibition on Venezuelan oil exports to the United States designed to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

☆ Texas Patrols Its Own Border, Pushing Legal Limits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

AUSTIN, Texas — Four C-130 military transport planes towered over the tarmac at Austin’s international airport, idling with the doors open as the sun rose over a news conference called by the Texas governor, Greg Abbott. As Mr. Abbott began speaking on Monday from a lectern emblazoned with the words “Securing the Border,” about 200 soldiers from the National Guard hustled onto the planes. “They will be deployed to hot spots along the border to intercept, to repel and to turn back migrants who are trying to enter Texas illegally,” the governor said, barely audible over the roar of the engines. For two years, Texas has engaged in a multibillion-dollar attempt to arrest and deter migrants who cross into the state from Mexico, deploying helicopters and drones, National Guard troops patrolling the border in camouflage and state troopers racing down highways in black-and-white SUVs. The state has bused thousands of migrants to East Coast cities like New York and lined the reedy banks of the Rio Grande with concertina wire.

The scenes come as Title 42 is set to expire just before midnight on Thursday. But Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council representing U.S. border agents, confirmed that agents distributed the handouts. Judd said border officials were working to process as many migrants as possible before Title 42 ends. The flyer also said migrants must report to border authorities before accessing El Paso shelters, an assertion advocates said was not true. But hours later, after seeing other migrants return with U.S. paperwork, he lined up at a border patrol station.

☆ Factbox: Alberta wildfire shuts in at least 145,000 boepd of Canadian production
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 8 (Reuters) - Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta on Saturday declared a provincial state of emergency due to wildfires, shutting in at least 145,000 of oil equivalent per day (boepd). Tens of thousands of Albertans have been forced to evacuate their homes as unprecedented wildfires rage on in Alberta. It added that about 50,000 boepd of production has been temporarily curtailed since the evening of May 5. Crescent Point Energy Corp (CPG.TO)Crescent Point said about 45,000 boepd of production in the Kaybob Duvernay region has been temporarily shut in with a plan to restart production once safe and permitted to do so. Vermilion Energy Inc (VET.TO)Vermilion Energy said it had temporarily shut in about 30,000 boepd of production and that it was assessing the risk to its operations.

☆ Texas tragedy: One weekend spotlights two distinctly American political fissures
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —The national season of violence deepened with a weekend of tragedy in Texas that hit two of the rawest political divides, guns and immigration. It was the latest in a string of mass shootings in Texas and across the country that have killed many innocent people but have brought no action to end the cycle of loss. Then, on Sunday, a driver slammed into a group of migrants waiting at a bus stop outside a shelter in the Texas border town of Brownsville. But as in the case of mass shootings, there is little chance that the nation’s polarized politics will ease in order to offer the space for meaningful resolution. The latest mass shooting in Texas came after a spree of such killings in schools, supermarkets, at community parades, a bank and places of worship nationwide.

☆ Alberta wildfire shuts in at least 2% of Canadian energy production
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It added that about 50,000 boepd of production has been temporarily curtailed since the evening of May 5. Crescent Point Energy Corp (CPG.TO)Crescent Point said about 45,000 boepd of production in the Kaybob Duvernay region has been temporarily shut in with a plan to restart production once safe and permitted to do so. NuVista Energy Ltd (NVA.TO)The company said it has temporarily shut in and depressured all operations proximal to the ongoing fires in the Grande Prairie region. Vermilion Energy Inc (VET.TO)Vermilion Energy said it had temporarily shut in about 30,000 boepd of production and that it was assessing the risk to its operations. Cenovus Energy Inc (CVE.TO)Cenovus said it has shut-in production and brought plants down in some areas of its conventional business.

☆ Seven waiting at bus stop in Texas bordertown killed when struck by vehicle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Ken Dilanian | Corky Siemaszko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A section of the Border Wall is under construction just south of the UT-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College campus next to the Rio Grande River. The 20-foot high concrete and steel wall is being built in sections throughout south Texas. Seven people waiting at a bus stop in a Texas border city were killed and a dozen more were injured early Sunday when a vehicle rammed into them in what investigators believe was an intentional act, officials said. The victims were at a stop located near a Catholic Charities facility in the city of Brownsville when they were struck, a senior law enforcement official told NBC News. One of the injured was airlifted to Valley Baptist Medical Center in nearly Harlingen, the department said.

Paris CNN —France’s finance minister is in the spotlight. “It is about music, my passion for music,” Le Maire insisted of the novel, whose central character is a piano virtuoso. Some in France chastized the finance minister for devoting time to writing, especially as the country weathers economic headwinds. The French finance ministry confirmed to CNN that Le Maire had warned the French presidency of the book before its release. And the finance minister seemed unabashed on Twitter.

CNN —A driver plowed into a group outside a shelter that had been housing migrants in a Texas border town on Sunday, leaving seven people dead and several others injured, authorities say. The crash left seven dead and between four to six others injured, Martin Sandoval, a Brownsville police spokesperson, told CNN. Police have not released the name of the driver, but say it was a Hispanic man, Sandoval told CNN. He said witnesses described seeing the car “lose control.”The shelter has been housing immigrants while they wait for permanent housing, he said. Brownsville, Texas is located on the southern tip of Texas, just across the Rio Grande River.

☆ More than 24,000 people evacuated in Western Canada as 103 wildfires burn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Mirna Alsharif | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Over 24,000 residents throughout Western Canada have been ordered to evacuate their homes to escape active wildfires in the province of Alberta. Smith activated the Emergency Management Cabinet Committee in response to the wildfires, which has been meeting daily since Friday. All options are on the table, including declaring a provincial state of emergency, Smith added. Fourteen counties and communities have declared states of local emergency, including Brazeau, Grande Prairie, Parkland and Lac Ste. Anne counties, as well as the Beaver Lake Cree Nation.

WHAT IS TITLE 42? The COVID restrictions, known as Title 42, were first implemented under Republican then-President Donald Trump in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. The Biden administration intends to lift Title 42 next Thursday when the U.S. COVID public health emergency ends. In April, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended some 183,000 migrants, according to preliminary data provided by Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a 13 percent increase from March. U.S. border cities are bracing for a possible rise in migrants when Title 42 ends.

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