Texas faces deadline today over border barrier removal

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Monday 07.24.23

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By Alexandra Meeks

Migrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico walk past large buoys being deployed as a border barrier on the river in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Immigration

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott faces a deadline today to commit to the removal of floating barriers at the US-Mexico border or face legal action from the Justice Department. Internal discussions about taking action against Texas date back to last year, when Abbott began busing migrants to cities nationwide without alerting officials, and have continued following the deployment of buoys in the Rio Grande — which pose a potential drowning risk to migrants. This comes after more than 80 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday urging him to investigate Abbott's "dangerous and cruel actions." Abbott has also allowed the use of "sharp razor wire" in the river, which is "creating death traps for migrants and violating US treaty commitments with Mexico," the letter said. In response, Abbott took to Twitter to defend his actions, saying his state has "sovereign authority" to defend the border.

Presidential race

Seven Republican presidential candidates have met the polling requirements to appear on the August 23 debate stage following new polling from Fox Business in Iowa and South Carolina. Former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have each reached 1% or higher in at least two qualifying national polls and two qualifying state polls from separate states, which is a requirement set by the Republican National Committee. Candidates must also meet fundraising criteria and sign a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee to qualify for the debate. Pence is the only candidate who has met the polling threshold but says he has not reached the fundraising threshold.

Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to retaliate against Moscow after Russian missiles badly damaged a historic cathedral in the port city of Odesa. Following the attack, Zelensky reiterated his call for more air defense systems, saying "a full-fledged sky shield" is "the only way to defeat Russian missile terror." Ukraine has received new armored vehicles and weaponry from the US and allies, but Kyiv's air defense systems are struggling to fend off Russian assaults because they're ill-equipped to knock down certain types of missiles, the defense ministry said. Still, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleskii Reznikov predicts the war in his country will be over by next summer. In an interview with CNN, Reznikov expressed confidence that Ukraine will "win this war" and be admitted to NATO next year as well.

Scorching heat

More than 35 million people in the US are under heat alerts with high temperatures expected to linger over the nation for at least another week. The massive swath of extreme heat is not only taking a toll on millions of Americans — it's also driving up costs for businesses and putting pressure on the economy. Recent studies have shown that the unrelenting heat could cost the US $100 billion annually from the productivity loss alone. The losses are steepest in sectors such as agriculture and construction because outdoor workers tend to be less productive when it's hot. Some restaurants with outdoor seating are also being impacted, as busy patios have become mostly barren and sales have sunk to near levels not seen since the pandemic.

Twitter

Twitter owner Elon Musk has begun the process of replacing Twitter's iconic bird logo with the letter X. Musk made the surprise announcement of his plans on Sunday, tweeting "adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds." Today, he tweeted that X.com now points to Twitter.com. The social platform, founded in 2006, has used its globally recognized blue bird emblem for more than a decade. The Twitter website now features the same logo, while the familiar blue bird is gone. The renaming could be seen as something of a brand overhaul "Hail Mary" for the company as it teeters on the edge of bankruptcy: Musk disclosed this month that the platform still has a negative cash flow due to a 50% drop in advertising revenue and heavy debt loads.

Israeli lawmakers plan to vote today on judicial reform
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, is scheduled to vote on a bill that would strip the Supreme Court of the power to declare government decisions "unreasonable," removing one of the few checks on the government in a country that has no written Constitution. The controversial judicial overhaul plan has drawn thousands of protesters to the streets of Israel over several months. The bill could be voted into law today after lawmakers conclude their debate.

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99%

That's the percentage of votes counted in Spain's elections that concluded Sunday. However, in a closer-than-expected race, no single party won enough parliamentary seats to form a government. That means it could be weeks — or potentially months — until the country's path becomes clearer.

Smugglers will sometimes try to conceal contraband in items that appear innocent to deflect suspicion.

— Customs and Border Protections director Daniel Mercado, after several cheese wheels full of cocaine were seized at a US border entry point in Texas. A 22-year-old driver, a US citizen who legally declared the cheese, will face charges for the failed smuggling attempt. In a statement, the agency said it has "significantly increased" inspection scanning capabilities to quickly identify suspected drugs — including those that may be hidden in everyday items.

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