[ad_1]
Thousands gather at borders as pandemic restrictions prepare to be lifted
Migrants poured across the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, while others gathered in makeshift camps to wait for the midnight end of Title 42 restrictions as authorities in Washington prepare to impose tough new rules the moment Title 42 ceases to be in effect. Along the border, agents, soldiers and local officials struggled to maintain order as migrants forded the Rio Grande. The most recent surge came two years ago after Democrat-led immigration overhaul stalled amid Republican opposition. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said more patrols, troops and DHS employees have been sent to the border.
FDA relaxes ban on gay, bisexual men donating blood
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it has officially ended a broad ban on blood donations by gay and bisexual men. Instead, the FDA is finalizing guidance that includes a questionnaire for all donors about their recent sexual activity. Potential donors who have recently had sex with a new partner or multiple partners, as well as anal sex, will still be turned away. The revised policy will also ban blood donations from people taking oral PrEP to prevent HIV infection, a restriction the agency said is designed to avoid false negatives during blood screening.
EPA Proposes First Limits on Climate Pollution From Existing Power Plants
The Biden administration announced Thursday the first regulations to curb pollution from existing power plants, capping an unrivaled array of climate policies that, taken together, could dramatically reduce the country’s contribution to global warming. The proposals, aimed at effectively eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from the nation’s electricity sector by 2040, are sure to face opposition from the fossil fuel industry, power plant operators and their allies in Congress. The plan could also draw immediate legal challenges from a group of Republican attorneys general who have sued the Biden administration to halt other climate policies.
Yellen calls invoking 14th Amendment to raise debt ceiling ‘legally questionable’
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday that the idea that President Joe Biden could essentially ignore the debt ceiling by invoking the 14th Amendment was “legally questionable.” Lawmakers and the Biden administration remain deadlocked over whether and how to raise the $31.4 trillion borrowing cap. The brinkmanship has raised questions about whether the government can rely on a tactic that is effectively a constitutional change to the debt ceiling to raise the ceiling on its own. Yellen warned that not removing the debt ceiling would have dire consequences.
Watch shifts to sewers as COVID emergency ends
As the COVID-19 public health emergency expires in the United States on Thursday, many data streams that help Americans monitor the virus will disappear. But experts who want to keep an eye on the virus still have a worthy option: sewage. People infected with the coronavirus shed the pathogen in their feces, allowing officials to track virus levels in communities over time and watch for new variants to emerge. This approach has rapidly expanded during the pandemic. The CDC will still track deaths and hospitalizations, but wastewater will likely remain an important early warning system for officials and the public.
U.S. News releases its latest, controversial law and medical school rankings
U.S. News and World Report released its annual rankings of the top law and medical schools on Thursday after a delay of several weeks. After years of criticism of the US News rankings, many elite law and medical schools have decided to boycott the 2023-24 rankings by refusing to hand over data, saying the rankings are unreliable and unfair and misrepresent educational priorities. Still, the schools at the top of the list are familiar. As a result of the new approach, there have been some major changes at the lower levels. Many organizations rank colleges and universities, but the US News rankings are probably the most followed.
Erdogan’s election prospects take a hit as challenger pulls out
Three days before the polls in Turkey’s presidential election, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chances of a quick victory took a hit on Thursday when a challenger withdrew from the race, a move that could In favor of Erdogan’s main rival. The exit of one of the four contenders increases the chances that main opposition candidate Kemal Kilidaroglu will secure a simple majority of votes on Sunday, a victory that would end Erdogan’s reign as Turkey’s most prominent politician. 20-year winning streak. The simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections will set the course for the future of Turkey, a major economy at the intersection of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as a U.S. NATO ally.
Pakistan Supreme Court orders Imran Khan’s release
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, a major victory for the former prime minister who was arrested this week in a corruption probe and deepening the political crisis engulfing the country. The court declared that authorities had illegally arrested Khan, who was at a hearing when he was detained on Tuesday, stressing that security forces must have permission to make the arrest on court premises. His lawyers challenged the legality of the arrest Thursday morning and demanded his release. The court decision leaves open the possibility of Khan being re-arrested under different circumstances.
All parties to Sudan conflict agree to allow aid, but no truce, US says
Warring parties in Sudan failed to agree to a ceasefire but signed a pledge to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered and restore some services to residents devastated by nearly four weeks of fighting, two senior U.S. administration officials said on Thursday. After six days of talks, the deal brokered by diplomats from the United States and Saudi Arabia fell short of negotiators’ initial goal of a truce. It’s called the “Declaration of Commitment to Protect Civilians in Sudan”. The deal’s goals include delivering humanitarian aid, restoring essential services, evacuating fighters from hospitals and clinics, and allowing residents to bury the dead.
Israel, Gaza exchange fire in ceasefire talks
The Israeli military and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip exchanged fire Thursday amid heightened tensions in the region, as Israel stepped up a targeted assassination campaign against the Islamic Jihad commander, killing two others, bringing the death toll The number reached five thirds of the day.While Egypt and other regional powers were working on Thursday to persuade the two sides to agree to a ceasefire, Islamic Jihad fired rockets and mortars into Israel, which struck military targets they said were linked to the group in Gaza.
via wired source
[ad_2]
Source link