🧐 Deep Dive On Bipartisan Border Deal

GREETINGS!

Billionaires are a different breed…

In a 2009 TED talk, Bill Gates released a jar of mosquitoes into the audience to make a point about malaria. He said, "Malaria is spread by mosquitoes. I brought some… I’ll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected."

Gates later reassured everyone that the mosquitoes were malaria-free.

🔔In today’s email:

👮‍♀️ London Police Chief Wants To Jail Americans
⛔ Secret Service Breaks Into Small Business
🤯 Yet Another Olympic Controversy

🚨 KEY STORY:

🧱 Why Trump Encouraged Republicans to Strike Down the Bipartisan Border Deal Earlier this Year

-Mike

QUICK BITE

London Police Chief Wants To Jail American Citizens For Social Media Posts

London’s Metropolitan Police chief, Sir Mark Rowley, issued a stern warning that authorities will crack down on both British and American citizens for spreading inflammatory content related to the recent riots in the UK.

• Rowley emphasized that whether crimes are committed on the streets or online from abroad, the police will pursue those responsible.

• The riots were sparked after a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed event for kids between the ages of 6 and 11 that left three young girls dead, leading to violent protests fueled by anti-immigration sentiments.

Rowley's comments have drawn attention, particularly his suggestion that American citizens could be extradited to the UK for violating British laws on political speech online.

• The police are focused on tackling individuals who incite hatred and violence, including those doing so from behind a keyboard.

• The situation escalated further when Elon Musk criticized the UK government's handling of the riots, questioning the country’s commitment to free speech.

• In response, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the need for social media companies to take more responsibility in curbing misinformation and criminal activity online.

QUICK BITE

Secret Service Pulled An Oceans 11 On Local Salon

During Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to Pittsfield in late July, Secret Service agents reportedly entered the Four One Three Salon without permission to use the restroom.

• According to the salon owner, Alicia Powers, the agents taped over a security camera, used the restroom without cleaning up, and left the door unlocked.

• Powers, who was on vacation at the time, received alerts from her security system and later discovered the situation through her cameras.

• She expressed that she would have willingly cooperated if asked, but was concerned about the potential risk to her business due to the unlocked door.

After the incident, Powers contacted local police, who directed her to the Secret Service.

• The agency's Boston office confirmed their entry, apologized, and offered to cover any damages or costs related to the incident.

• Powers appreciated the apology but remained concerned about the security lapse, questioning what could have happened during the time her business was left unsecured.

• Despite being satisfied with the apology, she highlighted the serious threat the situation posed to her business and livelihood.

QUICK BITE

Olympic Controversy: Jordan Chiles Stripped of Her Bronze Medal

U.S. Olympic officials are appealing a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that requires American gymnast Jordan Chiles to return her bronze medal from the Paris Olympics. 

• CAS ruled that an appeal by Chiles' coach, which boosted her to third place in the women's floor exercise, was made four seconds beyond the allowed time limit. 

• USA Gymnastics disputes this, claiming video evidence shows the appeal was made within the deadline. This controversy could lead to a prolonged legal battle.

The International Gymnastics Federation and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have agreed to uphold the CAS decision, which elevates Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu to third place. 

• The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) plans to challenge the ruling, arguing that both the initial scoring and the appeal process were flawed. 

• The IOC has confirmed it will reallocate the medal but has not detailed how or when this will happen. 

This situation has been emotionally challenging for all the athletes involved. 

• Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci expressed concern for Barbosu’s mental health, while Jordan Chiles has decided to take a break from social media for her own well-being. 

• Despite the controversy, Barbosu emphasized that her issue is with the judges, not with Chiles or any other athlete.

KEY STORY

Rewind: Why Trump Encouraged Republicans to Strike Down the Bipartisan Border Deal Earlier this Year

As the Harris-Walz campaign attacks Trump and Republicans for not passing proper border security this year, Scriberr is taking a look back to examine what exactly was in that several-hundred page bipartisan deal that brought Republicans, Democrats and the White House to the table. 

• Republican Opposition: House GOP leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, criticized the Senate's immigration bill for failing to address border security effectively. They argue it would incentivize illegal immigration more by expanding work authorizations for illegal aliens and lacked crucial asylum reforms.

• Criticisms of the Bill: The bill's provisions, such as allowing migrants to be released from custody and granting excessive authority to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, have been labeled as too lenient and susceptible to abuse. House Republicans were particularly concerned about the potential for this legislation to endorse Biden's "catch and release" policy.

• Calls for H.R.2: House Republicans instead urged the Senate to adopt H.R.2, their border security bill from last summer, which they believe contains the necessary measures to tackle the current border crisis. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., dismissed the bill from the outset. 

• Border Emergency Authority: The proposed bill included a new "Border Emergency Authority" that would allow for a temporary border shutdown if migrant encounters exceed certain thresholds. However the president would have had the power to suspend the thresholds and would have given discretionary use by DHS.

Threshold for Activation:

• Daily Encounters: The new authority would have been invoked when the rolling seven-day average of migrant encounters at the southern border reached 5,000 per day.

• Single-Day Encounters: It could also be triggered if there were 8,500 encounters in a single day.

Immediate Measures:

• Expulsions: Once activated, the DHS would have been required to expel all migrants who were not processed, with the exception of unaccompanied children.

• Duration of Authority: The authority would have remained in effect until the average number of encounters drops by at least 25% over seven consecutive days.

• Suspension: The President would have the power to suspend the authority for up to 45 days. This provision allows for temporary pauses in the enforcement of the border shutdown measures.

• Visa and Asylum Changes: The bill proposed expedited work permits for migrants, tighter asylum rules, and increased legal immigration pathways. It aimed to reduce asylum processing times and end humanitarian parole practices.

• Illegal Crossings hit historic highs: The bill came amid record-high migrant encounters and “gotaways” at the border, with FY 2021-2023 seeing unprecedented numbers. This crisis has intensified debates on border security and immigration policies.

Bill fails: The border deal did not make it out of the Senate in a 43-50 vote in May.

STRATEGIC SPOTLIGHT

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Fire: What We Know

The Zaphorizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been reported as being hit, which has led to a lot of false news online and in the media.

• Russia is claiming that Ukraine staged the attack on the plant, and Putin says that there will be no more peace talks because of this.

• However, experts have found that the cooling towers hit in the attack were not even in use and are not crucial for keeping radiation levels down.

• Many experts think this might be a trick by Russia to spread fear or to distract people from the fact that Ukraine has been making advances into Russian territory.

This update was brought to you by Strategic Spotlight by Marcus Obeada

HEADLINES
Here’s Some Small Talk Ammunition

President Donald Trump is set to join a virtual interview with Elon Musk at 8 p.m. ET on X. Ahead of the event, Trump made his second post on X since his account was reinstated in 2022. He was previously banned from the platform following the January 6 events.

The United States and China both won 40 gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking the first-ever tie for most golds. The U.S. secured their final gold in women's basketball, making a thrilling comeback. Overall, the U.S. earned 126 total medals, their highest since 1984.

Donald Trump plans to sue the Department of Justice for $100 million over their 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago property. His lawyers argue the raid was politically motivated. Trump’s attorney, Daniel Epstein, stated that Trump is “standing up for all Americans who believe in the rule of law.” This announcement follows U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's dismissal of a case against Trump brought by Jack Smith.

In the ongoing investigation of a plane crash in Brazil that killed 62 people, details about the victims have emerged. Among the deceased were cancer doctors, a three-year-old child, a lawyer specializing in airline lawsuits, and a Venezuelan family with their dog. All bodies have been recovered from the crash site in São Paulo.

A 68-year-old Illinois school district teacher, Vera Liddell, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings. From July 2020 to February 2022, Liddell ordered over 11,000 cases of wings, billed the district, but kept the wings herself. The scheme was uncovered when someone noticed invoices for bone-in wings, which are not usually served to students.

FROM THE EDITOR

Now that the Olympics have ended we can maintain our focus on regular American political controversies.

-Mike