Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced his administration plans to send over 1,100 members of the National Guard and law enforcement to Texas to provide assistance with border security along the US-Mexico border. DeSantis, who is widely believed to be preparing for a presidential run in 2024, has made immigration a focal point of his tenure as Florida's governor. This has included signing a broad immigration bill that aims to advance the state's migrant relocation program while also limiting social services for undocumented immigrants lacking permanent legal status.
US Republican congressman Paul Gosar is reportedly employing a staff member who has alleged ties to white nationalism. A trove of evidence has emerged suggesting that Wade Searle, a digital director for the Republican, has connections to “Groyper” content, a far-right movement gathering mostly young men. Searle is also said to have been pictured with white nationalist Nick Fuentes at a Phoenix rally held in promotion of the discredited “Stop the Steal” movement. Govsar has previously visited a conference hosted by Fuentes and was recently subject to censure after posting a video online that showed him beheading a Democratic representative.
The 10,000 migrants a day who surged across the Mexico-U.S. border in the few days before the Trump restrictions were lifted were not an aberration, they are the start of a new normal says Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. The first 50 years after World War II were a great time to be a weak nation-state, particularly in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Now no superpower wants to touch weaker countries because all they will win is a bill. Climate change is pounding countries, particularly their subsistence farmers. Populations have exploded. More than two-thirds of the world has a smartphone and can get information and misinformation faster than ever, as well as easily connect with a human trafficker online. Friedman argues that if we are going to thrive in the 21st century, we need to double down on our single greatest competitive advantage: our ability to attract the most high-aspiring migrants and the most high-I.Q. risk takers, who start new businesses.
Lori Vallow, the woman dubbed the "doomsday cult mom," has been found guilty of her two youngest children's murder. Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 8, disappeared in September 2019, and their mother married new husband Chad Daybell while they were missing. The children's bodies were later discovered buried in a pet cemetery on Daybell's property in Idaho. Vallow was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Daybell's first wife and separately charged with conspiring to murder her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, with the help of her now-deceased brother, Alex Cox. Daybell is due to stand trial for the murder of his former wife, Tammy, as well as for his involvement in the children's deaths. The case spans a deeply disturbing pattern of deaths and bizarre cult beliefs about killing zombies. Vallow has been committed to a psychiatric facility for treatment after being ruled unfit to stand trial.
Lori Vallow has been found guilty of murdering her two children and conspiring to murder her new husband's previous wife. She was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft. The remains of Vallow's daughter, Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua "JJ" Vallow were found buried on Chad Daybell's property in June 2020. Tammy Daybell, Chad's wife, died in October 2019, and prosecutors argued that Vallow conspired with her husband and brother Alex Cox to kill the three victims out of greed and their doomsday cult beliefs. Vallow's sentencing will take place within 90 days, where she could face a life sentence.
The Oakland Athletics beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-8 on Tuesday night in a close match, with Oakland coming from behind to win. Ryan Noda hit a grand slam in the seventh to tie the game, before Esteury Ruiz secured the victory with a winning run in the 12th, following a walk-off hit. The A's won for the second time in 10 games, leaving many fans disappointed following the team's recent acquisition of land to build a new stadium in Las Vegas, with just 3,261 fans attending the game.
Coyotes again at a crossroads after arena plans voted down by Tempe residents
CBC
23-05-17 11:49
Voters in Arizona have not backed the building of a new arena for the Arizona Coyotes ice hockey team. There were three propositions presented that referred to the construction of a $2.3bn entertainment district in suburban Tempe, which would have included the new arena. Now, the future of the franchise is in doubt. Since relocating from Winnipeg to Arizona in 1996, the Coyotes have played in three different arenas and have struggled to remain profitable throughout.
The US House Natural Resource Committee will discuss a plan this week to protect California’s giant sequoias from fires and climate change. The Save Our Sequoias Act is a bipartisan piece of legislation that offers over $300m and further emergency protection options for US Forest Services to tackle the effects of climate change and wildfires on the world’s largest trees, which are going extinct. However, many Democrats and environmental advocacy groups have opposed the bill, stating that the plan could weaken environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The legislation would allow environmental projects to move ahead under emergency conditions before being assessed for their potential environmental impact. The outcome of the vote will directly impact the future of protecting the Sequoia National Forest and the balance between environmental protection and climate change mitigation.
Facing Pressure From China, Can the US Recreate Silicon Valley?
Diplomat
23-05-17 16:04
The Biden administration has announced a $500m tech hub funding scheme as part of its $10bn CHIPS and Science Act. The Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program has a goal of identifying about 20 US cities or regions as prospective tech hubs and eventually selecting 10 for funding. The scheme aims to bring together industry, universities, state and local governments, economic development organisations, and labour and workforce partners to supercharge ecosystems of innovation for technologies that are essential to economic and national security. Each region will focus on one of the 10 key tech areas identified in the scheme, including AI, robotics, biotechnology, data management, cybersecurity, and energy technology.
The US enjoys the advantage of having many outstanding teaching and research universities across the nation that can serve as anchors for tech hubs. Several recent examples showcase the viability and vibrancy of even the existing regional private-public-academic collaboration. Community colleges are increasingly being enlisted to train a broader base of skilled workers to supply tech enterprises with skilled manpower to fill the new jobs created. Each tech hub will foster US global tech competitiveness in its focus area, while also fostering more regional economic equity. US Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, said: “You shouldn’t have to move to Silicon Valley if you’re a scientist with a great idea.”
The UK and the Netherlands have formed an “international coalition” to assist Ukraine in obtaining F-16 fighter jets. During a recent visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Downing Street confirmed the intention to “build a new Ukrainian air force with Nato-standard F-16 jets”. Although the RAF does not have F-16s, nearly 3,000 are in use in 25 countries around the globe, including other Nato members. The international push comes at a time when Ukraine is seeking to strengthen its defences amid a backdrop of renewed tensions with Russia. The Biden administration has declined Ukraine’s request to buy F-16s so far.
A man has been indicted on one count of theft of a major artwork after allegedly stealing a pair of Dorthy's ruby red slippers from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Terry Martin, 76, is said to have stolen the artefact from the Judy Garland Museum by breaking a display case in 2005. Three other pairs are known to exist. The slippers were insured for $1m at the time of the theft, but are now thought to be worth $3.5m. They were recovered by the FBI last year. No arrests have yet been made for the theft of the slippers.
Lori Vallow Daybell, who was convicted in Idaho last week of killing her two children and a romantic rival, has been indicted for a second time in Arizona. This time she is charged with conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband. She was already facing another felony case in Arizona for allegedly conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. Vallow Daybell is the fifth wife of her current husband, who is awaiting trial on the same charges Vallow Daybell was convicted of. One member of the jury which convicted her said she put a “face to evil”.
The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers 8-0, with Rich Hill pitching six innings of one-hit ball and Austin Hedges driving in three runs. Rodolfo Castro hit a home run and knocked in two runs. The Tigers' Miguel Cabrera, who is due to retire after the season, has struggled to balance the team's needs with giving Cabrera playing time; he is currently batting at .182 with no home runs. Pirates pitcher Ji-Man Choi is expected to return next month while LHP Rob Zastryzny is on a rehab assignment. The Pirates' Johan Oviedo will start the opener of a three-game home series against Arizona, while Detroit's Matthew Boyd will start the opener of a three-game series at Washington.
From sign-stealing to sticky stuff, Yankees work the angles against Blue Jays
CBC
23-05-17 17:55
New York Yankees’ starting pitcher Domingo German was thrown out of last night’s game against Toronto Blue Jays after the umpires searched his hands and found them to be abnormally sticky. German denied the charge, putting it down to sweat and the mound’s rosin bag. Though pitchers have long attempted to gain an edge on batters, this recent controversy has broken out as the MLB begins cracking down on rule-breaking. Seattle and Arizona have both had players suspended this season for breaching substance rules, and German is now likely to face the same penalty. Meanwhile Sportsnet broadcasters have questioned Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Judge’s body language before hitting a home run. Supporters have chided the pundits for their suspicions, however, arguing that sign-stealing is part and parcel of the game. The Yankees will play the Blue Jays in the third of a four-game series tonight.
The Arizona Coyotes have been left with an uncertain future after a proposed $2.3bn Tempe Entertainment District referred to a public referendum failed to be passed by voters. The proposed development would have allowed the team, which has been plagued by instability since moving to Phoenix in 1996, to construct its own arena. The rejection of the project has left the team searching for alternative options, including a return to downtown Phoenix, a move to a new Phoenix suburb, or a possible relocation to elsewhere in the US or Canada.
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Minnesota Twins 7-3 on Wednesday, thanks in part to a go-ahead grand-slam from James Outman. The Dodgers were trailing 3-2 in the seventh before scoring five runs, all with two outs. The victory keeps the reigning champions on course for another title. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks won their fifth game in six, defeating the Oakland Athletics 5-3, despite their bullpen allowing another late lead. The San Francisco Giants swept the Phillies with a 7-4 win, while the Rockies convincingly defeated the Reds 11-6.
Yankees pitcher Germán suspended 10 games by MLB for using foreign substance
The Toronto Star
23-05-17 22:44
New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán has been suspended for 10 games and fined by Major League Baseball for violating the sport’s rules prohibiting foreign substances on the mound. The penalty follows Germán's ejection in the fourth inning during Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays after the home plate umpire said he felt "the stickiest hand I’ve ever felt." Germán denied the allegation, saying he didn't have anything on his hand other than rosin. His ejection was the second this season and the fourth since MLB started its crackdown on grip aids two years ago.
The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-3 on Wednesday night in a game that saw Dominic Fletcher throw out the potential go-ahead run at home in the seventh inning. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the ninth with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jose Herrera to give the Diamondbacks their fifth win in six games. Christian Walker and Corbin Carroll had homered as Arizona took two of three from Oakland in the series despite the bullpen giving up another late lead. Miguel Castro pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.
A US appeals court has overturned critical habitat designations for an endangered species of jaguar in Arizona. The ruling is a boost to Hudbay Minerals subsidiary Rosemont Copper, which is proposing to build a $1.9bn open-pit copper mine in the area. A federal district court had previously backed the 2014 designation of over 350,000 acres in mountains southeast of Tucson as critical for the jaguar, and it is unclear whether the latest decision could help the company’s mining plan since the ruling applied to just a portion of the broader jaguar habitat.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed bills into law that prohibit gender-affirming care for under-18s, restrict school pronoun use and force people to use bathrooms corresponding with the sex they were assigned at birth. Drag show restrictions were also signed into law, allowing the revocation of food and drink licences of businesses hosting adult performances while admitting children. The legislation takes effect immediately. A total of at least 17 states have now passed laws prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors, despite opposition from medical groups and LGBTQ+ advocates, with judges blocking proposed laws in Alabama and Arkansas.
