750 National Guard Deployed in NYC Subways to Control Violent Crime [Full News Memo]
Antidepressant Prescriptions Increasing Sharply Among U.S. Youth, Supreme Court Rules 9-0 for Trump, Chaos in Haiti, Aid Dropped in Gaza, Biden State of the Union
Newsbites
Contraceptives: The first ever non-prescription contraceptive will now be sold over-the-counter (OTC) at U.S. retail pharmacies, both in-store and online. Previously, all contraceptive pills required a visit to a healthcare professional and a prescription. The daily pill, known by the brand name Opill, is a progestin tablet that suppresses ovulation. The manufacturer, HRA Pharma (Perrigo), applied for the pill to switch from a prescription-only to an OTC drug, which the FDA approved in July 2023 (full decision memo).
National Guard in NYC Subways: In an effort to control violent crime, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed 750 National Guard troops to help patrol subway entrances and check bags for weapons. The NYC subway has faced a string of violent attacks in recent weeks, including a train conductor being slashed in the neck and a fatal shooting. In a press conference, Hochul said, “For people who are thinking about bringing a gun or knife on the subway, at least this creates a deterrent effect. They might be thinking, ‘You know what, it just may just not be worth it because I listened to the mayor and I listened to the governor and they have a lot more people who are going to be checking my bags.”
Aid Dropped in Gaza: Three U.S. military planes dropped a total of 66 pallets with 38,000 meals into Gaza on Tuesday, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis. (video) According to military experts, dropping aid from planes is more expensive and less efficient than delivering it on the ground, but that would likely require a U.S. military presence to facilitate the aid safely. The Biden Administration, which has generally supported the Israeli offensive, says it has asked Israel to also provide Gaza with humanitarian aid.
Elon Musk is suing OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and the company he helped found in 2015. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI has diverged from its original non-profit mission by partnering with Microsoft for $13B and keeping their newest technologies closed, instead of open source. Musk says it is a breach of contract and is demanding OpenAI return the money they received from the partnership. Elon Musk posted on X saying, “Change your name to ClosedAI and I will drop the suit”.
Nikki Haley dropped out of the 2024 presidential election following a dominant performance from Donald Trump in the Super Tuesday primaries on March 5. Haley was the last serious Republican contender against Trump. She stopped short of endorsing Trump, remarking in her announcement, “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it, who did not support him, and I hope he does that.” Trump beat Haley in 14 of the 15 states that voted on Super Tuesday - Haley inched out a victory in Vermont.
More: See the full results of the Super Tuesday primaries which included: AL, AR, CA, CO, ME, MA, MN, NC, OK, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA and AK.
Bitcoin Surges: The price of the most popular cryptocurrency went over $69,000 this week, surpassing the previous record of ~$65,000 set in 2021. It has risen 60% in the past month and more than 300% from a low of $16,500 in December 2022, shortly after the collapse of FTX. The recent surge has been driven by the SEC’s approval of more than ten bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from groups such as Blackrock and Fidelity. The ETFs offer an easy way for individuals and companies to get exposure to bitcoin in their 401Ks and personal brokerage accounts instead of having to purchase the asset through crypto exchanges such as Coinbase.
More: Blackrock’s bitcoin ETF has already surpassed $10B of inflows since its launch on January 11, 2024, the fastest an ETF has ever reached that level.
The country of Haiti has been ravaged by increased gang violence since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021. No election has taken place since the death of Moïse, creating a vacuum of power. Powerful gangs, such as the G9 alliance and G-Pèp federation, have assumed control, furthering the economic and humanitarian crisis in Haiti - the poorest country in the western hemisphere. In 2024, more than 1,200 people have been killed and 692 others injured by gang violence. 15,000 people, including families and children, have been displaced from their homes in the last month. Ariel Henry is the acting president of Haiti, although he was not officially elected. He remains outside the country and is not able to return as gangs control the major airports. Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier, a gang leader, said recently if Henry does not resign, there will be a “civil war.”
President Biden gave the State of the Union address on Thursday night. Here is a video of some highlights.
Main Stories
Biden Administration Paroled 320,000 Foreigners into U.S. Airports in 2023
Some Context
Since assuming office in 2021, the Biden Administration has used its parole authority at a recent historic scale, permitting entry to more than 1M foreigners from around the world into the U.S. Those who enter under parole lack the necessary visas to enter the U.S. through legal immigration channels. Instead, they are granted temporary authorization to live and work in the U.S., usually for at least two years. This practice has been referred to by Republicans in the past as a “catch and release” policy.
Parole program coming under scrutiny
The increased use of parole authority has been one of the pillars of the Biden Administration’s immigration policy. Lately, however, one aspect of the parole program has been coming under scrutiny as more information emerges.
Through use of the CBP One mobile app, which the Biden Administration publicly announced in January 2023, parole seekers from nine countries are eligible to bypass coming through the border and fly directly to U.S. airports instead.
In 2023, 320,000 foreigners were permitted entry into the U.S. in this manner, arriving at 43 different airports across the country. (Note, in addition to the direct-flight method, parole seekers are also able to use the CBP One app for entry at points along the southern border).
The nine eligible countries include Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, and Ecuador. Those requesting parole through direct flights must have a financial sponsor (a family member, organization, business, or other entity), a valid passport, and pass certain security checks. Upon arrival at an airport, parole applicants are processed by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials and typically released into the U.S.
The extent of the use of direct flights using the CBP One app has come to light due to an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).
CIS has requested the locations of the 43 airports that have received parolees. However, lawyers for the CBP have exercised an exemption to release the names of the airports, as they said doing so could “reveal operational vulnerabilities that could be exploited by bad actors altering their patterns of conduct, adopting new methods of operation, and taking other countermeasures, thereby undermining CBP’s law enforcement efforts to secure the United States borders.”
Background on parole authority
Parole authority, which was first established in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, allows federal officials to grant parole to non-U.S. citizens “temporarily under such conditions as [he or she] may prescribe only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”
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