Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A breakthrough policy: “The Biden administration is taking executive action to protect undocumented spouses of American citizens — a move that would shield about 500,000 immigrants from deportation. The White House announced the election-year policy Tuesday, framing it as ‘new action to keep families together.’”
* Putin still has some friends: “Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea on Tuesday in a rare visit to the reclusive Communist state as he seeks support from leader Kim Jong Un in his war against Ukraine.”
* In New York: “New York state’s top court rejected Donald Trump’s gag order appeal Tuesday, as the former president separately presses Judge Juan Merchan to terminate the order.”
* In Arizona: “Jenna Ellis, an attorney for Donald Trump during his 2020 presidential campaign, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in the ‘fake electors’ case in Arizona, where she and 17 other defendants face forgery, fraud and conspiracy charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. All 18 of those charged have pleaded not guilty in Arizona. Ellis in 2023 pleaded guilty in the Georgia election interference case in which Trump was also charged.”
* States really can’t create their own immigration laws in conflict with federal immigration laws: “A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked an Iowa law that allowed law enforcement in the state to file criminal charges against people with outstanding deportation orders or who previously had been denied entry to the U.S.”
* Noteworthy NATO news: “President Biden and the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, announced on Monday that a record number of allies were meeting their military spending commitments as the two leaders sought to present a robust and unwavering response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
* Quite a report out of North Carolina: “Last fall, out of public view, the North Carolina Supreme Court squashed disciplinary action against two Republican judges who had admitted that they had violated the state’s judicial code of conduct, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the decisions.”
* Hiring young people to tackle climate jobs seems eminently sensible: “The Biden administration on Tuesday swore in the first class of the American Climate Corps, a federal program that is meant to place young people in the clean energy, conservation and climate resilience sectors. AmeriCorps, the federal agency overseeing the new program, said it estimated that more than 9,000 members will be in their roles by the end of the month.”
See you tomorrow.
