5 things to know for Dec. 19: Immigration, Israel, Northeast storm, Volcano eruption, Student loans
In other news, Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas signed a border bill on Monday that criminalizes entering Texas illegally. The new measure, SB 4, gives local police the power to arrest migrants and allows judges to issue removal orders to Mexico. This has caused fear among the Latino community in Texas, which makes up 40% of the state’s population. The law is expected to go into effect in March. Meanwhile, senators are struggling to reach a deal on immigration reform, and aid for Ukraine and Israel remains stalled in Congress.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with senior Israeli officials on Monday to discuss future plans for Gaza and the need for urgent action to stabilize the West Bank. The US is pressuring Israel to transition to a more targeted campaign to reduce civilian casualties. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza claims that nearly 19,500 people have been killed by Israeli military action since October 7. Austin also announced a US-led operation focused on security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, given recent attacks by Houthi forces on commercial marine traffic.
A powerful storm swept through the Northeast on Monday, causing power outages for over 620,000 homes and businesses and prompting winter weather alerts for over 60 million people. The storm brought dangerous flooding, leading to several deaths, water rescues, and disrupted travel. Cold temperatures and concentrated snowfall are expected as crews assess the damage in flooded communities. Some schools in New Hampshire and Maine have closed, and it may take several days to fully restore power in some areas.
In Iceland, a volcano erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula, threatening a town near the famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. The eruption followed an earthquake and has led to the evacuation of the town of Grindavík. While the eruption does not pose a threat to life, nearby homes could be damaged.
The Department of Education reported that nearly 9 million student loan borrowers in the US missed their first payment after the pandemic-related pause on payments ended this fall. This means that about 40% of the 22 million borrowers with bills due in October did not make payments by mid-November. Federal officials are not imposing significant penalties, as they expected borrowers to take some time to adjust their budgets. Additionally, many borrowers now have different student loan servicers than before the pause went into effect.
In other news, actor Jonathan Majors has been found guilty of assault, leading Marvel Studios to drop him from an upcoming role in “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” Apple plans to halt sales of some Apple Watch models in the US due to an ongoing legal dispute over the device’s blood oxygen feature. An evening gown worn by Princess Diana in 1985 recently set an auction record, fetching $1.1 million. Bill Gates wrote an opinion piece expressing his optimism about the future of artificial intelligence and its potential to improve various aspects of society. Greeting card artists are taking a more positive approach to aging, challenging the negative stereotypes often depicted in birthday cards.
According to a newly declassified intelligence assessment, China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba all conducted influence operations aimed at meddling in the 2022 US midterm elections. The assessment found that these countries engaged in various forms of manipulation, including mimicking American voters online and provoking divisive discussions.
In a significant shift, Pope Francis has formally permitted Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples. This ruling marks a change in the church’s approach to LGBTQ+ people after a 2021 ruling from the Vatican that prohibited any blessings of same-sex couples.
Finally, NASA successfully streamed a video back to Earth using a laser from a great distance, featuring an orange cat named Taters. This technology has the potential to expedite the transmission of data from deep space in the future.