Friday morning news: April 28, 2023

Border/immigration » The White House says it's taking steps to lessen the expected flood of migrants at the southern border when the pandemic-era Title 42 rule ends just days from now.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre:

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: We are going to put forth an immigration process that is humane, that is orderly. That is how we want to move forward and do it very differently than was done in the last administration.

The administration plans to open processing centers outside the United States for migrants to apply to fly legally into the United States, Spain or Canada.

Title 42 allows the government to more easily expel migrants who cross the southern border. The rule expires on May 11th.

As many as 40,000 migrants have reportedly already gathered in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, alone waiting for that date. Across the border in Texas, shelters are already overflowing statewide.

SoKo »

AUDIO: [Mr Speaker, the president of the Republic of Korea.]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addressed a joint meeting of Congress Thursday.

He thanked lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for America’s friendship.

YOON SUK YEOL: No matter where you sit, you stand with Korea.

Yoon Suk Yeol spoke one day after a meeting with President Biden at the White House in which the two leaders issued stern warnings to North Korea, and agreed to step up nuclear deterrence.

YEOL: North Korea’s nuclear program and missile provocations pose a serious threat to the peace on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

Yoon also said the U.S. and South Korea are working to ramp up cooperation and trade in the tech sector. He said high-tech trade is creating thousands of jobs in the United States.

GDP » The U.S. economy is slowing down. It’s still growing but just barely. It grew at a 1 percent annual pace in the first quarter. Analysts had expected it to grow at almost twice that rate.

And that is a steep drop from 2.6 percent growth in the final quarter of last year.

PNC Chief Economist Gus Faucher says consumer spending remains high, but that may be bad news for the economy:

GUS FAUCHER: I think that this actually makes it a little more likely that we get a recession, both because demand remains strong and inflation remains much higher than the Federal Reserve would like.

Faucher predicts the Fed will again raise interest rates by a quarter-point as it continues to battle inflation.

DOJ sues TN over child trans protections » The Department of Justice is suing the state of Tennessee over a law that protects children from transgender medical interventions.

The law prohibits physicians from performing transgender surgeries or prescribing cross-sex hormones to minors.

State Representative Jack Johnson introduced the bill in November.

JACK JOHNSON: We love these kids, we want them to get care that they need. What we don’t want to do, though, is do irreparable damage to their body that cannot be undone.

Governor Bill Lee signed the measure into law last month. It’s set to take effect on July first.

The DOJ claims the law violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

It argues that minors who do not identify as transgender can still access similar treatments.

DeSantis–Disney » Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday shrugged off Disney's lawsuit against him.

RON DESANTIS: I don’t think the suit has merit. I think it’s political. I think they filed in Tallahassee for a reason, because they’re trying to generate some district court decision.

Disney sued the governor this week accusing him of retaliating against the company for publicly siding with LGBT activists against a parent rights law.

DeSantis and GOP lawmakers recently revoked Disney’s control over its own private local government, replacing it with a state-appointed oversight board.

DESANTIS: The days of putting one company on a pedestal with no accountability are over in the state of Florida.

He said Disney is—quote—“upset because they’re [now] having to live by the same rules as everybody else.”

DeSantis was speaking on the third leg of an international trip … ahead of a likely presidential campaign.

Springer obit » Former politician-turned-TV-ringmaster Jerry Springer has died.

Springer, who once served as the mayor of Cincinnati, launched the Jerry Springer Show in the early 90s. It gained popularity as lurid reality TV known for chair-throwing and profanity-laced shouting matches.

But Springer argued that his show was not without a redeeming message.

SPRINGER: The message that people get by watching our show is that fighting does not work.

At its peak, “The Jerry Springer Show” was a ratings powerhouse, at one point topping “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Springer died at his suburban Chicago home on Thursday. He was 79.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with Andrew Walker. Plus, a Christian boxing movie that brings faith into the ring.

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