Monday morning news - July 4, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Mayorkas defends Biden administration's border enforcement » Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says the Biden administration is doing all it can to prevent migrant deaths. Following multiple human smuggling tragedies resulting in nearly 60 deaths last month, Mayorkas told ABC’s This Week…

MAYORKAS: We continue to warn people not to take the dangerous journey. We are enforcing our laws. And we are working with countries to the south.

Republicans say President Biden’s policies are fueling the border surge. And they say his plans to end the so-called “remain in Mexico” policy will make it worse.

Border arrests rose to a record high in the month of May, roughly 240,000. That’s with a growing number of migrants coming from around the world, including Turkey, India, and Russia.

SCOTUS security chief asks VA, MD to halt protests at justices’ homes » Pro-abortion activists continue to protest at the homes of Supreme Court justices. And now the court’s security chief is asking two Republican governors to put a stop to it. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley is asking Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin for help.

She said, for weeks, “protesters chanting slogans, using bullhorns, and banging drums have picketed Justices’ homes.”

Authorities even charged one man with plotting to murder Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his house in Maryland.

Both governors have called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to break up the protests. They pointed to a federal law against demonstrations aimed at intimidating a judge in a pending case.

Republicans have criticized the Biden Justice Department for choosing not to enforce that law.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Russia seizes control of Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk » Russian troops seized control Sunday over the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern province of Luhansk. Ukraine’s forces have pulled out of the city of Lysychansk.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the withdrawal. But he added that—quote—“Ukraine does not give anything back” and vowed to return with more modern weapons.

Over the weekend, Zelenskyy welcomed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Kyiv, where Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude.

ZELENSKYY: We have to further increase the sanctions pressure, and we are thankful to Australia for their staight-forward and consistent position in terms of the sanctions.

Albanese on Sunday also pledged another $100 million in military aid to Ukraine.

Gunman opens fire in Denmark shopping mall, killing 3 » A 22-year-old wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt and carrying a rifle strode into a busy shopping mall in Copenhagen on Sunday and opened fire. Three people are dead and three more critically injured. Police arrested the suspect and would not speculate about his motive. Mass shootings are rare in Denmark, where it is illegal to carry a firearm in public.

New York new gun restrictions » New York Gov. Kathy Hochul over the weekend signed new gun restrictions into law after the Supreme Court last month struck down a gun law in her state.

HOCHUL: The Supreme Court’s decisions were certainly setbacks, but we view them as only temporary setbacks.

The new law bans guns in a long list of so-called “sensitive spaces.” That list includes schools, parks, public transit, government facilities and most entertainment venues, as well as Times Square.

And anyone applying for a concealed carry permit will have to provide character references and take firearms training, list their social media accounts dating back three years, to check for dangerous rhetoric.

Republicans predict the law will not survive legal challenges.

The Supreme Court last month said New York could no longer force applicants for a gun license to show they had some kind of extraordinary need to carry one.

Box office: Big opening for Minions: The Rise of Gru » At the weekend box office, a big opening for the latest Minions movie.

TRAILER: Minions, there are a lot of other villains in the world, but I am going to be a super villain!

Minions: The Rise of Gru hauled in an estimated $109 million over the holiday weekend.

Top Gun: Maverick finished second with another $26 million. It has grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide.

I'm Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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