Thursday morning news: December 28, 2023

Washington border talks / Mexico meeting » The halls of the U.S. Capitol are mostly hollow with Congress on holiday recess. But some lawmakers in the Senate restarted talks Wednesday about dealing with the border crisis.

Republican Congressman Russel Fry says the ball is in the Biden administration’s court.

FRY: They were the ones from day one that suspended construction of the border wall, and eviscerated agreements between Guatemala, Honduras and other countries. They stopped the remain-in-Mexico policy.

Republicans say they’ll only approve funding for more Ukraine aid if or when President Biden agrees to major policy shifts at the border.

Meantime, top U.S. officials met in Mexico City Wednesday with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador. The Biden administration is pressing his government to help stem the flow of migrants.

They want Mexico to make it tougher for migrants to travel across Mexico to the U.S. border, among other things.

Sanctuary city mayors meet on migrant crisis » The Democratic mayors of several major cities held a meeting of their own on Wednesday about the border crisis, calling on Uncle Sam to step up.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams:

ADAMS: The federal government must take responsibility and lead on this humanitarian crisis, instead of leaving it to cities and localities to handle.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston says his city has recently had more migrant arrivals per capita than any other major city in America.

JOHNSTON: And that is not because there is a thoughtful or coordinated strategy to entry. It’s because we are the first big city north of El Paso.

More to the point, it is the closest large sanctuary city. Multiple Texas cities are closer. However, Texas law does not allow sanctuary cities.

Nonetheless, the state is bearing the brunt of the border crisis.

Michigan Trump ballot ruling » The Michigan Supreme Court says Donald Trump will remain on the state’s 2024 primary ballot. WORLD’s Christina Grube has more.

CHRISTINA GRUBE: The court refused to hear an appeal by plaintiffs. And that effectively upholds a lower court ruling which turned away an effort to kick the former president off the ballots, citing the insurrection clause in the U.S. Constitution.

That mirrored similar efforts in other states to disqualify Trump from presidential ballots.

The decision comes just days after Colorado’s high court ruled that Trump should be removed from that state’s primary ballots.

The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to decide that case.

For WORLD, I’m Christina Grube.

Aid package for Ukraine » The U.S. government has announced what Defense Dept. officials say could be the final package of military aid to Ukraine until—or unless—Congress approves more funding.

The Pentagon is sending weapons and ammunition from its stockpiles, including missiles, artillery, and anti-armor systems. The package is valued at upwards of $250 million dollars.

But a spokesman says the Pentagon is out of money for Ukraine and needs more funding to replace the weapons taken from department stockpiles.

Tom Smothers obit » Tom Smothers has died. He was one half of the Smothers Brothers comedy duo that rose to fame in the 1960s. Tom heard here on the Judy Garland Show:

AUDIO: This song is a fun fact frothy number [SIC] the rugged men who worked the great flat boats up and down the treacherous Ohio River.

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour debuted on CBS in 1967 and was an instant hit.

Tom Smothers died of cancer at his home in California. He was 86 years old.

Travel today » Holiday travelers are expected to pack U.S. highways today as they wrap up Christmas vacations. WORLD’s Lauren Canterberry has more.

LAUREN CANTERBERRY: Triple-A estimates that well over 100 million people are hitting the road between Christmas and the new year. And today is expected to be among the busiest travel days.

Saturday is also expected to be hectic, as many travel for New Year’s Eve.

Airports across the country are still packed, and a powerful winter storm in the Midwest and rain in the Northeast are likely to cause delays.

For WORLD, I’m Lauren Canterberry.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Important international stories from 2023 that flew under the radar. Plus, remembering significant leaders who died this year.

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