Wednesday morning news: March 8, 2023

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: In reversal, Biden weighs detaining migrant families »

In a major reversal, the Biden administration is thinking about detaining migrant families who cross into the country illegally.

Reporters pressed the White House for answers about that report on Tuesday but could not get a straight answer.

PIERRE: I’m not going to go in on rumors that are out there or conversations that are happening at this time.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

In 2021, the Biden administration began releasing many more illegal immigrants inside the country. Since then, border traffic has shattered record highs.

The Associated Press reports that Homeland Security officials are working through how to manage an expected surge on top of those record levels once the administration ends pandemic-era Title 42 restrictions.

Kidnappings latest » Meantime, two of the four Americans kidnapped in a Mexican border town have returned safely home. However, the other two were found dead.

Attorney General Merrick Garland:

GARLAND: I’ve been briefed by the FBI, which is working with Mexican authorities, and senior department officials are working closely with our counterparts at the State Dept.

At least one suspect is now behind bars in Mexico. Authorities are hunting for the others.

The group was reportedly caught in a cartel shootout in the northern city of Matamoros while traveling for medical treatment.

Mexican officials say no ransom was paid for the release of the surviving Americans.

Fed inflation » Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says those smaller rate hikes we’ve been seeing recently might not last. The Fed is trying to avoid raising rates more than necessary to avoid pushing the economy into recession. But Powell says inflation isn’t cooperating.

POWELL - Restoring price stability is essential to set the stage for achieving maximum employment and stable prices over the longer run. The historical record cautions strongly against prematurely loosening policy. We will stay the course until the job is done.

And he told the Senate Banking Committee Tuesday that getting the job done might require larger increases soon.

Powell will again testify before the House Financial Services Committee today.

Israeli raid »

NATS (Israeli bodycam footage): [SHOOTING]

At least six Palestinians are dead in the West Bank after an Israeli military raid today.

NETANYAHU : [Hebrew]

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli soldiers killed a Hamas militant connected to last week’s killing of two Israelis in the West Bank.

More than a dozen people were wounded in the raid, including two Israeli soldiers.

Beijing warns US must change its attitude toward China or risk conflict »

QIN: [Chinese]

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang says the United States needs an attitude adjustment if it wants to avoid conflict with China.

He told reporters Tuesday that the US government is manufacturing Chinese threats where none exist. And he accused Washington of “hysterical neo-McCarthyism.”

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby responded:

KIRBY: We seek a strategic competition with China. We do not seek conflict. And there is nothing about our approach to this most consequential of bilateral relationships that should anyone to think that we want conflict.

Qin Gang also reaffirmed Chinese support of Russia. US officials remain concerned that Beijing may choose to sell weapons to Moscow.

DeSantis state of state »

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sounded a lot like a candidate with sights set on a higher office Tuesday as he delivered that state of the state address to Florida lawmakers.

DESANTIS: Due to the excessive spending and print of money by the federal government, Americans are living through the worst period of sustained inflation in decades.

The governor said Florida over the past four years has become a blueprint for success that the rest of the country would do well to follow.

He touted his administration’s handling of COVID-19, reopening earlier than most other states and that battle against what calls leftist “woke” policies.

DeSantis has not yet declared a run for president. But early polls suggest he may be former President Trump’s biggest threat in Republican primary races.

Walgreens CA » Meantime, another possible presidential contender is looking to raise his national profile appealing to pro-abortion voters. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher reports.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: California Governor Gavin Newsom is heavily rumored to be eying a bid for the Democratic nomination if President Biden doesn’t run for reelection and perhaps even if he does.

On Tuesday, Newsom announced that his state will no longer do business with Walgreens. That after the pharmacy chain announced that will not sell abortion drugs in pro-life states after 20 attorneys general threatened legal action.

But Walgreens does plan to offer the pills in California and most other states after the Biden administration loosened safety rules restricting the drugs.

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

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