Cross-Examination

• Good news: German homeschoolers can stay: Thanks to the efforts of Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), the Biden administration’s effort to deport a German homeschool family has been stopped. Back in 2010, the Romeike family was granted asylum by a judge after they fled to the U.S. in order to homeschool their children. A Nazi-era law in Germany forbidding homeschooling forced the Romeike family to leave the country for the free world. After being granted asylum and moving to Tennessee, all was good for the Romeikes — until the Biden administration suddenly decided to revoke their asylum status. And that’s in the face of Joe Biden’s de facto open border, wherein millions of illegal aliens have effectively been granted asylum simply for entering the country illegally. Thankfully, after Blackburn and Harshbarger highlighted the issue with the DHS secretary, the Romeikes have received a one-year stay while the lawmakers seek to pass a bill in Congress to grant them permanent legal status.

• No deportation for you: Speaking of deportations, a new report released by House Republicans on the Judiciary Committee and the Immigration Subcommittee shows that the Biden administration’s deportation rate of illegal aliens who have been released into the U.S. is less than 1% since January 2021. Of the 2,148,738 illegal aliens released, just 108,102 have been deported as of March 31, 2023. Of the 5.6 million illegal aliens apprehended at the border, more than 2.4 million of them have no confirmation of departing the U.S. The 61-page report observes: “These data contradict Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas’s statements that the southwest border is closed and that illegal aliens are ‘quickly’ removed. Instead, with more than 99 percent of illegal aliens staying inside the United States after being released by the Biden administration, there is virtually no enforcement of our immigration laws.”

• Biden brand: SEC suit and James Biden: Members of the Biden family are finding themselves in more legal trouble. This time it’s Joe Biden’s younger brother James, whose company has been sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission over a business deal in which James’s company is alleged to have engaged in “fraudulent conduct and gross breaches of fiduciary duty" toward its clients. While James Biden is not directly charged with wrongdoing, his business partner, Michael Lewitt, has been. The SEC alleges that "Lewitt, with sole authority of the Fund, also misappropriated at least $4.7 million of investor funds for his personal use, including over $900,000 to pay a personal IRS tax lien.” Of the Biden Crime Family, Jonathan Turley observes: “The Bidens had only one family business. They did not make furniture or sell groceries. They sold influence and, as Biden associate Devon Archer explained, Joe was their ‘brand.’”

• Yet another strike: On Monday, some 4,000 members of the United Auto Workers at Mack Trucks in three states walked off the job. The strike was initiated after the members voted down a tentative agreement. UAW President Shawn Fain praised the decision by stating, “I’m inspired to see UAW members at Mack holding out for a better deal, and ready to stand up and walk off the job to win it.” The tentative agreement with Mack Trucks included a 10% wage increase, rising an additional 19% over the next five years, and a guarantee that healthcare premiums would not increase over the duration of the contract. It was rejected by 73% of the workers, surprising Mack Trucks ownership. With Mack Trucks workers now striking, the number of UAW workers currently on strike has risen to 30,000 encompassing 22 states.

• Ninth Circuit backs First Amendment, NRA: A California law passed last summer banned firearms advertisements that could attract minors, but it was deemed likely unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The law was challenged by the NRA, as the Second Amendment advocacy organization argued that the law was so broad as to effectively ban advertising for hunter safety courses. The Court sent the issue back to the state, noting that the law is overly broad, not only infringing on residents’ Second Amendment rights but on speech protected by the First Amendment.

Headlines

• Attack on Israel spreads, second front opens on border with Lebanon (National Review)

• Hamas threatens to broadcast executions of hostages (Free Beacon)

• U.S., UK, France, Germany, and Italy release joint statement on Israel (Daily Wire)

• White House and lawmakers weigh linking Ukraine and Israel aid (NBC News)

• Israel loosens strict gun control laws to arm “as many citizens as possible” (The Federalist)

• Thirty-one Harvard organizations blame Israel for Hamas attack (NY Post)

• After hosting a party, Biden calls a lid before noon as war rages (Townhall)

• Biden interviewed by special counsel in criminal probe into his handling of classified material (Daily Wire)

• Jack Smith’s office argues Trump classified documents trial should not be delayed (National Review)

• The Smithsonian is displaying a signed Fauci mask from when he threw out the first pitch at the Nationals game, along with Jill Biden’s inauguration masks (Not the Bee)

• Male crowned Miss Portugal, will be second man in Miss Universe pageant (Townhall)

• Policy: Iran’s role in Hamas’s attack on Israel (Daily Signal)

• Humor: Kid helpfully mentions he has massive science project due in five minutes (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.