If it’s THURSDAY … Consumer Price Index up 3.2% year over year … President Joe Biden travels to Utah to discuss veterans health care … The FBI fatally shoots a Utah man who threatened Biden and Alvin Bragg … Trump has a new ad targeting the Georgia prosecutor … Maui wildfires kill 36 and displace thousands … An Ecuadorian presidential candidate was assassinated days before the election … And ProPublica has new details on Justice Clarence Thomas’ vacations that were paid by others.
But FIRST … As more and more blue-state political leaders call for immediate federal action to address the influx of migrants to their cities and states, one thing is clear: Republicans like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have gotten what they wanted.
Abbott has been bussing migrants from Texas to cities across the country, predominantly in blue states, for over a year. Republicans have argued they’re trying to spread out the burden their border states feel from the influx of migrants, and claim Democrats should put their money where their migrant policies are.
The policy has inspired other Republican governors to follow suit and elevate the war of political stunts, ultimately leading to accusations they’re using migrants as political pawns, and putting them in danger along the way.
But now, some of the loudest voices calling for President Joe Biden’s administration to marshal resources to help address the situation are coming from inside his own party.
Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency this week due to the uptick in migrants and refugees. In a letter to Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, Healey wrote the state “has stepped up to address what sadly has been a federal crisis of inaction that is many years in the making.”
And New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams wants the federal government to declare a state of emergency as his city predicts asylum seekers may cost the city billions.
Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who represents the Bronx and parts of Westchester County, told reporters this week, “We need leadership from President Biden, period. We need that leadership right here in New York State, because you know, New York State is struggling. We’re struggling to provide housing and all the support that the migrants need.”
The Biden administration has clearly not wanted to put the intractable issues on the border front and center. There aren’t easy answers, and there hasn’t been much in the way of successful bipartisan compromise on the issue in some time — debates about the border are more likely to end up boiling over than landing on a solution.
But it’s going to be harder and harder to stick to the status quo as the calls continue to rise from across the country.
Headline of the day
Data Download: The number of the day is … 7
That’s the number of times abortion has been on statewide ballots since the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. In all seven times, the side that either wanted to protect or expand abortion access won, NBC News’ Amanda Terkel and Jiachuan Wu report.
That includes Tuesday’s vote in Ohio, which wasn’t technically about abortion. While voters rejected a measure that would have raised the bar for passing future constitutional amendments, Republicans plainly admitted the measure was aimed at trying to block an abortion measure set to be voted on later this year.
The streak of victories for the pro-abortion rights side has galvanized Democrats and is worrying Republicans ahead of elections next year, NBC News’ Sahil Kapur reports.
Eyes on 2024: Biden touts his agenda in Southwestern swing
President Joe Biden continued his swing through the Southwest this week, touting some of his signature pieces of legislation that were signed one year ago this month: the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, which focused on bolstering semiconductor production, and the PACT Act, which expanded veterans health care for those exposed to toxic chemicals.
Although Biden was traveling in his official capacity and not as part of his campaign, the political undertones have been unavoidable, with Democrats arguing that a key challenge ahead of 2024 is educating voters on the Biden administration’s achievements.
“Instead of exporting American jobs, we’re creating American jobs and we’re exporting American products,” Biden said during his remarks in New Mexico, per NBC News’ Megan Lebowitz.
Those remarks came after Biden also traveled to Arizona, a 2024 battleground. And he’s currently in Utah, a decidedly Republican state, which will give Biden a chance to tout his bipartisan credentials. Biden will be appearing at a veterans health care event touting the PACT Act with GOP Gov. Spencer Cox, per NBC News’ Mike Memoli and Sally Bronston.
In other campaign news…
Sliding into his DMs: Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office executed a search warrant on former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, NBC News’ Ken Dilanian, Daniel Barnes, Dareh Gregorian and Rebecca Shabad report.
Georgia on his mind: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to present her investigation into former President Donald Trump’s push to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results to a grand jury next week, NBC News’ Blayne Alexander, Charlie Gile and Michael Mitsanas report. Meanwhile, Willis told her staff not to comment on the new television ad featuring her that Trump’s campaign is running in Atlanta, which she called “derogatory and false.”
Thanks but no thanks: Trump announced he wouldn’t sign the Republican National Committee’s pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee, a requirement for every candidate who wants to participate in the party’s first two debates.
You’re fired: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended an Orlando-area elected prosecutor, the second prosecutor he’s suspended.
Small-dollar trickery: The New York Times reports that DeSantis’ campaign used a sleight -of-hand to avoid disclosing the small-dollar donors it raised money from through a popular online fundraising platform.
‘Like a boxing match’: NBC News’ Allan Smith reports on the plans for a debate between DeSantis and California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Party loyalty: A new ad from Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves attacks Democratic gubernatorial nominee Brandon Presley for his ties to the Democratic Governors Association, and links Presley to President Joe Biden and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chaired the House’s Jan. 6 committee.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world:
A new international law enforcement project identified 311 children who are victims of sexual exploitation, giving many cold cases new leads.
NBC News’ Courtney Kube reports on the latest from Niger, where the military junta says it won’t release the democratically-elected president from house arrest and “believe[s] very strongly that their seizure of power was just.”
California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein briefly went to the hospital after a fall at her home Tuesday, a visit her spokesperson described as a precautionary measure.
