Good Tuesday afternoon. President Biden has signed a sweeping executive action on border security, the first major heat wave of 2024 is impacting millions across the West, and the MLB has suspended its first active player in a century for gambling.
Good Tuesday afternoon. President Biden has signed a sweeping executive action on border security, the first major heat wave of 2024 is impacting millions across the West, and the MLB has suspended its first active player in a century for gambling. Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
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Biden signs executive action on border security limiting asylum |
President Joe Biden has signed an executive action that will impose new asylum limits at the U.S. southern border when migrant crossings surge. The order would temporarily suspend asylum requests once the average number of daily migrant encounters exceeds 2,500 between official ports of entry, according to a senior administration official. The action takes effect immediately because the daily numbers at the border already top 2,500, a senior administration official said. The suspension would be lifted only once that number falls to 1,500. The order is Biden’s most dramatic move yet to control the influx at the border, and it comes just weeks before his first 2024 debate with former President Donald Trump. Trump criticized Biden’s executive action on his social media site, saying the president has “totally surrendered” the southern border, and accusing him of “pretending to finally do something” about the issue. Biden’s order is also being met with criticism from some progressive and Latino Democrats, who say the new asylum caps ignore the law. |
Garland fires back at Republican contempt threats: “I will not be intimidated” |
Attorney General Merrick Garland slammed Republican attacks on the Justice Department as “unprecedented and unfounded,” and defended himself against GOP threats to hold him in contempt, in testimony today on Capitol Hill. “I will not be intimidated,” Garland said in his opening remarks before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee. Garland also blasted the “conspiracy theory” that last week’s guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial by a New York state jury “was somehow controlled by the Justice Department.” Garland’s testimony comes as Republicans move to hold him in contempt for refusing to turn over audio tapes of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified material. |
First witness takes stand after opening statements in Hunter Biden trial |
Federal prosecutors in Hunter Biden’s gun trial called an FBI special agent as their first witness after both sides gave their opening statements today in a Delaware courtroom. Hunter Biden, the sole surviving son of President Joe Biden, faces three federal charges stemming from his alleged purchase of a gun while using drugs in 2018. The prosecution told the jury that “no one is above the law,” and portrayed the younger Biden as a manipulator who lied about his addiction when buying that firearm. Biden’s defense attorney argued that he was not actively using drugs at the time, and did not “knowingly” lie on a federal form to purchase the gun. First Lady Jill Biden was back in the courtroom today to show support for her stepson. Among the witnesses the jury will hear from is Hallie Biden, the widow of Beau Biden, who had a relationship with Hunter after Beau’s death in 2015. |
First heat wave of 2024 brings triple-digit temperatures to the West |
The first major heat wave of 2024 has begun scorching parts of the West, with 29 million people under alerts stretching from Texas to California. High temperatures will climb to more than 100 degrees beginning today in the low elevation regions of California’s central Valley and the Desert Southwest. Widespread temperature records are expected to be tied or broken across these regions through at least Friday. Today cities in Texas such as San Antonio, San Angelo, and Abilene could hit record highs. |
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MLB bans Padres’ Tucupita Marcano for life for betting on games |
Major League Baseball has banned San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life for gambling on the sport, and four other players have been suspended for a year, officials said. The league said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 in 2022 and 2023. The investigation found 25 of Marcano’s bets involved Pittsburgh Pirates games while he was with the team, though he was on the injured list at the time. Marcano is now the first player in a century to be banned for life because of gambling. Marcano’s representatives did not immediately return a request for comment from NBC News. |
What else we're watching: |
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Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app. |
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