The U.S.-Mexico border is an early view of the likely election rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Also in the news: As much as 10 feet of snow is forecast in Sierra Nevada region and a mental health crisis is fueling a post-pandemic spike in medication usage among Americans. | |  |
Here is the news to know Friday. |
Two candidates visit the border with different stories to tell |
During rivaling trips to Texas 325 miles apart, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump sparred in remarks aired within a half hour of each other. They both took walks along parts of the border in Texas. And they took turns blaming each other in an extraordinary clash over surging migration eight months from the 2024 presidential election. |
Perhaps most memorably, Biden challenged Trump to get behind border legislation the former president helped kill. |
| • | "Join me or I'll join you": Biden used his visit to Brownsville, Texas, to blame congressional Republicans for inaction on the border after they blocked legislation in the Senate that would have created some of the most aggressive border restrictions in a generation. | | • | Trump stuck to his hardline immigration pitch that helped fuel his entry into national politics. Trump has promised the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants if he returns to the White House. | | • | While Biden and Trump blamed one another, local advocates and nonprofits that help asylum-seekers expressed the need for U.S. leaders to pay more attention to what's actually happening on the ground. | | President Joe Biden looks over the southern border, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. Evan Vucci, AP |
Texas Smokehouse Creek Fire grows to largest in state's history |
Wildfires continued to roar across the Texas Panhandle, forcing widespread evacuations and causing two deaths as the Smokehouse Creek Fire became the largest in the state's history. As of Thursday morning, 130 fires were burning across the state, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Smokehouse Creek Fire had consumed 1 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, and was just 3% contained by Thursday. Read more | Hunter Cooper helps clean up a residence in the snow, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Canadian, Texas. David Erickson, AP |
Mourners gather in Moscow for Alexei Navalny's funeral despite arrest fears |
Mourners began gathering in Moscow for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Friday, despite concerns they could face a heavy-handed response or arrest by Russian police. Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow and heir to his political activism, said earlier in the week she was worried that Russian President Vladimir Putin would order the arrests of anyone who tried to attend her husband's funeral. Navalny, 47, died two weeks ago in an Arctic penal colony. He had been jailed on politically motivated charges. Read more | Flowers are seen placed around a portrait of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a makeshift memorial in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on Feb. 29, 2024. AFP via Getty Images |
Mental health crisis fuels the post-pandemic rise in medication use |
A USA TODAY analysis of Medicaid data for the 60 most used psychiatric drugs showed a growing number of people sought mental health treatment and medication during the pandemic as it pushed people into isolation and dismantled support systems. The analysis also revealed a lingering effect of the pandemic: Mental health-related prescriptions rose further in 2022, up 12% from 2019, outpacing the less than 1% growth in overall prescriptions. Read the full investigation here. |
Inspiring America: USA TODAY's Women of the Year 2024 |
They are leaders and entrepreneurs, activists and trailblazers in our communities. They are women who make a difference every day – in every state. Introducing USA TODAY's 2024 Women of the Year, 60 women across the country using their voices and determination to push for change and equality, and even joy. They inspire us, influence us, and make us laugh. They include women such as director and actress Eva Longoria pushing for accurate portrayals of Latinos, and Nebraska's Asheli Spivey improving the lives of Black moms. Meet USA TODAY's 2024 Women of the Year. | Simply put, the USA TODAY 2024 Women of the Year make us want to do better in the world. USA TODAY |
Photo of the day: Sprinting through the World Athletics Championships |
Some of the fastest and fiercest athletes are gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, to compete in the World Athletics Championships. The best of the best of the best are vying for the top spots in their respective events ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. | Netherlands' Femke Bol leads the the Women's 400m heat 4 during the Indoor World Athletics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 1, 2024. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT, AFP via Getty Images |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | This 7-day newsletter course will help you be an informed voter before Nov. 5. | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment