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| President Biden’s election-year move will give about 500,000 people a pathway to citizenship. Erin Schaff/The New York Times |
Biden gave protections to undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens
President Biden announced sweeping new legal protections yesterday for undocumented immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for years and are married to Americans. It is one of the most expansive presidential actions to protect immigrants in more than a decade.
Under the new policy, 500,000 people would be shielded from deportation, given work permits and offered a pathway to citizenship. The benefits would also extend to the roughly 50,000 children of undocumented spouses who became stepchildren to American citizens. Biden administration officials said they expected the program to begin by the end of the summer.
“These couples have been raising families, sending their kids to church and school, paying taxes, contributing to our country,” Biden said at the White House. “They’re living in the United States all this time with fear and uncertainty. We can fix that.”
Immediately after the announcement, allies of Donald Trump accused Biden of being weak on the border. Speaker Mike Johnson said the president was “granting amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens.”
“Dreamers” initiative: Biden also announced a measure that would let many of the undocumented young adults allowed to remain in the U.S. under a temporary program to swiftly apply for employer-sponsored work visas.
Context: The moves comes just two weeks after Biden imposed a major crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border, cutting off access to asylum for people who crossed into the U.S. illegally. Polls show many Americans want tougher policies on immigration.
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| Celebrating the passing of the marriage equality bill in Bangkok yesterday. Patipat Janthong/Reuters |
Thai lawmakers approved same-sex marriage
Thai lawmakers passed a marriage equality bill yesterday, putting the country on a clear path to becoming the first in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
The bill would become law after it is reviewed by a Senate committee and the Constitutional Court and gets royal assent from the king, a formality that is widely expected to be granted.
Details: The bill gives L.G.B.T.Q. couples equal rights to adopt children, claim tax allowances, inherit property and provide consent for medical treatment when their partners are incapacitated.
More from Thailand: Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister and powerful behind-the-scenes player in government, was indicted yesterday on charges of insulting the monarchy.
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| A satellite image of the temporary pier in Gaza. Maxar Technologies, via Reuters |
The U.S. aid pier in Gaza is failing
The $230 million temporary pier that the U.S. military built to rush humanitarian aid to Gaza has largely failed in its mission, aid organizations say. Operations will probably end weeks earlier than originally expected.
The pier was never supposed to be more than a stopgap measure, but it is likely to fall short of even its modest goals, some U.S. officials said. In the month since the pier was installed, it has been in service for about 10 days. The rest of the time, the pier was being repaired after rough seas broke it apart, it was detached to avoid further damage or operations were paused because of security concerns.
Arms: Two top Democrats approved the Biden administration’s plan for a major sale of F-15 jets to Israel, one of the largest U.S. arms sales to the country in years.
| MORE TOP NEWS |
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| Pool photo by Gavriil Grigorov |
| Diplomacy: Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, arrived in North Korea after vowing to bring ties with Pyongyang to new heights.India: The Dalai Lama met with a high-level congressional delegation that included former House speaker Nancy Pelosi. China immediately criticized the visit.Kenya: Hundreds of people gathered in Nairobi to protest a bill that would raise taxes on a range of goods and services.Tech: Nvidia, riding a generative A.I. boom, topped Microsoft and Apple to become the world’s most valuable public company, worth over $3.3 trillion.Ukraine: Journalists and groups monitoring press freedoms say they’re noticing increasing government restrictions that go beyond wartime security needs.China: Heavy rains lashed the south, killing at least nine people. See a video of the floods and landslides.North Korea: Several North Korean soldiers have been killed since last year by land mines in the Demilitarized Zone, where they had been sent to do construction work, South Korea’s military said.Climate: Though it’s only June, record-breaking heat is set to hit parts of the U.S. all week long.Toyota: The automaker’s longtime leader, Akio Toyoda, was re-elected as chairman despite calls by some big investors for him to step back.France: A court ruled that a decision to bar Israeli companies from a large weapons show was discriminatory and ordered that the ban be rescinded. |
| South Korea: Doctors went on a one-day strike in the latest protest against the government’s plan to train more physicians.U.S.: A war crimes hearing at Guantánamo Bay gave the public a virtual tour of a secret C.I.A. “black site.”Entertainment: Justin Timberlake was arrested in New York and charged with driving while intoxicated. |
| SPORTS NEWS |
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| Brian Fluharty/USA Today Sports, via Reuters |
| N.B.A.: The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks to claim an 18th championship, a league record.A shocking match: Slovakia’s win over Belgium might be considered the greatest upset in European Championship history.Why tennis stars are skipping the Olympics: Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur have concerns over the tennis calender. |
| MORNING READ |
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| Arsh Raziuddin |
In South Korea, friends and families form groups to help each other save for big purchases. Each member of the group, which is known as a gyemoim, regularly contributes a small amount, often between $10 and $50 each month. This way, they can save for vacations, meals and other social activities equally so everyone can participate, regardless of personal budgets.
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
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China wants more babies. Mothers aren’t so sure.
President Xi Jinping has urged women to “play their unique role in carrying forward the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation” by having more children.
We spoke with three Chinese mothers, each of whom is raising one young child, who said they didn’t want more — no matter what their husbands say, or what incentives the Chinese government dangles.
“I divide my time, energy and money into different parts, saving the biggest part for myself, then the rest go to my parents, husband and son,” said Joyce Zhao, 29, who works at one of the biggest tech companies in China and wants to study to take the civil servant exam. “I can’t let them take all of me.”
| RECOMMENDATIONS |
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| David Malosh for The New York Times |
Cook: Millie Peartree turned the old-fashioned strawberry pretzel salad into bars.
