Officials have seen an influx of thousands of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border with Title 42, the pandemic-era border regulation, set to end this month. Also in the news: Parts of the U.S. brace for blizzard-like conditions and a look at why the FBI’s 2021 hate crime data is flawed.
đđźââď¸ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. USA TODAY is introducing horoscopes to our site. Here’s what your stars say about you.Â
Now, here we go with Tuesday’s news
Asylum seekers, migrants cross en masse at Texas-Mexico border
Immigration experts have said the decision to end Title 42 could have triggered the surge in asylum-seeking migrants who were released by federal immigration authorities in border state communities. Asylum has been denied to migrants more than 2 million times in the past two years under the Title 42 expulsion policy.
Explain Title 42: Title 42 was introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration in March 2020, allowing border officials to quickly expel migrants and close official ports of entry for asylum seekers. Under the Biden administration, the policy has been used to mitigate flows of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border.
- A federal judge gave the Biden administration until Dec. 21 to stop the expulsions, saying the government’s use of Title 42 to prevent migrants from lawfully claiming asylum at the border is “arbitrary and capricious” and violates the law.
- The Biden administration will revert back to pre-pandemic border policy. But the flow of migrants in the meantime is expected to rise. Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector, which includes the city footprint and all of New Mexico, is reporting an average of 2,100 encounters each day in December.
- Shipping containers as a border wall:  Hundreds of double-stacked shipping containers topped by razor wire have been staged along Arizonaâs eastern boundary with Mexico by Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. The move has been met with objections from the U.S. government, environmentalists and the incoming governor.
đˇ Photo of the day: Hundreds of migrants cross the Rio Grande in hopes of seeking asylum đˇ
Hundreds of migrants line up on the north side of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, as they wait to seek asylum in the U.S. See more photos here
Winter storm could fuel travel havoc across US
Millions of people in the central United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest are bracing for blizzard-like conditions from a massive storm blowing across the country, while states farther to the south were warned of the risk of flash flooding and tornadoes. Blizzard or winter storm warnings were in effect for parts of Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. The storm prediction center also warned that “bitterly” cold temperatures are likely to impact the lower 48 states leading up to and continuing from Dec. 20 and Dec. 26. Read more
- What’s the best way to remove ice from your windshield? There’s no need for vinegar.
More news to know now
- đ¨ An ex-Texas officer testified he saw a Black woman with a gun before he fatally shot her in her home.
- đ The Supreme Court is considering a second case on Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.
- đŠââď¸ A judge tossed Donald Trump’s lawsuit, ending a special master review of Mar-a-Lago documents.
- đ New York City will honor the Central Park Five with the naming of a gate at the park’s entrance.
- đ Medication abortion may be the next focal point in the fight over abortion access. Here’s what to know.
- đłâđ More than just ”firsts,” LGBTQ elected officials carve space for a future generation of politicians.
- đ§ On today’s 5 Things podcast, Arizona Republic Investigative Reporter Joseph Darius Jaafari looks at how prisons in Arizona are selling undocumented workers to private companies. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.
đ¤Â What’s the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Congress’ looming deadline
Congress faces a deadline of midnight on Friday to pass a spending bill and avoid a partial government shutdown. At the moment, Republicans and Democrats remain billions apart from agreeing on a spending package that could approach $1.5 trillion. Domestic spending disputes are the sticking point of negotiations, keeping the parties separated by about $26 billion, according to Alabama GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Republicans argue the Democratic-controlled Congress has already spent too much on measures such as pandemic relief and not enough on defense spending. Democrats have countered by saying the spending was necessary to help the country weather the fallout from COVID-19. Read more
- The death of the Iowa Democratic caucus: How 50 years of jury-rigging doomed an American tradition.
- ”A shot across the Democratic leadership bow”: Kyrsten Sinema shakes up Senate, switches to independent.
Department of Energy to announce nuclear fusion breakthrough
Scientists have apparently made a critical breakthrough in a long-sought energy system that could make clean, carbon-free and non-radioactive electricity production in the decades to come. A Department of Energy news conference is scheduled for Tuesday morning to announce a “major scientific breakthrough.” In stories published Sunday evening, the Financial Times and the Washington Post said the agency will announce that scientists at the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have for the first time created a nuclear fusion reaction that produced more energy than it took to create. Read more
- Analysis: America needs the nuclear option to keep our homes warm â and to fight climate change.
Just for subscribers:
- đ Â Here’s how an HBCU faced with surging enrollment in booming Nashville is housing students.
- â Child sex-abuse victims battle time, money in the effort to hold suspects accountable. These laws can help.
- đ Drag shows have a long history in the South. Why are they drawing threats now?
- đ What it’s like to divorce a narcissist:Â One woman’s battle with post-separation abuse.
These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Already a subscriber and want premium content texted to you every day? We can do that! Sign up for our subscriber-only texting campaign.
Here’s why 2021 FBI hate crime data is flawed
Despite increasing concerns about the rise of bias-motivated crimes and growing domestic extremism in the U.S., even fewer law enforcement agencies reported data on hate crimes to the FBI last year. An annual FBI report released Monday found there were more than 7,000 hate crimes in 2021. But that’s just a fraction of the true number, according to experts â including the bureau’s director. A drop in participating agencies has made it more difficult than ever to capture hate crime trends, experts say. Read more
- Amid a rise in hate crimes, Black and Asian Americans are standing together.
- LGBTQ hate crimes in America: Colorado Springs shooting joins growing list.
One more thing
- đ The Supreme Court won’t hear a case that could