Trump Rejects Putin’s New START Extension Offer, Raising Fears of a New Nuclear Arms Race 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
Trump Allows Commercial Fishing in Protected New England Waters 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Marco Rubio Steps Down as Acting U.S. Archivist Amid Federal Law Limits 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
TrumpRx.gov Highlights GLP-1 Drug Discounts but Offers Limited Savings for Most Americans 
UAE Plans Temporary Housing Complex for Displaced Palestinians in Southern Gaza 
Trump Signs “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” to Prioritize U.S. Weapons Sales 
Trump Allegedly Sought Airport, Penn Station Renaming in Exchange for Hudson River Tunnel Funding 
Ukraine-Russia Talks Yield Major POW Swap as U.S. Pushes for Path to Peace 
New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients 
U.S. Announces Additional $6 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Cuba Amid Oil Sanctions and Fuel Shortages 
U.S. to Begin Paying UN Dues as Financial Crisis Spurs Push for Reforms 
NATO to Discuss Strengthening Greenland Security Amid Arctic Tensions 
One of former President Donald Trump’s campaign pledges was to block the southern border from migrants by building a wall. The wall, while inevitably shut down by Joe Biden, was reportedly often compromised by migrants looking to cross using cheap ladders.
The wall that was being built to close off the southern border to migrants, did not stop migrants seeking to cross over to the US. US Border Patrol officials have been finding discarded ladders that migrants use to climb over the portions of the wall that was built under the Trump administration. The officials have resorted to calling authorities in Hidalgo, Texas, to take away the discarded ladders.
Texas Monthly reports that the ladders were reportedly the method for migrants for crossing along the Granjeno-Hidalgo stretch of the border. Local artist and activist Scott Lowry even mocked the function of the former president’s supposed wall. Lowry added that the ladders are more useful than the wall Trump was seeking to build using Mexican funds.
“It’s made of cheap, rough wood, quickly nailed together because it’s only going to be used once,” said Lowry regarding the ladders. “Unlike the wall, these ladders are functional.”
Lowry added that the wall only serves as “a backdrop for politicians who want to rile up their voters.”
However, McAllen-based border patrol official Chris Cabrera defended the use of the wall. Cabrera said that climbing over the wall would give officers time to catch migrants that are looking to cross over to the US. Cabrera also noted that the border patrol officers are currently very busy as the Biden administration sees record numbers of migrants looking to enter the US.
In other news, a report found that Trump administration officials purposely blocked aid for Puerto Rico in light of the hurricane that devastated the region. The report also noted that the Trump administration also blocked an investigation into why the Congressionally-approved aid for the territory was blocked.
The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Public Housing and Development issued the findings that were made public Thursday. The report noted that the tensions between the agency and the Office of Management and Budget led to unprecedented procedural hurdles that resulted in delays in disbursement of funds.
