New York Judge Orders Redrawing of GOP-Held Congressional District 
NATO Chief Says Greenland Sovereignty Not Discussed as Trump Backs Off Tariff and Force Threats 
Colombia Suspends Electricity Exports to Ecuador as Trade and Security Dispute Escalates 
U.S. Lawmakers Demand Scrutiny of TikTok-ByteDance Deal Amid National Security Concerns 
Trump Pushes Back on 401(k) Homebuyer Plan Amid Housing Affordability Debate 
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok Meets U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Advance Trade and Security Talks 
Somaliland President Meets Eric Trump and Israeli President at Davos to Seek Recognition and Investment 
Trump Calls for Prosecution of Jack Smith After Congressional Testimony 
U.N. Human Rights Council Condemns Iran Over Deadly Crackdown on Protests 
Iran Warns of All-Out War Response as U.S. Sends Aircraft Carrier to Middle East 
U.S. Backs Iraq’s Move to Detain ISIS Fighters, Urges Global Repatriation 
California Sues Trump Administration Over Federal Authority on Sable Offshore Pipelines 
Trump Launches U.S.-Led Board of Peace to Oversee Gaza Ceasefire and Expand Global Role 
Trump Reverses Course on Greenland After Diplomatic Backlash 
Russian Drone Attack Hits Kyiv and Kharkiv Amid Ongoing Peace Talks 
Trump Explains Bruised Hand, Cites High Aspirin Intake During Davos Trip 
U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Visit Azerbaijan and Armenia Following Historic Peace Deal 
The Biden administration is tackling the challenge of a surge in migrants at the southern border seeking to cross to the US. With the White House taking on potential criticism from Republicans over the border situation, Joe Biden is pledging to ease the surge of migrants.
Speaking to reporters over the weekend upon returning from Camp David, Biden said that his administration is working to rebuild a system that would allow possible child migrants to seek asylum in their home countries to keep them from traveling through human trafficking networks at the southern border. Biden said that he knows what is currently happening at the border and has pledged to visit the border at some point.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also addressed the criticism by Republicans that the administration was caught off-guard with handling the surge of migrants at the border as well as actively exacerbated the surge by rewriting the existing immigration rules. Mayorkas also dismissed the accusations that the Biden administration reversed some of the immigration policies implemented by Donald Trump that was considered inhumane before they were ready to tackle the surge.
While Mayorkas could not give a specific timeline for when child migrants could be transferred to more comfortable accommodations from the border patrol stations, he could not guarantee immediate press access inside the migrant border posts due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Mayorkas also addressed Republican accusations that Biden’s White House left the border open. “We are elevating our messaging so that the individuals do know that they cannot come to the border. The border is closed.”
In other news, another member of Biden’s cabinet has recently been confirmed. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was confirmed by the Senate this week to lead the Department of Labor. Walsh was confirmed by a vote of 68 to 29, making him the last Cabinet nominee to be confirmed.
The only other position that has yet to have a nomination for is for the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. The administration has yet to make a nominee as Neera Tanden withdrew her nomination due to her past comments on social media.
