It’s Friday, September 24th, and this is your Morning Wire. Listen to the full podcast here.
1) Haitian Migrants Released Into The U.S.
The Topline: As the situation at the southern border continues to worsen, reports say many Haitian migrants are being let in to the United States instead of being sent back to Haiti.
Quote Of The Day:
“How did these Haitians get there? They don’t have the money to pay for transportation to get over there. Who is paying for this? Who is moving them? Who’s transporting them there, but who all is involved in this?…They had to have assistance from somebody else.”
– Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R)
PAUL RATJE/Contributor/AFP/Getty Images
Del Rio
On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas said Haitian migrants are going to be deported, but officials are now anonymously reporting that many migrants are being released into the United States.
An official said Haitians have been let go on a large scale recently, with the number in the thousands.
The DHS has reportedly been busing Haitian migrants out of Del Rio to El Paso, Laredo, and the Rio Grande Valley. They also included more flights this week headed to Tucson, Arizona, where migrants are then processed by Border Patrol, and many are released into the country.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Contributor/AFP/Getty Images
2) North Korea Restarts Nuclear Program
The Topline: A week after North Korea successfully tested a series of long-range missiles, a United Nations atomic energy watchdog warned that the authoritarian nation is moving forward with its nuclear weapons program.
The Details
On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency, a watchdog tracking nuclear development around the world, gave their annual report, saying North Korea’s nuclear program is “moving full steam ahead.” They also released satellite images showing how Kim Jong-Un’s regime has re-opened and expanded a Nuclear Plant that was shut down in 2018.
Nuclear experts say the North Koreans will now be able to increase their plutonium production by around 25%.
Missile Testing
In January, Kim Jong-Un said the country was focused on developing long-range cruise missiles. Experts weren’t sure how serious the threats were until last week when North Korea had a successful test launch with ballistic and cruise missiles – one of which reportedly traveled over 900 miles.
Important Point: North Korea still prioritizes their nuclear program over almost anything else, even though the program has led to increased sanctions and crippled their economy.
Why Now?
The nuclear program slowed while COVID-19 spread in North Korea, and now the country has been able to reallocate time and resources to it.
The timing of the move could also be a response to increased global sanctions and America’s partnership with South Korea and Japan in particular.
When the U.S. signed a nuclear submarine deal with Australia and the U.K. last week, North Korea issued a statement warning that the U.S. wanted to start a “nuclear arms race.”
Biden Administration
In June, President Biden ordered the renewal of economic sanctions against the regime that had been in place for the past decade, and he also reached out to initiate discussions.
According to reports, the North Koreans haven’t responded or been receptive to talks with the U.S. Their silence, along with increased nuclear testing, worries experts.
Al Seib/Contributor/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
3) Hollywood’s Mask Scandal
The Topline: At the Emmy awards last Sunday, viral photos showed glamorous stars socializing and posing on the red carpet without masks while staff nearby had their faces covered.
“Let me start by saying there’s way too many of us in this little room. What are we doing? They said this was outdoors. It’s not. They lied to us. We’re in a hermetically sealed tent right now. I would not have come to this. Why is there a roof?”
– Emmys Presenter Seth Rogen
The Emmys
Not only did stars go to the event without masks, but the room the awards were held in was small and crowded, which is against regulations posted on L.A. County’s health website.
The County currently requires all attendees at gatherings of one thousand people or more to be masked at all times except when they’re actively eating or drinking.
Response
The L.A. County health department responded to criticism instead of the Emmys producers.
On Tuesday, officials put out a statement explaining the Emmys were exempt from this mandate because they categorized the event as a television production. TV Shows and film sets have been granted special exemptions from mandates.
Their statement said, “Persons appearing on the show are considered performers…The Emmys reached out to Public Health in advance to share their safety protocols, which exceeded the baseline requirements for television and film productions.”
It also said the health department made an exception because all attendees had been vaccinated and tested negative for COVID-19.
Key Point: Their statement said the event’s production crew had to meet the same requirements but didn’t explain why the workers had to wear masks.
Eric Thayer/Bloomberg/Contributor/Getty Images
Other Stories We’re Tracking
Border Patrol Horses
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Border Patrol agents will no longer be using horses in Del Rio, Texas, after some media outlets mischaracterized the agents’ use of the horse reins as “whips.”
Iowa Poll
A new Iowa Poll showed a total of 62% of Iowans disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the job, including 62% of Independents, 95% of Republicans, and 7% of Democrats. The approval numbers are worse than at any point of either Donald Trump’s or Barack Obama’s presidencies.