Good Squad, JetBlue downsizes, and piggyback rides.

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Big Stories

Supreme Court allows Texas to begin arrests over border crossings

The Supreme Court voted 5–4 to uphold a Texas law allowing police to arrest individuals for illegally crossing the Mexico border.

• The decision enables Texas to immediately enforce the law while legal challenges are heard in federal appeals court. Concerns about encroachment on federal immigration authority and potential racial profiling have delayed the law's enforcement.

• The law criminalizes illegal border crossings between ports of entry and empowers state police to arrest individuals with probable cause. Those arrested could face misdemeanor or felony charges ranging from 6 months to 20 years for repeat offenses. It also gives judges the power to order undocumented people back to Mexico.

• The law doesn’t allow police to arrest people in certain settings including, public or private schools, places of worship, hospitals, and other healthcare or medical forensic facilities. However, college or university campuses are not included in those settings.

Mississippi “Goon Squad” officer sentenced

Former Mississippi sheriff's deputy Hunter Elward has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in the torture of two Black men, Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker.

• Elward was part of a group of law enforcement officers who called themselves “The Goon Squad” because of their willingness to use excessive force. The officers, including Elward, were responding to a racist tip and acted upon it by brutally assaulting Jenkins and Parker in their home.

• After the officers illegally entered their home, the victims suffered through hours of torture, including being handcuffed, waterboarded, and called racial slurs, with Jenkins suffering severe injuries from a mock execution. Following the incident, the officers attempted to cover up their crimes by planting evidence and levying false charges against the victims.

• The other former officers involved in the torture will receive their sentences in the coming days. Jenkins and Parker continue to advocate for justice, calling for severe consequences for the officers involved and the resignation of Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey.

• A second “Goon Squad” member was sentenced to more than 17 years.

China cracks down on Hong Kong freedoms

Hong Kong's Legislative Council has unanimously passed a new national security law to expand the government's authority to suppress dissent.

• The Safeguarding National Security Law introduces stricter measures on various offenses such as treason, espionage, external interference, state secrets, and sedition. Enforcement is slated to begin on March 23, 2024.

• A few harsh provisions include allowing police to detain suspects for two weeks before charging them, compared with 48 hours currently, and allowing police to apply for permission to remove a defendant’s right to a lawyer while in pre-charge detention. The bill also allows authorities to void the passports of “absconders”.

• China promised to preserve civil liberties in Hong Kong when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. However, the new law does the opposite by limiting freedoms promised under the "one country, two systems" framework.

Little Stories

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated his intention to launch an offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite President Joe Biden's recent warning against it during a call with Netanyahu. Rafah currently shelters over 1 million Palestinians who fled their homes elsewhere in Gaza during bombings. (More)

• The College Football Playoff and ESPN have agreed to a new six-year, $7.8 billion contract, extending ESPN's exclusive broadcast rights until the 2031-32 season. ESPN will now cover all four first-round games in the new 12-team format starting in the 2024-25 season, in addition to the existing coverage of the New Year's Six bowls and the CFP National Championship game. (More)

• New FBI data confirms that crime in the US notably decreased in 2023, countering the belief that crime rates are increasing. The data from around 13,000 law enforcement agencies, covering about 82% of the U.S. population, indicates a 13% drop in murder, a 6% decrease in reported violent crime, and a 4% decline in reported property crime compared to 2022. (More)

• Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been indicted by the federal police on suspicion of fraud related to Covid-19 vaccination data during his presidency. Police claim Bolsonaro instructed a close aide to enter false vaccination information into the Ministry of Health's system for himself and his daughter. (More)

• JetBlue Airways is discontinuing services in several cities and reducing flights from Los Angeles to focus on stronger markets and address financial losses. Starting June 13, JetBlue will end operations in Kansas City, Bogota, Quito, and Lima due to unprofitability. Additionally, routes from Los Angeles to Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Miami will be eliminated, along with various other flights. (More)

Extra Credit

The US just got bigger by two Californias. 

How do airplanes fly? 

Why a piggyback rise is called a “piggyback” ride.

A nine-year-old catches a rare pink grasshopper.