Republicans, Fox News exploit tragic murder, call for illegal border shutdown

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: a refugee is suspected of violent crime, so the right calls for a total (illegal) border shutdown. That’s what’s happening right now after the tragic murder of 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley last week in Georgia.

On Thursday, Riley was found dead from blunt force trauma on the University of Georgia’s Athens campus. The next day cops arrested Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old refugee who escaped political violence in Venezuela to come to the U.S. in 2022. Police say the two did not know each other, and the attack appears to be a “crime of opportunity.”

The New York Times reports Ibarra crossed the border illegally and was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in September 2022. Because the border was overwhelmed, Ibarra was quickly released with temporary permission to stay. The Biden Administration has since ended that policy. It’s unclear what Ibarra’s immigration status is now.

Over the weekend, Riley’s tragic murder has become the cause de celebre on the right. Georgia’s Gov. Brian Kemp went on Fox News saying Biden’s policies have turned his state into a border state. Propagandist Laura Ingraham went even further, declaring the president has blood on his hands—while Christian nationalist Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called for an illegal border shutdown. 

First and foremost: Shutting down the border is not a power any president has. (As one commenter noted, if Trump could have—he would have.) Both U.S. and international law rightly protects people who are seeking refuge from persecution or violence. The border can’t simply—or legally—be closed. 

Not to mention… Despite endless attempts to make Americans afraid of migrants and refugees, data proves them to be more law-abiding than people born in the United States. Research from the Department of Justice goes even further, saying undocumented immigrants have substantially lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants. Critics see this for what it is: a xenophobic fear campaign intended to drive attention away from issues that actually affect people.

Supreme Court hears case today that could change the internet forever

The U.S. Supreme Court today will hear a case today that the New York Times says could transform the internet forever. The central question: How much of a right to free speech do you have on social media platforms?

Back in 2021, Republicans in Florida and Texas enacted separate laws aimed at prohibiting social platforms from removing posts that expressed conservative views. Do you have a first amendment right to say what you want on any platform, or do platforms have a first amendment right to pick and choose what’s published on their platforms, like a newspaper? Or are they like phone companies, required to allow all speech?

None of the Court’s precedents clearly address the issue at hand, but the case could fundamentally change what you can or can’t say on the internet (not to mention what it means for our Democracy). A ruling won’t come until June.

Meanwhile: “Corrupt” Clarence Thomas has rocked the court again, this time by hiring a racist law clerk who allegedly once sent a text message that said, “I HATE BLACK PEOPLE.”

➡️ Question of the Day

How much of a right to free speech do you think people should have on social media platforms? Let us know why you voted in the comments and we might feature you here!

Thursday’s Results: Thursday we chose to end the week a little lighter and ask, which is better, spring or fall? The results were close!

Clebrns voted fall: “After a long hot summer to get crisp cool nights & mornings is pleasant. Fall also marks the start of 🏈!!”

While Rachel voted spring and said: “There’s nothing like the sound of walking up to birds chirping outside your window after a long cold winter. And it means beach days are just right around the corner. I vote spring!!!”

🗞️ Also making news…

Here are some stories the algorithms may have kept out of your feed this week.

On Gaza…

• Negotiators have come to an “understanding” on the broad contours of a potential deal to release the hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire.

• A U.S. airman set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. in protest yesterday afternoon.

• This Saturday: Pro-Palestinian groups are planing a global day of action on March 2.

On politics…

• Nikki Haley is vowing to stay in the race for president, but her biggest funders, the corporate-fascist Koch network is pulling their money.

• Michigan holds its primary Tuesday. Here’s a preview of what to watch for.

• In Arizona, Biden’s handling of immigration fuels frustration among key progressive and independent voters.

• CPAC poll reveals who Republicans want as Trump’s running mate.

On the climate crisis and the environment…

• Record warmth this week will cap one of the warmest winters in the plains and midwest.

• One of the world’s biggest cities may be just months away from running out of water.

• This man is refusing to move from his cliffside mansion, despite warnings it could slide into the ocean

• Nope nope nope: These giant, invasive spiders appear built to thrive in the U.S.

And an update from Thursday…

• A Texas judge ruled a school district can restrict the length of a Black male students’ natural hair. The student’s family says they plan to appeal the ruling. #FightThePower

🌱 Good News: Nearly all new US power plants built in 2024 will be clean energy

We get so little good news about the climate crisis, but here’s some: This year will be a big year for power plant construction in the U.S., but it will also be a big year for clean energy. Canary Media reports that renewables, batteries and nuclear will add up to 96% of all new power capacity constructed this year. That leaves fossil gas with just 4% of new power plant construction, a decidedly meager showing for the fuel that still produces the most electricity annually. And it’s a big year for expansion: 2024 is expected to bring online the most new energy production in our country since 2003.

Remember: For the climate crisis to be solved, we can’t just turn off extra lights. We’re going to have to force big companies to leave billions of dollars worth of fossil fuels in the ground.