NEWS AND OPINION:
Where is first lady Jill Biden off to on Wednesday? The White House has the answer.
“On Wednesday, May 17th, first lady Jill Biden will travel to Bethel, Alaska to highlight the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments to expand broadband connectivity in Native American communities, including Alaska Native communities in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta,” the White House said in a written statement.
“These investments were made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Dr. Biden’s visit will be the first visit to Bethel, Alaska by a first lady of the United States,” the statement said.
So that’s who will be in Alaska.
Traveling seems a way of life for Mrs. Biden, who has visited Mexico, Africa, England and such states as California, Colorado, Michigan, Maine, Vermont and Ohio in recent days.
Following her appearance in Alaska, the first lady will continue her travels and join President Biden for the three-day G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan — which begins Friday.
And about that trip
Sen. John Cornyn has formally called on President Biden to cancel the aforementioned trip to Japan and stay home to work on debt ceiling negotiations in order to avoid a dreaded default on the national debt.
“Given the already fragile state of the economy, a default is the very last thing we need. The White House insisted time and time again that the president wouldn’t drop his demand for a clean debt ceiling increase,” the Texas Republican said Tuesday.
He noted that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the U.S. could default on the debt as early as June 1.
“With this as a backdrop, President Biden is planning to hop on a plane to Japan. He can’t fly halfway around the globe just as negotiations are gaining momentum,” Mr. Cornyn said.
“Now is the time for the president to take this crisis seriously and to own his responsibility to negotiate a successful outcome,” the senator advised.
The Russian factor
Much has been written about immigrants arriving at the southern U.S. border from Mexico and South America. Another population of would-be citizens has also been recognized, and they hail from Russia.
“It started with a trickle — a few hundred arrivals per month in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine; now several thousand are arriving at the border each month, with more expected as Russia moves to mobilize more soldiers,” notes The Messenger, a newly launched news organization that debuted Tuesday.
The publication conducted a study of U.S. Border Control data to reveal that 30,455 Russian nationals tried to enter the U.S. from Mexico in the six months following Russian President Putin’s announcement that a national military draft was underway in his nation.
“That’s more than the figure for the three previous years combined,” The Messenger said, noting that Russians can get into Mexico with “relative ease” and often fly to the U.S. via Turkey or Brazil.
“The Russians coming to Mexico aren’t enduring anything like the typical odysseys of migrants to the U.S.: no smugglers’ fees, no long treks through the ‘Darien Gap’ in Panama — a remote mountainous stretch of rainforest that links South and Central America — or other dangerous routes. Typically, they fly to Cancun or Mexico City and then make their way to the border areas,” The Messenger said.
Foxified
Fox News continues its winning streak in the ratings race. During the week of May 8– 14, the network marked its 19th consecutive week as the most watched network in the entire cable realm during daytime viewing, earning 1.1 million viewers and besting such nonnews competition as ESPN (902,000 viewers) and Turner Network Television (894,000). News rival MSNBC had a daytime audience of 755,000 while CNN attracted 462,000.
Fox News also ruled primetime with 1.4 million viewers — compared to MSNBC with 1.2 million viewers and CNN with 681,000. As usual, “The Five” earned the highest rating for Fox News with an audience of 2.7 million, followed by Jesse Watters Primetime.
Snooze news
College life appears to be more tiring than it used to be.
The University of Texas at Austin’s University Health Services has now created an online “dedicated Napping Page” which provides sleepy students with insider insight on the benefits of naps, as well as napping tips and an interactive “Nap Map” for the weary.
The complex resource reveals the “best napping spots on campus,” for those who need a snooze according to a review by The College Fix, a student-written news organization.
“College students are among the most sleep-deprived populations. While it’s important for students to aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, napping can be a good supplement during the day if you’re feeling you need a boost,” notes the nap advisory, which is indeed published by the school’s health service.
It also offers insight into ideal campus napping locations with comfortable seating and “quiet ambiance,” among other things.
“Keep naps short and sweet. A power nap of 20-30 minutes can renew attention span and refresh the body,” the Napping Page advised.
Poll du jour
78% of U.S. adults say that it is a “bad time” to buy a house right now; 82% of Republicans, 77% of independents and 78% of Democrats agree.
56% say the price of homes in the U.S. has increased; 47% of Republicans, 57% of independents and 65% of Democrats agree.
25% say the prices of homes has stayed the same; 25% of Republicans, 25% of independents and 23% of Democrats agree.
21% of U.S. adults say that it is a “good time” to buy a house right now; 18% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 21% of Democrats agree.
19% say the price of homes has decreased; 28% of Republicans, 18% of independents and 11% of Democrats agree.
Source: A Gallup annual “Economy and Personal Finance” poll of 1,013 U.S. adults conducted April 3-25 and released Tuesday.
Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.