NEWS AND OPINION:
The Lone Star State continues to conduct Operation Lone Star, a nonstop push against illegal immigration on the southern border, which was launched in 2021.
“Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry,” the governor’s office said in a written statement released on Friday.
“Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 511,600 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 43,100 criminal arrests, with more than 38,000 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 481 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined during this border mission,” the statement said.
“Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Biden’s open border policies,” the statement said.
In addition, Mr. Abbott allocated $11 billion toward border security and also launched a program in 2021 that allows interested Texans to voluntarily donate to the continued construction of the border wall between Texas and Mexico.
The effort has since raised over $55 million, according to the governor’s office.
MEANWHILE AT THE TRIAL
Veteran actor Robert De Niro joined a news conference outside the Manhattan courthouse that has been the site of former President Donald Trump‘s ongoing hush money trial for many days. There has not been much “hush” involved, however.
“It’s election interference at the highest level,” said Jake Schneider, director of rapid response for the Republican National Committee, in a statement released just as the event was unfolding.
News organizations offered eager coverage. Here are a few headlines inspired by the late morning event:
“Robert De Niro claims Trump ‘could destroy the world’ outside Manhattan court” (Fox News); “Robert De Niro slams Trump and supports Biden outside the hush money trial” (NBC News); “Robert De Niro spars with Trump supporters at chaotic press conference outside trial” (Rolling Stone); “De Niro argues with MAGA hecklers outside the Trump trial” (The Daily Beast); and “Robert De Niro and the Biden campaign trolls Trump outside courthouse” (The New York Times).
VACATION INFLATION
The ever-vigilant Republican National Committee continues to tally up cost increases that the average American is encountering under President Biden. Yes, of course — the typical family vacation is going to cost more this year.
“2024 is predicted to be the most expensive summer for travel, with travelers spending an average of nearly $10,000 on their trips. The average cost of a summer trip is up by 7% from last year and up by nearly 36% from 2021,” the committee said in a written report shared with Inside the Beltway.
“Unwilling to sacrifice a vacation, many Americans will find their finances strained this summer to keep up with Bidenflation. 40% of Americans said they would go into debt for a vacation, adding to the record household debt reached under Biden. 35% of Americans still have credit card debt from their last vacations. 65% of Americans think about post-vacation credit card bills while they’re on vacation,” the report said.
“On the other hand, nearly half of Americans are choosing to skip a summer vacation, with 65% citing affordability as the main barrier to taking a break,” it added.
“Biden and Democrats’ failed policies are squeezing Americans’ wallets and robbing them of their hard-earned money. Inflation has been at or above 3% for 37 months straight while prices have risen 19.9% overall since Biden took office,” the study said.
SCIENCE CORNER
While the presidential election bout continues, here’s some new British research to consider.
“Lancaster University and the University of Bath have been awarded almost half a million pounds from The Leverhulme Trust to perform research into the coat patterns of Dalmatian dogs,” according to Eureka Alerts, an online news site specializing in science and medical topics.
“This is the first time that fundamental research has combined experimentation and mathematical modeling to link Dalmatian genetics to the pattern of coat pigmentation responsible for the breed’s iconic black and white spots,” the site continued.
The project, led by developmental biologist Richard Mort, is titled “Spot the Difference: The Cellular and Clonal Basis of Dalmatian and Mouse Spots.”
“We will, for the first time, build a comprehensive mathematical model of mammalian pigmentation. This model will serve not only as a framework to explore the full gamut of pigmentation patterns in nature but also as a paradigm for wider efforts to generate digital organ systems and eventually whole organisms,” Kit Yates, a mathematician from the University of Bath who will be on the research team, said in a statement.
Lancaster University said, also in a statement, that the research “at the interface of maths and biology will shed new light not only onto the patterns of Dalmatian dogs but also the developmental processes of mammals more broadly.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 34% of U.S. adults would be “very interested” in watching a debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump; 50% of Republicans, 25% of independents and 30% of Democrats agree.
• 26% would be “somewhat interested” in watching a debate between the two; 26% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 30% of Democrats agree.
• 13% would be “not very interested” in the debate; 10% of Republicans, 14% of independents and 13% of Democrats agree.
• 19% would be “not at all interested” in the debate; 11% of Republicans, 26% of independents and 20% of Democrats agree.
• 8% are not sure about the issue; 3% of Republicans, 13% of independents and 7% of Democrats agree.
SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,784 U.S. adults conducted online May 19-21.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin and on Facebook @HarperUniverse; contact her at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.