Biden asks for immigration help

President Joe Biden addressed the nation’s governors on Friday in Washington on an admittedly tough task: getting help on immigration reform.

“If I was smart, I’d leave right now,” he said in his comments. He then reached out to the assembled state leaders, more than half of which were not of his party. “My Republican friends, I’ve got bad news for you. I actually like working for you.”

He referred to a immigration reform bill that he had proposed on his first day in office and which was not passed.

A different bipartisan immigration bill is stuck in Congress and he urged the governors to use their influence to break up the logjam.

Political divisions are holding up a bill which would combine military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with tougher border protection. It’s opposed by former president Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who needs far-right members of the lower chamber to maintain his speakership.

NRA, ex-leader liable in big spending

A New York jury on Friday found that the National Rifle Association and its former chief executive officer liable for misspending millions of dollars.

The jury ordered Wayne LaPierre, 74, who lead the NRA for over 30 years, to repay $4.351 million. The amount is actually $5.4 million, but he’s already paid back around $1 million.

LaPierre and other leaders were found to have spent money for “questionable expenditures,” including more that $11 million for private flights. He also received free trips and access to a yacht from a contractor who received $135 million in contracts with the NRA.

La Pierre resigned his post just before the trial began.

AT&T outage: any credits?

The outage on Thursday of telecommunications services of AT&T was caused by “an incorrect process” while expanding its network and not a cyberattack, the company said.

But the company has been silent about whether it would provide a debit or rebate for those unable to use their AT&T service. 

The number being discussed is a credit of 3 percent, which could rub as high as $2.60 on a monthly bill of $86, according to one calculation.

There is some precedent: in 2023 Spectrum pay TV customers got a $15 credit when Disney and ESPB channels were unavailable.

In-vitro ruling spurs controversy

A ruling by an Alabama court that embryos in in vitro fertilizations were legally children has caused an uproar, even among conservatives who have traditionally been anti-abortion.

Some medical health providers have stopped performing such treatments and the Alabama state attorney general said he wouldn’t prosecute families or clinics in the case of the loss of embryos.

Some Democrats are using the issue as an example of how far Republicans might go to restrict reproductive rights. Former president Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, posted on social media that he supported the use of IVF “for couples who are trying to have a precious baby.”

Weather: Clouds, clouds, showers

Cloudy weather will continue over our West Orange County area right through the weekend. The forecast for Saturday calls for a daytime high of 70 with an overnight low of 52. Sunday will be a bit cooler at 68 (54); Monday will have morning showers with a daytime high of 65 (51).