President Biden today announced sweeping new protections for undocumented immigrants who have been living illegally in the U.S. for at least a decade and are married to American citizens.
The new policy, which will apply to about 500,000 people, will shield the spouses from deportation, provide a pathway to citizenship and give them the ability to work legally in the U.S. Our immigration reporter Hamed Aleaziz called the order “a massive announcement — the biggest since DACA for undocumented individuals in the United States.”
President Biden sought to compare his new policy with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that Barack Obama rolled out in 2012. Biden touted his executive action this afternoon during a 12-year anniversary celebration for DACA, and said that his administration would also make it easier for so-called Dreamers to access work visas.
By echoing the Obama program, Biden may be trying to replicate the political boost in Latino support that came with it. More than 100,000 people in each of the battleground states of Nevada, Arizona and Georgia live in “mixed status” households, according to the American Business Immigration Coalition.
But Biden is in a more difficult position than his Democratic predecessor on immigration. With five months before Election Day, the president is trying to curtail record numbers of illegal crossings without alienating voters who oppose border crackdowns. Today’s move to protect undocumented spouses may help Biden balance out his recent order suspending asylum at the border.
This heat wave could be particularly hard on the body
Temperatures across the eastern half of the U.S. swelled to extreme heights today and are expected to remain so until the weekend. Even nighttime lows could break warmth records. Experts warned that it could be the longest heat wave that some places have experienced in decades. Check out the forecast near you.
Researchers have found that the dangers of heat can be compounded when conditions are sweltering for days on end. The longer your body is forced to work to maintain a healthy temperature, the greater the strain on your cardiovascular system and the higher the risk of negative health effects, which in extreme cases can include heart and kidney failure.
The U.S. pier for Gaza aid is failing
The $230 million temporary pier that the U.S. military built to rush humanitarian aid to Gaza has largely failed in its mission, according to aid organizations. It could be dismantled as early as next month.
In the month since the pier was attached to the shoreline, it has been in service only about 10 days. The pier was never meant to be more than a stopgap measure, but even its modest goals are likely to fall short, American officials said. In recent weeks, Israel has given relief organizations greater access, but the groups say that the situation remains dire.
Two ugly battles headline Virginia’s primary elections
In the fight for control of the House of Representatives, Virginia’s 10th Congressional District is crucial. That’s why Democrats will be closely watching tonight’s primary there to see who emerges from what could be the ugliest congressional election of the year so far.
On the Republican side, the day’s most interesting action is in the state’s solidly red Fifth Congressional District. The incumbent, Bob Good, and his challenger have almost identical views on policies. But the former speaker Kevin McCarthy is doing everything he can to oust Good, who has also made an enemy of Trump.
We will be following live results from both races.
More top news
An epic expansion of an adored video game hit
Shadow of the Erdtree, an expansion to the wildly successful action role-playing game Elden Ring is arriving this week.
FromSoftware’s games tend to be awe-inspiring places of tenderness and melancholy. But while most games welcome the player as a mighty hero, FromSoftware’s notorious love for difficulty makes players drag their way through nightmare-populated vistas.
Shadow of the Erdtree, my colleague Yussef Cole writes, is no different. Players will be tested. But they’ll also be implicated by the game’s emotional nuances, as they fight magical creatures and sympathetic villains.
These sisters turned a Sondheim flop into a Broadway hit
Sonia and Maria Friedman have been making art together since their “feral” childhood. Now 59, Sonia is one of the world’s most successful theater producers, and Maria, 64, is a celebrated actress and singer. But rarely have they been as emotionally invested in a collaboration as they are in the Broadway revival of “Merrily We Roll Along.”
With Maria directing and Sonia producing, the musical — which famously flopped in 1981, despite its much-loved songs by Stephen Sondheim — won the Tony Award for best musical revival and became one of the hottest tickets in town. We talked with the sisters about why they decided to take on the project.
Smell the roses. It helps your brain.
Our sense of smell is powerful. It functions as a time machine, unlocking memories of grandma’s brownies or a walk through a pine forest. But with age comes a diminished ability to smell, a sign of worsening memory and cognition. Experts say that training your nose can fight off the decline.
Research has found smell training to improve some seniors’ memory, diminish symptoms of depression and increase the thickness of the hippocampus, which is the brain’s memory center.
Have a perceptive evening.
Thanks for reading. We’ll be off tomorrow for Juneteenth. I’ll be back on Thursday. — Matthew
Phil Pacheco was our photo editor today.
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