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🎙See you there!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

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⚖️ SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TEXAS TO ENFORCE ITS OWN IMMIGRATION LAW, BUT THEN…..

The Supreme Court gave a win—at least temporarily—to Texas on Tuesday, as the state fights the US government over immigration law.

Yesterday, the supremes ruled that the Lone Star State can temporarily enforce its controversial immigration law, known as SB4, while a lower court decides its legality. The law gives state officials unilateral authority to jail, prosecute, and deport people suspected of entering the US illegally.

But then, just after 12amET, the lower court, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, put the Texas law BACK ON A TEMPORARY HOLD.

BEHIND THE CONTROVERSY
The Biden administration says the law is unconstitutional, as the federal government has set and enforced immigration law for 200+ years. They made an emergency appeal to the highest court, arguing that a patchwork of state laws—each with a unique foreign and immigration policy—would be chaotic.

But, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) argues that the State War Clause of the Constitution gives states the right to defend themselves in the face of an "invasion.” And, that is the word Texas uses to describe the migrant crisis.

• The law is part of Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star,” that includes installing razor wire at the US-Mexico border (which the Supreme Court also ruled on this term).

• While the courts figure out if the law is constitutional, there has been a wild back and forth at several levels about whether Texas could enforce the law in the interim. Ready for this legal recap?

  • RECAP: A district court said no. The appeals court said yes. The Supreme Court said no, and then two weeks later, yes. And finally, with the case now back in their hands, that same appeals court said no!

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CLEAR THIS UP?
Well, that same conservative-majority appeals court (5th Circuit) is set to hear official arguments on the overall constitutionality of the law in April. Once they rule, expect an appeal back up to the Supreme Court to also hear the full case.

BTW, the Mexican government has also chimed in, saying they would refuse to accept anyone deported unilaterally by Texas.

🗳 BIDEN’S PUSH FOR LATINO, BLACK VOTES AS SUPPORT DROPS

President Joe Biden began a tour through Arizona and Nevada yesterday, where his campaign is focused on Latino voters, who are increasingly moving toward former president Donald Trump.

In 2020, Latinos voted for him by a two to one margin. Fast forward to 2024, and a recent poll from the NY Times and Sienna College shows Trump now edging out Biden among that group, 46-40%. In an effort to turn things around, Biden announced "Latinos con Biden-Harris.”

The Biden campaign says the “Latino vote was critical to the President's victory in 2020, and 2024 will be no different."

Biden told Univision Radio Tuesday that Trump’s economic policies and mass deportation proposals show that he “despises Latinos,” adding that “I understand Latino values.”

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
Latinos are the country’s largest non-white group, and fastest growing part of the population. They make up nearly 15% of all eligible voters, and a much larger percentage in swing states like Arizona.

Experts say the impact of COVID lockdowns and inflation are among the reasons moving them towards Republicans. Also, we should note Latinos are not a uniform voting bloc—ranging from Mexicans to Cubans to Venezuelans to Central Americans, all with different views and priorities.

Another minority group the campaign is focused on shoring up: Black Americans. Black voters account for 14% of the electorate, but vote overwhelmingly blue. Black women vote Democratic more than any other major demographic group (95% in 2020). Just behind them, Black men (87%).

WHY DEMS ARE LOSING VOTERS
Democrats have relied on minority votes for decades. But younger Black and Latino men are starting to move to the right, according to recent polls. Polling data suggests minority turnout for Democrats could hit its lowest since 1960.

• Financial Times reporter John Burn-Murdoch wrote, "Part of this is due to fading memories and weakening ties. Black Americans who lived through the civil rights era still support the party at very high levels, but younger generations are wavering." Trump won 8% of African American votes in 2020, but some polling suggests that could be above 20% this November (though we are skeptical it will get that high).

• Charles Blow at the NY Times says he has been surprised at how “soft” Black support is for Biden this time around. The concern is less about them voting for Trump, but more that they will stay home, even in states like Georgia where the 2020 election came down to less than 12,000 votes.

• But, there are also skeptics. Perry Bacon at the Washington Post is “somewhat skeptical that racial politics are changing that dramatically… I doubt we will see a full severing of race and voting, particularly among Black and White Americans, as long as there are substantial economic and power differences that align with racial categories.”

A LOOK BACK
Recent polling showed President Biden still leading 56 points to former President Trump’s 44 among non-white Americans—but that is a major decline from the nearly 50 point advantage he had in their 2020 matchup. That poll, and plenty of others, have Trump winning the general election.

• Trump has been criticized for a number of incendiary comments geared towards people of color over the last decade. He recently said undocumented immigrants are not people and some are "poisoning the blood of our country.” He also received backlash for telling a Black audience that they support him because of his claims that he is also mistreated by the US criminal justice system.

• Biden has also gotten into trouble when talking about race. Back in 2020, he apologized after telling Black voters that they “ain’t Black” if they vote for Trump, during an interview with radio host Charlamagne tha God.

  • Charlamagne endorsed Biden in 2020, but this time around has been reluctant to get fully behind Biden. He says he is instead “endorsing our democracy,” but adds that Trump’s behavior on Jan. 6 “was an attempted coup of this country.” He stresses that Black Americans aren’t feeling heard and want economic mobility. He also argues that a number of Black voters may just not vote in November.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Trump sues ABC News, George Stephanopoulos for defamation (FOX NEWS)

📌 Senate begins to consider TikTok bill with major national security briefing today (REUTERS)

📌 Florida congressman is trying to save Americans in Haiti on his own (FOX NEWS)

📌 Ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro begins serving prison sentence after historic contempt prosecution (CNN)

📌 US defense chief vows continued aid to Ukraine, even as Congress is stalled on funding bill (AP)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Hong Kong passes second national security law, widening crackdown powers and aligning city more closely with mainland China (CNN)

📌 Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro indicted for allegedly falsifying Covid vaccination records (BBC)

📌 Netanyahu tells Biden Rafah ground operation is crucial to destroying Hamas and will happen (TIMES OF ISRAEL)

📌 Saudi Arabia plans $40 billion push into artificial intelligence (REUTERS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos ex-wife, donates $640 million after open call for nonprofits (CNN)

📌 Unilever to cut 7,500 jobs and spin off Ben & Jerry’s ice cream unit (USA TODAY)

📌 Gas prices rise for the first time since late 2023, here’s why (MO NEWS)

📌 Even among the insured, weight loss drugs are rarely prescribed, study suggests (NBC NEWS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Ariana Grande to pay ex-husband $1.25M in spousal support as she reportedly moves on with new boyfriend (FOX NEWS)

📌 Travis Kelce in talks to host ‘Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?’ reboot for Amazon (DEADLINE)

📌 Beyoncé says new 'Cowboy Carter' album inspired by backlash to her entering country genre (NBC NEWS)

📌 Oprah Winfrey says she “starved” herself for “five months” while discussing weight-loss struggles in new special (SALON)

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

🗓 ON THIS DAY: MARCH 20

• 1854: The Republican Party of the US was founded in Ripon, Wisconsin by opponents of slavery.

• 1964: General Mills introduced Lucky Charms cereal with bells, fish, arrowheads, clovers, and x-shaped oat pieces alongside marshmallows shaped like green clovers, pink hearts, orange stars, and yellow moons.

• 1985: Libby Riddles wins the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the dog-pulling sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, becoming the first woman to do so.

• 1990: Madonna released “Vogue,” which reached #1 on charts in over 30 countries and was the best selling single of 1990.