Manchin backs Jackson as Democrats unite behind confirmation
Sen. Joe Manchin said Friday he would vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, signaling that Democrats are uniting behind her after a set of hearings that showed deep opposition by Republicans. The backing of Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia and a crucial swing vote, appeared to all but ensure Jackson’s confirmation. All 50 Senate Democrats may be needed to approve her nomination, given that few if any Republicans appear ready to support her. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader, said he would oppose the nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the nomination April 4.
Biden to reduce immigration detention bed capacity
The Biden administration is looking to cut more than 25% of the bed capacity at immigration detention facilities in its budget request for the next fiscal year, the latest indication that the government is shifting from incarcerating unauthorized immigrants to using ankle-monitoring devices and other alternatives. On Friday, the administration announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was ending a contract with a facility that holds immigrants and reducing its use of three others. An official familiar with a draft of the budget plan described details of the funding request on the condition of anonymity before President Joe Biden’s release of the plan Monday.
Biden administration likely to offer older Americans second booster shots
The Biden administration is moving ahead with a plan to give at least everyone 65 and older — and possibly some younger adults as well — the option of a second booster of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine without recommending outright that they get one, according to several people familiar with the planning. Major uncertainties have complicated the decision, including how long the protection from a second booster would last, how to explain the plan to the public and even whether the overall goal is to shield whoever is deemed eligible only from severe disease or from less serious infections as well.
Justice Clarence Thomas discharged from hospital,
court says
Justice Clarence Thomas, who had been hospitalized for the past week, was discharged Friday morning, the Supreme Court said. After experiencing flulike symptoms, Thomas, the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court, was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington on March 18, the court said Sunday. A statement Friday offered no additional details. According to the court’s Sunday statement, Thomas underwent tests and was told he had an infection, which was treated with intravenous antibiotics. It was not clear what type of infection he had. Thomas, 73, was nominated by President George H.W. Bush and was seated Oct. 23, 1991, making him the court’s most senior conservative member.
As alliances shift, Israel will host Arab leaders
Israel will host a historic summit this weekend with the top diplomats from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain, a sign of how quickly the realignment of Middle Eastern powers is accelerating as Israelis and some Arab governments find common cause not only over Iran but in navigating the new global realities created by the Ukraine war. The high-level meeting reflects the new political reality created when Israel sealed landmark diplomatic agreements with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020. Planned for Sunday and Monday, it is set to be the first meeting with top officials from three Arab countries on Israeli soil.
Mexico’s new international airport is not quite ready
for takeoff
With much fanfare and few logistical considerations, the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, north of Mexico City, was unveiled this week, the first of many large-scale infrastructure projects that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised to deliver before his six-year term ends in 2024. The airport’s opening might seem premature, but it comes just weeks before a referendum on whether the president should step down well in advance of the end of his mandatory single term. López Obrador appeared eager to deliver on at least one of those promised projects before the vote.
Crushing debt fuels Sri Lanka’s economic collapse
An economic crisis is disrupting life across Sri Lanka, an island nation off India’s southern coast that only recently had been outperforming its neighbors. In less than a decade, Sri Lanka recovered from the ravages of a civil war that ended in 2009, building a tourism-based economy that brought jobs and middle class comforts. Now, Sri Lankans just want the lights to stay on. The country’s enormous debt load, the pandemic and, most recently, the war in Europe have brought it to its knees. The central bank is printing rupees and hoarding dollars, sending inflation to a record high of 17.5% in February.
By wire sources
