CDC to lift health order restricting immigration
The Biden administration is expected to lift a pandemic-related public health order this week that has restricted immigration for the past two years, a change that could more than double what is already a historic number of migrants surging into the United States from Mexico. The change is to take effect in late May, according to people familiar with the planning, and should restore the right of migrants to request asylum once they are in the United States. Even with the rule, the administration has struggled to manage a record spike in illegal migration along the border with Mexico.
Biden pressures Congress for emergency COVID funds
President Joe Biden stepped up pressure on Congress to approve billions of dollars in emergency coronavirus relief aid, using a speech at the White House on Wednesday to warn that U.S. progress against COVID-19 would be at severe risk if Congress failed to act right away. On Capitol Hill, senators of both parties said they hoped a deal could be struck before Congress leaves next week for a two-week April recess. Such a deal would likely be $15.6 billion, matching the size of the smaller package that Democrats abruptly removed from a catchall spending bill earlier this month.
Tornado in northwest Arkansas injures 7
At least seven people were injured, two critically, when a tornado — part of a fierce storm system that ripped across the South — touched down in northwestern Arkansas early Wednesday, damaging buildings, knocking out power and displacing residents, officials said. As the system moved east across Arkansas, the weather service issued a tornado watch for parts of the state, along with portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The bad weather caused widespread power outages throughout Arkansas. More than 16,000 customers were without power late Wednesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US, a website that aggregates data from utilities.
US astronaut back on Earth, steering around Ukraine
Mark Vande Hei, a NASA astronaut, returned to Earth on Wednesday with two Russian counterparts, landing in Kazakhstan after he spent 355 days in space. Vande Hei and his Russian crewmates, Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, flew home together in a Russian spacecraft, guided by Russian flight controllers. After touching down on a grassy plain at 7:28 a.m. Eastern time, Vande Hei was met by a contingent of NASA and Russian personnel, a close collaboration between the two space agencies that has continued despite Russia’s deadly invasion of Ukraine and the tensions it has caused between Moscow and the West.
Warring parties in Yemen announce overlapping cease-fires
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen began a unilateral cease-fire Wednesday, hoping to pave the way toward ending a seven-year war that has shaken the security of the Persian Gulf. The coalition cease-fire will overlap, at least through Wednesday, with a separate cease-fire declared by the Houthis over the weekend. That cease-fire was supposed to end Wednesday evening if the coalition did not meet the Houthis’ demands. Diplomats involved in the process expressed hope that progress toward a broader truce could be made before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin Saturday.
Hubble telescope Spots farthest star known
Astronomers announced Wednesday the discovery of the farthest and oldest star ever seen, a dot of light that shined 12.9 billion years ago, or 900 million years after the Big Bang that gave birth to the universe. That means the light from the star traveled 12.9 billion light-years to reach Earth. The finding was part of efforts using the Hubble Space Telescope to search for some of the universe’s farthest and earliest galaxies. By a lucky coincidence, the astronomers were able to discern a single star system within one of those galaxies.
By wire sources