An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: Texas blocked from arresting migrants; three days to stop a shutdown; condoms return to the Olympics; and more

2024/03/20

The 7: Texas blocked from arresting migrants; three days to stop a shutdown; condoms return to the Olympics; and more

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By Jamie Ross and Hannah Jewell

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Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 20, and we're getting hyped for Beyoncé's new album, which comes out next week. She revealed a few more details about it yesterday. Now let's catch up.

Texas was blocked from arresting and deporting migrants yesterday.

What's happening? A law that makes it a state crime for migrants to illegally cross the border was put on hold by an appeals court, hours after the Supreme Court said it could take effect.
What it means: The law — a key part of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's push to expand the state's role in border security — can't be enforced as legal challenges continue.

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A Donald Trump-backed candidate won Ohio's Republican Senate primary.

Who? Bernie Moreno, a wealthy former car dealer. He'll face Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown in November — a race that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.
What else to know: The Trump protest vote is holding strong. About 1 in 5 Republicans voted against him in primaries in Florida, Illinois and Ohio yesterday.
In California: A special election to replace former House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) will move to a runoff.

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The government could shut down this weekend.

Why? Funding for about 70% of the federal government runs out at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The White House and Congress have agreed on new funding, but it may not pass in time.
What would happen? Key services would be interrupted, and thousands of workers would go unpaid. The IRS would furlough more than half its staff, affecting tax-filing services.

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Drone footage raised questions about an Israeli attack on Gaza journalists.

What happened? A Jan. 7 strike on a car in Gaza killed two Palestinian journalists and their driver. Israel said it was in response to an "immediate" threat to its troops.
What to know: The Post reviewed drone footage, eyewitness accounts and satellite data and found no evidence of Israeli troops or military activity in the area at the time of the strike.
Zooming out: Ninety Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of the war, according to one nonprofit.

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A record number of abortions last year were done via medication.

The details: Yearly abortions in the U.S. rose by 10% between 2020 and 2023, exceeding 1 million last year, according to a new report. About 63% were done with medication.
The bigger picture: More than a dozen states have largely banned abortion, and the Supreme Court will soon weigh new restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone.

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An open letter in Hollywood condemned Jonathan Glazer's Oscars speech.

What the director said: That he refuted his Jewishness and the Holocaust "being hijacked" to justify Israel's war in Gaza. His film, "The Zone of Interest," won two Academy Awards.
Who signed the letter? Hundreds of Jewish actors and creatives. They said Glazer had drawn a "moral equivalence" between Israel and Nazi Germany.

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Paris will hand out 300,000 condoms at the Olympic Village.

What to know: The City of Love will end the covid-era intimacy ban imposed on athletes at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The Paris Olympics start July 26.
This isn't a new tradition: Condoms were first handed out at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. In 2000, Sydney had to order more because an initial batch of 70,000 wasn't enough.

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Before you go … March Madness is here: Here's how to pick the perfect bracket and find first-round upsets.

And finally … test your news knowledge with The Post's daily quiz, On the Record. Click here to play. Or try our word game, Keyword.

You're all caught up. See you tomorrow.