Voting Rights, The Border, China Is Still Bad, And More

Hey fam, happy Monday! Remember when the Fed claimed for months on end that inflation was “transitory?” One prominent economist is now calling it the worst inflation call in the history of the Fed. Ouch. Let’s get started.

Everybody Can Vote in NYC!

A measure was approved by the New York City Council to expand voting rights in local elections to noncitizens in the city.

This is from NPR:

The measure was easily approved by the City Council with the support of a number of advocacy groups, who say that New York's legal permanent residents have the right to weigh in on who leads the city and how their tax dollars are spent.

If the bill is enacted and if it survives legal challenges, New York City would become the largest jurisdiction in the United States to allow noncitizen voting.

Noncitizens would remain barred from voting in state and federal elections.

Bill de Blasio told Chris Wallace he will not veto the measure.

Crime Spikes At The Border?

A sheriff at the Texas border has had enough. Sheriff Tom Schmerber dodged calls to partner with the governor’s office to cite illegal immigrants on state trespassing charges. Rising crime has forced him to change his mind.

This is from the Washington Examiner:

“The state’s been after me for a few months,” said Schmerber. "I hesitated for about two months. What kind of pushed me to really was because there were more things that were happening. I didn't see migrants coming in and just moving on. I saw immigrants get into houses, breaking in, damaging, taking things. I started getting calls from ranchers about all the damage they were doing — calls from neighborhoods close to the city about breaking in, taking things.”

This new agreement takes pressure off of the small town’s sheriff office by allowing them to turn over trespassers to the state.

Maverick County’s limited jail space amid the pandemic was also a concern for Schmerber. Under the agreement, detainees will be transported to Val Verde County, where law enforcement has an outdoor processing facility for the region. From there, they are transported to a county jail in Dilley, Texas.

In return for its cooperation, Maverick County will receive $1.6 million to cover additional border security-related costs. Schmerber plans to spend the money hiring more deputies, vehicles, and equipment. He said he hopes the tougher approach in Maverick County sends would-be criminals to other parts of the border away from his backyard.

China Is Still The Worst

We’ve covered extensively the human rights abuses perpetrated by China over the past two weeks. From the disappearance of Peng Shuai to the eradication of Tibet, China has a clear history of abuse. The latest move by the Chinese is a blunt threat against the U.S. Here’s the full quote from The Washington Free Beacon:

"It is credible that the [People's Liberation Army] will heavily attack U.S. troops who come to Taiwan's rescue," the paper wrote. "Such credibility is increasingly overwhelming the deterrence that U.S. troops may have."

More from The Washington Free Beacon:

China's latest threat to escalate tensions with Taiwan comes on the heels of remarks by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who said the United States is prepared to counter an attempt by China to forcefully seize Taiwan and bring it back into the Communist country's orbit. The long-simmering standoff comes as the Biden administration confronts Russian attempts to invade Ukraine, a situation that could also prompt U.S. intervention.

China has been threatening to take Taiwan since the Biden administration took office, leading the United States to bolster the island's defense and warn the CCP against escalation. Thursday's Global Times editorial marks one of the first times in recent memory that China has actually threatened to attack U.S. troops who might come to Taiwan's aid.

Taiwan sits roughly 100 miles off the coast of mainland China and is a perpetual target of their aggression.