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Joe Biden and Donald Trump visited the US-Mexico border on Thursday amid an ongoing immigration crisis that is likely to dominate the upcoming presidential election. A federal court recently blocked a Texas law enabling state police to detain suspected illegal immigrants, deeming it unconstitutional and warning it could lead to individual states passing their own immigration laws. In other news, lawmakers in Alabama passed legislation to protect doctors providing IVF treatment, following a Supreme Court ruling that declared embryos to be children and resulted in multiple fertility clinics suspending operations out of fear of potential lawsuits if embryos were damaged or destroyed.
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Joe Biden and Donald Trump visited the border as immigration becomes a potential determinant of the presidential election. Meanwhile, an unconstitutional Texas law allowing state police to detain suspected illegal immigrants was blocked by a federal judge.
Alabama lawmakers passed legislation ensuring protection for doctors providing IVF treatment. After the state’s Supreme Court ruled that embryos are children, several fertility clinics halted operations, fearing lawsuits if embryos were damaged. This has been seen as a potential political gain for the Democrats.
Manuel Rocha, a former American ambassador accused of being a Cuban spy for 42 years, plans to plead guilty to charges including conspiring to act as a foreign agent, making him one of the highest-placed moles found recently. Mr Rocha will be sentenced on April 12th.
On Friday, judges will hear arguments about whether prosecutor Fani Willis should be disqualified from the election-interference case against Trump in Georgia due to alleged impropriety.
The House and Senate passed a bill preventing a partial government shutdown, extending the funding deadline for several agencies until March 8th.
A wildfire in Texas has spread over 1m acres, making it the state’s largest in history. The Smokehouse Creek Fire, which started on Monday, is only 3% contained and is one of several blazes in the Texas Panhandle.
Joe Biden’s handling of the Gaza conflict in Michigan, where over 100,000 Democrats protested against his support for Israel, could have marginal effects that matter a lot in swing states. Read about Biden’s possible Gaza problem.
Eight months out from the general election, Biden and Trump are neck-and-neck. Our poll tracker shows an average of the latest polls, indicating a close race.
This week’s quiz winner is Christopher Lewis, from Tokyo, Japan. If you enjoyed this week’s quiz, play Dateline, The Economist’s new history game.
Read all of our recent coverage of the 2024 election and our A-Z of American politics.
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