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Political Football at the Border, and the Decay of Journalism
How the border is used as a political wedge issue, and America's reliance on immigrant labor
Michael Sullivan
January 28, 2024
Good Morning,
I am in Wyoming this week, where I’ve already spotted an entire herd of elk, about 11 moose, several foxes, and one adorable beaver.
Today’s newsletter covers:
📰 A brief look at the alarming number of journalism jobs that have been axed to start 2024
🛃 The US southern border fiasco
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Onward!
The January 28th Weekly Three:
Texas has had a reported 26,000 pregnancies that were a result of rape since July 2022 (Texas has no exceptions for abortion, not even in the case of rape or incest).
Trump has to pony up over $83 million to E. Jean Carroll in damages as part of the defamation case she won against him. This follows the original civil trial that found Trump liable for the rape of Carroll.
The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take measures that would reduce the alarming civilian toll the war in Gaza is causing, following a case brought to The Hague by South Africa on if Israel is already committing genocide.
In Brief: Journalism’s Demise
If for some reason you hate balanced, credible, and reliable journalism, then I have good news for you! It’s dying, and the pace at which it is dying appears to be increasing.
In total, over 2,700 journalists were laid off in just 2023. And in just the first month of 2024, even more notable layoffs have happened:
Business Insider (8% of staff)
LA Times (20% of staff)
Sports Illustrated (literally all of them)
Time (15% of staff)
Here is why you should care: Journalism serves a critical function in our society. When the government does something unethical, or a new highly contagious virus begins to spread rapidly, journalists are there to keep the public informed, and the powers-that-be held accountable.
So its demise is concerning, as what will replace it will be unbalanced, inherently biased “fluff” content. The nuance will be lost, during a time when we need it most.
Political Football at the Border
On Wednesday this past week, Governor Greg Abbott and the state of Texas published a letter publicly that claims the six million undocumented immigrants encountered (important distinction: encountered does not mean they entered the country) at the border constitutes an invasion, and that Texas has a a superseding right to defend its border.