The D.C. mayor is calling on the federal government to get back to work or hand over their empty office spaces consuming downtown; and a new report reveals fentanyl deaths in children have surged at an alarming rate. These stories and more highlight the midday rundown for Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.
March for Life rally returns to D.C.
Anti-abortion voices are being heard in the 50th annual March for Life. Today in D.C., thousands of supporters are marking the first time the anti-abortion rally has taken place since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
This Sunday also marks 50 years since the Roe v. Wade ruling.
On the other side of this, Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver an address in Florida. According to a senior administration official, Harris will speak about the White House’s commitment to abortion access, and she will make the case for national legislation to protect reproductive rights.
FBI offers $25k reward for information on pregnancy center attacks
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion centers along with abortion clinics became the target of people’s anger. Nearly a dozen attacks remain unresolved. Now, the FBI is offering a reward for information on the people responsible.
Centers, from Oregon to New York, have been set on fire and vandalized with no consequences. The FBI is looking for the public’s help in these open investigations. They are offering $25,000 dollars for information that leads to an arrest.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said the reward reflects the FBI’s commitment to “vigorously pursue” investigations into crimes against pregnancy resource centers and reproductive health clinics across the country.
Vacant federal offices consume D.C.
The mayor of D.C. is telling President Biden to order his employees back to work or watch D.C. die. In Mayor Muriel Bowser’s reelection address to the city, she laid out how vital the downtown area is to D.C. She compared it to a ghost town since workers, largely government employees, have been working from home.
The federal government owns or leases one-third of the office space, and Bowser wants to see activity return to downtown.
“We need decisive action by the White House to either get most federal workers back to the office most of the time or realign their vast property holdings for use of the local government, nonprofits, businesses, and by any user willing to revitalize it,” Mayor Bowser said.
ICE helps migrants affected by breach
Straight Arrow News first reported in November that thousands of migrants’ personal information was mistakenly posted on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website. Now, ICE is having to make up for the error.
Nearly 3,000 migrants have been released by ICE after their names, birthdates and detention locations were somehow made public for hours. The sensitive information is said to have possibly put migrants in harm’s way after escaping torture and persecution from their volatile home countries.
To mitigate the risk, ICE is allowing affected migrants to stay in the U.S. For the migrants who were already deported before the breach, ICE is looking to help bring them back to the U.S.
Fentanyl deaths of children surge
Fentanyl overdoses continue to be the No. 1 one killer of Americans aged 18 to 45. That isn’t even accounting for the fentanyl exposures killing children. A new report has kids under 14 dying of fentanyl at a faster rate than any other age group.
According to the CDC, infant deaths from fentanyl poisoning doubled between 2019 and 2021. Deaths among toddlers tripled, and children between the ages of 5 and 14 that fell victim to fentanyl quadrupled in that two year span.
Illegal versions of the synthetic drug can look like candy, and it’s easily mixed with drugs like cocaine and heroin. In many cases, the drug is ingested unknowingly.
Two milligrams of fentanyl is enough to kill, which is equal to just 10 grains of salt.
First 3D printed two-story home
America’s first 3D printed two-story home is being built in Houston, Texas. The 4,000-square-foot home is being constructed by a machine that pours concrete from a nozzle, one layer at a time.
The technology has been breaking ground in the U.S. homebuilding market for the last couple of years.
Several 3D printed homes have been built or are currently being constructed across a handful of states, but never a two-story until now.
