The Biden administration is waiving 26 federal laws to allow the construction of a border wall. And a four-legged member of the first family is removed from the White House – these stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.  

Biden Administration waives federal laws for border wall construction

The Biden administration announced it is waiving 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow the construction of a border wall. The announcement comes as September saw the highest level of illegal crossings so far in 2023.

In the notice posted to the U.S. Federal Registry on Wednesday, Oct. 4, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas.”

The Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Endangered Species Act are some of the laws being waived to avoid time-consuming reviews and lawsuits. The DHS says it will be using funds from a congressional appropriation in 2019 for border wall construction.

Under former President Donald Trump, approximately 450 miles of barriers were built along the U.S.-Mexico border beginning in 2017.  In January 2021, the Biden administration ended the construction, saying, “Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy issue.”

While this announcement seems to be in contrast with that stance, U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the project does not violate that proclamation, in a statement saying, “Congress appropriated fiscal year 2019 funds for the construction of border barrier in the Rio Grande Valley, and DHS is required to use those funds for their appropriated purpose—

“CBP remains committed to protecting the nation’s cultural and natural resources and will implement sound environmental practices as part of the project covered by this waiver.”

The move is receiving criticism and praise as environmentalists worry the construction will interfere with the habitats of endangered plants and animals. At the same time, immigration reform groups hope this is just the beginning of the Biden administration’s change in policy.

Jordan, Scalise running for Speaker of the House

Two candidates have put their names in the hat to fill the vacant role of Speaker of the House following the historic vote to remove Kevin McCarthy, R-Ky.,. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Oh., and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., announced Wednesday they will be running for speaker.  

Both sent letters to their fellow House Republicans requesting support. Jordan told reporters that support for him appears “strong” based on messages he’s receiving from colleagues. Scalise, who announced his bid later in the day, said he has a proven track record of bringing together the various viewpoints in the party.

After his unprecedented removal as speaker, McCarthy said he would not run again. As for the two potential speakers, McCarthy said, “They’re two good friends. Both would do great jobs.”   

Temporary speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., announced House Republicans will hold a candidate forum in hopes of electing a new speaker next week.  

Signs of progress as UAW strike marks 21st day

With the United Auto Workers strike now in its 21st day, there are reports of progress being made between the union and the three big Detroit automakers.

Reuters is reporting Thursday morning that negotiators for the UAW and Ford have narrowed their differences on pay increases following a new offer from the auto company. Reuters cites people familiar with the bargaining who also say the talks have been “really active” between the union and Ford.

The report says UAW President Shawn Fain plans to give an update on the strike to the union’s 150,000 members on Friday, Oct. 6. Sources tell Reuters that talks between the UAW and the other two car companies, General Motors and Stellantis, have also been active in recent days.

However, there is no telling when the strike will end. Earlier this week, the UAW said it presented a new contract offer to GM. The automaker responded, saying despite the offer, “significant gaps remain.”

(Video correction: In the video, we say 15,000 UAW members – but it is 150,000 members.)

CDC stops printing COVID-19 vaccination cards

With COVID-19 vaccines no longer being distributed by the federal government, the CDC is no longer printing new vaccination cards. According to the latest data; the government had shipped more than 980 million cards from late 2020, when the vaccines first rolled out, through May 10, 2023.  

For those who have held onto their cards, they can still be used as proof of vaccination when needed. But now, those looking for a record of their COVID-19 shots will have to request them — usually from the clinic, pharmacy, or health department that administered the vaccine.

On Wednesday, the CDC announced that 4 million people in the U.S. have received the latest COVID-19 vaccine since it was approved last month.

President’s dog removed from White House after biting incidents

President Biden’s dog, Commander, was removed from the White House on Wednesday after a series of biting incidents involving White House staff and Secret Service officers. It is not known where the 2-year-old German shepherd will go next.

Commander is said to have bitten or attacked Secret Service members on at least 10 occasions. The most recent occurred on Sept. 25 when the dog bit a uniformed Secret Service officer at the White House.

Elizabeth Alexander, the communication director for first lady Jill Biden, said the Bidens remain grateful to all those involved as they work through solutions and next steps are evaluated.

This is the second of the president’s dogs to be removed from the White House for aggressive behavior. Major, also a German shepherd, was sent to live with family friends in Delaware after multiple biting incidents.

Uber customers can use app to return packages

If you never have time to head to the post office to return a package, Uber is offering help.

The ride-share company announced Wednesday that customers in 52 metropolitan areas, covering nearly 5,000 cities like Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York, can now request a courier through the Uber app. There is a flat fee of $5 to use the service.

Uber customers can choose where they want their packages delivered — either to the post office, UPS, or FedEx stores. Up to five packages can be returned at a time.

And there seem to be a lot of things to return these days. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers returned more than $816 billion in merchandise in 2022.