Good morning.
Joe Biden is expected to announce an executive order on Tuesday that would instruct authorities to temporarily seal the border with Mexico when illegal crossings exceed a daily threshold, in the harshest border action taken so far by his administration.
The order would end asylum requests to the US-Mexico border once 2,500 daily encounters are recorded between legal ports of entry.
The move follows mounting pressure from Republicans and some Democrats and comes amid rising public concern about the number of people reaching the US southern border. The Biden administration’s previous attempt to reach a bipartisan border security deal failed after Donald Trump opposed it to avoid handing Biden a victory on the former president’s key policy platform.
What’s been the reaction? Many progressive and Hispanic lawmakers were alarmed at the comprehensive order, and legal challenges are expected.
Melanoma jab trial results excite doctors
The world’s first personalized mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma halves the risk of patients dying or the disease returning, trial results show.
For patients who received the jab after the removal of a stage 3 or 4 melanoma, the risk of dying or relapse after three years fell by 49%, data showed – a result doctors hailed as “extremely impressive”.
On average, advanced cancer patients face a 50% risk of cancer recurrence after surgery, according to Prof Georgina Long, an oncologist who was a primary investigator on the study. While longer-term data needs to be analyzed, Long said patients in this group faced the highest risk of recurrence within two years of surgery.
How does it work? The jab, which is personalized for each patient, instructs their body to kill any remaining cancer cells and stop the disease from returning.
Benjamin Netanyahu to address joint session of US Congress for fourth time
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will become the first foreign leader to address a joint session of the US Congress four times, after a formal invitation from congressional leaders of both parties.
Netanyahu was invited after Biden’s disclosure of the terms of a new Gaza peace proposal. While the plan had Israel’s backing, Netanyahu over the weekend downplayed the importance of Israeli concessions in the proposed truce, saying a lasting ceasefire that did not involve destroying Hamas would be a “nonstarter”. Analysts warn of the threat of a “forever war” as Hamas has been able to return to areas in which it was earlier defeated.
Netanyahu’s comments on the proposal follow earlier defiance toward the Biden administration, where he strongly opposed any steps towards a two-state solution, and proceeded with the Rafah offensive despite repeated appeals from the White House.
How has Hamas responded to the proposal? The White House said it awaited the group’s official response.
What’s the latest on US protests? San Francisco police on Monday arrested 70 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who occupied the lobby of a building that houses the Israeli consulate.
In other news …
Counting has begun in India’s elections, with exit polls showing incumbent Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) securing a decisive win. Results are expected later on Tuesday in the largest election in world history, as 642 million people went to the polls.
Hong Kong police detained an artist on Monday after he appeared to write the date of the Tiananmen Square massacre in the air with his hand, the night before Tuesday’s 35th anniversary.
The quantity of disinformation has reached “tsunami levels”, EU officials say, with hundreds of staff members working to fact check and debunk ahead of this week’s European elections. The disinformation crisis unit is also prepared to deal with attacks on the legitimacy of the results.
A 36-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a 21-year-old surfer in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. Kye Schaefer died after being found with “significant” stab wounds on 2 May.
Stat of the day: improving energy supply in Pakistan ‘could save 175,000 lives’
Making Pakistan’s energy systems resilient enough to keep the power on in health centers could save more than 175,000 lives in the country by 2030, a study by Unicef has found. The study comes as Pakistan experiences a scorching heatwave – 120F in some areas last week – that has caused demands for power to soar.
Don’t miss this: Americans let you into their bedrooms – in pictures
The American photographer Barbara Peacock spent seven years traveling around the US photographing people in what they define as their bedrooms, ranging from camper vans to one-room bedsits, and under open skies. In this photo essay, Peacock showcases the voices of those whose lives she captured, with one parent saying: “It’s our hearts that keep us together and our large family bed where every night we reconnect.”
Climate check: global rich must pay more to tackle climate crisis, says architect of Paris deal
Rich people around the world must pay more to deal with climate crisis, one of the experts behind the Paris agreement has said. There is a growing consensus that a global wealth tax is necessary as poorer countries struggle to raise the funds needed to cut emissions and cope with the climate emergency’s impacts.
Last Thing: why workload boasts could make you less likable
Do you tend to go on about how unbelievably busy you are to your colleagues? If so, you could be “stress bragging”. A study has found that it may make you less popular and also appear less competent, while making your co-workers feel bad. This handy edition of Pass notes could help you out.
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