South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem gives a State of the State address in Pierre, S.D., on Jan. 8, 2019. (James Nord/AP Photo) Policy

By Masooma Haq March 22, 2021 Updated: March 22, 2021

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday announced the formation of a national coalition to “Defend Title IX” to protect the rights of female athletes and keep competition fair.

During a press conference Monday morning, Noem said, “Today we’re announcing that we’re forming a coalition called DefendTitleIXNow.com,” referring to the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational programs and activities. “The coalition will consist of athletes, leaders, and everybody who cares about protecting women’s sports.”

Noem said that the coalition is separate from the debate surrounding House Bill 1217, titled Promote Continued Fairness in Women’s Sports, which bars biological males from competing in women’s or girls’ sports, because the coalition’s focus will be on women’s rights and maintaining a fair competitive environment in women’s sports and Title IX, not transgender athletes rights.

However, the governor said one of the main motivators for creating the coalition is to build enough support to push back against any pressure from groups like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which insists on requiring biological males be included in girls’ sports.

“Once we have enough states on board, a coalition brought big enough where the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] cannot possibly punish us all, then we can guarantee fairness at the collegiate level,” Noem added.

Noem said after consulting legal scholars she decided that the coalition to protect Title IX will be far more effective and cost-efficient than getting into a legal battle about transgender women playing on female sports teams.

“We’ve been trying to figure out how to defend women’s sports effectively. These legal scholars think that South Dakota’s chances of winning a lawsuit against the NCAA are very low. When it comes to this issue if South Dakota passes a law that’s against their policy, they will likely take punitive action against us.”

Recently, a letter signed by more than 500 college athletes was sent to the NCAA urging the organization to “only operate championships and events in states that promote an inclusive atmosphere.”

To date, close to 20 states have introduced legislation barring biological males from competing on female teams, including recently Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, who signed such a bill for which his state is likely to be sued by civil rights and private organizations like the NCAA. Idaho was sued last year for such a bill.

Noem is trying to get around these legal issues by focusing on Title IX of the federal law. She said she is asking members of the coalition to sign a pledge to protect fairness in women’s sports.

The Pledge reads: “The undersigned agree that Title IX needs to be protected and that we commit to working together to keep fairness in women’s sports. We believe that only girls should play girls’ sports. Title IX was passed to protect fairness for women. The federal government should enforce Title IX in a way that protects fairness for women’s sports, rather than misusing it in a way that undermines fairness. The NCAA and other athletic sanctioning bodies should not take any adverse actions against any state or school that acts to protect fairness for women.”

The South Dakota governor said the coalition would refer to a person’s birth certificate designation to define their sexual identity.

Noem’s effort to protect the rights of biological female athletes by forming this national coalition is in sharp contrast to Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives passing the Equality Act, which they say is an anti-discrimination set of laws aimed at giving transgender individuals equal rights under the law. Opponents say it would penalize religious people for their beliefs about marriage and biological sex.

Last week Noem made headlines when she returned House Bill 1217 to the legislature with a ‘style and form veto’ with suggested revisions she wants to be made before signing.

At Monday’s press conference she said she is still eager to sign the bill if the changes are made.

Former NFL players Hershel Walker and Jack Brewer spoke at Noem’s press conference as advocates for keeping biological males out of female sports competitions.

“Now, I can classify myself as a woman and compete in the Olympics and probably win a gold medal in certain events today [by simply] saying I’m a woman,” said Walker.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with members of the public of Crimea via a video link in Moscow on March 18, 2021. (Alexey Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

By Li Hai March 22, 2021 Updated: March 22, 2021

The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed regret that the Biden administration didn’t support the suggestion for a live discussion between the two world leaders, claiming that the United States missed an opportunity to improve bilateral relations.

“We regret to note that the American side has not supported the proposal made by President of Russia Vladimir Putin to U.S. President Joe Biden to hold a live broadcast discussion on March 19 or 22, 2021, on the problems that have accumulated in bilateral relations, as well as on the subject of strategic stability,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Last week, Putin challenged Biden to a live debate after Biden called him a “killer” during an interview.

“I want to propose to President Biden to continue our discussion, but on the condition that we do it basically live, as it’s called. Without any delays and directly in an open, direct discussion,” Putin told Russian state TV on March 16.

Putin said he didn’t want to put it off for long and hoped the two leaders could do it either on March 19 or 22. “We are ready at any time convenient for the American side,” he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded on March 18 that discussion was unlikely, saying that Biden is scheduled to travel to Georgia the next day and is “quite busy.”

On March 19, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre added that Biden would meet Putin “when the time is right.”

Biden “was asked a direct question, and he gave a direct answer, and he’s not going to back off. He’s going to be very frank and very open about that relationship, especially when he is asked directly,” Jean-Pierre said.

Before leaving Washington for Georgia on March 19, Biden told reporters, “I’m sure we’ll talk at some point.”

“One more opportunity has been missed to find a way out of the deadlock in Russian-US relations created through the fault of Washington,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added on Monday. “Responsibility for this lies entirely with the United States.”

The White House didn’t respond to a request from The Epoch Times for comment.

On March 20, Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, left for Moscow. The embassy said the trip was to discuss ways to rectify Russia-U.S. relations “that are in crisis,” referring to the bilateral ties as being in a “deadlock.”

Earlier this month, Antonov criticized the United States for claiming that Russia had meddled in the 2020 election and poisoned Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny.

The United States declared sanctions against Russia for the poisoning on March 2.

Jack Phillips and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

The San Diego Convention Center is seen in San Diego, Calif., on July 22, 2020. (Daniel Knighton/Getty Images) Immigration & Border Security

By Zachary Stieber March 23, 2021 Updated: March 23, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

The federal government is converting another convention center into a shelter for illegal immigrants amid a border surge that has shown no sign of slowing down.

Health Secretary Xavier Becerra requested help from the city of San Diego to house some of the unaccompanied minors who have been crossing into the United States from Mexico, Mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher, both Democrats, said in a joint statement.

The officials agreed over the weekend to open the San Diego Convention Center to the federal government for use as a temporary shelter.

“The city and county will support this federally funded effort by providing vital services to these vulnerable children who came to our country seeking safety,” Gloria and Fletcher said. “We are working closely with our federal partners to finalize the details for preparing to receive these young people and provide them with care, compassion, and a safe space to transition while they are reunited with families or sponsors.”

No information was given as to how many children would be held, when they would start arriving, and which part of the border they would be coming from.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) didn’t immediately respond to a request for more information.

City officials said the site can be used for as long as three months, with each minor staying there around 30 days. The children will be as old as age 17.

Minors will be provided with food, medical care, a place to sleep and showers, officials said in a statement to news outlets, adding: “A safe and secure recreation area will also be created on the exterior of the facility. The children are not permitted to leave the convention center until reunification occurs.”

Becerra, who was confirmed by the Senate last week and previously served as California’s attorney general, said in a statement that, “Every child in our care deserves a safe place to rest and to know their well-being is addressed.”

“The County and City of San Diego has generously offered to partner with the Department as we abide by the law to provide unaccompanied children with food, sanitation and shelter,” he said. “Our task is to protect the health and safety of unaccompanied children, who are under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, while they go through their immigration proceedings.”

The United States is dealing with a surge in illegal immigrants and has opened or reopened at least four facilities in the past week to hold unaccompanied minors crossing the border.

An agreement was reached earlier this month to house young male migrants in the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.

Illegal border crossings breached 100,000 in February, President Joe Biden’s first full month in office. The number of unaccompanied minors apprehended by border agents jumped from 5,694 in January to nearly 9,300 the following month.

The administration stopped using Title 42 emergency powers amid the COVID-19 pandemic to expel minors, arguing it is not humane to do so. Critics say that decision, as well as confusing messaging from administration officials, has led to the surge.

Leaked photographs on Monday showed children sleeping on floors of a tent holding facility in Texas, with a single pod holding more than 400 unaccompanied male minors.

Border officials told reporters in a call last week that they had over 14,000 minors in custody, news outlets reported.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the photographs highlighted how Border Patrol facilities “are not places for children.”

A temporary processing facility in Donna, Texas, as seen in a photo released by Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. (CBP) Immigration & Border Security

By Jack Phillips March 23, 2021 Updated: March 23, 2021

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials released photos of crowded temporary facilities being used to process illegal immigrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in the midst of a recent surge in migration.

These photos, which were taken in a Donna, Texas, overflow facility, show what appear children sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder on floor mats with what appear to be aluminum blanks—and on benches. Another photo shows a large line of male illegal immigrants waiting to be processing, while another photo shows small children inside a playpen as a TV is showing children’s shows.

The photos were released after Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Project Veritas separately released photos of children sleeping on the floor next to each other. Cuellar told Axios that they’re being kept in “terrible conditions” and said the CBP should transfer them to facilities operated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“More has to be done to address this growing humanitarian crisis,” Cuellar also tweeted. “These migrant children need our help right now. Not later.”

At the same time, members of the media have complained that they are being denied access to observing and reporting on Border Patrol facilities.

On Tuesday, CBP said in a statement that it is continuing “to transfer unaccompanied minors to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as quickly and efficiently as possible after they are apprehended on the Southwest Border.”

The agency added: “In order to protect the health and safety of our workforce and those in our care we continue to discourage external visitors in our facilities; however, CBP is working to balance the need for public transparency and accountability. Still imagery and video are now available of the Donna Processing Center in Donna, Texas, and the Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas.”

The photos also showed a long line of people waiting to use portable toilets that are apparently being used as restroom facilities for children. Another picture shows numerous children sleeping in a transparent pen.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that the Biden administration is “working to finalize details” for allowing the press to see the Border Patrol facilities.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told several news outlets on Sunday that the previous administration is responsible for the immigrant housing situation, while Republicans have said that President Joe Biden’s policies—including a series of executive orders that rescinded several of the previous administration’s immigration rules—triggered the surge.

Former U.S. president Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 28, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Donald Trump

By Samuel Allegri March 22, 2021 Updated: March 22, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

Former President Donald Trump harshly criticized the Biden administration over their policies at the border in two interviews on Monday.

In respect of the growing number of illegal crossings, Trump said “They’ll be coming up by the millions,” in a podcast with Lisa Boothe, a Fox News host.

He warned that the situation will deteriorate toward more severe levels.

“It’s nothing compared to what’s going to be in a couple of months,” said Trump. “As I said before, you have some very bad hombres coming up and we’re taking them into our country and it’s insane.”

“They go into our country. We never find them again; they never come back, a very tiny percentage comes back,” Trump said, referring to the Biden administration’s return to the Obama-era “catch and release” policy in which asylum seekers are released into the interior of the country as they await a court hearing, often never to be seen again.

In another interview with Fox, Trump said most of the people unlawfully entering the country from the southern border are dangerous.

“Many of the people coming are not nonviolent people. They’re violent people, many of the people coming. These countries don’t send out their finest. And in some cases, I’m sure you have wonderful people,” Trump said via phone.

“But you also have criminals, you have murderers, you have sex traffickers. You have a lot of very bad people coming into our country. And they’re doing nothing about it. They’re going to be released or they’re already being released. Yesterday, they announced that they’re just going to let them go into the country. No courts, no nothing. It’s crazy to destroying our country,” he continued on the phone interview.

“People are just pouring into our country will destroy our country, they will destroy our country, you can’t take millions of people, they’ll have millions of people before this mess is over. And they’ve got some kind of a political theory, I guess that it’s a good thing, maybe. I don’t think it is, I think is a very bad thing for our country.”

The former president emphasized that people who want to enter the country should do so legally.

“Again, we want people to come in, but they have to be able to help our country, they have to come in through merit. And they have to come in legally,” Trump said.

McClintock: The Southern Border Crisis

Sponsored by:

by Mark Truppner Published Mar 23, 2021 06:00 am

Congressman Tom McClintock

Congressman Tom McClintock recently spoke on the US House Floor.

McClintock was Tuesday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”. Here are his words:

“Mr. Speaker:

Last year, we finally achieved operational control of our southern border for the first time in decades. The Trump Administration had made it clear that our border would be enforced, and illegal immigration dropped dramatically.

That all ended on January 20th, when Joe Biden issued executive orders to stop deporting illegal immigrants, abandon the border wall, to admit anyone claiming to be under 18, and rescinding the remain in Mexico policy for asylum claims. That message has been heard loud and clear. The border patrol reported more than 100,000 encounters in February alone. That’s the entire population of South Bend, Indiana or Green Bay, Wisconsin. In a single month. And it’s getting worse.

We’re way beyond the debate over whether this is a border crisis. The question now is whether we have a border at all.

What is the Democrats’ response? This bill promises a path to citizenship not only for the 700,000 DACA recipients, but millions more who illegally arrived prior to January 1st, were under 19 when they arrived and have only committed two misdemeanors. How do you prove you qualify? Under this bill, it means having a friend vouch for you.

We all sympathize with those illegally brought here as young children years ago and more than 200 Republicans supported legislation to give them legal status in the 115th Congress. But it included measures that secured our border and enforced our laws to discourage another generation of young people being brought here – exactly as we are now seeing unfold today.

Why are so many children being placed in the hands of Mexican criminal cartels, and forced to suffer the 2,000-mile trail of terror to our border? Because it works.

This bill proves the Mexican crime cartels are right – you’ll be admitted into our country and need only wait for the next amnesty.”

The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML

Border Patrol agents apprehend about two dozen illegal immigrants in Penitas, Texas, on March 11. 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times) US News

By Charlotte Cuthbertson March 22, 2021 Updated: March 22, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

As Americans start to receive the latest round of stimulus checks, a new analysis reveals that about $4.38 billion will also go to illegal immigrants.

The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 2.65 million illegal immigrants have Social Security numbers that allow them to receive stimulus checks. This group of illegal immigrants can be described as “aliens temporarily present without status,” according to Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies.

“These individuals are in the country illegally and could be required to leave. Yet, under the current system, they are still given work authorization and Social Security numbers.”

They include Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status recipients. In addition, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued 882,000 work authorizations and Social Security numbers to other illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2020, the analysis states. These include asylum applicants, as well as those applying for adjustment of status and suspension of deportation, among other categories.

Not included in the numbers are the 1.8 million illegal immigrants that the Social Security Administration has estimated use Social Security numbers that don’t match their names, according to Camarota. Another 600,000 have Social Security numbers from when they were legally in the country, but overstayed their visa.

“There is simply no question that millions of illegal immigrants will receive billions of dollars in COVID relief checks,” Camarota said. “This highlights an even more disturbing fact—illegal immigrants are being issued Social Security numbers in large numbers. This is a clear indication that America is simply not serious about enforcing its immigration laws.”

Asylum-seekers are routinely given work authorization while they wait for their case to be adjudicated—regardless of the merit of the application. While almost 90 percent of those who claim credible fear when presenting themselves at the border pass the initial screening, less than 20 percent are ultimately granted asylum relief by an immigration judge. For Central Americans, that number is less than 10 percent.

During the last border surge in 2019, the southern border became so overwhelmed that most illegal aliens didn’t even claim credible fear, knowing they’d still be released expeditiously into the United States—especially if they were accompanied by a child. Only about 25 percent of illegal border crossers were claiming credible fear, according to Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on July 12, 2019.

In Yuma, Arizona, less than 10 percent made the claim, then-sector Chief Anthony Porvaznik said on April 17, 2019. Follow Charlotte on Twitter: @charlottecuthboFollow Charlotte on Parler: @charlottecuthbo

Received a nice telephone call from LDPCSD GM McGowan today regarding the second January meeting CD received after the request for the March meeting CD. Ready for this? The CD (REM with damaged envelope?) was the CD the GM had mailed back in January that was lost within the USPS until recently and again sent on its way! lol GM McGowan stated the March CD had not even been created yet but confirmed he would be dropping it off at my place again which is greatly appreciated. Hopefully we’ll know what, if any, action is being taken on the county’s attempt to force that loser of a sanitation facility on the LDPCSD. Mariposa County created that situation and should be the entity to deal with it as the LDPCSD (and this community) has had enough trouble the last 40 years with just providing water service according to applicable regulations that Mariposa County LAFCO completely ignored.

My best to you and yours, Lew

President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Donald Trump

By Jack Phillips March 22, 2021 Updated: March 22, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

Former President Donald Trump, in an interview on Monday morning, decried the media landscape in the United States saying it no longer has a “free press.”

Using the current border crisis as an example of a lack of proper coverage, Trump said that “this is not a free press,” according to his interview on Lisa Boothe’s podcast on Monday morning.  “This is a press that we have to be very, very smart to get around, but they don’t cover bad things if it happens to be bad for Democrats. It’s pretty amazing. You take a look at some of the coverage and some of the travesty that’s taking place at the border, and the coverage is not commensurate.”

The former commander-in-chief remarked: “If you look at NBC, ABC, CBS, and of course CNN and MSNBC, and see—if you look at some of those networks—it’s just not covered. It’s covered so little. It’s amazing. And it’s a massive story because it’s going to destroy—it’s going to destroy our country.”

Throughout his presidency, Trump decried the “fake news” media, using the pejorative to describe outlets that he believed promoted certain narratives that went against him or his policies while generally promoting his opponents or critics. The former president also repeatedly panned MSNBC, the New York Times, and CNN—saying these outlets are essentially wings of the Democratic Party.

Over the weekend, one longtime Getty photojournalist, John Moore, called on the Biden administration to allow media workers to observe U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents operate as a massive surge of illegal immigrants arrives at the Southern Border.

“I respectfully ask US Customs and Border Protection to stop blocking media access to their border operations,” Moore wrote on Twitter Friday. “I have photographed CBP under Bush, Obama and Trump but now—zero access is granted to media. These long lens images [were] taken from the Mexican side.”

“There’s no modern precedent for a full physical ban on media access to CBP border operations,” Moore added in another Twitter comment. “To those who might say, cut them some slack—they are dealing with a situation, I’d say that showing the U.S. response to the current immigrant surge is exactly the media’s role.

Recent polls have suggested that Americans are largely distrustful of corporate, mass media. A Gallup poll released last year showed that only 9 percent of Americans trust the media “a great deal” and 31 percent trust it a “fair amount.” Meanwhile, 33 percent have “no trust” at all in the media and 27 percent don’t trust the media “very much,” according to the survey. In other polls, a significant number of Americans have blamed mass media for exacerbating the political divide in the U.S.Help us spread the truth. Share this article with your friends.

Border Patrol agents apprehend a group of illegal immigrants near downtown El Paso, Texas, on March 15, 2021. (Justin Hamel/AFP via Getty Images) Executive Branch

By Jack Phillips March 21, 2021 Updated: March 21, 2021 biggersmallerPrint

The Biden administration has given no access to observe or report on Customs and Border Protection (CPB) operations at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to an award-winning photographer and journalist.

Getty Images correspondent John Moore alleged there is a lack of transparency along the border. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ trip to the border, including El Paso, Texas, “will be closed to press due to privacy and COVID-19 precautions.”

Moore won a 2019 photo for a Honduran toddler crying at the border.

“I respectfully ask US Customs and Border Protection to stop blocking media access to their border operations,” Moore wrote on Twitter Friday. “I have photographed CBP under Bush, Obama and Trump but now – zero access is granted to media. These long lens images taken from the Mexican side.”

Moore described the current situation as unprecedented.

“There’s no modern precedent for a full physical ban on media access to CBP border operations,” Moore added in another Twitter post. “To those who might say, cut them some slack—they are dealing with a situation, I’d say that showing the US response to the current immigrant surge is exactly the media’s role.

Moore added that the “vast majority of river crossings by asylum seekers happen on federal land in south Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. The federal [government] controls access to those areas. The Border Patrol has been removing journalists who enter, including recently myself, CBS, others.”

It comes in the midst of a surge of illegal immigration along the border, including thousands of unaccompanied children who are being housed in federal facilities. In January, President Joe Biden rescinded a number of Trump-era immigration rules, including the Remain in Mexico policy, halted the construction of the border wall, and also has said he would support more pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Republicans have seized on the issue, saying that Biden’s executive actions and messaging led to the unprecedented surge. White House officials, including Mayorkas, blamed former President Donald Trump for allegedly leaving the administration with a broken immigration system. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=jackphillips5&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1372930795548082179&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theepochtimes.com%2Fwhite-house-giving-journalists-zero-access-to-border-patrol-operations-photographer_3742722.html&siteScreenName=EpochTimes&theme=light&widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&width=550px

Separately, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has been questioned during briefings about the lack of press access.

“The DHS oversees the Border Patrol facilities, and we want to work with them to ensure we can do respecting the privacy and obviously the health protocols required by COVID,” the press secretary said on March 18 in response to one question about press access.

A reporter then noted that no photos have been released either about the border crisis.

“Again we remain committed to sharing with all of you data on the number of kids crossing the border, the steps we’re taking, the work we’re doing to open up facilities, our own bar we’re setting for ourselves, improving the and expediting the timeline and the treatment of these children,” Psaki said. “And we remain committed to transparency. I don’t have an update for you on the timeline for access, but it’s certainly something we support.”

The Epoch Times has contacted the DHS for comment.Help us spread the truth. Share this article with your friends.