Friday News Roundup - Domestic

WAMU 88.5

Published August 16, 2019 at 10:06 AM EDT

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 12: Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli speaks about immigration policy at the White House during a briefing.

This week, the Trump administration announced new regulations that would significantly decrease the number of immigrants who can legally enter and remain in the U.S.

CNN reports:

The rule means many green card and visa applicants could be turned down if they have low incomes or little education, and have used benefits such as most forms of Medicaid, food stamps, and housing vouchers, because they’d be deemed more likely to need government assistance in the future.

It will encourage “self-reliance and self-sufficiency for those seeking to come to or stay in the United States,” said acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli, appearing in the White House briefing room. In doing so, though, it’ll likely make it harder for low-income immigrants to come to the US.

The rule is set to take effect Oct.15. How many immigrants will be impacted?

We’re also following the latest on a financial measurement that could spell trouble for the U.S economy: an inverted yield curve. CNBC called the curve a “recession warning,” noting that the last time that part of the yield curve was inverted occurred in 2005 — two years before a major recession.

So how worried should we be? “Experts put the chance of a recession at 30 percent, which is higher than normal,” The Wall Street Journal’s Greg Ip told us this week. “But economies are complicated things! Nothing is predestined.”

Plus, we cover new momentum on gun control legislation, changes to the Endangered Species Act, Israel’s decision to bar two American congresswomen from entering the country and the latest in the 2020 presidential race.

We’re wrapping up the week’s top domestic stories.

GUESTS

Domenico Montanaro, Lead political editor, NPR; @DomenicoNPR

Laura Barron-Lopez, National political reporter, Politico; @lbarronlopez

David Gura, Correspondent, NBC News; host, “Up with David Gura” on MSNBC; @davidgura

For more, visit https://the1a.org.