Today’s Big Story

Biden’s Border Order

Rolling out asylum restrictions, months in the making, to help ‘gain control’ of border crossings

President Biden on Tuesday unveiled plans to enact immediate significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The long-anticipated presidential proclamation will bar migrants from being granted asylum as long as illegal border crossings remain above an average of 2,500 per day, administration officials said. Biden said he preferred more lasting action via legislation, but “Republicans have left me no choice.” Instead, he said he was acting on his own to “gain control of the border” while also insisting that “I believe immigration has always been the lifeblood of America.”

The New York Times called it a “dramatic election-year move to ease pressure on the immigration system and address a major concern among voters.” The measure is the most restrictive border policy instituted by Mr. Biden, or any other modern Democrat, and echoes an effort in 2018 by President Trump to cut off migration that was blocked in federal court.

The Dallas Morning News called the move a step toward solutions that most Americans support. “It’s an imperfect step, and late, and politically motivated. But at least it’s an effort to solve a problem rather than politicize it.” They described the situation as never being “a choice between enforcement and compassion or Republican and Democrat. Instead,” it’s been a choice “between partisan gridlock and solutions-oriented compromise.”

But implementation of the new policy could face challenges. The U.S. will depend on Mexico to take in migrants rejected under the order. While Mexico already receives tens of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans every month under a previous agreement, officials did not indicate that Mexico will expand that cooperation. Congress also has not provided any new funds to help carry out such a shift in process and policy and the ACLU has already said it planned to challenge the order in court.

As the politics and legality of the Biden administration's new executive action continue to play out, migrants are battling deadly, triple-digit heat as they attempt to cross into the U.S. near El Paso, Texas, reports CNN. Emergency responders last weekend responded to multiple emergencies involving heat-related illnesses that resulted in the deaths of four migrants, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.

Streaming Bundles Are on the Rise

Pair up and package them if it will save us a little money

Remember when streaming was supposed to let us watch whatever we wanted, whenever we want, for a sliver of the cost of cable? Well, so much for that. In recent years, streaming has gotten confusing and expensive as more services than ever are vying for eyeballs. It seems to have done the impossible: make people miss the good old-fashioned cable bundle.

And so, the streaming wars have suddently become a lot more civil as more and more companies bundle their services. Fast Company says user retention is at the heart of this bundling movement. Churn is a problem, as people cancel subscriptions, perhaps resubscribe for a month when the latest season of the show they follow comes out, then cancel again. “Unreliable subscriber numbers give investors heartburn, but by having several services under one (ultimately lower) bill, streaming services are betting people will just stick around.”

According to Vulture, rivals Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have put aside their differences to offer consumers a bundle of their three flagship platforms that will launch this summer. And Variety reports that Comcast, as its legacy cable TV business continues to shrink, has built a new cable-style bundle for the streaming era.

MDMA’s Federal Approval Drama

Advisers to the FDA said using ecstasy to boost therapy for people with PTSD wasn’t effective

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee overwhelmingly voted Tuesday that evidence is lacking that MDMA-assisted therapy is effective for treating post-traumatic stress disorder, and that the benefits don’t outweigh the risks to patients, dealing a potential blow to what could be the first psychedelic treatment the agency approves.

If the FDA follows its advisers, as it typically does, it could upend a burgeoning industry already banking on using a variety of mind-altering drugs to treat disorders ranging from depression to anxiety. And, Politico says, there’s a profound need for better PTSD treatments. “Current options are notoriously ineffective, with many people with PTSD left white-knuckling through daily life.”

According to Vox, the FDA’s final decision is slated to arrive by August 11. If MDMA therapy is approved, it would also be the first new treatment for PTSD in over two decades, a condition which affects about 13 million Americans. Should the drug fail to win approval, it would be a monumental setback for the field of psychedelic medicine and investors who have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into companies developing psychedelics to treat mental health conditions.

Dr Pepper Just Surpassed Pepsi

It’s now the number two soda brand in the U.S.

Coca-Cola is still the top soda in America. It probably always will be. But the runner up spot, long held by rival Pepsi, now belongs to Dr Pepper. It was close, but the Doctor secured the second-most favorite by a slight margin over Pepsi, which held the runner-up position since 1985. Both drinks, however, tied with a soda market rate of 8.3%.

That news might have surprised even some of Dr Pepper’s most ardent fans, many of whom revel in the kind of weird aura that surrounds their beloved, inscrutable drink. After all, try to describe the soda’s flavor and you’re somewhat at a loss, right? “Prune juice.” “Barbecued water.” “Elixir of the gods.” Those are just some of the phrases used to describe the un-pin-downable soda brand whose secret recipe is said to include 23 flavors.

And while I’m sure fans love the uniquely sweet and peppery taste of Dr Pepper, a lot of the brand's recent success has come through social media and marketing. Just last month, social media was in an uproar over Pickle Dr Pepper, a bizarre concoction made using the soda and sliced pickles. There are countless videos on TikTok of users ordering the drink along with the mixed “Dirty Dr Pepper”.

Worth a Listen

The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast

Is it another rewatch show? Technically, yes. But when the formula works, it really works, you know? As the admirably generic title indicates, this podcast features Seth Meyers, former head writer of Saturday Night Live (2006–14), anchoring a breezy retrospective of the collected works of the Lonely Island (a.k.a. the comedy trio Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer), whose digital shorts helped usher SNL into the internet age—and, in some ways, shaped the internet’s humor as well. The show delves into that specific moment in time right that seems, well, simpler and funnier.

Make your luck.