WASHINGTON — If it’s Thursday ... President Biden weighs releasing 1 million barrels of oil per day from Strategic Petroleum Reserve, NBC’s Peter Alexander reports. ... Biden speaks on energy prices. ... More than 50 House Republicans attend a fundraiser for Rep. Liz Cheney's, R-Wyo., opponent, per NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard. ... The NBC News poll finds 1-in-5 Americans saying they use cryptocurrency. ... And the Midterm Meter still points to “shellacking” territory for Democrats.
But first: Just as the Biden administration tries to solve one problem (tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower gas prices), it now faces another problem (a potential surge at the border).
NBC’s Julia Ainsley reports that the administration “is preparing to lift Title 42, the public health authority the U.S. has used since the spring of 2020 to stop the spread of Covid by preventing immigrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to claim asylum.”
Officials say the policy will be lifted on May 23.
More from Ainsley: “U.S. officials, state governors and local officials have warned of a potential surge of more than 170,000 migrants across the border if Title 42 is lifted. Thousands of would-be asylum seekers have been waiting in camps on the Mexican side of the border while Title 42 has been in effect.”
And there’s this: “One senior Department of Homeland Security official said there is concern inside the agency that setting a date to lift Title 42 for over a month away will incentivize more would-be immigrants to leave their homes now in hopes of being allowed into the United States in May.”
Team Biden has tried to compartmentalize the situation at the border, balancing those who want better treatment of asylum seekers, versus others who want a tough-on-border-crossing approach.
But it looks like they will soon have another problem on their hands.
Tweet of the day
Data Download: The number of the day is … 21 percent
That’s the share of adults surveyed in the latest NBC News poll who say they have invested in, traded or used cryptocurrency. A plurality of that group — 42 percent — are between the ages of 18 and 34, while 34 percent are between the ages of 35 and 49. More than one-third of crypto users are people of color, and roughly one-third resided in urban areas.
Nineteen percent of Americans view cryptocurrency positively, versus 25 percent who viewed it negatively. A majority have either a neutral view or no view at all.
To dive further into these numbers, check out the MTP blog.
And tune into NBC News Now at 10:30 pm for the latest episode of “Meet the Press Reports,” which explores “the wild west of crypto currency.”
Other numbers you need to know today:
107: The number of Hispanic candidates running for the House as Republicans, a record number according to the National Republican Congressional Committee.
13: The number of states that have laws limiting transgender participation in school sports (Oklahoma’s governor signed his state’s bill into law Wednesday).
150: The estimated number of Capitol Police officers who have left the department since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. That’s double the typical attrition rate, USCP chief Thomas Manger told lawmakers.
$500 million: The amount of additional “direct budgetary aid” the U.S. will provide to Ukraine.
More than 50: The number of House Republicans who attended a fundraiser last night for Harriet Hageman, the Republican (who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump) challenging Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, per NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard.
