Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your midday brief for Thursday, February 12th. I'm Pierre Bien-Aimé for The Wall Street Journal.
The Trump administration is ending its immigration crackdown in Minnesota. U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan said today that, quote, Operation Metro Surge is ending. Homan said the crackdown has achieved the Trump administration's public safety goals and has led to more than 4,000 arrests in the state. Officers detailed to Minneapolis are leaving in the next week.
Minnesota Democrats quickly declared victory following the announcement. Sales of existing homes in the U.S. dropped 8.4% in January.
Chapter 2: What recent changes are being made to immigration policy in Minnesota?
It's the biggest monthly drop in nearly four years.
Snowstorms and low consumer confidence slowed a housing market that was showing signs of recovery. Homes are sitting longer on the market given high home prices and average 30-year mortgage rates stuck above 6%. And AI startup Anthropic said today it is donating $20 million to a group pushing for safety guardrails and transparency from AI developers.
The group, Public First, was set up to oppose a super PAC network launched by executives at OpenAI and venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. The group, backed by the OpenAI executives, is meant to fight what they say is burdensome regulation.
The two sides are at the center of a growing war over how to regulate AI, a hot-button issue ahead of the midterm elections.
Heads Up, an artificial intelligence tool, helped us make this episode by creating summaries that were based on WSJ reporting and then reviewed and adapted by an editor. We'll have more coverage of the day's news on the WSJ's What's News podcast. You can add it to your playlist on your smart speaker or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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