President Biden allowing thousands of migrant children to rot in cages . . . Things are much WORSE under Biden than there were at the height of the crisis under Trump. All of this is Biden’s fault, because, without a plan, he changed a humane immigration policy under Trump that had vastly decreased the number of children and others attempting to illegally cross the border. According to a piece by Nick Miroff, an honest reporter at the liberal Washington Post: The magnitude of the crisis facing President Biden at the U.S.-Mexico border came into clearer focus Wednesday as the new administration was holding record numbers of unaccompanied migrant teens and children in detention cells for far longer than legally allowed and federal health officials fell further behind in their race to find space for them in shelters. More than 8,500 migrant teens and children who crossed the border without their parents are being housed in Department of Health and Human Services shelters as they wait to be placed with relatives or vetted sponsors. Nearly 3,500 more are stuck at Border Patrol stations waiting for beds in those shelters to open up, the highest figure ever. White House Dossier

Trump signals his plans to field team for 2022 midterm elections . . . Former President Donald Trump is trying to field an army of his own for the 2022 midterm elections — whether GOP leaders like it or not. Mr. Trump fired warning shots over the bow of the national party by first forbidding the use of his image in fundraising and then by cajoling former NFL player Hershel Walker to return to his home state of Georgia to run for the U.S. Senate in 2022. David Johnson, a Georgia-based GOP strategist, said it is clear Mr. Trump still believes that shady actors stole the election from him and feels abandoned by the national party and elected Republican leaders. Mr. Trump is targeting his ire at the party committees tasked with protecting GOP incumbents — including those who voted to impeach or convict him for inciting the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Washington Times

The eight Republicans who voted to tighten background checks on guns . . . Eight House GOP lawmakers bucked party lines and joined Democrats in supporting legislation aimed at strengthening background checks on firearm sales and transfers on Thursday. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act — spearheaded by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) — ultimately passed in a 227-203 vote, with one Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Jared Golden (Maine), opting to vote against it. The bill would put new background check requirements in place for gun transfers between private parties. Currently, unlicensed and private sellers are not required to conduct background checks for transfers on firearms despite licensed dealers being required to do so. The Hill

Russia would retaliate if U.S. deployed missiles in Japan: Interfax cites foreign ministry . . . Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday said Moscow would retaliate should the United States deploy ground-based missiles in Japan, the Interfax news agency reported. Reuters

Lawmakers roll out bill to protect critical infrastructure after Florida water hack . . . A group of bipartisan House lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation intended to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks after an unsuccessful hack of a Florida water treatment facility.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Industrial Control Systems Enhancement Act, spearheaded by House Homeland Security Committee ranking member John Katko (R-N.Y.), would give more authority to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to protect critical systems against attacks. The CISA director would be required to maintain the ability to detect and respond to attacks on industrial control systems, and also be able to provide assistance to critical infrastructure groups. The Hill 

WH says stimulus cash deposits will come ‘early as this weekend’ . . . Stimulus money will begin to pour into Americans’ bank accounts on Saturday and Sunday, the White House said Thursday. “People can expect to start seeing direct deposits hit their bank accounts as early as this weekend,” press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill on Thursday. The relief package includes direct-aid checks of $1,400 for adults earning up to $75,000 annually and couples clearing up to $150,000 per year. It also extends a $300 weekly unemployment supplement through Sept. 6, and gives all but the wealthiest parents a new annual tax credit of $3,000-$3,600 per child, up from the current $2,000 per child. New York Post

Stampede for Dr. Seuss books sends sales up 34% . . . The book industry saw sales surge 34 percent last week — thanks in part to the stampede for Dr. Seuss titles following moves to end the publication of six books over racially offensive images. Much of the demand was driven by Dr. Seuss, which commanded four of the top five bestselling books on the week ending March 8. “The Cat in the Hat” sold about 105,000 copies last week, compared to 22,000 copies in the first week of March last year. Sales of “Green Eggs and Ham” nearly tripled to 90,000 from 34,000, and “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” sold 88,000 copies compared to 26,000 in the same week a year ago. New York Post

Parler still working on return to Apple app store after Big Tech's rejection . . . Parler says it’s still trying to get back into Apple’s good graces after tech titan reportedly rejected its bid to return to the app store. The controversial social network has spent two months trying to address the iPhone maker’s concerns about violent content that got the Parler app booted from Apple’s platform following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. After Parler relaunched in mid-February with new community guidelines in place, Apple told the startup that it had not done enough to comply with its policies against objectionable content. New York Post

'Human error' allowed intruder with 'mouse ears' to enter base housing Air Force One . . . The intruder who accessed the flight line at Joint Base Andrews, the home of Air Force One, and entered a military aircraft was spotted in part because he was wearing a hat that resembled rodent ears. An Air Force investigative report, which was released on Thursday with redactions, attributed the intrusion to "human error" and stressed that the man did not get near the plane that is used by President Biden. The man was arrested on Feb. 4 after he sneaked into the base and wandered around for five hours. He was wearing “a bright red or pink cap that partially covered his ears and had distinctive balls on top that looked a little like mouse ears," the Air Force inspector general said. The intruder was taken into custody after an airman noticed the "distinctive hat" and called security after becoming suspicious of his presence at the base. Air Force Inspector General Sami Said said that it is unclear how long the suspect was walking around the Maryland base before he was discovered. Washington Examiner