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Biden presiding over ‘child abuse’ at border, Texas Gov. Abbott claims
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott demanded Wednesday that the White House close a San Antonio facility housing migrant children following allegations that some of them were being sexually assaulted.

During a news conference, Abbott told reporters he received tips that children at the Freeman Coliseum facility also were not eating enough.

“These problems are a byproduct of President Biden’s open-border policies and the lack of planning for the fallout for those disastrous policies,” Abbott said.

Separate complaints were sent to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Texas Department of Family and Protective services Wednesday, alleging four different kinds of child abuse, he said. The agencies then informed the state leadership.

“In short, this facility is a health and safety nightmare. The Biden administration is now presiding over the abuse of children,” Abbott told reporters. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.

In other developments:
– Texas Sen. John Cornyn demands federal probe into San Antonio child migrant abuse allegations
– White House defends Kamala Harris’ travel after visiting places other than border
– MS-13 gang member caught entering US illegally, Border Patrol announces
– More than 130 undocumented migrants surrender to Arizona Border Patrol
– Hundreds of migrants caught at US-Mexico border as video of young boy raises pressure on Biden administration
– Rep. McCaul says Biden’s immigration policies a ‘victory’ for traffickers and ‘very bad defeat’ for children

Kamala Harris pledged to visit border ‘at some point,’ but two weeks later White House has no update
Vice President Harris said in late March that she would visit the U.S. southern border, but two weeks later there is still no update on when that trip will happen.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she didn’t have “any trips to outline or preview” when asked if Harris had scheduled a trip to the border. Harris was designated in March as Biden’s point person to deal with what the White House describes as “root causes” of the border crisis.

“I don’t have any trips to outline or preview. What our focus is on is solutions and ensuring we have more beds, we’re making processing more efficient and effective and that we are addressing this in a humane way that keeps these kids as safe as we possibly can,” Psaki told reporters Wednesday.

Harris took heat in March for laughing when a reporter asked if she would be visiting the border amid the growing migrant crisis.

“Not today,” she said. Shortly after, she said in a March 24 interview that she “absolutely” will visit the border “at some point.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
– Kamala Harris has gone 15 days without a news conference since being tapped for border crisis role
– GOP’s McCarthy says VP Harris should attend FBI-CIA terror briefing: ‘I know she hasn’t been to the border’
– Nikki Haley blasts Harris as ‘missing in action’ on border: ‘God help us if she ever becomes president’
– Mayorkas — not Biden or Harris — heading to Texas border towns Thursday
– White House defends Kamala Harris’ travel after visiting places other than border
– VP Harris visits Chicago bakery even as border crisis escalates

CBS News issues new statement backing DeSantis report, again fails to defend ‘pay-for-play’ narrative
CBS News late Wednesday issued a third statement defending its “60 Minutes” report targeting Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, though the network continued to avoid discussing the story’s most explosive claim.

DeSantis has accused “60 Minutes” of lying and pushing a false narrative about a “pay-for-play” scheme in which he allegedly rewarded the grocery store chain Publix with coronavirus vaccine distribution rights after the company donated $100,000 to his campaign. The allegation triggered a fierce backlash, including from Florida Democrats who defended the GOP governor.

CBS News doubled down in a statement provided to Fox News, but focused not on the alleged corruption, but the racial disparities of vaccine distribution.

“Last week’s 60 Minutes story was about the vaccine roll-out to seniors in Palm Beach County and focused on a lack of access for minority communities,” CBS began. “Governor DeSantis’ comments about this piece do not acknowledge that his senior constituents in the Glades did not have easy access to a Publix for the vaccine. The Glades is an underserved portion of Palm Beach County with a population of 31,000 that was the focus of the 60 Minutes report.”

The statement stressed that Publix was the “only” pharmacy in Palm Beach County to have access to the vaccine in January, when “the mostly Black and Hispanic senior residents of the Glades would need to drive 25 miles if they had a car or take a bus ride to the nearest pharmacy.” The statement added that many residents of the Glades “do not own a computer or a smartphone.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
– Botched DeSantis report latest example of ’60 Minutes’ pushing liberal views, undermining Republicans
– Coverage of ’60 Minutes’ fiasco focuses on ‘gift’ to DeSantis, not journalistic blunder
– Sen. Rick Scott declines to defend DeSantis during Fox News interview on Publix controversy
– PolitiFact admits CBS ‘could’ have ‘deceptively edited’ DeSantis remarks, stops short of stating it as fact
– Florida Dem claims he told CBS DeSantis-Publix story was ‘bulls—‘; producer says info used ‘on background’

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TODAY’S MUST-READS:
– Biden to target ‘ghost guns,’ stabilizing braces in new gun control actions
– Tucker slams Arkansas governor over ‘castration’ veto: He did ‘exactly’ what Walmart scion ‘wanted him to do’
– Manchin says ‘no’ to ending or weakening the filibuster
– Greg Gutfeld: The mainstream media want Americans to hate each other. Don’t play their game
– Texas man charged with manslaughter after kids riding in backhoe bucket fall to their death
– MLB commissioner decided to move All-Star Game after pressure from Stacey Abrams on voting issues: sources

THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS:
– Mark Zuckerberg caught using Signal secure chat app, main competitor of Facebook-owned WhatsApp: report
– Colorado vaccination site closes early after reactions to Johnson & Johnson vaccine
– IRS says stimulus checks on the way to Social Security recipients
– Amazon contests hundreds of ballots amid union election in Alabama: report
– Fed says economic recovery picking up, still not concerned about inflation
– Most schools not fully open despite funding injection from Dems’ $1.9T relief bill

#The Flashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on “This Day in History.”

SOME PARTING WORDS

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz slammed Democrats as “the party of Big…Big Business, Big Tech, Big Hollywood, Big Unions, Big Government.”

The Texas Republican’s Twitter message had Fox News’ Shannon Bream discussing on “Fox News @ Night” how Republicans view the current political climate as a “defining moment in American politics.”

“Republicans are the party of the little guy,” Cruz continued. “Small business, blue-collar workers, cops, firefighters, waiters and waitresses.”

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Fox News First was compiled by Fox News’ Jack Durschlag. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We’ll see you in your inbox first thing Friday.