Body found in Wyoming believed to be missing YouTuber Gabby Petito – National & International News – MON 20Sept2021

Body found in Wyoming believed to be missing Youtuber. ICE deports 1000s of migrants sheltering under TX bridge. AUKUS: N. Korea, UN warn of Cold War.

NATIONAL NEWS

Body found in Wyoming believed to be missing YouTuber Gabby Petito

Police believe that a body found in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park is that of missing YouTuber Gabby Petito, 22. FBI investigator Charles Jones says the remains are “consistent with [Petito’s] description”, but police are still awaiting confirmation through forensic testing. Police have not released a cause of death but have notified Petito’s family.

For anyone who hasn’t been following the still-unfolding drama, Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie, 23, set off on a cross-country trek in Petito’s Ford Transit van in mid-July. Petito posted updates of their journey on social media, which gathered a small following.

On Aug. 12, police in Moab, Utah, pulled the van over for speeding. Police body cameras captured a lengthy exchange between the officers and the couple, who detail a physical altercation that had taken place between them. The police filed no charges against Petito or Laundrie, but separated them for the night.

Gabby goes missing

On Aug. 24, Petito’s family received their last text from Gabby. However, her mother is unsure whether it was really Gabby who sent the text. 

On Sept. 1, Brian Laundrie showed up at the home he shares with his parents in North Port, FL, in Gabby’s van. Gabby was not with him. Laundrie refused to say where Gabby was and has not spoken to law enforcement. Gabby’s family says they have heard nothing from either Laundrie or his family despite reaching out multiple times. The Petito family officially reported Gabby missing on Sept. 11.

Then this past Friday, Sept. 17, Laundrie’s family reported that Brian was missing. They said he had left Tuesday for the Carlton Nature Reserve in Sarasota County, FL, and had not been seen or heard from since. Laundrie’s family also claim Brian left in his own vehicle with nothing but a backpack. This is odd since police found said vehicle at the Laundrie residence. Nevertheless, authorities are combing the 24,000-acre nature reserve searching for Laundrie.

Following the news of Laundrie’s disappearance, Petito’s family released a statement insisting that Laundrie was not “missing” but “hiding”. Police have not filed any charges against Laundrie but have labeled him a “person of interest” in Gabby’s disappearance.

Authorities have already received several tips from members of the public who claim to have encountered the couple around the time of Gabby’s disappearance: Jones, the FBI agent, said: “We continue to seek information from anyone who utilized the Spread Creek dispersed camping area [in Grand Teton] between the dates of 27 August and 30 August; anyone that may have had contact with Gabby or [Brian]; or who may have seen their vehicle in that area. Please share any new information with the FBI.”

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ICE to deport thousands of migrants sheltering under Texas bridge

Depending what reports you believe, between 13,000 and 14,000 migrants have set up a makeshift encampment under a Texas bridge near the Mexican border. Most of the migrants are originally from Haiti, but others hail from Cuba, Brazil and other Latin American countries. Many of the Haitians most recently resided and worked in South America. They made the perilous journey north on foot after work opportunities dried up in their host countries and they were no longer able to support themselves. 

The bridge connects Del Rio, TX, to Ciudad Acuña in Mexico. The migrants have taken shelter underneath it with temperatures averaging around 100 degrees. Many already on the Texas side have to cross back to Acuña to get water and food to bring back to their families. Conditions are already overcrowded, dangerous and unsanitary, and thousands more migrants may still be on the way.

Biden continues Trump-era deportation policy

Several deportation flights have already taken off from nearby airports transporting Haitians back to Haiti. Given the current humanitarian crisis in Haiti following last month’s massive earthquake, it’s not clear why the Haitians are returning to Haiti and not to their previous host countries. 

The deportations are authorized under Title 42, a public health measure which Trump enacted and Biden had promised to discontinue.

Senate parliamentarian rules out immigration reform in budget bill

The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that Democrats cannot include sweeping immigration reform measures in the $3.5 trillion budget bill. The parliamentarian says the reforms are not admissible in a reconciliation bill since it has little bearing on the budget. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the party will submit alternative proposals in hopes of swaying the parliamentarian.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

AUKUS deal: North Korea, UN warn of nuclear arms race, Cold War

Last week’s announcement of a new defense pact between Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS) has set the international fur flying. First to react following the news was France, who lost out on a $90 billion submarine deal with Australia. French officials claim Australia “blindsided” them with its decision to take a better offer of nuclear-powered sub technology from the US. France is now in the throes of a full-blown hissy fit, announcing its withdrawal from a defense pact with the UK. Analysts see this as an impotent show of France’s indignation at being sidelined.

China was also quick to react, saying that the defense deal reflects a “Cold War mentality”. The AUKUS deal is most pointedly, if not explicitly, aimed at countering China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Now, North Korea says the deal could “upset the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region” and trigger a “nuclear arms race”. And UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging both China and the US to back down from a Cold War posture.