'Start Here': Cutbacks for migrant kids, Dems debate abortion, YouTube vs. extremism
Here's what you need to know to start your day.
It's Thursday, June 6, 2019. Let's start here.
1. Border cutbacks
U.S. representatives are meeting with a delegation from Mexico today for a second round of talks aimed at reaching a trade deal before President Donald Trump imposes a 5% tariff on Mexican imports.
The Trump administration also announced on Wednesday significant cutbacks to educational, legal and recreational programs for an estimated 13,000 undocumented migrant children in custody.
"Additional resources are urgently required to meet the humanitarian needs created by this influx," Mark Weber, a spokesman for the Health and Human Services Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement, said in a statement to ABC News.
HHS said Wednesday it would scale down activities that don't deal with "life and safety" issues, according to ABC News' Anne Flaherty.
"Any program that would require money -- a lawyer, immigration services, English as a second language, for example -- those would probably fall to the wayside," she says today on "Start Here."
2. '#NoMiddleGround'
Former Vice President Joe Biden is defending himself to other Democratic presidential hopefuls after he reaffirmed his support for the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding from being used to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or saving a mother's life.
"He has not at this point changed his position on the Hyde Amendment," Biden's campaign confirmed to ABC News in a statement sent Wednesday. "The Hyde Amendment does not prevent organizations in the U.S. that provide lifesaving health care services for women from receiving the federal funding they need. But given the current draconian attempts to limit access to abortion, if avenues for women to access their protected rights under Roe V Wade are closed, he would be open to repeal."
At least nine of his Democratic primary competitors have called for repealing the measure, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted, "There is #NoMiddleGround on women's rights."
As legal challenges to abortion bans in several states have sparked a national conversation about Roe v. Wade, ABC News' Molly Nagle says abortion is becoming a "litmus test" for Democrats in 2020 and "something that Democrats are going to have to face: what is and is not OK when it comes to stances on abortion."
3. YouTube wants to ban racist, hateful, fake garbage
YouTube said it's banning what it believes are white supremacist, hoax-laden and/or hateful videos as criticism of social media sites for not doing so piles up.
"These sites have been set up, essentially, to promote content that is going to keep people watching, keep people engaging with it," Will Sommer, a tech and internet reporter at the Daily Beast, tells us. "As it turns out, a lot of times that is extreme content or it's conspiracy theories."
In a blog post announcing the changes, YouTube said, in part: "The openness of YouTube's platform has helped creativity and access to information thrive. It's our responsibility to protect that, and prevent our platform from being used to incite hatred, harassment, discrimination and violence."
4. Politicians honor soldiers
The president will join world leaders today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy.
ABC World News Tonight Anchor David Muir has been documenting the journey of some of the surviving American heroes who have returned to the battlefield, some for the first time in decades.
"As they took in the very beach where they landed, and stormed the beach through the water, they described the deafening sound of the mine explosions and taking fire," Muir reports from Normandy. "They had people that they had never met, perfect strangers, walking up to them on the beach, thanking them."
"Start Here," ABC News' flagship podcast, offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn or the ABC News app. Follow @StartHereABC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for exclusive content and show updates.
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From our friends at FiveThirtyEight:
2019 Women's World Cup predictions: France and the U.S. are heavy favorites.
Doff your cap:
Tan France -- and the rest of the "Queer Eye" cast -- is simply an inspiration.
The man uses his fashion expertise to help those featured on his show break out of their shell and live life to the fullest. But before he was part of the "Queer Eye" phenomenon, France battled his own insecurities.
In his memoir, "Naturally Tan," the Pakistani style guru, who grew up in England, admits to bleaching his skin at 10 years old.
"Since then, I've been ashamed of the fact that I succumbed to the pressure," he writes, admitting that it hurt like heck, too. "Now, if you ask me what my favourite thing about my appearance is, I'll say my skin. I think my skin colour is beautiful."