The White House explores deploying the National Guard to ease the supply chain crisis, but it is unlikely to use this option. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he’s not ruling out the possibility of using the National Guard to help unload cargo, as the backlog of ships waiting to unload at the biggest U.S. port is setting records. The executive director of the Port of Los Angeles told CNN, “We have about two weeks’ worth of work sitting at anchor right now,” adding that some 200,000 shipping containers remain on ships off the coast.
Southwest Airlines says it won’t put unvaccinated workers on unpaid leave if they are waiting for a vaccine exemption. Meanwhile, media reports note the Biden administration is secretly flying underage migrants to suburban New York. The New York Post reported two planes landing at the Westchester County Airport, adding most of the passengers who got off appeared to be children and teens, with a small portion appearing to be men in their 20s. A reporter asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki about children flown from the border in the middle of the night. She says the administration is fulfilling a responsibility.
A report says Facebook is planning to rebrand itself with a focus on its virtual world Metaverse. The report says the company wants to be known for more than social media. Facebook also owns Instagram and WhatsApp. The move would position all three platforms under one brand. And Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been added to an ongoing lawsuit against the social media giant over privacy issues. Officials say Zuckerberg was shown to be personally involved in decisions that gave consulting firm Cambridge Analytica access to Facebook user data.
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