(Original airdate June 5, 2022)
Sharyl: Another one of the biggest challenges facing America today is our border crisis, and there’s no sign the Biden administration plans to take any steps to quell the historic flow of illegal border crossers. This season, we were there, witnessing some of the historic traffic, including those infected with Covid.
The following is a transcript of a report from “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.”
Watch the video by clicking the link at the end of the page.
Somewhere in this tall brush, about a mile north of the Mexico border, another group of illegal border crossers has scattered. They’re being tracked by Border Patrol agents following trails of trampled grass.
We began the ride-along with Border Patrol in McAllen, Texas, two hours before sunrise. In a matter of minutes, the first call. Nine people had just crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico. This woman tells us her two children came months ago and are waiting for her in Boston.
Border Patrol never closes, sleeps, or stops, and the Rio Grande Valley sector is the busiest in America during a record-setting year.
Sharyl: This story became ever more relevant with the recent announcement that we had a record number of fentanyl overdose deaths at the same time we had record illegal border crossings, and we know most of the fentanyl comes across the southern border.
Back to Scott Thuman — some of your travels took you to the Mideast, where they’re also having border disputes.
Scott: Yeah, absolutely, and these fights, which we’ve seen for decades now, really seeing a spike as of late, as well as attacks happening in Israel’s capital city of Tel Aviv. We covered both sides of the issue and also covered a lot of ground, from the Golan Heights to the Gaza Strip. We interviewed the Palestinian prime minister, and we also rode along with the Israeli military. But what we found is, there is still a desire from both sides for the U.S to side with them and help ease some of the tensions. And as these attacks continue, especially in this case, you’re going to see here coming not just from Palestinian territory, but also from Lebanon, which certainly complicates matters.
Embedded with the Israeli Defense Force in the far north of the country, I sit next to a soldier, automatic weapon at the ready.
These idyllic hills, the setting recently for a dangerous escalation.
Lieutenant Colonel Amnon Shefler: Sadly, Hezbollah continues to roam these areas freely, build their rockets, stockpile them, put them in the houses right next to schools.
Just days before arriving, and for the first time in 15 years, the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah fired 19 rockets into the area. Israel retaliating from the land and sky, their sights set on the Islamic extremist military and political group opposing Israel and western powers operating here.
From the top of Mount Dov, some 3,000 feet above sea level, Lieutenant Colonel Amnon Shefler unravels the threat matrix.
Shefler: It has a lot to do with Iran. Iran is the sponsor for Hezbollah. Iran continues to bring the precision-guided missiles know-how and capabilities. And that is something that we’re trying to stop.
Scott: And complicating everything are the settlements that continue to go up in some territories. Now when it comes to the Biden administration, it seems almost every president always wants to put his mark on the Mideast peace process. So far, the Biden administration seems to be a bit hands-off, not making it the top priority.
Sharyl: Lisa, as far as your travels, some of them took you to Canada.
Lisa: Right. And there’s no denying that the war in Ukraine is impacting prices at the pump. I mean, driving in today, I consistently saw prices over five dollars a gallon. But here’s the crazy part: Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world. And when we heard that President Biden was calling on countries that are neither aligned with U.S. sensibilities and often hostile to our interests – like Iran, China, and Saudi – to produce more oil, we went to Alberta to understand what was possible, and why the U.S. didn’t immediately ask for more oil from Canada.
An energy shock, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the early 1970’s. A combination of rising prices, limited supply, and a sudden war, involving sanctions on major oil producer Russia, leaving the U.S. and other nations scrambling to meet demand.
In the Canadian province of Alberta lies one of the possible answers to America’s energy needs: Canadian oil, and lots of it. Sonya Savage is Alberta’s minister of energy and a former oil executive. She’s on a campaign to put her country’s oil resources at the disposal of the united states.
Lisa: What can Canada do to help America’s oil supply?
Sonya Savage: Here in Alberta, we sit on top of the third-largest reserves in oil in the world, the third-largest reserves, and we’re right next door. They should be looking at us as the solution to energy security.
Lisa: Now we already get more than 60% of our imported oil from Canada, and the minister of energy, she told me that they could immediately up that by 10%, which more than compensates for the 3% loss that we’re dealing with from Russia.
Sharyl: Amazing. I never knew any of that as far as Canada’s supply.
Lisa: Me neither.
Watch video here.
Thank you for reporting significant facts and events. It’s amazing that our national news failes, neglects or refuses to report similarly.
Please also consider investigating and reporting on how desalinization of of oceans can help with droughts, water shortages and lowering the sea levels.
Thank you and please know that you are making a positive difference.
Richard Vary
Saginaw, Michigan 48609
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