Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 3/23

[SVPete]

The Border Wall is Being Built

https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2026/03/23/the-border-wall-is-being-built-n3813153

While ICE continues to get all of the attention, progress is being made on construction of the border wall. It's something President Trump made a central promise of his first term but getting money to fund the project proved a challenge.
...
The Big Beautiful Bill changed that in the second term. Now there is construction happening at a pace of up to 3 miles per week.

The Trump administration is building hundreds of miles of border wall through iconic national parks, public lands and ecologically sensitive wilderness, empowered by provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill that provided $46.5 billion in funding and a 2005 law that waived dozens of environmental rules for border security projects...

The aggressive pace — three new miles of wall a week — has alarmed advocates and national parks staff who say the construction will destroy pristine country, threaten endangered species, and cut off access to sacred Indigenous and archaeological sites.
...
Building a physical wall along the 1,954 miles of land that divides the United States and Mexico has long been a pillar of President Donald Trump’s border security agenda. But during his first term federal officials devoted most of their time and resources to replacing close to 500 miles of existing infrastructure, largely on federal land that attracted a large number of border crossers. In all, only about 80 miles of new barrier were installed...
...
Now, despite illegal crossings dropping to historic lows, DHS and the Defense Department plan to construct more than 1,350 miles of new border wall in the Southwest, according to a Post analysis of CBP data. In addition to more than 750 miles of primary wall and roughly 600 miles of secondary wall, CBP is planning for more than 500 miles of water barriers, such as buoys, the data shows. Cameras, lights and other surveillance technology would complement the physical barriers in many places, with some areas without walls covered by sensors.

I've seen complaints from a few conservatives that the wall wasn't being built, but they seem to have forgotten that MSM silence about something is different from the something not happening.

[SVPete]

Poor-performing California school district shells out $600,000 for ‘rap’ curriculum

https://www.thecollegefix.com/poor-performing-california-school-district-shells-out-600000-for-rap-curriculum/

A central California K-8 school district is under scrutiny for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on an “edutainment” program which teaches kids to rap.

The New York Post reports the Merced City School District has paid more than $600,000 over roughly the last year to the company School Yard Rap, which purports to “provide a supplemental curriculum infused with music, lesson plans, videos, and worksheets, making education a thrilling journey” for students.

The district’s contracts with the company include a Rap Camp during the summer, and an African American Affinity Group for “up to 100 African American students.”

At the latter, students “receive hands-on training in DJing, dance, and Hip Hop/Rap songwriting” and record their works in a professional “studio environment.”

Students also “explore identity and community” via “reflect[ion] on personal stories, heritage, and the role of African American culture in shaping resilience and creativity.”

If the $600K figure crosses your eyes, convert it into # years of your annual salary/income. Or maybe into years of Merced's median annual income of ~$60K.