This week the White House unveiled their National Travel & Tourism Strategy from the Task Force on Travel & Competitiveness.

NPI is  proud of the work we did to elevate the importance of the southwest border region and in particular  Mexico to enhancing tourism and travel into the United States. The core of our argument made it  high up in the report.

“Our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, currently are the top two markets for international travelers to the United States. In 2011, 21 million Canadian nationals visited the United States, followed by Mexico with 13 million visitors, accounting for exports of $24 billion and $9 billion, respectively.22 Mexico represents a near-term opportunity for increasing travel to the United States because of its growing middle class and strong cultural ties.”

NDN/NPI also advocated that the report highlight the importance of enhancing our border infrastructure as a means of increasing tourism and transportation. This also made it into the report:

Strategy 5: Maintain and Improve Transportation Infrastructure

• Invest in infrastructure. Continue efforts to improve transportation and Land Port of Entry infrastructure related to U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico border crossings. Implement on-going and new, as budget allows, U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico border crossing infrastructure projects, including projects to improve inspection plazas, roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries. 

For more from our report Realizing the Full Value of Tourism from Mexico to the United States and the 21st Century Border Initiative program please go to 21border.com.

Iran Negotiations: To Be Continued

The Baghdad nuclear talks between Iran, the U.S. and the rest of the P5+1 have concluded without an agreement, but with an appointment to come back to the negotiating table next month. In the run-up to this latest round, Iran was on the brink of reaching a new agreement with the IAEA that would set the stage for some type of resumed nuclear inspection regime. That framework likely got swept up into larger negotiations with the U.S. and its allies, and the agreement remains unsigned. While a new framework or agreement has not yet been reached, the White House characterized the recent developments as a "step forward," an assessment that is shared by most analysts. The type of firm and principled diplomacy on display has been a hallmark of the Obama Administration. They have so far managed to contain the Iranian regime by ramping up sanctions, keeping Israel at bay, and bringing Iran to the negotiating table. The U.S. has clearly developed and maintained the upper hand as they plan for continued talks in June.

Egypt Votes and Prepares for a Run-Off

Two days of voting in Egypt's historic presidential election appears to have culled the 13 person field down to a pair of candidates who will stand in a run-off scheduled for the middle of next month. Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, took an early lead and will be competing against a Ahmed Shafik, a dark horse who is best known as a former Air Force general and former Prime Minister under the Mubarak regime. Many liberals were left wanting as the stage appears set to pit the two traditional power centers in the country against each other; the Islamist (though pragmatic) Brotherhood versus the secular military establishment. Middle East expert Andrew Exum observed that "If you add up the votes for Abulfotoh, Moussa, and Sabbahi, that's a huge Egyptian center that will be very dissatisfied with is new choice." That may well be the case, but in a nascent democratic transition it is vital to build the institutions and processes of democratic governance. Popular election results have to be honored if the country stands a chance at becoming more liberal and open over time. 

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories from your Border Bulletin are as follows:

States Introduce Fewer Immigration Bills The number of immigration bills and resolutions appearing in state legislatures across the country declined steeply in the first quarter of this year, according to a report by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Ciudad Juarez Back on Border Region Tourist Maps Ciudad Juarez is returning to maps featuring attractions for visitors to the U.S.-Mexico border region around El Paso after two years of being excluded due to a wave of drug-related violence.

Republicans’ Hispanic problem — in 2 Charts New data from an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll that show President Obama leading former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney by 34 points among Hispanics set off a new round of speculation about whether Republicans can win in November if they can’t narrow that margin.

Historic Elections In Egypt

Egyptians go to the polls today in their very first free election. The next two-days of voting mark a truly historic occasion for the nascent democracy and for the entire region. Many names will appear on the ballot, but the top two contenders for the Presidency are Abdel Aboul Fotouh, a moderate Islamist, and Amr Moussa who is the a former Secretary General of the Arab League. Those two men debated two weeks ago - a first for the Arab world - and the New York Times did a nice job summarizing the event. While the word waits for the results, it's worth taking a moment to look over this powerful slideshow that Foreign Policy assembled. Regardless of who wins, it is incredibly inspiring to see the pictures of these candidates campaigning freely in a country so recently liberated from decades of autocracy.

 A Battle Over Law of the Sea

The Administration began the week making a big push for the Senate to ratify the Law of the Sea treaty. Senator John Kerry took to the pages of Politico, penning a lengthy defense of the convention and making the case for quick action on the treaty which has previously had support from a broad range of conservative policymakers and organizations.

It is designed to give our oil and gas companies the certainty they need to make crucial investments to secure our energy future. It puts our telecommunications companies on equal footing with foreign competitors. And it will help secure access to rare earth minerals, which we need for computers, cellphones and weapons systems that allow us to live and work day in and day out.

Republican Senator Jim DeMint, however, rounded up two dozen signatures for a letter threatening to oppose ratification. Unable to keep the GOP Senators from politicizing the issue, Sen. Kerry announced that he "would like to see this treaty stay out of the hurly-burly of presidential politics," and would be postponing a floor vote until after the elections in November.

MENA-IF Makes the Cut in the Senate

Earlier this week, we highlighted the importance of the Middle East and North Africa Incentive Fund. The MENA-IF is one of the President's flagship responses to the historic transitions now underway throughout the region, and will provide the State Department the resources and flexibility it needs to fully support these young governments and empower moderates across the Middle East. This initiative was in danger after the House GOP shortsightedly chose to abandon it in their version of the Foreign Operations bill, but we were extremely glad to see the Senate Appropriations Committee take a much more responsible course yesterday by fully funding the account. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham came out strongly in support of the $1 billion for the MENA-IF, and his voice will be important in the negotiations with the GOP-controlled House. When Congress meets in conference to ultimately decide the fate of the MENA-IF, they should keep in mind how very important it is for America to support this program as part of a long-term effort to build our wider economic ties.

The Senate made a smart decision today by fully funding the Middle East North African Incentive Fund in State/Foreign Operations Appropriated bill which passed earlier this morning.   As we've written elsewhere, this Fund is a critical tool to let our nation do what it can to support the promising transitions unfolding in the region these past 18 months.

We are particularly pleased that Republican Senator Lindsay Graham has been such a strong advocate of the Fund.  His leadership will be needed to bring other Republicans along to ensure that the Fund makes it through the full Senate, and then reinstated in conference with the House, which refused to include it in their recently passed appropriations bill.

As we watch the historic election in Egypt unfold today, it is clear that America must do more to support these transition nations struggling to find a better path for themselves and their people.  Standing up the MENA-IF is the single most important thing our nation can do this year to support the MENA transition countries.  It should be supported by legislators of both parties, and passed without delay.

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President Obama will travel to Iowa on Thursday to put pressure on Congress to quickly extend key renewable-energy tax credits.  Obama will tout the tax credits during a speech at TPI Composites, a wind turbine blade manufacturer in Newton, Iowa.  The White House has made extending the tax credits a top policy priority, including it on Obama’s to-do list for Congress. Obama’s speech will focus on extending the production tax credit for renewables and expanding the 30 percent tax credit for clean energy manufacturing.The wind industry has launched an aggressive public relations and lobbying campaign to extend the production tax credit, which provides a credit for each kilowatt-hour of electricity produced from wind.

NRDC has a new study by  Anthony Swift which says that the pipeline's impact on gasoline prices is"one of the most misunderstood issues surrounding the proposed Keystone XL," adding that when TransCanada originally proposed the pipeline, they pitched it as a way to increase the cost of oil in the United States, providing increased revenue for Canadian producers. Since then, proponents of the pipeline in the United States have pitched it as a means of decreasing U.S. gasoline prices.  Swift's study examined these two conflicting claims, and findings suggest that the former is the true one. According to Mr. Swift, "Our study has found that Keystone XL is likely to both decrease the amount of gasoline in U.S. refineries for domestic markets and increase the cost of producing it, leading to even higher prices at the pump".  The result in the immediate to short term will be a decline in gasoline production and an increase in diesel, according to the report.  Other findings in the report include that the pipeline will increase the price of crude oil in the Midwest and Rocky Mountains by over $20 a barrel, increasing the cost of Canadian tar sands by as much as $27 billion annually. These higher crude oil costs are expected to lead to deteriorating financial conditions in Rocky Mountain and Midwestern refineries, which could in turn result in decreased production. That's because if Midwestern refineries are forced to pay a higher price for oil, as East Coast refineries already do, they will be forced to respond by reducing their production and further decreasing U.S. gasoline supplies, according to the report.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories featured in today's Border Bulletin are as follows:

Senate Bill To Create Visa's to Encourage New Talent - In the Senate a bi-partisan group of law makers have introduced legislation which would create two new visas to encourage immigrants skilled in science, technology, engineering, and math to remain in the country.

Gutierrez Could Support 'Watered-Down' Dream Act - Immigration Reform champion Luis Gutierrez has indicated that he would support Marco Rubios DREAM Act even if there was no pathway to citizenship in the legislation.

Supreme court rules for government on immigrants' residence The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the length of lawful residence in the United States by immigrant parents cannot be considered by the federal government in deciding whether their children should be deported.

Driving the day: A new Washington Post - ABC News poll shows Americans are split between President Obama and Governor Romney when it comes to managing the economy.

The Chamber of Commerce plans to spend $50 million - or more - on this election.

In policy news, a bipartisan group of Senators - including Mark Warner, Chris Coons and Jerry Moran - launched Startup Act 2.0.  

Details below:

Startup Act 2.0 creates new opportunities for America-educated, entrepreneurial immigrants to remain in the U.S. where their talent and ideas can fuel growth and create American jobs. The bill also alleviates regulatory burdens that make it more difficult for businesses to expand and create jobs. Finally, Startup Act 2.0 makes changes to the tax code to encourage investment in startup companies.

What is the role of government in energy innovation?