Ohio teacher accused of masturbating in classroom ‘while students were present’ – USA TODAY
Ohio teacher accused of masturbating in classroom ‘while students were present’ – USA TODAY

CINCINNATI – A substitute teacher in Ohio was arrested Tuesday after police say he was seen “masturbating in a classroom while students were present.”

Fairfield police received a complaint Tuesday at about 10:30 a.m. about the alleged incident involving 41-year-old Tracey Abraham.

According to a statement from Fairfield schools, students at Creekside Middle School reported “suspicious behavior by the substitute that was taking place behind” the teacher’s desk.

Once administrators at the middle school were alerted to the alleged behavior, the school’s resource officer immediately removed Abraham from the classroom and the building.

Abraham “will not be returning to our schools,” the statement says.

Fairfield police have charged Abraham, who court records say lives in West Chester, with public indecency.

Abraham’s father, Rick, told The Enquirer on Tuesday that his son has “never had an issue like this in his life.”

“I don’t think what they saw is what really was happening,” he said.

School district officials say they are not aware of Abraham having physical contact with any students. 

“In addition, we are not aware of any students being exposed to any nudity,” the statement says. 

Abraham was not a Fairfield schools employee. The district gets its substitutes through the Butler County Educational Service Center.

Abraham was arraigned Tuesday in Fairfield Municipal Court. His next court appearance was set for Jan. 15. He has been ordered to stay away from all locations where children under 18 are present.

The district said it will make a report to the Ohio Department of Education.

Contributing: Sue Kiesewetter 

More: Teacher seen dragging boy with autism through Kentucky school on video is fired

 

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/08/middle-school-teacher-accused-masturbating-classroom/2521765002/

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Trump, Pelosi, Schumer kick a little dust during prime time, accomplish little else – Washington Examiner
Trump, Pelosi, Schumer kick a little dust during prime time, accomplish little else – Washington Examiner

Politicians just interrupted regularly scheduled programming to bring you a message they’ve been repeating ad nauseum for the last three weeks.

President Trump went first. Sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, he read a watered-down stump speech from a teleprompter. Illegal immigrants and a flood of drugs are streaming across the border, the president said in so many words. The shutdown is the fault of Democrats, he continued, and the solution is some variation of a wall.

Notably lacking? Fireworks.

Trump was presidential in that Trump was unusually low key. He didn’t declare a national emergency, a move which would have thrown Congress and the courts into an immediate crisis. He just repeated the boilerplate language from his campaign.

Democrats offered their rebuttal next, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., standing cadaver-like behind a shared podium. They may haunt the dreams of any child who was unlucky enough to be awake during prime time, but aside from that they didn’t accomplish anything new.

Pelosi said the president was holding the country hostage. Schumer followed up arguing that the president was appealing to fear, not facts, and that Democrats and Republicans agree border security is necessary. They just disagree, Schumer posited, on how to do it.

Pundits promised that this would be a clash of the political titans, a rough-and-tumble exchange of fire worthy of the last two years of hysteria. It was instead a 20-minute dud with all the drama of a “Friends” rerun.

And believe it or not, that is a good thing.

Nothing bad happened tonight, because nothing dramatic went down and nothing changed. Governing from crisis leads to unforeseen outcomes and extra-constitutional actions. Instead, both sides laid out their battle lines after kicking a little dust in prime time.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/trump-pelosi-schumer-kick-a-little-dust-during-prime-time-accomplish-little-else

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Man caught on video licking doorbell for three hours – WXYZ
Man caught on video licking doorbell for three hours – WXYZ

(WXYZ) — Police in the California community of Salinas are trying to track down a man who spent three hours licking the doorbell of a home in an incident that was caught on video.

Officials have identified the man as Roberto Daniel Arroyo.

According to media reports

, the cameras in the newly installed security system also caught Arroyo moving an extension cord to the front yard and relieving himself.

Police said Arroyo could face misdemeanor charges of petty theft and prowling.

Get more details in the report below:

Source Article from https://www.wxyz.com/news/police-search-for-man-caught-on-video-licking-a-california-familys-doorbell-for-three-hours

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Border crisis intensifies amid shutdown standoff, fueling Trump’s wall demands – Fox News
Border crisis intensifies amid shutdown standoff, fueling Trump’s wall demands – Fox News
Video

Six immigrants stopped at US-Mexico border in first half of 2018 were on terror watch list

President Trump is expected to use Tuesday evening’s Oval Office address to tout statistics showing a dramatic influx of families, drugs and criminals crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, as he makes the case that the situation is a humanitarian and national security crisis necessitating an effective physical barrier.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, in briefings with lawmakers, has cited administration figures showing 161,000 family units crossed the border in fiscal 2018, a stunning 50 percent increase from the year before. She has also said 60,000 unaccompanied children crossed the border last year, a 25 percent increase.

“More children and families are being apprehended between the ports of entry than ever before,” the presentation from Nielsen, given to lawmakers, states. “For the first time in history, family units and children comprise the vast majority of apprehensions.” The information cited Customs and Border Protection arrests and drug seizures.

The administration has said there has been a dramatic spike in illegal drugs on the border, including a 38 percent increase in methamphetamine from fiscal 2017 to 2018, a 22 percent increase in heroin and a 73 percent increase in fentanyl.

TRUMP TO DELIVER PRIME-TIME ADDRESS, TRAVEL TO SOUTHERN BORDER AMID SHUTDOWN STANDOFF

Nielsen has also cited statistics indicating there has been an influx of dangerous people crossing the border, including criminals, gang members and suspected terrorists.

According to the administration, 17,000 adults in 2018 with existing criminal records were arrested at the border, 3,755 known or suspected terrorists were prevented from traveling to or entering the U.S., and 6,000 gang members, including from MS-13, were apprehended at the border.

“I think what’s important here is there’s a real sense of urgency,” Nielsen said in a Monday press briefing. “The crisis is getting worse.”

But the figures over dangerous people have caused friction between the administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill. Last week, when Nielsen attempted to brief congressional leaders on the figures, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly told her “I reject your facts.”

PELOSI, NIELSEN CLASHED DURING BORDER SECURITY MEETING: ‘I REJECT YOUR FACTS’

Video

Democrats have argued the number of dangerous people cited by the administration is exaggerated. Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, wrote a letter to Nielsen calling the presentation “yet another example of the misinformation and outright lies the Trump administration has used to make the case for the president’s boondoggle border wall.”

“It’s very unlikely that 4,000 people on [a] terrorist watch list have been apprehended as opposed to 4,000 people from travel banned countries were apprehended,” Leon Fresco, who served as deputy assistant attorney general for the office of immigration litigation in the Obama administration, told McClatchy. “If so, where are they?”

But Chris Cabrera, a Border Patrol agent and vice president of the National Border Control Council, said Tuesday on “Fox and Friends” that terrorists infiltrating migrant groups is a real threat.

“The potential for people coming across – terrorist organizations infiltrating with migrant groups – is a very real threat to our country,” Cabrera said. “If you look at the border right now, the easiest way to get in would be through the Southern border.”

Video

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Nielsen on Monday defended the administration’s claims about terrorists trying to enter the country, though said she could not reveal the exact number.

“The threat is real,” Nielsen tweeted. “The number of terror-watchlisted encountered at our Southern Border has increased over the last two years. The exact number is sensitive and details about these cases are extremely sensitive.”

She added: “I am sure all Americans would agree that one terrorist reaching our borders is one too many. These are just the terror suspects we know about who reach our border.”

The administration has also cited a recent story from the Washington Post, a paper with whom the president frequently spars, noting the “crisis” at the border.

“Record numbers of migrant families are streaming into the United States, overwhelming border agents and leaving holding cells dangerously overcrowded with children, many of whom are falling sick,” the paper said.

The president on Tuesday plans to discuss the border situation during an address to the nation from the Oval Office, in a first for his presidency, amid the partial government shutdown.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer plan to deliver a Democratic rebuttal.

Parts of the federal government ran out of funding Dec. 22 after Congress failed to pass a spending bill. Trump has demanded $5.7 billion to build a border wall, something Democrats have refused, and both sides are showing no signs of backing down to resolve the standoff.

The Republican National Committee has also launched a website called BorderFacts.com this week to back up the president’s arguments.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-crisis-intensifies-amid-shutdown-standoff-fueling-trumps-wall-demands

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US-China trade deal must involve compromise: State media – CNBC
US-China trade deal must involve compromise: State media – CNBC

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World Economy

China is keen to put an end to its trade dispute with the United States but will not make any “unreasonable concessions” and any agreement must involve compromise on both sides, state newspaper the China Daily said on Wednesday.

U.S. and Chinese officials are conducting talks in Beijing, their first since U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day truce in a trade war that has roiled global financial markets.

The trade discussions, which began in Monday, are continuing into Wednesday for an unscheduled third day.

The China Daily said in an editorial Beijing’s stance remains firm that the dispute harms both countries and disrupts the international trade order and supply chains.

“However, it has also made it clear that it will not seek a solution to the trade frictions by making unreasonable concessions, and any agreement has to involve give and take from both sides,” it said.

Trump and other U.S. officials have said the talks were going well and there have been signs of progress on issues including purchases of U.S. farm and energy commodities and increased access to China’s markets.

However, people familiar with the talks said the world’s two largest economies were further apart on Chinese structural reforms that the Trump administration is demanding in order to stop alleged theft and forced transfer of U.S. technology and on how to hold Beijing to its promises.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/09/us-china-trade-agreement-must-involve-compromise-china-daily-says.html

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Democrats should support Trump’s plans to solve border crisis and reopen government – Fox News
Democrats should support Trump’s plans to solve border crisis and reopen government – Fox News
Video

Homan on Trump’s address: Hope he shares border data with the American people

Trump to address ‘crisis’ at the border during Oval Office speech; former acting ICE director Tom Homan weighs in on the issues the president should address.

President Trump’s address to the nation Tuesday night from the Oval Office is an important step to make Americans aware of an undeniable truth: we have a crisis on our southern border, and the time for action is now.

Thankfully, President Trump doesn’t just complain about problems – he solves them. Democrats in Congress have a responsibility to put partisanship aside and join the president in supporting his commonsense border security proposals.

Once that happens, the partial government shutdown will end, federal workers will get their paychecks, and our national security will be strengthened as a result of President Trump’s actions.

CLICK HERE FOR KAYLEIGH MCENANY:  ON BORDER SECURITY, PELOSI AND SCHUMER PLAY POLITICS WHILE TRUMP FIGHTS TO PROTECT US.

While partisan politics has infused the national immigration conversation, an unvarnished, clear-eyed look at the facts reveals a troubling, decade-long problem demanding an immediate answer.

That answer is outlined quite clearly by President Trump via acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought in a letter. The solution is a fair, just compromise that addresses the immediate needs of vulnerable populations while simultaneously deterring illegal immigration and protecting American citizens.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The president’s solution to the border crisis entails $5.7 billion for a barrier along our border with Mexico, additional revenue for law enforcement personnel and immigration judges, and funding for more detention beds and the humanitarian needs of illegal immigrant arrivals.

The Trump plan would end both the crisis on our southern border and the partial government shutdown with an effective plan of action to replace the years of endless talk and debate.

Here’s a look at just three of the problems caused by the lack of adequate border security we face today: the drug crisis, criminal crossings, and the suffering of people coming to the U.S. illegally.

The Drug Crisis

About 300 Americans die each week from heroin – and 90 percent of the heroin in this country comes across our southern border.

Approximately 1,390 Americans perish as a result of opioids on a weekly basis.  Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin. In 2017 alone, enough fentanyl was seized on our border to kill every man, woman and child in this country.

In just one year the amount of heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl seized on our southern border increased by 22, 38, and 73 percent respectively – a concerning increase over a short period of time.

In total, 1.7 million pounds of narcotics were seized by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in 2018.

Reversing the trend means building a barrier and increasing the ranks of our Border Patrol in order to stymie the flow of illicit drugs into our homeland.

The Criminal Crossings

In addition to the illegal drug flow, thousands of criminals and gang members are apprehended at our border annually.

In fiscal year 2018, 256,086 illegal immigrants were removed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  Among the deported, nearly 6,000 were known or suspected gang members.

Moreover, of the 138,118 illegal immigrants arrested by ICE with criminal records in the 2018 fiscal year alone, there were more than 80,000 arrests on driving under the influence charges, 76,585 involving dangerous drug charges, 50,753 assaults, 6,888 sex offenses, and 2,028 homicide arrests.

All of these crimes were preventable if the laws had been enforced and our border secured.

This number is supplemented by the fact that more than 3,000 special interest aliens were caught trying to cross our border.

According to former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who served in the Obama administration, special interest aliens are “potential national security threats to our homeland” who demand “immediate attention,” “continued vigilance,” and “bringing the full resources of the Department to bear…,” as outlined in a 2016 Obama-era memo.

In addition to drug flows, criminal activity and potential national security threats must be stopped from entering our homeland.

The Humanitarian Consequences

Beyond thwarting illegal drug traffic and crime, our crisis on the southern border entails a humanitarian component as well.

According to Doctors Without Borders, 31 percent of migrant women and 17 percent of men making the journey to our southern border are sexually assaulted. Another 7-in-10 migrants are victims of violence during the trek north.

Moreover, from 2017 to 2018, Homeland Security Department data show that there has been a 25 percent increase in the number of unaccompanied minors and a 50 percent increase in the number of family units arriving at our southern border.  Once made up of single adult males, now a majority of those arriving are unaccompanied minors or families.

As Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen noted last June, there has been a 314 percent increase in cases where “minors have been used and trafficked by unrelated adults in an effort to avoid detention.”

In other words, children are being trafficked, and this trafficking is being incentivized by a system that encourages rather than deters illegal migration.

Finally, Customs and Border Protection is being overwhelmed by a spike in illegal immigrants, many needing medical attention. An average of 50 migrants each day are being referred to medical providers, straining Customs and Border Protection resources.

This is why President Trump, in addition to border security measures, has asked for $800 million “to address urgent humanitarian needs … (including) funding for enhanced medical support, transportation, consumable supplies … and additional temporary facilities.”

The flow of illicit drugs, criminal illegal immigrant crossings, and the humanitarian crisis on our border can all be stopped – if only Democrats in Congress make the responsible decision of acknowledging the facts and embracing the Trump compromise.

By cooperating with the president instead of endlessly confronting and criticizing him, Democrats can join with Republicans in protecting American citizens and vulnerable populations making the perilous journey to our southern border.

The power is in the hands of Democrats. All Americans will benefit if the Democrats put our national interests ahead of their political interests and join with President Trump to make our border more secure and end the government shutdown.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY KAYLEIGH MCENANY

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/democrats-should-support-trumps-plans-to-solve-border-crisis-and-reopen-government

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The question Trump’s border wall speech didn’t answer: Why now? – Washington Examiner
The question Trump’s border wall speech didn’t answer: Why now? – Washington Examiner

President Trump on Tuesday night used his border wall speech to make the case that the flood of illegal immigrants from Mexico was such an overwhelming problem that it necessitates the building of a border wall. But what his speech didn’t answer is: Why now?

We heard a lot tonight about illegal immigrants committing crimes and about the necessity of locking down the border. But that’s a case that he’s basically been making since he launched his presidential campaign three and a half years ago.

He’s been president for nearly two years, and up until last week, Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress. At any point during that two years, Republicans could have passed a bill to fund the border wall, and he could have gotten at least $5.6 billion.

Republicans were ready to use the reconciliation process, allowing the Senate to pass legislation with a simple majority, to repeal and replace Obamacare. They successfully used the procedure to pass a massive tax cut. They certainly could have found a way to use it to put some money into building a border wall had Trump actually fought for it earlier in his administration.

In 2017, Trump had just won the presidency and building a wall was a significant part of his platform. At the time, he had significant political capital among Republicans, who would have been reticent to defy him on such a central issue.

Instead, he waited until now to make a firm stand, at a time when his party just lost control of the House and he has zero leverage over Democrats, whose base expects maximum resistance.

There are many possible explanations for why Trump waited until now to make his stand. But the most straight forward is this is the downside of having an “outsider” president. Trump’s supporters loved that he wasn’t a typical politician, that he came from a business background, and that he shot from the hip. But translating campaign rhetoric into tangible policy success as president takes a lot more organization, competence, and discipline than Trump has demonstrated. So the most likely outcome of the current shutdown fight is that Trump will end up politically damaged, but with nothing to show for it.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-question-trumps-border-wall-speech-didnt-answer-why-now

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Supreme Court rules against foreign firm, in mystery case potentially linked to Mueller – Fox News
Supreme Court rules against foreign firm, in mystery case potentially linked to Mueller – Fox News
Video

Supreme Court rejects appeal from unknown foreign corporation allegedly involved in Russia investigation

The Supreme Court has rejected an emergency appeal from an unknown foreign corporation over a pending federal subpoena believed linked to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The justices issued an unsigned order Tuesday, refusing to dismiss a contempt citation issued by a federal judge for failure to comply.

The unnamed company — listed cryptically in court records as owned by “Country A” — had challenged a subpoena from a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., including daily fines, after its refusal to turn over requested documents to U.S. investigators.

RUSSIAN ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH OBSTRUCTION

Chief Justice John Roberts last week had put the pending compliance order on temporary hold, while he and his eight colleagues considered the corporation’s stay request.

The company had cited the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in its refusal to comply, saying to do so would violate the laws of its home country.

MANAFORT SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION, LAWYERS SAY

Shortly after the Supreme Court issued its order upholding the contempt citation, a federal appeals court issued a separate, partially redacted opinion upholding its earlier ruling against the companies. The opinion noted that the company is facing a $50,000-per-day fine for failure to turn over the documents. The papers in question are kept overseas, though the company does have an office in the U.S.

The opinion also noted that prosecutors have been trying to obtain the information since at least this past summer, and the three-judge panel determined it could get involved in the dispute because “there is a reasonable probability the information sought through the subpoena here concerns a commercial activity that caused a direct effect in the United States.”

The company earlier Tuesday filed a request with the high court to hear the dispute on legal merits. That request is still pending with the court, and it was unclear if this new appeal meant those documents still could be withheld temporarily, while the case is litigated.

A federal appeals court last month held closed-door oral arguments over the dispute, and reporters and the public were removed from the entire courthouse floor where the case was heard.

This is believed to be the first Mueller-related appeal to reach the Supreme Court.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

It remained uncertain if the justices would be asked in the coming weeks to take on the broader legal questions raised by this issue, and how that might affect the special counsel’s investigation.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-rules-against-foreign-firm-in-mystery-case-potentially-linked-to-mueller

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Widespread Gas Shortage In Mexico As Government Tries To Thwart Fuel Thieves – NPR
Widespread Gas Shortage In Mexico As Government Tries To Thwart Fuel Thieves – NPR

People line up to buy gasoline at a gas station in Morelia, Michoacan, on Jan. 8. Michaocan is one of several Mexican states where fuel shortages have been reported.

Enrique Castro/AFP/Getty Images


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Enrique Castro/AFP/Getty Images

People line up to buy gasoline at a gas station in Morelia, Michoacan, on Jan. 8. Michaocan is one of several Mexican states where fuel shortages have been reported.

Enrique Castro/AFP/Getty Images

Drop by drop, gallon by gallon, thieves have been draining the pipelines and coffers of the Mexican government.

Last year, $3 billion worth of fuel was stolen from Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, according to the country’s new president. But a crackdown by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has left many ordinary Mexicans struggling to find gas.

The government has shifted transport of fuel to tanker trucks and rail cars and away from pipelines, which are regularly tapped by thieves. But the new distribution systems apparently can’t keep up with consumer demand. Pemex has had to tell customers not to panic or hoard fuel.

Major fuel shortages have been reported in at least six Mexican states over the past several days and images showed people lined up at gas stations, empty canisters in hand.

Video from Guanajuato – where the Associated Press reports that 84 percent of gas stations are closed – shows a miles-long line of cars waiting to tank up.

In Michoacán, a logjam of vehicles was stuck trying to get to a gas station’s pumps. Some gas stations in Mexico City were also reportedly closed.

López Obrador – who came into office promising to battle corruption — says the new defensive measures are working and that fuel thefts have dropped substantially.

Fuel thieves — known as huachicoleros – have long been a staple of Mexican crime, as Rolling Stone has reported. But in recent years they’ve gone from being rag-tag groups to organized gangs, controlled by the country’s infamous cartels — and their lucrative thefts have been brazen.

On Tuesday, López Obrador – who has deployed soldiers to safeguard fuel supplies – said the government had discovered a 2-mile-long hose siphoning fuel directly from a refinery. He also said special warehouses have been built on top of pipelines by thieves.

López Obrador noted last month that even those kinds of bold tactics still wouldn’t account for the massive amounts of fuel stolen each year. He said corrupt officials are complicit in broader schemes to profit off of stolen government oil.

Fuel theft has also become a lucrative occupation for those in poorer parts of the country. As the New York Times noted, “Where a farmhand might earn $7 to $11 a day … a lookout for the fuel thieves can bring in upward of $54 a day.”

“I ask citizens for understanding and support, because we need to solve this problem together,” López Obrador said last week. On Monday, he told Mexicans he wouldn’t back down from his campaign to fight the thieves.

“Let’s see who gets tired first: Those who steal the fuel or us.”

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/01/08/683381485/widespread-gas-shortage-in-mexico-as-government-tries-to-thwart-fuel-thieves

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Governor DeSantis — Judge questions Snipes suspension — Rubio vs. ACLU and … Ted Nugent? — Scott’s shutdown balling – Politico
Governor DeSantis — Judge questions Snipes suspension — Rubio vs. ACLU and … Ted Nugent? — Scott’s shutdown balling – Politico

INAUGURATION DAY — After surviving a primary he was not supposed to win and a general election that spiraled into a recount, Republican Ron DeSantis is finally governor. He fought hard to get here, but the win comes with little honeymoon period. DeSantis, who takes the public oath of office later Tuesday, will have to cobble tougher his first roughly $90 billion state budget proposal by the end of the month, pick three state Supreme Court justices, and finalize some top-tier administration appointments. After today, the pomp and circumstance of inauguration day will quickly fade, leaving nothing but a handful of first-year defining decisions.

No. 46 — “As DeSantis gets keys to governor’s mansion, defining issues await,” by POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon: After eight years of Florida politics dominated by Gov. Rick Scott, Florida gets a new governor on Tuesday. Republican Ron DeSantis technically became Florida’s 46th governor at midnight, but Tallahassee will be packed with big events to celebrate his public inauguration. Along with the pomp and circumstance, DeSantis is expected to offer clues about what to expect during his first year in office. Read more

Story Continued Below

As one governor assumes office, the outgoing Florida governor’s super PAC raises coin in a shutdown D.C. …

SHUTDOWN BALLING — To celebrate Rick Scott officially becoming Florida’s junior senator, his New Republican PAC is throwing a “black tie optional” Sunshine Ball in D.C. tonight at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue NW. A few Scott critics (including a Republican) flagged the event to us as an example of the governor-turned-senator entering his new job on a tone-deaf note in the capital amid a federal government shutdown. While many federal workers go without pay, special interests can pony up $100,000 for a “Platinum” sponsorship (includes VIP reception, photo op, VIP ball section access, special recognition), etc.

GREEN-EYED LADY — “Incoming first lady will make environment a priority,” by POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie: Casey DeSantis, who becomes Florida’s first lady on Tuesday, said cleaning up Florida’s waterways will be a top priority for her in Tallahassee. Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis, who is scheduled to be sworn in Tuesday, was elected last fall as toxic algae blooms and red tide choked state waters and focused attention on discharges from Lake Okeechobee. DeSantis told reporters after an inauguration prayer breakfast this morning that she’s been “very passionate” about cleaning up the water. “It’s not a left versus right — it is a right versus wrong,” she said. “We need to make sure we clean up the water in this state because it’s the lifeblood of our economy.” Read more here

RON AIN’T RICK — “Don’t expect Ron DeSantis to govern Florida like Rick Scott,” by Miami Herald’s David Smiley: Read more

RON ON THE MOVE — “Ron DeSantis plans swift action once in office,” by AP’s Gary Fineout: Read more

GO TIME — “Florida’s New Governor, Ron DeSantis,” by Florida Trend’s Jason Garcia: Read more

NEW GOV, OLD FACES — “Who’s on Ron DeSantis’ team that will govern Florida?” by Bradenton Herald’s Samantha J. Gross: Read more

…TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP…

ACLU VS. RUBIO — “ACLU Says Marco Rubio Is Pushing a Free-Speech Crackdown,” by New Times’ Jerry Iannelli: “The First Amendment protects Americans from being punished by the state for the things they say. The ‘state’ part here is key: You are not being censored, for example, if you’re fired from your job as a newspaper columnist because you got caught hanging out with a neo-Nazi biker gang. Quite a lot of people don’t seem to understand the definition of government censorship. One of these people is apparently Sen. Marco Rubio, who last week stated that one of his first priorities in Congress this year is passing a demonstrably anti-free-speech bill. The American Civil Liberties Union this morning condemned the measure because it would ‘weaken the First Amendment right to boycott.’” Read more

CAT SCRATCH FEVER — “Ted Nugent slams Marco Rubio’s proposed firearms bill: ‘The devil is in charge’,” by Yahoo’s Taryn Ryder: “The outspoken conservative rocker got his followers all riled up Monday when posting about the news that Rubio reintroduced a bill that would make it easier for courts to disarm dangerous people, the Sun-Sentinel reports. ‘Oh sure! Everybody knows that big brother government can be trusted to determine which of us can be trusted,’ Nugent, 70, shared on Facebook. ‘Maybe Hillary or Eric holder or James Comey could be in charge of such decision making. Sleep comfortably at night America the devil is in charge.’” Read more

TRUMP WATCH — “Florida voters sour on Donald Trump, new poll suggests,” by Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “Florida voters have turned sharply more negative about Donald Trump than they were at the beginning of his presidency. Polling data released Monday by Morning Consult show 46 percent of the state’s voters approving of Trump’s performance in December, with 49 percent disapproving. That’s a net negative of 3 percentage points. Nationwide, 44 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s performance last month and 52 percent disapproved, a net negative of 8 percentage points.” Read more

SHUTDOWN COSTS — “Michael Waltz, Ross Spano among House members forgoing pay until government shutdown ends,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello: “Two freshmen congressmen from Central Florida are among the growing number of House members and senators who are not accepting paychecks as long as the government is partially shut down. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-St. Augustine, and U.S. Rep. Ross Spano, R-Dover, who both represents parts of Lake County, announced they will be working for free while 800,000 federal employees go without pay.” Read more

— @conorhurley: “I think @MarcACaputo had an assessment of @RossSpano’s ability to pay for his illegal loans on a congressional salary. Without that ill-begotten pay how on earth will #fl15 Rep Spano pay his tithe to Carreno and Hunt?” (Background on Spano’s illegal loans and financial woes is here)

… 2020 VISION …

FLORIDA MAN — “Joe Biden running for president? His brother thinks so,” by Palm Beach Post’s George Bennett: “Former Vice President Joe Biden’s youngest brother believes Biden will launch a 2020 campaign for president and win over the ‘disaffected’ voters Democrats lost to Donald Trump in 2016. ‘I think we’re going to run,’ Palm Beach County resident Frank Biden told The Palm Beach Post in an interview. ‘You can say that ‘Frank thinks his brother’s going to run.’ Now, he could surprise me. But I know the family’s behind him 100 percent.” Read more

HOW POLITICIANS CHOOSE VOTERS — “Local elections office ready for felons who want to vote. The state may be another story,” by Bradenton Herald’s Mark Young: “More than 1 million prior felons in the state of Florida will be eligible to vote as of Tuesday morning when the Florida Voting Felons Rights Act takes affect after passing in the November general election with 64 percent of the vote. Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett said he won’t know for sure until later this week, but he doesn’t expect his office to be inundated with former felons looking to get registered.” Read more

… DATELINE TALLAHASSEE …

DUE PROCESS? — “Judge questions Scott’s suspension of Broward County elections official,” by POLITICO Florida’s Alexandra Glorioso and Marc Caputo: A federal judge on Monday expressed concerns with Gov. Rick Scott’s suspension of former Broward County elections chief Brenda Snipes, with whom he had feuded during a hotly disputed recount after the November midterms. Snipes sued Scott and the Florida Senate last month, claiming the governor maligned her and the Senate violated her due process rights when it denied her a hearing. Snipes had announced her resignation just before Scott signed an executive order vilifying her performance and suspending her. She later rescinded that resignation. She wants her job reinstated and Scott’s order dismissed. Read more

FRIED AT LAST — “Fried calls for stronger enforcement of water quality regulations,” by Bruce Ritchie: Agriculture Commissioner-elect Nikki Fried on Monday said she will take a leadership role enforcing agricultural water quality regulations. Fried will be inaugurated Tuesday as the only statewide elected Democrat and the first from her party to serve on the elected Cabinet in eight years. She rose to office as toxic algae blooms, red tide and nutrient pollution sources — including agriculture — were making headlines. “There has been no enforcement of best management practices,” Fried told POLITICO after visiting a Tallahassee food bank. She said her department has a “tremendous” impact on water quality and will be taking a leadership role on the issue. Read more here

POPULAR — “Galvano ‘surprised’ by Scott’s last-minute appointments,” by POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon: Senate President Bill Galvano said Monday that he was caught off guard by Gov. Rick Scott’s decision to make more than 70 appointments just days before fellow Republican Ron DeSantis moves into the governor’s office. “I was surprised that he made so many so close to a new governor taking office,” Galvano said. The Senate must confirm a vast majority of the appointments, making its perception of the move an important one. Galvano said Scott’s decision was surprising, but said it was too soon to say whether it will affect the confirmation process. “I will give some deference to the governor [DeSantis],” Galvano said. “But it will ultimately come down to how the Senate wants to act.” Read more

INTERESTING CANDIDATE — “Former FDOT official named in billboard scheme applies to lead agency,” by Matt Dixon: A former Florida Department of Transportation official involved in a scheme to dole out illegal billboard permits applied to become Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’ first transportation secretary on Monday. Kevin Thibault served in a number of agency leadership roles under former FDOT Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos, who was recently hired to serve as DeSantis’ legislative affairs director, and is now among six people who have formally submitted their applications for the post. In 2011, a grand jury found that Kopelousos made Thibault the leader of a plan to give 110 billboard permits to Salter Advertising, a panhandle company with strong ties to the region’s political leaders. The firm obtained the permits with the help of the late Greg Evers, who was a Republican House member representing the area. Read more

…GUNSHINE STATE…

ONE NATION, UNDER SURVEILLANCE — “High-tech cameras that recognize you are coming to Broward schools,” by Sun-Sentinel’s Scott Travis: “The next time you step onto a Broward County school campus, the video camera may not only watch you, but remember you. The Broward County School District plans to install a $621,000 surveillance system that includes facial-recognition technology. The technology can be used to check each face against a database of expelled students, sex offenders, felons and other potential troublemakers.” Read more

EVIL — “Shots fired at paramedics after they responded to call, cops say,” by Bradenton Herald’s Sara Nealeigh: Read more

…HURRICANE HOLE…

WHAT TOOK SO LONG? — “State revokes the license of a Hollywood nursing home where 12 people died after Irma,” by News Service of Florida’s Pedro Portal: “Moving forward with an administrative law judge’s recommendation, the state Agency for Health Care Administration has issued a final order to revoke the license of a Broward County nursing home where residents died after Hurricane Irma in 2017. The agency issued the 17-page order Friday against the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. Gov. Rick Scott’s administration in 2017 moved to revoke the license, but the nursing home challenged the decision in the state Division of Administrative Hearings.” Read more

THE DEAD — “Heavily damaged by Hurricane Michael, cleanup work beginning at city cemeteries,” by News Herald’s Ed Offley: “In this post-hurricane world, even the deceased have had to wait their turn. In the twelve weeks since Hurricane Michael struck, signs of progress have begun to appear all over the city as its contractor, CrowderGulf Inc., has picked up over 2.3 million cubic yards of debris along city streets and alleys. Now, City Manager Mark McQueen said Friday, workers are turning to a task that is just as important: clearing fallen trees from the three cemeteries that the city manages.” Read more

…THE SLIME…

THE ENEMY IS US — “Bill cracks down on residential lawn fertilizers; requires bans and buffers near estuaries,” by TCPalm’s Cheryl Smith: “A bill aims to crack down on fertilizer use on residential lawns. The bill would require each Florida county and municipal government to adopt the state’s fertilizer law and require residents to use only fertilizers containing 50-percent slow-release nitrogen on their lawns.” Read more

…PENINSULA AND BEYOND…

GENDER GAP COSTS — “Miami-Dade Women Earn 15 Percent Less Than Men, Report Shows,” by New Times’ Jessica Lipscomb: “Although female workers still earn far less than men do, research has shown the gender pay gap in the U.S. is slightly narrowing. But a new report from Florida International University says the wage gap has actually increased in Miami-Dade County in recent years. According to the most recent data from 2016, women who work full time make 15 percent less than their male counterparts. The prior report showed a difference was only 13 percent.” Read more

PUPPY MILL WAR — “Commissioner seeks to restrict sale of dogs, cats in Brevard County pet stores,” by TCPalm’s Dave Berman and Wayne T. Price:“County Commission Vice Chair Brian Lober has introduced legislation to restrict the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores within Brevard County. Lober says he is targeting what’s known as ‘puppy mills’ and ‘kitten factories.’ ‘It is widely believed that these commercial breeding facilities where dogs and cats are mass-produced in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions continue to exist, at least in part, because of the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores,’ Lober said in his agenda report to fellow commissioners.” Read more

FRIES WITH THAT? — “In aftermath of viral McDonald’s fight, workers plan strike to demand training, protection from violence,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Sara DiNatale: “Area McDonald’s employees plan to abandon their posts amid the lunch-rush, calling for the fast-food chain and others like it to better protect workers after a local cashier was attacked at the counter in an altercation captured on video. The workers, mainly involved with the Fight for $15 movement calling for an increased minimum wage, plan to walk out of their stores starting Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the St. Petersburg, Tampa and Orlando areas, according to a news release put out by organizers.” Read more

— “Venezuela Supreme Court judge flees to U.S. to protest Maduro,” by AP: “A Venezuelan Supreme Court justice and longtime government loyalist who fled the socialist country for a new life in the United States called Nicolas Maduro an incompetent president leading the once-wealthy country to ruins. Christian Zerpa’s embarrassing defection came days before Maduro begins his second term amid calls from critics and the international community to relinquish power.” Read more

…ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN…

NYT’S JONATHAN WEISMAN (@jonathanweisman): “Inbox from the Swamp: ‘Akin Gump is pleased to announce that former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) have joined the firm’s public law and policy practice in Washington, D.C.’” The announcement

— “Liberals push for a Green New Deal as the way forward on climate change,” by Miami Herald’s Alex Daugherty: Read more

— “Killer clown trial tentatively set for November,” by Sun Sentinel’s Lois K. Solomon: Read more

— “Son of Miami ‘cocaine godmother’ stars in ‘Cartel Crew,’ new VH1 reality series,” by Sun Sentinel’s Johnny Diaz: Read more

— “Why a cold front this week may mean frost for parts of South Florida,” by Palm Beach Post’s Kimberly Miller: Read more

— “‘One of the worst we’ve ever seen’: Farmers reeling after record rain in 2018 destroys crops,” by Pensacola News Journal’s Annie Blanks: Read more

— “Shoo-ins fill most local ballots,” by Daily News’ Tony Judnich: Read more

— “Whale sightings cropping up all along coast of Volusia, Flagler counties,” by Times-Union’s Dinah Voyles-Pulver: Read more

— “Lakeland Police Chief Larry Giddens announces retirement, ending 34-year career — 5 years as boss cop,” by The Ledger’s Allison Guinn: Read more

— “Small number of mailed ballots for special election returned,” by The Ledger’s Mike Ferguson: Read more

— “At Canaveral National Seashore, government shutdown turns around joy seekers,” by News-Journal’s Mark Harper: Read more

— “Florida Gas Prices Sink To 26 Month Lows,” by North Escambia: Read more

HAMPTON INN? — “Couple skips out on $10,000 hotel bill in Florida Keys, cops say,” by Sun Sentinel’s Aric Chokey: “A couple racked up more than $10,000 in charges at a Florida Keys hotel and then skipped out without paying, authorities say. Monroe County Sheriff’s officials say Lee and Ashley Roe stayed at the Hampton Inn in Key Largo on five separate occasions in recent months. Hotel managers told investigators the unpaid bills ran from October to nearly mid-December.” Read more

WOW — “Sheriff: Sarasota teacher spreads feces before child’s party,” by Herald-Tribune’s Elizabeth Djinis: “A professional dispute between a Sarasota County School District principal and her substitute teacher led to an arrest last month when the teacher allegedly spread human feces on the tables and grills of a local park where the principal was hosting a birthday party for her child later that day, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.” Read more

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Florida has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Sunshine State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2019/01/08/governor-desantis-judge-questions-snipes-suspension-rubio-v-aclu-ted-nugent-scotts-shutdown-balling-371694

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Joshua Tree National Park to close because of damage, likely for shutdown’s duration – Los Angeles Times
Joshua Tree National Park to close because of damage, likely for shutdown’s duration – Los Angeles Times

In Death Valley, the Furnace Creek and Texas Springs campgrounds closed last week, along with access roads to Natural Bridge, Dante’s View and Keane Wonder Mine. The road to Salt Creek is also closed. Much of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are closed too.

Source Article from https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-joshua-tree-national-park-to-close-shutdown-20190108-story.html

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Factbox: Impact on U.S. government widens on 18th day of shutdown – Reuters
Factbox: Impact on U.S. government widens on 18th day of shutdown – Reuters

(Reuters) – A shutdown of about a quarter of the U.S. government reached its 18th day on Tuesday, with lawmakers and the White House divided over Republican President Donald Trump’s demand for money for a border wall ahead of his prime-time address to push the project.

The shutdown, which began on Dec. 22, is the 19th since the mid-1970s, although most have been brief. This one now ranks as the second-longest, with Trump saying it could continue for months or years, even as he said he hoped it was resolved within days.

Border security negotiations last weekend between Vice President Mike Pence and congressional staff yielded no progress on a deal as Democrats continued to object to the wall.

The current shutdown has not affected three-quarters of the government, including the Department of Defense and the Postal Service, which have secure funding. But 800,000 employees from the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation, among others, have been furloughed or are working without pay.

Private contractors working for many government agencies are also without pay and private companies that rely on business from federal workers or other consumers – such as national park visitors – are affected across the country.

Here is what is happening around the federal government.

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

Nearly 70,000 IRS employees, or about 88 percent of the workforce, have been furloughed, raising concerns about American taxpayer filings and refunds and the ability of the agency to manage government revenues ahead of the April 15 income tax filing deadline.

The acting director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, has said tax refunds would be distributed despite the shutdown.

HOMELAND SECURITY

The department that oversees Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and the Secret Service is affected.

Of 245,000 agency employees, nearly 213,000 have been deemed “essential,” according to the department’s contingency plan, so they are working without pay until a funding bill is passed.

More than 50,000 TSA officers are working without pay, but Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern about some transportation employees failing to show up for work or calling in sick. The TSA said on Tuesday the absences were having “minimal impact.” The agency said 4.6 percent of screeners did not show up for work on Monday, compared with 3.8 percent on the same day last year.

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD)

Most of this department’s 7,500 employees are “non-essential” and only about 340 are working. Nearly 1,000 others may be called in for specific tasks, without pay.

The shutdown has left administration officials scrambling to prevent the eviction of thousands of people covered by a HUD program that expired on Jan. 1 and now cannot be renewed, according to the Washington Post.

Public housing authorities and Native American tribal housing entities are not part of the federal government and so are not required to shut down. But the federal government provides some of their funding, so some have reduced services or changed operating hours.

HUD, which oversees some housing loan and low-income housing payment programs, warned in its contingency plan that “a protracted shutdown could see a decline in home sales, reversing the trend toward a strengthening market.”

INTERIOR

The National Park Service, under the umbrella of the Interior Department, is operating with a skeleton staff. Under its contingency plan, some parks may be accessible, with others closed completely. The park service is providing no visitor services such as restrooms, facility and road maintenance and trash collection. Some volunteers have worked to clean up sites, according to media reports, and some states and other localities have also pitched in funding to keep parks operating. Campgrounds have begun closing because of sanitation issues.

The parks are losing about $400,000 a day in fees because no rangers are staffing the entrances, according to Senate appropriators. The park service has authorized using previously collected entrance fees to bring in additional staff to clean up trash and other tasks in a move some critics have said is illegal, the Washington Post reported.

At least two people have died at two national parks since the shutdown, according to the Post.

The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington, which receive U.S. government funding, are also closed.

COMMERCE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau are not publishing economic data, including figures on gross domestic product, inflation, personal income, spending, trade and new home sales, during the shutdown.

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

The agency that oversees the federal workforce has given advice to workers on dealing with landlords, mortgage lenders and other creditors, including sample letters explaining severe income loss because of the lack of federal funding. Some federal workers are applying for unemployment benefits, according to media reports.

JUDICIARY

The U.S. court system said on Monday it could operate until Jan. 18 and that most proceedings would continue as scheduled. Cases involving furloughed lawyers from the executive branch of government may be delayed. After funds are exhausted, courts may operate as necessary, but it would be up to each court to set staffing, the system said in a statement.

The shutdown over the border wall is also straining the country’s immigration system and has been blamed for worsening backlogs in courts. Immigration judges are among those furloughed, leading to thousands of long-delayed deportation cases being rescheduled.

HEALTH

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other agencies under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are partially affected by the shutdown. Some food and drug inspections are on hold, but the FDA says it is still able to respond to emergencies, such as foodborne illness outbreaks. The Indian Health Service is not able to provide most of its funds to tribes and Urban Indian Health programs. Some scientific research projects also cannot continue in full.

AGRICULTURE

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday that U.S. farmers could have more time to apply for aid aimed at mitigating any harm during ongoing trade disputes with China, among others, adding that farmers who had already applied would continue to receive payments.

USDA has also delayed several key reports on major domestic and world crops that were due to be released on Friday, Jan. 11.

Funding for food aid for low-income Americans, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, is expected to run out at the end of January and could lapse next month unless a deal is reached, according to media reports.

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

The FCC, which regulates radio and television broadcast and cable systems, has suspended most operations. Work for “the protection of life and property” will continue as will operations at the agency’s Office of Inspector General, the FCC’s internal watchdog.

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

Of its 55,000 employees, 20,400 have been put on leave. That excludes most of the Federal Aviation Administration, where 24,200 are working and the Federal Highway Administration, where all 2,700 employees are funded through other sources.

Air traffic control, hazardous material safety inspections and accident investigations continue, but some rule-making, inspections and audits have been paused.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has furloughed nearly 60 percent of its staff, halting auto safety investigations and new vehicle recall notices. The agency said it would recall furloughed employees if it “becomes aware of an imminent threat to the safety of human life.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has limited its safety operations to critical staff “whose job is to perform urgent continued operational activity to protect life and property.”

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

An estimated 1,100 of the office’s 1,800 employees are on leave. That includes most of the Office of Management and Budget, which helps implement budget and policy goals.

NASA

Most employees at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are on furlough. The small percentage who remain – most deemed essential to “prevent imminent threats to human life or the protection of property” – are working without pay. Work on any satellite mission that has not yet launched will be suspended until the agency receives funding, according to its contingency plan.

HOME PURCHASES

Individuals trying to finance home purchases through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) are experiencing significant delays in loans being processed and approved, as are those applying to refinance an FHA-insured mortgage, according to Senate appropriators.

Reporting by Makini Brice, David Morgan, Amanda Becker, Yasmeen Abutaleb, Lawrence Hurley, David Shepardson and Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Richard Cowan and Peter Cooney

Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shutdown-departments-factbox-idUSKCN1P22AB

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Trump’s job: Convince nation of border crisis – Washington Examiner
Trump’s job: Convince nation of border crisis – Washington Examiner

Top White House officials were delighted last weekend when a Washington Post story, a reported piece from the paper’s immigration and national security reporter, said there is “a bona fide emergency on the [U.S.-Mexico] border” and that “record numbers of migrant families are streaming into the United States, overwhelming border agents and leaving holding cells dangerously overcrowded with children.”

That is precisely the point the administration has been trying to make lately. Could anyone in the White House have said it better?

The problem is, as much as officials from President Trump on down proclaim a “crisis” on the border, the Democrats who control the House don’t believe it. Nor do the Democrats who control enough of the Senate to block the president’s border barrier proposal and other initiatives.

Now, with his address to the nation and efforts in the next few days, Trump must convince Americans that the crisis exists. The president will argue that there is a two-part crisis at the border, a humanitarian crisis and a national security crisis. If Trump can make the case, he will have a chance of winning the shutdown standoff with congressional Democrats. If he can’t, he’ll lose.

To win, the administration must convince Americans that the situation at the border has changed dramatically and that the Democrats’ solutions, rooted in an out-of-date understanding of the problem, will not work.

To do that, officials will have to begin by explaining that the most frequently cited statistics about illegal border crossings simply do not tell the story of what is happening today. At a White House meeting Monday, Vice President Mike Pence and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tried to do just that.

Nielsen handed out a chart from the Border Patrol on border apprehensions each fiscal year since 2006. In the first year, agents caught 1,071,972 people trying to cross into the United States illegally. The next year, the number went down to 858,638. Then 705,005. After that, the numbers bounced around. There were 327,577 apprehensions in 2011, and then 479,371 in 2014. The number fell to a low of 303,916 in 2017, Trump’s first year in office. It rose to 396,579 in 2018. Nielsen’s chart included a dotted line which projected the number to rise dramatically to 600,000 in 2019.

Even if that turns out to be the case, 600,000 apprehensions would be fewer than the numbers from the final years of the George W. Bush administration. And that is supposed to mean there’s a crisis now?

Yes, said Nielsen and Pence, who argued that something very new and alarming is happening. The old figures were mostly unaccompanied adults whom U.S. authorities could quickly return to Mexico. Now, those coming are adults with children who according to U.S. law cannot be held together, cannot be separated (that proved a political disaster for the administration), and, most importantly, cannot be quickly returned to Mexico or their home countries.

“The makeup of the flow is different,” Nielsen explained. “Some Democrats will say that when the flow was really bad, it was in the millions. But the point is that the flow has substantially changed. Two-thirds of the flow is now made up of families and unaccompanied children. That’s not only in the humanitarian crisis portion, it’s also the rule of law, because under our current laws we cannot retain and remove them. So they are here.”

The problem on Capitol Hill, Nielsen explained, is that lawmakers look at the problem as if it is unchanged from a decade ago. “It’s getting worse,” she said. “It’s not the status quo, so Congress’s reaction of ‘Let’s just do it like we always do it’ is not going to work. This requires something different. The laws are outdated and the resources are outdated.”

To that end, the administration is requesting not only $5.7 billion for construction of 234 miles of new and replacement barriers on the border, but hundreds of millions for more immigration judges, law enforcement officers, detention beds, medical resources, and technology for the border. Trump officials also want to see changes in the law that would make it practical for minors in Central America to apply for asylum in their own country and not in the United States.

All of that requires congressional action, and much of it — the barrier, specifically — faces determined Democratic opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly declared a border wall “immoral” and has taken a what-part-of-no-do-you-not-understand stance toward the president. Some other Democrats are not quite as obstructionist as Pelosi, but opposition to the barrier is widespread.

Still, administration officials are trying. Pence described his weekend meetings with Democratic staff as useful, if not much more. “We considered the meetings productive,” he said Monday. “That’s not to imply that there was progress made.” The value of the meeting, Pence said, was that both sides came away with a better understanding of the other’s position.

The fundamental problem Trump, and Pence, and the rest of the administration faces is the old understanding of things. If people don’t believe the border situation has fundamentally changed, they won’t believe there is a crisis. And if they don’t believe there is a crisis, they won’t support the administration’s proposed solution.

“Things really have gotten a lot worse in the last year,” Pence said. “They got better right after the election, frankly probably because of the thundering voice of our new president. His thundering voice probably diminished the enthusiasm of people south of the border to try, but eventually the human traffickers, the cartels, said, ‘You know what? All the loopholes are all still there. Every opportunity to go disappear into the United States is is still there.’ And so now we’ve seen this precipitous rise of unaccompanied minors and families.”

President Trump joined the meeting for a while. White House officials specified that his remarks were off the record, but they were entirely consistent with what Pence and Nielsen had said, with the addition, of course, of the president’s unique rhetorical style. Trump seemed fully aware of the job he faces and determined to make the case. The success of his signature campaign issue, the border, rides on the next few days.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/byron-york-trumps-job-convince-nation-there-really-is-crisis-at-border

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Mueller Thinks Paul Manafort Shared Trump Polling Data With Russian Operative – HuffPost
Mueller Thinks Paul Manafort Shared Trump Polling Data With Russian Operative – HuffPost

Manafort’s attorneys ― Kevin Downing, Thomas Zehnle and Richard Westling ― contend in the filing that Manafort, a longtime lobbyist who has worked on several Republican presidential campaigns, has “provided complete and truthful information to the best of his ability” since entering into his plea agreement. They disagree with the Mueller team’s claim that the former campaign chairman made intentional misstatements. Manafort’s incarceration, the filing states, has “taken a toll on his physical and mental health,” as he’s developed depression, anxiety and “severe gout.”

Source Article from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-manafort-mueller-investigation-konstantin-kilimnik_us_5c337efce4b09b02cb328230

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Kellyanne Conway embarrasses CNN’s Jim Acosta during heated exchange: ‘You’re such a smarta–‘ – Fox News
Kellyanne Conway embarrasses CNN’s Jim Acosta during heated exchange: ‘You’re such a smarta–‘ – Fox News
Video

Kellyanne Conway embarrasses CNN’s Jim Acosta: ‘You’re such a smarta–‘

Kellyanne Conway embarrassed CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta during a press gaggle on Tuesday, referring to him as a ‘smarta–‘ unliked by other reporters. Acosta questioned Conway about whether President Trump would tell the truth when addressing the nation Tuesday night, prompting the heated exchange.

Kellyanne Conway embarrassed CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta during a press gaggle on Tuesday, referring to him as a “smarta–” unliked by other reporters.

Acosta asked Conway if she could promise that President Trump would tell the truth when addressing the nation on Tuesday night.

“Yes, Jim,” Conway shot back, “Can you promise that you will? The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Am I allowed to mention ‘God’ to you?”

Acosta – who has emerged as a household name for interruptions when Trump and members of his administration are made available to the press – responded by telling Conway that he doesn’t have an “alternative facts” problem like she does.

“Make sure that goes viral. This is why I’m one of the only people around here who gives you the time of day,” Conway said. “You’re such a smarta– most of the time and I know you want this to go viral.”

Conway then told Acosta that “a lot of these people” don’t like him, while pointing to his peers.

“Don’t you put it back in my face for all corrections your network needs to issue,” she continued, mocking CNN. “I was on your network 25 or 26 times in 2018. I’m one of the last people here who even bothered to go on, and the disrespect you show to me personally, I’ll look past it.”

CNN STAR DON LEMON SAYS TRUMP ADDRESS SHOULD BE AIRED ON A DELAY

Acosta replied, “Ma’am.”

“Don’t call me ma’am,” Conway responded.

Sanders calls on Jim Acosta at White House press briefing

CNN’s White House correspondent Jim Acosta asks Sarah Sanders about Mueller investigation, President Trump’s level of confidence in his advisers.

Last year Acosta was briefly banned from the White House after he engaged in a contentious back-and-forth with Trump during a Nov. 7 press conference. During the now-infamous moment, Acosta refused to pass the microphone to a female White House aide.

Acosta’s press pass was restored on Nov. 19 after CNN argued that keeping him out of the White House violated the network and Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

To coincide with Acosta being allowed to return to the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders implemented a series of rules to govern White House press conferences going forward.

The CNN reporter has been praised by liberal comedians such as Jimmy Kimmel, and even appeared in the most recent season of the Netflix political drama “House of Cards.”

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kellyanne-conway-embarrasses-cnns-jim-acosta-during-heated-exchange

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Supreme Court says mystery company must pay fines while it challenges Mueller-related subpoena – CNN
Supreme Court says mystery company must pay fines while it challenges Mueller-related subpoena – CNN

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