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bllsbailey · 3 months

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GOP House Speaker Warns Border Deal Could Be 'Dead On Arrival,' Vows To Impeach Mayorkas

In a recent letter, House Speaker Mike Johnson declared that the House will soon vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and warned that the emerging border deal is “dead on arrival” in his chamber if it looks anything like what has already been reported.

However, negotiators caution that the package leaks have not been reliable.

Johnson’s (R-La.) warning on Friday highlights the huge obstacle that senators must overcome in order to adopt a significant national security package that includes funding for both Israel and Ukraine, even if the Senate accord has not yet been made public.

Despite the fact that HR 2, the House GOP’s immigration measure, has “little chance of passing,” Johnson reaffirmed the demands for its passage.

“I wanted to provide a brief update regarding the supplemental and the border since the Senate appears unable to reach any agreement. If rumors about the contents of the draft proposal are true, it would have been dead on arrival in the House anyway,” Johnson wrote.

Johnson announced that the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas will be considered by the House Homeland Security Committee next week and that “a vote on the floor will be held as soon as possible thereafter.”

Johnson’s action comes as former President Donald Trump has re-entered the immigration debate on Capitol Hill and as Johnson has continued to urge President Joe Biden to utilize his executive authority to enforce stricter border security measures.

“Many of our constituents have asked an important question ‘what is the point of negotiating new laws with an administration that will not enforce the laws already on the books?” Johnson wrote. “If President Biden wants us to believe he is serious about protecting our national sovereignty, he needs to demonstrate his good faith by taking immediate actions to secure it. He should sign an order right now to end the mass release of illegals and dangerous persons into our country.”

The statement was made in response to Senate leaders’ suggestion that the measure text would be made public as early as next week. It also draws attention to a significant divide between the House Speaker and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has spent the past six months arguing that the GOP should better support Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

45th President Donald Trump responded to the news.

“A Border Deal now would be another Gift to the Radical Left Democrats. They need it politically, but don’t care about our Border,” Trump said in a statement on Thursday. “What is currently being worked on in the Senate will be meaningless in terms of Border Security and Closure.” “If you want to have a really Secure Border, your ONLY HOPE is to vote for TRUMP2024,” he added.

Leaders in the Senate claim that the bill’s text with the terms of the developing agreement is almost ready to be released by border negotiators. This will be a crucial test to determine if the deal can secure the necessary GOP votes to pass.

“Soon. Hopefully soon,” said Republican Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) after being asked when the text would be released.

As of last week, discussions had not yet reached a consensus on how to finance measures aimed at increasing deterrents for illegal migrants and asylum seekers and expanding the authority of the administration to expel them. The GOP leadership also stated that much more is needed to be done to resolve the parole problem, which has continued to be a major source of disagreement in the negotiations.

Additionally, beyond reaching an agreement, there is a crucial concern regarding whether the measure can muster a sufficient coalition of Republican votes in the Senate to exert pressure on the House to act and undo what seems to be a hardening stance by that chamber’s leaders.

Meanwhile, House Republicans are pressing to remove Mayorkas from office.

Mayorkas was a key player in the bipartisan border negotiations on Capitol Hill, but at the time, he was only there to simply offer technical assistance, according to insider sources who spoke to the press.

The House Homeland Security Committee will begin debating articles of impeachment against Mayorkas next week. Johnson expressed his desire to proceed straight to floor action after the committee votes in the letter.

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 25, 2024

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simonloweblog · 3 months

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Preparing for Trump

The results of the Iowa Caucuses brings into sharp focus the fact that in all probability Donald trump will become the GOP party nomination for President in this years’ Presidential election on November 5th. Whereas it remains a possibility that he may be convicted on more than one of the three criminal charges he faces, it is equally possible that he could well become President even if a convicted felon. That indeed would be a historical first in the USA, but so many issues relating to Trump have already been historical “1sts”. He simply defies all norms.

Already governments around the world are rethinking how their relationships to the US will alter if he is elected. There is little doubt that many changes in US policy will be actioned the day he takes office. In terms of Foreign policy, Trump is likely to follow the Monroe Doctrine more closely than any President since Monroe created it in 1823; namely that under Trump’s Presidency the US with become very isolationist. The NATO alliance that has been led by the USA and secured the peace since created in 1948 could even see the US withdrawing from it altogether. Hitherto, this has been thought of as a potential disaster for Europe and its security. When President in 2017-2021 Trump made it clear that he expected the Europeans to start paying more for their own security and although some have started to move to do so, only the UK spends the required 2% of GDP that was promised. The fact is that Europe has a population three times greater than Russia and its combined GDP is almost 10 times Russia’s. Current combined E.U. defence expenditure totals 240 billion euros per annum which exceeds Russia’s defence expenditure of 100 billion by 150%! The fact is that Europe needs to organise a joint defence posture that is robust enough to deter Russia’s ambition under Putin of recreating a Russian Empire modelled on the USSR.

I believe that Europe (i.e. the EU and the UK) should no longer depend on the US defense umbrella and it is very likely that if Trump is re-elected that will help accelerate that position. This will of course impact Ukraine’s ability to sustain the war against Russia to regain its territory. It is for Europe to step up to this challenge and step up right now. The extent to which Europe supports the Ukrainian effort will determine Ukraine’s ability to survive.

As to Taiwan, I doubt that all the Saber rattling of the State department would really see the US go to war and risk a potential World War with China even if they invaded Taiwan any time soon. Russia acquiesced in the Cuba crisis by realising that each Superpower had its area of influence which should not be challenged by another. The truth is that Taiwan is in China’s geographic area of influence. I personally doubt that China will invade it; the Chinese project many of their policy initiatives over a 50 or more years ahead and it may well be that over a sustained period of time and pressure Taiwan will elect a Government that prefers a loose union over an invasion.

Trump will attempt to close the border with Mexico and reduce illegal immigration to a trickle. That is one policy that I agree with him on as do many others. He is not alone in wanting to contain illegal immigration. Almost every nation in Europe and Australasia is grappling with unsustainable levels of immigration.

As to trade, his introduction of high import tariffs against Chinese goods, which have in large measure been retained by the Biden administration, will be further enhanced. He has already stated that he will introduce a general 10% tariff on all imported goods. This will further the trend of protectionism and reduce free world trade that was the basis of much of the prosperity in the second half of the 20th Century; but protectionism has been on the rise now for several year and more countries have woken up to the fact that their dependency on Chinese goods and Russian oil and gas has reduced their own manufacturing capabilities and energy security. In short, Trumpism will herald a new economic era. As an Internationalist I do not agree with this philosophy but the Populist, Nationalist mood around the world today seems to agree in principle with this sad twist of economic policy.

We know that Trump will avoid war at almost any cost. That is a good thing although it will embolden America’s enemies and result in the US no longer playing policeman to the world and championing democratic processes around the world. But let’s face it the US has not had a good track record since WWll in that domain and the billions upon billions of dollars wasted on wars in Vietnam to Iraq will no longer be exported.

On the Gun issue, Trump’s support of the NRL is well known. They have spent millions supporting his campaigns. The fact is however that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have had any success nor are likely to be able to alter the 2nd Amendment and usher in any form of gun control. That policy is supported by many Americans however hideous it is.

Willy Brandt, one of Germany’s better post world war Chancellors invented the word “Realpolitik”. The above prognosis is a look at the realpolitik of a second Trump Administration. Distasteful as he is to so many, and a narcissist to his core, he is not a blood thirsty dictator craving Empire and is therefore no Hitler or Stalin. Thankfully, so far the Constitution’s system of checks and balances has safeguarded democracy in the Union and I think will continue to do so.

Independent voters may well deny him a second term and the GOP’s position on Abortion has the majority of women set against his Party. It is possible that they, who remain in the majority on the electoral register will save the Biden administration by voting against any further incursions into their rights over their own bodies. If Biden manages to further reduce inflation, keep unemployment down, lower gas prices and mortgage rates then together with the Abortion issue, Biden may just scrape through the election to a second term, but, be prepared for Trump to defy logic and win again.

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xtruss · 5 months

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Wider US Division On Aid To Ukraine, Israel Amid Partisan Struggles Before Election

— Global Times Staff Reporters | December 06, 2023

Cartoon: Vitaly Podvitski

The US is entangled in deepened partisan divisions as it is running out of aid for Ukraine while facing growing international pressure on the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip after Israel renewed its offensive. Some experts said on Wednesday that as both wars continue, those crises will not only become a heavy financial burden on Washington but also serve as a tool for partisan struggles as the elections loom.

A classified briefing for senators on the White House's request for aid for Israel and Ukraine became "heated" on Tuesday local time, with Republican members storming out of the meeting, NBC News reported.

The briefing, led by the secretaries of defense and state, as well as the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was held behind closed doors to allow all 100 senators to ask questions about the administration's funding request, according to the reports.

But it fell apart, senators from both parties said, after Republicans began asking about the US border. GOP members in both chambers have demanded serious changes to immigration policy to address rising migrant crossings in exchange for passing new aid for Ukraine, NBC News reported.

White House officials warned on Monday that the US is running out of time and money to help Ukraine, after the Biden administration urged Congress to approve the nearly $106 billion request for funds in October, with Chinese experts believing that this shows that the Ukraine issue has become a tool for domestic politicization in the US, and internal divisions in the country have intensified as the election approaches.

In a letter to House and Senate leaders and released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned the US will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of this year, adding that this would "kneecap" Ukraine on the battlefield, the AP reported on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, US President Joe Biden's administration in October asked Congress for nearly $106 billion request for funds for the wars in Ukraine, Israel and other security needs, but Republicans who control the House with a slim majority rejected the package.

Some experts believe the main reason is that the Ukrainian issue has become a tool for internal political struggles in the US.

The US' support for Ukraine will not be as timely or generous as it has been in the past, and its aid will continue to decline, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "The Ukrainian issue has become highly politicized within the US, which means that Republicans will use it as a favorable tool to weaken the Democratic Party during elections," he said.

Overwhelmed! Global Times, December 05, 2023, Illustration: Liu Rui

The election year in the US means that all domestic and foreign policy issues are decided based on whether they can benefit one's own party in the elections, rather than being viewed and handled based on the true nature of the matter, Li added. "It is a tragedy for Ukraine in this sense," the expert said.

As funding for Ukraine is running out, the US House of Representatives passed a Republican plan to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel in November, according to Reuters.

Biden's allies in Senate have demanded that Israel limit civilian deaths in Gaza, according to media reports, as Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday that the Israeli government is waging an "immoral" war and it would be "absolutely irresponsible" to provide an additional $10.1 billion in unconditional military aid, which will allow the Netanyahu government to continue its current military approach.

Niu Xinchun, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Wednesday that in the face of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the renewed Israel-Palestine conflict, the biggest challenge facing the US is not financial, but rather policy-related.

"The US is currently very passive on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, for on one hand it supports Israel in eliminating Hamas, and on the other hand it faces condemnation from the international public opinion, including within the Democratic Party, due to the humanitarian crisis," Niu said.

While voters remain largely focused on domestic issues and the economy, both wars have forced 2024 candidates to publicly navigate vexing questions about US foreign policy and military posture, with potential consequences to their support, according to media reports.

"With partisan struggles continuing, their divisions will deepen as the elections begin, and highly politicized issues will make it more difficult for the Biden administration to carry out its foreign policy," Li said.

#United States 🇺🇸#Elections #Aid | Ukraine 🇺🇦 | Bastard Child of the United States & the West | An Illegal Regime of Terrorist Zionist Cunts: Isra-Hell #Global Times #Cartoon: Vitaly Podvitski

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captainmdhridoyhossain-blog · 11 months

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[ad_1] Martha Casamayor, center, says Joe Biden "stabbed Cuban Americans in the back" and regrets voting for him. South Florida Latinos like her are key to Republicans expanding their political reach in future elections. Claudia Grisales/NPR hide caption toggle caption Claudia Grisales/NPR Martha Casamayor, center, says Joe Biden "stabbed Cuban Americans in the back" and regrets voting for him. South Florida Latinos like her are key to Republicans expanding their political reach in future elections. Claudia Grisales/NPR Republicans did not see the red wave they were betting on during last year's midterms, so now they're setting their sights on expanding success stories that did break through, such as the big gains they made in South Florida. The largely conservative Latino community in Miami-Dade County turned red last year for the first time in two decades. Who are they? The Latino community in South Florida is largely conservative, and includes immigrants from Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela and other Latin American countries. What's the big deal? South Florida marks a community where politics seemingly never sleeps. And it's also where the political ground game for 2024 is already underway. Kevin Cooper, vice chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County says he's gotten calls from Republican Election Committees and other GOP groups in Texas and beyond hoping to replicate the South Florida model. Florida International University politics professor Eduardo Gamarra says an early, relentless ground game by Republicans helped flip the Miami-Dade region red. Gamarra says Democrats set up their ground game too late and treated Latino voters there like a monolith, potentially costing them a generation of voters. Former Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell says depressed voter turnout, culture war issues and Republican disinformation played a key role last year. She also concedes her party has abandoned the state. Voters like Martha Casamayor, a 73-year-old Cuban American, says President Joe Biden, his administration and Democrats have betrayed voters like her. Casamayor says they haven't applied enough pressure on the Cuban communist regime and issued proposals to expand trade with the country. Want to learn more? Listen to the NPR Politics podcast episode on how Latino GOP voters have embraced the culture war. What are people saying? Casamayor on Democrats: (Biden) stabbed Cuban Americans in the back ... The Biden administration has betrayed the Cuban Americans ... He has betrayed the Cuban Americans who voted for him. Cooper on hearing from different Republican Election Committees, or REC, asking about the Miami-Dade County model: We take that message across across the county and soon will take it across the country as we explain to different RECs and different parties how to build their operations. Mucarsel-Powell on why Democrats shouldn't give up on Florida: If you care about the environment, you need to care about Florida. If you care about minority groups, if you care about Latinos, you need to care about Florida. And we've been abandoned. Gamarra on Republican successes in South Florida: Republicans understand better the idea of the Latino American dream and Democrats still, for the most part, approach Latinos as part of the civil rights struggle in the United States. So, what now? It will be a key area to watch in the run up to the 2024 presidential election.

Republicans are working to hold onto and expand on their midterm wins in South Florida, while Democrats are looking at a long road back to try to rebuild their Florida operations. Learn more: [ad_2] #Latino #voters #South #Florida #hold #key #Republican #political #future #NPR

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cyarskj1899 · 1 year

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sbalich · 2 years

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Biden Pressures Mexico To Take Migrants As GOP Governors Send Illegal Immigrants To Democrat Areas

The Will County News Home #globalism Biden Pressures Mexico To Take Migrants As GOP Governors Send Illegal Immigrants… #globalism #History #sbalich #twill Biden Pressures Mexico To Take Migrants As GOP Governors Send Illegal Immigrants To Democrat Areas By Steve Balich – October 6, 2022 0 1 By Ryan Saavedra •Sep 15, 2022 DailyWire.com President Joe Biden is reportedly…

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#leadtight #safety #sbalich #tcot #twill #@lauraingram

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weaselle · 3 years

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If Biden wins, which seems likely, there are 2 things that will remain important:

1: we will have to keep pressure on to make sure rapid action is taken to address situations like pandemic management and immigration, specifically those fucking concentration camps the U.S. government is currently running

2: If Trump wins or if Trump loses, this will still be true, and it’s a problem:

That’s nearly half the voting population that is either too ignorant or too cruel to be part of a society dedicated to equality, public health, environmental responsibility, peace, and economic reform. Not saying democrats are the perfect example of that list, but Trump and the GOP are definitely the antithesis of it. And nearly half the voters are still, even after all we’ve seen, still on board. Something has to be done, or we’re just going to wind up here again

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 3 years

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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is emerging as the chief obstacle to quick passage of President Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure package that Democrats want to move through Congress sooner rather than later. Manchin is ramping up discussions with Republicans about what a scaled-down infrastructure package should look like, and some GOP senators are even optimistic that the moderate Democrat can be persuaded to block efforts to raise the corporate tax rate.

That means Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) will likely have to wait for the negotiations to reach some kind of conclusion before moving ahead with the budget reconciliation process, as Manchin is expected to be the critical 50th Democratic vote needed to avoid a GOP filibuster. Senate Republicans proposed a $568 billion infrastructure counteroffer last week. Now, bipartisan talks on a compromise proposal between $600 billion and $1 trillion are just getting started.

Manchin wants time for the talks to build momentum. "For the sake of our country, we have to show we can work in a bipartisan way," he said Monday evening. "I don't know what the rush is. Stay here a little bit, work a little bit," he advised colleagues. But Democrats are getting nervous about an extended timeline and worry that splitting Biden's infrastructure agenda into two or three pieces of legislation might mean that a substantial part of it gets left behind. "I'm the most anxious member of the Democratic caucus. I want to get it done and done quickly," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Monday when asked how long Democrats are willing to wait on bipartisan infrastructure talks.

Manchin said over the weekend that he wants to focus on "conventional infrastructure" such as roads, bridges, water projects and expanded broadband internet, and he proposed splitting off about $400 billion in funding for home- and community-based caregivers for the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as billions of dollars for child care. While Manchin said such priorities are "needed," he added that doesn't want to lump too many of them in a broad bill because he thinks it would be tougher to sell to the public. His remarks dealt a blow to other Senate Democrats who want to pass as large a package as possible and who called the $568 billion Republican proposal "totally inadequate" and a "slap in the face."

Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat, on Monday said he does not support splitting up Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure package into two pieces. "Time is not on our side. We have so many things to do," he said. "Immigration, policing. All of these things are critical elements and we don't have a lot of time on the calendar. The sooner the better to keep everything together and move it in a package that works," he added of Biden's proposal.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he wants to move as quickly as possible, warning that past efforts to negotiate with Republicans, such as on the Affordable Care Act in 2009, ended up wasting time. "We have learned that lesson in the past. I think we should have our ears open, we should listen to any great ideas, any good ideas that Republicans have. But obviously it cannot be an endless process. It has to move very quickly," he said Monday. Sanders balked at Manchin's suggestion of segmenting out the home- and community-based care portions of the package. Manchin, however, is praising the $568 billion framework put together by fellow West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R) as "a good start." The blueprint is focused on roads, bridges, transit systems, rail, water infrastructure and airports.

Democrats are also nervous about Manchin's opposition to Biden's proposal to raise the corporate tax rate to 28 percent, saying a 25 percent rate is more reasonable. He met last week with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch ally of former President Trump, to explore ways to fund a compromise infrastructure package without relying heavily on tax increases. "Watch Joe Manchin. Joe's going to be a key player here," Graham told Fox News Sunday. "I think there's a sweet spot on infrastructure where we can find pay-fors that won't hurt the economy. If you raise taxes, you're going to destroy jobs," Graham said.

Many Democrats are skeptical of efforts to pursue GOP proposals. "Take a deep breath and face reality. If we're going to do something big and bold and build the 21st century economy, we're not going to do it with what [Republicans] have suggested: user fees and tolls," Durbin said Monday.

Manchin has urged Schumer and his other Democratic colleagues not to use the budget reconciliation process to pass Biden's agenda, an approach that would shut out Republicans and allow for a simple majority vote in the 50-50 Senate. "I simply do not believe budget reconciliation should replace regular order in the Senate. How is that good for the future of the nation?" he wrote in a Washington Post op-ed this month. Manchin disagrees that he's a roadblock to Biden's agenda. "I'm not a roadblock at all. The best politics is good government," he told CNN's "State of the Union" over the weekend. He also reiterated his opposition to changing the Senate's filibuster rule to curtail GOP power to block Biden's priorities, such as police reform and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. "I'm not going to be a part of blowing up this Senate of ours or basically this democracy of ours," he said Sunday.

Senate Democratic sources say they expect the bipartisan infrastructure talks to fizzle and Manchin to vote with them to pass a $2 trillion-plus infrastructure package under budget reconciliation. They argue that West Virginia, which had a 5.9 percent unemployment rate in March and a 14.9 percent poverty rate by last measure, needs its share of the $2.25 trillion plan as much as any state. "He's still trying to find his way as the new most important 'big man on campus,' but I think he'll have a very hard time standing up to the pressure of the administration. I think he'll find his way back home," said a Senate Democratic aide, referring to Manchin's power in an evenly split Senate where Democrats cannot afford a single defection. The aide predicted that if Manchin winds up derailing or excessively delaying Biden's infrastructure package, the backlash from within the party will be swift and damaging. "The more he plays that game, I think the more the pushback becomes significant and starts having legs to it," the aide added.

While Manchin is coming under increasing pressure from fellow Democrats to support passing Biden's full package without splitting it up, his reputation as a bipartisan dealmaker is also at stake. During the negotiation of Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan, Manchin played a central role in narrowing the number of Americans eligible for $1,400 stimulus checks by helping to craft a deal to phase out the direct checks for people earning $80,000 or more, instead of the $99,000 cutoff favored by House Democrats. He was also instrumental in shrinking the federal unemployment benefits in that bill from $400 a week to $300 a week and limiting the tax deductibility of unemployment benefits collected in 2020.

Despite Manchin's efforts to address the concerns of GOP colleagues who said the rescue plan needed to be more narrowly targeted, not a single Republican in either chamber voted for the package. If Manchin drags out consideration of the infrastructure package for weeks or months without securing any GOP votes for whatever bill finally gets passed, some Democrats say his reputation as a dealmaker will suffer severely. "That's what's at risk for him. He's going to have to put up or shut up," said the Democratic aide.

A second Senate Democratic aide, however, said Manchin represents a broader group of centrist Democrats who would like to rack up a significant bipartisan accomplishment with Republican votes before trying to move other elements of Biden's agenda under reconciliation. "There are other Democrats who agree with him, but they don't need to go out there and say it and take shit from the left," the aide said. The aide also said the GOP counteroffer unveiled last week "is a lot better" than the $618 billion COVID-19 relief package a group of 10 moderate Republicans floated to Biden earlier in the year. Democrats quickly dismissed the GOP's counteroffer on coronavirus relief and passed Biden's $1.9 trillion plan by a party-line vote. The source predicted that even if Manchin fails to bring about a bipartisan infrastructure deal, he'll remain a powerbroker for the rest of the 117th Congress. "He's still going to be a guy trying to negotiate big bipartisan deals," the aide said.

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arpov-blog-blog · 3 months

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..."For years, Republicans have professed fury over a crisis at the US-Mexico border. For months, many in the GOP have insisted they could only support further aid to Ukraine if it was paired with tougher border security measures to address that crisis.

So President Joe Biden accepted their conditions, giving up Democrats’ longtime demands on immigration and conceding much of what the right wanted — and as recently as Monday, a bipartisan deal seemed near.

But now, Republicans may be backing out. Not because of the substance of the deal, but because it might hurt Donald Trump’s chances of retaking the White House.

That’s what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republican senators in a closed-door meeting, according to Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News, saying “the politics” had put them “in a quandary.”

“When we started this, the border united us and Ukraine divided us,” McConnell said, per Sherman. But, he went on, “The politics on this have changed.” The issue is that “the nominee” — Trump — wants to campaign on immigration. “We don’t want to do anything to undermine him.”

Some pro-deal senators pushed back on how these remarks were reported Thursday, claiming McConnell wasn’t affirmatively declaring the talks dead or separating the two issues. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said instead that McConnell was “ambiguous” about a path forward.

But it’s clear what McConnell was alluding to: that Trump wants there to be chaos at the border while Biden is president, because he thinks such chaos will help defeat the incumbent. Trump does not want congressional Republicans making a deal with Biden to address the actual substantive problem because that would make Biden look good.

Romney confirmed that interpretation. “The border is a very important issue for Donald Trump,” he told reporters Thursday. “And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling.”

If Republicans do kill the deal, it would make all their protestations about how much they supposedly care about this issue look hollow, and the GOP would come off looking tremendously cynical. They claim to believe the migrant surge of the past few years is destroying the country, but they’d be happy to let it continue unaddressed for another year if it means they win an election.

The reason the immigration talks got as far as they did was because of an entirely different issue: Ukraine aid.

The national security establishment in both parties strongly supports further aid to Ukraine, believing that without it, the country’s resistance to Russia’s invasion might collapse. Many GOP senators, including McConnell, share that view, as did former speaker Kevin McCarthy and some House Republicans. But the MAGA right is strongly against further Ukraine aid. And with Republicans in control of the House, they’ve exerted pressure on their chamber’s leaders not to bring a “clean” Ukraine bill to a vote."

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go-redgirl · 3 years

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Kevin McCarthy challenges Joe Biden to visit border as he slams crisisEmily Goodin, Senior U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com 2 hrs ago

Meanwhile, the White House still refuses to call the thousands of migrant children being held - some without beds or enough food - a 'crisis,' but press secretary Jen Psaki did say it is a 'big problem.'

She also blamed Donald Trump's administration for leaving the border a mess.

'We recognize this is a big problem. The last administration left us a dismantled and unworkable system, and like any other problem, we're going to do everything we can to solve it,' she said.

McCarthy, meanwhile, blamed Biden's executive orders lifting some of Trump's stricter immigration policies for the surge in immigration.

Pressure is increasing on the administration to fix the border in what is rapidly becoming a crisis for the Biden White House.

'It's more than a crisis. This is a human heartbreak,' McCarthy told reporters after he and a group of GOP lawmakers who visited a detention center. 'The sad part about that is this didn't have to happen. This crisis is created by the presidential policies of this new administration.'

'I know the president's going to travel this week. This is where he should bring Air Force,' McCarthy said. 'This is where he should look the people in the eye. This is where he should talk to the border agents, and let them know that this is beyond a crisis.'

Democratic National Committee spokesperson Eduardo Silva said Republicans need to present their own solution and he called the trip a 'political stunt.'

'Republicans for years - including the last four years - did nothing to help with the nation's immigration issues. Unless Republicans come back from the border with a commitment to helping President Biden solve the problem, this visit is nothing more than a political stunt,' he said.

Psaki was asked multiple times if the president would consider a trip to the border. Biden is scheduled to go to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and Georgia on Friday to out his COVID bailout package.

'I don't have any trips to preview at this point in time,' she said during her White House press briefing.

She said Biden's focus 'is on developing solutions, pushing his team, encouraging his team to develop solutions that will expedite processing at the border, that will open more facilities that will ensure kids are treated with humanity and also treated safely. And that's his focus, and so that's where he's putting his efforts on immigration.'

The administration is struggling to house a surge of migrant children as they work to process the minors so the children can be transferred to Department of Health and Human Services shelters where they would stay until they could be united with family members already in the U.S. or with a sponsor.

The children are supposed to be transferred to DHS within three days of being caught by border agents.

Border agents are apprehending more than 400 children a day, however, which is many more than the number of children that HHS is processing and releasing to sponsors.

Video: David Bossie: Biden's border crisis – here's what it should mean for his 'immigration reform' plans (FOX News)

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David Bossie: Biden's border crisis – here's what it should mean for his 'immigration reform' plansClick to expand

And more than 4,200 kids are being held in jail-like stations unfit to house them, according to government records reviewed by CBS News, with 3,000 held past the legal limit.

Additionally the administration is looking at using The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas to house migrants as they run out of space, the Associated Press reported. The center is estimated to be able to hold 3,000 children.

A tent facility operated by the Custom and Border Patrol in Donna, Texas - some 165 miles south of Dallas - is holding more than 1,000 children and teenagers, some as young as 4. Many of the shelters are beyond capacity for taking more kids.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said the facilities are 'no place for a child.'

Media is not being allowed inside the shelters but lawyers are. Some of the attorneys told CBS News that the children told them they are hungry; only showering once in as many as seven days; and are not able to call family members.

Psaki said the situation was 'heartbreaking' for the kids but there were not a lot of options.

'This is heartbreaking. It's a very emotional issue for a lot of people, and it's very difficult and challenging. And obviously, these CBP facilities are not made for kids,' she said.

'It's not acceptable, but I think the challenge here is that there are only there are not that many options,' she said. 'The options here are send the kids back on the journey, send them to unvetted homes or work to expedite moving them into shelters where they can get health treatment by medical doctors, by educational resources, legal counseling, mental health counseling. That's exactly what we're focused on doing.'

But the administration has argued it needs its nominee to led DHS - Xavier Becerra - confirmed to help manage the situation. Biden, however, has yet to name nominees to lead CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, leaving those agencies without top leadership.

Meanwhile, a new center was opened in Midland, Texas, on Sunday to help alleviate the overcrowding caused by the record number of migrants. A shelter also was recently opened in Carrizo Springs, Texas.

The Biden administration also directed the shelters to return to normal capacity, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, social distancing and other health protocols were in place to combat the disease.

Biden lifted the Trump policy that required migrants to remain in Mexico while going through the legal process to enter the U.S., narrowed the ICE's criteria for arrests and deportations and stopped the building of Trump's border wall.

Agroup of people in a room: Migrant children and teenagers at the facility in Midland, TexasNext Slide

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In what was seen as a nod to the growing gravity of the situation, Biden administration officials announced over the weekend that FEMA will help process the influx of children coming into the country.

'Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to HHS as quickly as possible, consistent with legal requirements and in the best interest of the children,' Mayorkas said in a statement.

And ICE has asked for volunteers to help at the border.

Meanwhile, the House will vote this week on two bills aimed at tackling the immigration crisis: The American Dream and Promise Act would establish a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children - known as the 'Dreamers' - while the Farm Workforce Modernization Act would allow agricultural workers to establish temporary status with an eventual option to become a permanent resident.

Last month, 100,000 migrants were caught trying to cross the southern border - up 30 percent from January.

And numbers are continuing to increase this month, with 125,000 migrants expected to arrive along the border in March, according to current data.

That is the highest number in years - and officials fear the figure will soar even further throughout the spring.

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gizedcom · 4 years

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Democrats pressed to include court reforms in 2020 platform

WASHINGTON (AP) — Liberal interest groups are intensifying pressure on Democrats to take aggressive measures to reshape the Supreme Court, arguing the party should include such measures in its policy platform at next month’s convention.

Twenty-two Democratic-aligned groups signed a letter sent this week to the party’s platform committee, saying Democratic electoral victories by themselves won’t be enough.

The activists have already faced disappointment this year. Presidential candidates who embraced sweeping court reforms, such as former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropped their campaigns. The presumptive nominee, Joe Biden, has not gone as far, but he has pledged to nominate a Black woman to the high court.

But the liberal groups are pointing to a string of recent victories by progressive candidates at the congressional level as fresh proof that the party base wants the court to change to weaken the power of conservatives.

“Failing to include any provision on Court reform in the Party platform would send Republicans the message that they can continue to break the rules to hijack our courts because Democrats will do nothing to reverse their illegitimate gains,” the letter said.

The effort is picking up steam even as liberals won some surprising victories, including on immigration, abortion and LGBTQ rights, from a court with five Republican-appointed, conservative justices.

In New York’s Democratic congressional primary last month, Mondaire Jones and Jamaal Bowman, who both favor court expansion, won their party’s nominations for seats in and near New York City. “Our democracy is under assault, and the Supreme Court has dealt many of the sharpest blows. If Democrats want to do something about that, expanding the Court is our only option,” Jones wrote on Facebook in April.

While they won’t have a say on the court, their victories are helping build interest in an area in which Republicans have long found it easier to motivate their most ardent supporters, said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, the group leading the call for court reform in the Democratic platform. “There are some signs this election cycle that there is heightened awareness on the left of the threat posed by the sheer number of conservative nominees Trump has installed,” Fallon said.

Biden has made court appointments a leading issue in his campaign with his pledge to put the first Black woman on the court and has suggested vetting is already underway to consider candidates if he’s elected.

President Donald Trump similarly energized conservatives in 2016 by releasing a list of potential nominees to the high court. Trump has appointed 200 federal judges, including Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The task has been made easier by changes in Senate rules, first adopted when Democrats held a majority, that eliminated the procedural rule that required 60 votes to confirm executive branch and judicial nominees.

The liberal groups say doing nothing is not an option, complaining Republicans have made “illegitimate gains” in the federal judiciary, embodied most vividly by GOP resistance to filling a Supreme Court seat in 2016 when President Barack Obama was in office, then quickly confirming Gorsuch after Trump won the presidency.

The court’s size can be changed by legislation. The number of high court seats varied during its first 80 years from a low of six at the time the Constitution took effect in 1789 to a high of 10 during the Civil War. The current tally of nine justices was set in an 1869 law.

Congress might also act to impose term limits, but any change is likely to draw a legal challenge because the only limit set by the Constitution is that federal judges “shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour.” They can be impeached, but otherwise decide for themselves when to hang up their robes.

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xtruss · 11 months

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The Real Impact of Immigration on the U.S.

— By Fatma Khaled | Newsweek | May 21st, 2023

A new U.S. citizen holds a flag to his chest during the Pledge of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at the New York Public Library, July 3, 2018, in New York City. Renewed talks about immigration resurfaced after the Trump-ear policy Title 42 ended earlier this month, leading to a surge in the number of migrants arriving at the border hoping to claim asylum in the United States. Drew Angerer/Getty

President Joe Biden continues to face pressure from both sides of the discussion centered around immigration, including those who think his administration is not doing enough to protect the U.S.-Mexico border and others who believe newly introduced rules are overly strict on asylum-seekers.

Renewed talks about immigration resurfaced after Title 42 ended earlier this month, leading to a surge in the number of migrants arriving at the border hoping to claim asylum in the United States. The policy was introduced by former President Donald Trump, allowing the denial of asylum seekers due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, which officially ended on May 11. The policy was used to send back about 2.5 million migrants between March 2020 and November 2022, according to CNN.

U.S. officials processed over 10,000 migrants arriving at the border every day last week, which is up from about 5,000 in March, according to the BBC. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has also been holding up to 28,000 migrants at its facilities, which exceeds its capacity limits, two federal officials told Reuters last week.

“This Land Belongs To Native Americans. All Others Are Immigrants.”

Migrants can now claim asylum after undergoing a screening process that would determine whether or not they qualify for entry into the U.S. Title 42 is now being replaced by the pre-existing section of U.S. code known as Title 8, which has consequences on those who cross the border illegally or do not qualify for entering the country as they will not only be deported, but will also be banned from re-entering the country for at least five years.

In addition, the Biden administration introduced a new border policy, dubbed by rights groups as the "new asylum ban," that denies migrants asylum if they didn't seek refuge first in a country they transited through, like Mexico, before reaching the U.S. border. However, an exception is made for migrants who have secured an appointment through the CBP One App.

Biden's border rules didn't please pro-immigration advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed a lawsuit last week alleging that the Biden administration's new border policy or what they called the "new asylum ban" is "largely" mimicking policies under Trump. However, some conservatives and Republicans disagree and think that Biden's immigration policies are already loose and have led to a "crisis" at the border.

The end of Title 42 sent some GOP members scrambling to strengthen current border rules, with House Republicans passing the Secure the Border Act, a proposed fix that they hope would deal with the surge of migrants. The bill provides increased funding for border agents, resumes construction of the border wall, and upgrades border technology, among other goals.

Newsweek spoke with critics of Biden's immigration approach and experts who explained the real impact of immigration on crime, economy, and politics in the U.S., while highlighting past immigration patterns and their historic effects.

Are Crime Rates Connected to a Growing Immigrant Population?

Some members of the Republican Party repeatedly blamed Biden's "open borders" policies for a spike in crime, human trafficking, and drug smuggling, despite multiple studies revealing otherwise. In February, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan launched a probe against Biden after a 17-year-old male migrant from El Salvador was accused in the assault and killing of 20-year-old Kayla Hamilton last July. The teen allegedly entered the U.S. in March, just months before the fatal attack, in Rio Grande City, Texas. He was identified as an unaccompanied minor and a member of the MS-13 gang, according to the press release.

A 2020 study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), cited by the Department of Justice, showed that undocumented immigrants have "substantially" lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants, according to arrest data from the Texas Department of Public Safety. PNAS used the data to compare criminality of undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants and native-born US citizens between 2012 and 2018. The peer-reviewed journal revealed that U.S.-born citizens are over two times more likely to be arrested for violent and drug crimes, and over four times more likely to be arrested for property crimes.

There are around 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, according to Pew Research Center. Texas alone has over 1.7 million undocumented immigrants, 2019 data by the Migration Policy Institute shows. Cato Institute, a U.S.-based think tank, also used Texas data in 2020, since it was the only state to record and keep the immigration statuses of those arrested. It found that in 2018 the criminal conviction rate was 782 per 100,000 immigrants who crossed into the country illegally, 535 per 100,000 legal immigrants, and 1,422 per 100,000 native‐born Americans. In addition, the illegal immigrant criminal conviction rate was 45 percent below U.S.-born citizens in Texas.

Meanwhile, The Marshall Project in 2018 cited a study led by Robert Adelman, a sociologist at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, compared immigration rates with crime rates for 200 metropolitan areas, ranging from urban hubs in New York to smaller areas such as Muncie, Indiana, over the past several decades. The immigrant population in 136 metropolitan areas grew between 1980 and 2016, while crime rates remained the same or fell, according to The Marshall Project. In each decade from 1980 to 2016, there was a consistent pattern of immigrant population growing at the same rate as crime, which indicates that there is simply no connection between the two.

Marco Tabellini, and assistant professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, told Newsweek that even though the claim of increased crime being connected to immigration is not true, it had been often used as a strategic tool by politicians to gain popularity and potentially attract undecided voters.

"Humans respond to emotions, and fear is one of them. Immigration is threatening to some groups of people because it brings uncertainty. Diversity implies departure from the status quo, potential deviations from pre-existing norms...it is easy to create false and incorrect stereotypes about strangers and outsiders," he said.

Immigrants sing along to "Proud to be an American" by Lee Greenwood during a naturalization ceremony on February 1 in Newark, New Jersey. The end of Title 42 sent some GOP members scrambling to strengthen current border rules, with House Republicans passing the Secure the Border Act, a proposed fix that they hope would deal with the surge of migrants. John Moore/Getty

Meanwhile, Douglas Massey, a sociology professor at Princeton University, told Newsweek that adding immigrants to the population actually "lowers average crime rates in the United States by counterbalancing the higher crime rates of natives."

Representative Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, also debunked Republicans' claim about crime and immigration, by citing February data from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE), showing that 99.4 percent of migrants monitored on ICE's Alternatives to Detention program attended their court hearings. However, not all undocumented immigrants are tracked through this program.

"Republicans who assert the Biden administration is releasing countless dangerous migrants into the country are not only trafficking in xenophobic, anti-immigrant sentiment, but they are also peddling lies that are categorically false," Connolly said in a statement released by his office in February.

However, this argument was countered by Ira Mehlman, the media director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an anti-immigration nonprofit.

"Obviously any crime that is committed by someone who is in the country illegally is a crime that would have been avoided if the criminal had been prevented from entering the country. Given the volume of illegal immigration it is certainly reasonable to assume that criminals have managed to enter. They may constitute only a small percentage of the people coming across, but that is small comfort to the victims," Mehlman told Newsweek.

Mehlman said that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) doesn't collect data on so-called "got away" migrants who evaded authorities while crossing the border. The FAIR media director cited a Fox News interview in January that had unnamed CBP sources who alleged that there were 1.2 million "got-away" migrants who entered the U.S. since Biden took office in 2021. Newsweek was unable to independently verify Fox News' report.

History Showed How Migrants Helped Shape U.S. Policy

The immediate impact of an influx of migrants coming into the U.S. on American politics might be hard to determine, according to experts, but history has shown that immigrants and their descendants played an important role in expanding democracy in the country.

A report published in 2020 by UCLA Anderson Review, which was co-authored by Tabellini, showed how the influx of European migrants who entered the U.S. over a century ago might be related to today's political ideology and the extent to which public welfare is supported in areas such as education.

"Their proxy for public welfare is exposure to a national education policy. Compulsory education was the norm in much of Europe decades before mass migration to the U.S. began, suggesting immigrants were bringing with them an institutional knowledge of the role of a nation-state in mandating this core form of public welfare," the study read.

There might be a difficulty in knowing migrants' immediate effect on U.S. politics because it takes a minimum of five years to become a citizen eligible to vote, and the pathway to citizenship is often longer, according to Massey. However, Tabellini explained that once immigrants are naturalized they will have a role in shaping the politics that affect their own communities.

"That is, eventually, the "immigrant vote" will matter. Think about the importance of the Hispanic community in the US. To the extent to which immigrants hold different preferences relative to natives, they can sway policy in important directions. Once immigrants (and their descendants) can vote, politicians will take their preferences into account," Tabellini told Newsweek.

Tabellini's 2020 research showed an example of how an influx of migrants helped shape public policy, highlighting that European migrants who came to the U.S. in the early 1900s were "more supportive of social welfare and had relatively liberal and left-wing political preferences," and that over time those preferences "spilled over to natives" in America.

A migrant worker works on a farm land in Homestead, Florida, on May 11. A 2020 report by the IMF revealed that immigrants in advanced economies across the world increased productivity and output in the short and medium term. Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty

The Impact of Immigration on U.S. Economy

Some reports in the past several years showed how immigrants contributed to the country's economy. However, not all immigrants, whether they came into the country legally or illegally, contribute the same way since their skills and education vary.

A 2020 report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revealed that immigrants in advanced economies across the world increased productivity and output in the short and medium term. Meanwhile, a 2020 study by FWD.us showed that not only many innovators and job creators come from the immigrant population, they also have an "enormous" spending power that drives the U.S. economy.

Immigrants added $2 trillion to the U.S. GDP in 2016 and $458.7 billion to state, local, and federal taxes in 2018. Meanwhile, after they spent billions of dollars in taxes, immigrants were left with $1.2 trillion in spending power, which they used to buy goods and services, contributing to local business activity.

Construction workers try to restore services in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on November 2, 2022, after Hurricane Ian devastated the area. Workers doing the hard labor are largely undocumented migrants. Studies show that placing strict immigration policies that would include deporting migrants or preventing them from entering the country would have a strong impact on U.S. economy. Eva Marie Uzcatequi/AFP/Getty

Studies show that placing strict immigration policies that would include deporting migrants or preventing them from entering the country would have a strong impact on U.S. economy.

"Proposed cuts to our legal immigration system would have devastating effects on our economy, decreasing GDP by 2% over twenty years, shrinking growth by 12.5%, and cutting 4.6 million jobs," the report by FWD.us stated. Additionally, ProPublica found in 2017 that deporting the nearly 11 million undocumented migrants in the country would be an "almost $8 trillion hit" to the economy over the next 14 years.

Tabellini said that closing the U.S.-Mexico border historically had "negative consequences" for U.S. workers and the economy, citing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Immigration Acts of the 1920s, and the termination of the Bracero Program in the 1960s.

Immigrants tend to work at high rates and make up more than a third of the workforce in some industries in the U.S., according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which added that they are capable of promptly responding to employee shortages thanks to their geographic mobility. This was at least the case during the pandemic lockdown when food delivery was booming because people relied more on the service, which includes a largely immigrant workforce.

The Brookings Institution reported that 43 percent of companies in the 2017 Fortune 500 were founded or co-founded by immigrants or their children. Those companies produced a total of $5.3 trillion in global revenue and hired 12.1 million people in 2016 to work in various sectors, including retail, wholesale, and financial and insurance.

Hundreds of delivery workers, many of them immigrants, participate in a protest and march down Broadway to City Hall on April 21, 2021, in New York City. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities revealed that immigrants are capable of promptly responding to employee shortages thanks to their geographic mobility. Spencer Platt/Getty

However, Mehlman said that illegal immigration tends to have a "significant" effect on the economy, claiming that it places heavy costs on American taxpayers.

"Businesses like illegal immigrants because they work for lower wages. But low-wage labor is not cheap labor; it's subsidized labor. The employers get the benefit of lower wage workers, while everyone else pays for education, health care, and other services that are not offset by the taxes that illegal aliens pay out of their meager wages," he told Newsweek.

He said that FAIR has long advocated for a merit-based legal immigration system "that allows us to select immigrants based on objective assessments of their likelihood to net benefits to our economy."

Still, immigration might possibly help alleviate inflation-related problems today to some extent, according to Tabellini.

"One of the reasons why inflation is growing is that, in some sectors, there is labor scarcity, and firms simply cannot find workers.... immigration might help firms find workers. As a result, wages will stop increasing (or will grow less), and inflation may taper off (if firms don't continue to increase prices)," he explained. Newsweek reached out by email to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

#US Immigrants #Economic Impact #Illegal Immigrants Vs Crime Rate

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theliberaltony · 5 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

More than half of the Democratic field crowded into San Francisco this past weekend for the California Democratic Convention, where they tried to stand out in the crowded primary as the clock ticks away for the candidates to qualify for the first debates.

And with less than a week for candidates to hit the threshold to make the debate stage, the Democratic National Committee announced a rule change which leaves Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on the outside looking in. Bullock had qualified for the first debates, in Miami at the end of June, based on polling, but the DNC said on Thursday that two ABC News/Washington Post polls — one of which had put Bullock over the top — would no longer be counted. As of Thursday afternoon, that left 20 candidates who had met thresholds via polling and/or fundraising.

Meanwhile, the mass shooting in Virginia Beach last week brought the issue of gun violence to the fore, and former Vice President Joe Biden seemingly set himself apart from the rest of the crowd when he said he supported the Hyde amendment, which blocks federal funding of abortions. On Thursday, however, he appeared to reverse that position.

Here’s the weekly candidate roundup:

May 31-June 6, 2019

Michael Bennet (D)

Bennet met the polling criteria to participate in the first Democratic debate scheduled to take place later this month in Miami. He garnered 1 percent in a national CNN poll on Tuesday, which is the third qualifying poll he has reached 1 percent in.

In the aftermath of the deadly mass shooting in Virginia Beach, Bennet told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” that, “I think the president can make a difference. The House of Representatives has passed background checks to close the internet loophole. This person bought the guns lawfully as we know. Every single fact pattern will be different. We should pass those background checks — 90 percent of Americans support it.”

The Colorado senator spent the weekend campaigning in South Carolina while many of his fellow 2020 rivals were at the California Democratic Convention.

Joe Biden (D)

Biden broke from the other 2020 candidate when his campaign announced that he supports the Hyde Amendment, but he would be open to repealing it. Then, on Thursday, he said that he no longer supported the policy. “I’ve been working through the final details of my health care plan like others in this race and I’ve been struggling with the problems that Hyde now presents,” he said.

The Hyde Amendment was first passed in 1976, three years after the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. It encoded abortion as a protected right, but stipulating that federal funding could not be used to pay for abortions. A few years later, Congress made an exemption for cases in which there was a threat to the patient’s life. An exemption for cases of rape or incest was added in the early 1990s. The law largely affects patients who are on Medicaid, meaning low-income patients have to pay for an abortion out-of-pocket. Many of the other candidates responded by calling for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment.

Biden also released a $5 trillion climate plan which calls for net zero emission of carbon pollution in the U.S. by 2050. The plan includes $1.7 trillion in federal spending over 10 years; the rest of the spending would come from the private sector.

Cory Booker (D)

The New Jersey senator unveiled a plan to make housing more affordable by offering a tax credit to people who spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. According to researchers at Columbia University, the refundable renters’ credit would benefit more than 57 million people — including 17 million children — and lift 9.4 million Americans out of poverty.

Booker’s housing plan also includes measures to expand access to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction, reform restrictive zoning laws, build more affordable housing units and combat homelessness through funding grants.

At the California Democratic Convention over the weekend, Booker also addressed the issue of gun violence.

“We are seeing the normalization of mass murder in our country,” Booker said. “It is time that we come together and stand together and take the fight to the NRA and the corporate gun lobby like we have never seen before. We can lead that fight and we can win.”

Steve Bullock (D)

On Wednesday, Bullock announced the first official policy of his presidential campaign, designed to keep foreign money out of U.S. elections. His “Check the Box” proposal would require all 501(c)(4) groups that aren’t required to disclose any of their donors and Super PACs to “check a box” saying that they are not taking money from foreign actors. Lying “will carry the penalty of perjury,” according to Bullock’s policy.

In a Des Moines Register op-ed, the Montana governor wrote, “Trump’s dark money loophole is telling these secretive groups that they don’t even have to disclose the source of their funding to the IRS. It opens the door not only to significantly more spending by corporations and wealthy donors, but also to potential spending by foreign entities.”

Pete Buttigieg (D)

During a MSNBC Town Hall on Monday, Buttigieg said he “would not have applied that pressure” for Sen. Al Franken to have resigned in 2017 over sexual harassment allegations, without first learning more about the claims.

“I think it was his decision to make” the South Bend, Indiana, mayor said. “But I think the way that we basically held him to a higher standard than the GOP does their people has been used against us.”

At the California Democratic Convention, Buttigieg leaned into his position as a Washington outsider and said the country needs “something completely different.”

“Why not a middle-class millennial mayor with a track record in the industrial Midwest? Why not a mayor at a time when we need Washington to look more like our best run cities and towns, not the other way around? And why not someone who represents a new generation of leadership?” the 37-year-old mayor said.

Julian Castro (D)

The former Housing and Urban Development secretary unveiled a sweeping police reform plan Monday, aiming to prevent officer-involved shootings, increase transparency and end “police militarization.”

“Even though we have some great police officers out there, and I know that because I served as mayor of San Antonio, this is not a case of just a few bad apples,” Castro said on CNN. “The system is broken.”

Included in the proposal are restrictions on the use of deadly force, the increased adoption of technology such as body cameras, an end to stop-and-frisk tactics and expanded bias training.

Bill de Blasio (D)

De Blasio earned his first union endorsement since launching his presidential campaign. The New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council announced their support on Wednesday and even said they would campaign for the New York City mayor in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

John Delaney (D)

Delaney criticized the DNC guidelines which include a 65,000 donor threshold as one criteria to qualify for the presidential debates. He argued that the criteria leaves voters excluded from the process.

“I don’t think we should have a donor standard, I absolutely don’t think the Democratic Party should be about money. Fifty percent of the American people can’t afford basic necessities, I’m running for those people,” he said on MSNBC.

On health care, the former congressman from Maryland was aggressively booed at the California Democratic Convention for denouncing Medicare for all as “bad policy.” His proposed health care plan would keep private insurance as an option.Jeff Chiu/AP

After New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed Delaney’s health care plan over Twitter, urging the candidate to “sashay away,” Delaney responded by asking her to a debate, but Ocasio-Cortez declined.

“I think that’s too bad because I think health care is the most important issue facing the American people and she obviously has an issue with my plan, based on that she tweeted that thing at me, and I would have loved to debate it because I think these things should be a battle of ideas,” Delaney said in a phone interview with ABC News.

Tulsi Gabbard (D)

The Hawaii congresswoman reacted to the House passing the “DREAM and Promise Act” which would protect young undocumented immigrants and immigrants with temporary status who were once covered by the Obama-era DACA program. She said on Fox News, “The hyper-partisanship around this issue has gotten in the way of delivering a real solution. This legislation and finding a solution for these Dreamers is something that has had bipartisan support.”

Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

Gillibrand released a plan to legalize marijuana, which called for expunging all non-violent marijuana convictions. Gillibrand said that under her plan, tax revenue from recreational marijuana would be put “towards programs that help repair the damage done by the War on Drugs.”

The New York senator also participated in a town hall on Fox News, where she attacked the network for its coverage of abortion. Gillibrand was asked about her position on “late-term abortion” and she began her response by reiterating her stand that “when it comes to women’s reproductive freedom, it should be a woman’s decision.” She then criticized Fox News for creating “a false narrative” on the issue.

Gillibrand was cut off by moderator, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, who said, “Senator, I just want to say we’ve brought you here for an hour.”

Wallace continued, “We have treated you very fairly. I understand that, maybe, to make your credentials with the Democrats who are not appearing on Fox News, you want to attack us. I’m not sure it’s frankly very polite when we’ve invited you to be here.”

Gillibrand said that she would “do it in a polite way,” but she was interrupted by Wallace again who said “instead of talking about Fox News, why don’t you answer Susan’s question?” referring to the question asked by the member of the audience.

Still, Gillibrand attacked the network for their use of the word “infanticide,” calling it “illegal” and “not a fact.” She added, “I believe all of us have a responsibility to talk about the facts.”

Kamala Harris (D)

Harris was rushed off the stage Saturday while speaking at the MoveOn #BigIdeas forum in San Francisco after an activist rushed at her and grabbed the microphone out of her hand. Harris returned to the stage, about a minute later, to chants of “Ka-ma-la” from the audience.

An animal activist group claimed responsibility for the man rushing the stage. He was identified by the group as Aidan Cook. The group’s spokesperson, Matt Johnson, told ABC News that Cook was not detained or arrested; he was simply kicked out.

John Hickenlooper (D)

The former Colorado governor has struggled to gain traction so far. He faced a disruptive crowd at the California Democratic Convention when he said, “If we want to beat Donald Trump and achieve big progressive goals, socialism is not the answer.”

The crowd of Democratic activists responded to his message with a chorus of boos and a massive display of waving “Bernie” signs.

Hickenlooper responded to the boos by saying, “You know, if we are not careful we are going to help re-elect the worst president in American history.”

Jay Inslee (D)

The Washington governor has been pushing hard for the DNC to dedicate one of its presidential primary debates to the topic of climate change. DNC spokeswoman, Xochitl Hinojosa, responded in a statement saying, “the DNC will not be holding entire debates on a single issue area because we want to make sure voters have the ability to hear from candidates on dozens of issues of importance to American voters.”

Inslee called the DNC’s decision to not host a climate debate “deeply disappointing.”

“The DNC is silencing the voices of Democratic activists, many of our progressive partner organizations, and nearly half of the Democratic presidential field, who want to debate the existential crisis of our time. Democratic voters say that climate change is their top issue; the Democratic National Committee must listen to the grassroots of the party,” Inslee’s campaign said in a press release.

Amy Klobuchar (D)

Klobuchar secured her first Iowa endorsement from State Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines. Gaines said she’s endorsing Klobuchar because of the senator’s “commitment to addressing and prioritizing mental health.”

Seth Moulton (D)

Moulton said in a CNN town hall that if elected, he would seek to change current Department of Justice guidelines which prevent a sitting president from being indicted. The comment came after former special counsel Robert Mueller said that a “longstanding” department policy prevents a sitting president from being charged with a federal crime.

Beto O’Rourke (D)

O’Rourke released a voting rights plan which called for term limits for members of Congress and for Supreme Court justices. O’Rourke is calling for members of the House and Senate to serve for no more than 12 years, and for justices to be capped at one 18-year term. O’Rourke said that after a justice completes their term, they would be permitted to serve on the federal courts of appeals.

The former Texas congressman’s plan also includes measures to increase voter participation, including by making Election Day a federal holiday and by allowing automatic and same-day voter registration.

Tim Ryan (D)

Ryan flipped his position on impeachment, this week, saying he believes Congress has to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump. The Ohio congressman made his announcement during a CNN town hall, saying that Mueller’s statement last week made him support impeachment.

Bernie Sanders (D)

Sanders spoke at Walmart’s annual shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday, directly criticizing the company for paying its employees low wages and lobbying for a resolution that would give hourly workers representation on the company’s board of directors.

As many Democratic candidates spoke out on abortion rights this week, comments by Sanders in 1972 — prior to the Roe v. Wade decision — resurfaced via Newsweek. He told a Vermont newspaper at the time that it struck him as “incredible” that the male-dominated state legislature, and politicians in general, “think that they have the right to tell a woman what she can or cannot do with her body.”

This weekend, Sanders visits Iowa to speak at the Capital City Pride Candidate Forum in Des Moines, he will march with McDonald’s workers who are seeking higher wages and attend the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame Celebration in Cedar Rapids, among several other events.

Eric Swalwell (D)

Swalwell talked about his assault weapon ban and buyback plan on ABC’s “The View.” He said that he’s the only candidate calling to “ban and buy back every single assault weapon in America.”

The California congressman also left the door open to drop out of the presidential race and run for re-election for his House seat. Swalwell said he is open to running for a fifth term in Congress, but said he wouldn’t make that decision until December.

Elizabeth Warren (D)

Warren announced on Thursday that her campaign staff has unionized.

“My campaign has submitted their support to join IBEW 2320,” Warren tweeted. Her campaign joins a growing number of others that are showing support for unions and unionizing themselves. The Sanders and Castro campaigns have also unionized and the Swalwell campaign had previously said they were unionizing.

Andrew Yang (D)

During Pride Month, Yang tied his signature universal basic income proposal to the LGBTQ community, noting in a BuzzFeed interview that he’s heard from many people who say they’ve been kicked out of housing and fired from jobs over their sexual orientation. He said it is his plan to give all American adults $1,000 per month, which could help them “adjust if they’re economically singled out.”

Yang will be among the speakers at the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame Celebration in Cedar Rapids on Sunday.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Christopher Donato #Sruthi Palaniappan and Adam Ke

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