LGBTQ news and entertainment
Republicans have been attacking President Biden for months urging him to “fix” the situation at the southern border. But now, Donald Trump is secretly telling Senate Republicans not to pass a bipartisan border security bill (which also includes support for Ukraine and Israel) because it would give Biden “a win” before the November elections. Continue reading “Trump Tells GOP Senators To Kill Border Bill To Deny Biden A ‘Win’”
In a legal decision regarding razor wire installed along the southern border ordered by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), the Supreme Court sided with the federal government, clearing the way for border patrol agents to remove the razor wire. Continue reading “SCOTUS Sides With Federal Govt On Texas Border Razor Wire”
U.S. border agents were prevented by Texas officials from saving a woman and two children who drowned in an attempt to cross the Rio Grande River. Continue reading “Texas Officials Prevent Border Agents From Saving Drowning Children”
(photo via GoFundMe/Greg Breidenbach’s Road to Recovery)
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| Donald Trump |
Donald Trump plans to ask Congress for up to $8.6 billion in additional funding for his wall along the US/Mexico border in his upcoming budget proposal for fiscal 2020.
From The New York Times:
The request, which will come as part of Mr. Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget proposal, is certain to reignite a conflict with Democrats that led to a record-long government shutdown this year. Mr. Trump had previously requested $5.7 billion to build a wall but was rebuffed by both Democrats and Republicans, who approved a spending bill that did not include the funding.
That resulted in Mr. Trump declaring a national emergency on the border with Mexico to access billions of dollars that Congress refused to give him to build a wall there.
The new budget request is intended to allow for the completion of 700 miles of barrier, which is the total that Mr. Trump intends to build, mostly new but some refurbished.
Congress wouldn’t give him $5.7 billion, so he’s going to ask for $8.6 billion.
Seems logical.
Anyone remember when Mexico was going to pay for the wall?
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| Donald Trump |
The House of Representatives voted 245 to 182 today to overturn Donald Trump’s declaration of a ‘national emergency’ at the U.S./Mexico border.
That includes 13 Republicans in the House voting for the measure.
From The New York Times:
House Republican leaders kept defections low after feverishly working to assuage concerns among rank-and-file members about protecting congressional powers and about the precedent that Mr. Trump could be setting for Democratic presidents to use for their own purposes.
“Is your oath of office to Donald Trump or is it to the Constitution of the United States?” Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked her Republican colleagues in a speech on the floor ahead of the vote. “You cannot let him undermine your pledge to the Constitution.”
The resolution of disapproval, which passed 245 to 182, must now be taken up by the Senate, where three Republicans have already declared their support, only one short of the number needed for Congress to ratify a stinging rebuke of Mr. Trump’s efforts.
The measure now goes to the Senate which will HAVE to hold a vote. Three U.S. Senators (Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska) have said they plan to support the resolution.
Trump will veto the measure, but it will be a stinging rebuke that he’s appropriating funds to appease his core supporters on a campaign promise.
Reporters noted before Donald Trump’s press conference yesterday in the White House Rose Garden that no teleprompters were set up, a sign that Trump might be a bit freewheeling at the event.
Other than a few cards with notes, Trump announced he was declaring a ‘national emergency’ over border security, and then took questions from reporters.
CNN’s Jim Acosta tried to ask about the ‘disconnect’ between Trump’s proclamations of ’emergency’ versus data coming from the federal government that border crossings have been declining for years and presently at near record lows.
“I wonder if you could comment on this disconnect that we seem to have in this country where you are presenting information about what’s happening at the border,” Acosta said, “calling it an invasion, talking about women with duct tape over their mouths and so on, yet there is a lot of reporting out there, a lot of crime data out there, there is a lot of Department of Homeland Security data out there, that shows border crossings at a near record low.”
And Acosta is correct. Check out these stats from Trump’s own Customs and Border Protection:
As we await the declaration of a national emergency on the southern border, this is what illegal border crossings actually look like over the last two decades, via Trump’s own @CBP. pic.twitter.com/hpatp5YSsE— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) February 15, 2019
Acosta also noted government data that shows “undocumented immigrants committing crimes at lower levels than native-born Americans.”
But the Trumpster became very defensive saying he uses “a lot of stats” to come up with his position, and soon segued into a classic episode of Trumpism attacking Acosta.
Trump: “You don’t really believe that, do you? Do you really believe that? Look at our federal prisons.”
Acosta: “I believe in facts and statistics. What do you say to your critics who say that you are creating a national emergency? That you are concocting a national emergency here to get your wall?”
Trump: “What do you think? Do you think I am creating something? Your question is a very political question because you have an agenda. You are CNN, fake news. You have an agenda.”
“The numbers that you gave are wrong,” Trump added. “Take a look at our federal prison population. See how many of them percentage-wise are illegal aliens. Just see. Go ahead and see. It’s a fake question.”
This was something. The video below is cued up to Acosta’s question, but you can watch the full on press event as well.
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| Donald Trump |
According to The Washington Post, Democrats plan to pass a stopgap spending bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security through February 8.
The Homeland Security bill will match the one passed by the Republican-controlled Senate before Christmas which includes $1.3 billion for border fencing and other security measures.
Six other funding bills are also in the pipeline to fund closed portions of the federal government through September 30.
It looks like Donald Trump got the memo. The Trumpster launched into another Twitter rant on the subject this morning.
He keeps saying Democrats should get back to Washington, but technically Paul Ryan is still the Speaker of the House.
Just saying…
I campaigned on Border Security, which you cannot have without a strong and powerful Wall. Our Southern Border has long been an “Open Wound,” where drugs, criminals (including human traffickers) and illegals would pour into our Country. Dems should get back here an fix now!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2018
I’m in the Oval Office. Democrats, come back from vacation now and give us the votes necessary for Border Security, including the Wall. You voted yes in 2006 and 2013. One more yes, but with me in office, I’ll get it built, and Fast!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2018
It’s incredible how Democrats can all use their ridiculous sound bite and say that a Wall doesn’t work. It does, and properly built, almost 100%! They say it’s old technology – but so is the wheel. They now say it is immoral- but it is far more immoral for people to be dying!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2018
By the way, that part about being “in the Oval Office?” Looks like it was another lie. White House reporter Brian Karem noted that there’s no Marine standing guard outside the Oval Office which is normal protocol when the president is in the West Wing.
POTUS tweet minutes ago claimed he was in the Oval Office. No marine there so that’s another lie. @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/rnJnQt88HO— Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) December 31, 2018
