This and That ….
News Tidbits
Did you know or hear that the same tear-gas agent that the Trump administration is taking heat for deploying against the border crashers this weekend is actually used fairly frequently — including more than once a month during the later years of President Obama's administration? This is according to Homeland Security data.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has used 2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile, or CS, since 2010, and deployed it 26 times in fiscal 2012 and 27 times in 2013. The use dropped after that, but was still deployed three times in 2016, Obama's final full year in office.
With all the noise about the border did you hear this?
A key group of lawmakers has struck a deal to double the number of visas doled out to temporary seasonal guest workers each year, suggesting a breakthrough on an immigration issue that's bedeviled Congress for years.
The number of visas allowed would rise from 66,000 to 132,000 annually. The tradeoff is that businesses hoping to use the H-2B visa program will have to submit to strict checks on their workforce, making sure anyone hired since 2012, and those they hire going forward, are in the country legally.
Do Democrats want to change the border laws? This from Rep. Elijah Cummings the ranking Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee: "Caravan migrants seeking asylum should be able to enter the country immediately", challenging the President's efforts to keep them in Mexico while their cases are processed.
"That's not the law. They should be allowed to come in, seek asylum. That's the law," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Then asked if he would support changing the law, the Maryland Democrat said, "No."
Do you know that tomorrow is the House Democrat meeting to choose its leadership? As reported here for months, Nancy Pelosi is a lock. In the closed door meeting those representatives who promised to vote against her will say they did. Then in the open session some will, but not enough to deny her the role. It was all a sham.
In fact, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn are all running unopposed for speaker, majority leader and whip.
Here's more:
"Another rebel Dem softens on opposing Pelosi for speaker,"Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), one of 16 lawmakers or members-elect who had signed a letter promising to vote against Pelosi on the floor, said on Sunday he would back her over a Republican during the critical Jan. 3 vote. If it becomes a choice between a Republican and Nancy Pelosi, I'll obviously support Nancy Pelosi," he said.
Clinton News: Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky seeing "Torch Song" on Broadway this weekend. "There were two standing ovations for them. One at the beginning of the night when they walked into the theater, and the other at the end of the night for the actors when they bowed. After the show the Clintons went backstage to congratulate the cast and crew along with Eric Kuhn, one of the show's producers."
This days after the A&E Clinton expose that clearly illustrated Clinton flaws.
Anyone surprised? Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski tied the knot in a Secret Washington D.C. Ceremony. The Morning Joe co-hosts made it official during an intimate ceremony at the National Archives. It was officiated by the above mentioned Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings.
Speaking of Democrats here's another 2020 candidate. Beto O'Rourke said Monday that he is no longer ruling out a run for president in 2020, a reversal that thrilled his legion of loyal supporters while clouding an already-crowded Democratic primary field.
With the GM announcement comes this WSJ story:
In the interview, President Trump said he told General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra that she should stop making cars in China and open a new plant in Ohio to replace one that is ending production.
GM plans to cut up to 14,800 jobs in the U.S. and Canada and end production at several North American factories, marking the auto maker's first significant downsizing since its bankruptcy last decade as the company tries to adjust to weak sedan sales.
"They better damn well open a new plant there very quickly," Mr. Trump said, adding that he talked to Ms. Barra Sunday night. "I love Ohio. I told them, 'You're playing around with the wrong person.'"
House Democrats plan to conduct an investigation into Ivanka Trump's use of a private email account for government business. Imagine that. Hillary bleach bit her computers so you couldn't see 33,000 emails, destroyed phones and they didn't care. Ivanka's few are there to read and "not classified" and they want an investigation.
By the way, nearly a dozen incoming House freshmen served in previous presidential Democratic administrations. Seven from the Obama administration "are determined to restore Mr. Obama's legacy".
Good luck with that. President Trump has totally destroyed that.
The NYT supports them. Here's a story in the newspaper:
A Chance to Repair America's Image Abroad:
Democrats can use their new power in the House to check the Trump administration's recklessness and advance their own foreign policies.
Oh yea, we all want Obama's foreign policy back, don't we?
The courts and judges were back in the news as President Trump lost two big immigration court rulings after a federal judge in California shot down his polices.
When the President called them Obama judges Chief Justice Roberts then spoke up and said we don't have separate judges. No, we just have the 9th circuit that Democrats bring every case to and the appeals have to end up in Justice Roberts' court. Where were his comments when President Obama attacked the court? Why is it okay to attack this President but not the past one?
A final word on the midterms. Democrats will end up picking up 40 house seats. That's big, but so is this. Democratic house candidates won 8.6 million more votes than the Republican candidates.
Think about that in relation to 2020.