Biden, Trump spar over border wall expansion |
President Biden and former President Trump are clashing over the Biden administration’s announcement that it’s waiving 26 federal laws to allow for border wall construction in Starr County, Texas.
Trump claims the move is an admission that his approach to border security was correct, while President Biden says his hands are tied, as Congress appropriated funds for this specific purpose in 2019 before he took office.
- Trump: “Will Joe Biden apologize to me and America for taking so long to get moving, and allowing our country to be flooded with 15 million illegals immigrants, from places unknown. I will await his apology!”
Biden: “The money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get them to reappropriate, to redirect that money. They didn’t. They wouldn’t.” Asked if he thought the border wall was effective, Biden said “no.”
From The Hill’s Miranda Nazzaro: “Shortly into his administration in 2021, Biden canceled the state of emergency Trump declared on the southern border and later slashed projects to build the wall.” This week’s move marks the first time the Biden administration has used executive power to fund border projects.
The notice from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas[.]” CNN reported the funds appropriated in 2019 needed to be used by the end of this fiscal year, according to a source familiar. |
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Federal judges approved Alabama’s new congressional district map after a prolonged legal battle over the Republican-controlled legislature’s initial map, which was struck down for diluting Black voters’ power.
Seventy-five percent of likely Democratic primary voters had very or somewhat unfavorable views of recently indicted Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) in a new Data for Progress poll.
Tropical Storm Philippe is expected to head toward New England and the Canadian coast this weekend. Read more here.
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© AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File |
Feinstein’s memorial service underway
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A memorial service for late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who died last week, began at 1 p.m. local time in San Francisco. The service can be livestreamed here. Tributes were expected from Vice President Harris, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Originally planned as open to the public, attendance was narrowed to invited guests “due to a larger than expected security perimeter,” Feinstein’s office said ahead of the service. |
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House Dem whip urges attendance at Speaker vote
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House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) is calling on Democrats to show up for the Speaker vote next week in the aftermath of Rep. Kevin McCarthy‘s (R-Calif.) ouster from the position. The timing of the vote is unclear but will follow each party’s organizational meeting. Clark said in a letter to colleagues, “On Tuesday evening, our Caucus will convene for an organizational meeting to nominate Leader [Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)] as our candidate for Speaker of the House.” “Your attendance beginning Tuesday evening is vital to ensure that House Democrats are ready to vote for Leader Jeffries as soon as the election for Speaker begins,” Clark wrote.
So far, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) are vying for Republicans’ backing. |
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First defendant in NY civil fraud case testifies
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The Hill’s Ella Lee reports on the testimony of former Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney, a defendant in New York’s civil fraud case against former President Trump, the Trump Organization and others:
“Jeffrey McConney testified Thursday that the buck stops at Trump regarding the accuracy of the Trump Organization’s financial records…McConney’s testimony echoes that of the government’s first two witnesses — both accountants for different firms that have represented the Trump Organization.”
Read more on The Hill’s live blog. |
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© AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File |
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Cornel West switches affiliation for 2024 bid a second time
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Philosopher Cornel West is now running for president as an Independent after his short run as a member of the Green Party. It’s the second affiliation switch since he launched in June; West was originally registered with the People’s Party. | |
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2023 poised to be hottest year on record |
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service estimates this could be the warmest year on record at 1.4 degrees Celsius, or 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, above average preindustrial temperatures. |
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Man returns to Wisconsin Capitol with firearm after posting bail for gun violation
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A man who was arrested for illegally bringing a handgun inside the Wisconsin Capitol yesterday returned to the building with an assault rifle after he posted bail. The man demanded to see Gov. Tony Evers (D) both times, authorities said. |
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“A House (GOP) divided against itself cannot stand” — Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (Read here) “An alternative to the chaos in Congress? Coalition government.” — Chris Truax, San Diego appellate lawyer and a member of the Guardrails of Democracy Project. (Read here) |
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10 days until the Federal Election Commission‘s third quarter report deadline.
43 days until the next government funding deadline. |
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Vice President Harris speaks at the Democratic National Committee‘s fall meeting in St. Louis. |
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