Immigration
After Fighting Terror List Gun Ban, Republicans Using It to Push Border Wall
The White House, in making its case that the southern border is a magnet for terrorists and must be protected with a 1,000-mile wall, has argued in recent days that thousands of people who appear on the government’s terror watch list have been apprehended crossing into the country illegally. The argument is wildly inaccurate and represents a significant departure for Republicans who have killed efforts to prevent people on that same list from getting guns.
Accountability
Trump’s Multimillion-Dollar Border Publicity Stunt Could Pay for Dozens of Agents
President Donald Trump will travel to the southern border this week to highlight the urgent need for enhanced security there — a trip whose cost would cover enough funding to hire dozens of border patrol agents for a year.
Accountability
Pence, Cabinet Get Raises As Federal Workers Go Without Pay Amid Trump Shutdown
Top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration — including Vice President Mike Pence — are slated to get pay raises of more than $10,000 on Saturday, a week after Trump canceled scheduled raises for rank-and-file federal workers, 800,000 of whom are currently going without pay during the government shutdown.
Corruption & Secrecy
Secret Service Paid for Mar-a-Lago Party Rentals Days Before Agents Forced to Work Without Pay
Days before Secret Service agents were forced to work without pay during the partial government shutdown, the agency paid more than $95,000 to rent generators, light towers and tents for a $1,000-per-ticket party at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Corruption & Secrecy | Arizona
Kyl to Resign From Senate 3 Days Before Financial Disclosure Filing Deadline
Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., announced today he will resign from his appointed seat on Dec. 31, three days before the former lobbyist is required to file financial-disclosure paperwork.
Accountability
Trump’s Pick for Ambassador to UN Called for US to Defund It
Heather Nauert, now President Donald Trump’s pick to be the ambassador to the United Nations, mocked the organization in late 2016 and suggested the U.S. stop funding it. “So now you have the United Nations, and we can all laugh at the United Nations, but there are a whole lot of countries in this world, correctly or incorrectly, who take them very seriously,” Nauert said.
Accountability
Trump Says 11,000 GM Layoffs Don’t ‘Really Matter’
President Donald Trump today dismissed thousands of layoffs at General Motors, saying in an interview with Fox News that they don’t “really matter” even as American workers from Michigan to Maryland prepare to lose their jobs.