Trump Demands Congress to Embrace Immigration Reform in Primetime Speech

In his first State of the Union speech, President Donald Trump sounded more restrained than usual, but no less different in his determination to see major policy changes. That was particularly the case in regards to the long-standing, controversial issue of immigration, a subject that helped him win the presidency but also contributed to the recent, short-lived government shutdown.

 

In his nearly 90-minute primetime address, which also included the usual laundry list of self-congratulatory accomplishments similar to past speeches from other presidents, Trump eventually touched on the hot-button immigration issue, saying that “glaring loopholes” had led to dangerous undocumented immigrants, including members of the notorious Latino MS-13 gang, to cross the American border, bringing along with them violence and drugs. The president used this example as the rationale to change immigration laws.

 

“My duty is to defend Americans, to protect their safety and families….because Americans are dreamers, too,” Trump said, appearing to use the word dreamers in a different way than how it’s been used by many Congressional lawmakers.

 

In the current political lexicon, “dreamers” is the shorthand for children of undocumented immigrants who came to the United States at a very young age and have practically lived much of their whole lives in America, working and going to school here.

 

Many of these dreamers are facing deportation unless Congress can enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation. That’s because one of the programs that was implemented by former President Barack Obama, the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is set to expire shortly. DACA is estimated to be protecting some 800,000 people.

 

Democrats and some moderate Republicans have been debating legislation and scenarios where many or all of the dreamers, among other young undocumented immigrants, can remain in the states.

 

Trump last week introduced immigration reform legislation and reiterated it during his speech, describing it as “a down-the middle compromise.” Along with providing a “path to citizenship” to some 1.8 million dreamers over a 12-year period, contingent on them completing various education and work requirements, Trump’s plan also calls for his signature proposal of a full-length wall on the Mexican border, ending the visa lottery program, and accepting more immigrants based on skills and professional qualifications rather than family connections (derisively referred to in some circles as chain migration).

 

The president said that the present “outdated immigration rules,” particularly the visa lottery program, have outlived their usefulness, and oftentimes counterproductive, given some recent domestic attacks.

 

“In the age of terrorism, these programs present risk,” Trump said.

 

He implored Congress to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform, something that last happened some 30 years ago, when Republican President Ronald Reagan signed legislation that provided amnesty to some three million undocumented aliens.

 

“This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen…that puts America first,” Trump said.

 

In presenting a human face on the dangers of immigration laws remaining unchanged, Trump mentioned and introduced a Long Island family whose kids were brutally murdered by MS-13.

 

“Three-hundred-and-twenty-million hearts are breaking for you,” he said.

 

Trump then implored Congress to “close the deadly loopholes, fix our immigration laws” and provide more reinforcements to border guards and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

 

While immigration illicited some of the strongest responses from both sides of the aisle, GOP lawmakers enthusiastically applauded the litany of accomplishments that Trump citied.

 

Among the things Trump mentioned include:

 

*Creation of 2.4 million new jobs, including 200,000 in the manufacturing sector.

 

*Passage of the $1.5-trillion Tax Reform and Jobs Act that will yield to bigger paychecks starting in February and has already lead many employers to issue bonuses to employees (no Democrats voted for the bill, citing that it would add considerably to the deficit and federal debt)

 

*Relocation of corporate funds to the United States, from companies like Apple and Exxon, which enables the federal government to collect tax repatriations;

 

*Record-low unemployment rates among the African-American and Hispanic populations;

 

*The up-until-recently red-hot performance of the Stock Market, which has increased the value of many retirement and investment portfolios;

 

*Deregulation;

 

*Appointment of conservative judges on Circuit Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Norman Gorsuch;

 

Still, Trump pointed out some other areas where he wants to see results. They include:

 

• a $1.5-trillion infrastructure bill

 

• Streamlining the permitting process to move forward on construction projects

 

• More vocational education, workforce development, and job training programs

 

• Paid Family Leave

 

In the meantime, Congress faces a Feb. 8 deadline to adopt a budget. If both parties don’t come to an agreement, the federal government could shut down again.

GOP candidates shined in their own ways in CNN debate

Secure the borders. Keep Iran in check. Having a steady temperament is more important than experience.

Those were the major themes in CNN’s Republican Presidential Debate that took place Wednesday evening at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif.

Front-runner Donald Trump was often on the defensive but still pugnacious, although not as strident as people are often used to seeing him.
Second-place candidate Ben Carson delivered another sleepy performance, and candidates Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio really stood out with a good balance of substance and articulation.

In fact, none of the candidates really committed any major gaffes. With the exception of relatively underwhelming performances by Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who earnestly tried to portray himself as the voice of reason, many of the candidates were solid.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie remained tough and confident, coming across as the most empathetic by expressing concern about middle-class voters trying to make ends meet, and not trying to prove he is the most qualified.

He said his record of being governor in a blue state proves he can get results. He even cut short what he called “a childish back and forth” between Trump and Fiorina when they butted heads about their professional accomplishments and failures.

“They (voters) could care less about your careers,” he said. “You’re both successful. Congratulations.”

Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Mike Huckabee delivered passionate, if somewhat long-winded performances that will help both maintain the support and passion from their respective evangelical bases. Huckabee defended the Kentucky clerk’s recent actions of not issuing marriage licenses to a same-sex couple on religious grounds.

Sen. Rand Paul was effective at being a younger version of his libertarian-conservative father, making a strong case for states’ rights, individual freedom and limiting the use of military force in the Middle East. He said the toppling of secular dictatorships only increases the rise of Islamic extremism.

Even former front-runner Jeb Bush, whose blandness and waffling on policies has been severely mocked by Trump, came across as more engaged and confident in his responses and delivery. He flat-out defended his brother, former President George W. Bush, after Trump criticized “43” for invading Iraq.

“He kept us safe,” Jeb Bush said about Dubayu, receiving thunderous applause.

Fiorina refused to match wits with Trump, after she was questioned about her reaction regarding Trump’s criticism of her face in a Rolling Stone magazine interview. She took the high ground, saying simply, “women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”

She received sustained applause. She shined in several other moments on questions about her botched term as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, foreign policy and building up the somewhat-depleted U.S. military.

The debate seemed less fluid than the Fox News debate more than a month ago. In this one, candidates randomly jumped in and were often given the chance to defend or argue points from another candidate. The result was a rather long debate (3 hours total) where some subjects were left untouched, according to the debate’s moderator Jake Tapper.

Still, the issues that were covered made for lively discussion..and reasonably good entertainment for TV viewers. Big issues discussed included immigration, dealing with Iran, and qualifications for being commander in chief.

 Experience/Outsider

Much of the news cycle has focused on how outsider candidates with little to no political experience have been leading in the polls while experienced senators and governors are struggling.

Fiorina said it’s a reflection of the voters’ desire to reform a system that’s corrupt and ineffective.

Bush said Trump is not a serious contender. Fiorina described him as “a wonderful entertainer”

“I’m a businessman. I did really well. I want to put that ability toward our country.”

But Fiorina and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker brought up Trump’s multiple declarations of bankruptcy involving casinos in Atlantic City previously owned by him.

“You ran up mountains of debt using other people’s money,” Fiorina said. “Why should we trust you?”

Carson said he can bring a fresh approach to governing. “Politicians do things that are politically expedient. There’s a failure of leadership he said he is no way gong “lick the boots” or “get in bed” with wealthy donors.

Fiorina said the voters’ current penchant for new blood is telling. “It’s about more than changing a D to an R. It’s about changing the system.”

Trump said the fact he doesn’t accept campaign contributions means he won’t be beholden to special interest groups. That he said is unlike Bush, whom he called a “puppet.”

“I understand the game. They have a lot of control over the politicians.”

But Bush pointed out that Trump himself tried to influence politicians with money, as he did with him when he was Florida’s governor by trying to raise money for his campaign in hopes of establishing casinos in the Sunshine State. However, Bush refused.

Iran

With regards to Iran, all the candidates criticized the Obama-back agreement with Iran on nuclear weapons reduction.

On the tangential issue of Syria, which in recent days has reportedly received military assistance from Russia, many of the candidates slammed the president for not doing what he pledged, such as staking action of the Syrian dictator crossed the “red line”

Rubio, for one, shone in this part of the debate, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “a gangster” who is “exploiting a vacuum” in the hopes of remaking Russia into a geopolitical force by propping up the Assad Regime.

Cruz pledged to “rip to shreds this catastrophic agreement.” He described Iran as the largest national security threat and to neighboring Israel

Bush called for a reestablishing a “commitment to Israel,” especially by giving them “sophisticated weapons.” Huckabee framed the Iran issue in an us vs. them context, saying it “is about the survival of Western civilization.”

While Trump called the Iran agreement “one of the worst contracts” he’s ever seen, he said the United States should focus more on another rogue nation that already has nuclear weapons and is run by a “maniac’ : North Korea.

Immigration

On immigration, all of them called for beefing up border security and a secure wall, as well as incorporating various technologies to prevent illegal entries or temporary residents who overstay their visas.

There were some differences on how to deal with the 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. Christie said Trump’s plan to deport all if them is impractical from a manpower standpoint.

Carson called for putting in place a guest worker program that would help plug jobs in the agricultural field

Rubio called for reforming the legal immigration system, make it more merit-based instead of giving greater preference to those who already have a relative in the states who is a citizen.

Trump again called for getting rid of “bad dudes” as well as doing away with “birthright citizenship” which is currently allowed under the 14th Amendment.

“We’re the only ones dumb enough, stupid enough to have it.”

Fiorina said immigration reform remains unresolved because the Democrats prefer to keep it that way, suggesting that changing the status quo would be unpopular with the party’s base.

Taxes

On tax policy, all called for lowering taxes and reforming the voluminous tax code, estimated to be about 70,000 pages.

Huckabee called for a consumption tax (essentially a higher-percentage sales tax) that would take the place of employment taxes. Carson called for a 10 percent flat tax, regardless of income. Trump called for higher taxes on hedge fund managers, particularly on the carried interest provision, saying they are making a lot of money and paying very little in taxes. On everyone else, he called for a flat 14.5-percent federal income tax.

Planned Parenthood

All the candidates called for eliminating the $500 million funding earmarked for Planned Parenthood, especially in the wake of gratuitous videos showing workers preserving and selling babies’ body parts.

Conan gets a contract extension for job he got by ‘pulling a Leno’

The news of Conan O’Brien receiving a contract extension by TBS until November 2015 couldn’t come at a better moment.

It provides more evidence of Conan having, indeed, the last laugh, after suffering – (well not really suffering since he received a $33 million payout) some public humiliation when the Tonight Show was taken back from him by longtime host Jay Leno. Leno is now experiencing similar humiliation as NBC is apparently trying another succession plan of having Leno replaced by Jimmy Fallon.

By extending O’Brien’s contract, TBS tries to show itself as a model of stability. That’s one way of looking at it. But if one looks at the history, even slightly cynically, one cannot forget that Conan is the benefactor of the very move that Leno received so much criticism for after taking “The Tonight Show” back from Conan in early 2010.

Remember that before Conan became TBS’s late-night star, there was another late-night host, comedian George Lopez. Lopez hosted “Lopez Tonight,” which may not have been the most creatively adventurous show, but was undoubtedly energetic.

While it’s true that both Conan and Lopez had discussions about the transition plan that would have Conan take over the 11 p.m. slot Lopez occupied, and would force Lopez’s show to air at midnight, Lopez turned out to be the ultimate loser. His show was cancelled after the ratings slipped in the midnight timeslot (whose show wouldn’t when you move it an hour late) and having two, one-hour late night shows is just not cost-effective for a basic cable network.  

What’s funny is that TBS gives Conan a contract extension, even though he has been garnering the same ratings Lopez was when “Lopez Tonight” aired at 11 p.m. Leno, at least when he took over the Tonight Show, did get the storied franchise’s overall ratings back up to Number 1. What can Conan say he did when he took over the time slot previously occupied by Lopez? Network executives quickly point out that unlike any other late-night host, he has a heavy online presence.  

About one and a half years ago, Conan’s show was declared a “flop” by The Wall Street Journal because it couldn’t beat its nearest competitors, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, over at Comedy Central. The assessment was based on the unfair characterization that the network’s overall ratings were down from the prior year (which network hasn’t seen a decline in viewership from the prior year). Obviously, TBS disagreed with that assessment when it gave a contract extension last year to 2014. And, TBS execs continue to see O’Brien as a valuable investment, as evidenced by Monday’s announcement.

So, congrats to Conan. But he must not forget that he got to TBS in a Leno-esque matter. That is, somebody suffered in order for you to reach the top perch.