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January 2018

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 23, 2018 27 Comments
There have been many times when I thought the Senate was getting too big for its britches, often forgetting that they are the second chamber and not the end all, be all of everything in the government. Basic civics teaches us that everything starts in the House of Representatives. The Senate has received a lot of backlash, especially the Democrats, due to a deal to stop the government shutdown. Now the House has added to the criticism, with House Democrats claiming that the Senate has screwed them with the deal and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise stating that the lawmakers are not bound by the deal.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 23, 2018 21 Comments
After a bizarre and completely unfounded San Francisco federal District Court injunction against the Trump administration wind-down of DACA, the Trump administration both filed for leave to appeal in the 9th Circuit and filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari Before Judgment in the Supreme Court. That latter Petition would circumvent the 9th Circuit. The Trump administration, however, did not ask the Supreme Court to stay the District Court order, arguing that a stay would create more problems in the administrative wind-down of DACA:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 22, 2018 64 Comments
Glad I was in the car much of the day, while all the theatrics were going on with unshutting down the government, which never really had been shut to begin with. The overwhelming after-assessment among the punditry is that Schumer was humiliated, had little to show for either the fight or the capitulation, and that Trump won. I think that assessment is generally correct.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 22, 2018 26 Comments
I reported this weekend on reports that the U.S. planned to move our Embassy from Tel Aviv, to Israel's capital Jerusalem, by the end of 2019. This timetable, which was faster than the 3-4 years previously discussed for building a new Embassy, was based on renovating the existing U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, the main location of which was built in 2010 and is actually larger than the Tel Aviv embassy.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 22, 2018 26 Comments
Today is an embarrassing day to be a Democrat. Senate Democrats wasted an entire grandstanding-filled weekend for a whole lotta nuthin. Rather than coming to an agreement with Senate Republicans and President Trump Friday, Democrats ended up accepting the deal (with nothing new in return) Monday.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 22, 2018 31 Comments
Newsweek's fall from respected publication to tabloid trash has been a remarkable and sad spectacle. Like many other print publications, Newsweek struggled with reduced circulation when online news became the preferred medium for news consumption. In 2012, Newsweek printed what was supposed to be its last edition.

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 22, 2018 52 Comments
The Senate Democrats have reached a deal with the GOP majority to re-open the government after three days of a shutdown. From Politico:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) agreed to end the shutdown and fund the government through Feb. 8 while continuing to negotiate on immigration and spending matters. Without a broader deal, the Senate would take up legislation to protect hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who are losing legal protections, as long as the government remains open.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 22, 2018 41 Comments
We have been following the construction and testing of the border wall prototypes that have been raised along the Mexico/US border in the San Diego area. The test phase conducted by teams of US Special forces has concluded, and it appears that the wall samples passed muster.
Recent assaults by tactical teams on prototypes of President Trump's proposed wall with Mexico indicate their imposing heights should stop border crossers, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the rigorous assessment told the Associated Press.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 22, 2018 16 Comments
Campus race hoaxes are common and are usually meant to serve a specific purpose. Sometimes, the hoax perpetrators are doing it as a preface to issuing demands. In other instances, it's meant to advance a political narrative. In a recent case at the University of Maryland, it appears to be the actions of an angry employee.
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