Trump goes unnamed but is clearly referenced as Obama, Bush-era figure talk politics in Texas

Former President Barack Obama speaks with Jon Meacham as he takes the stage during the 25th anniversary gala celebration for Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. (Associated Press)

Without mentioning President Trump, former President Barack Obama praised his indictment-free tenure Tuesday during an invitation-only gala in Houston.
Obama’s remarks came at the tail end of an hour-long interview with former Secretary of State James A. Baker III during the 25th anniversary celebration of the nonpartisan Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, the Houston Chronicle reported.
“Not only did I not get indicted, nobody in my administration got indicted," Obama said to a crowd of more than 1,000. "By the way, it was the only administration in modern history that that can be said about. In fact, nobody came close to being indicted, probably because the people who joined us were there for the right reasons."
Presidential historian Jon Meacham, who moderated the conversational interview between both men, asked Baker, 88, what he was most proud of in his time serving three presidents.
"I’m most proud that I had the privilege of serving two presidents as chief of staff, of being secretary of treasury, of being secretary of state, of running five presidential campaigns, and of leaving Washington without getting indicted," Baker responded.
Since taking office almost two years ago, several Trump aides and associates have been indicted or pleaded guilty to various crimes. On Monday, Special Counsel Robert Mueller said former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort violated his plea agreement by lying to the FBI and his office.
At one point Meacham compared Trump to the fictional Harry Potter villain Voldemort.
Obama and Baker covered a wide range of topics, including redistricting, with Obama calling Texas a “champion of gerrymandering” and the evolution of the media and its impact on partisanship.
Baker, who served under Ronald Reagan and both Bush presidents, said "the responsible center in American politics has disappeared."
"Whether it was Cronkite, Brinkley, or what have you, there was a common set of facts, a baseline around which both parties had to respond to," Obama added.  "By the time I take office, what we see is if you are a Fox News viewer, your reality is dramatically different than a New York Times reader."
On foreign policy, Baker raised concerns over America's standing in the world under Trump's watch.
"American leadership in the world is absolutely imperative,” he said. “No other country can do it," adding that America won the Cold War "because we had alliances."
The former president also called for a stop to what he said was the growing threat of bigotry, FOX 26 Houston reported.
“In those environments, you then start getting a different kind of politics. You start getting politics that's based on ‘That person’s not like me and it must be their fault," Obama said. "And you start getting politics based on a nationalism, that's not pride and country, but hatred for somebody on the other side of the border."
Prior to the gala, Obama met with former President George H.W. Bush, Bush spokesman Jim McGrath tweeted.
"The two had a very pleasant and private visit at the Bush residence, where they rekindled what was already a very warm friendship," he wrote on Twitter.

'Broth of Legionella' remark about GOP colleague's kin gets Democrat in hot water in Illinois

Illinois state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Aurora, is facing calls to resign after remarks directed at a Republican colleague. (Illinois General Assembly)

A Democratic state lawmaker in Illinois is facing calls to resign after saying Tuesday she wanted to mix a “broth of Legionella” bacteria to infect the "loved one" of her Republican colleague.
The remark by state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, directed at GOP Rep. Peter Breen, came amid a heated debate over a bill aimed at helping families of those who died or became sickened by a Legionnaires’ outbreak at a state-run veterans home.
The Republican had raised questions about the details and cost of the plan, which Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner had vetoed. It called for raising the cap on damages the state could pay in civil cases from $100,000 to $2 million, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“And, yes, we know the personal injury lawyers are going to make out like bandits, which they tend to do anytime they come to the General Assembly,” Breen said.
That prompted the Democrat, who co-sponsored the proposal, to lash out at him.
“To the representative from Lombard, I would like to make him a broth of Legionella and pump it into the water system of his loved one so that they can be infected, they can be mistreated, they can sit and suffer by getting aspirin instead of being properly treated and ultimately die,” she said.

“To the representative from Lombard, I would like to make him a broth of Legionella and pump it into the water system of his loved one so that they can be infected, they can be mistreated, they can sit and suffer by getting aspirin instead of being properly treated and ultimately die.”
— Illinois state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Aurora

From his microphone, Breen accused Kifowit of wishing death on his family.
Later, Kifowit, a Marine Corps veteran, took to Twitter and the floor to say her comments were misinterpreted, and that she “quite clearly” wanted him to imagine “if it was your family, hypothetically speaking.”
Republican Rep. Jeanne Ives also took offense to Kifowit’s remarks, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“How dare you. How dare you concoct up some sort of story about brewing up some batch of Legionella and having him feed it to his family,” Ives said. “How dare you take the discussion and the debate about a very serious bill that has a huge cost consequence on both sides, both for the victim and the state taxpayers. How dare you take an honest debate about an issue and then wish death on my colleague Peter Breen, his wife and his two adopted kids.”
In a tweet, the Illinois Republican Party called on Kifowit to resign.
The Illinois House of Representatives later voted 71-36 to override Rauner’s veto, the Sun-Times reported. The bill was passed earlier this year and meant to help the families of 14 people who died and dozens who became ill from a Legionnaires' outbreak at the Illinois Veteran Home in Quincy, about 280 miles southwest of Chicago.
A least a dozen lawsuits claiming negligence by the state have been filed since Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks beginning in 2015 at the post-Civil War-era facility.

Crackdown on snow-shoveling scofflaws reveals that scolding Dem is one of them: report

A resident digs out snow on the sidewalks in Fargo, North Dakota. A Minneapolis city official who supported a tougher approach on residents shoveling sidewalks was issued a fine herself. (FEMA)

A Minneapolis city official who backed a get-tough approach on residents who don't shovel snow from their sidewalks was herself the subject of seven complaints last winter and was issued a fine of $149 at a home she owns, according to a report.
City Council President Lisa Bender, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party who owns the home in the Wedge neighborhood with her husband, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that she didn't know what condition her sidewalk was in when the complaints were made or why her family wasn't able to clear the snow on time.
“We’ve owned our house for ten years. We’re a family of two working parents with two small children, and we do our very best to shovel our sidewalk at all times,” Bender said.
The city sent out letters earlier this month reminding residents of the requirement to shovel their sidewalks after snowstorms, the paper reported.
Bender said she supports a stricter approach so that sidewalks remain clear this winter, according to the report.
“If there are times when we haven’t gotten to it, then that’s why the city’s enforcement mechanism is there,” she said. “I should be treated like every other property owner in the city.”
City inspectors will be more proactive this winter in searching for unshoveled sidewalks and issuing notices of violations, the report said.

Trump congratulates Hyde-Smith on her ‘big win’ in Mississippi’s special election

President Trump late Tuesday congratulated incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith for handily defeating an insurgent challenge by Democrat Mike Espy in Mississippi's contentious special election runoff to become the first woman ever elected to Congress from the state.
Hyde-Smith, 59, is an ardent supporter of Trump who was appointed earlier this year by Mississippi's governor to fill retiring Sen. Thad Cochran's seat. She will finish out the remaining two years of Cochran's term in the deep-red state that went for Trump by nearly 20 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election.
"Congratulations to Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith on your big WIN in the great state of Mississippi. We are all very proud of you!” Trump tweeted.
With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Hyde-Smith had 446,927 votes to Espy's 374,880 -- a commanding margin of 54.4 percent to 45.6 percent, according to state election officials. The race marks the final midterm contest of 2018.
“I want everybody to know, no matter who you voted for today, I’m gonna always represent every Mississippian,” Hyde-Smith said at her victory party late Monday night.  "Being on that MAGA-wagon, the Make American Great Again bus, we have bonded, we have persevered, we have gotten through things, we were successful today."
Hyde-Smith's win gives Republicans more leeway to ensure the confirmation of Trump's federal judicial and Cabinet nominees that require Senate approval and strengthens the party's chances of holding the majority in 2020.
"She has my prayers as she goes to Washington to unite a very divided Mississippi," Espy said in his concession speech.
“Cindy Hyde-Smith has been a strong conservative voice since joining the Senate, so it should come as no surprise that she was elected by Mississippians to represent them in Washington,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Cory Gardner said in a statement. “Senator Hyde-Smith won tonight because she has a trusted record of fighting for Mississippi, and we are happy she will be returning to the United States Senate.”
On Nov. 6, Hyde-Smith prevailed in a four-way race that included firebrand Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel -- but she was unable to secure more than 50 percent of the vote amid heavy turnout, owing to McDaniel's strong showing. The Nov. 6 election -- which saw nearly half of registered voters in Mississippi cast ballots in the Senate race-- triggered Tuesday's runoff.
McDaniel sharply criticized Hyde-Smith throughout the campaign for being insufficiently supportive of the president's agenda, and some analysts suggested he may have dampened enthusiasm among conservatives for her candidacy.
“There has been a lot of work done to make sure that McDaniel’s supporters will turn out, but the hardest part about runoff elections is getting people to turn out,” Jennifer Duffy, the senior editor for the Cook Political Report, told Fox News. “If they don’t turn out, McDaniel will be seen as the spoiler because if it wasn’t for him, there would not have been a runoff in the first place.”
AT ROUNDTABLE WITH HYDE-SMITH, TRUMP CRITICIZES 'GRABBER' MIGRANTS WHO USE KIDS AS HUMAN SHIELDS
McDaniel offered only a lukewarm endorsement for Hyde-Smith after his defeat earlier in the month, saying, "I don't believe she's the conservative for this state." He also told his supporters that "President Trump wants us to unite, and we will unite" to back her.

Susan Fino, left, holds a sign for U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy and Logan Liddy holds one for Susan Liddy, a candidate for judge in the Chancery Court, District 18, Place 1 race at the Oxford Community Center in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday, November 27, 2018.

Mississippians are casting their ballots in runoff elections, including a U.S. Senate race pitting Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith against Democrat Mike Espy. (Bruce Newman/The Oxford Eagle via AP)

Espy “cannot be allowed to win this seat,” McDaniel said shortly after conceding the race, according to Mississippi Today. “President Trump wants us to unite, and we will unite. We will back Cindy Hyde-Smith.”
The 64-year-old Espy, who was vying to become Mississippi's first black senator since Reconstruction, had previously served in Congress and in former President Bill Clinton's administration.
Mississippi last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1982, but Espy was trying for the same kind of longshot win that fellow Democrat Doug Jones had nearly a year ago in neighboring Alabama, another conservative Deep South state where Republicans hold most statewide offices.

Democrat Mike Espy, left feeds his ballot into the submission machine, as directed by poll manager Larry Greer, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018 in Ridgeland, Miss. Mississippi voters are deciding the last U.S. Senate race of the midterms, choosing between Espy and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

His campaign gained a second wind amid a flurry of damaging reports and missteps that inundated Hyde-Smith's campaign in recent days. Mississippi's past of racist violence became a dominant theme in the race after a video showed Hyde-Smith praising a supporter in early November by saying, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row." She said it was "an exaggerated expression of regard."
As voters headed to the polls, nooses were found outside Mississippi State Capitol, along with signs explaining that they were placed there by protesters who wanted to raise awareness about the state's history of racially motivated lynchings. Some media figures inaccurately blamed Hyde-Smith supporters for placing the nooses.
"So many things are taken out of context," said Elizabeth Gallinghouse, 84, from Diamondhead, Mississippi. "The fact that she toured Jefferson Davis's house. You or I could have done the same thing. They said, 'Put this cap on. Hold this gun.' It was a fun time. She wasn't trying to send any messages."
More than a week after the video's release, Hyde-Smith apologized at a televised debate to "anyone that was offended by my comments," but also said the remark was used as a "weapon" against her. Espy responded: "I don't know what's in your heart, but I know what came out of your mouth."
Some corporate donors, including Walmart and Major League Baseball, requested refunds on their campaign contributions to Hyde-Smith after the videos surfaced.
Hyde-Smith was seen in another video talking about making voting difficult for "liberal folks," and a photo circulated showing her wearing a replica Confederate military hat during a 2014 visit to Beauvoir, a beachside museum in Biloxi, Mississippi, that was the last home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis.
Critics said Hyde-Smith's comments and Confederate regalia showed callous indifference in a state with a 38-percent black population, and some corporate donors, including Walmart, requested refunds on their campaign contributions to her.
However, Espy has had his own negative press in the run-up to the runoff. In particular, the Hyde-Smith campaign hammered Espy for his $750,000 lobbying contract in 2011 with the Cocoa and Coffee Board of the Ivory Coast. She noted that the country's ex-president, Laurent Gbagbo, is being tried in the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Espy, who is an attorney, said: "I found out later that this guy, the president, was a really bad guy. I resigned the contract."

"She stood up to the Democrat smear machine."
— President Trump

Espy resigned as President Bill Clinton's agriculture secretary in 1994 amid a special-counsel investigation that accused him of improperly accepting gifts. He was tried and acquitted on 30 corruption charges, but the Mississippi Republican Party ran an ad this year that called Espy "too corrupt for the Clintons" and "too liberal for Mississippi."
Espy said he refused to accept offers of plea deals because, "I was so not guilty, I was innocent."
The significance of the race was not lost on President Trump or top Republicans, who headlined two major rallies Monday night for Hyde-Smith in Mississippi to boost turnout.
"If you like [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanuagh, there's more coming," South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told the crowd in Tupelo, Miss. "Let's win tomorrow."
"She stood up to the Democrat smear machine," Trump said, referring to Hyde-Smith's support for Kavanaugh amid a series of uncorroborated and lurid sexual misconduct allegations.
He added: "Your vote on Tuesday will decide whether we build on our extraordinary achievements, or whether we empower the radical Democrats to obstruct our progress."
Hyde-Smith, who has made the Trump rallies a highlight of her runoff campaign, told the crowd in Tupelo: "I worked very, very hard for you. I have stood up for you and you know I will continue to stand up for the conservative values of Mississippi."

Caravan Cartoons

California can’t prove 2020 census would harm state, should drop challenge, DOJ says

The Justice Department says California will not be hurt by adding a citizenship question to 2020 census.  (ny.gov)

The Justice Department on Monday suggested California’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question on the 2020 census be dismissed because the state can’t prove it would be harmed by the decision, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
California’s argument that it would lose congressional representation and billions in federal aid, is "highly speculative," the DOJ told a federal judge, the report said.
CALIFORNIA TO SUE TRUMP ADMIN OVER CITIZENSHIP IN 2020 CENSUS
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ decision to include a citizenship question on the 2020 lawsuit prompted lawsuits by cities and states with large immigration populations. No citizenship question has been asked on a census since 1950, according to the Chronicle.
Opponents of the citizenship question have accused lawmakers of being politically motivated.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who announced the suit earlier this year, called the citizenship question a “bad idea” and “illegal.”
Ross has maintained that the DOJ’s motivation to add a citizenship question was merely to help enforce the Voting Rights Act. U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg is now deciding whether to drop the lawsuit or allow it to proceed.

Violent caravan clash after media minimized Trump's warnings

'MediaBuzz' host Howard Kurtz weighs in on the violent clash in Tijuana as hundreds of migrants tried to evade Mexican police and ran toward a border crossing that leads to San Diego, forcing officials to shut down the border for hours and fire tear gas to push the migrants back.

Well, I guess some people in the caravan were looking to make trouble after all.
The situation got out of control in Tijuana on Sunday as hundreds of migrants tried to evade Mexican police and ran toward a border crossing that leads to San Diego.
Customs officials shut down the border for hours and fired tear gas to push the migrants back. Some threw rocks at the American officers, a number of whom were hit, and the border was shut down for hours. Some 42 migrants were arrested on the U.S. side.
All in all, not a pretty picture.
The inevitable political question: Was President Trump right about the caravan?
The media depicted the president as shamelessly hyping the threat from the caravan, which started in Honduras, solely to rouse his base for the midterms.
Two things, of course, are not mutually exclusive. Trump did pound away at the caravan as part of an effort to make illegal immigration a major midterm issue. And most of the media treated the traveling migrants as sympathetic figures who didn't pose a threat to anyone.
The reality turned out to be more complicated. Not all the migrants were a threat, and many legitimately hoped to seek asylum from persecution or economic hardship. But the hundreds who stormed the San Diego border, in what began as a protest against slow-moving asylum claims, clearly included many violent people trying to injure federal agents.
Trump wasted no time in taking to Twitter yesterday morning: "Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries."
I don't know on what basis the president is claiming that "many" have a criminal history, but some clearly committed a crime on Sunday.
It was Trump's description of the caravan as an "invasion" that prompted CNN's Jim Acosta to debate him and refuse to give up the microphone, leading the White House to pull his credentials until they were restored by a federal judge.
I doubt the clash will do anything to break the partisan gridlock on this issue, especially with Democrats taking over the House.
The president and his allies are seizing on the violent incident to vindicate their view that illegal immigrants pose a threat to American safety. In his tweet, Trump said: "We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL!"
But liberals and Latino activists are drawing a different lesson. A Los Angeles Times story said "the images of the U.S. government using tear gas on a group of migrants that included children disturbed others, who said it underscored the cruel approach of the Trump administration."
On that point, such action is not unprecedented. There was a similar incident in 2013, during the Obama administration, in which about 100 immigrants threw rocks and bottles at Border Patrol agents, who responded with pepper spray, in the same region.
There was a strange diplomatic dance over the weekend when The Washington Post in particular touted a deal between the administration and the incoming government of Mexico to keep asylum-seekers in that country during the application process. But then the Mexican transition officials backed off and said there had been no deal.
There will always be another caravan. What's clear is that this thorny and emotional issue is not going away, even though the latest election is over.

Trump: 'Grabber' migrants used children as human shields at border

At a Monday night roundtable in Mississippi on his bipartisan criminal justice reform effort, President Trump charged that some migrants he identified as "grabbers" who rushed the San Ysidro, Calif., point of entry on Sunday essentially used children as human shields at the border.
"We've had some very violent people, and we don't want, frankly, those people in our society," Trump said at the Biloxi event, which included Mississippi law enforcement officials and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. "We don't want those people in our country. Three Border Patrol people yesterday were very badly hurt, getting hit with rocks and stones."
Earlier Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan said four agents wearing protective gear were hit with rocks during an "extremely dangerous situation," but were not badly hurt.
The president turned to the widely circulated images from Sunday's episode, which showed some migrants running away with children as tear gas canisters landed nearby. Videos and images from the port of entry also showed migrants throwing what appeared to be rocks over the fence and attempting to breach the wall.
"I do say -- why are they there? First of all, the tear gas is a very minor form of the tear gas itself -- it's very safe, the ones that were suffering to a certain extent were the people that were putting it out there. But you really say, why is a parent running up into an area where they know the tear gas is forming, and it's going to be formed, and they're running up with a child?"
BORDER PATROL UNDER OBAMA PEPPER-SPRAYED MIGRANTS AT SAME PORT OF ENTRY IN 2013
McAleenan said Monday that at least 69 people were detained after they crossed the border on Sunday, and that he was not aware of any that managed to cross and evade capture by U.S. authorities.
Trump continued: "In some cases, you know, they're not the parents. These are people, they call 'em 'grabbers' -- they grab the child, because they think they're gonna have a certain status by having a child. You know, you have certain advantages and things with our crazy laws that frankly Congress should be changing. You know, if you change the laws, you wouldn't have this problem."

 That was an apparent reference to Trump's longstanding criticism of the Flores consent decree, made amid litigation during former President Bill Clinton's administration, that ostensibly limits the amount of time that federal authorities can detain illegal immigrant minors who are caught along with their parents.
After the president instituted a zero-tolerance policy that all illegal immigrants should be referred for criminal prosecution, administration officials argued that the Flores decree legally prevented them from keeping adults and children in custody together for more than two weeks. Amid fierce criticism, Trump signed an executive order this summer barring family separations at the border, although it remains subject to legal challenges.
WATCH: HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS ATTEMPT TO STORM PORT OF ENTRY IN SAN YSIDRO
The president clarified that "they feel an advantage when they're with a young child. ... They call 'em grabbers, that's a term I've heard. ... They grab a child, because when they have a child, they feel a lot safer. ... When you know there's going to be potential violence, you know there's going to be tear gas or something -- you don't take your child and bring them there. I can say that all over the border, you have a lot of grabbers, you have a lot of people who grab children, and they have no idea who these children are. They're not parents. They have no idea. And frankly to release the children to these people is a disaster."
In a statement late Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen backed up Trump's comments.

"They grab a child, because when they have a child, they feel a lot safer."
— President Trump

"It appears in some cases that the limited number of women and children in the caravan are being used by the organizers as 'human shields' when they confront law enforcement," Nielsen said. "They are being put at risk by the caravan organizers as we saw at the Mexico-Guatemala border. This is putting vulnerable people in harms way."
At the White House earlier in the day, Trump similarly defended the Border Patrol authorities who fired the tear gas.
"They had to use it; they were being rushed by some very tough people," Trump said. "And so they used tear gas. Here's the bottom line: No one's coming into our country unless they come in legally."
The situation Sunday was not unprecedented. In 2013, during the Obama administration, Border Patrol agents used pepper spray to fend off a crowd of approximately 100 migrants who attempted to rush the San Ysidro port of entry. The migrants in that episode also reportedly threw rocks and bottles at U.S. authorities.
Homeland Security data show that, in the final years of the Obama administration, tear gas was deployed at the border approximately once per month.
Nevertheless, prominent Democrats lined up to hammer the administration on Monday, as images of migrants fleeing tear gas fumes circulated. New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, for example, called the use of tear gas “horrendous.”
Other analysts suggested that a rework of the immigration system might be necessary to dissuade similar efforts by members of any future migrant caravans without encouraging clandestine migration. John Cerone, a visiting professor of international law at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, told Fox News that he would recommend "the creation of new visa categories that people can apply for without having to physically come to the U.S. first."
At the roundtable, Trump said the episode at the border Sunday highlighted the importance of building a robust border wall.
"The only little breach yesterday, we took care of it very nicely and quickly and apprehended those who breached, was in one area where the wall wasn't quite built yet -- it wasn't completed," Trump said. "When people look at what's going on at the border, they agree ... with what we're doing, very strongly."
The president said he would have no reservations about closing the entire southern border, saying any implications on trade only would encourage Mexico to get a handle on the migrant situation there. Trump also noted specifically that some Mexican police officials had been harmed.
"I'll close it for a long time," Trump said. "And as far as trade, I'm not concerned, because Mexico has done very well with trade with the United States."
He added: "I suspect because of how well the country's doing, we have a lot more people [coming]. This isn't happening by luck. Something's happening in Honduras, and Guatemala and El Salvador -- you look how organized it is. They're handing out papers."
In her statement Monday night, Nielsen, the DHS head, said that "the overwhelming majority" of caravan members "are not eligible for asylum in the United States under our laws."
Calling the episode Monday "entirely predictable," Nielsen said DHS has confirmed that "there are over 600 convicted criminals traveling with the caravan flow," including "individuals known to law enforcement for assault, battery, drug crimes, burglary, rape, child abuse and more." She added that Mexico had already arrested at least 100 caravan migrants.

"Seeking employment or family reunification are not grounds for asylum under our laws."
— Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen

"Most of these migrants are seeking jobs or to join family who are already in the U.S.," Nielsen said. "They have all refused multiple opportunities to seek protection in Mexico or with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Seeking employment or family reunification are not grounds for asylum under our laws, or any international obligation."
The primary purpose of the roundtable Monday was to discuss the so-called First Step Act, the first major rewrite of the nation's criminal justice sentencing laws in a generation, which would boost rehabilitation efforts for federal prisoners and give judges more discretion when sentencing nonviolent offenders, particularly for drug offenses.
In particular, the proposed bill lowers the mandatory minimum sentence for non-violent repeat drug offenders from 25 to 20 years, reduces mandatory minimums for other crimes from 20 to 15 years, and makes no distinction between powder cocaine and crack cocaine.
Trump highlighted recent criminal justice reform efforts in Texas, Kentucky, and Georgia, and said "a lot of people have changed their minds" on the topic.
"If you look at some of the people who are most supportive of this," Trump said, "it's very impressive. People that are really into the world of strength and law and order, and they're totally supporitve of this, as much as anybody."
WHAT IS THE STEP ACT, TRUMP'S MAJOR BIPARTISAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM INITIATIVE?
The roundtable took place just an hour before Trump's second campaign rally of the day in Mississippi to support incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is facing off in Tuesday's special election runoff against Democrat Mike Espy.

Trump, at Mississippi rallies ahead of pivotal Senate special election, touts border security and NASA

With just hours to go before a pivotal special election in Mississippi that will determine the strength of the GOP's Senate majority next year, President Trump on Monday evening touted NASA's Mars landing, vowed to redouble his border security efforts, and accused some caravan migrants of using children as human shields.
His comments came at a fiery rally in Tupelo, Miss. for incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is facing off in Tuesday's special election runoff against Democrat Mike Espy, and at a roundtable shortly afterwards. Trump later held another rally in Biloxi hours later Monday evening, underscoring the importance of the race for Senate Republicans.
In keeping with the Christmas spirit, Trump entered the second rally through a wall that appeared to look like a chimney as fake snow rained down from above.
Voting for Hyde-Smith is "so important," Trump told the cheering crowd in Tupelo, as Republicans look to expand their Senate majority to 53 seats.
In between the Tupelo and Biloxi rallies, Trump attended a roundtable with Mississippi law enforcement leaders on his bipartisan criminal justice reform effort. There, he charged that some migrants -- whom he identified as "grabbers" -- rushed the San Ysidro, Calif., point of entry on Sunday, essentially using children as human shields at the border. In a statement late Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen backed up Trump's comments.
TRUMP, DHS ACCUSE MIGRANTS OF USING CHILDREN AS HUMAN SHIELDS AT THE BORDER
Hyde-Smith was appointed in March to fill retired Republican Sen. Thad Cochran's seat, and is now seeking to finish out the last two years of his term. Espy, who served in former President Bill Clinton's administration, is seeking to become Mississippi's first black senator since Reconstruction.
"Your vote on Tuesday will decide whether we build on our extraordinary achievements, or whether we empower the radical Democrats to obstruct our progress," Trump said.
The president was joined on stage at one point by South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who told him he has "done a hell of a job."

"We're sending a clear message to the caravans, to the trespassers -- go back home."
— President Trump

"If you like [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanuagh, there's more coming," Graham, one of Kavanaugh's staunchest defenders during his Senate confirmation hearings earlier in the year, told the crowd. "Let's win tomorrow." (The Senate has exclusive authority to confirm all federal judicial appointments.)
The president briefly pivoted to discuss Sunday's confrontation at the border, when hundreds of caravan migrants rushed the port of entry at San Ysidro, Calif., and were dispersed with tear gas from U.S. Border Patrol authorities.
"Are we doing OK on the border, folks?" Trump said to cheers of "Build that wall."
"We're not going to have it -- you've got to come into our country legally," Trump said. "We have a lot of [the wall] built, and it's going up. And the rest of it -- it's pretty nasty looking wire, isn't it? We're doing well."
He added: "We're not letting people into our country unless they come in legally -- and we want people to come in through merit. We have great companies coming into our country. We need workers. We want them to come in. But they have to be talented people who can love our country -- they have to come in through merit, not through a [visa] lottery."
Criticizing migrants who waved their home country's flags and threw rocks at U.S. officials -- even as they sought entry into the U.S. -- Trump unequivocally condemned Sunday's attempted incursion at San Ysidro.
"We will not tolerate any form of assault or attack upon our border agents, like happened yesterday," Trump said. "We're sending a clear message to the caravans, to the trespassers -- go back home."
He then touted historically low African-American unemployment rates and told the crowd that "we made history" on Election Day "by expanding our Senate majority."
For her part, Hyde-Smith said she was "honored" by Trump's visit and emphasized her support for the Second Amendment and the president's judicial nominees.
"I've worked very, very hard for you," Hyde-Smith told the crowd. "I will stand for your conservative values, and that is what is on the ballot tomorrow."

"We have reawakened NASA. And that's a good thing."
— President Trump

WATCH: HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS RUSH PORT OF ENTRY AT SAN YSIDRO, MET WITH TEAR GAS
After discussing his plans for a Space Force, Trump highlighted the historic landing of a NASA spacecraft on Mars earlier in the day.
"Today, we just landed on Mars, did you hear that?" Trump said. "They were celebrating at NASA. We have reawakened NASA. And that's a good thing." He added: "A lot of the rich guys like rockets. So we charge them rent. Just make sure you have an American flag on the rocket."
He then immediately turned to the Iran nuclear deal, which he called "one-sided" and pulled the U.S. out of earlier this year, and touted his decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
Large crowds gathered hours in advance of the rally at Tupelo Regional Airport, where GOP Rep. Trent Kelly led supporters in a chant of "Build the wall" as Air Force One approached for landing.
The president carried Mississippi over Hillary Clinton by nearly 20 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election, and GOP Sen. Roger Wicker won re-election by a similar margin earlier in the month.
Hyde-Smith also remains popular among black Mississippi Republicans, according to local reports.
But Trump cautioned voters not to make assumptions or stay home. "Don't take any chances," he warned the crowd in Tupelo Monday evening.
And Democrats have seen some cause for optimism in recent weeks, fueled by a series of missteps by Hyde-Smith.
The incumbent Republican lawmaker was recorded during a campaign stop saying that if a supporter invited her to a "public hanging," she would be in "the front row.” She has since said her comment was made in jest and denied any racial connotation.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House earlier Monday before flying to Mississippi, Trump said Hyde-Smith "felt very badly, and she certainly didn't mean that, and she's already apologized and I think very strongly."
He said her comments were "taken a certain way, but she certainly didn't mean it."
"I've known her for a period of time now as a senator -- she's been an excellent senator," Trump said. "I'm going there -- I'm going to make, I guess, two rallies on top of everything else. And I hope you're all coming."
Amid fallout from those remarks, Major League Baseball asked that Hyde-Smith return the organization’s $5,000 donation. Other organizations have made similar requests.
Hyde-Smith also co-sponsored a bill in the Mississippi state Senate in 2007 that would have honored a former Confederate soldier for his efforts to "defend his homeland."
The resolution, which was first reported over the weekend, called a Mississippi resident identified as Effie Lucille Nicholson Pharr "the last known living 'Real Daughter' of the Confederacy living in Mississippi" and praised her father's work to "defend his homeland."

Rep. Elijah Cummings Cartoons