A Republican congressman has encouraged President Trump to ignore the Supreme Court and print the 2020 U.S. Census with the question about citizenship, as the president mulls an executive order.
Rep.
Chip Roy, who represents the Lone Star State's 21st Congressional
District -- covering much of the area north of San Antonio, plus much of
Austin -- made the call on social media amid the controversy over the
census citizenship question that caused some confusion within the Trump
administration on whether the question will appear on the survey.
“It’s
the lawyers advising him,” Roy wrote in a tweet. “[Trump] should ignore
them. Completely. Print the Census with the questions — and issue a
statement explaining why — ‘because we should.’ Done.”
The
Supreme Court last week blocked the citizenship question for the time
being until more reasoning from the administration can be provided.
This
prompted Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to initially announce that his
department would print the census without the citizenship question amid
the Supreme Court objections.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, made the call on social media amid the
controversy over the census citizenship question that caused some
confusion within the Trump administration of whether the question will
appear on the survey. (Associated Press)
“The Census Bureau has started the process of
printing the decennial questionnaires without the question,” Ross said
in a statement. “My focus and that of the bureau and the entire
department is to conduct a complete and accurate census.”
The
Texas congressman, a freshman Republican, fired back on social media
after being accused of openly calling on Trump to ignore the high court.
“Lawless
is the state of our border. Lawless is being ruled by Judges on matters
of policy choices,” he tweeted. “Lawless is NOT rightly advising the
President to follow the Constitution and include a citizenship question
on the census — particularly in light of the opinion.”
Trump has
been critical of the Supreme Court block, attacking it as “totally
ridiculous” that the U.S. government “cannot ask a basic question of
Citizenship.”
On Wednesday, Trump said that reports that that Commerce had dropped the “quest” to put the question on the census were “fake!”
“We are absolutely moving forward, as we must, because of the importance of the answer to this question,” he tweeted.
On
Thursday Trump said his administration is still working to add the
question on the census, with reports saying he’s mulling an executive
order to do so, a move that would lead to a showdown between his
administration and the Supreme Court.
“So important for our
Country that the very simple and basic ‘Are you a Citizen of the United
States?’ question be allowed to be asked in the 2020 Census,” he
tweeted.
Multiple outlets reported that Trump is considering using
an executive order to move forward with the push. The Washington Post
reported that Trump had told lawyers to fix the situation with an
executive order and add it to the census later.
"The
administration is considering the appropriateness of an executive order
that would address the constitutional need for the citizenship question
to be included in the 2020 census," a source told Axios. Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Critics of President Trump's planned "Salute to America"
celebration are letting their disdain for the Republican get in the way
of celebrating the Fourth of July, according to the president's
reelection campaign spokeswoman.
There is no reason to object to the president's Thursday evening celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, Trump 2020 national press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle."
"Let's
be clear what this is about," she said. "Their hate for President
Trump is clouding their love for this country. This is a 'Salute to
America.'
"Leave it to the left to be unpatriotic the day before and day of the Fourth of July."
In
a montage played by guest host Tammy Bruce, Washington Mayor Muriel
Bowser, a Democrat, said on MSNBC she hoped, "that we never see this
spectacle of our military force being on display as a show of force to
our own people."
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents neighboring Alexandria, claimed Trump, "must be the most insecure man I've ever seen."
In another interview, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said tanks should not be rolling in her city.
Earlier this week,
an Associated Press photographer spotted the two M1A1 Abrams tanks,
along with four other military vehicles, in a railyard at the
southeastern edge of Washington. A military official earlier told the AP
that the tanks were transported north from Fort Stewart in Georgia.
The vehicles include M1A1 Abrams tanks,
the type currently used by American armed forces, as well as Sherman
tanks, the kind commonly used during World War II, according to the
president. Having tanks rolling down the streets of D.C. had raised
concerns due to their weight, with the Abrams tanks weighing upwards of
60 tons each. Trump acknowledged these concerns Monday, without offering
many details. Fox News' Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.
High-level campaign staffers for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris engaged in a fiery exchange on Twitter on Wednesday over the candidates' positions on school busing.
The
war of words followed the candidates' fiery exchange during last
Thursday night's Democratic primary debate in Miami, when Harris
challenged Biden over the issue. The face-off produced Harris' "That
little girl was me" remark that got wide media attention.
However, Harris' stance on busing isn't rock-solid, at least according to what she told reporters on Wednesday at a Democratic picnic in West Des Moines, Iowa.
"I
think of busing as being in the toolbox of what is available and what
can be used for the goal of desegregating America’s schools,” Harris
said, but when pressed on whether she believes in federally mandated
busing, she responded, "I believe that any tool that is in the toolbox
should be considered by a school district.”
That received a sharp response from Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager and communications director.
"It's
disappointing that Senator Harris chose to distort Vice President
Biden's position on busing," Bedingfield tweeted, "particularly now that
she is tying herself in knots trying not to answer the very question
she posed to him!"
That drew a reaction from Harris press secretary Ian Sams, who shot back by quoting Biden when he previously denounced busing.
"VP
Biden said: 'Who the hell do we think we are that the only way a black
man or woman can learn is if they rub shoulders with my white child?' He
called busing an 'asinine concept.' C’mon. Y’all are better than this."
Then
Bedingfield answered back: "If we’re cherry-picking quotes on Twitter,
what about this one from this January? Sen. Harris: 'I think there are
many people who would make a good president... I'm very fond of Joe
Biden, so you're not gonna hear me criticize Joe Biden. I think he's a
great guy.'"
"She does think he’s a good guy. So do I," Sams responded. "That’s
why a simple 'working with segregationists to stop busing 40 years ago
was wrong, and I shouldn’t have done it' would be welcome."
Harris has seen a major surge in the polls since her widely praised performance at last week's Democratic debate.
The U.S. senator from California has jumped into third place among the
two-dozen candidates seeking the Democratic Party nod in the average of
polls, according to Real Clear Politics. Several polls now put her close
to Biden.
An Old West desert town in California has declared itself a “sanctuary city” for law-abiding gun owners.
Needles
is a town of about 5,000 that borders Arizona and is a few miles from
the southern tip of Nevada. Last month, the City Council voted
unanimously to declare itself a “2nd Amendment Sanctuary City,” for
people who feel California’s strict gun laws tread on their
constitutional right to bear arms.
Needles’ city attorney has been directed to draft a resolution asking
the state’s Legislature to allow gun owners from other states to carry
firearms in town. But Councilman Tim Terral, who sponsored the measure,
admitted the request is a longshot in California’s Democrat-controlled governing body.
“They want to pick and choose what they follow,” Terral said of California’s sanctuary status for illegal immigrants.
“It’s ‘We’re going to shield this person, but we’re going to go after
that person.’ And in our opinion, they have violated the
Second Amendment of the Constitution in many ways.”
“They
want to pick and choose what they follow. It’s ‘We’re going to shield
this person, but we’re going to go after that person.’ And in our
opinion, they have violated the Second Amendment of the Constitution in
many ways.” — Tim Terral, Needles council member
Terral
and other city officials said the measure has less to do with making
the city a Wild West town and more to do with ensuring out-of-state
visitors with legally registered guns from outside California don’t face
a felony arrest.
“We have had that happen,” City Manager Rick Daniels said. “Now not a lot. Not a lot. But occasionally that occurs.”
Needles’ proposal comes amid heightened restrictions for gun owners and would-be gun owners alike in California. A state law
that took effect Monday mandates that gun owners undergo a background
check to purchase ammunition and outlaws people from bringing ammunition
into California from other states.
Most
Needles residents buy their ammunition in neighboring Arizona because
the nearest California stores are more than 100 miles away. City
leaders want residents to be able to continue purchasing in neighboring
states.
That
and a request that California recognize concealed carry permits from
other states will be spelled out in another resolution the City Council
plans to consider July 9.
Blls Bailey: "Single out anyone of these punks and send him to Texas for a one on one fight against a conservative, he will get his ass handed back to him on a silver platter. They're a bunch of cowards that will only fight you when they outnumber you."
Authorities in Portland, Ore.,
are calling for a series of laws to curb violent clashes at
demonstrations that include prohibiting masks worn by
protesters, allowing police to videotape demonstrations and giving the
city greater control over events organized by groups with violent
histories.
“We cannot allow people to continue to use the guise of
free speech to commit a crime,’’ police Chief Danielle Outlaw said in a
Wednesday news conference addressing last week's violence that occurred when three competing demonstrations converged downtown.
“We cannot allow people to continue to use the guise of free speech to commit a crime.’’ — Chief Danielle Outlaw, Portland, Ore., police
Several
people were injured in connection with demonstrations as marchers with
an anti-fascist group clashed with conservative protesters with the
Proud Boys and supporters of the #HimToo movement. Conservative writer Andy Ngo was assaulted by Antifa members and spent the night in an emergency room.
A man checks his phone while surrounded by police and medics after
being injured during a civil disturbance in Portland, Ore., on
Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Associated Press)
About 15 states and some countries have anti-mask laws, the Oregonian reported. Opponents argue such laws would deprive people anonymity to express their views and would violate their First Amendment rights.
“We
looked into it previously and the constitutional free speech issues are
difficult to overcome, at least in Oregon, said Tim Crail, chief of
staff for Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz.
Outlaw said the
issue was a matter of public safety. Portland has been the site of
several violent demonstrations between Antifa supporters and
conservative demonstrators in recent months.
Ngo, who covered Antifa for the website Quillette, was kicked in the head and had objects thrown at him.
“A lot of people are emboldened because they know they can’t be identified,’’ Outlaw said.
“A lot of people are emboldened because they know they can’t be identified.’’ — Chief Danielle Outlaw, Portland, Ore., police
The
American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon said it doubts a policy
prohibiting masks could be enforced in a constitutional manner.
"A
policy that prohibits wearing a mask to a protest will have police
focusing on the wrong issue," Sarah Armstrong, a spokeswoman for the
group, told the paper. "Behavior is the issue, not the mask,'' she said.
"It could be argued that the mask is an important symbolic part of a
protester’s message. ... There are many legitimate reasons people wear
‘masks,’ including political and religious reasons.''
The first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate says Kamala Harris “got it wrong” when she criticized Joe Biden over racial issues during a Democratic debate last week.
Carol
Moseley Braun, who represented Illinois in the Senate for one term,
from 1993 to 1999, said it was “sad” that Harris, a U.S. senator from
California, chose to attack Biden, the former vice president and U.S.
senator from Delaware.
“We can be proud of her nonetheless, but
her ambition got it wrong about Joe,” Moseley Braun said, according to
Politico. “He is about the best there is. For her to take that tack is
sad.”
“We
can be proud of her nonetheless, but her ambition got it wrong about
Joe. He is about the best there is. For her to take that tack is sad.” — Carol Moseley Braun, former U.S. senator
During
last Thursday’s debate in Miami, Harris blasted Biden’s decades-ago
work with segregationist senators, making the point personal by
explaining she was a member of only the second class of black children
in California to be bused to school in an effort to force desegregation.
Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun. (Associated Press)
“That little girl was me,” Harris told the former vice president.
The
confrontation was viewed as a key moment for Harris, whom some claimed
had “won” the debate among 10 candidates. Harris’s campaign said it
raised more than $2 million in the 24 hours immediately after the debate.
Some of the money came from sales of $30 T-shirts with a photo of Harris as a child and the quote from the debate.
Biden, meanwhile, got involved in another race-related controversy the next day, when he made a remark in Chicago.
“That
kid wearing a hoodie may very well be the next poet laureate and not a
gangbanger," Biden said during a speech at the headquarters of the
Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a group of nonprofits organized by the Rev.
Jesse Jackson.
The comment drew backlash from Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and others, who took issue with Biden’s choice of words.
Moseley Braun, meanwhile, continues to stand by Biden, Politico reported. The 71-year-old Chicago native had previously endorsed Biden for president, the report said. Fox News’ Brie Stimson and Danielle Wallace contributed to this story.
Fox News' Raymond Arroyo guest hosted "The Ingraham Angle"
Tuesday and gave a concise explanation on why pride in America has
decreased in recent years and what America's past will teach citizens as
they approach the future.
"Obviously partisanship is accelerating
this dwindling pride in the country and frankly it shouldn't. No matter
who's elected president, no matter who's calling the shots in Congress
that should in no way disturb our love of country," Arroyo said
referencing a Gallup poll showing pride the country at an all time low.
"The
freedoms we enjoy, the prosperity all around us, the liberty that we
too often take for granted. Part of our problem is there's so little
that unites us today."
Arroyo criticized those that have
disparaged the founders and history of America, claiming that these
actions have eroded the one thing that united this diverse nation.
"This
was a republic founded on an ideal not blood or race but an ideal of
freedom and self governance. It was predicated on morality and common
purpose. But over the last few decades we have run down the reputation
of the founders, disparaged even the founding itself and strafed our own
history. Today we're fighting over Betsy Ross' flag," Arroyo said,
referencing a Wall Street Journal report
that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick asked Nike to shelve a
shoe featuring the Betsy Ross version of the American flag because it
was racist.
The Fox Nation personality argued that scrutinizing history would only further divide the country.
"This
self-loathing to this destructive cultural crusade to strike the memory
of any individual that fails to measure up to the shifting mores of the
day will only further divide us and hasten our forgetting of self,"
Arroyo said.
"History is made by human beings who are by their
nature flawed and broken and admit their failings are great lessons that
cannot and should not be forgotten."
Arroyo said that what makes us proud to be American is overcoming our shortcomings.
"We
owe it to our children to offer them the whole American story the good,
the bad, the sins and the glory. How else will they learn how to avoid
in the future or to emulate. And what to be proud of as Americans,"
Arroyo said.
Fareed Zakaria,
the CNN anchor, on Sunday said it “pains” him to admit it, but
President Trump was correct that the U.S. finds itself in a crisis with
asylum system and the number of new arrivals.
The host of “Fareed
Zakaria GPS,” was also critical of asylum rules that he called “vague,
laxed and being gamed.” Zakaria said asylum was initially intended for a
small number of people in the most extreme circumstances, not as a
process of immigration in itself. He said the rules need to be
“substantially tightened."
He pointed out that “many” current asylum-seekers often have “suspiciously similar stories” and employ “identical phrases.”
“Democrats
have spent most of their efforts on this topic, assailing the Trump
administration for its heartlessness,” he said. “Fine. But that does not
address the roots of this genuine crisis. If things continue to spiral
downward and America's southern border seems out of control, Trump's
tough rhetoric and hard-line stance will become increasingly attractive
to the public.”
A federal judge in Seattle on Tuesday blocked a
Trump administration policy that would keep thousands of asylum-seekers
locked up while they pursue their cases, saying the Constitution demands
that such migrants have a chance to be released from custody.
The
Justice Department did not immediately return an email seeking comment
from the AP, but the government was expected to quickly appeal the
decision. The Associated Press contributed to this report
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, made the call on social media amid the
controversy over the census citizenship question that caused some
confusion within the Trump administration of whether the question will
appear on the survey. (Associated Press)
