Google calls staffers back to US after Trump order on immigration, report says

Google called on its employees who may be affected by President Trump’s immigration order to get back to the U.S. as soon as possible, according to a report published Saturday.
Bloomberg obtained a copy of a memo from the company’s CEO, Sundar Pichai.
"It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues," Pichai wrote. "We’ve always made our view on immigration issues known publicly and will continue to do so."
An unidentified source told Bloomberg that the concern is that employees from one of the seven countries that Trump identified may not be allowed back in to the U.S., even if that person has  a valid visa.
"We are advising our clients from those seven countries who have green cards or any type of H-1B visa not to travel outside the U.S." Ava Benach, a partner at immigration law firm Benach Collopy LLP, said in the report. “No one is really sure whether a green card holder from these seven countries can return to the U.S. now. It’s fairly clear that an H-1B visa holder can’t," Benach said.
Trump's executive order suspends all immigration from countries with terrorism concerns for 90 days.
The State Department said the three-month ban in the directive applied to Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen - all Muslim-majority nations.
The order also calls for Homeland Security and State Department officials, along with the director of national intelligence, to review what information the government needs to fully vet would-be visitors and come up with a list of countries that don't provide it.
The order says the government will give countries 60 days to start providing the information or citizens from those countries will be barred from traveling to the United States.
The temporary halt to refugee processing does include exceptions for people claiming religious persecution, so long as their religion is a minority faith in their country. That could apply to Christians from Muslim-majority countries.

Trump-Putin call will be positive says top Russian official

The first official contact between President Donald Trump and his Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin is expected to be “positive”, Russian officials say.
Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted influential security chief Nikolai Patrushey on Saturday. He is the secretary of Russia’s Security Council.
The telephone call between expected to take place later Saturday will be the first official contact between the two leaders since Trump was sworn in as president last week.
TRUMP, MEXICAN LEADER TALK -- BY PHONE -- AS TENSIONS RISE
Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway told “Fox & Friends” on Friday that the two leaders may speak about U.S. sanctions against Russia and how to improve relations between the two nations.
Recent polls show that anti-American sentiment in Russia has dropped to 56 percent. Pollsters say it’s due to Trump’s indication he wants to improve relations.
The Kremlin has welcomed Trump's promises to mend ties with Moscow, which have been badly strained by the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. elections.
According to Denis Volkav of the Levada Center, Russia’s independent pollster, the Russian government has been gradually ending state television propaganda to get the public ready for possible reconciliation.
Ahead of the call planned for Saturday, Trump was noncommittal about whether he was considering lifting the economic penalties. He told reporters: "We'll see what happens. As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking about that."
Trump made those remarks Friday alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May, whose country — as part of the European Union — also levied sanctions on Russia following its provocations in Ukraine. Voicing the view of many in Europe, May said, "We believe the sanctions should continue."
On Saturday, Trump is also set to speak with the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In the afternoon the president is scheduled to speak with the president of France, François Hollande, and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Vice President Mike Pence was expected to be on the Putin call with Trump. He wasn't expected to join other diplomatic calls the president planned for Saturday.

McConnell refuses to say whether 'nuclear option' in Supreme Court nomination is on table

The top Republican Senator Friday refused to say whether or not his colleagues would take the so-called “nuclear option” during the confirmation process for President Trump’s Supreme Court pick, but promised that the nominee will be “confirmed.”
“My answer’s going to be ... [Democrats] have set the standard,” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Politico.
If Republicans are unable to secure enough Democratic votes for Trump’s pick, they can change the rules and curb the filibuster. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., did that for lower court nominees and other nominations in 2013.
Trump has called on McConnell to kill the filibuster if Democrats resist his pick, but McConnell said the decision is not up to Trump.
"That’s not a presidential decision. That’s a Senate decision," McConnell told Politico.
Senate Republicans prevented former President Obama from filling Justice Antonin Scalia's seat, a political gamble that paid off when Trump was elected.
Trump has promised to seek someone in the mold of the conservative icon, who died nearly a year ago after serving on the Supreme Court for more than 29 years.
Trump said that his nominee is someone who will get approved, but Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats will vigorously fight any nominee not “mainstream.”
As minority leader, Schumer won't have the same power as McConnell to block a nominee. But his words signal that Democrats could filibuster and force Republicans to round up 60 votes to move ahead.
That will be a challenge for the GOP since they only hold 52 seats. McConnell suggested to the magazine that Senate democrats should not even require 60 votes.
GREGG JARRETT: THE FIRST (AND FRIVOLOUS) LAWSUIT AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP 
“The view was that you don’t filibuster judges ,” McConnell told the magazine. “It’s ironic that Professor Schumer was actually the one that said let’s open up the toolbox and use all of the tools. And so he’s the guy you ought to be talking to on  that issue: He  invited, in effect, where we are today.”
A spokesman from Schumer’s office, in response to McConnell, said, “People in glass  houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

Illegal Alien Cartoons

2 arrested in flag burning protest in Iowa

Officials arrest two people on Thursday after a group of protesters set several American flags on fire during a rally at an Iowa pedestrian mall.
Iowa City Press Citizen reported that the group was protesting “racial and social injustice” in Iowa City.
During the rally, a FedEx worker rushed to the scene, grabbing the flags and putting out the blaze with a fire extinguisher.
The delivery man told the Press Citizen that his actions were not connected to his FedEx employer.
Many took to Twitter to applaud the man’s actions, some referring to him as a “hero.”
Police arrested and charged 21-year-old Kelli Ebensberger and 23-year-old Paul Osgerby with violating the city’s public burn ordinance, which is considered a misdemeanor.
"When I see the flag, I see racial injustice," Paul Osgerby told the Press Citizen. "I see social injustice from Native American genocide to African-American slavery to failing to recognize women as citizens until the 20th century.”
The group reportedly did not have permits for the fire.
"It’s not for the content of what they were burning but rather for violating the city ordinance of open burning," Iowa City Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde said.
WQAD reported that protesters said their actions were protected under First Amendment rights.
Ebensberger and Osgerby are scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 23.

Carlos Slim calls for rare press conference days after border wall announcement

Mexican president doubles down on refusing to pay for wall

Carlos Slim, who last month said a Donald Trump presidency could be good news for Mexico,  called for a rare press conference Friday, just two days after Trump announced his plans to build a wall  between  the  two countries.
The focus of the press conference was not immediately clear, but a spokesman for Slim told Fortune  that the billionaire will take reporters’ questions.
In November, Forbes called Slim the world’s “biggest billionaire loser” after Trump’s election, after his fortune plunged from 451.7 billion to an estimated $45.2 billion.
During the presidential campaign, Trump accused Slim—who supported Hillary Clinton-- of orchestrating negative coverage of him in the Times. At one point, the real estate mogul said Times reporters were "not journalists" but were "corporate lobbyists for Carlos Slim and Hillary Clinton."
The telecommunications magnate, who is one of the world's richest people, said that if Trump achieves his promises to expand the U.S. economy, create millions of jobs and lower middle-class taxes, it will be "fantastic" for Mexico by increasing U.S. consumption.
And Trump's promise for big spending on infrastructure projects would mean more jobs for Mexicans because there are not enough Americans to fill them, Slim said.
He added that Trump's tough talk toward Mexico should spur the country to refocus on investing in its own economy.

O'Reilly: Sanctuary Cities 'Promote Anarchy' & Trump Should Cut Their Funding

In his Talking Points Memo tonight, Bill O'Reilly slammed the pro-illegal immigration lobby's objections to President Donald Trump's executive actions.
On Wednesday, Trump signed two executive orders that cover a range of immigration enforcement measures, including starting the wall on the southern border and threatening sanctuary cities with a cut-off of funding.
O'Reilly said that "all hell is breaking loose," as many on the left simply do not want U.S. immigration laws enforced.
He pointed out that whether they oppose immigration laws for humanitarian, personal or political reasons, the fact is that it's up to Congress to change existing laws.
"You apply to come to the U.S.A., and your application is either accepted or rejected. If you simply show up with no papers, you're violating U.S. law," O'Reilly said. "So, there really isn't any legal argument here. It's all about theory and politics."
He said that "irresponsible" politicians like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio are ignoring federal law by operating sanctuary cities.
"So if these protesters and these loony mayors think that open borders and lax immigration enforcement are good things, they're idiots and deserve to be scorned," O'Reilly said.
"Breaking it down, sanctuary cities and counties promote anarchy. If the left doesn't like immigration law, petition Congress to change it. If the mayors refuse to obey federal law, President Trump should cut off federal funds immediately."

Trump spokesman says 20-percent tax on Mexican goods could fund wall

President Trump’s plan to make Mexico pay for the wall he intends to build on the southern border may have taken shape Thursday, when his spokesman suggested imposing a 20-percent import tax on Mexican goods.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer mentioned the possibility to reporters on Air Force One Thursday, as relations between Trump and his Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto spiraled.

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In this Nov. 10, 2016 file photo, workers raise a taller fence along the Mexico-US border between the towns of Anapra, Mexico and Sunland Park, New Mexico (The Associated Press)

"When you look at the plan that's taking shape now, using comprehensive tax reform as a means to tax imports from countries that we have a trade deficit from, like Mexico," Spicer said.
"If you tax that $50 billion at 20 percent of imports – which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do – right now our country's policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous," he said. "By doing it that we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone. That's really going to provide the funding."
The comments came on another packed day for the Trump administration, and a tumultuous one regarding immigration and Mexico policy. Sources confirmed that Mark Morgan has been removed as head of Border Patrol, in the wake of Trump's executive actions a day earlier boosting the agency and directing the construction of a wall.

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Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto insists Mexico won't pay for the wall. (Reuters)

In the wake of those orders, Nieto also canceled a scheduled meeting with Trump later this month.
Trump insisted throughout his successful campaign that not only would he build a wall to secure the border from illegal immigration and drugs, but that Mexico would pay for it. The oft-repeated pledge prompted speculation and even derision in the U.S., and outrage in Mexico. Nieto, while canceling the meeting, also insisted his nation will not fund the project, which could cost $12 billion or more.
Trump responded to Nieto by saying the meeting would be a waste of time, anyway, and tweeting that the U.S. is on the short end of the trading stick with Mexico.
Spicer raised the possibility of a tax after Trump told congressional Republicans that trade revenue from Mexico could finance the wall. That revenue would apparently be a component of a border tax plan that would be part of larger tax reforms.
Talk of a possible tax on U.S. imports from Mexico raised some eyebrows in Asia, where exports to the U.S. drive growth in many economies.
Japanese officials said on Friday they hoped to soon hold talks on trade with U.S. officials. Finance Minister Taro Aso said he hoped to explain the "reality of Japanese employment" in the U.S.
The Japanese government spokesman refused comment on the spat, but said Tokyo would watch for any impact on Japanese companies.
Mexico and the U.S. trade about $531 billion in goods and services each year, with the U.S. running a $58 million trade deficit with its third-biggest partner. Cars, heavy machinery and agricultural products form the bulk of U.S. imports from Mexico.
Imposing the tax would likely require renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump has said he intends to do.