President Trump: Security is more important than trade, border shutdown possible

President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 1:07 PM PT — Tuesday, April 2, 2019

President Trump is now saying “security is more important” to him than trade as he considers shutting down the southern border.
This comes as some raise concerns about the economic impact of a border shutdown, but White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow told CNBC he’s “looking at keeping truck lanes open” to lessen the economic impact
In the meantime, President Trump said Mexico is finally stepping in to help stop the flow of illegal immigrants from Central America as he doubles down on his threat to cut U.S. aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Sarah Sanders suggested the president doesn’t want to shutdown the southern border, but will use it as his last resort if he feels the safety of Americans are in jeopardy. While speaking with reporters Tuesday, the White House press secretary said closing the border isn’t the main priority of this administration. She said Democrats must help address the issue of illegal immigration to keep ports of entry open.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders talks with reporters outside the White House, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Sanders claimed the southern border is being overrun and the president could be forced to close it.
“Look, Democrats are leaving us absolutely no choice at this point, we’ve already had to move roughly 750 personnel from ports of entry,” she told reporters. “And it looks like we’re going to have to move more, which will force those lines to go longer to cross the border and eventually it may be that it’s the best decision that we close the border.”
Sanders also said Mexico must ramp up its efforts to curb illegal immigration into the U.S.

Wisconsin Supreme Court race likely heading toward recount

FILE--In this March 15, 2019 file photo, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Lisa Neubauer, left, speaks during a debate with opponent Brian Hagedorn, right, at the Wisconsin State Bar Center in Madison, Wis. (Associated Press) 

Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race to replace a retiring liberal judge appeared to be heading for a recount Tuesday, with the outcome largely seen as a measure of the battleground state’s mood ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

With the unofficial vote tally at 99 percent, only 1,600 votes out of nearly 1.2 million votes cast separated conservative candidate Brian Hagedorn, the leader, from liberal-backed challenger Lisa Neubauer.
The Associated Press did not declare a winner, noting that the race was within the 1 percentage point margin for a recount. If the margin remains within the 1 percentage point difference, the trailing candidate would be allowed to request a recount paid for by taxpayers.
"This race is too close to call," Neubauer campaign manager Tyler Hendricks said in a statement obtained by FOX6 Milwaukee. "We are almost assuredly headed to a recount. We are going to make sure every vote is counted. Wisconsinites deserve to know we have had a fair election and that every vote is counted."
The court is currently controlled 4-3 by conservatives, who have held the majority since 2008. If Hagedorn wins, the scales would tip in favor of conservatives 5-2, ensuring majority control for years to come. Liberals were hoping for a Neubauer win to give them a shot at taking majority control in 2020.
The outcome will also test the climate of the imminent 2020 election cycle, with Wisconsin seen as a critical battleground for presidential hopefuls. In 2016, Donald Trump won Wisconsin with 47.8 percent of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 47 percent.
Both Neubauer, 61, and Hagedorn, 41, are appeals court judges.
The winner will serve a 10-year term and replace retiring liberal Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who is 85.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lori Lightfoot wins Chicago mayoral race, to become city's first black woman mayor

Lori Lightfoot, right, was projected to defeat Toni Preckwinkle in the race for Chicago mayor. (Getty Images/AP, File) 

Former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot easily won the Chicago mayor's race Tuesday, earning support from every part of the city to defeat a longtime political insider and become the first black woman and openly gay person to lead the nation's third-largest city.

Lightfoot, who had never been elected to public office, delivered a commanding victory over Toni Preckwinkle, who served in the City Council for 19 years before becoming Cook County Board president. Preckwinkle also is chairwoman of the county Democratic Party.
Lightfoot promised to rid City Hall of corruption and help low-income and working-class people she said had been "left behind and ignored" by Chicago's political ruling class. It was a message that resonated with voters weary of political scandal and insider deals, and who said the city's leaders for too long have invested in downtown at the expense of neighborhoods.
"Together we can and will make Chicago a place where your zip code doesn't determine your destiny," Lightfoot told a cheering crowd at her victory party. "We can and we will break this city's endless cycle of corruption and never again — never ever — allow politicians to profit from elected positions."
She said people are seeing "a city reborn" — a place where race and "who you love" don't matter.

In this March 24, 2019 photo, Chicago mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot, right, participates in a candidate forum in Chicago. Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle, left, are competing to make history by becoming the city's first black, female mayor. On issues their positions are similar. But their resumes are not, and that may make all the difference when voters pick a new mayor on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Lightfoot had emerged as the surprising leader in the first round of voting in February when 14 candidates were on the ballot to succeed Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who decided against running for a third term.
Chicago will become the largest U.S. city to elect a black woman as mayor when Lightfoot is sworn in May 20. She will join seven other black women currently serving as mayors in major U.S. cities, including Atlanta and New Orleans.
The vote to succeed Emanuel came just days after Chicago state prosecutors stunned the nation by opting to drop charges against actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of faking a hate-crime attack that implicated supporters of President Trump.
Prosecutors have said they did not intend to vindicate Smollett, but the actor publicly claimed exoneration -- leading comedians to mock him, and police unions and the mayor's office to cry foul.
Lightfoot seized on outrage over the deadly shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald -- at the hands of white officer Jason Van Dyke -- to launch her campaign. That was even before Emanuel announced he wouldn't seek a third term amid criticism for initially resisting calls to release video of the shooting.
"I'm not a person who decided I would climb the ladder of a corrupt political party," Lightfoot said during a debate last month. "I don't hold the title of committeeman, central committeeman, boss of the party."
That was a not-so-veiled reference to Preckwinkle, who also leads the county's Democratic Party and had countered that her opponent lacked the necessary experience for the job.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, right, and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, center, at a news conference last month after prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)

"This is not an entry-level job," Preckwinkle said repeatedly during the campaign. "It's easy to talk about change. It's hard to actually do it. And that's been my experience — being a change maker, a change agent, transforming institutions and communities."
Joyce Ross, 64, a certified nursing assistant living on the West Side, said she cast her ballot Tuesday for Lightfoot. Ross also said she believed Lightfoot would be better able to clean up the police department and curb the city's violence.
In addition, she said she was bothered by Preckwinkle's association with longtime Alderman Ed Burke, who was indicted earlier this year on charges he tried to shake down a restaurant owner who wanted to build in his ward.
"My momma always said birds of a feather flock together," Ross said.
The campaign between the two women got off to a contentious start, with Preckwinkle's advertising focusing on Lightfoot's work as a partner at Mayer Brown, one of the nation's largest law firms, and tagging her as a "wealthy corporate lawyer."
Preckwinkle also tried to cast Lightfoot as an insider for working in police oversight posts under Emanuel and police oversight, procurement and emergency communications posts under former Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Dueling protestors speaking out Monday in Chicago over Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office's decision to drop all charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

In one ad, Preckwinkle criticized Lightfoot's oversight of emergency communications in 2004 when a fire killed four children. A judge ordered Lightfoot to preserve 911 tapes after questions were raised about how the emergency call was handled. The ad noted some of the tapes were destroyed, prompting the judge to rebuke Lightfoot. The ad sparked a backlash from the family of three of the children killed, with their sister accusing Preckwinkle of trying to take advantage of her family's tragedy.
Lightfoot also responded by scolding her opponent for being negative while also airing ads pointing out Preckwinkle's connection to powerful local Democrats, including one under federal indictment.
Preckwinkle spent much of her time during the campaign answering for her ties to Chicago's political establishment. She and her supporters asserted her rise to Democratic Party leadership did not hinder her ability to oppose policies promoted by the city's ever-powerful mayors.
"My whole career has been about change, and change is action and results, not simply words," said Preckwinkle, who said her experience made her better positioned to lead a city with financial problems and poorer neighborhoods hit by gun violence.
Despite the barbs on the campaign trail, the two advanced similar ideas to boost the city's finances.
Both candidates expressed support for a casino in Chicago and for changing the state's income tax system to a graduated tax, in which higher earners would be taxed at a higher rate.
Preckwinkle said that while downtown development should remain a priority, it should not be at the cost of neighborhood growth. She promoted additional investments in neighborhood schools, affordable housing and criminal justice reform.
Lightfoot said that as mayor, she would focus on investing in neighborhoods on the West and South Sides and bring transparency and accountability to City Hall. She added she also wanted to end City Hall corruption and restore people's faith in government.
"The machine's been in decline for a while, but it still has a grip on certain things," Lightfoot said. "This is our opportunity to send it to its grave, once and for all."

It's a 'Cat 5' immigration crisis: Nielsen

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Tuesday that the Trump administration is treating the immigration crisis as a “Cat 5 hurricane disaster.”
“We are bringing all of the agencies together; we're asking everybody to chip in,” Nielsen said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
“Why wouldn't we put the U.S. military along our border if it's really a crisis of that magnitude?” Carlson asked Secretary Nielsen.
“I think we're looking into that. We've made the request. I'm in constant contact with the acting secretary of defense. I talked to some of the combatant commanders today. We are in fact pushing more and more military resources to the border,” Nielsen said.
President Trump threatened to close the border this week, prompting outrage from Democrats, and he called on Mexico to help prevent illegal immigration by using its own “strong” immigration laws.
The president also shut down aid to El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

"We are in fact pushing more and more military resources to the border."
— Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of homeland security

“We’re going to have a strong border, or we’re going to have a closed border,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
Carlson also pressed Nielsen on whether Trump would consider expanding the E-Verify system to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants, or sign an order eliminating “birthright” citizenship.
Nielsen made it clear everything was being considered.
“We have to stop the drugs. We have to stop the smuggling and trafficking gangs. He's very serious about it, so yes, I think everything is on the table,” Nielsen said.

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Supreme Court will take up case of citizenship question on 2020 Census

FILE – This March 23, 2018 file photo shows an envelope containing a 2018 census letter mailed to a U.S. resident as part of the nation’s only test run of the 2020 Census. (AP Photo/Michelle R. Smith, File)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 1:53 PM PT — Monday, April 1, 2019

The legal battle over adding a citizenship question the 2020 Census continues, with the nation’s highest court now taking up the case. The decision comes after the Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the question could be included in the decennial survey.
The Trump Administration is looking to appeal a ruling by the Southern District of New York, which struck down their request. The ruling then headed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals; however, this latest move means Justices will resolve the case before the lower court has the chance to review it.
The Department of Justice said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who announced he would pursue updating the questionnaire in 2018, has the legal authority to include the citizenship question on next year’s census.
However, the district judge cast doubt on the reasoning behind Ross’ decision to include the question in the survey. The judge argued its inclusion would be unlawful and would violate the Administrative Procedure Act, but Ross cited the need to enforce the Voting Rights Act by asking census-takers if they are citizens of the United States.
The agency argued the question was included in previous years, with it last being seen in 1950.
Last year, acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights John Gore maintained the Department of Justice relies on the survey to conduct elections in compliance with federal laws.
“The department’s letter explained that accurate citizenship data is crucial to the department’s enforcement of Section Two of the Voting Rights Act, and it’s important protections against racial discrimination and voting,” Gore explained. “To fully enforce those requirements the department needs reliable citizen voting ago population data in localities and census blocks, where voting rights violations are alleged or suspected.”
The questions being presented in the case look to determine whether the district court misrepresented precedent in its ruling. The Supreme Court must reach a decision by June, before census forms begin printing.

Conference featuring 2020 Dems begins with fiery chant quoting fugitive cop-killer Assata Shakur

A conference featuring eight prominent 2020 Democrat presidential hopefuls kicked off in Washington, D.C,. with the fiery rallying cry of a fugitive cop-killer on Monday, as the labor and political groups in attendance shouted in unison, "We have nothing to lose but our chains."
Jamal Watkins, the Vice President of Civic Engagement at the NAACP, began by telling the audience at the We the People conference that he would invoke the words of Assata Shakur, also known as Joanne Chesimard.
Shakur was convicted of the 1973 murder of a New Jersey state trooper when she was in the Black Liberation Army. After escaping from prison in 1979, Shakur fled to Cuba, which granted her asylum even as she remains on the FBI's list of most-wanted fugitive terrorists.
"Now I came here not to talk at you -- it's gonna be a long and powerful day," Watkins said. "But I want you to do something with me. I'm gonna actually have you participate with me in repeating some words from a leader by the name of Assata Shakur. So if you could stand up -- if you can't stand, it's okay -- but I want you to repeat after me."
Watkins then quoted Shakur, pausing to let attendees repeat after him: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Shakur's words, in turn, were appropriated from the final sentences of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels' Communist Manifesto: "The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Proletarians of All Countries, Unite!"
Among the groups in attendance were the Sierra Club, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, SEIU and Communications Workers of America.
They were drawn to the conference to hear from a series of speakers that included 2020 Democratic White House contenders Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Beto O'Rourke, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Jay Inslee  and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Although there was no indication the candidates embraced Shakur's comments, Democrats and progressives have long embraced the convicted murderer. California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters, for example, wrote in 1998 to then-Cuban President Fidel Castro to apologize for voting for a resolution that called for Cuba to stop harboring Shakur.
"I, and some of the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, mistakenly voted for House Concurrent Resolution 254 which called on the Government of Cuba to extradite to the United States Joanne Chesimard and all other individuals who have fled the United States from political persecution and received political asylum in Cuba," Waters wrote to Castro. "Joanne Chesimard was the birth name of a political activist known to most Members of the Congressional Black Caucus as Assata Shakur. For the record, I am opposed to the resolution. I unequivocally stated that a mistake was made and I would have voted against the legislation."
Notably absent from the conference on Monday was former Vice President Joe Biden, who is grappling with accusations of unwanted touching from two women.

MSNBC's Ocasio-Cortez Town Hall falls flat, loses to Tucker Carlson in ratings

MSNBC’s Town Hall featuring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., fell flat in the ratings Friday evening, trailing far behind Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight."
According to Nielsen’s early ratings, the Town Hall hosted by MSNBC’s “All In” host Chris Hayes garnered 1,568,000 total viewers while Carlson’s program had 2,656,000. CNN’s Anderson Cooper came in last with 733,000 total viewers.
Fox News drew 420,000 viewers aged 25-54, while the MSNBC town hall had 232,000 viewers and CNN had just 155,000 in the demo, the ratings showed.
MSNBC’s 8 p.m. primetime slot featured the freshman congresswoman and other guests discussing the Green New Deal in front of an audience in the Bronx, N.Y.
“So, this issue is not just about our climate. First and foremost we need to save ourselves. Period. There will be no future for the Bronx. There will be no livable future for generations coming,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
She defended the resolution she'd co-sponsored and blasted her critics.
Ocasio-Cortez also disputed estimated costs of the resolution and dismissed the claim the Green New Deal was socialism saying that climate change “is a problem of market failure externalities in our economics.”
Carlson’s 8 p.m. hour, by contrast, featured a look into accusations that an NBC News political editor tried to “intimidate” a reporter on behalf of the Democratic National Committee, among other topics.