Paul Ryan Cartoons

Conservatives Tout ‘Family Friendly’ Tax Plan

Washington, D.C. — John Hines, OAN Political Correspondent

On the same day that President Trump was touting tax reform in North Dakota, the president’s Special Assistant Ivanka Trump joined Utah Senator Mike Lee and the taxpayer advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform to make a push for tax cuts targeted to families.
“It is very important to the President and this Administration that this is really a tax cut for the middle class and working families. One of the ways, we can deliver a tax cut is through a more generous child tax credit. This administration is pushing for the largest child tax credit possible,” said Ivanka Trump at a forum at the Washington-based headquarters of Americans for Tax Reform.
President Trump’s statement is really an affirmation of similar proposals in Congress, including a proposal for an expanded child tax credit introduced in the Senate by Utah’s Mike Lee who says the current tax code is anti-family.
“We need to end the marriage tax penalty, and we also need to end the child tax penalty. That’s a little known–lesser understood feature of our tax code, but it actually punishes parents,” Lee explained.
And talking about the possibility of a broader tax reform package, Lee struck a positive note.
“I’m optimistic about it because this is something we have to get done. We have no choice but to do it…” Lee stated
And if Lee and Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist have anything to do with it, that reform may soon tilt more towards families.
“The top issue before the American people before Congress this fall is dramatic, pro-growth tax reform. Ivanka Trump has been a leader in the argument for making it a pro-family tax cut, as well by increasing the per child tax credit,” Norquist explained.
Increasing that per child tax credit ultimately means more money to be spent–and more options–for working families, thats according to Ralph Reed Chairman and Founder of the Faith and Freedom coalition.
“The liberals often say, well, you know we care about the children. Well, we do too, we think the best way to meet the needs of those kids is to let the parents keep the money they earn and spend it on those children and not ship it to Washington, DC,” Reed stated.
Ivanka Trump says she’d like to see the child tax credit at least double from its current level of $1,000 to $2,000.
Senator Lee’s proposal goes even further–up to $3500.

House GOP Blocks Dem Proposals to Ban Federal Spending at Trump Businesses

House GOP leaders block Democrat’s proposals to prevent taxpayer funds from being used at President Trump’s businesses.
Democrats filed amendments for a spending package to be considered on the House floor later this week
The move is aimed at prohibiting federal funds from being used at Trump-owned entities.
However, the House Rules Committee declined to green light votes on any of those proposals.
Democratic Representative Adam Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee also submitted an amendment to prohibit the Secret Service from spending money at President Trump’s businesses to ensure the president is not — quote — “personally enriched” by the federal government.

Ryan won't back scrapping debt ceiling amid reported Trump-Schumer pact

House Speaker Paul Ryan told Fox News' "The Story with Martha MacCallum" in an exclusive interview Thursday that he would oppose any deal to eliminate the U.S. debt ceiling despite a reported agreement between President Trump and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to pursue that goal.

"As imperfect as this tool is, I always see this as a good tool for fiscal discipline," Ryan told host Martha MacCallum. "I like the fact that Congress controls the power of the purse and that gives us opportunities for fiscal discipline."

The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump and Schumer, along with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., discussed the idea of scrapping the debt ceiling at a White House meeting Wednesday and agreed to pursue the matter over the next several months.
Ryan added that he "wasn't furious" with Trump for cutting a deal with Pelosi and Schumer raise the nation's debt ceiling and keep the government operating for another three months.
In doing so, Trump overruled Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Ryan himself to agree to the short-term debt ceiling increase, a position the Speaker had slammed as "ridiculous and disgraceful."
"I completely understand why [Trump] was doing what he was doing," Ryan told Martha MacCallum Thursday night. "I think you expect the president to talk to the other party. Isn’t it natural that a president should be speaking with members of leadership of the other party?"
"I think what he’s trying to do is clear the decks so we can get focused on our big things like tax reform," Ryan added. "Second point is, we’re getting hit with two hurricanes ... and he wanted to make this a bipartisan moment. He wanted to make this a bipartisan moment where we weren’t fighting each other up in Washington about hurricane aid. He just wanted to get it done."
Ryan also reacted to anotherWashington Post report that former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon had held informal discussions with Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, about possible replacements for Ryan as Speaker.
"When I took this job at the request of our members [in October 2015], I knew it would come with lots of slings and arrows," Ryan said when asked about his position. "This is not something I’m worried about or focused on. I’m worried about getting our agenda passed."
Ryan declined to comment on his future if tax reform did not pass Congress, saying "I’m not going to get into any of that stuff ... Mark and I have had great conversations and I think there’s a lot in the press that isn’t accurate. But I’m not going to worry about any of that stuff."
Late Thursday, Ryan dined with Trump in what a White House official described as a "productive working dinner to review the fall legislative agenda," including "tax reform, the FY-18 budget, funding for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, raising the debt ceiling and the continuing resolution to keep the government funded.
"The President looks forward to working together with Congress on bipartisan solutions to improve the lives of all Americans," the official added.

Out-of-staters may have won New Hampshire for Clinton, data suggest

New data suggest that more than 5,000 people who cast ballots in New Hampshire in the 2016 U.S. presidential election might not have been residents of the state.

These voters likely used out-of-state driver’s licenses and have not since obtained an in-state license or registered a vehicle.

New Hampshire House Speaker Shawn Jasper, a Republican, released the data Thursday following his inquiries to the state’s Department of State and the Department of Safety, which supervise elections.
The new figures could potentially call into question the validity of the New Hampshire results for Nov. 8, when Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton outpolled Republican nominee Donald Trump by a mere 2,736 votes.
Conservatives have long criticized certain practices of voter registration, such as same-day registration, claiming lax rules invite fraud and abuse of the electoral system, the Washington Times reported.
In February, White House adviser Stephen Miller came under fire for suggesting that nonresident Democratic Party voters arrived in droves to New Hampshire to vote for Clinton.
Miller told ABC in February: “Having worked before on a campaign in New Hampshire, I can tell you that this issue of busing voters into New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who’s worked in New Hampshire politics. It’s very real. It’s very serious. This morning, on this show, is not the venue for me to lay out all the evidence.”
The Washington Post described Miller’s claim as “the same bogus talking points that have been repeatedly shown to be false.”
The figures obtained by Jasper, however, reveal the potential abuse of the voting procedure. According to the data, 6,540 people registered to vote, and voted in the New Hampshire election, provided just out-of-state license.
Only 15 percent, roughly about 1,014 of the voters, have since obtained the in-state license, while 200 other people had since registered a vehicle in the state.
Despite New Hampshire law mandating that drivers acquire a state driving license within 60 days of becoming a resident in the state, more than 80 percent of people who registered to vote with out-of-state licenses still had not received their in-state license or registered a new vehicle – nearly 10 months after the election.
In addition, 196 people were under investigation for voting in two states.
Recently, three elections in New Hampshire were won by fewer than 5,000 votes, the Concord Patch reported. Clinton won against Trump by 2,736 votes, Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan beat U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte by 1,017 votes and U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter won against incumbent U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta by 4,900 votes.
Democrats have fired back at the new data, calling it an attempt to use “selective data and misinformation” to justify claims made by the White House about the voter fraud.
State Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley claimed Jasper “selectively requested information about voters who registered with out-of-state licenses, an entirely legal and normal practice. They can easily be accounted for by college students and other new Granite Staters who deferred acquiring an in-state license or don't intend to drive in the state,” WMUR9 reported.
State Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn seconded: “Using cherry-picked data in order to support a false claim is dangerous and irresponsible. Today’s release of information by Speaker Jasper’s office fans the flames of misinformation in order to further suppress our citizens’ right to vote.”
Jasper addressed the criticism that the figures can be accounted with just college students, claiming there were multiple people who “did not comply with the law.”
“College students are eligible to vote if they declare domicile here, but anybody who does that then has to comply with the laws of the state,” he said, according to WMUR9. “If someone is domiciled in New Hampshire (and has a vehicle), then within 60 days, they need to obtain a driver’s license. I think we will find that within that 5,000, there will be many who did not comply with the law.”
The two state agencies that issued the data to Jaspers also released an explanation of why certain people could have voted without having an in-state driving license or have registered the vehicle even 10 months later after the election.
“It is likely that some unknown number of these individuals moved out of New Hampshire, it is possible that a few may have never driven in New Hampshire or have ceased driving, however, it is expected that an unknown number of the remainder continue to live and drive in New Hampshire. If they have established their residence in New Hampshire, they may have failed to obtain a New Hampshire driver’s license,” wrote Safety Commissioner John Barthelmes and Secretary of State Bill Gardner.
The letter does not suggest all people who voted with out-of-state driving licenses voted illegally.

Southern Poverty Law Center Cartoons

China agrees more U.N. actions needed against North Korea after nuclear test

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors are seen as they arrive at Seongju, South Korea, September 7, 2017. Lee Jong-hyeon/News1 via REUTERS

BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) – China said on Thursday it agreed the United Nations Security Council should take further actions against North Korea in the wake of its latest nuclear test, while continuing to push for more dialogue to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula.
The United States wants the U.N. Security Council to impose an oil embargo on North Korea, ban its exports of textiles and the hiring of North Korean laborers abroad, and subject leader Kim Jong Un to an asset freeze and travel ban, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Pressure from Washington has ratcheted up since North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sunday. That test, along with a series of missile launches, showed Pyongyang was close to achieving its goal of developing a powerful nuclear weapon that could reach the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged China to do more to rein in its neighbor, which has pursued its weapons programs in defiance of U.N. sanctions and international condemnation.
China said on Thursday it hoped North Korea refrained from further challenging the international consensus.
“Given the new developments on the Korean peninsula, China agrees that the UN Security Council should make a further response and take necessary measures,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters, without elaborating.
“Any new actions taken by the international community against the DPRK should serve the purpose of curbing the DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs, while at the same time be conducive to restarting dialogue and consultation,” he said, using the initials of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
China is by far North Korea’s biggest trading partner, accounting for 92 percent of two-way trade last year. It also provides tonnes of oil and fuel to the impoverished regime.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he had an executive order ready for Trump to sign that would impose sanctions on any country that trades with Pyongyang if the United Nations does not put additional sanctions on North Korea.
THAAD DEPLOYMENT
Amid the rising tensions, Seoul installed the four remaining launchers of the U.S. anti-missile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on a former golf course in the south early on Thursday. Two launchers had already been deployed.
More than 30 people were wounded when around 8,000 South Korean police broke up a blockade of about 300 villagers and civic groups opposed to the THAAD system deployment, fire officials said.
“It is very unfortunate there some wounded, but it was an inevitable choice in order to protect the lives of the people in this situation made serious by North Korea’s recent nuclear test,” South Korean Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum told reporters.
The decision to deploy the THAAD system has drawn strong objections from China, which believes its radar could be used to look deeply into its territory and will upset the regional security balance.
China said it had lodged another stern protest over the THAAD deployment on Thursday.
“We again urge South Korea and the United States to take seriously China’s and regional nations’ security interests and concerns, stop the relevant deployment progress, and remove the relevant equipment,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular media briefing.
“China has already lodged stern representations with South Korea over this,” he said.
MOON, ABE MEET
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke at a regional meeting in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok and agreed to try to persuade China and Russia to cut off oil to North Korea as much as possible, according to South Korean officials.
The European Union’s foreign and defense ministers will discuss further sanctions for North Korea on Thursday, the bloc’s top diplomat said ahead of an EU ministers’ meeting in the Estonian capital.
However, sanctions have so far done little to stop North Korea boosting its nuclear and missile capacity as it faces off with Trump.
China and Russia have advocated a “freeze for freeze” plan, where the United States and South Korea would stop major military exercises in exchange for North Korea halting its weapons programs, but neither side appears willing to budge.
South Korean Marines wrapped up a three-day firing drill on Thursday aimed at protecting its islands just south of the border with North Korea, while the air force will finish up a week-long drill on Friday.
North Korea says it needs to develop its weapons to defend itself against what it sees as U.S. aggression.
South Korea and the United States are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.
For a graphic on nuclear North Korea, click: http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/NORTHKOREA-MISSILES/010031V7472/index.html
(Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim in SEOUL, Christian Shepherd and Vincent Lee in BEIJING, Steve Holland, Eric Walsh, Jeff Mason and Jim Oliphant in WASHINGTON and Gabriela Baczynska, Robin Emmott and David Mardiste in TALLINN; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Nick Macfie and Paul Tait)

Trump Admin. Urges Dreamers to Arrange, Prepare For Leaving U.S.

Dreamers Karen Caudillo, 21, of Florida is comforted by Jairo Reyes, 25, of Rogers, Arkansas as Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., accompanied by members of the House and Senate Democrats, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

OAN Newsroom

The Trump administration urges recipients of the DACA program to prepare for departure from the U.S.
Talking points distributed to GOP lawmakers Tuesday said so-called ‘dreamers’ should get their affairs in order following President Trump’s decision to rescind the program.
The Department of Homeland Security urged recipients to use the remaining time on work authorizations to prepare for leaving the U.S.
Officials say once the program expires dreamers will be in the country illegally, and lawmakers expect them to no longer remain in the states.
The sixth month grace period would allow Congress to draft new legislation to either legalize the program or do away with it entirely.