Friday, December 1, 2017

White House releases 'explosive' tally of green cards issued in 'chain migration'


For the first time, the White House said, the federal government has counted the green cards issued between 2005 and 2015 to migrants admitted through family preference, or as immediate relatives of migrants already admitted into the country in perhaps the fullest portrait of “chain migration” ever developed.
“For years, we've known that large numbers of immigrants have been coming based on petitions from previous immigrants,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Lee Cissna told Fox News. “But this is the first time we really kind of see the whole scope of the problem. And legislators or policymakers at DHS can do what they need to do address the problem.”  
During the ten-year time frame, officials said, the U.S. permanently resettled roughly 9.3 million new immigrants on the basis of family ties.
That’s more than 70 percent of all new immigration in that period, the White house said, adding it is also the primary driver of low-skilled workers’ entry into the U.S. A phenomenon analyst say most directly hurts American minority groups with comparable skills.
“These numbers are explosive. They show that American immigration skews almost entirely towards family-based admissions,” said a White House official who briefed Fox News on the data.
Mexico is at the top of the list with 1.7 million admissions, India and the Philippines each have more than 600,000, and Iran has more than 80,000.
President Trump has urged congressional Democrats to address chain migration in any compromise on the so-called “Dreamers” immigrants brought here as children who will face deportation in March if a deal on their disposition is not reached.
Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia have proposed eliminating the preference afforded to extended and adult family members.
“We have current immigrants determining who future immigrants will do – will be, independent of their ability to be contributory to our economy,” Perdue told Fox News.
The group “New American Economy,” compromised of 500 mayors and business leaders committed to comprehensive immigration reform notes that 40 percent of America’s Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.
“Could we do it better? Should we have more focus on merit? Absolutely,” said the group’s Executive Director Jeremy Robbins. “But that doesn’t mean in the least that we don’t want to be reuniting families, strengthening communities and bringing more people here.”
On Fox News Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed the President's call to end chain migration in exchange for any deal on DACA. McConnell explained that last year's Presidential election gave lawmakers a mandate to enact the pro-American immigration reforms that the President campaigned on. McConnell also warned that it would be "dumb" and political suicide for Democrats to shut down the government and endanger national security over unrelated legislative policy matters, such as granting work permits to illegal immigrants.
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Hannity: 'It Was San Francisco's Sanctuary City Policies That Killed Kate Steinle'


In his open monologue tonight, Sean Hannity reacted to the acquittal of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate and said San Francisco's sanctuary city laws is what killed Kate Steinle.

"It was San Francisco's sanctuary city policies that killed Kate Steinle," Hannity said Thursday. "They did not obey the law. They followed these ridiculous liberal policies, and because of their stupidity and their 'form of justice' and caring more about the rights of illegal, convicted felons, tonight Kate Steinle is dead and her family has received no justice."

President Trump tweeted about the result: "A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration."


Former FOX News Bill O'Reilly, who covered the case for years and was a champion for 'Kate's Law,' also weighed in on the acquittal on Twitter. O'Reilly said it is now up to Jeff Sesions to charge Jose Ines Garcia Zarate. The commentator called it a "litmus test" for the U.S. Attorney General.





Trump's tweet:
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Trump calls Kate Steinle verdict 'disgraceful,' says 'no wonder' people are 'angry with illegal immigration'


President Trump late Thursday tweeted that the not guilty verdict in the Kate Steinle murder trial was “disgraceful,” highlighting his apparent frustration at the resolution of a case he had cited during his presidential campaign as a justification for tougher immigration enforcement.
“A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case!” Trump tweeted after the jury rejected possible charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder. “No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration.”
Jim Steinle, who was walking with his 32-year-old daughter when she was killed, echoed Trump’s sentiments, telling the San Francisco Chronicle the family was saddened and shocked by the verdict.
"There's no other way you can coin it. Justice was rendered, but it was not served," he said in what he called the last interview he would do about the case.
A jury earlier Thursday found Jose Ines Garcia Zarate not guilty in Steinle’s killing on a San Francisco pier during the presidential primary campaign in 2015.
U.S. immigration officials said they will deport Garcia Zarate, who had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth deportation when Steinle was fatally shot in the back while walking with her father.
The killing touched off a fierce national immigration debate, and was used by then-candidate Trump to push for a wall on the Mexican border.
"From Day 1 this case was used as a means to foment hate, to foment division and to foment a program of mass deportation. It was used to catapult a presidency along that philosophy of hate of others," defense attorney Francisco Ugarte said after the verdict. "I believe today is a day of vindication for the rest of immigrants."
The case spotlighted San Francisco's "sanctuary city" policy, which limits local officials from cooperating with U.S. immigration authorities.
Politics, however, did not come up in the month-long trial that featured extensive testimony from ballistics experts. Defense attorneys argued that Garcia Zarate was a hapless homeless man who killed Steinle in a freak accident. Prosecutors said he meant to shoot and kill her.
Garcia Zarate did not deny shooting Steinle and said it was an accident.
Jurors did find him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, meaning he knowingly had a firearm but there was no intent for him to hurt or shoot anyone. Public Defender Jeff Adachi said the count carries a potential sentence of 16 months to three years behind bars.
The family did not attend the reading of the verdict. Jurors left without comment and the judge sealed their names.
Before the shooting, Garcia Zarate finished a federal prison sentence for illegal re-entry into the United States and had been transferred to San Francisco's jail in March 2015 to face a 20-year-old charge for selling marijuana.
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Thursday, November 30, 2017

Tax Cartoons





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Tax cut bill clears Senate test vote as Trump eyes 'big victory'


The Republican plan to overhaul the nation’s tax system cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Wednesday, as President Trump rallied support for the bill and called it the “beginning of the next great chapter for the American worker.” 
The bill advanced on a 52-48 party line vote, allowing senators to start debate on the sweeping legislation. 
Ahead of the floor vote, President Trump traveled to Missouri to rally support for the bill -- and pressure Congress.
“Now comes the moment of truth,” the president said during a rally in St. Louis. “In the coming days, the American people will learn which politicians are part of the swamp and which politicians want to drain the swamp.”
He said, “The eyes of the world now turn to the United States Senate. ... A successful vote in the Senate this week will bring us one giant step closer to delivering a big victory to the American people.”
Speaking at the St. Charles Convention Center on Wednesday, the president said he is working to “help push our plan for historic tax cuts right across the finish line.”
“A vote to cut taxes is a vote to put America first again,” the president said in St. Louis. “We want to do that, we want to put America first again. It's time to take care of our workers, to protect our communities and to rebuild our great country.”
He also took aim at Missouri’s Democratic senator, Claire McCaskill, a top Republican target in the 2018 midterm elections.
“Senator Claire McCaskill -- have you ever heard of her? -- is doing you a tremendous disservice,” Trump said. “She wants your taxes to go up. She's weak on crime. She's weak on borders. She's weak on illegal immigration. And she's weak on the military. Other than that, I think she's doing a fantastic job.”
Critics say both the House and Senate versions will disproportionately help the wealthy and corporations.
But Trump on Wednesday argued some super wealthy people – including himself – won’t like everything in the bill.
President Donald Trump points to sign that reads Merry Christmas as he arrives to speak about tax reform at the St. Charles Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, in St. Charles, Mo. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Ahead of the floor vote, President Trump traveled to Missouri to rally support for the bill -- and pressure Congress.  (AP)
“We're also going to eliminate tax breaks and complex loopholes taken advantage of by the wealthy… I think my accountants are going crazy right now,” he said.
He added: “It's all right. Hey, look, I'm president. I don't care. I don't care anymore. I don't care. Some of my wealthy friends care. Me, I don't care. This is a higher calling.”
The bill still faces hurdles in the Senate, where Republicans have just two votes to spare in their 52-48 edge over Democrats.
“If they send it to my desk, I promise all of the people in this room, my friends, so many friends in this room -- a great state -- I promise you I will sign it,” Trump said. “I promise. I will not veto that bill. There will be no veto.”
As it stands, the Senate’s tax overhaul plan is different from that of the House’s version. The two chambers would need to come together on a unified piece of legislation to advance to President Trump’s desk.
Under the Senate bill, the standard deduction – the amount which reduces the amount of income Americans are taxed – would increase to $12,000 for individual filers and $24,000 for married couples.
When it comes to reducing the corporate tax rate, both chambers want to see the tax rate lowered to 20 percent from 35 percent. However, the Senate measure would delay the implementation for one year.
The Senate’s tax plan would eliminate state and local tax deductions – meaning taxpayers in high-tax states would lose a write-off. This would impact mostly blue states, such as California and New York.
The Senate’s tax plan also includes a repeal of the individual mandate, the ObamaCare requirement for Americans to have health care.
The Senate tax reform measure would leave the mortgage deduction pretty much alone, capping it at $1 million. The House plan, on the other hand, would drastically reduce the cap on the popular deduction to mortgage interest to $500,000.
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Democrat Conyers used his power to protect himself, top staffer in sexual harassment cases, accuser says


One of the women accusing the powerful Democratic Rep. John Conyers of sexual harassment claimed to Fox News on Wednesday night that in addition to touching her inappropriately, he also failed to protect her when one of his top staffers assaulted her.
Deanna Maher, 77, has accused Conyers, D-Mich., of engaging in three inappropriate incidents in the late 1990s. She said the first was in 1997 when she rejected his offer to share a hotel room and have sex. She added that the others involved unwanted touching in a car in 1998 and unwanted touching of her legs under her dress in 1999.
In an interview on Fox News’ “The Story” with Martha MacCallum, Maher emotionally described the incident with Conyers' high-level staffer as “pretty devastating.” She said it happened in 2001 when she was 61.
CONYERS’ FORMER TOP STAFFER ACCUSES CONGRESSMAN OF INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING
She said the unnamed staffer grabbed her, forced her against a wall and “stuck his tongue down my throat at my age.”
“I can’t tell you how ashamed I felt,” she said. “Dirty.”
Afterwards, Maher, a former deputy chief of staff for Conyers, claimed the congressman gave her no help whatsoever. “I got no protection afterwards because Congressman Conyers covered that whole thing up.”
She also noted that Conyers was a powerful member of the Judiciary Committee and that it controlled funding for the Department of Justice.
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS NOT SEEKING CONYERS’ RESIGNATION, DESPITE PRESSURE FROM OTHER DEMS
“Do you realize that’s all the jobs and all the budgets,” she said to MacCallum. “And that’s what he controlled. So all he has to do is pick up a phone call and destroy someone’s life.”
When the initial incidents with Conyers allegedly took place, Maher said she didn’t report them but was “appalled,” “shocked” and “devastated,” especially since she said they happened on government property with federal law enforcement nearby.
Maher told MacCallum that she was sharing her experiences for the young women entering the workforce on the Hill, saying that when these encounters happened to her she was a mother and a grandmother and “not any young chicken.”
“I’m really trying to stand up for them because they are vulnerable,” she said. “It’s very exciting and glamorous to be part of Capitol Hill, congressional hearings and this is where they are shooting ducks.”
Fox News reached out to Conyers' office and did not get an immediate response.
Conyers surrendered his post as the House Judiciary Committee's top Democrat after a report that he'd quietly settled a complaint by a former aide who said he'd harassed her. Conyers' attorney, Arnold Reed, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the lawmaker has no plans to leave Congress and will fight the accusations against him "tooth and nail."
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NY Times tweets GOP phone numbers, irking party leadership


How badly does the New York Times editorial board want the GOP tax-reform bill to fail? Apparently enough to tweet the phone numbers of seven GOP senators who might be inclined to vote against it.
But Wednesday's move, which journalism's Old Gray Lady dubbed an "experiment" to get its viewpoint across, didn't sit well with the Grand Old Party leadership.
In fact, GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel slammed the Times' maneuver.
“NYT published Republican senators’ phone numbers in order to push their liberal agenda," McDaniel tweeted. "Can we now stop pretending that the NYT isn't a political organization?”
In response, the GOP also tweeted the Times’ switchboard number and urged the public to “let them know how you feel about their liberal bias.”
And numerous social media users called out the Times, calling it “a Super PAC” and questioning whether it was ethical for the publication to issue a direct call to action to its readers.
Passage of the tax-reform bill, of course, would be a major legislative victory for President Donald Trump.
But in a series of tweets, the Times criticized the plan and asked readers to contact moderate Republican Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bob Corker of Tennessee, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Jerry Moran of Kansas.
“Contact @SenJohnMcCain and @JeffFlake, particularly if you live in Arizona, and tell them to oppose the tax bill: It would add more than $1.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years without helping the middle class,” read one of the tweets.
The Times explained its move.
“This morning, the Times editorial board is tweeting here to urge the Senate to reject a tax bill that hurts the middle class & the nation's fiscal health,” the Times’ Opinion Twitter account said.
The Times also took a swipe at Trump, accusing him of tweeting questionable videos about Muslims on Wednesday morning, as a distraction to discourage questions about the tax bill.
“Don't let Trump's tweets of Islamophobic conspiracy theories distract you," the newspaper tweeted. "Call your senator and tell him or her that #thetaxbillhurts.”
It remained unclear if this was the first time the paper’s editorial board undertook such an effort. A Times spokesperson told Politico on Wednesday only that the approach was an “experiment” to get the anti-GOP message out.
"The Editorial Board has been writing for weeks about concerns over the tax legislation pending in Congress," Times senior vice president of communications Eileen Murphy said. "This was an experiment in using a different platform to get that message out. We emphasized to our audience that this was the position of the Editorial Board in particular, not of Times Opinion generally."
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Knocking Trump off Twitter was a 'mistake,' ex-employee says


Bahtiyar Duysak told TechCrunch deactivating President Trump's Twitter account was a "mistake."  (Reuters)
A former Twitter employee who stunned the world earlier this month by deactivating President Donald Trump’s account for 11 minutes has now stepped forward.
Bahtiyar Duysak owned up to his involvement in the Nov. 3 Trump outage Wednesday in an interview with TechCrunch.
Duysak, who is of Turkish decent but born and raised in Germany, called the outage a “mistake,” and said he didn’t think the president’s Twitter account would actually get deactivated.
Before leaving Twitter on the day of the outage, Duysak was assigned to the trust and safety division of customer support while he neared the end of his work and study visa.
The team is in charge of responding to alerts of offensive tweets, bad behavior, etc.
During his last day on the job, Duysak said, someone had reported Trump’s account. So as his final act as a Twitter employee, he decided to start the process of deactivating the account before he signed off for good.
Duysak said he didn’t think much of it, until several hours later when he learned what happened to the president's account and that a media uproar followed.
Bypassing mainstream media
Trump has consistently used Twitter to bypass the mainstream media and reach his 43.6 million followers directly, sometimes with content that some consider inflammatory.
On Wednesday, Trump faced backlash for retweeting several videos that appeared to show Muslims committing acts of violence, with British Prime Minister Theresa May among the critics.
However, Trump seemed to ignore the criticism telling May in a tweet “don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom.”
Trump’s large social media presence was a crucial tool during his presidential campaign, and a platform that he acknowledged played a role in his election victory, the Washington Post noted.  
'Full internal review'
According to TechCrunch, Trump’s account was supposed to be protected from deactivation over a Terms of Service violation.
Twitter initially blamed the outage on “human error,” but later learned that “a Twitter customer support employee” was responsible and promised to be “conducting a full internal review.”
As for whether there will be legal repercussions, Duysak told TechCrunch he doesn’t believe he did anything wrong and hopes to “continue an ordinary life.”
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