Radio America Online News Bureau

Archives for October 2018

Wages Rising, GOP Faces Gubernatorial Disasters, Kanye’s ‘Yexit’

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are happy to see new reports showing the highest wage growth in a decade and the highest consumer confidence since 2000.  They also groan as dismal GOP prospects in major governors’ races could leave Democrats leading 12 of the 13 most populous states after the midterm elections.  And they do a terrible job of faking their shocked faces as Kanye West says he was used politically and is now “distancing himself from politics.”

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Get Ready, SCOTUS: Trump Spotlights Birthright Citizenship

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President Trump says he can end birthright citizenship with the stroke of a pen, while his critics say that’s blatantly unconstitutional, but a a former immigration official says any such move would be resolved at the U.S. Supreme Court and predicting the final verdict is difficult.

At issue is language in the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution, which was drafted following the Civil War to clarify that all constitutional and legal protections must be afforded to former slaves just as with every other American.

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,” reads the first section of the amendment.

Temple University School of Law Prof. Jan C. Ting served as assistant commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service at the Justice Department from 1990-1993.  He says people need to understand there are long-established exceptions to the first line of the amendment.

“It’s a gross overstatement, that we hear all the time, that the fourteenth amendment means every single person born in the United States is automatically a citizen,” said Ting, pointing out that children of ambassadors or conquering soldiers do not qualify as citizens if they are born here.

He also noted that anyone still pledging loyalty to a sovereign outside of the United States can be blocked from citizenship if they are born here.  The Supreme Court made a such a ruling against American Indians in Elk v. Watkins.

According to Ting, the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” is what leads to fierce debate, since federal and state authorities can clarify the laws in their jurisdictions.

But can Trump clarify the law on his own or does Congress need to act?  If Trump issues such an order, Ting says any challenge would immediately enter the court system and eventually wind its way to the Supreme Court.

Listen to the full podcast as Ting explains why the powers of the president on immigration policy are very broad and why President Obama’s controversial immigration orders will also be decided by the courts.

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McCaskill’s Pitiful Argument, Trump’s Power Grab, Nelson’s Lunacy

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America get a kick out of Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill suddenly claiming she’s not like those “crazy Democrats” as she tried to convince a red state to give her six more years in office.  After years of blasting Barack Obama for trying to change immigration law unilaterally, they now shake their heads as President Trump claims he can end birthright citizenship with an executive order.  However, they do agree that a debate on birthright citizenship is worth having.  And they blast Florida Sen. Bill Nelson for suggesting the intense political divide in the United States has us on the path to repeating the Rwandan genocide over our differences.

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Many Migrants Will Get to Stay in U.S.

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With thousands of Central American migrants headed to the U.S.-Mexico border, a longtime immigration law expert says current law will actually allow them to enter the United States and facilitate many of them staying here.

The law does not intend for most of them to stay.  Center for Immigration Studies Research Fellow Andrew Arthur says the law is actually designed to remove them as soon as possible.

They’re supposed to be placed into expedited removal proceedings.  Expedited removal allows a [Department of Homeland Security] to remove an alien without having to present that alien to an immigration judge or put that alien through removal proceedings,” said Arthur.”

But there’s a complication.  Many migrants from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador are planning to seek asylum, claiming that their governments are persecuting them.  Arthur says 75-90 percent of such claims are deemed credible and are them scheduled to be heard before an immigration judge.

As they wait, law currently prohibits alien minors from being held longer than 20 days, so the only options are to separate families or to release everyone and hope the migrants show up for their court dates.

Arthur says that means many of the migrants will get to stay.

“Our ability to detain families is very limited and there are a large number of families that are a part of this caravan.  Unless something changes. most of these folks will end up getting released and they’ll end up getting exactly what they wanted when they left their hometowns,” said Arthur.

Listen to the full podcast as Arthur explains why complaints of high crime and violence are not enough to merit asylum and why the migrants turned down asylum offers from Mexico.

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Horror in Pittsburgh, Elusive Young Voters, Twitter Solves Internet Hate

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America recoil in horror as an avowed neo-Nazi opens fire in a Pittsburgh-area synagogue, killing eleven people and wounding others because he thought all Jews needed to die.  They also discuss the liberal insistence that this is the year young voters really show up at the polls, but early voting does not suggest that’s happening.  And they roll their eyes as Twitter considers scrapping the “like” button to stop hateful messages from going viral.  They also react in very different ways following the Bears’ win over the Jets on Sunday.

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Toss-Up in New Jersey, Strong Economic Growth, Dems Dump Avenatti

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It’s all good martinis today!  Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America react to the breaking news of an arrest in the case of pipe bomb-type devices sent to prominent Democrats.  Then, they welcome the news that the Cook Political Report is moving the New Jersey U.S. Senate race to the toss-up column as a result of the immense ethical baggage hampering Sen. Bob Menendez.  They also applaud 3.5 percent economic growth in the third quarter.  And they enjoy watching the left inch away from attorney Michael Avenatti after his efforts to sink Brett Kavanaugh backfired and he says a white male should be the Democratic nominee in 2016.

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Ellison Falls Behind, Trump’s Careless Phone Use, Fact-Free Bomb Blame

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer a new poll showing DNC Vice chairman Keith Ellison falling behind in his bid to become attorney general in Minnesota.  They also cringe at a New York Times story describing President Trump resistance to using secure phone lines to talk with his family and friends and how China and Russia are almost certainly listening in.  And they throw up their hands as mainstream media outlets admit they have no idea who is responsible for the pipe bomb packages but already blame President Trump and conservative commentators.

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It’s the Good Economy, Stupid!

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Republican candidates are talking about how Democrats treated Brett Kavanaugh and what will happen if Democrats take control of the House and possibly even the Senate.

But a prominent conservative columnist says GOP candidates should really have one dominant message: the economy is the best it’s been in generations.

“Are you better off now than you were two years ago?  It’s a very simple question, and I think for almost every single American, the answer is, ‘Yes, we are better off than we were two years ago,” said syndicate columnist Deroy Murdock, whose latest column makes the economic argument for keeping Republicans in power.

Murdock says a quick comparison between 2018 and 2016 tells the tale.  Economic growth in the first half of 2018 is 4.2 percent, compared to 1.9 percent in 2016.  Unemployment dropped from 4.9 percent to 3.7 percent, the lowest since 1969.  Female unemployment fell from 4.4 percent to 3.3 percent, the lowest since 1953.

“The economy is up and running and thriving and robust much more than it was just two years ago, thanks to Republican tax cuts, Republican deregulation, a much more positive pro-business and pro-free market tone coming out of Washington, D.C.  That is helping Americans from Beverly Hills all the way down to the barrios,” said Murdock.

The Democrats are not conceding the economy as a Trump success story.  Former President Barack Obama believes he deserves a good share of the credit.

“When you hear all this talk about economic miracles right now, remember who started it,” said Obama in Nevada on Monday.

Murdock likened Obama’s claim to the person who an’t open a jar but then takes credit for loosening it when someone else opens it.  Murdock admits Obama started his presidency with a stalled economy, but says the difference between Obama and Trump on economic results is staggering.

“Things did pick up some under Obama.  But it was a bit like being in a car that was going 35 miles per hour on a big superhighway.  Now we’re going about 70-75-80, and the guy that was driving us along at 35 miles per hour is asking for a standing ovation,” said Murdock.

Listen here for the full interview as Murdock predicts where our economy would be if Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and discusses how the GOP should respond to the migrant caravan coming to our southern border.

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Bombs Sent to Clinton & Obama, Braun with Momentum, Caravan Craziness

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are enraged that someone would send explosive devices to the Obamas, Clintons, CNN, and others and hope that those responsible for threatening or attacking public figures – or anyone else – are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  They’re also glad to see Indiana Republican Senate hopeful Mike Braun either closing in on Sen. Joe Donnelly or even taking the lead.  They slam MSNBC’s Chuck Todd and others for definitively declaring that there’s no evidence of criminals being part of the thousands of Central Americans headed towards the U.S. border when there is evidence to the contrary.  And they weather the final attack ads aimed at their favorite teams ahead of Sunday’s Bears-Jets game.

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Early Voter Edge to GOP, Dems Duck Caravan Debate, Sadistic Saudis

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After another round of vicious third-party ads surrounding this Sunday’s Bears-Jets game, Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are cautiously pleased to see registered Republicans showing up to vote early in bigger numbers than Democrats in several key states.  They also shake their heads as Democrats duck and dodge questions about how they would handle the thousands of people heading to our southern border and demanding to enter instead of going through legal channels.  And they shudder as more details emerge in the murder and disposal of Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi elements in Turkey.

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