Jim Geraghty of National Review and guest host Gregory Knapp discuss the Mexican government deploying 10,000 troops to the border to crack down on illegal immigration to the U.S. They cover the real concentration camps that the Chinese have constructed. And they discuss Bernie Sanders’ plan to wipe out all student loans.
Listen to “Border Apprehensions Reach Record Highs” on Spreaker.
Illegal immigration numbers are soaring: the number of border enforcement actions more than doubled in the past year. In May alone, more than 132,000 migrants were apprehended at the Southwest border. Julie Mitchell reports.
Listen to “Bravo Bel Edwards, Illinois Abortion Agenda, Trump’s New Tariffs” on Spreaker.
Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards for making good on his promise to sign pro-life “heartbeat” legislation that was also sponsored by a Democrat. They also shudder as a pro-life lawmaker in Illinois explains just how expansive pro-choice lawmakers there want to make their abortion laws. And they groan as President Trump threatens to address the very real and very serious problem at the border by imposing tariffs on Mexican imports.
Listen to “Trump’s Sanctuary City Plan: Can It Be Done?” on Spreaker.
President Trump has suggested sending many of the people illegally pouring across the U.S.-Mexico border to so-called sanctuary cities, since those locales publicly state they will not cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
But as Trump and his advisers determine whether this is feasible, should the administration pursue this idea? Is there any legal precedent for it? And can the federal, state, or local governments afford to this or maintain the status quo?
In this podcast, we get answers from Rob Henneke, director of the Center for the American Future at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Listen to “What Can Trump Do about the Border?” on Spreaker.
President Trump is backing away from threats to close the U.S.-Mexico border but a former federal immigration official says Trump certainly has that authority but other steps might make more sense.
Trump made the threat in response to the tide of illegal immigration and illicit drugs pouring into the U.S. But after pleas from both Texas senators and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to keep the border open or risk massive economic repercussions, Trump says he will revisit the issue in a year and see if Mexico is living up to its responsibilities to interdict migrants and drugs.
But a former immigration official says Trump does have the authority to close the border.
“The president does seem to have extensive powers and other presidents have actually used those powers on various occasions to close the border,” said Temple University School of Law Prof. Jan C. Ting, who served as assistant commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the George H.W. Bush administration.
He says other presidents have closed the border, most recently George W. Bush for a brief time in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
But while Trump could close the border, Ting says whether that’s a good idea is another question.
“I don’t think anyone has seriously questioned the ability of the president to exercise that power. The only objection questions have been raised about the advisability of doing so and the economic consequences of doing so.
“Some of those arguments have been found persuasive by the administration, at least to the point of holding off immediate action,” said Ting.
Ting says it’s not clear if closing the border would achieve Trump’s goals, although he believes it would put a lot more pressure on the Mexican government to cooperate with American efforts rather than playing a two-faced game of cooperating in certain situations while also facilitating the passage of Central American caravans to the U.S. border.
So what would be more effective? Ting says Congress could make a huge difference by mandating all employers use -E-Verify to check the validity of the Social Security numbers used by prospective employees. The practice is mandatory in Arizona but not nationwide.
He also says Trump’s prized goal of a border wall would be effective.
“It’s a force multiplier. You can only afford to put so many border patrol agents on the border. Having fencing up or a wall makes those agents more useful,” said Ting.
Listen to the full podcast to hear more of Ting’s analysis on closing the border and alternative methods of achieving greater control over the influx of people and drugs into the U.S. Ting also explains why he believes President Obama greatly exacerbated the crisis at the border, and he details the remarkably swift evolution of Democrats from border hawks in the 1990’s to most presidential candidates in the party today recoiling at the idea of stopping virtually anyone from coming into the U.S.
Listen to “Trump’s Emergency, AOC’s Economics, Weld 2020” on Spreaker.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America criticize President Trump’s unusual press conference decision to declare a national emergency to work around Congress and free up $8 billion for a border wall – although they appreciate his desire to confront illegal immigration and smuggling. They also react to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cheering Amazon’s decision to scrap plans for a new headquarters in New York, agreeing that crony capitalism is bad but marveling at how little she seems to understand about basic economics. And they yawn and laugh as former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld launches a GOP primary challenge to President Trump.
Listen to “New Mexico Governor Defies Trump” on Spreaker.
The governor of New Mexico is ordering National Guard troops away from her state’s border with Mexico. Radio America’s Christian Whittle reports.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America think President Trump did alright in his speech and agree that his presentation was better than the stiff stares of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. They also shake their heads in wonder as more Democrats embrace huge tax increases and government-run health care and Jim breaks down the truly radical ideas contained in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal. And speaking of the new congresswoman, Jim unleashes a fantastic rant after Ocasio-Cortez suggests on national television that the people trying to enter the U.S. illegally are more American than people who want a border wall.
Listen to “Prime Time Trump, Slowing the Shift in Syria, Stewart Quits Politics” on Spreaker.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see President Trump making a detailed case for border wall funding in tonight’s televised address, a more effective strategy than tweets and sound bites. They also like National Security Adviser John Bolton’s clarification that the Trump administration does want to get our troops out of Syria but we also have no intention of letting ISIS grow again or letting Turkey slaughter the Kurds. They slam the door behind failed Virginia GOP Senate and gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart, who says he will not run for re-election to his local office and is getting out of politics. And Jim is in rare form as he and Greg discuss the fact that every year is an election year in Virginia.
Listen to “Cuccinelli: GOP Emboldened on Border Wall Fight” on Spreaker.
Democrats now control the House of Representatives, but former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says Republicans appear more committed than ever to funding the border wall demanded by President Trump.
A partial government shutdown has been in effect since Dec. 22 over a stalemate between Republicans and Democrats over funding the border wall. Prior to Thursday, the stagnation was due to the Senate’s inability to find 60 votes for the funding.
The House Democratic majority has no plans to even consider a bill with money for the wall, but Cuccinelli says the GOP seems much more resolute than usual.
“You don’t hear me say this very often. I was pleased to see (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell say we’re not going to pass along the House bill that doesn’t include this funding. So he has expressly sided with the president. And I think that’s a first on this issue,” said Cuccinelli.
“I think that show of unity between the new Senate Republican majority, which is bigger than the last one, and the president should be able to hold the line,” said Cuccinelli.
Cuccinelli expects Republicans to stand strong even as the post-holiday media pressure to end the partial shutdown intensifies.
“I don’t see a lot of the usual hand-wringing among Republicans, including establishment Republicans, that I’m used to seeing in circumstances like this. I think, at least for now, they’re girded for a bit of a haul and to salvage some good policy at the border out of this,” said Cuccinelli.
Listen to the full podcast to hear Cuccinelli’s advice for how the GOP’s Senate majority and House minority ought to focus their time and energy over the next two years and how the Trump administration is doing far more to roll back regulations and limit new ones than any administration in recent memory.