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Black Caucus Members Hammer Trump After Speech to the Nation on Immigration

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “As we quickly approach the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history, Donald Trump continues to play political games tonight with the lives of more than 800,000 workers, many of whom will not get a paycheck this week,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.)

Published

6 years ago

January 18, 2019

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

On January 8, day eighteen of a government shutdown, President Donald Trump addressed the nation on the issue of a wall at the Mexican border.

Speaking directly to the base of the Republican Party and using the major networks as a megaphone, Trump repeated many of the same themes he used during the 2016 campaign.

“The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico,” Trump said. It has become increasingly clear that any border wall that may be constructed will not be paid for by the Mexican government.

Trump’s Administration has been pointed on the issue of Mexican immigration as immigration policy novice Stephen Miller has taken charge of an anti-immigration strategy that has centered around vilifying immigrants from Mexico. Trump has characterized immigrants from Mexico as “drug dealers” and “criminals” and in 2015 when he announced for President he said, “they’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime.”

Exaggerating during his speech, Trump said, “Every day, Customs and Border Patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country,” when the true daily estimate is an average of 1,087 each day.

“As we quickly approach the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history, Donald Trump continues to play political games tonight with the lives of more than 800,000 workers, many of whom will not get a paycheck this week,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.)

“His address tonight continues a cruel and shameful political stunt all because he won’t admit that he has failed, and that Mexico isn’t going to pay for his wall like he promised,” she added.

“There was no import, national emergency or credibility that he brought to the table. It was rough,” said Mika Brezinski on the MSNBC show Morning Joe the next morning.

“As predicted, the President’s address tonight was nothing more than the fear-mongering and lies we have come to expect from him. Besides what the President’s own terrible policies have created, there is simply NO emergency at the border,” declared House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

“This humanitarian crisis is largely intensified by the President’s bigoted policies. Since initially taking the campaign trail, Mr. Trump has vowed to construct a wall at the southern border. His relentless pursuit of this false fence of security, that will not prevent trafficking at airports and other ports of entry, has fueled his deceitful utterances of a national security crisis within the past few days,” said Rep. Al Green of Texas in a statement. The politics of border security are always in the news in Texas.

“He has gone as far as to present misleading statistics about terrorists entering the country and to manipulate data about drug trafficking, violent crimes, and job availability for native-born individuals due to increased illegal immigration. Enough is enough,” Rep. Green added.

The standoff on money for Trump’s border wall has created a policy rift that has resulted in a partial government shutdown.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

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Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

Published

4 days ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Supreme Court Decision Confirms Convicted Felon Will Assume Presidency

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Published

5 days ago

January 10, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s emergency request to block criminal proceedings in his New York hush money case, ensuring that a sentencing hearing will proceed as scheduled on Friday. The decision makes it official that, on January 20, for the first time in its history, the United States will inaugurate a convicted felon as its president.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Trump was convicted in May for falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction to intervene in a state criminal case, particularly before all appeals in state courts were exhausted.

Trump’s legal team claimed the sentencing process would interfere with his transition to power and argued that evidence introduced during the trial included official actions protected under the Supreme Court’s prior ruling granting former presidents immunity for official conduct. Merchan, the New York judge who presided over the trial, ruled in December that the evidence presented was unrelated to Trump’s duties as president.

Prosecutors dismissed Trump’s objections, stating that the sentencing would take less than an hour and could be attended virtually. They said the public interest in proceeding to sentencing outweighed the President-elect’s claims of undue burden.

Justice Samuel Alito, one of the four dissenting justices, confirmed speaking to Trump by phone on Wednesday. Alito insisted the conversation did not involve the case, though the call drew criticism given his previous refusals to recuse himself from politically sensitive matters.

The sentencing hearing is set for Friday at 9:30 a.m. in Manhattan. As the nation moves closer to an unprecedented inauguration, questions about the implications of a convicted felon assuming the presidency remain.

“No one is above the law,” Bragg said.

Stacy M. Brown

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Barbara Lee Launches Campaign for Mayor of Oakland

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided, but a community united,” she Lee. “If elected I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city, so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

Published

7 days ago

January 8, 2025

Oakland Post

By Post Staff

Barbara Lee on Wednesday morning formally announced her candidacy for Mayor in Oakland’s April 15 special election.

“Time and time again, Oaklanders have faced our toughest obstacles by uniting to meet our challenges,” said Lee.

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided but a community united,” she said. “If elected, I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas, and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

“As Mayor, I’ll address our homelessness crisis, prioritize comprehensive public safety and mental health services, and lead with fiscal responsibility to deliver the core City services residents and business owners deserve. Let’s do this – together.”

“I’ve never shied away from a challenge,” said Lee. “I’m always ready to fight for Oakland.”

Watch her campaign video here, which is online at BarbaraLee4Oakland.com