The Vince Coglianese Show

Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2019-8-26

[00:00:00] 5:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[01:00:16] 6:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:27] 7:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[03:00:37] 8:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, August 26, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C Do You Think Biden, Warren and Sanders Will Be The Final Three?

Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts drops out of presidential race after failing to break through in a crowded Democratic field. “It’s evident now that this is essentially a three-way race” among Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), he continued. Moulton went on to express concerns that the Democratic primary “veering too far left could lose us this election," citing health care in particular.

5am – D         G7 News Highlights:

CHINA WANTS TO TALK:

China announces it seeks 'calm' end to trade war, as markets tank and currency hits 11-year flatline.

Trump says China wants to restart trade talks during a meeting with Egypt’s President at G7 Summit. Trump on trade war: China wants to negotiate and we will be ‘getting back to the table.’ “China called last night our top trade people and said let’s get back to the table.”

MACRON SURPRISES G-7 WITH INVITE TO IRAN:

Macron Invites Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to G-7 Sidelines. Unclear if U.S. knew in advance.

Nikki Haley @NikkiHaley: This is completely disrespectful to @realDonaldTrump  and the other leaders at the G7. Iran supports terrorism at every turn and continues to pursue “Death to America”. Manipulative of Macron to do this and very insincere. #NotWhatFriendsDo

SUNDAY: CNN: Trump official calls Zarif's G7 appearance a 'curveball.' President Donald Trump said he had "no comment" after Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif made an unexpected arrival at the G7 summit to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.

MONDAY: Update: Trump: Macron asked me if he can invite Zarif to G7 

G7 / JAPAN: US, Japan announce preliminary trade deal worth ‘billions.’ Trump says Japan trade deal reached, but Abe warns more work remains

5am – E         REPUBLICAN JOE WALSH JUMPS INTO THE 2020 ELECTION:

Former congressman Joe Walsh announces primary challenge against Trump. (Washington Post) - Former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh announced Sunday that he will challenge President Trump in the 2020 primary, becoming the second Republican to wage a bid against the president. Walsh, a talk-radio host, was elected to Congress in 2010 as part of the tea party wave and served one term. He has described himself as an immigration hard-liner and said he would not challenge Trump from the center but from the right and on moral grounds. “I’m going to run for president,” Walsh said Sunday in an interview on ABC News’s “This Week,” charging that the president is “incompetent,” “a bigot” and “a narcissist.” Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld also has declared that he is running against Trump in the Republican primary, but he has struggled to gain traction. Asked about Walsh’s entry into the race, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh replied, “Whatever.” Weld, meanwhile, welcomed Walsh’s arrival, saying he was “thrilled” by the news. “I think that’s terrific,” he said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” “And it’s going to be a more robust conversation. Who knows? The networks might even cover Republican primary debates.”

Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh will primary Trump: "I'm going to run for president." "No surprise: We've got a guy in the White House who is unfit, completely unfit to be president and it stuns me that nobody stepped up." Via ABC

"Do you really believe he is a Muslim?" Stephanopoulos asks Joe Walsh about his attacks and false claims about Pres. Barack Obama. Walsh: "God, no! And I've apologized for that ... we have a guy in the White House who has never apologized for anything"

Meet the Press: GOP Presidential challenger Bill Weld: "I'm thrilled about Joe Walsh and Mark Sanford getting in" the 2020 Republican race.

6am – A/B/C BIDEN’S GAFFES PILE UP:  

At a town hall, Biden evoked two of his political heroes, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Both were assassinated in 1968, Kennedy while running for president. Joe Biden had an odd, and jarring, rhetorical question for voters at a New Hampshire town hall Friday.

2020 Democratic presidential candidate BIDEN: "My senior semester, they [Kennedy and King] were both shot and killed. Imagine what would have happened if, God forbid, if Barack Obama had been assassinated after becoming the de facto nominee. What would've happened in America?"

Biden then goes on to say 40 were shot at Kent State in 1970, when four students were killed

NOTE: Politico refers to it as a "strange" and "out-of-nowhere" comment "at the tail-end of an otherwise normal speech," while the New York Post calls it simply "awkward."

FLASHBACK: TUESDAY: Last week in Iowa: Not only does Joe Biden falsely say that Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were “assassinated in the ‘70s, late 70” when both men were assassinated in 1968, he says “none of you women would know” about activism in the 1960s.

Joe Biden Forgets Which State He’s In During New Hampshire Campaign Stop.  Biden in Keene, New Hampshire: "I’ve been here a number of times...I love this place. Look, what’s not to like about Vermont in terms of the beauty of it?”

BIDEN'S ‘NOT QUALITY’ HEALTH CARE: Biden Makes Disastrous Gaffes While Speaking On Healthcare. Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden repeatedly fumbled over himself on Friday while attempting to talk to a crowd about his healthcare plan, saying that he would make sure that it was "not quality" and ensuring people that their premiums would go up.  Biden in Hanover, New Hampshire on his health care plan: "We’ll make sure it’s not quality. We'll make sure it's only affordable."

Biden’s gaffes continue: “for folks in the working class … they will in fact will increase their premiums”

VP DURING PARKLAND: FLASHBACK: Joe Biden thinks he was still in the Obama White House as Vice President in 2018: "I watched what happened when the kids from Parkland marched ... when I was Vice President"

6am – D         Psychiatrist on CNN: Trump May Be Responsible for Millions of More Deaths Than Hitler, Stalin, Mao. (Breitbart) - Sunday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” psychiatrist Dr. Allen Frances said President Donald Trump “may be responsible for many more million deaths” than Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong. Frances said, “I’ve known thousands of patients, almost all of them have been well-behaved well-mannered good people. Trump is none of these. Lumping the mentally ill with is a terrible insult and they have enough problems and stigma it is. Calling Trump crazy hides the fact that we’re crazy for having elected him and even crazier for allowing his crazy policies to persist.” He added, “Trump is as destructive a person in this century as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were in the last century. He may be responsible for many more million deaths than they were. He needs to be contained but he needs to be contained by attacking his policies, not his person. It’s crazy for us to be destroying the climate our children will live in. It’s crazy to be giving tax cuts to the rich that will add trillions of dollars to the debt our children will have to pay. It’s crazy to be destroying our democracy by claiming that the press and the courts of the enemy of the people. We have to face these policies not Trump’s person. Now it’s absolutely impossible, you can bet the House, that the Congress, that Pence, that the cabinet will never ever remove Trump on grounds of mental unfitness. That will never happen. Discussing the issue in psychological name-calling terms distracts us from getting out to vote.” Update: Stelter tweeted regret for not challenging the comments by claiming he did hear Frances. Brian Stelter @brianstelter I agree that I should have interrupted after that line. I wish I had heard him say it, but I was distracted by tech difficulties (that's why the show open didn't look the way it normally does, I had two computers at the table, etc). Not hearing the comment is my fault. 12:48 PM - Aug 25, 2019

6am – E         WASHINGTON POST Editorial: Building shelters in D.C. would help migrants, not hurt them.  MANY AMERICANS are rightly outraged by the Trump administration’s treatment of migrant children, who have been separated from parents and ill-treated by authorities. Democrats have been understandably eager to distance themselves from such policies — a stance that can result in knee-jerk opposition even to sensible practices in effect during the Obama administration… But local politicians, nearly all Democrats, have balked at cooperating with federal authorities on any immigration matter. They have denounced the proposed new shelters with objections that smack of NIMBYism masquerading as humane concern for children. This month, the administration of D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) enacted emergency rules that blocked a planned federal shelter. There are currently some 8,700 minors, mainly teenagers, housed in about 170 such shelters nationwide. For most, the stay in those facilities is relatively brief — on average, a little more than six weeks, until the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, places them with relatives or foster families. Those facilities had insufficient beds to handle the surge of unaccompanied minors who crossed the border earlier this year, hence the appalling images of children stuck in jam-packed Border Patrol outposts and emergency detention centers. By building new shelters, the government would add future capacity to avoid such bottlenecks and terrible conditions in the event of another spike in border crossings. That’s smart. So why the objections from local leaders, including Ms. Bowser and the top elected leaders in suburban Fairfax and Loudoun counties? The answer seems at least partly to be political optics; by cooperating in any way with the administration’s immigration moves, they might fear being seen as complicit…”

6am – F         Taylor Swift: I Regret Not Endorsing Hillary Clinton But Will Do ‘Everything I Can for 2020’ (Breitbart/TheGuardian) -- Pop superstar Taylor Swift has admitted she is “very remorseful” about her refusal to get involved in the 2016 presidential election, but has pledged to “do everything I can for 2020” to promote progressive candidates and public policy. The 29-year-old singer came under criticism for refusing to take sides in the 2016 presidential race, leading many to falsely believe she was a Republican. “I was just trying to protect my mental health — not read the news very much, go cast my vote, tell people to vote,” Taylor Swift said in an interview with The Guardian published Friday. “I just knew what I could handle and I knew what I couldn’t. I was literally about to break.” The Grammy-winner went on to say that her perceived negative public image at the time made her feel “just useless” and more a “like a hindrance.” However, she now feels “really remorseful for not saying anything” and confirmed she would have endorsed Hillary Clinton. When asked about efforts by Tennesee lawmakers to restrict access to abortion services, Swift confirmed she was pro-choice and would “do everything I can for 2020.” Swift made similar comments in an interview with Vogue earlier this month, admitting she feared that it would not help her and the media would portray the pair as “the two nasty women.” “Unfortunately in the 2016 election, you had a political opponent who was weaponizing the idea of the celebrity endorsement. He was going around saying, I’m a man of the people. I’m for you. I care about you. I just knew I wasn’t going to help,” she said at the time. “Also, you know, the summer before that election, all people were saying was She’s calculated. She’s manipulative. She’s not what she seems. She’s a snake. She’s a liar,” she continued. “These are the same exact insults people were hurling at Hillary.”

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia and WMAL legal analyst

CNN Hires Andrew McCabe As A Contributor. CNN is bringing on former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe as a contributor, the network announced Friday morning. CNN senior media reporter Oliver Darcy announced the move on his Twitter account.  Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy: Some news: CNN announces Andrew McCabe has been signed as a contributor.

CNN Panelist Defends Network Hiring Andrew McCabe, Says He Will Provide ‘Serious Expertise.’ A CNN panel Sunday defended the network hiring a former FBI deputy director who was fired for lying to the bureau regarding leaks to the media while criticizing two competing networks for recently hiring former White House press secretaries. Brian Stelter, the host of CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” led a discussion with contributors Irin Carmon and Daniel Dale about the personnel decisions

7am – D         INTERVIEW - KT MCFARLAND - Former Deputy National Security Adviser for President Trump and she also worked in Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations. KT analyzed the diplomatic chess playing at the G-7.

7am – E         DID PRESIDENT TRUMP WANT TO NUKE HURRICANES?

AXIOS: Scoop: Trump suggested nuking hurricanes to stop them from hitting U.S. President Trump has suggested multiple times to senior Homeland Security and national security officials that they explore using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from hitting the United States, according to sources who have heard the president's private remarks and been briefed on a National Security Council memorandum that recorded those comments. Behind the scenes: During one hurricane briefing at the White House, Trump said, "I got it. I got it. Why don't we nuke them?" according to one source who was there. "They start forming off the coast of Africa, as they're moving across the Atlantic, we drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can't we do that?" the source added, paraphrasing the president's remarks. Asked how the briefer reacted, the source recalled he said something to the effect of, "Sir, we'll look into that." Trump replied by asking incredulously how many hurricanes the U.S. could handle and reiterating his suggestion that the government intervene before they make landfall.  The briefer "was knocked back on his heels," the source in the room added. "You could hear a gnat fart in that meeting. People were astonished. After the meeting ended, we thought, 'What the f---? What do we do with this?'"

Early Monday, Trump denied ever pushing for the use of nuclear bombs against hurricanes, tweeting that the Axios story was “ridiculous” and “Just more FAKE NEWS!” Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: The story by Axios that President Trump wanted to blow up large hurricanes with nuclear weapons prior to reaching shore is ridiculous. I never said this. Just more FAKE NEWS! 5:25 AM - Aug 26, 2019

8am – A         INTERVIEW - NEWT GINGRICH - former Speaker of the House and host of The "Newt's World" podcast

You can subscribe to Newt's newsletter and his "Newt's World" podcast at gingrich360.com.

Newt Gingrich Pushing $2 Billion Moon-Base Race: Report. Newt Gingrich still has big moon dreams. The former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives made headlines during his 2012 presidential run by promising to get a lunar colony up and running by 2020 if elected. And now Gingrich is trying to sell Donald Trump's White House on a $2 billion competition to set up a crewed outpost on Earth's nearest neighbor, according to Politico.  "The proposal, whose other proponents range from an Air Force lieutenant general to the former publicist for pop stars Michael Jackson and Prince, includes a $2 billion sweepstakes pitting billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other space pioneers against each other to see who can establish and run the first lunar base, according to a summary of the plan shared with Politico," Politico reported on Monday (Aug. 19).  "Backers of the novel approach have briefed administration officials serving on the National Space Council, several members of the group confirmed, though they declined to provide specifics of the internal conversations," the outlet added. The companies run by Musk and Bezos — SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively — would be the front runners to bag the $2 billion if the contest graduates from concept to reality, for both are already developing hardware to help establish off-Earth outposts.  SpaceX is building a 100-passenger spaceship called Starship and a huge rocket called Super Heavy, which could start flying missions as early as 2021. And Blue Origin recently unveiled its Blue Moon lunar lander, which will launch atop the company's big New Glenn rocket. So, it's not too surprising that Musk is a fan of Gingrich's plan. "This is a great idea," Musk said via Twitter on Monday. NASA already has plans to set up a crewed moon outpost. That's one of the chief goals of the agency's Artemis program, which aims to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2024 and establish a long-term, sustainable presence on and around the moon shortly thereafter. But it will doubtless cost NASA considerably more than $2 billion to make all of that happen.

8am – B/C     April Ryan breaks silence: Bodyguard 'overreacted' when pushing out reporter. (Washington Examiner: Sunday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” network political analyst April Ryan discussed her former bodyguard allegedly assaulting Charlie Kratovil, founder and editor of New Brunswick Today at a speaking event. Ryan said, “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m the first person who wants to get a story out be it on tv or radio, and the only reason why I’ve been quiet is because of threat of lawsuits, and my attorney said I can speak but here is the thing, this is not about suppressing the press. My body of work stands for me. And no, I did not order anyone to do anything. At that moment, what you saw was my then bodyguard, who was concerned with my safety come to me and say stop talking. They were about 100 feet away from me. I didn’t know what was going on or said. I was on stage at the time.”

LAST WEEK: Bodyguard for CNN’s April Ryan charged with assault for forcibly removing journalist from event

8am – D         INTERVIEW - KEN CUCCINELLI - the acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

New rule gives Trump administration more discretion to change asylum law. (Washington Post) - The Trump administration on Friday issued a new rule that gives more power to the director of the agency that oversees the nation’s immigration courts, a move that attorneys say will make it easier to reject immigrants’ appeals to court decisions. The change, part of a reorganization of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, is the latest in a series of minute policy changes that immigration advocates say are chipping away at routes through which a foreign national can seek refuge in the United States.

AG William Barr promotes immigration judges with high asylum denial rates. WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has promoted six judges to the immigration appeals court that sets binding policy for deportation cases — all of whom have high rates of denying immigrants’ asylum claims.

Trump immigration official says new rule detaining families indefinitely is a 'deterrent.' Washington (CNN) Trump immigration official Ken Cuccinelli is defending the Trump administration's proposed changes to the Flores settlement agreement that would allow undocumented families to be detained together indefinitely, saying the new proposal is meant to deter migrants from wanting to cross the US-Mexico border. "This is a deterrent, because they know that instead of rushing the border, which is what's been going on for a number of years now, by using the massive numbers coming to the border and overwhelming our facilities and our capacity to hold folks and our court rulings, which is what the Flores rule was, that now they can and will to the extent we're able to do so, hold them until those hearings happen," Cuccinelli, the acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in an interview Friday with CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."

Cuccinelli toured the southwest border and met with officials from his agency, ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), has thrust the agency into national attention since being appointed acting director in June. The agency was in the spotlight last week with the rollout of the “public charge” rule, giving officials updated guidance as to when they should deny green cards to immigrants deemed likely to be reliant on government welfare. The rule had been brewing in the agency for nearly two years but, within weeks of Cuccinelli taking charge, it was out.

8am – E         New blood-sucking leech identified in DC-area swamps. (Fox 5 DC) -- WASHINGTON - The swamps of the Metro D.C. area have produced a new kind of parasite. Scientists from the Smithsonian recently published a paper in the Journal of Parasitology documenting their discovery of Macrobdella mimicus – the first new species of leech to be discovered in more than four decades. The leech species olive green with orange spots, and about as long as a cigarette. Other features closely resemble the species M. decora, prompting the scientists to name it Macrobdella mimicus, which comes from the Greek word for “imitator.” The new species, which was initially identified in Southern Maryland, can be found in a number of locations from Northern Georgia to Long Island. The scientist who discovered the new species told Smithsonian.com, “It’s not something new that’s come up; it’s something that has been there the whole time, unrecognized.” For more details on the new leech, go to the Smithsonian website.

Best of: Hans Von Spakovsky, Joe diGenova, ABC7's Kevin Lewis Penny Nance and Chris Cuomo's conspiracy theory about Trump's aging

INTERVIEW - PENNY NANCE, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America

Nance published an op-ed in the Federalist about the indoctrination of political correctness at Virginia Tech that she personally experienced when she went to freshman orientation with her son a few days ago. As she recounts, it began from the opening moment of the welcome with people introducing themselves and their preferred pronouns. Other parents there were a bit shell-shocked too and have supported Virginia Tech with tax dollars for many years. Now Penny and her son are experiencing threats and backlash (see below) because of this piece she wrote. She has asked for a meeting with the president of the university, so far all Virginia Tech has offered is a phone call with lower level administrators.

My Son’s Freshman Orientation At Virginia Tech Was Full Of Leftist Propaganda. Now that I have witnessed college propaganda firsthand, I refuse to ignore the indefensible and discriminatory behavior of the liberal campus bullies anymore. (The Federalist/By Penny Nance) -- Are taxpayers funding academic institutions to indoctrinate our kids? That disturbing and irresistible question plagued me during the long drive home last week from college orientation. I doubt I am alone in this wake-up call.  Like many other women, I just sent my youngest child to college. I am so proud of him and his decision to join the Army ROTC and study engineering. He will be attending a revered Virginia institution known for its military Corps of Cadets program.  The centerpiece of the campus is the military parade field featuring beautiful pylons bearing the school’s founding principles: words such as “honor,” “duty,” “brotherhood,” and “ut prosim” (that I may serve). The war memorial also bears the names of all known cadets who have given their lives for our nation since World War I. Established in 1872, Virginia Tech has an honorable and proud tradition in my home state, and its graduates are some of the most accomplished and wonderful people I know. Hokies shine around our nation as leaders and as a great credit to their school. I know many to be people of faith, and many, many are conservative. Because of this, I was shocked to experience what I can only describe as extreme and overtly leftist propaganda spewed at our children’s orientation. The opening “University Welcome” event for students and parents separated families immediately in the auditorium. Nobody expected the event to begin with prayer or the Pledge of Allegiance — heavens, no! But one might expect to remember the names of fallen cadets on the pylons or the 32 dead and 17 injured in the 2007 shooting on Virginia Tech’s campus, the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Nope.

INTERVIEW - KEVIN LEWIS - News reporter for WJLA ABC 7

Just 20 Miles From White House, Illegal Immigrant Rape Cases Keep Piling Up. (Daily Caller/Vince Coglianese) -- This last month has been a particularly horrific one for residents of Montgomery County, Maryland — a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants just 20 miles from the White House. In the last month alone, at least four illegal immigrants in the county have been charged with rape. The attacks are a part of a reported 4-year rise in rapes in Montgomery County. Montgomery County Police arrested 28-year-old Carlos Palacios-Amaya on July 25, and 29-year-old Mauricio Barrera-Navidad on July 26. Both men were charged with second-degree rape for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl over the course of several months. Both men are illegal immigrants from El Salvador. Barrera-Navidad was reportedly issued a “final order of removal” by a judge in 2016. Palacios-Amaya was deported at least once, in 2014, and ICE considers him a “repeat immigration violator.” WJLA’s Kevin Lewis, who has been particularly dogged in chasing these stories, reported the details of the assaults:

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin 9h: NEW: Police are investigating an attempted rape along the Matthew Henson Trail in Aspen Hill, Md. The male suspect tried to pull a woman into a wooded area around 4:30p yesterday. The victim said her attacker was a Hispanic male in his 30s, wearing a white hat and red shorts.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin 13h: NEW: 28yo Luis Perez-Giron of Montgomery Village, Md. molested + tried to rape a 12yo girl while his wife was in labor at the hospital, police say. The victim fought back. Perez-Giron ultimately gave up, but not before allegedly threatening to rape the girl "when she turned 13."

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin: MORE: Perez-Giron reportedly jumped from a closet and pushed the girl to the ground, causing her to slice her hand. Per court docs, Perez-Giron and his wife have three children. The Guatemalan native is being held without bond and faces up to 20 years.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin: Aug 20 JUST IN: ICE has confirmed that 26yo Kevin Mendoza is a Honduran national living in the U.S. illegally. Mendoza is at least the fourth undocumented immigrant arrested on rape charges in Montgomery County, Md. in less than one month. Full police press release on the case:

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 21: UPDATE: These allegations are among the worst I've ever seen. Kevin Mendoza stalked, tackled + strangled the victim before raping her beside a vending machine, cops say. The 26yo reportedly told the woman, "You know you like this." Security cameras caught the entire incident.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 21: UPDATE: Prosecutors have filed a formal request for Mendoza to be transported to the Dennis Avenue Health Center in Silver Spring, Md. for a blood draw, sources tell me. The purpose is to determine if the accused rapist has HIV, AIDS, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and/or Hepatitis C.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 20: NEW: A young man was lured to a patch of woods and beaten by a pack of MS-13 members all because he refused to join the street gang, police allege. The attack, which involved baseball bats, happened in the Long Branch neighborhood of Silver Spring, Md.

INTERVIEW - WMAL’s Redskins Analyst Trevor Matich analyzed the Redskins win over the Falcons Thursday night. 

Derrius Guice returns, Jordan Reed is hurt, and the Redskins earn a preseason win over the Falcons. (Washington Post) – ATLANTA — Derrius Guice hopped in place in the end zone, holding both hands in the air to mimic the signal for a touchdown. He was hoping for it, begging for it, but a yellow flag lay on the turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The diving score was called back because of a holding penalty on guard Ereck Flowers, but it was the lone pockmark on an otherwise exquisite return for the second-year Washington Redskins running back.Washington beat the Atlanta Falcons, 19-7, on Thursday in its third preseason game, but the result was less important than the return of one of the organization’s key players. In his first game since he tore his ACL in last year’s preseason opener, Guice played the first four series and finished with 44 yards on 11 carries and four receiving yards on one catch while officially announcing his healthy return.

8am – A         INTERVIEW - PENNY NANCE, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America

Nance published an op-ed in the Federalist about the indoctrination of political correctness at Virginia Tech that she personally experienced when she went to freshman orientation with her son a few days ago. As she recounts, it began from the opening moment of the welcome with people introducing themselves and their preferred pronouns. Other parents there were a bit shell-shocked too and have supported Virginia Tech with tax dollars for many years. Now Penny and her son are experiencing threats and backlash (see below) because of this piece she wrote. She has asked for a meeting with the president of the university, so far all Virginia Tech has offered is a phone call with lower level administrators.

My Son’s Freshman Orientation At Virginia Tech Was Full Of Leftist Propaganda. Now that I have witnessed college propaganda firsthand, I refuse to ignore the indefensible and discriminatory behavior of the liberal campus bullies anymore. (The Federalist/By Penny Nance) -- Are taxpayers funding academic institutions to indoctrinate our kids? That disturbing and irresistible question plagued me during the long drive home last week from college orientation. I doubt I am alone in this wake-up call.  Like many other women, I just sent my youngest child to college. I am so proud of him and his decision to join the Army ROTC and study engineering. He will be attending a revered Virginia institution known for its military Corps of Cadets program.  The centerpiece of the campus is the military parade field featuring beautiful pylons bearing the school’s founding principles: words such as “honor,” “duty,” “brotherhood,” and “ut prosim” (that I may serve). The war memorial also bears the names of all known cadets who have given their lives for our nation since World War I. Established in 1872, Virginia Tech has an honorable and proud tradition in my home state, and its graduates are some of the most accomplished and wonderful people I know. Hokies shine around our nation as leaders and as a great credit to their school. I know many to be people of faith, and many, many are conservative. Because of this, I was shocked to experience what I can only describe as extreme and overtly leftist propaganda spewed at our children’s orientation. The opening “University Welcome” event for students and parents separated families immediately in the auditorium. Nobody expected the event to begin with prayer or the Pledge of Allegiance — heavens, no! But one might expect to remember the names of fallen cadets on the pylons or the 32 dead and 17 injured in the 2007 shooting on Virginia Tech’s campus, the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Nope. Instead, the administration made the stunning choice to open orientation by recognizing two Native American tribes on whose land the college was built (with the implication that it was stolen).  What followed went from slightly bothersome to downright alarming. The college filled the next two hours with speaker after speaker who introduced themselves with not just their names and titles but also preferred pronouns — as in, “Hi my name is Penny Nance, and I identify as she and her.” At first, parents were slightly surprised; by the end, they were mad.

8am – B/C     Drag Queen Challenges Rep. Adam Schiff For His Seat In Congress. (Daily Caller) -- A drag queen is challenging Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff for his seat in Congress. Maebe A. Girl became the first drag queen elected to local government, winning a seat in Silver Lake Neighborhood Council earlier this year. Now the drag queen is attempting to win a seat in the House of Representatives and become the first congressional trans person and first drag queen, according to Route Fifty. Girl will face Schiff in an open primary.  “While I appreciate his allyship, I think someone that is actually a part of the queer community, that understands the day-to-day struggles, would be a better representative than an ally,” Girl said of Schiff. “I want people to know that there are more progressive people on the ballot.” Girl believes it is “essential” for more queer representation in public office, according to Route Fifty. “We need more everyday people in Congress—its overwhelmingly older, white, wealthy men, and that’s just not representative of America, or my district.” The drag queen identifies as transgender and gender fluid, likening the name change to Lady Gaga and congressional struggles to that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “I respect her courage for facing people who said she couldn’t do it,” Girl said of Ocasio-Cortez. “People will say ‘I can’t take her seriously with that name, but it’s really just a statement about gender norms,” Girl said. “I don’t feel like there’s a difference between Maebe A. Girl and me.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW - BRET BAIER - Anchor of Special Report, Fox News Channel

RECESSION TALK:

“How bad would a recession be for Trump in 2020? 8 experts weigh in,” wrote Vox in its headline. “An economic slowdown could hurt Trump’s re-election chances, but partisanship might soften its impact,” read the subhead.

“Trump’s Riskiest Bet,” read the headline on Peter Nicholas’ story at The Atlantic. “That old truism of American politics – ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ – could come back to haunt the money-minded president in 2020,” read the subhead.

“Trump 2020 can’t afford a recession,” flatly stated CNN in the headline on Harry Enten’s story.

“Wall Street hoisted another hurricane warning on the economy on Wednesday as fear continues to rise that a recession could arrive by next year, potentially crashing into President Donald Trump’s attempt to win a second term,” wrote Ben White of Politico under “Trump’s recession risk rises” – subhead: “A closely watched gauge in the bond market suggests the economy is headed into recession soon.”

ON WEDNESDAY: Democrat John Delaney: "It feels like some Democrats are cheering on a recession because they want to stick it to Trump."

LAST WEEK: President Donald Trump on Thursday baselessly accused the press of trying to tank the American economy, shrugging off any blame for a prospective economic slowdown and possible recession heading into his reelection next year. “The Fake News Media is doing everything they can to crash the economy because they think that will be bad for me and my re-election,” he said in a tweet. “The problem they have is that the economy is way too strong and we will soon be winning big on Trade, and everyone knows that, including China!”

SARAH SANDERS JOINS FOX: Sarah Huckabee Sanders @SarahHuckabee 18h18 hours ago: Excited to join @FoxNews as a contributor, looking forward to being with the @foxandfriends team for my first hit on September 6th.

Joe Concha: Sarah Sanders becomes the latest former press secy to join cable news. Here's a list: Clinton-Lockhart (CNN), Bush 43-Fleischer (CNN, later Fox), Snow (Fox, later CNN), Perino (Fox), Obama-Gibbs (MSNBC), Carney (CNN), Earnest (MSNBC), Trump-Sanders (Fox)

8am – E         Hickenlooper announces Senate bid after dropping out of 2020 presidential race. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), who last week ended his 2020 presidential campaign, announced on Thursday that he will seek a seat in the U.S. Senate. “I’m not done fighting for the people of Colorado,” he said in a video attacking Washington over pre-existing conditions, prescription prices and the opening of public land to developers. “I don’t think Cory Gardner understands that the games he’s playing with Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are hurting the people of Colorado,” he said, referring to Colorado's incumbent Republican senator, the president and the Senate majority leader, respectively.

7am – A/B/C Ex-Overstock CEO says he got 'fishy' orders from Strzok; former DOJ boss unsure of claims. (Fox News) -- Overstock CEO resigns amid ties to Russia investigation, says he received ‘fishy orders’ from ex-FBI official Strzok. Overstock founder and CEO Patrick Byrne resigned Thursday after 20 years at the company amid his ties to a government investigation related to the 2016 election, and he made a series of controversial allegations in interviews with Fox Business and Fox News. In an interview with Fox Business’ "Varney & Co.," Byrne said the investigation is "all about political espionage" and that he thinks “we are about to see the biggest scandal in American history.” Then, in an interview with Fox News' Martha MacCallum on "The Story," he said he had helped the federal government with investigations twice in the past, including to "help them take down people on Wall Street." However, several years after his last contact with the government, Byrne said FBI officials - whom he characterized as "the Men in Black" -- reached out to him in 2016 and asked him for a "third favor." "I was given some fishy orders and I carried them out in 2015-2016, thinking I was conducting law enforcement," he said. "I didn't know who sent the orders, but I did them. Last summer, watching television and some congressional hearings, I figured out where these orders came from. They came from a guy named Peter Strzok." Byrne also named other individuals, with MacCallum reminding him those officials or former officials worked at the FBI. Byrne did not describe specific actions he was allegedly told to take, but characterized them as "political espionage."

7am – D         INTERVIEW - KEVIN LEWIS - News reporter for WJLA ABC 7

Just 20 Miles From White House, Illegal Immigrant Rape Cases Keep Piling Up. (Daily Caller/Vince Coglianese) -- This last month has been a particularly horrific one for residents of Montgomery County, Maryland — a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants just 20 miles from the White House. In the last month alone, at least four illegal immigrants in the county have been charged with rape. The attacks are a part of a reported 4-year rise in rapes in Montgomery County. Montgomery County Police arrested 28-year-old Carlos Palacios-Amaya on July 25, and 29-year-old Mauricio Barrera-Navidad on July 26. Both men were charged with second-degree rape for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl over the course of several months. Both men are illegal immigrants from El Salvador. Barrera-Navidad was reportedly issued a “final order of removal” by a judge in 2016. Palacios-Amaya was deported at least once, in 2014, and ICE considers him a “repeat immigration violator.” WJLA’s Kevin Lewis, who has been particularly dogged in chasing these stories, reported the details of the assaults:

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin 9h: NEW: Police are investigating an attempted rape along the Matthew Henson Trail in Aspen Hill, Md. The male suspect tried to pull a woman into a wooded area around 4:30p yesterday. The victim said her attacker was a Hispanic male in his 30s, wearing a white hat and red shorts.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin 13h: NEW: 28yo Luis Perez-Giron of Montgomery Village, Md. molested + tried to rape a 12yo girl while his wife was in labor at the hospital, police say. The victim fought back. Perez-Giron ultimately gave up, but not before allegedly threatening to rape the girl "when she turned 13."

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin: Aug 20 JUST IN: ICE has confirmed that 26yo Kevin Mendoza is a Honduran national living in the U.S. illegally. Mendoza is at least the fourth undocumented immigrant arrested on rape charges in Montgomery County, Md. in less than one month. Full police press release on the case:

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 21: UPDATE: These allegations are among the worst I've ever seen. Kevin Mendoza stalked, tackled + strangled the victim before raping her beside a vending machine, cops say. The 26yo reportedly told the woman, "You know you like this." Security cameras caught the entire incident.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 21: UPDATE: Prosecutors have filed a formal request for Mendoza to be transported to the Dennis Avenue Health Center in Silver Spring, Md. for a blood draw, sources tell me. The purpose is to determine if the accused rapist has HIV, AIDS, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and/or Hepatitis C.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 20: NEW: A young man was lured to a patch of woods and beaten by a pack of MS-13 members all because he refused to join the street gang, police allege. The attack, which involved baseball bats, happened in the Long Branch neighborhood of Silver Spring, Md.

7am – E         Chris Cuomo attacks Trump for not aging as fast as past presidents: 'Care more, sleep less' (Washington Times) - CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time” host Chris Cuomo dedicated his closing monologue Tuesday night to attacking President Trump’s consistent appearance over the past few years, arguing that the president hasn’t aged as quickly as his predecessors because he doesn’t care as much. Blaring the chyron, “Trump should care more, sleep less,” Mr. Cuomo began his monologue by playing a clip of Mr. Trump recently telling reporters that “nothing keeps me up at night,” and compared it with a clip of former President Barack Obama telling Barbara Walters in 2008 that “there are a lot of things that keep me up at night.” Mr. Cuomo stated, “Presidents should have a lot of heavy burdens that weigh on them, and yes, keep them up at night.” The host then showed photos of former Presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton before and after they left the White House and how rapidly they had physically aged during that time. “It’s been almost three years since Trump won the presidency,” Mr. Cuomo said, according to a clip flagged by the Washington Free Beacon. “He looks exactly the same. His hair is — I don’t know what’s going on with that. But he may do things that presidents in the past haven’t done to augment their physical reality, but it could also be that he doesn’t care the way others have.” Mr. Cuomo said Mr. Trump, compared with past presidents, occupies his time by “sowing the seeds of discord and division” instead of dealing with the “trying business of compromise.”

6am – A/B/C Pew: A Deepening Distrust Of Higher Education And Other American Institutions. (Forbes) -- Americans are increasingly skeptical about the impact of their colleges and universities, a trend driven, but not defined, by political partisanship. That’s one of the main takeaways from a just-released Pew Research Center survey of 1,500 adults conducted in early July of this year. According to Pew, only 50% of Americans now believe that colleges and universities are having a positive effect on the way things are going in America, and 38% say they are having a negative effect. Democrats remain much more positive about higher education than Republicans; 67% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning respondents say higher education is having a positive effect on the country compared to only 33% of Republicans and Republican-leaning participants. Virtually the same percentage of Democrats held a positive view of higher ed in 2010 (65%), but the 2019 percentage of Democrats perceiving this positive impact has ticked down from the 72% found in 2016 and 2017 surveys. Meanwhile, the percentage of Republicans attributing a positive effect to higher education has steadily eroded from 58% (2010), 53% (2012), 54% (2015), 43% (2016), and 36% (2017). Among Republicans, 59% now say higher education has a negative effect on the U.S., compared to just 18% of Democrats. This partisan divide is not a new finding, Other Pew surveys as well as those by Gallup have found the same split, and they also confirm that Americans' overall confidence in higher education has declined in the past decade. Another Pew report underscored just how vast the different views of higher education have become, according to ones political affiliation: as an example, 87% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning individuals believe that colleges and universities are open to a wide range of opinions and viewpoints, double the 44% of Republicans and Republican-leaners who say the same thing. The Pew results may provide a first glance at the public impact of the college admissions scandal that rocked the nation earlier this year. How much was the so-called Varsity Blues operation top-of-mind for respondents, once again stirring the cynicism that was the dominant national response to the revelations? It’s hard to know, but it seems probable it had some negative effect. On the other hand, the results also show that negative views of higher education is not an isolated phenomenon. There's been a decline in Americans’ endorsements of major institutions in general. When Pew inquired about opinions of technology companies, churches and religious organizations, national news media, banks, large corporations, and labor unions, it found that no more than half of U.S. adults believed any of them were having a positive impact on the country.

6am – D         INTERVIEW - WMAL’s Redskins Analyst Trevor Matich analyzed the Redskins win over the Falcons Thursday night. 

Derrius Guice returns, Jordan Reed is hurt, and the Redskins earn a preseason win over the Falcons. (Washington Post) – ATLANTA — Derrius Guice hopped in place in the end zone, holding both hands in the air to mimic the signal for a touchdown. He was hoping for it, begging for it, but a yellow flag lay on the turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The diving score was called back because of a holding penalty on guard Ereck Flowers, but it was the lone pockmark on an otherwise exquisite return for the second-year Washington Redskins running back.Washington beat the Atlanta Falcons, 19-7, on Thursday in its third preseason game, but the result was less important than the return of one of the organization’s key players.

6am – E         CLIMATE NEWS:

Bernie Sanders unveils his own $16.3 TRILLION climate plan named after AOC's 'Green New Deal' - boldly claiming it will pay for itself AND end unemployment. (Daily Mail) - Bernie Sanders unveiled an ambitious climate change plan Thursday with a $16 trillion price tag that promises to create 20 million new jobs and end unemployment in America.  Billed as the 'Green New Deal,' the 2020 presidential candidate's proposal capitalizes on the notoriety of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's climate change framework of the same name and declares global warming a climate emergency. The document differs significantly from the detailed plans set out by Ocasio-Cortez earlier this year by omitting detailed proposals in favor of broad-brush aspirations. Ocasio-Cortez's deal became the object of ridicule for suggesting banning farting cows and eliminating all air travel. Instead Sanders' offers a series of aspirations and little granular detail. 'Bernie will declare a national emergency on climate change and take immediate, large-scale action to reverse its effects,' the white paper on the senator's plan says. 'This is an existential threat and we will do whatever it takes to confront it.'  The plan will pay for itself over 15 years and make the United States total reliant on renewable energy for electricity and transportation by 2030, an outline boasts. It promises the Green New Deal will be far-reaching and present solutions for other major problems like illegal immigration. He focuses his proposal around an Obama-era plan to build high speed rail system across the entire nation.  Sanders also pledges to invest heavily in an electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

DNC Nixes Climate Change Debate Despite Pressure from Youth Movement. (Breitbart News) -- The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has nixed a Democrat debate focused solely on climate change. A panel at DNC made the decision on Thursday, the Huffington Post reported: At a party conference Thursday in San Francisco, the DNC’s resolutions committee voted 17-8 against a resolution that has become a cause célèbre for activists and for more than a dozen presidential contenders who felt the traditional debate format failed to adequately address the looming threat of catastrophe. The issue could resurface during the full committee’s general session on Saturday. It was a predictable outcome. Top brass at the DNC opposed the climate debate from the get-go, fearing it could sow discord in the base and hamper the eventual nominee in the general election. CNN and MSNBC announced plans last month to host forums on climate change in September. DNC Chair Tom Perez affirmed the forums in a resolution introduced earlier this month, which some activists saw as setting the stage for voting down the climate debate. The Huffington Post reported that a senior advisor for presidential hopeful and former Vice President Joe Biden, Symone Sanders, was among those who were against a climate change debate, calling it “dangerous territory in the middle of a Democratic primary process.”

6am – F         Obamas reportedly buying Martha's Vineyard mansion. (The Hill) -- Former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are reportedly buying a multimillion-dollar mansion on Martha’s Vineyard. The 29-acre, nearly 7,000-square-foot estate, listed at $14.85 million, is owned by Boston Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, TMZ reports. It’s been on the market for four years and was initially listed for more than $22 million, according to realtor.com. The Obamas are reportedly paying less than the current listing price, according to “multiple island sources,” but it is unclear how much they will spend, according to the outlet. The presidential family rented Grousbeck’s seven-bedroom, 8 1/2 bathroom property when they vacationed on the island this summer, The Boston Globe reports. The custom home also comes with a pool and boathouse, among several other features, according to a property listing. The report comes after an Obama spokesman in 2017 denied claims that the family was thinking about investing in real estate on the Massachusetts island, the Globe noted.

5am – A/B/C Congress pumps brakes on Interior push to relocate Bureau of Land Management. (The Hill) - The Interior Department says it is moving ahead with plans to relocate a Washington-based agency to Colorado after getting the green light from Congress, but lawmakers say no such approval has been granted. The Department of the Interior is preparing to move 27 top officials at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to new headquarters in Grand Junction, Colo., while scattering other D.C.-based employees to existing offices out West. The House Appropriations Committee was given 30 days to submit questions to Interior about the move and the reallocation of $5 million to cover related costs.  Lawmakers had a number of questions: What are the benefits to Interior and the American public? What problem will this solve? Why was BLM singled out for this move? The 30-day period ended on Aug. 15, and Interior says it will now proceed with plans to move about 300 employees to Western states after answering all questions from lawmakers. But some lawmakers beg to differ. “The administration’s characterization of Congress having ‘blessed’ BLM’s relocation plan is false,” Amanda Yanchury, spokeswoman for Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), chairwoman of the House Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Interior Department, said in a statement to The Hill. “Interior’s initial relocation plan was significantly lacking in the details necessary for the Committee to evaluate this proposal. That’s why Congress, in a bipartisan and bicameral manner, requested more information — to ensure the transparency and accountability of the administration’s actions,” she added.  BLM argues the move will position its staff closer to the lands the agency manages, but critics contend it will simply move high-level career staff out of D.C. and further away from the corridors of power, following a similar decision to relocate Department of Agriculture (USDA) research staff to a new outpost in the Kansas City area.

5am – D         Just 20 Miles From White House, Illegal Immigrant Rape Cases Keep Piling Up. (Daily Caller/Vince Coglianese) -- This last month has been a particularly horrific one for residents of Montgomery County, Maryland — a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants just 20 miles from the White House. In the last month alone, at least four illegal immigrants in the county have been charged with rape. The attacks are a part of a reported 4-year rise in rapes in Montgomery County. Montgomery County Police arrested 28-year-old Carlos Palacios-Amaya on July 25, and 29-year-old Mauricio Barrera-Navidad on July 26. Both men were charged with second-degree rape for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl over the course of several months. Both men are illegal immigrants from El Salvador. Barrera-Navidad was reportedly issued a “final order of removal” by a judge in 2016. Palacios-Amaya was deported at least once, in 2014, and ICE considers him a “repeat immigration violator.” WJLA’s Kevin Lewis, who has been particularly dogged in chasing these stories, reported the details of the assaults:

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin 9h: NEW: Police are investigating an attempted rape along the Matthew Henson Trail in Aspen Hill, Md. The male suspect tried to pull a woman into a wooded area around 4:30p yesterday. The victim said her attacker was a Hispanic male in his 30s, wearing a white hat and red shorts.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin 13h: NEW: 28yo Luis Perez-Giron of Montgomery Village, Md. molested + tried to rape a 12yo girl while his wife was in labor at the hospital, police say. The victim fought back. Perez-Giron ultimately gave up, but not before allegedly threatening to rape the girl "when she turned 13."

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin: MORE: Perez-Giron reportedly jumped from a closet and pushed the girl to the ground, causing her to slice her hand. Per court docs, Perez-Giron and his wife have three children. The Guatemalan native is being held without bond and faces up to 20 years.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin: Aug 20 JUST IN: ICE has confirmed that 26yo Kevin Mendoza is a Honduran national living in the U.S. illegally. Mendoza is at least the fourth undocumented immigrant arrested on rape charges in Montgomery County, Md. in less than one month. Full police press release on the case:

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 21: UPDATE: These allegations are among the worst I've ever seen. Kevin Mendoza stalked, tackled + strangled the victim before raping her beside a vending machine, cops say. The 26yo reportedly told the woman, "You know you like this." Security cameras caught the entire incident.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 21: UPDATE: Prosecutors have filed a formal request for Mendoza to be transported to the Dennis Avenue Health Center in Silver Spring, Md. for a blood draw, sources tell me. The purpose is to determine if the accused rapist has HIV, AIDS, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and/or Hepatitis C.

Kevin Lewis @ABC7Kevin Aug 20: NEW: A young man was lured to a patch of woods and beaten by a pack of MS-13 members all because he refused to join the street gang, police allege. The attack, which involved baseball bats, happened in the Long Branch neighborhood of Silver Spring, Md.

5am – E         ‘Far More Complicated Than I Expected’: Reporter Tries To Buy Gun At Walmart. Leaves Twice Empty-Handed. (Daily Caller) -- A journalist for Business Insider tried her luck at buying a gun in a Walmart store and said it was “far more complicated” than she expected after leaving empty-handed. Twice. Since 22 people were killed in a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, on Aug. 3, there have been at least six more threats of potential mass shootings at Walmarts across the country. More than 134,000 people have signed a petition created by Walmart employees demanding that the store stop selling guns in an effort to “change our company for the better.” But Walmart, which makes up 2% of all gun sales and 20% of ammunition sales in the U.S., isn’t ready to change anything, according to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. “There’s not been any directive to any stores around the country to change any policy. We’re focused on supporting our associates, customers and the entire El Paso community,” Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said on Aug. 5, according to a Bloomberg report. Amid the requests to stop the sale of guns at the retail giant, BI reporter Hayley Peterson saw for herself how easy it is to buy a gun at a Walmart “as part of an investigation into the placement, selection, marketing, security and sales of firearms in Walmart’s stores.”

INTERVIEW - HANS VON SPAKOVSKY - Manager, Election Law Reform Initiative and Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation

Trump administration lifts limits on detention of migrant children. The Trump administration moved to allow border authorities to detain families indefinitely on Wednesday, almost certainly triggering a legal challenge over the detention of children. The new regulations eliminate a previous 20-day limit on detaining migrant children, allowing families to be confined while judges consider whether to grant them leave to stay in the United States. The rules replace a 1997 agreement, known as the “Flores agreement,” which currently requires the government to keep children in the least restrictive setting. Trump has repeatedly criticized the arrangements as a "catch and release" system, allowing families to go free while they await immigration hearings. Officials said they were introducing their own version of the Flores agreement with a focus on keeping children with their parents. The move is the latest effort to tighten immigration controls, a signature issue for President Trump. Opponents immediately said imprisoning children would damage their mental health and signaled their intent to challenge the arrangement in court. "The government should not be jailing kids and certainly shouldn't be seeking to put more kids in jail for longer," said Madhuri Grewal of the American Civil Liberties Union. However, Trump told reporters at the White House that he was in part motivated by protecting children from the arduous journey to the American border.

Trump says administration looking "seriously" at ending birthright citizenship. President Trump on Wednesday said his administration is once again seriously considering an executive order to end birthright citizenship months after several lawmakers cast doubt on his ability to take such action. "We're looking at that very seriously," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for Kentucky. "Birthright citizenship, where you have a baby on our land — walk over the border, have a baby, congratulations, the baby's now a U.S. citizen. We are looking at birthright citizenship very seriously," he added. "It’s, frankly, ridiculous." The president proposed ending the practice that grants citizenship to those born in the United States during his 2016 presidential campaign. He revived the idea last year, saying he would sign an executive order to enact the change. Numerous lawmakers, including several Republicans, quickly pushed back on the idea and argued Trump lacked the authority to make such a change using an executive order. They cited that birthright citizenship is a right enshrined under the 14th Amendment. Trump responded to the criticism by saying birthright citizenship would be ended "one way or another."