The Patriot Post® · Tuesday Top News Executive Summary
The installment of an “immigration czar” is among the options being explored by the White House to coordinate illegal-immigration matters. The czar front-runners are former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. The details are scarce, but the Associated Press notes that “Trump’s focus on immigration had touched on numerous government agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Defense and Justice. And not all of those departments are always on the same page.” The czar would presumably help cultivate better camaraderie.
Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen yesterday announced, “We will not stand idly by while Congress fails to act yet again, so all options are on the table. We will immediately redeploy hundreds of [Border Patrol] personnel to the border to respond to this emergency. We will urgently pursue additional reinforcements from within DHS and the interagency. And we will require those seeking to enter the United States to wait in Mexico until an immigration court has reviewed their claims.”
Late yesterday, President Donald Trump stated, “The Republicans are developing a really great HealthCare Plan with far lower premiums (cost) & deductibles than ObamaCare. In other words it will be far less expensive & much more usable than ObamaCare.” He then revealed, “Vote will be taken right after the Election when Republicans hold the Senate & win back the House.” This political calculation has both pros and cons. It’s true that the Democrat-controlled House would never vote in favor of a Republican proposal. On the other hand, the GOP failed to pass health-care reform even when it controlled both chambers.
According to Reuters, “The U.S. Constitution does not guarantee a prisoner sentenced to capital punishment ‘a painless death,’ a divided Supreme Court said on Monday, paving the way for the execution of a convicted murderer who sought to die by lethal gas rather than lethal injection because of a rare medical condition.” If anything, this ruling provides additional fodder to those who want to abolish capital punishment.
Witch hunt continued: “The Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Monday that the Committee is preparing to subpoena Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s full report on his Russia investigation on Wednesday and the evidence he used to write it. Representative Jerry Nadler said that he was ‘disturbed’ by Attorney General William Barr’s decision not to release the full report right away, and that the Committee would vote on the subpoenas if the Justice Department fails to deliver the report by the end of the day Tuesday.” (National Review)
In 2015, the Center for Medical Progress put Planned Parenthood under immense scrutiny by revealing incriminating evidence discovered via undercover videos, which included the harvesting of baby body parts. Planned Parenthood retaliated with a lawsuit against CMP. Unfortunately, an appeal to the Supreme Court to have the lawsuit dismissed proved ineffective this week. The Washington Examiner says, “Because the Supreme Court will not take up the case, the ruling from the 9th Circuit permitting the lawsuit to proceed remains in place.”
Colorado is set to join the list of states enacting “red flag” legislation — which grants carte blanche to confiscate firearms if a person manifests threatening behavior — following Monday’s approval by the state legislature and Gov. Jared Polis’s impending signature. According to ABC News, “The bill places the burden of proof on the gun owner to get the firearms back by showing that he or she no longer poses a risk. Republicans repeatedly sought to shift that burden of proof to those seeking the protective order. They argued the legislation offers no due process to gun owners. Republicans also say it violates constitutional rights and could lead to violent confrontations if a judge orders police to confiscate firearms from a resistant owner.”
“U.S. health officials report that the number of measles cases through the first three months of this year have surpassed the count for all of 2018. There have been 387 cases through March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday. There were 372 last year. It’s the most since 2014, when 667 were reported. This year’s numbers have been driven by outbreaks in several states, including New York, California, Illinois, Texas, and Washington. Most people who get measles have not been vaccinated. Measles is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and it is extremely contagious.” (AP)
Underscoring the problem with too many factions: “Britain’s Parliament on Monday failed to reach a majority on any one of four new proposals for the country’s exit from the European Union, worsening the disarray over Brexit less than two weeks before the deadline to depart. … The failure to agree on any of them means Britain is facing the deadline with nothing resolved and all the options remaining on the table. It also underscores the stalemate in Parliament where different factions appear unable to compromise enough to swing behind any one vision for Brexit.” (The New York Times)
“Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced a 30-day plan to ration electricity as nationwide power cuts continue to inflict misery on millions of people,” the AP reports. At the same time, AFP reveals that “Venezuela’s Supreme Court called Monday for Juan Guaido to be stripped of his legislative immunity, tightening the noose on the opposition chief just days after authorities announced a ban on him holding public office.”
Humor: CNN publishes real news story for April Fools’ Day (The Babylon Bee)
Policy: At National Review, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Robert Bryce writes, “Renewable energy may get the headlines, but … natural gas — and in particular, low-cost natural gas from the U.S. — is playing an increasingly important role in fueling that growth.”
Policy: Economist Daniel J. Mitchell says, “Iceland is a tiny little country with just 338,000 people (about the population of Santa Ana, CA), but that doesn’t mean it can’t teach us lessons about public policy.” See why that’s the case at the Foundation for Economic Education.
For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights.