| | | | Will Republicans find their courage to stand up to Trump? | | Over the past 48 hours, a who's who of Republican congressional leaders -- and governors -- have come forward to protest the Trump administration's policy of family separation at the border.
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch called the policy decision "wrong." Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said that "Americans do not take children hostage."
The question before congressional Republicans -- even as they huddled Tuesday night with President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill -- was whether they will do more than oppose him rhetorically, and whether that opposition will, as it has before, crumble in the face of an activated Trump base.
A brief stroll through the history of Trump and the GOP establishment suggests that caution is warranted when declaring that the Republican leaders in Congress have finally had enough of some of the President's more radical actions.
Remember that the likes of Speaker Paul Ryan repeatedly distanced themselves from Trump during the campaign, going so far as to effectively disavow the nominee in the wake of the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape in October 2016.
And yet, Ryan and the rest came aboard rapidly once Trump shocked the world by beating Hillary Clinton. The belief among that crowd was a) Trump won so it's better to be with a winner than, well, not and b) Trump lacked any real policy agenda or beliefs so they could simply graft what they wanted onto him.
What that calculation missed was Trump's love for unpredictable behavior (his threat that he might not sign the omnibus budget deal worked out to avert a government shutdown) and massively impolitic comments (there was blame on "both sides" in Charlottesville).
And yet, even amid that erratic behavior, a familiar cycle just kept emerging: 1) Republican leaders would say something like "I wish he had said it differently" 2) They would insist that they were more than capable of telling Trump he was wrong 3) Things would go back to normal within a day or two.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Will this showdown over family separation be different? Will Republicans make good on their pledges that the policy needs to change -- and change now? And even if some sort of deal on family separation is worked out now, what will happen this fall when Trump threatens a government shutdown unless he gets the $25 billion in funding he wants to build the border wall?
The Point: Republicans, whether motivated by electoral fear, endless optimism or some of both, have been unwilling to actively oppose Trump in meaningful ways (i.e., more than just the occasional harshly-worded statement) since it became clear he would be their nominee back in 2016. Has the family separation fight fundamentally altered that calculus?
-- Chris | | "It seems as though we have lost our sense of humanity."
-- Ohio Gov. John Kasich, in an interview with CNN's Brooke Baldwin Tuesday, while discussing the family separations at the border being implemented by the Trump administration. | | | TRUMP RAMPS UP RHETORIC, VISITS LAWMAKERS ON THE HILL | | President Donald Trump spoke at the National Federation of Independent Businesses 75th Anniversary Celebration at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. CNN's Betsy Klein reported Trump "amplified his heated immigration rhetoric, accusing Democrats of wanting migrants to "infest our country" and turning a speech on the economy into an angry tirade defending his harsh stance."
But, CNN's Tal Kopan writes: "his speech at the small business event contained several factual inaccuracies ... for example, Trump said the family separations at the border are 'a result of Democrat-supported loopholes in our federal laws' that he said could be easily changed. 'These are crippling loopholes that cause family separation, which we don't want,' Trump said.
"The reality: Trump's administration made a decision to prosecute 100% of adults caught crossing the border illegally even if they came with children, and thus are separating parents from their kids at the border with no clear plan to reunite them after the parents return from jail and court proceedings." Read more fact-checking from Tal here.
Trump said he was working to repair a damaged immigration system as he entered talks with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon. "So the system has been broken for many years, the immigration system, it's been a really bad, bad system," he said walking into a meeting with the House Republican conference. Follow CNN's reporting of Trump's Hill visit here. | | | We don't know about you but we've all got World Cup fever over here. Check out Spotify's Official Playlist of the 2018 Fifa World Cup here. | | | Today's topic: Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen argues the immigration issue purely on technicality -- but it's an emotional issue. | | US WITHDRAWS FROM UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL | | CNN's Laura Koran reports: "US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced the United States is withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council Tuesday, accusing the body of bias against US ally Israel and a failure to hold human rights abusers accountable.
"The move, which the Trump administration has threatened for months, came down one day after the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights slammed the separation of children from their parents at the US-Mexico border as 'unconscionable.'
"'For too long,' Haley said, 'the Human Rights Council has been a protector of human rights abusers, and a cesspool of political bias.'" Read more in CNN's story here. | | ICYMI: TED CRUZ & JIMMY KIMMEL PLAYED BBALL🏀 | | | Sen. Ted Cruz can now add basketball scrimmage champion to his resume. The Texas Republican beat late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in a one-on-one basketball game, which was played Saturday and partially televised on Kimmel's show Monday night. However, the real winners, Cruz and Kimmel agreed, were the Texas Children's Hospital and Generation One, a Houston-based education nonprofit. Proceeds from the game -- which totaled more than $80,000 -- benefited the two charitable organizations. There were a lot of back-and-forth burns. Read Saba's story about game highlights here. | | CNN's Grace Sparks reports: "One week after the high-profile meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Americans are generally satisfied with what was accomplished in the summit between the leaders, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS that was released on Tuesday.
"Just over half -- 52% -- were satisfied with how the meeting went, with 36% saying they were dissatisfied. Eighty-five percent of Republicans were happy after the summit, with 52% of independents, and 28% of Democrats saying the same."Read more here. | |  | | H/T CNN's Meg Wagner | | | Trump hugged a flag (again) today. Happy Tuesday! A reminder to give us a virtual hug by telling people you know to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment