A look at border security, fencing as Donald Trump announces wall
President Donald Trump announced his long-awaited plan Wednesday to build a wall on the 1,954-mile U.S. border with Mexico, calling for its “immediate construction” to stop illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking and acts of terrorism. He is not the first president to embark on an aggressive buildup on the border. Here’s a look at what is already there: SEMI-FORTIFIED BORDER One-third of the U.S.-Mexico border, or 653 miles, is already studded with fence in a potpourri of styles, from menacing barriers to those that can be easily hopped. The barriers arose from the Secure Fence Act passed in the last year of the George W. Bush administration. In California, the fence climbs out of the Pacific. Its meanest stretch, three layers thick, separates San Diego from Tijuana. Half those 14 miles are topped by razor wire. In dunes to the east, a “floating fence” of 16-foot steel tubes can be raised or lowered as sands shift. Almost all of Arizona’s border is fenced, although the deterrence effect for human-and drug smugglers is constantly questioned. Cities such as Yuma and Nogales have high fencing but stretches of the remote desert have things like posts, wire-mesh and livestock fencing that can halt vehicles but people can hop. Vehicular fencing marks most of New Mexico’s 180-mile border. Nearly all Texas’ 1,250-mile border is fence-free, the winding Rio Grande the only barrier. The state has just 110 miles of fences and fortified concrete levees . Mountains, rivers and other natural barriers are expensive to build on and have been largely left alone . One stretch in Texas’ Hidalgo County along the Rio Grande cost $10 million a mile. SURVEILLANCE TECH Politicians along the border, even GOP lawmakers in Washington, have endorsed surveillance technology as offering more security for the buck than fence or wall. The Border Patrol is expanding the use of eye-in the-sky tethered dirigibles that scan the horizon as they float on cables and of camera-studded towers. Its high-flying Predator drones have logged more than 3,000 hours a year since 2011. Neither technology nor maintenance of existing fence comes cheap. The government spent $450 million last fiscal year on “Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology.” And a major Boeing-led project in Arizona called the “SBINet,” whose network was supposed to marshal surveillance monitoring, proved a boondoggle, costing taxpayers $1 billion before it was canceled in 2010. PEOPLE CROSSING Not a single person involved in a terrorist act in the United States is known to have illegally entered the country from Mexico along the southwest border. Apprehensions of people at the border are far down from a peak of 1.6 million in 2000 to 408,870 in the year ending Sept. 30, with net immigration by Mexicans at zero. More Central Americans were apprehended illegally crossing the border than Mexicans last year. The Central Americans are fleeing a humanitarian crisis — the world’s highest murder rates and abject poverty. Most surrender at the border and seek asylum. The Border Patrol has bulked up, too, from about 9,500 agents in 2004 to some 17,500 today. The locals, meanwhile, mostly don’t want a wall. A May poll in U.S. southwest border cities found 72 percent against the idea. The Cronkite News-Univision-Dallas Morning News poll had a 2.6 percent error margin DRUG SMUGGLING Most drugs entering the United States sneak through legal ports of entry — not through fence-less wilds. They hide in concealed compartments of passenger vehicles or commingled with legitimate goods in tractor-trailers, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says. The U.S. Border Patrol says it seized 1.3 million pounds of marijuana, most of it in Arizona, and 4,180 pounds of cocaine, most split between the San Diego sector and Texas’ Rio Grande valley, in the most recent fiscal year. Smugglers have been tunneling under fences for years, primarily in California and Arizona where marijuana is the payload. Authorities also occasionally find ladders constructed a foot higher than existing fence as creative smugglers find new ways in — and under. And since 1990, the DEA says, 225 border tunnels have been discovered. Off-road vehicles and backpackers are also used, but that tends to require scouts. Ultralight aircraft and drones have also made cross-border airdrops, mostly of marijuana. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama lawmakers praise Donald Trump’s actions on immigration
With the stroke of a pen, President Donald Trump set into motion his plans to overhaul America’s immigration enforcement including efforts to build a wall on the Mexican border, increase the number of federal deportation agents, as well as cut funding for sanctuary cities “A nation without borders is not a nation,” Trump said Wednesday in an address at the Office of Homeland Security. “Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders. Trump continued, “We are going to get the bad ones out, the criminals, and the drug dealers and gangs and gang members and cartel leaders. The day is over when they can stay in our country and wreck havoc. We’re going to get them out, and we’re going to get them out fast.” Alabama Republicans in Congress applauded President Trump for signing the series of immigration executive actions Wednesday. Here’s what they’re saying: Alabama U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby: Sanctuary cities blatantly ignore our nation’s immigration laws, which is why I have long advocated restricting their access to the Department of Justice’s state and local grant funding. I am pleased that President Trump recognizes that we must not allow municipalities to obstruct policies to remove illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Today’s executive action is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to ensure that action is taken against local governments who refuse to follow our immigration laws. Alabama 1st District U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne: It is exciting to have a President who is actually focused on securing our border and addressing the widespread issue of illegal immigration. I have said repeatedly that the immigration issue is critical because it deals directly with the safety and security of the American people. With the actions taken today, I think we are taking important steps in the right direction. More work will be needed, and I am committed to doing what I can in Congress to secure the border and stop illegal immigration. Alabama 2nd District U.S. Rep. Martha Roby: President Trump’s executive orders today represent a positive first step toward getting control of our illegal immigration problem through enhancing border security and cutting off the magnet of sanctuary cities. We need to have immigration policies that put American’s interests first and discourage people from entering the country illegally. For too long, we’ve had the opposite. I look forward to advancing policies that will help secure the border, stop illegal immigration, and prevent human trafficking through my work on the Judiciary and Appropriations Committees. Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks: I’m glad President Trump is quickly taking action to enforce our immigration laws, deport illegal aliens, and withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities. America is a nation of laws, first and foremost, and the President’s actions are a strong step toward restoring our country’s borders and broken immigration system.
Taliban tell Donald Trump: ‘it’s time to leave Afghanistan’
In a long rambling letter, the spokesman for the Taliban is telling U.S. President Donald Trump that it’s time to leave Afghanistan. The letter, emailed to journalists Wednesday, was written on behalf of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman, warns Trump that peace will be elusive as long as foreign troops are on Afghan soil. He adds that independence from foreign dominance is “the only asset” that an impoverished nation like Afghanistan truly has. Written in English, as well as Afghanistan’s two prominent languages Dari and Pashto, the four-page letter waxed on about Afghanistan’s history, its numerous defeats of invading armies and the reported corruption widespread in Afghanistan today. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Daniel Sutter: Red states, blue states: one nation, or two?
A group called Yes, California is trying to get a secession referendum on the 2018 ballot, what has been labeled “Calexit.” Secession faces long odds, even if Californians get to vote. California is not the first state to recently consider secession. Secession petitions circulated in every state after the 2012 election. Over 125,000 signatures were collected in Texas, where the Texas Nationalist Movement is now pushing “Texit.” Donald Trump’s election in November sparked protests across the nation, with protesters using the Twitter hashtag #notmypresident. Many Blue state liberals seem unwilling to accept Mr. Trump’s election. This perhaps should be no surprise, as many Red state conservatives never accepted Barrack Obama’s presidency as legitimate. Delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention chanted “Lock her up,” about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. An August 2016 poll found that 40% of Texans would favor secession if Ms. Clinton were elected. The secession movements represent a logical extension of the growing Red versus Blue state chasm in American politics. Is the political divide approaching the point where America can no longer be one nation? And if so, what would be the consequences? Secession offers a policy advantage. Many laws and policies must be the same for everyone within a nation. America has one president: Ms. Clinton cannot be Democrats’ president, with Mr. Trump governing Republicans. Social Security either exists or does not exist. Separate Blue and Red “nations” could set their own policies, reflecting divergent values. Despite the nastiness of American politics, neither liberals nor conservatives today are realizing their ideal policies. The Affordable Care Act is not government-run healthcare, while a $15 minimum wage has no chance of approval by the Republican congress. Fiscal conservatives fear that Social Security and Medicare will bankrupt the nation, and yet reform does not happen. Secession offers perhaps the only hope for either liberals or conservatives to experience a government approaching their ideal. Neither side seems likely to force its vision on the other, leaving both continually disappointed with compromises. What about the consequences? America has enjoyed both economic and political benefits from being one nation. The economic benefits arise from the freedoms to trade and move within our nation’s borders. Economist Adam Smith recognized how the division of labor drove the massive increases in productivity during the Industrial Revolution, and that a larger market allowed for a more extensive division of labor. The U.S. has benefited from being a single large market, relative to the nations of Europe. The U.S. also experienced domestic peace, with the exception of the Civil War, in contrast with the wars plaguing Europe for centuries. America could maintain a tiny peacetime military and invest in building our economy. Peace also encourages economic integration, since the disruption of an extensive division of labor has terrible consequences. America’s unity and the ensuing economic and political benefits were, I think, a consequence of America’s founding on the principle of freedom. America’s founders fought for independence from England and then established a constitutional republic to realize individual freedom. This idea was powerful enough to eventually end slavery and to bring freedom to all Americans. Perhaps the biggest question that Calexit and Texit raise for Americans is whether we still share a common vision of the good society, and consequently are willing to live with our differences. Allowing states to make more policy choices through federalism can accommodate differences among us. America’s founders established a federal republic, but today federalism is largely dead, I think at least partly because people are unwilling to tolerate violations of fundamental human rights. If health care or gun ownership are inalienable rights, it seems unreasonable to allow states to trample these rights. California secession is highly unlikely in the near term. But if Calexit prompts Americans to recognize that we no longer want the same things and are unwilling to tolerate our differences, secessionist movements will continue to emerge in the future. ••• Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.
Donald Trump moving forward with border wall, weighs refugee cuts
President Donald Trump will use his executive authority Wednesday to jumpstart construction of his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, one of his signature campaign promises. He is also expected to target so-called sanctuary cities and potentially restrict the flow of refugees to the United States, according to administration officials. The president will sign the first actions — including the measure authorizing work on the wall —during a trip to the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday afternoon. He’ll also move to increase the number of border patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. On his personal Twitter account Tuesday night, Trump tweeted: “Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!” The president is said to still be weighing the details of plans to curb the number of refugees coming to the U.S. The current proposal includes at least a four-month halt on all refugee admissions, as well as a temporary ban on people coming from some Muslim-majority countries, according to a source from a public policy organization that monitors refugee issues. The person was briefed on the details of that proposed action by a government official and outlined the plan to The Associated Press. The officials and the public policy organization source insisted on anonymity in order to outline the plans ahead of the president’s official announcements. Trump campaigned on pledges to tighten U.S. immigration policies, including strengthening border security and stemming the flow of refugees. His call for a border wall was among his most popular proposals with supporters, who often broke out in chants of “build that wall” during rallies. In response to terrorism concerns, Trump controversially called for halting entry to the U.S. from Muslim countries. He later turned to a focus on “extreme vetting” for those coming from countries with terrorism ties. While the specifics of Trump’s orders were unclear, both administration officials said Wednesday’s actions would focus in part on the president’s plans to construct a wall along the southern border with Mexico. He’s also expected to move forward with plans to curb funding for cities that don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the U.S. illegally — localities dubbed “sanctuary” cities — which could cost individual jurisdictions millions of dollars. Trump has insisted that Mexico will pay for construction of the border wall, though he has not detailed how he make that happen given the Mexican government’s insistence that it will not cover the costs. Earlier this month, Trump said the building project would initially be paid for with a congressionally approved spending bill and Mexico would eventually reimburse the U.S. Trump is expected to discuss the matter with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto when he visits the White House next week. In claiming authority to build a wall, Trump may rely on a 2006 law that authorized several hundred miles of fencing along the 2,000-mile frontier. That bill led to the construction of about 700 miles of various kinds of fencing designed to block both vehicles and pedestrians. The Secure Fence Act was signed by then-President George W. Bush, and the majority of that fencing in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California was built before he left office. The last remnants were completed after President Barack Obama took office in 2009. The Trump administration also must adhere to a decades-old border treaty with Mexico that limits where and how structures can be built along the border. The 1970 treaty requires that structures cannot disrupt the flow of the rivers, which define the U.S.-Mexico border along Texas and 24 miles in Arizona, according to The International Boundary and Water Commission, a joint U.S.-Mexican agency that administers the treaty. Other executive actions expected Wednesday include ending what Republicans have labeled a catch-and-release system at the border. Currently, some immigrants caught crossing the border illegally are released and given notices to report back to immigration officials at a later date. If Trump’s actions result in those caught being immediately jailed, the administration would have to grapple with how to pay for additional jail space and what to do with children caught crossing the border with their parents. It appeared as though the refugee restrictions were still being finalized. The person briefed on the proposals said they included a ban on entry to the U.S. for at least 30 days from countries including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, though the person cautioned the details could still change. There is also likely to be an exception for those fleeing religious persecution if their religion is a minority in their country. That exception could cover Christians fleeing Muslim-majority nations. As president, Trump can use an executive order to halt refugee processing. Bush used that same power in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. Refugee security vetting was reviewed and the process was restarted several months later. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
EPA contract freeze, media blackout leave states confused
A Trump administration freeze on new Environmental Protection Agency contracts and grant awards raised fears that states and other recipients could lose essential funding for drinking water protection, hazardous waste oversight and a host of other programs — while a communications blackout left them dangling in uncertainty. The agency also took a potential first step Tuesday toward potentially killing environmental rules completed as President Barack Obama‘s term wound down. At least 30 were targeted in the Federal Register for delayed implementation, including updated pollution rulings for several states, renewable fuel standards and limits on the amount of formaldehyde that can leach from wood products. President Donald Trump signed a directive shortly after his inauguration ordering a “freeze pending review” on all federal rules issued by agencies but not yet in effect. But what the administration described Tuesday as a temporary suspension of new business activities at the EPA, including issuing work assignments to contractors, sowed widespread confusion about its reach. EPA contracts with outside vendors for a wide array of services, from engineering and research science to janitorial supplies. Emails to staff banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts contributed to the information vacuum. “Is President Trump the only one allowed to tweet in government right now?” Liz Purchia, who was EPA press secretary for the Obama administration, said in an email to The Associated Press. “I just keep thinking how thankful I am there isn’t an emergency disaster EPA needs to respond to right now. … It’s one thing to get your ducks in a row, but to put a gag order on public servants and all agency activities, not only prevents them from doing their jobs. It puts our country at risk.” Similar orders barring external communications have been issued at agencies within the departments of Transportation, Agriculture and Interior. “Vladimir Putin must be proud,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization. “The EPA, like all federal agencies, is funded by taxpayer dollars, and Americans have the right to know what’s being done to protect or harm public health and the environment.” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday he had no specific information on the blackout but added, “I don’t think it’s any surprise that when there’s an administration turnover, that we’re going to review the policies.” Doug Ericksen, communications director for Trump’s transition team at EPA, said the communications clampdown probably would be lifted by the end of the week. “We’re just trying to get a handle on everything and make sure what goes out reflects the priorities of the new administration,” Ericksen said. The freeze on EPA contracts and grants won’t apply to pollution cleanup efforts or infrastructure construction activities, he said. The agency said later the delay was for a review of transactions in the works and it should be finished by Friday. Still, confusion reigned in states led by Democrats and Republicans alike that depend on EPA funding. “We are unsure of the immediate or long-term impact” to programs in Montana involving wastewater treatment, underground storage tanks, air quality and more, said Kristi Ponozzo of the state Department of Environmental Quality. Utah’s DEQ is “seeking additional information so we can understand the impact of this action on our ability to administer critical programs,” said Alan Matheson, executive director. Members of Michigan’s congressional delegation raised concern that the freeze could jeopardize aid to Flint, a city still dealing with lead contamination of its water supply. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York urged the Trump administration to drop the media blackout and contracting holdup. “This decision could have damaging implications? for communities across New York state and the country, from delaying testing for lead in schools to restricting efforts to keep drinking water clean to holding up much-needed funding to revitalize toxic brownfield sites,” Schumer said. The executive director for the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Jeff Ruch, said the Trump orders go beyond what has occurred in prior presidential transitions. Ruch noted that key posts at EPA have not yet been filled with Republican appointees, including Trump’s nominee for EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt. That means new senior personnel are not in place to make key decisions. Environmentalists said the orders were causing low morale among EPA staff already beleaguered by repeated criticism from Trump and Pruitt. Staff at the Agriculture Department’s Agricultural Research Service also received orders not to issue any news releases, photos, fact sheets and social media posts. After an email of the order leaked to the media, the agency said it would rescind the memo. “Gag orders that freeze communications with the public and government officials go against basic notions of government transparency and accountability,” said Michael Macleod-Ball of the American Civil Liberties Union. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
On Twitter, President Donald Trump says he will order an investigation into voter fraud
President Donald Trump says he will order an investigation into voter fraud. The president tweeted early Wednesday that the measures will affect those registered to vote in more than one state, “those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time).” Trump says that “depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures.” Trump repeatedly made disputable claims of a rigged voting system before the election, but now in the White House, he continues to raise concern over fraud. Trump has been fixated on his loss of the popular vote in the election and a concern that the legitimacy of his presidency is being challenged by Democrats and the media, aides and associates say. Trump’s own attorneys dismissed claims of voter fraud in a legal filing responding to Green Party candidate Jill Stein‘s demand for a recount in Michigan late last year. “On what basis does Stein seek to disenfranchise Michigan citizens? None really, save for speculation,” the attorneys wrote. “All available evidence suggests that the 2016 general election was not tainted by fraud or mistake.” Secretaries of state across the country have dismissed Trump’s voter fraud claims as baseless. After the president’s morning tweets, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted wrote on Twitter, “We conducted a review 4 years ago in Ohio & already have a statewide review of 2016 election underway. Easy to vote, hard to cheat.” Trump’s exaggerations about inauguration crowds and assertions about illegal balloting have been distractions as advisers’ have tried to launch his presidency with a flurry of actions on the economy. His spokesman, Sean Spicer, has twice stepped into the fray himself, including on Tuesday, when he doubled down on Trump’s false claim that he lost the popular vote because 3 million to 5 million people living in the U.S. illegally cast ballots. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have finalized their election results with no reports of the kind of widespread fraud that Trump is alleging. “He believes what he believes based on the information he was provided,” said Spicer, who provided no evidence to back up the president’s statements. If the president’s claim were true it would mark the most significant election fraud in U.S. history — and ironically, would raise the same questions about Trump’s legitimacy that he’s trying to avoid. Rep. Elijah Cummings, ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Wednesday his panel has already sent letters to the attorneys general in all 50 states asking for reports of any election irregularities. “The president can join me and my staff,” Cummings said on MSNBC. He also said he wants Congress to restore voting protections, citing a Supreme Court ruling that “gutted” key sections of the Voting Rights Act, particularly the provision requiring southern states to get clearance in advance from the Justice Department before legislating changes in voting laws and procedures. Some Trump allies say he is justified in using his platform to defend his standing. They point to Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis‘ pre-inauguration statement that he did not see Trump as a legitimate president, as well as U.S. intelligence agencies’ assessment that Russia meddled in the election in order to help Trump win. “Segments of his own government keep driving this narrative,” said Roger Stone, a longtime confidant. “I don’t think it hurts to point it out.” Key advisers in Trump’s inner circle concede the focus on crowd claims and alleged voter fraud have been a distraction. After Friday’s inaugural festivities, the new president grew increasingly upset the next day by what he felt was “biased” media coverage of women’s marches across the globe protesting his election, according to a person familiar with his thinking. Trump was particularly enraged with CNN, which he thought was “gloating” by continually running photos of the women’s march alongside the smaller crowds that attended his inauguration the day before, according to this person, one of several White House aides and associates who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. Tuesday night on Twitter, Trump slammed CNN again, referring to the network as “FAKE NEWS @CNN” while praising rival Fox News Channel. Trump has had a tumultuous relationship with the press, frequently calling the media dishonest and insulting individual reporters by name at his rallies and on Twitter. Still, two people close to Trump said he expected his coverage to turn more favorable once he took office. Instead, he’s told people he believes it’s gotten worse. The bad press over the weekend has not allowed Trump to “enjoy” the White House as he feels he deserves, according to one person who has spoken with him. The result has been a full display of Trump’s propensity for exaggeration and more. During an appearance at the CIA Saturday, he wrongly said the inaugural crowds gathered on the National Mall stretched to the Washington Monument, despite clear photo evidence to the contrary. And during a reception with lawmakers from both parties Monday night, he repeated his false assertion that millions of illegal immigrants provided Hillary Clinton‘s margin in the popular vote. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Donald Trump intends to announce his Supreme Court pick on Feb. 2
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he intends to announce his nominee for the Supreme Court on Feb. 2, and three federal appeals court judges are said to be the front-runners to fill the lifetime seat held by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative icon. The leading contenders, who have met with Trump, are William Pryor, Neil Gorsuch and Thomas Hardiman, according to a person familiar with the process who was not authorized to speak publicly about internal decisions and discussed the search on condition of anonymity. The three, ranging in age from 49 to 54, were on the list of 21 potential high court picks Trump announced during his presidential campaign. Pryor, 54, is an Alabama-based judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Gorsuch, 49, is on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Hardiman, 51, is based in Pittsburgh for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. All were nominated by President George W. Bush for their current posts. In a tweet Wednesday morning, Trump said he will make his high court pick next Thursday. Trump has promised to seek someone in the mold of conservative icon Antonin Scalia, who died nearly a year ago after serving on the Supreme Court for more than 29 years. Senate Republicans prevented President Barack Obama from filling the seat, a political gamble that paid off when Trump was elected. It’s hard to know what might persuade Trump to choose one instead of the others, said John Malcolm, a senior lawyer at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “He’s got to feel comfortable with the guy. It’s a part of his legacy, a very important part of his legacy,” Malcolm said. Justices often serve for decades after the president has chosen them leaves office. The longest serving justice currently on the bench, Anthony Kennedy, was a Ronald Reagan appointee who joined the court in 1988. Democrats and liberal interest groups, fuming over the Republican refusal to consider Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the court, are ready to fight any Trump nominee who is “outside the mainstream,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said after a White House meeting about the court vacancy Tuesday. Conservatives said the contenders all share Scalia’s commitment to the text and meaning of the Constitution. “These are not stealth candidates. Their records are there for everyone to see and to understand. Their judicial philosophy is well within the mainstream of American legal thought,” said Leonard Leo, a conservative lawyer who has been advising Trump on the filling the vacancy. Of the three leading candidates, only Pryor faced significant opposition when nominated to the appeals court. Senate Democrats refused to allow a vote on his nomination, leading Bush initially to give Pryor a temporary recess appointment. In 2005, the Senate confirmed him 53-45, after senators reached an agreement to curtail delaying tactics for appellate judgeships. Gorsuch was approved by a voice vote in 2006. Schumer and Feinstein were among the 95 senators who voted for Hardiman’s confirmation in 2007. Hardiman is a colleague of Trump’s sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry. Pryor has a reputation as staunch conservative with a taste for academic rigor. He once called the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion the “worst abomination in the history of constitutional law.” As Alabama attorney general, he also angered some conservatives for urging a judicial discipline panel to remove Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore from office after he refused to obey a court order take down a Ten Commandments monument from the lobby of the state judicial building. Some conservatives also have recently criticized Pryor for his vote in 2011 in favor of a transgender woman who sued for sex discrimination. Gorsuch is the closest on Trump’s list to a Washington insider — the son of former EPA administrator Anne Gorsuch, educated in the Ivy League and at Oxford, law clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy and Bush-era Justice Department official. His opinions and outside writings, praised for their clear, colloquial style, include a call for courts to second-guess government regulations, defense of religious freedom and skepticism toward law enforcement. He has contended that courts give too much deference to government agencies’ interpretations of statutes. He sided with groups that held religious objections to the Obama administration’s requirements that employers provide health insurance that includes contraception. Hardiman has sided with jails seeking to strip-search inmates arrested for even minor offenses and has supported gun rights, dissenting in a 2013 case that upheld a New Jersey law to tighten requirements for carrying a handgun in public. Last year, he joined two 3rd Circuit colleagues in affirming the $1 billion settlement of NFL concussion claims, rejecting complaints that men with depression and mood disorders were left out of the deal. A Massachusetts native, he settled in Pittsburgh, where his wife comes from a family of prominent Democrats. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Journalist, grad student file lawsuit for more info on Jeff Sessions
An investigative reporter joined a graduate student to file a lawsuit this week against eight federal agencies seeking more information on Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump’s Attorney General nominee. First reported by Lydia Wheeler in The Hill, journalist Jason Leopold and Ryan Shapiro, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) doctoral candidate, filed the suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The two argue the records will shed more light on Sessions’ career as a state and federal attorney general and lawmaker. The suit accuses the agencies of failing to comply with requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Agencies named in the suit are the Department of Justice, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Security Agency. Wheeler writes that Leopold and Shapiro have also sued the CIA, FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, asking for records on Russian interference in the presidential election. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee agreed to delay a vote on Sessions’ confirmation until Jan. 31, after a request by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the senior Democrat on the committee.
Steve Flowers: Honest, diligent women make their mark in Alabama politics
Hillary Clinton’s failure to break the proverbial glass ceiling in American politics came up a little short. More than 100 men have been nominated for president by the nation’s political parties over the past 220 years. She was the first female to be the nominee of one of the two major parties. After Hillary became the Democratic nominee last year, former Colorado Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder, who ran for president in 1988, said it best, “It’s been the ultimate tree house with a no girls allowed sign posted on it.” Nevertheless, national studies have indicated that women still face a double standard when it comes to political campaigns. These surveys reveal that voters will support a male candidate they do not like if they believe he is qualified. However, they are less likely to support a female candidate they think is qualified unless they also like her. Therefore, it appears that for women candidates, likeability is intrinsically linked to electability. However, when it comes to honesty and trustworthiness women have an enormous advantage. Voters simply trust women more than men. A study done by the respected Pew Research Center Poll revealed that 31 percent said women were more honest and ethical than men. Amazingly only 3 percent said men were more honest and ethical. I have observed and stated that same opinion for years. My observation when I was in the Legislature was that women legislators were more honest, forthright and more diligent in their duties. Other political experts have espoused this same belief, especially, when it comes to Alabama’s politics. In the 1990s, the nation’s business community brought the political guru, Karl Rove, to Alabama to help elect a pro-business state supreme court. He was successful in his endeavor. As he departed the state he left an emphatic statement, “If you want to hold the court in Republican pro-business hands, the best candidate is a conservative female Republican, preferably one who has experience as a Circuit Judge.” Voters simply trust women more and especially for judgeships. We now have a record number of women on our State Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals. There is no question that women in Alabama have an inherent advantage on the ballot in state judicial and secondary statewide races. If you put the name John Doe on a ballot against Jane Doe in Alabama and neither does any advertising and voters simply show up and vote in a secondary statewide race, Jane Doe will win every time. However, a survey conducted by the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University ranks Alabama 46th in the nation for women serving in the legislature. We are indeed inexplicably underrepresented by women in the State House and Senate. Although today we have numerous ladies in statewide office. Kelli Wise and Lyn Stuart are premier justices on the state Supreme Court. Judges Beth Kellum and Mary Windom serve with distinction on the State Court of Criminal Appeals. Judge Terri Thomas of Cullman is outstanding on the State Court of Civil Appeals. Kay Ivey is our Lieutenant Governor and Twinkle Cavanaugh serves as President of the Public Service Commission. In the course of history, it has not been that long that women were given the right to vote. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave women suffrage. Alabama’s legislature voted to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1953. However, women began to be elected statewide in Alabama long before other so-called progressive states. Beginning in the 1950s women dominated the offices of Secretary of State, State Auditor, and State Treasurer to such an extent that they became known as “the ladies’ offices.” The first woman elected to a statewide office was Sybil Poole who won the Secretary of State office in 1946. She was soon followed by the legendary Agnes Baggett and then Mary Texas Hurt Garner and Melba Till Allen. These women would simply swap the posts of Secretary of State and State Treasurer after their term limits. By the time Lurleen Wallace became the first female governor in 1967, women held almost half of Alabama’s constitutional offices. It may be time for another female governor. Twinkle Cavanaugh or Kay Ivey or someone else may make the leap. We will see. See you next week. ___ Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state Legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
