‘Morning Joe’ Shreds Mike Johnson for Border Bill Shutdown Effort: ‘Worshipping at the Feet’ of Trump | Video
Andi Ortiz – February 5, 2024
“Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough laid into House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday morning, after Johnson made it clear that he won’t be supporting a bipartisan bill aiming to improve border security. According to the MSNBC host, Johnson is simply “worshipping at the feet of Donald Trump” at this point.
On Sunday, after the text of the bipartisan bill was released — clocking in at 370 pages — Johnson posted on X, still popularly referred to as Twitter, that he’d “seen enough” and that the bill was “even worse than we expected.”
“That’s just a lie. And I’d love to know what bible he’s looking at when he says he lives by the Bible,” Scarborough said disgustedly. “Because it’s bizarre that this guy is worshipping at the feet of Donald Trump. [He] basically does whatever Donald Trump tells him to do, and was, of course, the chief sponsor of the Big Lie in the House of Representatives.”
“This is the toughest border bill in a generation,” Scarborough said. “If you’d have read any of that to us a year or two ago, we would all say ‘Oh, yeah, that’s the Republican wishlist.’”
He added, “And now, just because Mike is being told by Donald not to pass this bill … we have a situation where they want to keep the border open, because it’s bad for America, and they believe what’s bad for America is good for Donald Trump.”
You can watch the full discussion from “Morning Joe” in the video above.
Lankford defends border bill amid GOP criticism: ‘Don’t just go off of Facebook’
Alexander Bolton – February 5, 2024
Lankford defends border bill amid GOP criticism: ‘Don’t just go off of Facebook’
Sen. James Lankford (Okla.), the lead GOP architect of the bipartisan Senate border security deal, pushed back on Republican critics, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), for rushing to condemn the legislation.
Lankford during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” also responded to the scathing criticism of the legislation by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who panned the proposal Sunday as the “Border Capitulation Bill” and more bluntly as a “crap-sandwich of a border bill.”
Lankford noted that Lee had previously insisted on giving senators at least three weeks to review the 370-page bill but is expressing opposition after having less than a day to study it.
“He needs three weeks to be able to read it, but he’s already opposed to it. So again, people have to be able to read it and go through it themselves. Don’t just go off of Facebook post somewhere on what the bill says,” Lankford said.
Lankford, who spent four months negotiating the legislation and said it “blew up” his Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays, said it’s “unfortunate” that the Speaker has declared the Senate bill is “even worse than expected” and “dead on arrival” in the House.
The Oklahoma senator lamented Johnson’s condemnation of the bill without taking more time to digest reforms such as raising the standard of migrants seeking asylum, eliminating the backlog at immigration courts and granting the president new power to expel migrants and shut down the border.
“Unfortunate that he would step out and be able to see that right away, before, obviously, he has had a chance to be able to read it as well, and to be able to go through it,” he said of Johnson’s declaration that the bill has no chance of passing the House.
Lankford said Republicans need to make a decision about whether they want to enact some meaningful border security reforms into law or to let the border crisis continue unabated and allow an average of 10,000 people to steam into the country each day, many of them unvetted.
“The key aspect of this, again, is are we, as Republicans, going to have press conferences and complain the border’s bad and then intentionally leave it open after the worst month in American history in December?” Lankford argued.
“Now we’ve got to actually determine, are we going to just complain about things? Are we going to actually … change as many things as we can if we have the shot?” he said.
Lankford has told reporters that under the bill, once the daily average of migrants encountered at the border reaches 5,000, President Biden will be forced to shut down the border until the Department of Homeland Security regains operational control.
And he has dismissed talk among some GOP lawmakers that passing a bipartisan border deal will protect Biden from attacks over his immigration record.
“I’ve had some Republicans say, ‘Well, this will make Joe Biden whole [on immigration].’ I don’t think anyone is going to see Joe Biden as the border security president. I just don’t think there’s any chance of that. Because what we’ve seen the last three years is an open border like our country’s never experienced. So I don’t think when we pass this bill everybody’s going to suddenly think he’s the savior of the closed border,” Lankford told reporters last week.
Trump says border bill ‘very bad’ for Lankford’s career
Sarah Fortinsky – February 5, 2024
Former President Trump on Monday railed against the bipartisan border agreement and took aim at Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), a key negotiator, for his role in brokering the deal.
In an interview on “The Dan Bongino Show,” Trump denied endorsing Lankford’s candidacy in 2022 — despite doing so publicly — and did not rule out endorsing a primary opponent when Lankford is up for reelection in 2028.
“I think this is a very bad bill for his career, especially in Oklahoma,” Trump said about Lankford when asked whether he would back a primary challenge to the senator.
“I won in Oklahoma,” Trump said. “I know those people. They’re great people. They’re not going to be happy about this. Nobody’s going to be happy about this, but the people in Oklahoma are, these are serious MAGA, these are serious people. They are not going to be happy about this, Dan, when they see this. This is crazy. This is lunacy, this bill.”
Senate negotiators unveiled the 370-page national security legislation Sunday evening after months of negotiations. The bill includes funding for Ukraine, Israel and other foreign policy priorities, as well as significant changes aimed at tightening enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The border component includes provisions to raise standards for asylum screening and to process claims faster, ends the practice known as “catch and release” and provides the administration with new emergency authority to close the border to most migrants when crossings reach a set threshold. It also seeks to make it easier for migrants to get work authorization and eliminate the immigration court backlog.
The bill has faced significant pushback from progressives and Trump allies in Congress, and House Republican leaders have said it would be dead on arrival in the lower chamber. Still, the Senate plans to take the first procedural vote on the legislation this week.
Ahead of the bill text’s release, Trump had attacked the prospect of the legislation, branding it as a political victory for Democrats ahead of the 2024 election — a message he repeated in Monday’s interview.
“This is a gift to Democrats, and this, sort of, is a shifting of the worst border in history onto the shoulders of Republicans. That’s really what they want. They want this for the presidential election, so they can now blame the Republicans for the worst border in history,” Trump said.
Lankford has fiercely defended the bill and said that if Trump returned to the White House, it would give him the tools to manage the border. He also lamented Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) rush to disavow the legislation before even having a chance to read it.
“The key aspect of this, again, is, are we, as Republicans, going to have press conferences and complain the border’s bad and then intentionally leave it open after the worst month in American history in December?” Lankford said in a Monday interview on “Fox & Friends.”
“Now we’ve got to actually determine, are we going to just complain about things? Are we going to actually … change as many things as we can if we have the shot?” he added.
“I’ve had some Republicans say, ‘Well, this will make Joe Biden whole [on immigration].’ I don’t think anyone is going to see Joe Biden as the border security president. I just don’t think there’s any chance of that. Because what we’ve seen the last three years is an open border like our country’s never experienced. So I don’t think when we pass this bill everybody’s going to suddenly think he’s the savior of the closed border,” Lankford told reporters last week.
Trump falsely claims he didn’t endorse border bill co-author James Lankford
Kyla Guilfoil – February 6, 2024
Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed in an interview Monday that he did not endorse Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., for re-election in 2022.
“Just to correct the record, I did not endorse Sen. Lankford. I didn’t do it. He ran, and I did not endorse him,” Trump told right-wing radio host Dan Bongino in an interview after the host noted the former president previously endorsed the Oklahoma Republican.
But in a Sept. 27, 2022, statement, Trump gave Lankford his “Complete and Total Endorsement!”
“Sometimes we didn’t exactly agree on everything, but we do now,” Trump said in a statement ahead of the midterm elections. “He is a very good man with a fabulous wife and family, loves the great State of Oklahoma, and is working very hard on trying to Save our Country from the disaster that it is in.”
Trump also praised Lankford’s commitment to improving border security.
“James Lankford is Strong on the Border, Tough on Crime, and Very Smart on the Economy,” Trump’s statement said.
Trump’s false claim on Monday about not previously endorsing Lankford came after the Oklahoma senator helped negotiate a bipartisan border security bill in Congress that the former president is trying to quash.
The bill aims to address record-high border crossings with a series of provisions that would include language to tighten an asylum system that has been overwhelmed with migrants. The bill also includes aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
In his interview Monday, Trump bashed Lankford’s support of the new border bill, adding that it would hurt the senator’s support in his home state.
“This is a very bad bill for his career and especially in Oklahoma,” Trump said. “I know those people. They’re great people. They’re not going to be happy about this.”
Lankford is not up for re-election until 2028. He has served in the Senate since 2015 and previously served in the House from 2011 to 2015.
House Speaker Mike Johnson criticizes new bill on US border security
The New Voice of Ukraine – February 5, 2024
Mike Johnson
The bill on funding changes in immigration policy, as well as aid to Ukraine and Israel proposed by the Senate, is “even worse than we expected” and “won’t put an end to the border catastrophe,” House speaker Mike Johnson said on X (Twitter) on Feb. 5.
“This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created.” the House Speaker said.
“As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, “the border never closes,” he added, saying if this bill reaches the House of Representatives, it will be dead on arrival.
On Jan. 19, Johnson revealed that he often discusses border reinforcement with former US President Donald Trump, including conversations on the eve of Biden’s meeting dedicated to the border and aid to Ukraine.
On Jan. 25, the Financial Times reported that Republicans, influenced by Trump, who demands the party reject a compromise on immigration, are succumbing.
On Jan. 31, in his first official address as Speaker, Johnson stated that the Senate agreement under discussion is not sufficient to prevent migrants from Mexico entering the US. He had previously hinted that he would not unblock aid to Ukraine, calling the Senate agreement “absolutely dead.”
On Feb. 5, the US Senate unveiled a $118 billion package, including $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion in aid to Israel, nearly $5 billion to allies in the Asia-Pacific region, $20 billion for strengthening immigration policy, and humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
US President Joe Biden urged the House to promptly pass the bill.
“We have now reached an agreement on a bipartisan national security deal, which includes the toughest and fairest package of border reforms in the last decade. I strongly support it,” said Biden.
UN appeals for $7.9 billion to help millions of migrants flee climate change, conflict
Michael Dorgan – January 25, 2024
The United Nations has appealed for a whopping $7.9 billion to bolster its efforts to migrate people around the world who it says have been forced to leave their homes for various reasons, including climate change and conflict.
The plea was made by the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva Monday to support its operations and help “create a system that realizes migration’s promise as a force for good throughout the world.”
“The IOM Global Appeal seeks funding to save lives and protect people on the move, drive solutions to displacement and facilitate safe pathways for regular migration,” a statement released by the IOM says. Those objectives form part of the IOM’s new five-year Global Strategic Plan.
The organization says that the nearly $8 billion would go toward serving nearly 140 million people, including internally displaced people and the local communities that host them. Crucially, it would also allow for an expansion of IOM’s development work, which helps prevent further displacement, the appeal states.
The IOM has called on governments, the private sector, individual donors and “other partners” to contribute to the fund, noting it’s the first time it has put out such an appeal.
Of the $7.9 billion, around $3.4 billion would go toward “saving lives and protecting people on the move,” and $1.6 billion would be spent on facilitating “regular pathways for migration.”
It is unclear how exactly this would be spent, but the U.N. has been known to distribute cash debit cards to migrants and provide food, basic necessities and prescription drugs.
Around $2.7 billion would be allotted for “solutions to displacement,” including reducing the risks and impacts of climate change, the appeal states, while another $163 million would go toward “transforming IOM to deliver services in a better, more effective way.”
Amy Pope, the director general of the IOM, said migration has reached unprecedented levels and that it benefits the world.
Migrants camp near Lukeville, Ariz. The appeal states there are an estimated 281 million “international migrants” around the world.
“The evidence is overwhelming that migration, when well managed, is a major contributor to global prosperity and progress,” Pope said.
“We are at a critical moment in time, and we have designed this appeal to help deliver on that promise. We can and must do better.”
The appeal comes as countries around the world are facing hefty bills to house and feed migrants who cross their borders illegally.
For instance, a study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) last year found that illegal immigration is now costing U.S. taxpayers $151 billion a year, marking a 30% increase in five years. The largest cost that FAIR identifies is K-12 education, which the group estimates costs $78 billion a year.
The U.S. government is already the U.N.’s biggest donor, contributing about $18.1 billion to the global body in 2022, a massive increase from its $12.5 billion allocation in 2021, according to the U.N.’s website.
The appeal states that there are an estimated 281 million “international migrants” who generate 9.4% of global GDP, although it does not show how it came to that figure.
“Migration is a cornerstone of global development and prosperity,” the appeal states.
A migrant was lowered from a border wall in Naco, Arizona, by a human smuggler in an exclusive Fox News video screen grab.
Many migrants make the often treacherous journeys to other countries to claim asylum, and the appeal argues that limiting regular migration pathways and protections leaves people vulnerable to violence, exploitation and danger.
For instance, the IOM estimated that at least 60,000 migrants died or disappeared on perilous journeys over the last nine years.
“The consequences of underfunded, piecemeal assistance come at a greater cost, not just in terms of money but in greater danger to migrants through irregular migration, trafficking and smuggling,” the appeal states.
“Well-managed migration has the potential to advance development outcomes, contribute to climate change adaptation, and promote a safer and more peaceful, sustainable, prosperous and equitable future.”
