News Commentary; By Peter Ripley Publisher
This week's outrage over Trump's policy regarding separation of illegal migrant children, from their parents who cross the borders of Mexico, and Canada to the US, had everyone focusing on this story. The UN was spewing out their disapproval of us protecting our own borders to would be terrorist using those points of entry for ill purposes, using sometimes children to gain entry claiming to be parents of these kids. Do I sound paranoid? Perhaps, one can't to be too relaxed these days about national security, ever since 9/11. This story been bantered around Nationally, in the mainstream media, the liberal political arm of the Democrats.
Let's take a step back in time around 1997, the media's golden boy Bill Clinton was President, and Janet Reno was the Attorney General, and a little cuban boy named Elian Gonzalez made headlines world over when he survived a boat wreck of cuban refugees fleeing Cuba, which his mother died in that boat wreck. Here's a headline from the BBC: Diplomacy effort over shipwreck boy
Quote: " However US President Bill Clinton said on Wednesday that politics should be kept out of the international custody battle.
"The question is - and I think the most important thing is - what would be best for the child. And there is a legal process for determining that," Mr Clinton said. (see full story)
Not one word of condemnation from the liberal media, or from the democratic side of congress, over the decision of Clinton, and Janet Reno to take the kid by force, and send him back to Cuba, to his father.
Washington State's delegation to DC, Senator Patty Murray was in office during that time, apparently upon search of her press releases far back to 97, 98, and 2000, she had nothing to say about the Gonzalez case.
But now she has plenty to say about separation of illegal immigrants children from their parents, has the press release below clearly demonstrates. Where was her outrage back then? Apparently one could surmise that she didn't mine separation of a cuban boy from his Miami kin, to be sent back to Fidel Castro's Cuba! She would never condemn the actions of Clinton, and Reno! We all know that! Now, that Trump is in charge she has plenty to say, isn't that amazing!?
Below are related stories and press releases...
Senator Murray on President Trump’s Executive Order on Family Separation Policy: “It’s not enough. We are not going to say everything is OK, and we are not going to stay quiet”
Joined by more than 20 Democratic Senators, Senator Murray spoke out against the Trump Administration’s traumatic separation of migrant children from their parents, and repeated her unanswered questions to the Trump Administration about the families torn apart by the zero-tolerance policy
Press released 6/ 20/ 18
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=E68B2646-7BDE-46AD-877F-F01C7833B7BB
Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined more than 20 of her colleagues on the Senate floor to lift up the voices of the overwhelming number of Americans outraged by President Trump’s recently-enacted family separation policy, and to demand answers about the status and well-being of children who have been separated from their parents in recent weeks. Senator Murray, the ranking member of the Senate health committee, has been seeking information from President Trump’s Health Secretary Alex Azar about the impact of the Administration’s family separation policy on the children and the crisis these separations are creating for his Department—a request that has gone unanswered. The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is responsible for the care of the children detained at the border, is housed within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Senator Murray’s Remarks As Prepared for Delivery
“Thank you. I may only be one person, but today I bring to the floor of the United States Senate the outrage, the pain, and the frustration of millions of people, in my home state of Washington and across the country who see what President Trump has been doing on our southern border.
Who have been watching the pain this forced family separation has caused so many innocent children. Who have begged the president to pick up the phone, sign a piece of paper— do whatever it takes to make it stop. Who have refused to be silenced as President Trump carries out his hateful and divisive attacks on immigrants, and who heard a recording with the desperate cries of children calling for their parents. And while today we saw President Trump change his story about whether he did in fact have the ability to make it stop—so many questions remain.
Questions I and others have been asking the Trump Administration for weeks have gone unanswered—like, exactly how parents are being informed about their children’s safety, where they are located, when they will be reunited? And those are just a few—there are more.
President Trump says the executive order stops the separation—does that mean starting today? Next month? When? What about the thousands of children who were removed? Will they ever see their parents again, and if so, when? Where?
I have not gotten answers from Secretary of Health Alex Azar, whose department should be focused on families’ health and wellbeing, but has instead spent that time complicit in a policy of separating families and traumatizing parents and children alike— even as experts, like the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the practice of intentionally inflicting trauma on young children is child abuse.
But M. President—while it’s a good thing President Trump dialed back his systematic child abuse—it’s not enough. We are not going to say everything is OK, and we are not going to stay quiet. Because while we’re still digging into this new executive order—here is what we know right now.
If this is implemented, there will continue to be zero tolerance for all asylum seekers, including domestic violence survivors, a system of locking up children by the thousands, and all carried out in our great country’s name.
I just read the story of a woman named Blanca who left El Salvador after she received threats on her 8-year-old son’s life. She took those threats seriously she says. Why? Because another family member had been already been kidnapped. And as Blanca said, when the extortionists don’t get their money, they kill people. So Blanca left everything behind and sought safety for her son. Two months ago she arrived at the U.S. border to seek asylum. Blanca says that was the last time she saw or talked to her son Abel, whose last words to her were, “Don’t leave me, mom.” Blanca now sits in a federal detention center in SeaTac in Washington state, where she told her story through tears to an AP reporter. Her son, she understands, is in custody in upstate New York—some 3,000 miles away. And she doesn’t know when—or if—she’s going to see him again.
Blanca’s story is horrifying, it’s sad. But unfortunately, it’s not unique. She is one of thousands of parents and children who fled violence and persecution, only to find a new nightmare upon arrival in the United States of American. A nightmare caused deliberately, for no good reason, by President Trump, who has chosen to scapegoat asylum seekers and put their children into detention centers for an undetermined amount of time.
We are better than this. We must be better than this. Turning children into bargaining chips, or leverage points, deterrents— that kind of cruelty should not be an option in our great nation.
Now, in recent days my office has been flooded with thousands of calls, emails, and letters from moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers, people from all walks of life, from all communities I represent who are angry at the president’s new zero-tolerance policy and horrified by the families it was ripping apart—and I know I have not been alone.
If we can find hope in one thing, it is knowing that all the calls and emails and letters—all that outcry—got through to the President to change course on one of his most heartless policies yet. But we can’t let up now. President Trump has claimed for days that he needed Congressional action to do anything at all. Today, he proved that to be simply untrue.
So now that we know President Trump will bow to the stern pressure of a strong moral movement— families in Washington state and every state across our country are going to continue demanding action—and I am going to keep working to make sure they are heard, for the sake of so many who seek refuge in our great country, and those who believe in the kindness, respect, and compassion that does make this country great.
WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET: President Donald J. Trump is Acting to Enforce the Law, While Keeping Families Together.
Released on 6/ 20/ 18https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-acting-enforce-law-keeping-families-together/
It’s about keeping families together, while at the same time, being sure that we have a very powerful, very strong border.
President Donald J. Trump
SECURING THE BORDER, KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER: President Donald J. Trump is using his existing executive authority to address family separation of illegal alien border-crossers.
President Trump is committed to protecting our Nation’s borders during a historic influx of illegal alien border crossers, while taking action under current legal constraints to prevent the separation of illegal alien families.
President Trump has signed an Executive Order that allows the Administration to continue to protect the border with our zero-tolerance policy, while also avoiding the separation of illegal alien families, to the extent he can legally do so.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions will seek an immediate modification of the Flores settlement agreement, which prevents Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from detaining families together for more than 20 days.
Under the current settlement agreement, the government cannot hold illegal alien families together past 20 days, meaning a child must be separated from his or her parent if the parent remains in custody.
Half a million illegal immigrants’ families and minors from Central America have been released into the United States since 2014 as a result of catch-and-release loopholes.
The President is also ordering the prioritization of immigration cases involving families and ordering his Administration to expand our family detention capacity.
REFUSING TO DO THEIR JOB: Congressional Democrats have chosen to play politics with a humanitarian and national security crisis.
Current loopholes in Federal law prevent detention and removal as a family unit—leading to separations and mass catch-and-release.
Despite the clear need for legislative action, Congressional Democrats have refused to come to the table and work with the President in good faith to address the issue of family separation.
Instead, they are intent on furthering their agenda of open borders and trying to release all illegal alien families and minors who show up at the border.
Yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) refused to do his job, saying “legislation is not the way to go here.”
Instead of acting, Congressional Democrats have blocked any effort to detain and remove families together; incentivizing even more illegal immigration.
CONGRESS MUST ACT: Lawmakers must still pass legislation to secure our border and to finally and fully allow family and minor detention and prompt removal.
The President has taken action to address the immediate issue by detaining families together for as long as he can legally do so under Flores, and now expects Congress to work quickly to address permanently the crisis at our border.
The United States cannot have a border that is open to illegal aliens.
The President supports the strong bill House Leadership has proposed to fix our dysfunctional immigration system, including the problems that arise from the Flores settlement agreement.
Since last October, the President has pushed Congress to close the loopholes that limit detention of families together to mere weeks but require years to effectuate a removal.
Remarks by President Trump and Vice President Pence at Signing of Executive Order Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-vice-president-pence-signing-executive-order-affording-congress-opportunity-address-family-separation/
Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq., it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of this Administration to rigorously enforce our immigration laws. Under our laws, the only legal way for an alien to enter this country is at a designated port of entry at an appropriate time. When an alien enters or attempts to enter the country anywhere else, that alien has committed at least the crime of improper entry and is subject to a fine or imprisonment under section 1325(a) of title 8, United States Code. This Administration will initiate proceedings to enforce this and other criminal provisions of the INA until and unless Congress directs otherwise. It is also the policy of this Administration to maintain family unity, including by detaining alien families together where appropriate and consistent with law and available resources. It is unfortunate that Congress’s failure to act and court orders have put the Administration in the position of separating alien families to effectively enforce the law.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/affording-congress-opportunity-address-family-separation/
Attorney General Jeff Sessions: “We Don’t Want to Separate Parents from Kids”
Some years ago, it was decided that law enforcement might arrest adults who crossed the border illegally by themselves, but anyone who brought a child with them would not be prosecuted, a form of immunity.---An oped that was published in the USA TODAY, then shared on the White House webpage.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-dont-want-separate-parents-kids/
Congressional Delegation reactions:
Kilmer to Congress: “Do your job. Debate HHS detention center funding.”
Majority delays Appropriations subcommittee markup which would have required a vote on detention centers housing children separated from their parents.
Press released on 6/ 19/ 18
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/kilmer-to-congress-do-your-job-debate-hhs-detention-center-funding-
WASHINGTON, DC—The House Committee on Appropriations delayed a subcommittee markup scheduled for tomorrow on a funding bill that controls spending for the Department of Health and Human Services, one of the government agencies that runs the centers where the Trump Administration is detaining children separated from their parents. The Department of Homeland Security also operates detention centers. The markup could have forced a recorded vote on whether or not government funds should be used to operate HHS child detention centers.
Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) the Vice Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement:
“Congress should do its job. The Appropriations committee should debate whether Americans’ tax money should be spent on detaining children separated from their parents. This is a debate about our values, and it should happen now, in public view and not behind closed doors,” Kilmer said. “This policy is wrong, and every member of Congress ought to have the courage to take a vote on this issue.
( More reactions over Separation policy are continued on pages 2-4)
In other World news headlines...
Hungary’s laws on helping vulnerable foreigners are ‘blatantly xenophobic’: Zeid
Hungarian legislation that criminalizes anyone who supports asylum seekers and other vulnerable individuals is “blatantly xenophobic”, “shameful” and “disgraceful”, the UN human rights chief said on Thursday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/06/1012722
Challenges remain in DPRK despite 'slight' improvements in health, wellbeing: UNICEF
The health and wellbeing of women and children in North Korea has improved slightly in recent years but “urgent” challenges remain in rural areas, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/06/1012592
UN chief hails ‘very important role’ of Human Rights Council, as US withdraws, citing alleged bias
In response to the withdrawal of the United States on Tuesday from the United Nations body which is designed to promote and protect human rights around the globe, Secretary-General António Guterres said that he would have “much preferred” the US remain.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/06/1012572
Related press release from the US Mission to the UN: Remarks on the UN Human Rights Council.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Good afternoon. The Trump administration is committed to protecting and promoting the God-given dignity and freedom of every human being. Every individual has rights that are inherent and inviolable. They are given by God, and not by government. Because of that, no government must take them away.
For decades, the United States has led global efforts to promote human rights, often through multilateral institutions. While we have seen improvements in certain human rights situations, for far too long we have waited while that progress comes too slowly or in some cases never comes. Too many commitments have gone unfulfilled.
President Trump wants to move the ball forward. From day one, he has called out institutions or countries who say one thing and do another. And that’s precisely the problem at the Human Rights Council. As President Trump said at the UN General Assembly: “It is a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the Human Rights Council.”-----Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State United States.
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8486
Page 2
(More reactions over Trump's Separation Policy... Continued from page 1)
🌎UN REACTION:
UN PRESS RELEASE: Secretary-General Says Refugees, Migrants Should Be Treated with Dignity
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
As a matter of principle, the Secretary-General believes that refugees and migrants should always be treated with respect and dignity, and in accordance with existing international law. Children must not be traumatized by being separated from their parents. Family unity must be preserved.---press released on 6/ 18/ 18
https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sgsm19094.doc.htm
UN agency chiefs issue ‘call to action’ on behalf of refugee children
The statement by Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) came in an editorial published on the website for CNN, the US-based cable and online news network.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/06/1012612
Secretary-General Urges Solidarity, Compassion, Action, in Message for World Refugee Day
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Refugee Day, observed on 20 June:
What would you do if you were forced to leave your home?
Today, more than 68 million people around the world are refugees or internally displaced as a result of conflict or persecution. That is equivalent to the population of the world’s twentieth largest country.
Last year, someone was displaced every two seconds. Mostly, in poorer countries.
On World Refugee Day, we must all think about what more we can we do to help. The answer begins with unity and solidarity.
I am deeply concerned to see more and more situations where refugees are not receiving the protection they need and to which they are entitled. We need to re-establish the integrity of the international refugee protection regime.
In today’s world, no community or country providing safe refuge to people fleeing war or persecution should be alone and unsupported. We stand together, or we fail.
This year, a global compact on refugees will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly. It offers a way forward and recognizes the contributions that refugees make to the societies hosting them.
As long as there are wars and persecution, there will be refugees. On World Refugee Day, I ask you to remember them. Their story is one of resilience, perseverance and courage. Ours must be of solidarity, compassion and action.
https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sgsm19096.doc.htm
Related News Clips:
Demo Party Leaders Don't Care About Immigrant Children — Unless...
Demos don't want an immigration solution. They want political fodder to undermine the Trump administration's economic policy success before midterm elections.
Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are scurrying around the congressional chambers trying to figure out how to derail Donald Trump’s highly successful Make America Great Again policies before the 2018 midterm elections. They have their work cut out for them.
According to current tracking by the reputable Gallup organization, satisfaction with the direction of the country is now higher than at any time since 2005. That’s higher than any year Barack Obama’s regime was in power. And President Trump’s approval ratings are slowly climbing.---Patriot Post
https://patriotpost.us/alexander/56672-demo-party-leaders-dont-care-about-immigrant-children-unless-dot-dot-dot
The Politics Behind Separation Anxiety
Need proof that the current controversy over children of undocumented immigrants is more political than humanitarian? Hillary Clinton said she was “adamantly against illegal immigrants” and supported a border wall until she ran for president in 2016.---Patriot Post
https://patriotpost.us/opinion/56686-the-politics-behind-separation-anxiety
NATIONAL REVIEW: Enforce Immigration Law or Change It
Quote: " Bill Clinton, who once dispatched armed men into a private home to seize a boy legally residing with family in the United States and ship him off to Fidel Castro’s gulag, has wagged his finger at the Trump administration. (He is a world-champion finger-wagger, as many of you will remember.) Mrs. Clinton, back to stand-by-your-man mode, put in her “Amen!” Dianne Feinstein and 42 of her fellow Senate Democrats are putting forward a bill that would forbid such family separations, but there are at the moment zero backers of any bill doing what the Trump administration’s critics are in effect demanding without having the gonadal capacity to say so: decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings. That’s what the slogan “No human being is illegal” means."---NATIONAL REVIEW
https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2018/07/09/immigration-laws-enforce-or-change/
Rush Limbuagh Show: Bill Clinton and Janet Reno Separated Families
"And then does anybody remember the name and saga of young Elian Gonzalez? Elian Gonzalez survived a rickety raft trip from Cuba to Florida. His mother did not. His mother drowned trying to save him. Elian was five or six.
They had relatives living in the Miami area, and they took the young boy in. After many months of the Clinton administration thinking that America was no place in this kid. His mother had left Cuba, risking her life and her son’s to get away from Castro and that nightmare of a country. She died. But Clinton and El Reno thought that the real home for that kid was back in “Cuber” with the child’s father, Juan Gonzales. So arguments ensued; the Clinton administration actually flew Juan Gonzales to Washington and to Florida."--- Quote from show dated 6/ 19/ 18
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2018/06/19/bill-clinton-and-janet-reno-separated-families/
Elián González, now 23, says he would like to reconcile with his Miami relatives
" In predawn hours of April 22, 2000, the Saturday before Easter Sunday, armed federal agents seized Elián from his relatives’ Miami home. The picture of a traumatized Elián staring at the barrel of an agent’s rifle flashed across TVs and newspapers worldwide.
In response to President Donald Trump’s new harder-line policy on Cuba, González said: “I only hope that relations improve until our differences can be cleared up. Everyone can have their different point of view, have their political differences, but I don’t think the countries and that families should continue to be separated.”---From the Miami Herald dated in 2017
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/little-havana/article169254877.html
Curbelo says children at Homestead separated from their parents will be reunited
" Miami Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told him during a meeting on Wednesday that the 94 children residing at the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children will be returned to their parents due to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that temporarily ends the White House's child separation policy. " ---from the Miami Herald
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2018/06/curbelo-says-children-at-homestead-separated-from-their-parents-will-be-reunited.html
( State reaction of Trump's Separation policy on page 3)
PAGE 3
Press release issued 6/ 21/ 18
https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-lead-multistate-lawsuit-challenging-trump-administration-family
SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced he will lead a coalition of states in challenging the Trump Administration’s policy of forced family separation on the U.S. southern border. The lawsuit will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
When the lawsuit is filed, it will be Ferguson’s 27th against the Trump Administration. Ferguson has nine legal victories thus far and has not lost a case against the Administration.
“This is a rogue, cruel, and unconstitutional policy,” Ferguson said. “We’re going to put a stop to it.”
“We have no way to predict from one day to the next what this president’s policies or intentions are,” Governor Jay Inslee said. “But one thing we know for sure is Washington state will always be among the first to stand up for the people and the values that make our state and our nation an enduring beacon of hope and opportunity. These cruel policies and this executive order are un-American and create chaos, fear and uncertainty. Washington continues to stand ready to ensure this president is held accountable.”
"Time and time again, we have seen courts strike down Trump administration immigration policies that violate our values and the Constitution," said Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. "I strongly support Attorney General Ferguson's efforts to hold this administration legally accountable for policies that inflict abuse on immigrant children and parents. This is an important, heartbreaking and crucial moment for our country. Our own state is now seeing the devastating impact of cruel family separation and incarceration policies. Make no mistake: the president's latest executive order seeks to indefinitely detain children and their parents and continues to criminally prosecute asylum-seekers. It is no solution to this crisis. I want to thank the Attorney General for his leadership in our fight for justice."
“I am proud of our State and civil rights leaders for acting to make our country more just,” Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. “As a mom and as an American, it is heartbreaking to watch our country literally tear children from their mothers. As a former federal law enforcement leader, I know this policy is not only unjust - it makes us less safe. This cruelty serves no purpose. The world is watching as the Trump administration continues to misrepresent the law, debase our values, and leave families and children devastated and traumatized. We must stand together against these actions.”
Gathered outside the federal prison where dozens of affected parents have been held, Ferguson and Inslee announced the upcoming lawsuit at a press conference today, along with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) Executive Director Jorge Barón. Barón also announced that NWIRP intends to file a similar lawsuit in the near future on behalf of individuals affected by the policy.
The states’ lawsuit will allege the Administration has violated the constitutional due process rights of the parents and children by separating them as a matter of course and without any finding that the parent poses a threat to the children. The policy is also irrationally discriminatory, in violation of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection, because it targets only people crossing our southern border, and not anyone crossing the Northern border or entering the United States elsewhere. The states will also argue that this policy once again violates the Administrative Procedure Act, because it is arbitrary and capricious, and that the Administration has been violating U.S. asylum laws by turning people away at ports of entry.
The states will ask the President to comply with the law and the Constitution. For starters, by correcting the egregious flaws in the executive order, starting by creating a process to reunify the thousands of families torn apart by a cruel and unconstitutional policy, and immediately halting the practice of refusing to accept asylum petitions at the border.
Problems with executive order
Washington and the states were poised to file the lawsuit today. Despite President Donald Trump’s previous claims that an executive order could not reverse his family separation policy, on Wednesday he issued an order purporting to do just that.
Following a close review of the order, the Attorney General’s Office found two main problems.
First, the order does nothing to reunify families already torn apart by the Trump Administration’s policy.
Second, the order is riddled with so many caveats as to be meaningless. For example, the order requires appropriations, although the total amount is unknown, as is the timeline for when or if such an appropriation would happen. It also relies on a federal judge approving a plan to indefinitely detain children, a scenario Ferguson described at the press conference as unlikely.
Mothers, children detained in Washington
Of the approximately 200 immigrants detained in Washington as of June 19, 2018, 174 are women, and more than a third of those women are mothers forcibly separated from their children. Those children range in age from one year old to teens. Most of these mothers have been in detention for more than two weeks and many for more than a month.
Most have not spoken with their children in weeks, and the federal government has not provided the mothers with any information regarding the whereabouts or well-being of their children.
When interviewed by Attorney General’s Office investigators, these women described the horrific and inhumane conditions at the Border Patrol facilities where they were previously detained. Parents and children were held in rooms nicknamed “ice boxes” because they were so cold. Mothers told AGO investigators there was little to no food, and described drinking water out of a bathroom sink or toilet.
One mother at the SeaTac prison brought her 8-year-old son from El Salvador, seeking asylum because of death threats from a violent gang. Instead of finding safety, her son was taken as soon as she entered the country. She was told that having her child taken was “the price you have to pay” for coming here, and to “tell everyone back home not to come here, or we will take their children just like we took yours.”
She last saw her child 31 days ago, and has no idea where he is, who is taking care of him, or whether he is safe.
Policy history
On April 6, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new “zero tolerance” policy on the United States’ southern border. Instead of making case-specific evaluations of individual cases, respecting due process rights and family integrity, the Trump Administration began prosecuting all possible immigration crimes, detaining all accused adults, even those with a legitimate asylum claim. The intended and acknowledged effect of this policy has been the separation of parents and children at the border.
The Trump Administration has been clear that the purpose of the forced separation policy is not to protect children, but rather to deter potential immigrants from coming to the United States. As Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said recently: “Nobody likes seeing babies ripped from their mothers’ arms … but we have to make sure that [the Department of Homeland Security’s] laws are understood through the soundbite culture that we live in.”
Solicitor General Noah Purcell and Assistant Attorney General Laura Clinton are leading the case for Washington.
The states set to join Ferguson’s lawsuit include: Massachusetts, California, Maryland, Oregon, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Minnesota. Ferguson anticipates that additional states will join the litigation when it is filed.
Inslee and Ferguson have been seeking information from the Trump Administration on its “zero tolerance” policy — including where the children of the mothers detained at SeaTac are being held, and whether detainees have been advised of their legal rights — since June 7. In a follow-up letter June 18, Inslee and Ferguson also asked that the Trump Administration “stop lying” about the origins of the family separation policy.
Ferguson’s office earlier this week called for individuals affected by the Trump Administration’s family separation policy to contact his office’s Wing Luke Civil Rights Unit at 1-844-323-3864. Affected individuals are still encouraged to reach out. The Attorney General’s Office will not ask about immigration status.
The Attorney General’s Office prevailed in all six cases against the Trump Administration that are completed and there are no more appeals. That does not include three additional successful outcomes that have been or could be appealed, including blocking President Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military and his attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Inslee announces $1.2 million for civil legal aid funding to Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Press release on 6/ 20/ 18
https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-announces-12-million-civil-legal-aid-funding-northwest-immigrant-rights-project
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced $1.2 million to provide legal services and representation to immigrants and refugees with no other financial resources.
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project is being awarded a $1 million grant from the Department of Commerce and the governor is providing an additional $230,000 in emergency funding. The grant funding was approved by the Legislature last session and awarded through a competitive proposal process. The funding will support NWIRP’s effort to provide legal assistance including information and advice through extended legal representation in individual immigration cases.
The funding comes just as the president has implemented new policies to separate asylum-seeking families at the border. Approximately 200 individuals, most of them mothers, are being detained at the federal detention center in SeaTac, while at least nine separated youth have been placed in Washington state.
Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson have been vocally opposing this new policy and demanding answers from federal officials about when these youth will be reunited with their parents.
“The horrific separation of children from their parents at our southern border is just the latest in an ongoing effort by the president’s administration to terrorize immigrant families and those seeking asylum or refuge,” Inslee said. “Everyone is entitled to a fair and due process, and this funding will help make sure Washington is doing everything it can to protect that system of justice for all.”
"We are grateful to the Legislature, Governor Inslee and the Department of Commerce for making these resources available to expand access to legal services to immigrant and refugee communities throughout the state," said Jorge L. Baron, executive director of Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. "These services will help ensure that hundreds of individuals in our state will gain protection from violence and be reunified with their family members."
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) is a non-profit dedicated to promoting justice by defending and advancing the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education. The organization will use the grant to ensure equitable access to referral and representation services for indigent immigrants throughout Washington state, with a priority on helping those at highest risk of deportation and of extreme harm or hardship to themselves or their families.
"Commerce strengthens communities in many ways, and we are happy to play a role in keeping families together," said Commerce Director Brian Bonlender.
PAGE 4
Separating Children from Families Must End Now
By, THOMAS J. DONOHUE
President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
https://www.uschamber.com/series/above-the-fold/separating-children-families-must-end-now
Thousands of children are being forcibly removed from their parents by our government. There is no other way to say it, this is not who we are and it must end now.
Policymakers in Washington are accustomed to hearing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opine about the economics of particular policies. But public policy is often also a reflection of a nation’s values. That is certainly the case when it comes to immigration policy and in particular with respect to three immigration matters that require the urgent attention of our elected officials: ending the separation of minor children from their parents, permanent protection for Dreamers, and permanent relief for long-term beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program.
It is not just that America is a nation of immigrants – it is that since our founding we have embraced certain core values. One of those values is that children should not be punished for the crimes of their parents. Yet, today, government policy is running in direct contradiction to that value.
The recent policy change requiring the immediate detention and misdemeanor prosecution of anyone crossing the border illegally – so-called zero tolerance – has already resulted in the forcible separation of nearly 2,000 children from their parents. Facilities to house these children are so overcrowded that the administration has built a “tent city” to house additional minors.
Parents are being told if they plead guilty and drop any claim of asylum they can be reunited more quickly with their children. The administration adopted this policy as a way of deterring illegal entry into the U.S. Some administration officials reportedly view the policy of separating children from their parents as leverage to gain other immigration policy changes from Congress.
Let that sink in for a second: our government is forcibly separating children – including toddlers – from their parents and sending them to detention facilities as a means of sending a message and influencing Congress.
Surely a nation as big, generous, and compassionate as the United States can find a way to prevent separating children from their parents at the border. If we can’t agree on that, then we can’t agree on anything.
Now let me be clear, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t secure our border and enforce our immigration laws. Individuals entering the United States illegally should be returned to their home country, but that does not require separating children from parents.
Sadly, current government policy isn’t much better when it comes to Dreamers.
Our government is threatening to deport from the only nation that many of them know, over one million young people brought here through no fault of their own as young children. These Dreamers have grown up here. They went to school with our children, they played on the same sports teams, and they graduated and found jobs. Many have served in our military. Some have started their own businesses, creating jobs for others. They are living the American dream. They have done nothing wrong. Yet, without Congressional action, they will be deported, punished for the actions of those who brought them here. To allow such a thing to happen would be a true injustice.
Another core American value is that government should not reach back decades to punish someone for relatively minor violations of the law. That is why when the very first Congress passed our nation’s first criminal laws they also included a statute of limitations.
Approximately 300,000 individuals from countries previously impacted by natural disasters were repeatedly granted by administrations of both parties temporary protected status (TPS). TPS allows these individuals to legally live and work within the United States. Some TPS beneficiaries have legally lived and worked here for nearly two decades. One can argue that perhaps prior administrations should have been stricter in granting and renewing TPS status, but after nearly two decades, it is simply wrong to tell these individuals that they must leave the country where they have legally built their lives. Congress should act now to provide permanent legal status to long-term TPS beneficiaries.
The Chamber could provide you with plenty of statistics and detailed analysis as to why we need to keep Dreamers and TPS beneficiaries living and working here to help our economy grow. There is, however, something more fundamental at stake: whether our nation’s policies will reflect our values or run in direct contradiction to them.
At the U.S. Chamber, we wake up every day with a goal of defending and promoting the free enterprise system. Today, we ask our elected officials to defend the core values that make the free enterprise system and the whole American experiment possible. The time for action is now.
In other Business and Finance news....
FTC Announces Hearings On Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century
The Federal Trade Commission today announced that the agency will hold a series of public hearings on whether broad-based changes in the economy, evolving business practices, new technologies, or international developments might require adjustments to competition and consumer protection enforcement law, enforcement priorities, and policy. The multi-day, multi-part hearings, which will take place this fall and winter, will be similar in form and structure to the FTC’s 1995 “Global Competition and Innovation Hearings” under the leadership of then-Chairman Robert Pitofsky.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/06/ftc-announces-hearings-competition-consumer-protection-21st
US DEPT. OF LABOR BLOG: Making Workplace Safety a Family Affair
Several years ago, owner and president Vin Riggio set out to improve his company’s workplace safety and health program. After learning about the free compliance assistance services provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) On-Site Consultation Program at a safety conference, he reached out to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to get started.
https://blog.dol.gov/2018/06/21/making-workplace-safety-family-affair
Tax reform allows people with disabilities to put more money into ABLE accounts, expands eligibility for Saver’s Credit
WASHINGTON – People with disabilities can now put more money into their tax-favored Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts and may, for the first time, qualify for the Saver’s Credit for low- and moderate-income workers, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-reform-allows-people-with-disabilities-to-put-more-money-into-able-accounts-expands-eligibility-for-savers-credit
USDA BLOG: Ringed by miles of abandoned coal mines, the Wayne National Forest is surrounded by some of the most economically distressed communities in southern Ohio. A unique partnership with private investors, local leaders, a university, and nonprofit partners is helping to change that.
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/06/15/private-investment-will-jump-start-rural-economy
Federal Reserve Board releases results of supervisory bank stress tests
The nation's largest bank holding companies are strongly capitalized and would be able to lend to households and businesses during a severe global recession, according to the results of supervisory stress tests released Thursday by the Federal Reserve Board.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20180621a.htm
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Washington Courts: New Celebration Recognizes Parents Who Work Hard to Improve and Reunify. Press release posted on June 14, 2018.
http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/?fa=newsinfo.internetdetail&newsid=16008
Commemorating parents who have worked hard to successfully reunify their families after significant struggles, the Washington Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care is launching an annual, statewide celebration of Family Reunification Month to take place every June.
Celebrations are currently planned in King, Mason, Pierce, Thurston, Snohomish, Spokane and Yakima counties. Information on these events can be found on the new Washington State Family Reunification Month web page at www.courts.wa.gov/familyreunification.
The Commission — a joint effort of the Supreme Court and the Department of Social and Health Services — has issued a proclamation announcing each June as statewide Family Reunification Month, encouraging courts and communities across the state to recognize parents for their commitment to overcoming obstacles in order to learn, improve and bring their families back together. The celebration also recognizes the work of social workers, court staff, foster parents, attorneys, parent mentors and others who become part of a team monitoring and guiding parents as they move forward.
“Parents can lose their way for many reasons that can include cycles of poverty, addiction, mental health issues and family dysfunction from their own childhoods,” said Retired Supreme Court Justice Bobbe Bridge, co-chair of the Foster Commission. “Nevertheless, they have strong connections to their children and strong commitment to breaking these cycles and giving their children the stability and nurturing they need. It is very much something to celebrate when they succeed.”
Safe reunification of families is the primary goal of “dependency,” the legal process in which dependent children are taken into the oversight of the state because of deficiencies in adequate care and safety within the home. The majority of children separated from their parents — about 54 percent — return home after parents make improvements.
Information on the numbers, races, ages, genders and other characteristics of Washington children living in foster care through the end of 2017 is available from a new report by the Washington State Center for Court Research, a branch of the Administrative Office of the Courts. In 2017, more than 3,500 children returned home after a separation, while just over 1,360 foster children were adopted into new homes, and others aged out of the foster care system or went into guardianships. The research also details county-by-county information including length of times in out-of-home care and more.
The report, along with background on the Dependency Timelines research, can be found here.
For the past decade, family dependency court processes have evolved to include a team approach, similar to therapeutic drug or veteran courts, all of which address the underlying causes of problem behaviors and hold participants responsible for changing patterns and meeting significant requirements for having their cases dismissed.
“Families need a lot of support when they commit to facing their problems and bringing their families back together,” said Spokane County Superior Court Commissioner Michelle Ressa, a member of the new state Family Reunification Month Steering Committee. “We also want to recognize the social workers, court staff members, attorneys, parent mentors, foster parents, family members and others who guide the parents and support the children through this important process.”
The statewide annual research, the Foster Commission, and efforts such as the Parent Representation Program of the Office of Public Defense — recently expanded statewide — endeavor to work toward bringing children swiftly out of foster care, with the primary goal of returning them to stable, mended families.
“Parents can redeem themselves when they confront issues that led to their family’s separation,” said Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Bassett, chair of the new Family Reunification Month Steering Committee. “They can grow in resiliency, breaking harmful cycles. There’s a reason safe reunification of the family is the primary goal of the law. Those connections are special. Families are the foundations of our communities, including those that have healed and become stronger.”
DOE: State adopts plan for evaluating new ocean projects
Marine spatial plan designed to protect coastal resources and uses
https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/News/2018/June-20-State-adopts-ocean-projects-plan
OLYMPIA – Washington has adopted a new tool to help make coordinated, science-based decisions about new projects and uses that may be proposed for the Pacific Ocean that are adjacent to the state coastline.
The Washington departments of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources (DNR) jointly developed a marine spatial plan after a six-year planning process. The plan sets a framework for evaluating new projects and uses proposed in an ocean area nearly 6,000 square nautical miles in size between Cape Flattery and Cape Disappointment.
In 2010, the Washington Legislature enacted a marine planning law to foster integrated coastal decision making and ecosystem-based ocean management. The measure was designed to help the state address growing pressure on coastal resources and the potential for increased conflicts about ocean uses.
Currently, most ocean uses in Washington center on recreation, maritime shipping, coastal fishing and shellfish aquaculture. However, the state anticipates reviewing proposals for new activities such as offshore wind and wave energy projects, sand and gravel mining, dredge material disposal, and offshore aquaculture operations.
The new marine spatial plan outlines the data and information needed to evaluate new proposals, especially potential effects new ocean uses could have on people, local communities and the environment. The plan also ensures public input by establishing a coordination process among local and tribal governments as well as state and federal agencies.
Since the guidance contains new policies to protect Washington's coastal resources and ocean uses, the guidance also puts the state in a strong position to review and shape new ocean activities in areas of state and federal waters in the plan's study area.
“Washington has an important, influential role regarding where and how new projects or uses are sited, built and operated, including federal projects in federal waters,” said Sally Toteff who oversees Ecology’s regional activities including the Pacific coast. “We will make sure the plan is fully implemented and the public is engaged in the review process for any new coastal proposal.”
The three state agencies brought different, but complementary skills, resources, and expertise together to develop the plan. DNR provided critical scientific knowledge, information and analysis about the state’s coastal aquatic lands. The agency also provided funding, planning, policy, and administrative skills to shape the plan.
“The marine spatial plan will help ensure future projects do not cause long-term significant adverse effects to the environment, fisheries and other resources,” said Kristin Swenddal, division manager for DNR’s aquatic lands program. “The plan also provides a wealth of information helpful to anyone interested in understanding our Pacific Coast, help monitor or assess our changing ocean conditions, or assist with other types of planning.”
Fish and Wildlife provided critical data and analysis on fisheries, marine resources, and current ocean conditions as well as future trends. The agency also analyzed data about ecologically important areas, including identifying unique habitats and sensitive areas for fish, orca, birds, and other wildlife.
“While the ocean is a vast ecosystem, there is competition to use a small fraction of it,” said Michele Culver, Fish and Wildlife’s intergovernmental ocean policy manager. “The plan provides the means for us to carefully consider the placement of proposed new uses and the effects on other important activities, such as fishing, that occur in the same area."
The plan establishes protections for fisheries and ecologically sensitive areas in state waters, but it does not change current management or permit processes for existing marine activities such as fisheries management plans or shellfish aquaculture.
The state worked closely with local and tribal governments, other state agencies, the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council, environmental and planning groups, the private sector and the public to develop the plan.
Before the plan was adopted, the agencies addressed comments received during the public review process – including feedback on a related environmental impact statement (EIS) which evaluated anticipated impacts that could arise from adopting the plan. The final EIS found that adopting the plan was largely beneficial to the environment and communities.
More state news continued on page 6....
PAGE 6
Special assistance available for M. Torres America workers
OLYMPIA – Workers and certain on-site contract workers who were laid-off by M. Torres America, may qualify for free training for a new occupation, financial assistance and other benefits through the federal Trade Act.
The U.S. Department of Labor approved benefits for workers who lost their jobs beginning Dec. 5, 2016.
Workers may receive vocational training, additional unemployment benefits, relocation expenses, reimbursement for an out-of-area job search and the federal Health Coverage Tax Credit.
Older workers may receive a subsidy that covers the difference in pay at the time of separation to the wage earned at re-employment.
Individuals who think they are eligible should contact their local WorkSource office for more information.
https://esd.wa.gov/special-assistance-M-Torres-America-workers
Special assistance available for CellNetix workers
OLYMPIA – Workers laid-off by CellNetix may qualify for free training for a new occupation, financial assistance and other benefits through the federal Trade Act.
The U.S. Department of Labor approved benefits for workers who lost their jobs beginning Feb. 12, 2017.
Workers may receive vocational training, additional unemployment benefits, relocation expenses, reimbursement for an out-of-area job search and the federal Health Coverage Tax Credit.
Older workers may receive a subsidy that covers the difference in pay at the time of separation to the wage earned at re-employment.
Individuals who think they are eligible should contact their local WorkSource office for more information
https://esd.wa.gov/special-assistance-available-for-cellnet-workers
Commission selects Kelly Susewind as new director of WDFW
OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today appointed Kelly Susewind of Olympia as the new director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the Governor to set policy for WDFW, voted unanimously to select Susewind after interviewing seven candidates in May and narrowing the field to three finalists, who were interviewed for a second time earlier this week.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/jun1618a/
Public Lands Commissioner Visiting Communities for Wildfire and Forest Health Town Halls
YAKIMA, CHELAN AND SPOKANE EVENTS JUNE 26, 27 AND 28
Fire season has begun, and Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz is hosting three Town Hall outreach events to make sure communities are prepared and engaged. The events are scheduled in Yakima (June 26), Chelan (June 27), and Spokane (June 28).
https://www.dnr.wa.gov/news/public-lands-commissioner-visiting-communities-wildfire-and-forest-health-town-halls
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LOCAL & REGIONAL MEETING AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS
CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS:
Commission work session for 6/ 25/ 18
http://clallam.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=1112
Agenda highlights:
1) Real estate purchase and sale agreement with William Shore Memorial Pool District for the parcel located at 205 East Fifth Street, Port Angeles, described as Lots 10 and 11, Block 169 of the Town Site of Port Angeles (2b)*
2) Letter to Department of Ecology concerning their evaluation of the unincorporated Port Angeles UGA for the 2019 Western Washington Municipal Stormwater Phase II General Permit Coverage (1c)*
3) Plastic bag discussion
Commission Regular session for 6/ 26/ 18
http://clallam.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=381
Agenda Highlights:
1) Resolution adopting the following Supplemental Appropriations:
Health and Human Services – Operations – State Department of Health consolidated contract Amendment 2 adds revenue for training expenses in the WIC program/$5,100
Health and Human Services – Environmental Health
* Grant revenue for 2017 activities and expenses that were not billed and paid until 2018 for the PIC program/$48,994
* State Department of Health Consolidated Contract Amendment No. 2 adds revenue for the Onsite Programs. Grant funding that was not expended in previous funding cycle and is being carried forward to 2018 budget/$31,698
Health and Human Services – Developmental Disabilities – Contract amendment 2 with State Developmental Disabilities for services provided in State fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, adds funding to provide additional employment services to individuals with developmental disabilities/$62,174
Auditor – The Office of the Secretary of State is paying for return postage for the primary and general elections in 2018/$23,952
http://clallam.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=381&meta_id=25056
2) Resolution adopting the following Budget Revision:
Sheriff - Operations - To purchase half of the sixty-five Smith & Wesson 9MM pistols and holsters replacing current Glock 22 pistols issued to Sheriff’s Patrol Deputies. The cost is discounted for the trade value of the Glock pistols. The remainder of the cost is to be paid from the 00100.815 Sheriff’s Jail budget/$9,600
Sheriff - Jail - To purchase half of the sixty-five Smith & Wesson 9MM pistols and holsters replacing current Glock 22 pistols issued to Sheriff’s Corrections Deputies. The cost is discounted for the trade value of the Glock pistols. The remainder of the cost is to be paid from the 00100.811 Sheriff’s Operations budget/$9,600
Public Works - ER&R - Adjustment for maintenance crews and equipment mechanics salary study performed by Human Resources/$45,759
Public Works - Roads - Adjustment for maintenance crews and equipment mechanics salary study performed by Human Resources/$175,166
http://clallam.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=381&meta_id=25058
3) Consideration of resolution adopting the following Debatable Emergencies:
BOCC - Operations - funds needed to purchase 4 Microsoft Surface Pros to be used by each Commissioner and the Administrator in order to be more efficient and reduce the amount of paper used for meetings/$10,200
Non Departmental - Hotel/Motel Tax - Feiro Marine Life Center funding for a future Marine Discovery Center conceptual design/$50,000
Auditor - Cost of reprinting return envelopes to provide for return postage paid/$9,162
Sheriff - Emergency Services - Architectural services for a preliminary schematic design for a future Emergency Operations Center building, which will be used to assist in securing funding sources for completion of this building/$7,500
http://clallam.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=381&meta_id=25062
CLALLAM COUNTY PUD agenda for 6/ 25/ 18
https://www.clallampud.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/6-25-18-Commissioners-PreAgenda-FINAL.pdf
Agenda highlight: Staff will make a recommendation to Commissioners to declare a district-owned facility surplus property.
Staff Recommendation: Declare as surplus property the District-owned facility at 231 Windy
Way. This is a 2000 Redman 1782 square foot manufactured home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. VIN 118-27870BA
City of Sequim agenda for 6/ 25/ 18
http://www.sequimwa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1898
Agenda item highlight: Human Services Funding
http://wa-sequim.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/10331
Port of Port Angeles regular meeting on the 26th of June had been cancelled.
JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSION AGENDA FOR 6/ 25/ 18
https://media.avcaptureall.com/session.html?sessionid=41e410ce-5cb7-467a-a073-6e70c0588269&prefilter=845,5958
Agenda highlight: AGREEMENT re: Exchange of Immunization Data; No Dollar Amount; Jefferson County Public Health; Washington State Department of Health (DOH
City of Forks agenda for 6/ 25/ 18
http://forkswashington.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CC-Agenda06252018.pdf
Agenda highlight: Quillayute airport rehab project bid.
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🕂He's in your corner
WEEKLY BIBLE VERSE: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.---Isaiah 40:31 NIV
Weekly Bible Study
Acceptable Priesthood: Who should serve as priests today?
The Jews in the Old Testament had a special class of men who offered animal sacrifices and performed other rites of worship on behalf of the people. These men served as mediators or representatives through whom the people worshiped God. What about today? Should we have a special class of priests who perform ceremonial rites that the people in general cannot perform?---Gospel Way
Free bible studies (WBS)
Learn english using the bible as text (WEI)
(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)
👲Riddle Genie
Question this week: What is the singular form of the word "dice?"
Answer from last week:Pull the plug in the tub.
Answer next week:
