" If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency."--President Trump
Remarks by President Trump on the Government Shutdown
WHITE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
(link source)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. My fellow Americans, I am very proud to announce today that we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and re-open the federal government. As everyone knows, I have a very powerful alternative, but I didn’t want to use it at this time. Hopefully it will be unnecessary.
I want to thank all of the incredible federal workers, and their amazing families, who have shown such extraordinary devotion in the face of this recent hardship. You are fantastic people. You are incredible patriots. Many of you have suffered far greater than anyone, but your families would know or understand. And not only did you not complain, but in many cases you encouraged me to keep going because you care so much about our country and about its border security.
Again, I thank you. All Americans, I thank you. You are very, very special people. I am so proud that you are citizens of our country. When I say “Make America Great Again,” it could never be done without you. Great people.
In a short while, I will sign a bill to open our government for three weeks until February 15th. I will make sure that all employees receive their back pay very quickly, or as soon as possible. It’ll happen fast. I am asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to put this proposal on the floor immediately.
After 36 days of spirited debate and dialogue, I have seen and heard from enough Democrats and Republicans that they are willing to put partisanship aside — I think — and put the security of the American people first. I do believe they’re going to do that. They have said they are for complete border security, and they have finally and fully acknowledged that having barriers, fencing, or walls — or whatever you want to call it — will be an important part of the solution.
A bipartisan Conference Committee of House and Senate lawmakers and leaders will immediately begin reviewing the requests of our Homeland Security experts — and experts they are — and also law enforcement professionals, who have worked with us so closely. We want to thank Border Patrol, ICE, and all law enforcement. Been incredible.
Based on operational guidance from the experts in the field, they will put together a Homeland Security package for me to shortly sign into law.
Over the next 21 days, I expect that both Democrats and Republicans will operate in good faith. This is an opportunity for all parties to work together for the benefit of our whole beautiful, wonderful nation.
If we make a fair deal, the American people will be proud of their government for proving that we can put country before party. We can show all Americans, and people all around the world, that both political parties are united when it comes to protecting our country and protecting our people.
Many disagree, but I really feel that, working with Democrats and Republicans, we can make a truly great and secure deal happen for everyone.
Walls should not be controversial. Our country has built 654 miles of barrier over the last 15 years, and every career Border Patrol agent I have spoken with has told me that walls work. They do work. No matter where you go, they work. Israel built a wall — 99.9 percent successful. Won’t be any different for us.
They keep criminals out. They save good people from attempting a very dangerous journey from other countries — thousands of miles — because they think they have a glimmer of hope of coming through. With a wall, they don’t have that hope. They keep drugs out, and they dramatically increase efficiency by allowing us to patrol far larger areas with far fewer people. It’s just common sense. Walls work.
That’s why most of the Democrats in Congress have voted in the past for bills that include walls and physical barriers and very powerful fences. The walls we are building are not medieval walls. They are smart walls designed to meet the needs of frontline border agents, and are operationally effective. These barriers are made of steel, have see-through visibility, which is very important, and are equipped with sensors, monitors, and cutting-edge technology, including state-of-the-art drones.
We do not need 2,000 miles of concrete wall from sea to shining sea — we never did; we never proposed that; we never wanted that — because we have barriers at the border where natural structures are as good as anything that we can build. They’re already there. They’ve been there for millions of years.
Our proposed structures will be in pre-determined high-risk locations that have been specifically identified by the Border Patrol to stop illicit flows of people and drugs. No border security plan can ever work without a physical barrier. Just doesn’t happen.
At the same time, we need to increase drug detection technology and manpower to modernize our ports of entry, which are obsolete. The equipment is obsolete. They’re old. They’re tired. This is something we have all come to agree on, and will allow for quicker and safer commerce. These critical investments will improve and facilitate legal trade and travel through our lawful ports of entry.
Our plan also includes desperately needed humanitarian assistance for those being exploited and abused by coyotes, smugglers, and the dangerous journey north.
The requests we have put before Congress are vital to ending the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border. Absolutely vital. Will not work without it.
This crisis threatens the safety of our country and thousands of American lives. Criminal cartels, narco-terrorists, transnational gangs like MS-13, and human traffickers are brazenly violating U.S. laws and terrorizing innocent communities.
Human traffickers — the victims are women and children. Maybe to a lesser extent, believe or not, children. Women are tied up. They’re bound. Duct tape put around their faces, around their mouths. In many cases, they can’t even breathe. They’re put in the backs of cars or vans or trucks. They don’t go through your port of entry. They make a right turn going very quickly. They go into the desert areas, or whatever areas you can look at. And as soon as there’s no protection, they make a left or a right into the United States of America. There’s nobody to catch them. There’s nobody to find them.
They can’t come through the port, because if they come through the port, people will see four women sitting in a van with tape around their face and around their mouth. Can’t have that.
And that problem, because of the Internet, is the biggest problem — it’s never been like this before — that you can imagine. It’s at the worst level — human trafficking — in the history of the world. This is not a United States problem; this is a world problem. But they come through areas where they have no protection, where they have no steel barriers, where they have no walls. And we can stop almost 100 percent of that.
The profits reaped by these murderous organizations are used to fund their malign and destabilizing conduct throughout this hemisphere.
Last year alone, ICE officers removed 10,000 known or suspected gang members, like MS-13 and members as bad as them. Horrible people. Tough. Mean. Sadistic. In the last two years, ICE officers arrested a total of 266,000 criminal aliens inside of the United States, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 homicides or, as you would call them, violent, vicious killings. It can be stopped.
Vast quantities of lethal drugs — including meth, fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine — are smuggled across our southern border and into U.S. schools and communities. Drugs kill much more than 70,000 Americans a year and cost our society in excess of $700 billion.
The sheer volume of illegal immigration has overwhelmed federal authorities and stretched our immigration system beyond the breaking point. Nearly 50 migrants a day are being referred for medical assistance — they are very, very sick — making this a health crisis as well. It’s a very big health crisis. People have no idea how big it is, unless you’re there.
Our backlog in the immigration courts is now far greater than the 800,000 cases that you’ve been hearing about over the last couple of years. Think of that, though: 800,000 cases because our laws are obsolete. So obsolete. They’re the laughing stock all over the world. Our immigration laws, all over the world — they’ve been there for a long time — are the laughing stock, all over the world.
We do not have the necessary space or resources to detain, house, vet, screen, and safely process this tremendous influx of people. In short, we do not have control over who is entering our country, where they come from, who they are, or why they are coming.
The result, for many years, is a colossal danger to public safety. We’re going to straighten it out. It’s not hard. It’s easy, if given the resources.
Last month was the third straight month in a row with 60,000 apprehensions on our southern border. Think of that. we apprehended 60,000 people. That’s like a stadium full of people. A big stadium.
There are many criminals being apprehended, but vast numbers are coming because our economy is so strong. We have the strongest economy now in the entire world. You see what’s happening. We have nowhere left to house them and no way to promptly remove them. We can’t get them out because our laws are so obsolete, so antiquated, and so bad.
Without new resources from Congress, we will be forced to release these people into communities — something we don’t want to do — called catch-and-release. You catch them. Even if they are criminals, you then release them. And you can’t release them from where they came, so they go into our country and end up in places you would least suspect. And we do as little releasing as possible, by they’re coming by the hundreds of thousands.
I have had zero Democrat lawmakers volunteer to have them released into their districts or states. And I think they know that, and that’s what we’re going to be discussing over the next three weeks.
The painful reality is that the tremendous economic and financial burdens of illegal immigration fall on the shoulders of low-income Americans, including millions of wonderful, patriotic, law-abiding immigrants who enrich our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority is the defense of our great country. We cannot surrender operational control over the nation’s borders to foreign cartels, traffickers, and smugglers. We want future Americans to come to our country legally and through a system based on merit. We need people to come to our country. We have great companies moving back into the United States. And we have the lowest employment and the best employment numbers that we’ve ever had. There are more people working today in the United States than have ever worked in our country. We need people to come in to help us — the farms, and with all of these great companies that are moving back. Finally, they’re moving back. People said it couldn’t happen. It’s happening.
And we want them to enjoy the blessings of safety and liberty, and the rule of law. We cannot protect and deliver these blessings without a strong and secure border.
I believe that crime in this country can go down by a massive percentage if we have great security on our southern border. I believe drugs, large percentages of which come through the southern border, will be cut by a number that nobody will believe.
So let me be very clear: We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier. If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security.
US STATE DEPT: Secretary Pompeo's Address to the World Economic Forum
Jan. 22: Secretary Pompeo delivered remarks via video conference to the World Economic Forum. Press release date 1/ 22/ 19
(link source)
SECRETARY POMPEO: Good morning, and thank you, Borge, for your kind introduction. And thank you to the World Economic Forum for the invitation to speak today. It’s 18 degrees Fahrenheit here in Washington, D.C. You see the Lincoln Memorial to my back. So while I’m not here in person, I at least feel like I’m in Davos with the weather.
It’s interesting times that we live in. Over the past few years, all around the world, voters have tuned out politicians and political alliances that they thought weren’t representing their interests. A few examples of new directions that people have taken: Brexit; the election of President Macron in France; the rise of the Five Star Movement in Italy; Mahathir’s comeback in Malaysia; and of course, Borge, as you referenced, the election of President Donald Trump.
In Ohio, Rio de Janeiro, and in Rome, people are asking questions that haven’t been asked, or at least haven’t been taken seriously, in an awfully long time. Is economic globalization really good for me? Are our political leaders adequately protecting us from threats like terrorism? Are they working to secure our national interests abroad?
You all know this: New winds are blowing across the world. The central question is this: Do they signal fair weather or foreshadow a storm? Is this pattern of disruption a force for good or not?
I’d argue that this disruption is a positive development. We are embracing time-tested truths. Truths like this: Nations matter. No international body can stand up for a people as well as their own leaders can. Strong borders are key to strong nations. This is how we keep our people safe and protect our sovereignty. Sturdy alliances built on key principles are key to shared security. We need all nations to contribute to security imperatives. President Trump also knows that economic security is national security. Robust defenses aren’t possible without healthy economies to undergird them.
I’ll talk about this for a minute. It’s why pro-growth policies matter so much. I’ll spend a little time on this, and I’m confident that Secretary Mnuchin will understand if I step on his turf just a little bit here this morning.
President Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” was a call to return America to the principles that have made us the most prosperous nation in world history. It was a rejection of trade arrangements that discounted the interests of American workers. It was a rejection of red tape, which constricted entrepreneurs here in America. This is the lifeblood of our economy. It was a rejection of all high taxes that tell American families that government knows how to spend their money better than those families do.
And perhaps more than anything, President Trump’s election was a rejection of low expectations. I remember that mantra – I’m sure many of you do – the idea that 2 percent was the new normal for economic growth. Well, so much for that. Today, thanks to President Trump’s pro-growth policies, our real GDP growth here in America has exceeded 3 percent over each of the last four quarters.
And that’s not all. Wage growth is up. This matters to hardworking Americans. Job openings outnumber the number of unemployed for the first time on record. The women’s unemployment rate recently reached its lowest rate in 65 years. Manufacturing – that’s what I did before I entered politics – added 284,000 jobs in 2018, the most since 1997. It was said this couldn’t be done. Small business optimism is at a record high.
There’s more to that story. But the important point is this: The unleashing of animal spirits has allowed our economy to grow, even as the global slowdown looms.
This economic blueprint – low taxes, streamlined regulations, and trade reform – can work for you and your countries as well. The time is now to adopt these policies. I remember President Reagan’s maxim, “peace through strength.” This wasn’t exclusively military strength. It was the strength created by a free and robust economy that not only creates wealth, but also freedom.
As you all know, we face many new threats, some of them not so new. They range from North Korea’s nuclear program, to Iran’s foreign adventurism, to China’s state-centered economic model, its belligerence toward its neighbors, and its embraces of a totalitarian state at home. Radical Islamic terrorism remains a persistent threat that we will continue to fight together.
In all of these areas we’re making progress. But none of this progress could have happened without beautiful coalitions in which America has played a central role. Collectively, we have exerted maximum pressure on North Korea, and that pressure has gotten Kim to the negotiating table. The United Nations did amazing work, acting as the center of gravity for sanctions that built out this global coalition. We’ve also assembled a global coalition of nations to confront Iran and support the aspirations of the Iranian people.
And we’re rebalancing the relationship with China, alongside partner nations in Asia and all around the world. It should not go unnoticed that we’ve also defeated the ISIS caliphate in Syria and Iraq, alongside more than six dozen nations in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
There’s a lot more work to do, and with your help, I know we’ll achieve it. The United States looks forward to partnering with you to take on the challenges of our time.
And Borge, I’m now looking forward to our conversation today. Thank you all very much for the opportunity to make these remarks.
***WE THE PEOPLE***
Negotiate in good faith to fund/reopen all gov't agencies & protect the national and economic security of all Americans.
More than 800,000 government employees and millions of supporting contractors are going unpaid. Unpaid citizens are losing their homes, cars, and healthcare. Thousands of businesses have closed or will be closing soon. And our elected officials are driving the country toward a recession, which threatens to be more severe with every passing week. Meanwhile, critical government missions are unstaffed, including immigration courts, agricultural and industrial inspections, small business loan approvals, training for emergency first responders, and public land management... the list goes on. Both the White House and Congress must give up their absolute demands and negotiate in good faith to find an end to this stalemate.
(petition link)
Editorial note: Even if this petition is no longer moot, it sends a message that Congress has failed to listen to the people, and majority of the people wants our southern border protected. That's why I signed it.
****FRONT PAGE COMMENTARY*****
DID SCIENTIST FIND YET ANOTHER MISSING LINK?
By Peter Ripley
This report came from the
USA TODAY article earlier this week with the headline: " Fossils discovered in South Africa are the 'missing link' in human evolution, study finds."
Quote: " The fossils of Australopithecus sediba were found in 2008 after Matthew Berger stopped to examine the rock he tripped over while following his dog near what is now the Malapa Fossil Site in South Africa.
The subsequent discovery of the 2-million-year-old adult female and juvenile male remains in the “Cradle of Humankind” set off contentious debate in the scientific community. New research confirms the species is closely related to the Homo genus and fills a key gap in humankind’s history between early humans and our more apelike predecessors."
Now considering the source here which came from the USA Today, which reads much like a tabloid. I wanted to see if there were any more reliable sources on the story.
Found this story on
FOX NEWS: ‘Missing link’ in human history confirmed after long debate
Quote: " And now researchers have established that they are closely linked to the Homo genus, representing a bridging species between early humans and their predecessors, proving that early humans were still swinging from trees 2 million years ago."
Now did those who don't believe in God, found their Ape Man God?
There's been a history of news reports over the many years claiming that science found the so called "missing link" Consider this commentary from by Greg Gwin, of the Church of Christ in La Vista:
Another ‘Missing Link’ Debunked.
Quote: " Many will remember the big ‘splash’ that was made in the news just a few months ago. The media seemed thrilled to announce that the ‘missing link’ had been discovered which proved humans evolved from the apes. A nearly intact fossil dubbed ‘Ida’ had surfaced which, it was confidently affirmed, definitely confirmed our evolutionary history. On May 20, 2009, Sky News ran an article with the headline “Scientists Unveil Missing Link In Evolution” which went on to state: “Scientists have unveiled a 47-million year-old fossilized skeleton of a monkey hailed as the missing link in human evolution.”
Now, just months later, the whole ‘Ida’ story has been debunked. Although the news media has not been nearly so vocal in reporting the latest developments in the case, MSN.com did run a story titled “Missing Link Primate Isn’t Link After All” on October 21, 2009. They quoted an expert who said, “Ida is as far from monkey-ape-human ancestry as a primate can be.”
Editorial Note: Will the latest finding be also a hoax? Why we of faith in a living God care about the newest finding of a group of scientist bound and determine to disprove God? You'll never convince these scientist of the existence of God, who created man kind from the dust of the earth. Because like the doubting Thomas the only believe in what the see, and touch. They have the religion of "non-believe" and their patron saint is a apeman.
This tries a persons own faith at times, but with continued archaeological discoveries proving the bible, one must start to take things on faith. Just because you can't see, or touch God, doesn't mean he isn't real. But you see his works and wonders he shows every day.
Evolutionist wants you to believe there is no God, or an afterlife. We are just a bunch of highly evolved apes. If that's the case why hadn't the current apes evolved too? I rather believe in a divine being that created we humans as unique creatures, who had intelligence from the start. Than a man ape.
It's evolutionist who define the phrase " evolution" to prove their side.
Now if you define the phrase " evolution" in changing ones character, or attitudes then the phrase "evolution" would have more profound meaning rather give credence to a Ape Man theory.
Like for example, living in Christ, and God's grace makes us better humans, we "evolve" into a better person, base on grace, and a loving spirit.
An Apeman doesn't gives us salvation or grace, it just gives death.
That is why God gives us liberty to either believe and follow him, or not to believe, and those who don't believe have chosen to have science as their new religion, much like the primitive men who designed idols, in order to believe in gods, that give them excuses to commit all kinds of barbarism. So, what are these scientist hope to prove that we came form a apeman, that we no longer be held to any moral code or ethics? It was God who gave man kind our moral laws and conduct, through Moses, to Jesus. NOT some APEMAN!
With that I leave you this Quote from the bible: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. ...Ps 14.
WORLD NEWS HEADLINES
From the UN News Center & other sources:
UN chief urges top digital tech panel to come up with ‘bold, innovative ideas’ for an 'inclusive' future.
Key discussions among global decision-makers and influencers have taken place at the UN in Geneva this week, aiming to limit the growing risk of international cyber-attacks while promoting the advantages of digital technology, amid a call by the UN chief for “bold, innovative ideas”.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/01/1031092
Crucial medical supplies airlifted to north-east Syria to meet ‘desperate need’
In response to the growing health needs of people in north-east Syria, the World Health Organization (WHO) has airlifted urgent medical supplies to the region, for the second time this month.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/01/1031082
‘Countless opportunities’ for new people-centred workplace, but ‘decisive action’ critical.
Unprecedented innovations in the world of work provide “countless opportunities” but unless they are embraced through action, inequality and uncertainty will only widen in the workplace, according to a landmark new International Labour Organization (ILO) report released on Tuesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/01/1030992
Nigeria: Armed conflict continues to uproot thousands, driving up humanitarian need.
Since November, more than 80,000 Nigerians have been forcibly displaced due to ongoing violence in the north-east, adding to two million people already displaced by violence, or forced across the country’s borders as refugees, the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/01/1031062
🌍🌍🌍IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION🌎🌎🌎
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