A group of at least 16 separate states led by California officially filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday; effectively blocking the President’s “national emergency” declaration to secure upwards of $8 billion for border security.
“The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California came after Trump invoked emergency powers on Friday to help build the wall that was his signature 2016 campaign promise,” writes Reuters. “Trump’s order would allow him to spend on the wall money that Congress appropriated for other purposes. Congress declined to fulfill his request for $5.7 billion to help build the wall this year.”
The states include Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Virginia, Michigan, and more.
“Today, on Presidents Day, we take President Trump to court to block his misuse of presidential power,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. “We’re suing President Trump to stop him from unilaterally robbing taxpayer funds lawfully set aside by Congress for the people of our states. For most of us, the office of the presidency is not a place for theatre.”
Read the full report here.
BORDER CRISIS: Federal Agents Detained 27,518 Migrants in December Alone
President Trump highlighted the escalating crisis occurring along the US-Mexico border during his prime-time speech Tuesday night, with new data showing federal agents detained 27,518 migrants in December alone.
“Border Patrol agents apprehended 27,518 members of family units in December, the highest monthly total on record. That figure has steadily been climbing now for five months,” writes USA Today.
“Those caravan members, most of whom have been trying to exercise their legal right to request asylum in the U.S., contributed to a third straight month of more than 60,000 migrants being detained at U.S. ports of entry and arrested in the vast stretches of border in between,” adds the article.
Leading Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer flat-out refused to acknowledge the national security issue along the southern border Tuesday; saying President Trump had “manufactured a crisis” and was “stoking fear” for political purposes.
Read the full report here.
Senate Intel Committee Finds ‘No Direct Evidence’ of Russia-Trump Collusion
The Senate Intelligence Committee has found “no direct evidence” of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russian officials to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, according to a stunning new report from NBC News.
“After two years and 200 interviews, the Senate Intelligence Committee is approaching the end of its investigation into the 2016 election, having uncovered no direct evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to both Democrats and Republicans on the committee,” reports NBC.
“We were never going find a contract signed in blood saying, ‘Hey Vlad, we’re going to collude,'” one Democratic aide told NBC News.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.