Wednesday, August 28, 2019

1600 Daily The White House • August 28, 2019 Update: Take Precautions as Hurricane Dorian Moves Toward U.S.

1600 Daily
The White House • August 28, 2019

Update: Take precautions as Hurricane Dorian moves toward U.S. 


This afternoon, Hurricane Dorian was officially upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane. President Donald J. Trump and his Administration urge all Americans in the storm’s expected pathway to take precautions.

“[Hurricane]-force winds from #Dorian could begin in parts of Florida *as early as* Saturday or Saturday night,” the National Hurricane Center tweeted today. “Now is the time to begin thinking about what kinds of preparations you might need to make over the next couple of days.”

Before the storm reaches the U.S. mainland, it will affect residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The Federal Emergency Management Agency shared resources today for real-time alerts and other emergency updates for people in these communities.

Please follow @FEMA@NWS, or @Readygov on Twitter for live updates. For more information and resources, visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes. 

Video of the day: ‘The Wall is going up very fast’

Today, President Trump shared an aerial video of wall construction along America’s southern border. The new, slatted barrier provides superior protection without unduly disrupting the incredible scenery of the American Southwest.

“The Wall is going up very fast despite total Obstruction by Democrats in Congress, and elsewhere!” the President wrote.

President Trump ends a driving force behind mass illegal immigration


“How do you stop the torrent of kids risking their lives and coming to America illegally?” the New York Post editorial board asked recently. “One key way: by finally fixing the Flores agreement, as President Trump hopes to do.”

Last week, the President unveiled a new plan that does exactly that.

Going forward, new standards will be implemented that ensure apprehended alien families can be held together during their immigration proceedings. This new rule will keep children safe, secure, and well cared-for while in U.S. custody. At the same time, it will help end the practice of exploiting children as tickets to enter America illegally.

The Flores Settlement Agreement, along with a string of related activist court rulings, has forced our Government to release most illegal immigrant families—including fake families posed by smugglers to game the system—into the United States after just 20 days in custody. It is among the most glaring loopholes used to circumvent America’s legal immigration system. Democrats in Congress have repeatedly declined to fix it, so the Trump Administration is taking action to address this cause of our border crisis.

Loopholes such as Flores are a magnet for smugglers that unleash lawlessness and chaos on America’s doorstep. For context, the number of family units apprehended at the southern border has skyrocketed in recent years—from just 14,855 in fiscal year 2013 to 432,838 so far this year.

That’s an increase of more than 2,800 percent.

Every bit as important, by closing this loophole, President Trump is taking real action to destroy horrific child smuggling operations. For too long, the Flores agreement has allowed children—some “bought” or stolen from their families by criminal organizations—to be used as pawns to bring large groups of illegal aliens into the United States.

The bottom line: “Ending the settlement was the right call,” John Daniel Davidson writes in The Wall Street Journal. “More than any other single policy, it has created a magnet for illegal immigration, essentially guaranteeing entry to unaccompanied minors and any adult who crosses the Rio Grande with a child.”

Every single American should want immigrants to enter our country legally, safely, and fairly. Only politicians who want open borders would oppose such an obvious fix.

President Trump is enforcing the law AND keeping families together at the border.

Photo of the Day

Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead
The President and First Lady walk to Air Force One after arriving at Bordeaux-Merignac Airport in France, en route to Washington, D.C. | August 26, 2019

President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees and United States Marshal Nominee

Office of the Press Secretary

President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees
and United States Marshal Nominee

 

Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate:

Danielle J. Hunsaker of Oregon, to serve as Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 

Danielle Hunsaker currently serves as the Presiding Judge on the Washington County Circuit Court of Oregon. Before taking the bench in 2017, Judge Hunsaker was a partner at Larkins Vacura Kayser LLP in Portland, Oregon, where her practice focused on civil and appellate litigation in both State and Federal court. Judge Hunsaker also served as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School from 2011 to 2016, where she taught Advanced Civil Procedure. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Hunsaker served as a law clerk to Judge Paul J. Kelly, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and Judge Michael W. Mosman of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.  She later clerked for Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Hunsaker earned her B.S., cum laude, from the University of Idaho and her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Idaho College of Law, where she served as Lead Articles Editor on the Idaho Law Review.

William J. Nardini of Connecticut, to serve as Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

William Nardini is an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, where he serves as Chief of the Criminal Division. Mr. Nardini currently serves on the Criminal Chiefs Working Group of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee in the Department of Justice and the Advisory Committee for Local Rules of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. From 2010 to 2014, Mr. Nardini served as the Department of Justice Attaché at the United States Embassy in Rome, Italy. Mr. Nardini was also a Fulbright Scholar in Italy in 1998. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Nardini served as a law clerk to Judge Jose A. Cabranes and Judge Guido Calabresi, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Nardini earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Georgetown University and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served as Executive Editor of the Yale Law Journal.

Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Fernando Aenlle-Rocha currently serves as a Judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court of California. Before taking the bench in 2017, Judge Aenlle-Rocha was a partner at White & Case LLP in Los Angeles, where his practice focused on business litigation, white-collar defense, and business crimes investigation. Before joining White & Case, Judge Aenlle-Rocha was a partner at McDermott, Will & Emery LLP and an Associate at Stephan, Oringher, Richman & Theodora. Before entering private practice, Judge Aenlle-Rocha served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Judge Aenlle-Rocha received his B.A. from Princeton University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

Adam L. Braverman of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. 

Adam Braverman is Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice.  Mr. Braverman previously served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, including as the United States Attorney and as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Enterprise section. Before entering government service, Mr. Braverman was in private practice at Goodwin Procter LLP, where his practice focused on civil litigation, white-collar defense, and internal investigations. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Braverman served as a law clerk to Judge Consuelo M. Callahan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge Reggie B. Walton of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Mr. Braverman received his B.A., cum laude, from George Washington University and his J.D. from George Washington University Law School.

Silvia Carreno-Coll of Puerto Rico, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Silvia Carreno-Coll currently serves as a United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Before taking the bench in 2011, Judge Carreno-Coll served as Associate Regional Counsel for Caribbean Programs in the Environmental Protection Agency and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico. Judge Carreno-Coll teaches a Federal Practice seminar at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law and is a member of the Federal Bar District Examination Committee. Judge Carreno-Coll earned her B.A., cum laude, from Emerson College and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law.

John M. Gallagher of Pennsylvania, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  

John Gallagher is an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where he is the Chief of the Allentown Branch. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Mr. Gallagher held leadership positions in both the Miami and Philadelphia Police Departments and also served as a New York City Police Officer from 1989 to 1994. Mr. Gallagher was also a White House Fellow in the Department of Justice from 2000 to 2001, serving as Counsel to Attorneys General Janet Reno and John Ashcroft. Mr. Gallagher earned his B.S. from Long Island University and his J.D. from New York Law School.

Barbara Bailey Jongbloed of Connecticut, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

Barbara Jongbloed currently serves as a Judge on the New London District Superior Court for the State of Connecticut. Before taking the bench in 2000, Judge Jongbloed served as an Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Jongbloed served as a law clerk to Chief Judge T.F. Gilroy Daly of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Judge Jongbloed earned her B.A., cum laude, from Lawrence University and her J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Sandy Nunes Leal of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California. 
Sandy Leal currently serves as a Judge on the Orange County Superior Court for the State of California. Before taking the bench in 2018, Judge Leal was a Deputy Chief in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where she served as an Assistant United States Attorney since 2004. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Judge Leal was an Assistant District Counsel in the Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service, where she was in the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Judge Leal earned her B.A. from the University of Washington and her J.D. from Boston College Law School.

Shireen Matthews of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.

Shireen Matthews is a partner at Jones Day in San Diego, California. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Matthews served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. Before entering government service, Ms. Matthews was an associate with Latham & Watkins LLP in San Diego. Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Matthews served as a law clerk for Judge Irma E. Gonzalez of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Ms. Matthews earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and her J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law.

Rick Richmond of California, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Rick Richmond is a partner at Jenner & Block. He is the founding and managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. Prior to joining Jenner & Block, Mr. Richmond was a partner with Kirkland and Ellis for 17 years. Before entering private practice, Mr. Richmond served on the Appellate Staff of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Richmond served as a law clerk for Judge Harlington Wood, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Richmond earned his B.S., cum laude, from Brigham Young University and his J.D., cum laude, from George Washington University, where he was the Senior Managing Editor of the George Washington Law Review.

Daniel Mack Traynor of North Dakota, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. 

Daniel Traynor is a shareholder at the Traynor Law Firm in Devils Lake, North Dakota, where his practice focuses on insurance defense, personal injury, and business litigation.  Mr. Traynor is a member of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education and former Chair of the Disciplinary Board of the North Dakota Supreme Court.  Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Traynor served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Gerald W. VandeWalle of the North Dakota Supreme Court. Mr. Traynor earned his B.A. from the University of North Dakota and his J.D., with distinction, from the University of North Dakota School of Law, where he served as an Associate Editor on the North Dakota Law Review.

Cory T. Wilson of Mississippi, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

Cory Wilson currently serves as a Judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Before taking the bench in February 2019, Judge Wilson served in the Mississippi House of Representatives, from 2016 to 2019.  Prior to his elected service, Judge Wilson served as Senior Advisor and Counsel in the Mississippi State Treasurer’s Office and Deputy Secretary of State in the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office. Judge Wilson also served as a White House Fellow in the Department of Defense as a Special Assistant to Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld from 2005 to 2006. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Wilson served as a law clerk to Judge Emmett Ripley Cox of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Judge Wilson earned his B.B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Mississippi and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he served on the Yale Law Journal.

Grant C. Jaquith of New York, to serve as Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Grant Jaquith is the United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, where he serves as the chief Federal law enforcement officer for the Northern District of New York. Prior to becoming United States Attorney in 2017, Mr. Jaquith served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, including as First Assistant United States Attorney, Chief of the Criminal Division, Narcotics Chief, and Chief of the Albany Office. From 1982 to 2011, Mr. Jaquith also served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the United States Army in several roles, including as Staff Judge Advocate, Circuit Judge, and Chief of Military Law, rising to the rank of Colonel. Mr. Jaquith earned his B.S., cum laude, from Presbyterian College and his J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law.

Scott J. Laurer of Virginia, to serve as Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Scott Laurer is a Deputy Legal Advisor at the National Security Council. Before joining the National Security Council, Mr. Laurer served in the United States Navy as Special Counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations and as a Commanding Officer in the United States Region Legal Service Office for Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. Mr. Laurer earned his B.A. from Rutgers University, his J.D. from Temple University Law School, and his LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from George Washington University Law School.

Robert A. Dixon of Washington D.C., to serve as United States Marshal for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Robert Dixon was most recently the Director of Investigations for the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General, retiring in 2016.  Mr. Dixon began his career with the Department of Labor in 1980 and has served in law enforcement for more than 30 years. Mr. Dixon received his B.A. from Morehouse College.
 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SECRETARY SONNY PERDUE: “USMCA KEEPS ILLINOIS FARMERS LEADING THE PACK”

Office of the Press Secretary
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SECRETARY SONNY PERDUE: “USMCA KEEPS ILLINOIS FARMERS LEADING THE PACK” 

“Illinois stands to benefit in every way with USMCA. Illinois’ farmers, ranchers, and workers are some of the most productive in the world and the future looks bright with USMCA.”
 
USMCA keeps Illinois farmers leading the pack 
By Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue
Herald & Review
August 27, 2019



President Donald J. Trump was elected to fight for new and better trade deals, opening new markets for our agricultural products and establishing new rules so our manufacturing jobs stay in America. One of those deals he vowed to rework was NAFTA, and he did it. Our trading relationships need to ensure America’s farmers, manufacturers, and small business owners can succeed and compete on the world stage, and USMCA does just that.

Illinois exports more than $27 billion worth of goods to Mexico and Canada, and USMCA will only increase Illinois’ economic power. Illinois’ number one export to Mexico and Canada is machinery, worth over $4.4 billion. John Deere leads the world in farming equipment manufacturing and supports thousands of manufacturing jobs at its East Moline, Illinois facility.

USMCA will help John Deere export more combines, harvesters, and tractors to our North American neighbors. Caterpillar leads the world in construction equipment manufacturing and its tens of thousands of jobs in Illinois will directly benefit from USMCA. The deal supports high-paying manufacturing jobs for Americans and will keep Illinois as a manufacturing leader.



USMCA also creates a new labor value content rule to drive higher wages for manufacturing jobs, which will benefit blue collar workers in Illinois.

USMCA maintains Illinois’ duty-free access to Mexico’s hog market, the state’s largest meat export, representing a market worth over $1.2 billion. USMCA solidifies and expands market access with our neighbors to the North and South, expanding economic opportunity and putting money in farmer’s and ranchers’ wallets.



On my first day as Secretary, President Trump promised he would work to get better deals for American farmers, and USMCA is proof of that.



Illinois stands to benefit in every way with USMCA. Illinois’ farmers, ranchers, and workers are some of the most productive in the world and the future looks bright with USMCA.



Read the full op-ed here.
 

West Wing Reads Americans’ View of the Current Economy is the Highest in 19 Years

West Wing Reads

Americans’ View of the Current Economy is the Highest in 19 Years


Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions has climbed to the highest level in nearly two decades, buoyed by a strong job market, Reade Pickert reports for Bloomberg.

Of course, with a majority of Americans approving of President Donald J. Trump’s handling of the economy, the left is trying to rewrite the story of a blue-collar and middle-class resurgence. Fortunately, the results on the ground keep proving them wrong.

“The reading shows hiring and income gains are keeping consumers upbeat . . . The level of confidence could allow for sustained household spending that remains a mainstay of the economy. The share of respondents who say jobs are currently plentiful jumped to 51.2%, the highest since September 2000.”

Click here to read more.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board says that President Trump’s trade policies are looking out for the forgotten workers of America—not the media elites. “We are told that fighting the trade war just isn’t worth it. It makes Wall Street nervous. Maybe if your job and town are gone, the fight is worth it.”
“Drone footage released by the Border Patrol over the weekend shows miles of a ‘new border wall system’ going up at a location in Arizona near where illegal immigrants were seen streaming into America years ago,” Greg Norman reports for Fox News. “Elsewhere in Arizona, crews were installing 30-foot steel fencing Friday to replace older barriers next to a border crossing known as Lukeville Port of Entry.”
President Trump was elected by working-class citizens to rewrite America’s broken trade agreements. “One of those deals he vowed to rework was NAFTA, and he did it,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue writes in the Harold & Review. “USMCA includes rules which encourage vehicle and parts production in the United States and supports supply chains to use more United States products. USMCA also creates a new labor value content rule to drive higher wages for manufacturing jobs.”

President Donald J. Trump Approves Puerto Rico Emergency Declaration

Office of the Press Secretary

President Donald J. Trump Approves Puerto Rico Emergency Declaration
                                                                                        

Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that an emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and ordered Federal assistance to supplement commonwealth and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Dorian beginning on August 26, 2019, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 78 municipalities in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.

Pete Gaynor, Acting Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named James N. Russo as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV