The Morning Briefing: More NFLOL, DACA/Amnesty on the Senate Table, and Much, Much More

Good Tuesday Morning.

Here is what’s on the President’s agenda today:

In the morning, President Donald J. Trump will receive his daily intelligence briefing.
The President will then meet with bipartisan representation from the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Later in the morning, the President will receive a briefing on hurricane recovery efforts.
In the afternoon, the President will meet with President Mariano Rajoy of Spain, and, after a working luncheon with him, the two leaders will hold a joint press conference.
The President will then depart the White House for Joint Base Andrews, en route to New York, N.Y.
In New York, the President will participate in a U.S. Mission greeting.
The President will then meet with the Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
In the evening, the President will participate in a roundtable with RNC supporters. The President will then give remarks at the RNC finance dinner.
Later in the evening, the President will depart New York, N.Y., for Washington, D.C., en route to the White House.

REMINDER: Tonight is the run-off election in Alabama for AG Jeff Sessions’ Senate seat

America continues to be held hostage by NFLOL controversy

I guess we’re still going to be talking about this. Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones kneeled before the national anthem at the Cowboys/Cardinals game. The group then stood up during the National Anthem. Meanwhile, Alejandro Villanueva is walking back his decision to emerge from the Steelers’ locker room and stand for the anthem as his team protested by hiding in the locker room. “Unfortunately I threw my teammates under the bus, unintentionally,” Villanueva said. “Every single time I see that picture of me standing by myself I feel embarrassed.”

Why? If this is an issue of “free expression” and the First Amendment, why should he be embarrassed? Shouldn’t he be proud and applauded for his decision to express himself by those cheering on the NFL pre-game kneeling? Or is this not really about free expression? (HINT: It’s not about free expression.)

Villanueva says he asked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger if he could be out in front with the captains during the national anthem and they agreed to it, but when he went to the front of the tunnel to see the flag, he went too far unintentionally.

“When we came out of the locker room into that tunnel, it was a very small area. There was a flag or something coming off the field so there were a bunch of Bears fans, coming off the field holding that going in front of us, so it kind of held us up,” Villanueva said.

The rest of the team remained in the tunnel. “I made my teammates look bad, and that is my fault, and my fault only,” Villanueva said. “We as a team tried to figure it out, but obviously butchered it.”

“People that are taking a knee are not saying anything negative about the military, they’re not saying anything negative about the flag, they’re just trying to protest that there are some injustices in America,” Villanueva said.

I think the audience disagrees with you, Mr. Villanueva.

Appeals court allows parts of Texas “sanctuary city” law

On Monday, a U.S. Court of Appeals reinstated part of Texas’s “sanctuary city” law. The law was originally blocked by Judge Orlando Garcia, who thought it would not withstand constitutional scrutiny.

The case is on appeal, but a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday gave the go-ahead to a section of the law requiring law enforcement agencies to “comply with, honor, and fulfill” any immigration detainer request by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It limited the decision by saying: “Law enforcement agencies need not comply with or fulfill a detainer request when a detainee ‘provide(s) proof’ of lawful immigration status.”

The court left in place Garcia’s block on parts of the law that call for fines and prison sentences for local officials who fail to cooperate with U.S. immigration officials.

“Enforcing immigration law helps prevent dangerous criminals from being released into Texas communities,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement.

“The Department of Justice is gratified by the decision of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals today,” Sessions said in a statement. “Texas is one step closer to ending the dangerous sanctuary policies that prevent federal law enforcement from keeping criminal aliens off the streets and keeping Texans safe.”

Republican Senators introduce new DACA/Amnesty bill

The SUCCEED Act, introduced by GOP Senators Thom Tillis and James Lankford, will finally address the fate of the DACA children.

To be eligible, participants would have to pass a criminal background check and have a high school diploma or equivalent. They would also have to have been in the U.S. since June 15, 2012, and entered before the age of 16. To qualify, applicants would need to submit biometric and biographical data to the Department of Homeland Security. The SUCCEED Act would also require participants to pay off any tax liabilities and sign a waiver for future immigration benefits if they were to violate their status.

Under the proposal, Dreamers would have “conditional permanent residence” for 10 years before becoming eligible to apply for a green card, and that status could be renewed after five years. Dreamers would only be able to apply for citizenship after holding a green card for five years.

The bill would also prevent beneficiaries from sponsoring family members from coming to the U.S. Senator Lankford told reporters the president had said of the SUCCEED Act: “‘That’s the right way to go.'”

Picture of the day:

Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon leaves the lectern at left during his televised debate with his Democratic opponent Sen. John Kennedy, who is seated at left at Chicago on Sept. 26, 1960. Moderator Howard K. Smith is partially hidden behind Kennedy?s lectern. Two of the panelists are seated at right. (AP Photo)

Other morsels:

Dem Rep. Jeffries Implies Trump Is a KKK Member

U.S. Appeals Court to Consider Rights of Gay Workers

California Is Already Preparing for a North Korean Nuclear Attack

Invasive dog experiments lead to increased VA scrutiny of research, possible loss of funding

Trump trolls McCain over ObamaCare repeal

Broncos player takes a knee during national anthem – and loses endorsement over it

Rep. Trent Franks Introduces Bill Backing The Kurds’ Right To An Independent State

Star Trek Star Mocks Conservatives And Expresses His Support For #TakeTheKnee

Trump and Pence to leave D.C. this week for fundraising

At least 6 Trump staffers used private email for White House business

North Korea’s ‘gruesome’ murder of Kim’s brother meant to ‘horrify world,’ new report says