Mail Bombs Target Dems, Trump Critics
What we know now about the 12 suspicious packages. USA Today: "After 12 potential explosive devices were mailed to prominent Democrats, law enforcement authorities Friday continue to search post offices after warning the public that more packages could still be at large. 'This has to be taken with the most seriousness,' New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill told reporters at a Thursday news conference when asked to address claims that the mailings were part of a hoax. 'We are treating them as suspected explosive devices.' Friday morning, The New York Police Department closed a Manhattan intersection to traffic and pedestrians because of another possible explosive package found at a postal facility. The FBI confirmed it was an eleventh package, 'similar in appearance to the others,' addressed to Sen. Cory Booker, a Democratic from from New Jersey. So far, none of the suspected packages have injured anyone. Officials were searching a mail distribution center in Florida Thursday night for possible clues on where the packages originated. A scare at Time Warner Center in New York also caused more panic, after reports of unattended packages."
Trump Wants Troops At Mexico Border
Trump may halt entry for nearly all seeking asylum on southern border. NBC: "The Trump administration is drafting an executive action that would make it exceedingly difficult for Central Americans seeking asylum to gain entry at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to three sources familiar with the proposed measures. The exact details have not yet been finalized, the sources said, and some of the more extreme ideas are a source of internal debate within the administration. They have been drafted as President Donald Trump and his National Security Adviser John Bolton have grown increasingly frustrated with the number of migrants arriving at the southern border and the Honduran migrant caravan currently making its way to the U.S. The details are expected to be finalized by early next week, the three sources said, with plans for the proposals to be unveiled by Trump in a speech on immigration."
HHS Forgot, Stranded Migrant Children
HHS admits miscount left some migrant children stranded in custody. Politico: "The Trump administration failed to include at least 14 migrant children in its count of minors whom officials separated from their parents at the border, which has left the overlooked children in HHS custody for months, the administration told a federal court late Thursday night. The revelation was contained in a filing in which administration officials acknowledged that their previous count of 2,654 separated children was inaccurate, and raising it to 2,668. The HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement 'recently completed another review of case management records to ensure that its categorizations of certain children in ORR care remain accurate,' the filing states. 'Defendants will further adjust their categorizations of children to the extent it becomes appropriate.' The discrepancy stemmed from the haphazard way that the Trump administration tracked migrant families after it imposed the “zero-tolerance” strategy that led to separations at the border. Neither Homeland Security nor HHS was prepared to implement the policy, government investigators reported this week. Border Patrol agents also did not track families consistently as they were separated and as children were remanded into HHS custody. A Homeland Security internal watchdog report also suggested that the department's data were unreliable."
GOP Suppresses Voters In AZ, ND
ACLU warns that GOP voter suppression could swing Senate races in Arizona, North Dakota. Salon: "The American Civil Liberties Union has warned that Republican attempts to limit access for Democratic voters could have a significant impact on close U.S. Senate races in Arizona and North Dakota. The ACLU's Dale Ho told reporters on a conference call Tuesday that Republican efforts to reduce voter turnout among Democratic-leaning voters will see the most “bang for their buck” in Arizona, because of an outdated voter database, and North Dakota, where a new voter ID law disenfranchises Native American voters, Bloomberg reported. Ho warned that 300,000 Arizona voters may "show up on Election Day only to find out they can’t cast a ballot” because the voter database was not automatically updated with addresses voters gave the Department of Motor Vehicles when they moved. The ACLU filed a federal lawsuit against Arizona over the database this month, accusing the state of violating the National Voter Registration Act. The lawsuit notes that up to half a million voters may be affected, citing the number of voters the secretary of state said need their addresses updated."
More from OurFuture.org:
Mainers Ask Voters to Support Home Care and Question 1. Lauren McCauley: "In an effort to make the stakes clear in the upcoming vote on universal home care in Maine, supporters of Question 1 from across the state are posting dozens of videos to social media explaining why passage of the referendum is so important to them personally, and for the state. n addition to highlighting personal stories, the Yes on 1 campaign says it also hopes the grassroots videos, which are being shared on the group’s Facebook page, will 'help break through a wave of confusing ads and outright lies from the nursing home lobby and their allies, who are opposed to Question 1.' The videos stand in contrast to the opposition’s campaign ads that feature politicians including Governor Paul LePage."
