President Donald Trump on Feb. 1, said there is a “good chance” that he will have to declare a national emergency to secure funds for a border wall.
Asked if he will definitely declare a national emergency, the president responded: “I don’t want to say but you‘ll hear the State of the Union and then you’ll see what happens right after the State of the Union.“ ”I think there’s a good chance we’ll have to do that.”
On Jan. 25, Trump reached a deal with Democrats to reopen the government for three weeks so that lawmakers can negotiate a deal that includes funds for a border wall.
On Thursday, Nancy Pelosi said that Democrats will not include any money for a border wall in their proposed legislation.
But on Friday, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that the federal government is already building the wall.
Trump said: “We are, we are doing things right now. We’re building it with funds that are on hand. We are negotiating very tough prices. We’ve designed a much better looking wall that is also actually a better wall which is an interesting combination is far more beautiful and it’s better, it’s much more protective.”
During the anti-human trafficking event at the White House on Friday, Trump also highlighted the plight of human trafficking. He said: “Human trafficking is worse now than it’s ever been in the history of our world. It’s a world problem. It’s a U.S. problem but it’s a world problem,” “My administration has made the fight against human trafficking one of our highest priorities. In the past several weeks, I’ve signed for robust pieces of bipartisan human trafficking legislation.”
U.S. Border Patrol Carries out Security Drills near Mexican Border Crossing Points
U.S. border patrol officers performed a series of drills near its international border with Mexico, as thousands of Central American migrants cross overland towards the northern frontier to the United States.U.S. Border Patrol spokesperson, Ramiro Cordero, said: “What we are preparing for, what we are training for is when there is a large group of people, when lots of people come to try and enter the United States illegally, especially if they come in using violence. When this is done with violence then one needs to be prepared for this type of event.”
At the Tijuana crossing point, officers laid out barb wire as part of another security operation. Trump has hardened his stance on immigration, and specifically against the caravan of migrants. He has sought to suspend the granting of asylum to migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, seeking fresh ways to block thousands of Central Americans traveling in caravans from entering the United States.
White House Prioritizes Opioid Abuse in National Drug Strategy
A new white house drug strategy aims to reduce opioid prescription fills and improve access to addiction treatment.The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy highlighted how it plans to fight opioid addiction on Friday.
The agency issued its newest national drug control strategy. Its goals include reducing opioid prescription fills by one third and improving access to evidence-based addiction treatment.
Chicago Warms up
A high of 22 degrees on Friday was a big improvement from the sub-zero weather that froze Chicago this week.Overnight snow led to slick roads in Chicago, where things are starting to warm up after two days of extreme cold.
The city deployed nearly 300 vehicles to help plow highways and salt bridges. Plumbing and heating companies are seeing a spike in business as the city thaws out.
The weather is now somewhat “warm”—by Chicago standards, at least—with a high on Friday of 22 degrees. That’s a big improvement over the last two days, when wind chills made it feel like minus-50.
