CONGRESS/JARED KUSHNER/PRISONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is expected to throw his support behind bipartisan criminal justice legislation during an event at the White House on Wednesday [11-14-18], two sources close to the process said. Trump is scheduled to announce on Wednesday that he is supporting the latest iteration of the First Step Act, a bill that his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, has been working to craft and build support for alongside a bipartisan group of senators, the sources said. The President will be joined by supporters of the legislation during the White House event, the sources said. Supporters of the measure expect that Trump’s explicit backing will help propel the prison and sentencing overhaul bill through Congress, a push White House officials hope to accomplish during the lame duck session of Congress. The President has wavered on whether to throw his support behind the bill in recent months, but the sources said he was swayed to back the bill on Tuesday [11-13-18] after meeting with Kushner. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to order a whip count later this week, and has pledged to bring the bill to the floor for a vote if the count shows 60 votes in favor of the bill.”
–Jeremy Diamond, “President Trump to announce support for criminal justice overhaul proposal,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, November 13, 2018 9:49 pm