BORDER/DEMS/GOVERNMENT/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “As the government shutdown passed its 18th day Tuesday [1-8-19], President Donald Trump told Americans that a border wall is needed to keep the country safe – but avoided talk of declaring a national emergency that would allow him to start building it without congressional authorization. In his first formal address from the Oval Office, Trump sought to pressure Democrats to agree to his request for $5.7 billion as a condition of ending the government shutdown. He also tried to ramp up support among Republicans who are getting nervous about government workers and others who are feeling the pain of the shutdown. Trump emphasized humanitarian issues in an apparent appeal to Democrats. But he also spent several minutes discussing what he said was a crime problem stemming from migrants entering the country illegally, although he did not note that migrants commit crimes at lower rates than U.S. citizens.”
–Michael Collins, David Jackson, John Fritze, Bart Jansen and Ledyard King, “President Trump demands border wall in speech; Democrats accuse him of sowing fear,” USA Today, January 8, 2019 10:20 pm