BORDER/DHS/FAMILY SEPARATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings slammed acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan and border conditions during a dramatic congressional hearing Thursday [7-18-19], at one point asking if the department has an ‘empathy deficit.’ Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, demanded ‘improvement’ in a heated exchanged with McAleenan. After McAleenan said they were ‘doing our level best,’ Cummings interrupted and raised his voice: ‘What does that mean? What does that mean when a child is sitting in their own feces, can’t take a shower?Come on, man. What’s that about? None of us would have our children in that position. They are human beings.’ The back and forth was indicative of the frustration held among lawmakers and the department amid deteriorating conditions at the border…Later in the hearing, McAleenan said he would ‘go back and redo’ the zero-tolerance policy if he could, saying the policy played a role in the department losing the public trust.”
–Priscilla Alvarez and Geneva Sands, “Chairman Cummings erupts at acting Homeland Security Secretary McAleenan over family separation,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, July 18, 2019 5:06 pm