Politics
Dozens of Former GOP Members Are Reportedly in Talks to Form Third Party
After former US President Donald Trump left the White House amid political tensions in America, speculations erupted that he would create his own political party over a lack of support by some Republicans.
A number of Republicans are considering forming a centre-right breakaway party to avoid the influence of former US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing four people involved in the discussions.
Among those discussing the possibility are former Republican officials and strategists from the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and even Trump administrations.
About 120 reportedly attended a Zoom conference call last Friday to discuss the breakaway group, which would be based upon “principled conservatism”, including adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law. They believe that Trump has undermined US democracy by departing from these tenets.
The strategy involves running their own candidates in some races and also supporting like-minded candidates from other parties.
According to Evan McMullin, former chief policy director for the House Republican Conference and an independent 2016 presidential candidate, he was one of the organisers of the meeting, as former officials are concerned about Trump’s grip on the GOP and “the nativist turn the party has taken”.
John Mitnick, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security under Trump, joined the call, along with former Republican congressman Charlie Dent, deputy chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security under Trump, Elizabeth Neumann, and Miles Taylor, another former Trump Homeland Security official.
The main topic of the call was the split in the GOP caused by Trump’s baseless claims of “rigged elections”, and the deadly 6 January Capitol attack. Some participants expressed concern that many Republicans in Congress – eight senators and 139 House representatives – voted to block the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory after the pro-Trump riots at the Capitol that took the lives of five people.
“Large portions of the Republican Party are radicalising and threatening American democracy. The party needs to recommit to truth, reason, and founding ideals or there clearly needs to be something new”, McMullin told Reuters.
Trump spokesman Jason Miller, commenting on the party possibly splitting, stressed that “These losers left the Republican Party when they voted for Joe Biden”.
As Reuters reported, some of those on the call are also considering forming a “faction” that would operate either inside the current Republican Party or outside of it as many admit that third parties usually don’t succeed.
“But there is a far greater hunger for a new political party out there than I have ever experienced in my lifetime”, one participant said.
At the moment, some party names have been suggested, such as the Integrity Party and the Centre Right Party.
A number of Republican congressmen earlier expressed their frustration with the current GOP’s perspectives amid the controversy over the 6 January Capitol siege and Trump’s second impeachment. According to recent reports, the GOP has some lost 140,000 voters in 25 US states, while Democrats lost just 79,000 voters.
Politics
Biden Wants To Give Separated Illegal Immigrants $450,000 Per Person
The average amount sought through the courts is roughly $3.4 million per family, according to the report.
The Biden administration is mulling a plan to offer immigrant families separated during the Trump administration $450,000 per person in compensation, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter.
The payments – part of an inter-agency solution to several lawsuits filed on behalf of separated parents and children claiming lasting psychological trauma could amount to nearly $1 million per family, though ‘the final numbers could shift,’ according to the report.
According to sources, most of the families crossing into the US from Mexico included one parent and one child. Depending on circumstances, many families could get smaller payouts.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents families in one of the lawsuits, has identified about 5,500 children separated at the border over the course of the Trump administration, citing figures provided to it by the government. The number of families eligible under the potential settlement is expected to be smaller, the people said, as government officials aren’t sure how many will come forward. Around 940 claims have so far been filed by the families, the people said. -WSJ
In total, the potential payout could reach $1 billion or more.
Throughout the Trump administration, thousands of children were separated from their parents (and coyotes paid to bring them into the country) after they had crossed illegally into the country from Mexico. The lawsuits allege some of the children suffered various ailments – including malnutrition, heat exhaustion, and were kept in freezing cold rooms with little medical attention. Some claim lasting mental health problems due to the trauma of being without their parents for several months.
The average amount sought through the courts is roughly $3.4 million per family, according to the report.
“President Biden has agreed that the family separation policy is a historic moral stain on our nation that must be fully remedied,” said ACLU deputy director, Lee Gelernt. “That remedy must include not only meaningful monetary compensation, but a pathway to remain in the country.”
Senate Republicans slammed the plan on Thursday afternoon following the WSJ‘s report.
“The Biden administration’s promises of citizenship and entitlement programs have already caused the worst border crisis in history—a huge cash reward will make it even worse,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
The discussions about the payouts have taken place over the past few months among a group of dozens of private lawyers representing the families and government lawyers. Some government lawyers have viewed the payouts as excessive for people who had violated the law by crossing the border, the people said. One government lawyer threatened to remove his name from the case out of disagreement with the potential settlement offer, the people said. -WSJ
“It is a complicated, complex piece of litigation” – trying to resolve hundreds of separate lawsuits at the same time, and “sometimes even more complex to try the cases” said Margo Schlanger, who ran the civil-rights office during the Obama administration at the Department of Homeland Security and now teaches at the University of Michigan law school.
What will the reparations crowd think of this?
Politics
White House To America: ‘We’re Coming Door To Door…With Shots!’
Will CDC soon recommend a nation-wide re-count of Covid deaths?
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said at the daily press conference yesterday that President Biden’s strategy to get everyone a Covid shot – whether they want it or not – is to start going “door-to-door” to those not yet jabbed. So…they have a list? Also today: bomb-maker Raytheon goes “woke.” Capitol Hill Cops set up shop in California. Will CDC soon recommend a nation-wide re-count of Covid deaths?
Politics
Half A Million Illegals Crossed Since Harris Named Border ‘Czar’
By the time June’s figures are reported in the coming days, the combined number is expected to be over half a million, more than the entire population of Miami, Florida or Cleveland, Ohio.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures, around 500,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border since Kamala Harris was named border ‘czar’.
The Washington Free Beacon reported the findings, noting that only three months has passed since Harris took on the responsibility, and that the half a million figure is just those that have been apprehended.
The CBP says around 180,000 immigrants are being caught per month. In April agents arrested 178,854 illegal immigrants, the highest monthly figure for 21 years. That figure was then surpassed in May as agents apprehended 180,034 illegals.
By the time June’s figures are reported in the coming days, the combined number is expected to be over half a million, more than the entire population of Miami, Florida or Cleveland, Ohio.
Harris only bothered to visit the border when President Trump announced he was making a trip. Even then Harris visited El Paso, some 1000 miles away from where the crisis is taking place.
Previous to this, Harris lied and claimed she had been to the border, telling NBC’s Lester Holt “This whole thing about the border. We’ve been to the border. We’ve been to the border.”
When Holt pushed back and said she had not, Harris snapped “I—and I haven’t been to Europe. And I mean, I don’t—I don’t understand the point that you’re making,” then again laughed maniacally:
On Tuesday, Republican Senator Ron Johnson argued that Harris’ trip to El Paso was designed to distract the media and keep them away from the real crisis hit areas of the border.
“They took her to a point in the border where she wouldn’t see the crisis and so the press wouldn’t report on the crisis,” Johnson said.
The Senator added, “You just simply can’t understand what this administration is doing. We literally are apprehending now about 6,000 people per day. That’s I mean, that’s a large caravan every day being processed, some of them being returned, others are being dispersed. But this crisis is not going away. It’s just under everybody’s radar because the press isn’t covering it.”


