NEWS AND OPINION:
There is a surge of journalists at the Southwest border, all seeking insight on immigration and the “family separation crisis,” this according to CNN analyst Brian Stelter, who blamed it all on “President Trump‘s lies about the policy” for the interest.
Trouble is, the news coverage is flawed, and even members of Congress are to blame, according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who has been trying to wrangle a hostile media for the last 48 hours — an effort which included an appearance before the White House press corps.
“This misreporting by Members, press & advocacy groups must stop. It is irresponsible and unproductive. As I have said many times before, if you are seeking asylum for your family, there is no reason to break the law and illegally cross between ports of entry,” Ms. Nielsen tweeted Sunday, later adding “Border security and immigration enforcement are complex topics. They cannot be reduced to media soundbites.”
The topics can be reduced to melodrama, however.
“CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King was absolutely unhinged on Monday, putting aside any pretense of objectivity as she blasted the Trump administration’s policy of separating the children of illegal immigrants: King excoriated it as a form of ‘child abuse,’ an indication of ‘zero humanity’ and lectured viewers at the start of the show,” writes Scott Whitlock, an analyst for Newsbusters.org who is tracking the endless coverage.
“King, a Democratic donor as well as co-host, reported live from the southern border. Clearly disgusted, she began: ‘We went straight to the facility, the location where kids and their parents were reunited. All I can say after talking to the people, watching the people, listening to the people, the Statue of Liberty, I think, is weeping right now,’” Mr. Whitlock noted.
Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, meanwhile, says the situation is a “manufactured crisis” fomented by the Democratic Party and sympathetic journalists, adding, “This is a political battle, and the football in this battle is the kids.”
Fox News host Laura Ingraham suggested that children be reunited with the parents, but in their home countries — even as Americans display a spectrum of feelings. A new Rasmussen Reports survey found that 50 percent of U.S. voters now would oppose their own community becoming a sanctuary city; 37 percent would favor the move, while 12 percent remain undecided.
TRUMP MAKES SPACE GREAT AGAIN
A year ago, President Trump established the National Space Council, pledging to bolster the nation’s role in space exploration, and space-based industry and security.
“We will lead again, we will inspire again, we will hold the high ground again,” Mr. Trump told the new council at the time.
The president made good on that pledge Monday, ordering the Pentagon to create an independent “Space Force” as a sixth branch of the military — and revealing that he still has strong feelings about the final frontier.
“My administration is reclaiming America’s heritage as the world’s greatest spacefaring nation. The essence of the American character is to explore new horizons and to tame new frontiers,” Mr. Trump said from the East Room of the White House, at an event attended by Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the Space Council.
Mr. Trump’s zeal for space is on point with the rest of the nation. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 72 percent of Americans say it is “essential” for the U.S. to continue to be a world leader in space exploration. The president recognizes that.
“Our nation of pioneers still yearns to conquer the unknown, because we are Americans and the future belongs totally to us. Once more, we will launch intrepid souls blazing through the sky and soaring into the heavens. Once more, we will summon the American spirit to tame the next great American frontier. And once more, we will proudly lead humanity — and that’s what it is, it’s humanity — beyond the Earth and into those forbidden skies, but they will not be forbidden for long,” Mr. Trump said.
DOJ: FROM ONE JOURNALIST TO THE REST
Yet another situation remains complicated. Ongoing speculation over the Justice Department Inspector General’s report parsing the investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s email practices is a murky place indeed. Even for the news media. One journalist has advice for others, however regarding the liberal media landscape.
“My unsolicited advice to fellow writers: Stay focused on contents of DOJ IG report, hearings on Capitol Hill this week, and showdown with DOJ over documents. The mob wants to draw us into the latest immigration outrage to distract attention away from this scandal. Don’t do it,” tweeted Julie Kelly, who writes for National Review, the Federalist and American Greatness, among other publications.
PRO-LIFERS NOT WELCOME
Mandatory fees collected from Ball State University students have funded events such as a Planned Parenthood rally and a “God is Dead: Life without Religion” event, while pro-life students seeking funds to educate peers on pregnancy and parenting resources were refused support.
They are pushing back.
“Students for Life at Ball State University has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the public, Indiana-based institution,” reports Michael Jones, an analyst for the College Fix, a nonprofit conservative watchdog.
The pro-life students only seek “equal access to the same funds that they pay into,” Caleb Dalton, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the students, who had requested $300 from the fund, which takes in $1,318 in mandatory fees from each of the 22,000 students who attend the university.
“Officials denied Students for Life’s request because the organization advocates for pro-life views; however, the Student Activity Fee Committee distributed funding from the same pool to organizations that advocate for viewpoints administrators prefer, including Feminists for Action, Secular Student Alliance, and Spectrum,” the law firm noted in a statement.
POLL DU JOUR
• 49 percent of Americans are not planning to take a summer vacation.
• 50 percent of this group can’t afford it.
• 25 percent say they have family complications.
• 22 percent can’t take time off work, 6 percent will take a vacation at another time.
• 4 percent don’t want to take a vacation, 4 percent have health concerns.
Source: A Bankrate/GFK survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted May 4-6 and released Monday.
• Facts and innuendo to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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