TRNS News Notes is brought to you by Victoria Jones. Victoria Jones is the Chief White House correspondent and global analyst of the Washington DC based Talk Radio News Service, where her insight and analysis are made available to over 400 news talk radio stations around the country and internationally.

In Paris today, Kerry told Hollande “we share the pain” of last week’s attacks – Reuters

In the News

  • Immigration: GOP has no exit – yet
  • Belgian antiterror raid: 2 suspects dead
  • Pope: Don’t insult religions
  • New Cuba rules today
  • “Cyber war games” – US & UK
  • Obama: “I’m going to play offense”
  • Republicans: New debate rules today
  • Pile-on: No! to Mitt Romney
  • State of the Union: First look
  • Boko Haram: Devastation

 

Immigration: GOP Has No Exit – Yet
• Republicans still don’t have an exit strategy that will allow them to fund the Dept of Homeland Security while canceling President Obama’s temporary administrative amnesty for millions of immigrants. The GOP’s divisions and an impending time crunch are the talk of the party’s joint retreat (Politico, Hill, me)

• As they try to coordinate with the House in Hershey at the joint retreat, Senate Republicans are resolute that they will put the legislation on the floor, even if only to prove that it can’t pass the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. It’s far from clear that all 54 Republican senators would support the House bill

• But given that the Senate may take up to two weeks or more to work on amending the Keystone XL pipeline, congressional leaders will probably need to begin working on a back-up plan as soon as possible to hit the 27 Feb deadline for DHS funding. “It’s going to be tough … we’re committed to pushing back and blocking the executive orders,” said Sen John Hoeven (R-ND)

• Several GOP senators have expressed “concern” with the House’s attempt to peel back Obama’s orders shielding many young immigrants from deportation, said Rep Jeff Denham (R-CA), who vocally opposed the House’s bill. He said he’d ultimately vote for a “clean” bill that simply funds the dept without immigration riders

• Denham said the language killing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program sent the “wrong message” to people, given that the House hasn’t taken up immigration reform legislation of its own. But given the outrage on the right against Obama, GOP leaders still won’t say if a clean funding bill without immigration riders is the ultimate endgame
Belgian Antiterror Raid: 2 Suspects Killed
• Police officers killed two men after coming under fire in one of several raids against suspected terrorists that unfolded across Belgium on Thursday. A federal prosecutor’s spox said the targets of the raids had been plotting “imminent” attacks on a substantial scale in Belgium. German police today arrested two Turkish men in Berlin suspected of having links to militant groups (NYT, CNN, me)

• The raids took aim at people who had joined Islamic extremist groups in Syria or other battle zones and then returned to Europe. The gun battle took place in Verviers, a town in eastern Belgium. The spox said, “For the time being, there is no connection with what happened in Paris.” Earlier in the day, a man turned himself in – may be linked to Paris, they said

• Belgian news outlets reported that the police had evidence that the man, arrested in Charleroi, had arranged a sale of ammunition to Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman who killed four people and held others hostage at a kosher supermarket in Paris last Friday

• The prosecutor’s office said about 12 search warrants had been issued for the raids Thursday. Belgian authorities had been monitoring the suspects for weeks – starting “before the attacks in Paris, I would like to stress.” The suspects were all Belgian citizens, but the spox declined to comment on their origins or their activities in Syria

• Separately, at least a dozen people have been detained in the Paris region overnight in connection with last week’s shootings, the city prosecutor’s office said today. The individuals arrested are suspected of providing logistical support for the terror attacks. A bomb threat briefly closed a Paris train station today
• Republican presidential prospect Ben Carson Thursday compared ISIS to American patriots willing to die for freedom. “They got the wrong philosophy, but they’re willing to die for what they believe, while we are busily giving away every belief and every value for the sake of political correctness,” he said to GOP applause at the RNC’s winter meeting in San Diego (AP, me)
Pope: Don’t Insult Religions
• On the papal plane en route to the Philippines, Pope Francis spoke in Italian with reporters. Referring specifically to the Paris attacks, Francis said, “I think both freedom of religion and freedom of expression are both fundamental human rights.” (AP, Reuters, TRNS, me)

• “Everyone has not only the freedom and the right but the obligation to say what he thinks for the common good … we have the right to have this freedom openly without offending.” To illustrate, he turned to an aide. “It is true that you must not react violently, but although we are good friends, if
[he] says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch, it’s normal.”

• “You cannot provoke,” he went on. “You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.” He by no means said the attack on Charlie Hebdo was justified. Rather, he said such horrific violence in God’s name couldn’t be justified and was an “aberration.” But he said a reaction of some kind was to be expected

• Referring to past religious wars, such as the Crusades sanctioned by the Catholic Church against Islam, Francis said: “Let’s consider our own history. How many wars of religion have we had? Even we were sinners but you can’t kill in the name of God. That is an aberration.”

• Days ago, Francis denounced the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the “deviant forms of religion” behind them. “Religious fundamentalism, even before it eliminates human beings by perpetrating horrendous killings, eliminates God himself, turning him into a mere ideological pretext,” he said

• On global warming, Francis told reporters Thursday, “I don’t know if it is all [man’s fault] but the majority is. For the most part, it is man who continuously slaps down nature. I think man has gone too far.” (Reuters)

New Cuba Rules Today
• Under sweeping new Cuba regulations that take effect today, travelers who qualify under a dozen broad categories of authorized travel will be able to visit the country without applying for a license. Travelers visiting Cuba won’t be limited in how much money they can spend while on the island, and they’ll be allowed to use their U.S. credit and debit cards

• Americans won’t be allowed to travel to Cuba for tourism, though it’s unclear how the govt will enforce that. To promote travel to Cuba, the Obama admin will allow U.S. airlines to fly there without obtaining special licenses. The admin is also taking steps to allow U.S. banking activity in Cuba (Hill, AP, TRNS, me)

• Travelers can bring back up to $400 worth of goods, including $100 in alcohol and tobacco products – yes, Cuban cigars and rum. The Obama admin will encourage U.S. telecom and internet companies to build infrastructure in Cuba to promote open communications for the citizens there

• The new regs also remove restrictions on certain U.S. companies looking to do business on the island. U.S. insurers can now provide global health, life and travel insurance policies for those visiting Cuba, and tech firms can sell consumer electronic devices like computers to the Cuban people. There are a lot of details – too many for here

• Sen Bob Corker (R-TN), Foreign Relations Committee chair, said Thursday, “What you’re going to see in the Foreign Relations Committee is a robust set of hearings around all of this. Not just the issue of the admin’s policies but the embargo itself. This has not been top of mind.”

• President Obama signed a presidential memorandum Thursday, ordering executive agencies to give up to six weeks paid leave to federal employees on the birth or adoption of a child (USA Today, TRNS)
“Cyber War Games” – US & UK
• The U.S. and UK are to carry out “war game” cyber attacks on each other as part of a new joint defense against online criminals. The first exercise, a staged attack on the financial sector, will take place later this year, Downing Street said (BBC, FT, me)

• The “unprecedented” arrangement between the two countries was announced as President Obama held talks with British PM David Cameron Thursday. Agents will also cooperate in “cyber cells” on both sides of the Atlantic. The measures come in the wake of recent cyber attacks on Sony Pictures and CentCom

• The first war game will target Wall Street and the City of London and will involve the Bank of England and commercial banks, and will be followed by “further exercises to test critical national infrastructure.” Cash will also be made available to train “the next generation” of cyber agents. Other mock attacks on energy stations, transport systems and other infrastructure will follow

• The two leaders will discuss a range of issues today, including economic growth, international trade, cybersecurity, Iran, ISIS, cyberterrorism, Ebola and Russia’s actions in Ukraine today. They will hold a joint mini-presser. Last night, they held a working dinner in the Blue Room. Cameron faces a general election in May

• Oklahoma executed Charles Frederick Warner Thursday night, the first inmate killed since the slipshod, prolonged killing of Clayton Lockett in April led the state to suspend lethal injections and change its procedures (NYT, me)
Obama: “I’m Going To Play Offense”
• President Obama made clear Thursday in a closed-door session with Senate Democrats at a summit in Baltimore that he’s prepared to veto hostile legislation from the GOP-controlled Congress. “I’m not going to spend the next two years on defense; I’m going to play offense,” Obama said, according to two attendees (Politico, NYT, me)

• According to several sources, Obama promised to stand firm against GOP efforts to dismantle his agenda and called on his Democratic colleagues to help sustain his expected vetoes. The president also was explicit over his admin’s opposition to an Iran sanctions bill, promising to veto legislation with nuclear negotiations going on

• The session was described as more of a pep rally than confrontation. Obama promised that he wouldn’t sit on the sidelines. He vowed more executive actions to implement his agenda, something bound to prompt anger from Republicans who have called the president’s unilateral moves an unconstitutional power grab

• On Iran, Obama said he understood the pressures that senators face from donors and others, but he urged lawmakers to take the long view rather than make a move for short-term political gain. Sen Robert Menendez (D-NJ) stood up and said he took “personal offense.” He said he’d been working for more than 20 years to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions

• Menendez also warned the president that sanctions couldn’t be imposed quickly if Congress waited to act and the talks failed. “It was a forceful exchange between two strong personalities,” said a senator, anonymous. “It was not an angry exchange. It was clear, forceful, vigorous.” (fly on wall!)

• In its regular Friday conference today, the Supreme Court could decide today whether to take up the issue of the constitutionality of same-sex marriage
Republicans: New Debate Rules Today
• Republican leaders today plan to unveil new rules for presidential debates. Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus said Thursday that he regarded the 2012 debates as “an embarrassment and ridiculous” for the party. “It was like a dog-and-pony show.” (WaPo, me)

• With final details to be worked out at the RNC meeting, the plan would cut the number of debates roughly in half from the two dozen or so held in the last nomination cycle. It would also spread them out geographically, rather than allow them to be heavily concentrated in the few states with early primaries or caucuses

• Recommendations are also for a later start to debate seasons. Last presidential primary season, the first debate was held in May 2011. The goal this time is for the first debate to be held this summer, possibly at the RNC’s summer meeting in Ohio, also the site of the 2016 convention – but candidates will ultimately decide where and when

• Party leaders are contemplating potentially stiff sanctions against candidates who violate the rules by participating in unsanctioned debates. Possibilities include denying a candidate access to national committee data or access to the national convention if he or she purposely takes part in unsanctioned events

• “I’m trying to limit the opportunity we have to kill each other,” Priebus said. “I’ve always tried to be a person that sells what I control. I don’t like to sell things I don’t control. I don’t control people’s mouths, that’s for sure, but what I do control is the length of time we have to kill each other.”

Pile-On: No! to Mitt Romney
• Mitt Romney will speak at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in San Diego today. The remarks will come on the USS Midway (don’t parachute in). But a Republican backlash against a potential 2016 candidacy boiled over midweek as conservatives panned the prospect of another Romney bid (Politico, Hill, me)

• Leading the anti-Romney charge was the voice of the GOP establishment wing, the WSJ editorial page. “The question the former Massachusetts Governor will have to answer,” the newspaper wrote, “is why he would be a better candidate than he was in 2012. … The answer is not obvious.”

• The Journal’s owner, News Corp chair Rupert Murdoch, piled on: “He had his chance, he mishandled it, you know? I thought Romney was a terrible candidate.”

• Potential 2016er Gov Scott Walker (R-WI) said Wednesday evening to Politico, “I think the best way to counter something from the past is with something new.” And another potential 2016er Sen Rand Paul (R-KY) said, “I think many people are going to say, ‘He’s had his chance.'”

• But Rep Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), one of Romney’s top congressional surrogates, said Thursday, “I think on domestic politics and foreign policy, I think most people understand Mitt Romney was right.” Chaffetz said, “Three times a Bush? I’m not sure that’s right for us.”

• The YouTube interview with President Obama 2015 announcement. The three popular YouTube personalities, with zero interviewing experience, who will “grill” Obama two days after SOTU, are Bethany Mota, Hank Green and GloZell. Here’s Glozell buttering a turkey. She’s not wearing any pants. The unedited version. Here’s her viral hot pepper challenge (LOL)

 

 

State of the Union: First Look
• President Obama will strike a defiant tone for dealing with the new Republican-led Congress when he addresses Americans next Tuesday at 9 pm EST in his State of the Union speech, laying out areas for potential compromise but ceding little ground to his opponents (Reuters, me)

• Senior admin officials said Obama will offer an optimistic view of the country, with the U.S. economy stronger than at any point in his presidency, and will say that improving the plight of the middle class is possible if both sides work together

• But he’s not expected to offer major concessions, in keeping with his pledge to act where he can on his own through executive actions and identify areas where the two sides can work together. On foreign policy, Obama will offer a stay-the-course message, using last week’s Paris attacks to illustrate the need to press on against violent extremists

• In a departure from previous run-ups to the annual SOTU, Obama has rolled out key proposals from his speech early to draw more attention to them. His goals include trying to seal agreements on tax reform and trade, protecting his signature healthcare law from being gutted by Republicans and lifting middle class incomes

• In response to the Republican gains in the midterms, Obama has refused to cede turf and has seemed liberated and energized. He bybassed Congress to relax U.S. immigration policy on his own and sealed a climate change agreement with China. He’s threatened to veto key parts of the GOP agenda if it gets passed in Congress

• Republican officials tapped newly elected Sen Joni Ernst (IA) Thursday to deliver the party’s formal response to the SOTU, saying that she was a perfect choice as Americans voted for change. Ernst, an Iraq War veteran, became known during the campaign for boasting of castrating hogs while growing up. She promised to “make ’em squeal” in Washington (AP, TRNS, me)
Boko Haram: 3,700 Structures Damaged/Destroyed
• Satellite images of Nigerian towns attacked by Boko Haram show widespread destruction and suggest a high death toll, Amnesty International says. They show some 3,700 structures damaged or destroyed in Baga and Doron Baga last week, the human rights group said (BBC, AP, TRNS, me)

• Nigeria’s govt has disputed reports that as many as 2,000 were killed, putting the toll at just 150. Amnesty cited witnesses saying that militants had killed indiscriminately. It said the damage was “catastrophic.” Even a woman giving birth was reportedly killed. One man who escaped described people being killed “like insects.”

• There has been a huge surge in violence linked to Boko Haram. In the past week there have been several attacks, including by suspected child suicide bombers. Nigeria is to hold elections next month, amid doubts whether they can successfully go ahead in all parts of the country – law states people must go home if they want to participate (would laugh if I wasn’t crying)

• Campaigning President Goodluck Jonathan made a surprise visit to the north-east on Thursday – the main focus of Boko Haram violence – his first trip to the region since March 2013

• Speaking in Bulgaria Thursday, SecState John Kerry said he and British FM Philip Hammond discussed a special initiative to deal with Boko Haram, but he didn’t elaborate. Kerry said Boko Haram is “without question one of the most evil and threatening terrorist entities on the planet.” He called its killings a “crime against humanity” that must be addressed
• Satellite images offer “vivid” evidence of Boko Haram destruction (PRI)

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______________

Victoria Jones – Editor

TRNS’ William McDonald, Nicholas Salazar and Loretta Lewis contributed to this report

 

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