Montana Republican proposes state give $8M for border wall

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File - In this Oct. 19, 2017 file photo, people pass border wall prototypes as they stand near the border with Tijuana, Mexico, in San Diego. Montana's Senate president is proposing the state give more than $8 million to help build President Donald Trump's proposed wall on the Mexican border. Scott Sales, a Republican, says his proposal is a "small token" to show border security "is of vital interest to all citizens regardless of what state they live in." (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana politician is proposing the state give more than $8 million to help build President Donald Trump’s proposed wall on the Mexican border as a government shutdown over the $5.7 billion project continues. The proposal seems unlikely to pass in a state with a Democratic governor exploring a run for president.

At least one other state, South Dakota, is considering voicing support for Trump’s wall. But Montana, which last year faced a massive budget shortfall, appears to be the first to propose spending its own money on the project.

Scott Sales, a fiscally conservative Republican who leads the state Senate, says his proposal is a “small token” to show border security “is of vital interest to all citizens regardless of what state they live in.”

Trump headed to the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday to argue his case for the funding.

“Congress is basically dragging their heels over $5 billion, which is really trivial compared to what we spend on an annual basis,” Sales said Wednesday.

Sales said he calculated Montana’s “share” of the cost of the wall by dividing the state’s gross domestic product by the national GDP and multiplying it by $5.7 billion.

Montana’s $8 million wouldn’t go very far, with Trump’s $5.7B request expected to build 234 miles (377 kilometers).

House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner, a Democrat, said the Legislature should focus on building Montana’s infrastructure.

“That’s a lot of school roofs and boilers,” added Democratic Rep. Laurie Bishop.

Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who appears to be exploring a run for president in 2020, could veto the measure should it pass the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Montana, where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 20 points, shares a 545-mile (877-kilometer) border with Canada, where there is no wall.

https://apnews.com/57d529b3f7ec41e68ef38c3a566e8102

Pompeo, at site of Obama's address to Muslim world, rebukes his legacy: 'Age of self-inflicted American shame is over'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday launched an astonishing rebuke of former President Barack Obama’s foreign policy at the site of Obama’s famous speech to the Muslim world – declaring that “the age of self-inflicted American shame is over.”

Pompeo delivered his remarks in Cairo, where Obama famously spoke in 2009 and promised a new beginning with Muslim and Arab countries. He was criticized by conservatives for placing too much blame on the U.S. for strife in the region.

Pompeo, while not mentioning Obama by name, said that “it was here, in this city, another American stood before you” and “told you that radical Islamist terrorism does not stem from ideology.”

POMPEO WARNS IRAN OVER PLANS TO LAUNCH ROCKETS INTO SPACE

“He told you that 9/11 led my country to abandon its ideals, particularly in the Middle East,” he said at the American University in Cairo. “He told you that the United States and the Muslim world needed ‘a new beginning.’ The results of these misjudgments have been dire.”

Pompeo said that under Obama, the U.S. abandoned its allies and was “timid” about asserting itself, that the U.S. “grossly underestimated the tenacity and viciousness of radical Islamism,” and kept silent as Iranians tried to rise up against the regime in Tehran.

He also criticized Obama-era policy for “wishful thinking [that] led us to look the other way” as Hezbollah built up its weaponry in Lebanon, and for doing nothing as Syrian President Bashar Assad gassed his own people.

He then took another swipe at the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – from which the U.S. withdrew last year. The U.S. has since re-imposed economic sanctions on the country, including on oil exports.

POMPEO CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL COALITION AGAINST IRAN, AS EUROPE RAMPS UP PRESSURE

“Our eagerness to address only Muslims, not nations, ignored the rich diversity of the Middle East, and frayed old bonds. It undermined the concept of the nation-state, the building block of international stability,” he said. “And our desire for peace at any cost led us to strike a deal with Iran, our common enemy.”

But he promised his audience that the Trump administration was ushering in a new era of U.S. foreign policy.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pompeo-at-site-of-obamas-address-to-muslim-world-rebukes-his-legacy-age-of-self-inflicted-american-shame-is-over

News Station Appears to Admit to Doctoring President Trump Video

A news station in Seattle appeared to confirm that a video editor intentionally doctored a video of President Donald Trump speaking to the nation.

Trump addressed America on Jan. 8 from the Oval Office. The speech was broadcast on a number of news stations.

A side-by-side comparison of Trump’s speech and the footage broadcast by Q13 that night appears to show that the station manipulated the footage.

In addition to showing Trump licking his lips multiple times, the skin color of the president also appears distorted.

Q13 appeared to admit that the footage was doctored, telling KTTH that the video editor responsible has been placed on leave pending an internal investigation.

“We are investigating this to determine what happened,” said Q13’s news director in the statement. “This does not meet our editorial standards and we regret if it is seen as portraying the President in a negative light. The editor responsible for editing the footage is being placed on leave while we investigate further.”

People commenting on the YouTube video showing the side-by-side comparison of the doctored footage and the actual speech said they think the video editor should be fired.

“If it’s true that the video was intentionally doctored to make the president look bad, as appears to be the case, there should be severe repercussions for all involved. This shows a clear media bias and erodes the trust between Q13 News and its viewers,” wrote one user.

“Do you think freedom of the press grants them the permission to intentionally edit video in an attempt to intentionally mislead viewers?” wrote another.

“I bet most people who hate Trump believed this doctored news feed,” added another. “There will come a time, and I think we are already there, that nothing will be believed, because the manipulation will become indiscernible from actual facts and actual data or video and audio feed. Truth will become lies and lies will become truth.

https://www.ntd.com/news-station-appears-to-admit-to-doctoring-president-trump-video_274997.html

Trump says he finds China 'more honorable' than Pelosi and Schumer

President Trump took aim at Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday over the stalled negotiations surrounding the partial government shutdown, remarking to reporters that diplomats from China were "more honorable" than the Democrats.

In comments to reporters before boarding Marine One, Trump touted his administration's progress on the U.S.'s trade dispute with China, which entered a one-month truce in January as the two sides attempt to resolve their differences.

"We have a lot of great things happening. The economy is incredible," the president told reporters. "We're negotiating and having tremendous success with China, and I find China, frankly, in many ways, to be far more honorable than cryin' Chuck and Nancy."

"China is actually much easier to deal with than the opposition party," Trump added, referring to Democrats in Congress who have been unwilling to provide the $5.7 billion the White House has requested in border security funding.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/424717-trump-says-he-finds-china-more-honorable-than-pelosi-and

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BREAKING: The Pentagon is preparing options to build barriers on the US-Mexico border if President Trump declares a national emergency - USA Today