CBS This Morning – Page 6

On Friday, Donald Trump vetoed Congress’ vote to reverse his declaration of a national state of emergency. After the House refused to authorize Trump’s full request for $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump declared a national emergency in order to take funds from sources such as military construction monies to build the wall. Now, though Trump has been denied twice via the voting process, he will use his veto power to get what he wants.

“Today I am vetoing this resolution,” Trump said. “Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution and I have the duty to veto it.”

Almost immediately after the Senate, including 12 GOP senators, voted 59-41 against Trump’s emergency declaration, Trump proclaimed that he would proceed anyway.

“I look forward to VETOING the just passed Democrat inspired Resolution which would OPEN BORDERS while increasing Crime, Drugs, and Trafficking in our Country,” Tweeted Trump.

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn), though he supports increased border security, remarked, “We had a war against a king in the American revolution…This would be the first time that a president has ever asked for a certain amount of money from Congress, Congress has refused to provide it, and then the president has declared a national emergency under the 1976 act and said, ‘I’m going to spend the money anyway.'”

Trump’s insistence that a border wall would be instrumental in keeping criminals from coming into the U.S. is unsupported by statistics. According to PRI, of the 362,000 who were apprehended by Border Patrol officers in FY18, less than 1 percent had convictions for violence, firearms, or sexual offenses. On the other hand, one in 12 American adults has been convicted of a felony.

As for preventing drug trafficking, though most of the heroin in the U.S. does come from Mexico, according to a 2018 report from the Drug Enforcement Agency, it does not just come into the U.S. via illegal border crossings. Much of it comes by way of legal crossings – not only by vehicle at legal points of entry, but through airports and even on ships.

And, says Elaine Carey, dean of the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences at Purdue University, “A wall’s not going to do anything unless you deal with the demand.”

Congress is not expected to have enough votes to override Trump’s veto. Still, the number of votes against Trump’s emergency declaration in both the House and Senate could carry some weight when the issue goes to court, which it almost certainly will. Trump, however, insists that his veto will hold up under legal challenges.

Trump signs first veto of his presidency | Full Remarks | Fox News [2019-03-15]

Trump uses veto power to kill bill that would block his border wall emergency | CBS This Morning [2019-03-16]

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), in response to Donald Trump’s taunts about her claim to Native American ancestry, released the results of a DNA test she recently took. The report showed evidence of a small percentage of indigenous ancestry (she would be about 1/1024^th Native American). Though Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test proved that her claim to Native American ancestry was not false, does it prove much of anything else at all – and will it hurt her if she runs for the presidency?

Many Native Americans have publicly criticized Elizabeth Warren for claiming Native American (specifically Cherokee) ancestry. Warren does not affiliate culturally or tribally with Native Americans, and her DNA test does not connect her with a specific tribe. Tribal affiliation is what is considered when one wants to demonstrate Native American heritage.

“(Warren’s) types of claims can damage the validity and work of indigenous people who are living their identities every day,” said Twyla Baker, a citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota. “It also lays the groundwork to do serious damage to our sovereignty, as tribes are responsible for defining who is a tribal citizen.”

In acknowledgment of Native Americans’ criticism, Warren said, “There’s a distinction between citizenship and ancestry. I wish I had been more mindful of that distinction. The tribes and only the tribes determine citizenship.”

On the other hand, one North Dakota tribal leader, Jamie Azure, supports Elizabeth Warren’s embracing of the Native American part of her heritage. “It made me feel proud to see her talking about it,” Azure said. “She’s proud to have it in her blood.”

Though Elizabeth Warren was likely hoping to lay Donald Trump’s taunts of “Pocahontas” to rest with the DNA results, she appears to have inspired more criticism than support, from all sides. Her “proof” of Native American ancestry, rather than quieting Trump’s supporters, will likely inspire them to focus on the views put forth by Trump, outlined in the following tweet:

“Pocahontas (the bad version), sometimes referred to as Elizabeth Warren, is getting slammed. She took a bogus DNA test and it showed that she may be 1/1024, far less than the average American. Now Cherokee Nation denies her, ‘DNA test is useless.’ Even they don’t want her. Phony!”

Had Elizabeth Warren continued to ignore Donald Trump’s bullying about her ancestry claims, perhaps she could have turned the focus to her accomplishments and her fitness for office. Had Warren dismissed Trump’s taunts of “Pocahontas,” instead of trying to prove herself with a DNA test, perhaps she would have gotten further in allowing Donald Trump to show himself as petty and racist. Now, however, if Warren decides to run for president in 2020, the Democratic party may have to add damage control of the “Elizabeth Warren Native American DNA Debacle” to its list of items to address.

Cherokee Nation calls Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test “useless” | CBS This Morning [2018-10-16]

Should Warren have released DNA test after midterms? | Fox News [2018-10-15]

Category: CBS This Morning

Trump’s Veto: A National Emergency?

Elizabeth Warren’s DNA Test: Will It Hurt Her if She Runs for President?