Reggie Singh, whose brother Ronil Singh was gunned down by a suspected illegal immigrant, weighs in on the battle over border security and describes the pain his brother’s death has caused his family.  Mr. Singh was seated next to President Donald Trump during the border briefing.

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President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Senator John Cornyn, participate in a border security roundtable discussion and Briefing in McAllen Texas.
Joining President Trump and officials from the administration is Reggie Singh, whose brother was police officer Ronil Singh. Ronil “Ron” Singh was gunned down by a suspected illegal immigrant in California.
[Note: This is the full video – we will also post some breakout segments]

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Vice President Mike Pence, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Senate Majority Whip John Thune describe the events at a White House meeting with President Trump, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Dick Durbin….  Things did not go well:

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It would appear congress is at loggerheads over border security, with democrats unwilling to provide any funding that might secure the southern border.  Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have stated the border is secure; there are no illegal border crossings actually taking place; and there is no crisis.  As such, the partial government shutdown continues.
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Surrounded by key Decepticon leadership, Barrasso, Graham, Thune and McConnell, together with Vice-President Mike Pence –  President Donald Trump tells reporters at the U.S. Capitol that Senate Republicans are “unified” as he seeks border security funding before ending the government shutdown.

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Vice-President Mike Pence is the President of the U.S. Senate. Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) is President Pro Tempore. Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) is Senate Majority Leader. Senator John Thune (SD) is Senate Majority Whip. Senator John Barrasso (WY) is Chairman of the Republican Conference.
Note: Watch Barrasso’s eyes.
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Comprehensive border security, and funding for a barrier therein, is the central topic in President Trump’s first Oval Office address.  President Trump will speak directly to the American people at the close of Day 18 of a partial government shutdown.  The anticipated start time is 9:00pm EST.   WH Livestream Link
UPDATE: Video Added

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[Transcript] Oval Office – 9:01 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: My fellow Americans: Tonight, I am speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border.
Every day, Customs and Border Patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country. We are out of space to hold them, and we have no way to promptly return them back home to their country.
America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation. But all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled, illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages. Among those hardest hit are African Americans and Hispanic Americans.
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Following a meeting between Vice-President Mike Pence, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and acting WH chief-of-staff Mick Mulvaney, the House leadership team (Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise and Liz Cheney) deliver remarks to the capitol press:

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White House – We are no longer in a status quo situation at the Southern Border but in a crisis situation. Status quo funding is not enough.

• In fiscal year (FY) 2018, 17,000 adults at the border with existing criminal records were arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and border agents.
• In FY2017 and FY2018, ICE officers arrested approximately 235,000 aliens on various criminal charges or convictions within the interior of the United States—including roughly 100,000 for assault, 30,000 for sex crimes, and 4,000 for homicides.
• We are now averaging 60,000 illegal and inadmissible aliens a month on our Southern Border.

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President Donald Trump knows he holds the right position…

The question is, can the White House communications team take control over the consistently (intentionally?) failing communication strategies from the GOP legislative leadership within the House and Senate?…
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Vice President Mike Pence, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and White House Advisor Jared Kushner hold weekend meetings with a team of senior Democrat congressional resistance staffers to negotiate appropriations funding for border security.

According to a post meeting press update provided by the office of the Vice President:

Secretary Nielsen was able to provide a full briefing on the crisis at the Southern border.  The conversation was productive and they agreed to meet again tomorrow afternoon.
There was no in depth conversation about dollar figure, but the priorities for security. VP reiterated President’s position that we need funding for the border wall.

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Earlier this week DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was planning to deliver a border security briefing to leaders of congress.  After announcing they did not want to gain national security information that was adverse to their political interests, Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority House Democrat Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrat Senator Dick Durbin refused to attend the DHS briefing.
Today, after accepting the democrat’s political position, President Trump sent a letter to congress along with the full Border Security Briefing outline (full pdf below).
Dear Members of Congress:
Congratulations to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and her entire team, on her election to be Speaker of the House.  I look forward to working together on our shared priorities for the American People, including rebuilding our infrastructure, reforming unfair trade deals, and reducing the price of prescription drugs.
Our recent bipartisan success on numerous legislative accomplishments such as Criminal Justice Reform, opioid legislation, and the Farm Bill, underscores the extraordinary achievements that are possible when we rise above party politics to advance the good of the Nation as a whole.
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President Trump speaks to the press following his second meeting with congressional leaders at the White House. Joining him at the Rose Garden press conference was Vice President Mike Pence, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and House Republican leaders Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise.
During an extensive briefing with media President Trump said negotiations continue and he will meeting with resistance lawmakers, again over the weekend.

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