The Border & Illegal Aliens, And What We Are Doing About It.

[Bullheaded Texan]

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.

“We are not going to let this country be invaded!

We will not be stampeded!

We will not capitulate to lawlessness!

This is NOT business as usual.

This is the Trump era!," the Attorney General said.
 

[Bullheaded Texan]

North Korea Responds to Canceled Summit, Is 'Willing' to Talk.

 5/24/18 7:52 PM Cortney O'Brien

North Korea has responded to President Trump's letter to Kim Jong Un in which the U.S. president alerted him that he had canceled the summit between the two nations.

 The meeting was scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, but following some aggressive rhetoric and more nuclear threats from North Korea,  President Trump canceled it.

 In a new statement, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan told the U.S. they are still willing to talk “at any time, at any format.”

More from the Associated Press:

 Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan issued a statement Friday saying North Korea is “willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities” to reconsider talks. Kim says North Korea’s “objective and resolve to do our best for the sake of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and all humankind remain unchanged.”

 Kim is calling Trump’s decision “unexpected” and “very regrettable,” and says the cancellation of the talks shows “how grave the status of historically deep-rooted hostile North Korea-U.S. relations is and how urgently a summit should be realized to improve ties.”

 Trump had high hopes for the summit, particularly after Kim Jong Un signaled he would pursue a path to denuclearization and released three American prisoners.

 North Korea started reverting back to their aggressive ways, however, and Trump hosted South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House this week to chat about saving the summit.

  North Korea's nasty insults for Vice President Mike Pence and a renewed threat of nuclear war Wednesday may have sealed the deal.

  A detailed summary of what happened. 

As for Moon Jae-in, he admitted to being "perplexed" by the cancellation.

 "Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace are historic tasks that can neither be abandoned nor delayed.”

 

[Bullheaded Texan]

       **** THIS IS SICKENING! MUST HAVE COME OUT OF AUSTIN! ****

Dem becomes first mexicano, openly lesbian candidate to win major-party nomination for Texas Gov.

 05/23/18  By Jacqueline Thomsen

Former Dallas sheriff Lupe Valdez won the Democratic primary runoff Tuesday to become the state’s first-ever openly lesbian and mexicano gubernatorial nominee from a major party.

 mexican gubernatorial nominee from a major party.

Valdez defeated Houston businessman Andrew White in the primary. Some Democrats were concerned about running White in the gubernatorial race because of his personal opposition to abortion, according to The Associated Press.

 "I am constantly hearing, 'this is going to be such an uphill battle,'" Valdez told supporters in Dallas after her win, according to The Dallas Morning News. "Please, tell me when I didn't have an uphill battle," she said, before discussing her difficulties in earning an education. “I am getting darned good at uphill battles.”

 The odds are stacked against mexican, lesbian,Valdez as she prepares to face off against well-known incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in the general election.

  mexican, lesbian, Valdez also struggled to fundraise during her primary bid, failing to earn more than $500,000 during her six-month-long campaign.

  Abbott has more than $41 million raised as of last month, according to the Morning News.

**** THE LAST THING TEXAS NEEDS IS A OPENLY LESBIAN mexican GOV.! ****

[Bullheaded Texan]

Top Dem Suspends Campaign After Disturbing Reports.

 05/24/2018 The Daily Caller  by: Henry Rodgers

 “Today, I am suspending my campaign for governor,” Boulton wrote in a statement. “Democrats must win in November so we can begin to turn our state around.,” he said.

Iowa Democratic state Sen. Nate Boulton announced he would suspend his campaign for governor Thursday after being accused of sexual misconduct from multiple women.
 The announcement comes just weeks before the Iowa Democratic primary and one day after news broke that Boulton allegedly repeatedly grabbed one woman’s buttocks at a bar in 2015, while two others said that Boulton rubbed his crotch against them, pressing his erect penis into their thighs, according to the Des Moines Register.
 Boulton, one of the top candidates in the Democratic primary, did not deny the allegations in a statement, Politico reported.

 

[Bullheaded Texan]

Trump Destroys comey With Epic Comeback!
  05/24/18 by: TTN Staff

Former FBI director james comey decided it would be a good idea to go on the attack against President Trump. Trump immediately made him regret that decision.
  According to The Daily Wire:

The bitter public feud between President Trump and his least favorite former FBI director got even uglier on Wednesday, when james comey took to Twitter to defend the increasingly hard to defend intelligence community amid more evidence of politically motivated targeting of the Trump campaign in 2016, including new revelations of an alleged FBI informant trying to ensnare Trump associates. After comey insulted Trump and his supporters, 

 Trump responded, and didn't pull any punches.
After Trump tweeted that comey's FBI may "end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before!," comey responded online by defending his team and slamming the president and those who support him.

 Facts matter. The FBI’s use of Confidential Human Sources (the actual term) is tightly regulated and essential to protecting the country. Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country. How will Republicans explain this to their grandchildren?

Dangerous time when our country is led by those who will lie about anything, backed by those who will believe anything, based on information from media sources that will say anything. Americans must break out of that bubble and seek truth.  j. comey  May 23, 2018

 Trump responded when asked by Fox News:

 "How is he going to explain to his grandchildren all of the lies, the deceit, all of the problems he has caused for this country?" said Trump. "I think of the things that I’ve done for the country, the firing of james comey is going to go down as a very good thing."
  Trump then emphasized that he thinks the FBI is "great," but that his issue is with the "rotten apples," like comey.comey is fighting hard to save his reputation that he destroyed himself.

  And President Trump is not going to let that easily happen.
Read more at http://trumptrainnews.com/articles/trump-destroys-comey-with-epic-c...

 

 

Read more at http://trumptrainnews.com/articles/trump-destroys-comey-with-epic-c...

[Bullheaded Texan]

Mexifornia’s ‘Sanctuary’ Laws Aren’t Pro-Immigrant—and Local Leaders Are Pushing Back.

 5/24/18

Illegal immigration along America’s Southwest border surged 230 percent in April compared to last year, according to a report issued by the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month. That statistic accompanied news that a caravan of about 2,000 migrants from Central America started arriving at a U.S. port of entry in southern Mexifornia.

 Together, these reports reveal the lack of an orderly and fair process to manage the escalating flow of both illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers to the United States. That flawed system creates both a humanitarian and a national security crisis at our border.

 Yet America’s immigration challenge does not end at our doorstep. Because of “sanctuary city” jurisdictions—many recently emboldened by new State laws in Mexifornia—law enforcement officers face dangerous obstacles to protecting our communities from the effects of a broken immigration system.

 Under the guise of being pro-immigrant, these jurisdictions privilege a small group of criminals at the expense of the safety and well-being of American citizens, law enforcement, and law-abiding immigrants.

 Here’s how it works.

Sanctuary cities are State or local jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with Federal immigration enforcement, often by rejecting “detainer” requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or refusing to tell ICE when criminal aliens are scheduled for release.

 If a suspected illegal alien commits a crime, ICE will issue a detainer to request that the jurisdiction notify ICE prior to releasing the criminal, that the criminal be held for up to 48 hours after their planned release to allow for questioning and possible removal, and that the jurisdiction safely transfer custody to ICE. State and local law enforcement agencies routinely detain suspects for violating Federal laws at the request of Federal authorities.

 When sanctuary cities refuse to comply with these requests, law enforcement officers must carry out immigration enforcement duties in workplaces, residences, and in the streets—far more dangerous environments to engage a criminal suspect.

 In effect, these jurisdictions assert a special exemption from Federal law. The consequences of their decisions, of course, do not remain in their own backyards. They spill over into other communities across the country.

President Donald J. Trump and other Administration officials have recently highlighted a number of troubling examples:

*Nery Estrada-Margos was arrested last year in Mexifornia on charges of inflicting corporal injury to a spouse/cohabitant, only to be released just days later in defiance of Federal immigration authorities. He was arrested a couple of weeks later as a suspect in the murder of his girlfriend, Veronica Cabrera Ramirez.

*In November 2016, San Francisco Police arrested Santos Lopez-Avila for possession of cocaine for sale and other charges. Lopez had been deported three times and had previous convictions relating to drug dealing. Last year, he was arrested again in San Francisco, whose authorities did not honor ICE’s request for a detainer.   He remains at-large.

*New York City Police arrested Kendel Felix, a citizen of St. Lucia and a national of the United Kingdom, on various criminal charges in 2012 and 2013. Despite an immigration detainer lodged by ICE, he was released in April 2013. He was convicted in September 2016 of a kidnapping/abduction resulting in death.

*San Francisco Police arrested an illegal alien and alleged gang member more than 10 times between 2013 and 2017 for charges including rape, assault, and robbery. ICE requested to have the individual transferred to its custody multiple times. On each occasion, that request was denied.

 “The State of Mexifornia is sheltering dangerous criminals in a brazen and lawless attack on our Constitutional system of government,” President Trump said. “Every state in our Union is subject to the laws and Constitution of the United States.”

 To that end, the Department of Justice has filed legal action against three California laws. These policies intentionally obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration law, regulate private entities that seek to cooperate with Federal authorities, and impede consultation and communication between Federal and State officials. The laws both endanger State residents and introduce confusion for local law enforcement.

 “We constantly have to second-guess ourselves,” Capt. Derrick Hesselein, commander of the Santa Rita Jail in Mexifornia, told The Washington Post.

 On May 16, President Trump met with local Mexifornia officials at the White House to discuss their recent efforts to push back against Mexifornia’s “sanctuary state” status. Many of these community leaders underscored that they are bound first and foremost to the U.S. Constitution, not Mexifornia State law!

  Their goal is simple: protect their constituents.

“They’re releasing these criminals, not by their houses. They’re not releasing them by their houses. They’re releasing them by our houses,” San Jacinto Mayor Crystal Ruiz said. “Every day we’re getting more and more reports from the police department about how they can’t arrest these people.”

 While the Administration is taking every step in its power to confront the danger of sanctuary cities, Attorney General Jeff Sessions once again called on Congress to pass real, lasting immigration reform.

 “This is the year that we have to move Congress,” the Attorney General said, citing efforts to clear the hurdles that prevent law enforcement officers from doing their job. “This time, let’s not come up short.”

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[Bullheaded Texan]

WATCH: Trump’s War On MS-13. MS-13 IS A THREAT TO AMERICAN COMMUNITIES:

 "I am calling on the Congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13, and other criminals, to break into our country." President Donald J. Trump

 President Donald J. Trump is committed to protecting communities from the violent animals of MS-13. 

*MS-13 is a transnational gang that has committed horrendous acts of violence in communities across America.

*The gang’s motto is “mata, viola, controla,” which means “kill, rape, control.”

*There are more than 10,000 MS-13 members in the United States and more than 30,000 members worldwide.

*MS-13 is active in at least 40 States and the District of Columbia.

*Local MS-13 leaders often communicate and take orders from gang leaders in El Salvador.

*President Trump is meeting with law enforcement, local leaders, and victims of MS-13 violence on Long Island, New York.

*Communities on Long Island have been strongly impacted by the violence and suffering spread by MS-13.

*Police suspect MS-13 was involved in at least 25 killings on Long Island between 2016 and 2018.

*MS-13 is the largest and most violent gang on Long Island, with an estimated 2,000 MS-13 members in the area.

STRONG ACTION AGAINST MS-13: 

 President Trump’s Administration is committed to combating MS-13 on all possible fronts.

*President Trump’s Administration is fighting back against MS-13, by taking a wide range of actions against the gang.

*ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested 796 MS-13 members and associates in fiscal year (FY) 2017, an 83 percent increase from FY 2016.

*In 2017, the Department of Justice worked with partners in Central America to secure criminal charges against more than 4,000 MS-13 members.

*U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 228 illegal aliens affiliated with MS-13 in FY 2017.

ELIMINATE LOOPHOLES HINDERING EFFORTS TO COMBAT MS-13: The current immigration system contains loopholes and barriers that hinder efforts to fully confront MS-13.

*Certain loopholes in our immigration system are holding back efforts to fully confront MS-13.

*Transnational gangs, such as MS-13, take advantage of our porous borders and seek to use our current immigration system to their advantage.

*Federal immigration officials are not able to quickly remove alien gang members based on their membership in a gang.

*MS-13 has sought to use the influx of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) entering the United States for recruitment.

*According to Congressional testimony by the U.S. Border Patrol Acting Chief in June 2017, MS-13 took advantage of recent large-scale flows of foreign nationals into the United States by hiding among these populations to enter our country.

 

[Bullheaded Texan]

Harvey Weinstein To Be Arrested Tomorrow on Sexual Assault Charges;

 UPDATE: He Will Turn Himself In.
5/24/18 4:25 PM Matt Vespa

 He started the Me Too movement. Once his alleged behavior was exposed, more stories of women in the entertainment industry came forward with their experiences dealing with sexual harassment and assault. It has since spread into the realm of politics and the restaurant business.

  Those being exposed include big name Hollywood stars, prominent politicians, and celebrity chefs.

It goes without saying that sexual harassment and assault are inexcusable and those named are getting their just rewards.

 Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein seems to have committed some of the worst acts of sexual misconduct of the bunch that have been accused.

 Three women, Asia Argento, Paz De La Huerta, and Rose McGowan, have accused Weinstein of rape.

Since the string of sexual misconduct allegations hit Weinstein, he’s been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and his production company is no more! 

 Now, according to The New York Times, prosecutors in Manhattan are filing arrest warrants, and he’s expected to be placed under arrest on Friday for sexual assault charges:

 Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul, is expected to surrender to investigators on Friday after a monthslong inquiry into allegations that he sexually assaulted numerous women.

 Weinstein is to be charged by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, according to two law enforcement officials.

Movie stars and employees of his company have described a decades-long history by Mr. Weinstein of sexually abusing and assaulting them and then paying or coercing them to stay silent.

 Weinstein is expected to turn himself into authorities

[Bullheaded Texan]

The Latest: South Korea 'very perplexed' by Trump's decision.

 5/24/18   AP News

WASHINGTON — The Latest on President Donald Trump canceling his planned summit with North Korea.

 South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he's "very perplexed" that the U.S.-North Korea summit won't go ahead as planned. Yonhap news agency cited Moon as urging direct talks between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

 Moon was speaking at an emergency meeting of his top security officials in Seoul after Trump announced he was canceling the summit because of North Korean "hostility." Moon was quoted as saying: "I am very perplexed and it is very regrettable that the North Korea-U.S. summit will not be held on June 12. Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace are historic tasks that can neither be abandoned nor delayed."

 Moon met Trump in Washington on Tuesday, but appeared caught unawares by the president's decision Thursday.

 The White House says the North Korean government violated several promises to the U.S. and South Korea related to the now-cancelled June summit in Singapore between the U.S. and North Korea.

 A senior U.S. official says the North Koreans stood up an American delegation last week seeking to make arrangements for the summit and did not return messages from the U.S. seeking to discuss the meeting.

 The official says the North also reneged on a pledge to allow international inspectors to monitor the supposed demolition of its nuclear test site Thursday. International journalists were present, but the U.S. government can't verify the site's destruction.

 The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid overshadowing Trump's comments Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says North Korea had fulfilled its promises ahead of the planned summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

 President Trump canceled the summit on Thursday, citing "hostility" from North Korea.

Putin speaking at a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, said the North Korean leader "did everything that he had promised in advance, even blowing up the tunnels and shafts" of the country's nuclear testing site. "After which, we heard about cancellation of the summit by the United States. In Russia, we took this news with regret, because we had very much counted on it being a significant step in sorting out the situation on the Korean peninsula and that it would be the beginning of the process of denuclearizing the whole Korean Peninsula."

 Donald Trump's letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was dictated by the president to his national security adviser, John Bolton. That's according to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, who met with Bolton at the White House on Thursday, hours after Trump announced he was withdrawing from a planned summit with Kim next month. Gardner told The Associated press that Bolton described the letter as a "wake-up" to Kim, who had shown a change in attitude after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

 Sen. Cory Gardner cited the North Koreans' refusal to return phone calls to the administration and turning down high-level talks with South Korea.

 Sen. Cory Gardner said North Korea had shown a "lack of seriousness" in negotiating on denuclearization.

 In the letter, President Trump cited "hostility" from North Korea, but kept open the possibility for dialogue.

Pentagon officials say American forces on the Korean peninsula remain on a normal state of alert in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's decision to cancel his planned summit with North Korea's leader.

 President Trump said he had spoken to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis about the cancellation and that the U.S. military is prepared for what he called a "foolish or reckless" act by the North.

 A spokesman for the Pentagon's Joint Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, told reporters the U.S. military will be ready for any North Korean provocation such as a missile launch. But he said the state of vigilance by the U.S. military in South Korea has not changed, with no new preparations or actions since Trump's announcement.        He said U.S. forces are in a "boxer's stance," prepared to defend themselves and South Korea.

President Donald Trump says he thinks Kim Jong Un wants to do "what's right" but says it's up to the North Korean leader to seize the opportunity.

 President Trump says the dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea was good until the North shifted back to its usual belligerent tone.

 The president says he understands why that happened, but declined to elaborate.

President Trump has canceled a summit with Kim planned for June 12 in Singapore, but has left the door open to meeting on that or another date.

 The president adds: "We'll see whether or not that opportunity is seized by North Korea."

President Donald Trump declares he is "waiting" to see if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will again "engage in constructive dialogue."  

  President Trump opened the door for diplomacy Thursday just hours after he canceled a summit with Kim scheduled for next month in Singapore.

 But he insisted that Kim reach out, placing the blame on the North Korean leader for the collapse of negotiations.

He also said that until that happened, tough sanctions on Pyongyang would continue and the U.S.-led "maximum pressure campaign is continuing."

 President Trump and Kim had been slated to meet June 12 for what White House officials had hoped would be a historic diplomatic breakthrough for the president.

 They advised that the summit could be rescheduled.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. military is "ready if necessary" to respond to "foolish or reckless acts" by North Korea!

 President Trump also says he's been in touch with South Korea and Japan and that both allies are willing to bear much of the financial burden "if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us."

 President Trump on Thursday announced he has called off a planned June 12 summit with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, citing recent hostile statements by Kim's government.

 North Korea overnight threatened nuclear confrontation with the U.S. and called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy."

 President Trump says hopefully "positive things" will take place with respect to North Korea's future. But he adds "If they don't we are more ready than we have ever been before."

 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he was involved in discussions late Wednesday and early Thursday that led to President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But, he would not say exactly which, if any, other countries were given a head's up on the decision, including South Korea.

 "I don't want to get into who all we notified," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, adding: "The White House will speak on that at the appropriate time."

 However, Pompeo, who met at the State Department on Wednesday with China's foreign minister, did say that he had not spoken to Chinese officials since the decision was made.

 Asked about a report that South Korea had not been informed before the president's letter to Kim canceling the summit was made public, Pompeo maintained that Washington and Seoul were "in lockstep."

 A prominent Russian lawmaker says the cancellation of the planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un is a serious setback. Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, is quoted by the news agency Interfax as saying: "The rejection by Trump of conducting the American-North Korean summit undoubtedly is a serious blow to peaceful settlement in the region." He adds that "it's already the second blow, after the exit from the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, to global stability in general."

 A Republican senator often critical of Donald Trump says the president "made the right call" in canceling a summit with North Korea's leader. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska says Kim Jong Un is a "murderous despot and habitual liar." Sasse is often critical of Trump but is siding with the president on his decision Thursday to pull out of the summit that had been planned for June 12 in Singapore.

  President Trump cited recent aggressive statements from Kim's government for his decision to cancel the meeting.

Sasse adds in a statement that if North Korea wants diplomacy, "it should know that half-measures and spin about its nuclear program won't cut it." Sasse is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,

 The U.N. chief says he is "deeply concerned" by the cancellation of the planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. Antonio Guterres told an audience at the University of Geneva on Thursday that he was urging the parties to keep working "to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Guterres' comments came as he laid out his disarmament agenda, warning that nuclear agreements between states have been threatened like never before.

 President Trump announced Thursday that he was canceling the June 12 summit in Singapore with Kim following hostile comments. Overnight, Kim's government threatened nuclear confrontation and called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy."

 House Speaker Paul Ryan says achieving a peaceful resolution to the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula will require "a much greater degree of seriousness" from Kim Jong Un.

 President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has canceled a June 12 summit in Singapore with the North Korean leader, citing hostile comments from Kim. Overnight, Kim's government threatened nuclear confrontation and called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy."

 Ryan says in a statement Thursday that Kim's government has long given ample reason to question its commitment to stability. The Republican says that, until a peaceful resolution is achieved, Congress has provided "significant tools" to hold North Korea accountable,  the U.S. must continue the "maximum pressure" campaign that Trump and others say brought North Korea to the table in the first place.

 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says North Korea did not respond to repeated requests from U.S. officials to discuss logistics for the now-canceled summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday that the lack of response was an additional reason for Trump's decision to call off the meeting. Trump cited recent bellicose comments from the North in a letter to Kim released by the White House. Pompeo says: "We had received no response to our inquiries from them. The North's attitude changed markedly since he returned from a trip to Pyongyang earlier this month, when he met with Kim and secured the release of three American prisoners being held there."

 A senior Democratic senator says President Donald Trump's withdrawal from a planned summit with North Korea shows the consequence of his failure to prepare properly. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said Thursday that the withdrawal shows "the art of diplomacy is a lot harder than the art of the deal." The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says it's "pretty amazing" that Trump's Republican administration would be shocked that North Korea "is acting as North Korea might very well normally act. I'm not sure that constantly quoting the Libya model is the diplomatic way to try to get to the results that we seek in North Korea because that didn't work out too well for Gadhafi."

 Menendez was speaking Thursday at a committee hearing attended by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

[Bullheaded Texan]

Pro-sanctuary city poster in class is OK? but Trump border wall T-shirt gets student suspended.

 “The T-shirt was just a representation of my political beliefs,” Barnes told the station.

Liberty High School senior Addison Barnes knew his People and Politics class would be discussing immigration one day back in January — so he decided to express his views on a T-shirt, KGW reported.
 Barnes’ shirt features a logo reading “Border Wall Construction Company” and notes President Donald Trump’s controversial quote, “The wall just got 10 feet taller.”

After senior Addison Barnes wore a Donald Trump border wall T-shirt to Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Oregon, he was suspended for "defiance" when he refused to cover it.

  Barnes filed a federal lawsuit against the high school for nominal damages last week.

Assistant Principal Amanda Ryan-Fear allegedly removed Barnes from the classroom and directed him to cover the shirt because she said at least one other student and a teacher complained his attire “offended” them.
 Barnes complied and covered his shirt with a jacket, KGW reported — but soon he was considering his freedom of speech.

 In the minds of officials at the Hillsboro, Oregon, school, the T-shirt’s message reportedly went too far.

What allegedly went down?

 Assistant Principal Amanda Ryan-Fear allegedly removed Barnes from the classroom and directed him to cover the shirt because she said at least one other student and a teacher complained his attire “offended” them.

 Barnes complied and covered his shirt with a jacket, KGW reported — but soon he was considering his freedom of speech.

 “I thought to myself, ‘You know this isn’t right, this is my First Amendment right to be able to wear this shirt,’” Barnes told the station. “So I took off the jacket, and the assistant principal saw that and sent for a security guard to escort me out of class.”

      **** "LIBERTY " H.SCHOOL-- THEY SHOULD LIVE UP TO THE NAME! ****

Barnes was brought to Ryan-Fear’s office where he was allegedly threatened with suspension for “defiance.”

 “She gave me the option to cover the shirt or get sent home,” Barnes told KGW — and with that, he went home, and the school treated his absence as a suspension.

What’s good for the goose…

 Thing is, the school tolerates other political views with no problem, Barnes told KGW.

“I had a teacher who had a pro-sanctuary city poster in her room which was up all year,” Barnes told the station, “yet as I wear a pro-border wall shirt I get silenced and suspended for wearing that.”

 The poster read, “Sanctuary City, Welcome Home,” KOIN-TV reported.

What did a fellow student have to say about the T-shirt?

 “This school is very mexicano populated,” senior Mark Guzman told KGW. “The shirt offended a lot of people. In the hall, kids would ask me if I’d seen it.”

 What is Barnes doing about all of this?

Barnes filed a federal lawsuit against Liberty High school for nominal damages last week, the station said, in which he argues that his First Amendment rights were violated.

 “The high school, [ironically named Liberty High School], had violated his free speech rights,” Barnes’ attorney Mike McLane told KGW.

 While the school’s dress code bars clothing with disruptive phrases, McLane added to the station that the school’s reaction was improper.

 “He was told he offended them, but that’s a far cry from being disruptive, and it is certainly a far cry from violating school policy, let alone what is clearly First Amendment free speech law,” McLane noted to KGW.

 The attorney added to KOIN, “He has a right to free speech, just like liberals have the right to free speech.”

What does the ACLU have to say?

 Mat dos Santos, legal director for the ACLU of Oregon, told the station the school was in the wrong:

The school clearly crossed the line when it required a student to remove a T-shirt that voiced support for Donald Trump’s border wall or face a suspension. This shirt is mean spirited, but it isn’t a “disturbance” under First Amendment case law.

 It is disappointing that Liberty High School decided to censor the student instead of inviting the student body to discuss immigration, the freedom of speech, and the impacts of xenophobic rhetoric.

 Schools have a responsibility to teach our youth how to engage in thoughtful conversations about difficult and potentially offensive subject matters. Censorship doesn’t work and often just elevates the subject the government is trying to silence.

 How is the school reacting to the lawsuit?

A Hillsboro school district spokesperson told KGW that officials “are still reviewing this lawsuit and respectfully decline the opportunity to comment at this time.”

[Bullheaded Texan]

Dear Mr. Chairman: A letter from Trump to Kim.

 5/24/18 4:13 PM

 NEW YORK  — As presidential letters go, this one was nothing short of extraordinary. As letters between human beings in general go, it was quite ... what? Wistful? Heavyhearted? Melancholy, even?

 The note on White House stationery emerged Thursday morning from U.S. President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, canceling plans for a high-stakes Singapore summit.

 It was unexpected in both its existence and its appearance just hours after the American president got part of what he wanted — the demolition of a nuclear test site in the North.

 To someone reading it cold and looking for deeper meaning, the three-paragraph letter was a stylistic theme park of the openly spoken and the implied — tough-talking screed, respectful exchange and subtle hint at a possible way forward.

 In it, too, was a recurring tone that felt almost intimate in its wording — not to mention its sometimes un-Trumpian voice.

 Twitter's chattering class immediately and predictably had a field day calling it a breakup letter ("the clingiest," one tweet said), which probably went a step too far. The letter was, however, suffused with twinges of regret that walked right up to the line of implying that, in effect, "I just think we should take a break for a while and then see how we feel."

 Did Trump draft the letter himself, or did he enlist a West Wing Cyrano for help? According to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, the president dictated it to National Security Adviser John Bolton and then signed off with his kinetic, EKG-style signature.

 It did feature the occasional familiar Trumpian flourish ("totally irrelevant"; "truly sad") that Twitter has conditioned us to expect. But those who spend their days trying to decipher the complex, often contradictory being that is the current American president could find a great deal of fresh food for thought to chew on.

Such as:

SAYING HI. Trump addressed the letter to "His Excellency." Standard protocol, undoubtedly, but also strikingly different and roundly respectful from a chief executive who mere months ago was calling Kim "Little Rocket Man."

—I'M GRATEFUL. Not something the American president typically offers up to North Korea. "I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and very much appreciated." (Still unclear: how Kim might view the description of them as "hostages"; North Korea might call them criminals.)

 THE PERSONAL TOUCH. "I was very much looking forward to being there with you," Trump wrote, making the political personal when he might have easily said something like, "The United States was eagerly anticipating the opportunity to meet and discuss mutual pressing issues."

 Trump also told Kim that he "felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me," another friendly nod that takes the business of diplomacy and turns it into an amiable aside. The use of such collegial superlatives suggests someone taking great pains to soften a blow — not something the president is necessarily known for.

 I KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU (PLUS SOME EPIC SWEEP). "(T)he Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place." Lots of presumption there, for better or worse.

 I WON'T BACK DOWN. Lest the recipient think Trump might be trying to sweet-talk him, the middle of the letter has a sharp anchor embedded in it. "You talk of your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

 Worth noting here: Western religion is not exactly welcome in North Korea, a secular state where Christians have long been persecuted.

 Trump made sure to tell him that "some day, I look very much forward to meeting you."

But he also said, most pivotally:

  "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write." That's a long ways from "Go away — I never want to see you again."

 The president concluded, in lament: "This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history."

Thursday's letter was a combination of well-conceived tactics and well-planned strategy.

 It certainly represents an innovative approach in the annals of leader-to-leader communication, at least in the modern era.

 Now it just needs to be translated into Korean — with some curiosity along the way about how it might come out the other end.

 And now we wait. Though if the North's history is any indication, probably not for very long.