Debate Night
No, not tonight. On Sunday night, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will meet for their second televised national debate. This event will be a town hall forum held at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Half of the questions will come from undecided voters chosen by the Gallup Organization. The forum will be moderated by Martha Raddatz of ABC News and Anderson Cooper of CNN. Tune in Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Job Growth Flat
The economy added 156,000 jobs last month, below most expectations. That's good news for the folks who got those jobs. But the unemployment rate ticked up to 5%. And as the Associated Press noted, economic growth is stalling: "Job growth has averaged 178,000 a month so far this year, down from last year's pace of 229,000."
Border Security Is National Security
Earlier this week, I reported that border crossings were up dramatically and perhaps on pace to set a new record. Today there is disturbing news that a new report by the Department of Homeland Security -- supposedly "one of the most detailed assessments of border security ever compiled" -- finds that just 54% of illegal immigrants crossing the border were caught in 2015.
By the department's own measurement, at least 200,000 illegal immigrants escaped capture last year alone! Incredibly, some are hailing the report as a sign of progress. To me, it is a clear sign of just how open and porous our borders are.
And the Obama Administration is only making a bad situation worse by granting another de facto amnesty. The New York Times reports today that the administration is "delaying deportation proceedings" and allowing tens of thousands of illegal immigrants "to remain in the country legally for several more years."
The Times writes that Obama's new policy "amounts to an unannounced departure from the . . . widely publicized pronouncements that cases tied to the so-called surge of 2014 would be rushed through the immigration courts in an effort to deter more Central Americans from entering the United States illegally."
So let's get this straight. Hundreds of thousands of people are coming across the border every year. Many are not being caught and we have no idea who they are or why they are here. Many who are being caught are simply being released.
Meanwhile, one analysis finds that more than 60 ISIS loyalists have either carried out terrorist attacks or have been arrested in the United States -- just in the past year alone. And more than half "were either immigrants or the children of immigrants."
As many of you know, I have been asking for quite some time now why our immigration policies do not even try to discern whether those coming here are harboring deep-seated hatred for America, for Christians, for Jews and for Western Values.
Border security (and immigration security) is national security.
Vote
Voter registration deadlines in many states are just days away! In fact, two state deadlines are tomorrow.
Please make sure you and all your friends and family members are registered to vote. Please don't delay.
NOTE
Beginning next week, you will notice a change in your daily report. As you probably know, American Values is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that cannot be involved in partisan politics. But we are entering the most important political month that occurs every four years.
In order to provide readers with more relevant information on the elections, my political action committee will rent the American Values email list at fair market value beginning on Monday. The report will appear different in your inbox. It will come from Campaign for Working Families (CWF) and will feature direct political analysis. For those of you who do not wish to receive the CWF report, you will have the choice to opt out.