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Senate Staffer Robbed at Gunpoint in Gun-Controlled Washington, DC
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Cotton: Biden Proposed Aid for Gaza ‘Dead on Arrival’
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The Memo: Democrats divided on Biden’s vulnerabilities for 2024
New polling reveals just how vulnerable President Biden is roughly a year out from the 2024 election.
Biden has persistently low approval ratings. There are widespread concerns about his age. And, in head-to-head polls against four-times-indicted former President Trump, Biden is in a dead-heat at best.
Now, polls in battleground states are flashing warning signs as well.
Democrats are divided as to what it all means, and how bleak the situation has become.
Some blast Biden’s circle for what they see as complacency, while others insist that he needs to do more to rev up his base. Other Democrats hew to a more optimistic view, contending that Trump is near-unelectable in a general election, in part because of the legacy of Jan. 6, 2021.
Among the Biden skeptics is one Democratic strategist who asked for anonymity to speak candidly.
“What the White House has not come to terms with is, next year’s election is going to be a referendum on the president — and right now he is losing that vote,” the strategist said.
“The fact that he is tied with a former president who faces 91 charges — and yet the White House does not seem to grasp that they have a fundamental reelection problem — is unbelievable,” the frustrated strategist added.
Trump would be a slight favorite in a 2020 rematch if the election were held tomorrow, based on national polling and the vagaries of the electoral college.
In the RealClearPolitics (RCP) national polling average, Trump has led for the last month, having lagged Biden for much of the summer.
An Emerson College poll released Friday gave Trump a two-point advantage nationwide.
Several polls in key states from Bloomberg/Morning Consult this week showed Biden behind, albeit by relatively narrow margins, in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The president carried all four states in 2020.
Not every poll predicts doom. Some recent polls give Biden a narrow edge nationwide — by one point in an Economist/YouGov poll and by three points in an NPR/PBS/Marist survey earlier this month.
But the tightness of the numbers churns up concerns that have been commonplace in Democratic circles for some time.
Biden is the oldest president ever, and several polls have indicated that upwards of 70 percent of the public have concerns about his capabilities to serve a second term.
His overall approval rating as measured by data site FiveThirtyEight was just 41 percent on Friday, with 54 percent disapproving.
Vice President Harris fares roughly the same in terms of approval rating, a reality which is made more electorally relevant because of Biden’s age. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has repeatedly said that voters should view a vote for Biden in 2024 as a vote that would make Harris president.
Some on the left contend that, with election polls looking so tight, it is of crucial importance for Biden to enthuse the Democratic base, including Black and Latino voters, and younger voters.
But that could be easier said than done.
Advances on issues of particular relevance to the Black community, including voting rights, has been modest at best. Immigration is a vexing topic and one of the issues on which Biden fares worst. And young progressives are several notches to the left of the president in terms of their policy agenda.
“I don’t think it’s enough to say ‘the lesser of two evils.’ I think the Democratic Party and Biden have relied on talking about what the other option is,” said Michele Weindling, the political director of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-oriented progressive group.
Weindling argued that Biden’s age is not in itself a barrier to firing up younger voters, noting the enthusiasm many youthful progressives feel for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who at 82 is more than a year older then the president.
But she also noted wide political gulfs between members of her group and the president — not only on Sunrise’s signature issue of climate change but also on other topics such as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Weindling said that her members mourned the loss of life on both sides following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and the Israeli reprisals that came afterward.
But she added that, with Israel widely seen to be on the brink of a ground invasion of Gaza, “we need the U.S. to fight against this impending genocide that is happening right now” by calling for a ceasefire and deescalation of the conflict.
Biden has pushed Israel to obey “the laws of war,” but there is little evidence that he will bring real pressure to bear for a ceasefire anytime soon.
The complexities of the Middle East aside, some Democrats are much more hopeful about Biden’s overall electoral chances in 2024.
They note that the last two Democratic presidents — former Presidents Obama and Clinton — both came back from bleak polling periods in their first terms to win reelection handily.
The sunny view also highlights Biden’s robust record of job creation, the broadly downward trajectory of inflation and the belief that some of the benefits of the president’s legislative achievements will be more apparent a year from now.
The president’s boosters also note that his experience and measured demeanor may win over many voters.
Biden went to Israel on Wednesday, delivered a primetime address linking Israel with Ukraine upon his return to Washington Thursday, and announced the release of two America hostages who had been held by Hamas on Friday.
“You look at the Middle East and the war in Ukraine, and Biden is at the pinnacle of both of those struggles. He is not a bit player in these things. He went to Israel when the bombs were flying,” said Democratic strategist Tad Devine.
The single biggest factor fueling guarded Democratic optimism, however, is the state of the Republican Party.
Trump, the overwhelming favorite to become the GOP nominee, is currently enmeshed in a civil trial in New York.
Four separate criminal matters — regarding Jan. 6, alleged election interference in Georgia, alleged business malfeasance in New York, and the retention of sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago —are hanging over his head.
Meanwhile, the Republican House has been without a Speaker for more than two weeks since a group of hardliners ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the position.
On Friday, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) was dumped as the GOP’s nominee for the Speakership having thrice tried and failed to get the required votes.
“It all contributes to the sense that Republicans can’t govern, whether it’s Donald Trump, who was not able to govern during COVID or Jan. 6, or his acolytes who are incapable of governing despite having a majority in the House of Representatives,” said Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky.
Roginsky added: “Nobody should rest on their laurels and it’s always worrying when every poll is close. But I would still much rather be President Biden than former President Trump heading into the 2024 election.”
For now, it looks like a fine line separating either man’s 2024 chances.
That’s too close for comfort for a lot of Democrats.
The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.
Go to Source: Administration News | The Hill
Detroit Synagogue President Samantha Woll Stabbed to Death
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White House funding request includes $14 billion for border as crisis hits new records
The Biden administration is asking Congress for $14 billion in funding to aid its efforts in combating the ongoing crisis at the border, including money for migrant services and housing, anti-fentanyl technology and more border agents.
The $14 billion is part of a $105 billion request put forward by the White House this week. It is significantly more than previous supplemental requests and comes as the U.S. is again seeing record numbers at the southern border.
The request includes $6.4 billion for “border operations,” which includes $4.4 billion for holding facilities and reimbursement of support from the Pentagon. It also includes money for DNA collection and over $1.9 billion for Health and Human Services “to support eligible arrivals and unaccompanied children.”
HIGH MIGRANT NUMBERS BREAK MULTIPLE RECORDS IN NEW BLOW TO BIDEN BORDER STRATEGY
Related to migrant care is $1.4 billion for “shelter and services for migrants released from DHS custody. This is in addition to $800 million that has been dished out to states and non-governmental organizations by the administration in order to aid with the many migrants who have been released into the U.S. interior.
A fact sheet put out by the White House says the Biden administration’s strategy is “focused on enforcement, deterrence and diplomacy” that includes a massive expansion of “lawful pathways” into the U.S.
The White House says the money includes funding for transportation, including removal flights and resources for alternatives to detention. It also includes money for “non-custodial housing options” for those in expedited removal, including facilities with housing, legal services and medical care.
“We are also seeking authorization to allow DHS to use transportation funded by appropriated funds to facilitate the movement of non-citizens who choose to depart from the United States in lieu of removal proceedings (‘voluntary departure’),” a fact sheet says.
In terms of staffing, there is $1.6 billion for additional Border Patrol agents, asylum officers and processing personnel, as well as $1.4 billion for additional immigration judges. The staffing includes 1,300 Border Patrol agents and 300 processing coordinators, 1,600 asylum officers. There is also funding for 1,470 additional attorneys and support staff.
In terms of countering the fentanyl threat, which killed 100,000 Americans last year, DHS is seeking $1.2 billion for resources including additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and “non-intrusive inspection system deployment” for ports of entry, where the majority of fentanyl is seized.
HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM BLASTS TOP DEM LEADER FOR CALLING BORDER WALL ‘MEDIEVAL’
More money is going to international efforts, which the Biden administration has emphasized as part of its strategy to deal with the millions of migrants who have flocked to the U.S. border. That includes $1.3 billion for “Safe Mobility Offices” and to support “host communities and legal pathways” in the region.
A relatively small $40 million is for foreign government repatriation operations, which the U.S. says is to fund those countries’ own repatriation flights.
The Biden administration said it was crucial in its efforts to tackle the ongoing situation at the border.
“The request we have made of Congress today provides critically needed funding to equip the Department of Homeland Security with the people and tools it needs to prevent cartels from moving fentanyl through our ports of entry and to enforce our immigration laws in an orderly and effective way,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.
HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPUBLICANS PUSH BIDEN DHS ON ‘CONFLICTING’ BORDER WALL POSITIONS
“At this time of unprecedented hemispheric and global challenges, we must come together to strengthen our ability to protect the American people. I strongly urge Congress to give the men and women of DHS the resources and support they need to achieve our safety and security mission,” he said.
It is unclear to what extent the border part of the supplemental will receive Republican support. While Republicans have called for more Border Patrol agents and interior enforcement, they have been more skeptical of moves to process migrants into the interior. Legislation passed by the GOP-held House has included money for new agents, but it has ruled out them being used for processing.
Republicans instead have called for money to continue border wall construction, as well as legislation to limit the use of parole and mandate detention and removal for those who enter the country illegally.
The request comes just as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that the September migrant encounters at the southern border hit a record 269,000 encounters — making FY 23’s encounters the highest on record.
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The chaotic, convoluted path House Republicans took to elect a speaker leads back to square one
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but in their effort to elect a House speaker, Republicans have taken a more tortured route.
Compared to a straight line, Republicans will follow the path of the “truncated icosidodecahedron rhombus,” a monstrous, convex, polygonous shape.
At least the truncated icosidodecahedron rhombus is an actual thing.
The Rube Goldberg-esque approach by House Republicans to the speakership would probably confuse Archimedes, Pythagoras and Euclid.
I’ve always said that the essence of Congress is “the math.” The math is rather simple. Republicans need an outright majority of the entire House — voting by name — to elect someone as speaker. But since they can’t balance the equation after nearly three weeks, the House has devolved into a state of unsolvable political algebra.
If nothing else, House Republicans have been consistent about one thing the past few weeks: Whatever the plan is, they will alter the strategy 180 degrees a few hours later.
JEFFRIES AND THE DEMOCRATS ARE SITTING PRETTY AMID HOUSE GOP SPEAKER CHAOS
Everyone has whiplash.
House Republicans tapped House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., as their speaker nominee a week ago Wednesday, but 30 hours later, he dropped out.
Last Friday afternoon, Republicans then anointed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, as their speaker nominee. But a week later, Republicans voted Jordan off the island after he lost three consecutive votes for speaker on the floor. Jordan hemorrhaged additional ballots each time.
But that doesn’t do justice to the frenzied planning that has become a touchstone of the manic process to tap a new speaker.
Jordan lost consecutive floor votes for speaker on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday morning, the tentative plan was for the House to meet at noon, potentially teeing up a vote for speaker around 1 p.m.
WHY JORDAN COULDN’T GRAB THE SPEAKER GAVEL AFTER THREE FAILED BALLOTS
But House Republicans convened one of their labyrinthine “conference” meetings for 11 a.m.
Just as the meeting started, word came that Jordan would not demand a roll call vote that day. Jordan was destined to lose that vote, the same as he had lost on the days before. One GOP source said that the strategy by Jordan’s opponents was “escalatory” — a move to prompt more opponents to cast ballots against Jordan on each ballot.
Before the meeting, Jordan indicated that he would remain a candidate for speaker and remain the official GOP nominee for the job. But he endorsed a plan for the House to formally elect Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., as interim speaker pro tempore. McHenry simply assumed the role once the House bounced former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the speakership earlier this month. McHenry is handcuffed in his powers as acting speaker pro tempore, but the House would formally empower McHenry if he were elected speaker pro tempore. That would allow the House to function again and vote on legislation. There is precedent for this. More on that in a moment.
But after four hours, Republicans emerged from the meeting, swerving suddenly toward a divergent plan. Republicans incinerated the idea to elect McHenry and get the House running again — even though Jordan supported it.
Wildly, the plan switched back to holding a floor vote for Jordan later that day, perhaps even in the middle of President Biden’s prime-time address about the Middle East.
MULTIPLE HOUSE SPEAKER CANDIDATES EMERGE AFTER FAILED JORDAN BID AS GOP PLANS TO RECONVENE MONDAY
Naturally, the vote never came.
The House adjourned early Thursday evening without voting, but, true to form, a new plan emerged. The House would meet at 10 a.m. Friday with a third vote for speaker beginning around 11 a.m.
Holy trapezoid.
“Additional votes are expected throughout the weekend,” tweeted Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, a Jordan ally, at 7:23 p.m. Thursday.
But there was a problem with the idea of weekend votes for speaker.
COCA-COLA QUIETLY DELETES LANGUAGE SUPPORTING BLM AFTER TED CRUZ CALLS OUT PRO-HAMAS POST
“Additonal votes” would mean that Jordan still hadn’t wrapped up his bid for speaker on Friday. Lawmakers on both sides saw the possibility of an attendance problem over the weekend. They scheduled events in their districts. It was unclear how many would be willing to hang around Washington for another vote that was destined to fail.
However, weekend absences could actually help Jordan. If the right mixture of Members were absent, that could lower the threshold to elect a speaker. Depending on who were gone, there was a possibility that Jordan could actually WIN.
However, any benefit to Jordan would mean a nearly equal risk of losing the speaker’s gavel entirely.
If another blend of members were absent, it was possible that Republicans, if they weren’t careful, could elect House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., as speaker.
The magic number to prevail as speaker morphs with each roll call vote. It’s contingent on how many members are there and vote for a candidate by name. The speaker must win an outright majority of the ballots being cast.
NEW GOP BILL WOULD MAKE BIDEN IMPOSE MAXIMUM SANCTIONS ON IRAN
That’s why the Jeffries scenario was in play.
As they say in the movies, “You play a dangerous game, Mr. Bond.”
But it never got to that point.
At 9:33 p.m. on Thursday, Jordan announced he would hold an 8 a.m. press conference Friday in the Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol. It’s rare for any event on Capitol Hill to begin before 9 a.m, but it’s even stranger to announce an event of this magnitude so late the night before.
But Jordan strode in to the Rayburn Room a few moments after 8 a.m. Friday, jacketless, as is his custom.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO CONDEMN BIDEN ADMIN OVER AMERICANS ‘STRANDED’ IN ISRAEL
“Our plan this weekend is to get a speaker elected,” said Jordan at 8:11 a.m.
During his remarks, Jordan spoke of how the Wright Brothers built a plane in 1903 that was “barely” airborne.
“Flew like 100 feet. Got a few feet off the ground,” said Jordan.
He then added that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in a jet in 1947.
“In 44 years, we go from two guys flying 100 feet to another American breaking the sound barrier in a jet,” said Jordan.
USER’S MANUAL TO HOUSE GAMBIT TO TEMPORARILY SIDETRACK JORDAN AND INSTALL MCHENRY AS INTERIM SPEAKER
Jordan concluded his remarks at 8:12 a.m. He was back in his office in the Rayburn House Office Building by 8:21 a.m. The House began voting shortly after 11 a.m. By 11:26 a.m., the House was only through names beginning with letter “G.” But it was clear Jordan had lost another vote for speaker. McHenry gaveled the vote closed at 12:06 p.m. By 1:56 p.m., House Republicans voted by secret ballot to move on from Jordan as their speaker nominee.
Jordan’s campaign for speaker probably traveled further politically than the 120 feet on the maiden voyage of the Wright Brothers’ flyer. However, the Wright Brothers kept at it that day in 1903, increasing their flight distance with each sortie. Their fourth flight was aloft for nearly a full minute and flew 852 feet. But unlike the Wright Brothers, Jordan kept losing ground on his subsequent roll call votes. At the rate Jordan was going, it may have taken him 44 years to become speaker — the same amount of time it took Chuck Yeager to break the sound barrier.
Some Republicans took umbrage at what they perceived as strong-arm tactics by Jordan and his allies. Some received death threats. Their family members encountered vulgar messages. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, called her warnings “credible” and reported them to the U.S. Capitol Police. She described Jordan as a “bully.”
Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga., said he planned to support Jordan on the second ballot, but he changed his mind after intimidation tactics “ramped up.” He also characterized Jordan as a “bully.”
Jordan allies rode to his defense.
‘SQUAD’ REP. TLAIB IGNORES US INTEL ABOUT GAZA HOSPITAL, SIDES WITH HAMAS OVER BIDEN ADMIN
“Jordan has never pressured anybody,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn., minimized security concerns.
“All of us in Congress receive death threats. I don’t know if that’s a news flash for anybody here,” said Perry. “It’s nothing new to a member of Congress. We all know it. That is another red herring.”
Never mind that former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., nearly died during a 2011 shooting that also injured future Rep. Ron Barber, D-Ariz. And Scalise nearly perished during the GOP baseball practice shooting in 2017.
A cavalcade of House Republicans entered the speaker sweepstakes Friday following Jordan’s defeat. The House aims to vote again on Tuesday. But it’s anyone’s guess whether the House can elect a speaker then or anytime soon.
One senior Republican source told Fox that it was likely the House had to go at least one more round with a bona fide candidate for speaker before it began to consider the scenario mentioned earlier about empowering McHenry.
The House has done so in the past. House Rule I, Clause 8 allows an elected speaker pro tempore to assume “virtually all the duties, authorities, and prerogatives of the Speaker of the House.”
One of the best examples came in 1961. Late House Speaker Sam Rayburn, D-Tex., fell ill over the summer and went back to the Lone Star State to die. The House elected future House Speaker John McCormack, D-Mass., as speaker pro tempore in Rayburn’s absence. The House returned to legislative form, passing a foreign operations spending bill and legislation to create the Peace Corps. The latter was one of the hallmarks of President John F. Kennedy’s legislative agenda.
Rayburn passed away in the fall. The House later elected McCormack as the regular speaker.
It’s far from clear whether the House will ever follow this path to elect a speaker pro tempore if it can’t pick an actual speaker, but one thing is certain: The pathway over the next week remains circuitous. Ellipitical. Contorted. Malformed.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That is rarely the case for anything in Congress, but the exercise of electing a speaker is certainly akin to a truncated scosidodecahedron rhombus.
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Ramaswamy says US aid should be ‘contingent’ on Israel’s action plan for Gaza
GOP presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Saturday that U.S. assistance to Israel should be contingent on the nation’s action plan for Gaza amid its war on Hamas militants.
“Israel is barreling toward a potentially catastrophic ground invasion of Gaza without clear objectives,” Ramaswamy said in a statement shared with The Hill. “‘Destroy Hamas’ is not on its own a viable or coherent strategy.”
“Instead, Israel is likely to invite attacks from Hezbollah in the north, which would almost surely draw the U.S. into a prolonged all-out regional war in the Middle East that does not advance American interests,” he argued.
The conservative entrepreneur added that the U.S. needs to push Israel to define its objectives before agreeing to fund its ongoing strikes.
“The U.S. should be clear with Israel that further U.S. support is contingent on Israel identifying clear objectives for success in Gaza and a coherent plan for what comes after toppling Hamas, even if Israel is successful in doing so,” Ramaswamy said. “As of now, these critical questions remain unanswered.”
On Friday, Ramaswamy also criticized the comparison of the Israel-Hamas conflict with the Russia-Ukraine war.
The entrepreneur was responding to President Biden’s Oval Office speech on Friday where he tied the two conflicts together. Biden also said he would deliver a request to Congress for new aid to both Ukraine and Israel.
“I think it’s a mistake to bundle the Israel discussion with the Ukraine discussion,” Ramaswamy said in an interview on Fox News. “It is a gambit to avoid debate on the merits of either one.”
He said lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should vote “no” on the “disastrous proposal.”
Go to Source: Administration News | The Hill
Exclusive: D.C. Residents Fear Crime Surge Turning Area into U.S. War Zone
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Border Patrol stop record number of people on terror watchlist at southern border
Border officials arrested 18 people on the FBI’s terror watchlist in September, making fiscal year 2023 a record year for such encounters at the southern border.
According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics released Saturday, 169 people on the FBI terror watchlists were encountered between ports of entry at the southern border in the past twelve months, a number that exceeds not only FY 22’s record-setting total (98) but the last six fiscal years combined.
With encounters between ports at the northern border included, the total for FY 23 was 172.
The encounters between ports of entry are eclipsed by those who are encountered at the ports themselves. Overall, there were 564 encounters at ports, just slightly higher than FY 19, when there were 538.
HIGH MIGRANT NUMBERS BREAK MULTIPLE RECORDS IN NEW BLOW TO BIDEN BORDER STRATEGY
The watchlist, now officially called the Terrorist Screening Dataset, is the U.S. database that contains information on terrorist identities and includes not only known or suspected terrorists, but also affiliates of watchlisted individuals.
“Encounters of watchlisted individuals at our borders are very uncommon, underscoring the critical work CBP Agents and Officers carry out every day on the frontlines,” the agency states on its website. “DHS works tirelessly to secure our borders through a combination of highly trained personnel, ground and aerial monitoring systems, and robust intelligence and information sharing networks.”
The numbers come as part of a record number of migrant encounters at the southern border, which even eclipse last year’s enormous totals. September itself marked a record month for the border.
Meanwhile, Republicans have expressed concern about the risk of foreign national terrorists getting in through an overwhelmed border past Border Patrol agents — particularly in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel.
“We must take the situation in Israel as a grim reminder of the threats that Americans could face if we don’t remain vigilant and ignore the threats we face at home,” a group of House Republicans wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas this week.
The Department of Homeland Security’s threat assessment, published last month, noted that agents have encountered a growing number on the watch list and warned that “terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States.”
HAWLEY PUSHES MAYORKAS ON ENCOUNTERS OF ‘SPECIAL INTEREST ALIENS’ INTO US AMID TERROR FEARS
“Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States,” the assessment also said.
Fox News reported last week that thousands of “special interest aliens” from numerous countries, including the Middle East, have been arrested by Border Patrol agents while attempting to cross the U.S.’ southern border illegally over the last two years. “Special interest aliens” are people from countries identified by the U.S. government as having conditions that promote or protect terrorism or potentially pose some sort of national security threat to the U.S.
DHS has also said in the last week that the agency is “closely monitoring unfolding events and will continue to engage in information sharing with our intelligence and law enforcement partners at home and abroad.”
“This information sharing helps ensure that we are positioned to help mitigate any risks to national security or public safety,” a spokesperson said. “Our multilayered border security efforts include various screening and vetting processes that work to detect and prevent individuals who pose national security or public safety risks from entering the United States.”
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