The Daily Signal - IEDs at the Border, Probe Launched Into ‘Political’ Judge in Trump Case, Green Guidance for Federal Employees | Dec. 15

Episode Date: December 15, 2023

TOP NEWS | On today’s Daily Signal Top News, we break down: Rep. Elise Stefanik launches a probe into a D.C. judge.  The Biden administration issues a directive for federal employees to travel green Border Patrol issues a warning about explosive devices found at the southern border. Former First Lady Melania Trump speaks about her experience as an immigrant to the U.S. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm Virginia Allen, and this is the Daily Signal Top News for Friday, December 15th. Here are today's headlines. New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik has called for an ethics probe into a D.C. judge linked to former President Donald Trump and January 6th court cases. The New York Republican filed a misconduct complaint on Friday against D.C. District Judge Beryl Howell, according to Fox News. The complaint was over. a speech Hal gave in November when she accepted an award from the women's white collar defense association. In the speech, Hal pinned the blame for violence on January 6th on big lies and said

that we are headed towards a very surprising and downright troubling moment in this country when the very importance of facts is dismissed or ignored. Stefanik said that the speech calls Howe's judicial independence into question. Stefanik said, Judge Howell's partisan speech is obviously highly inappropriate election interference by a federal judge that undermines the public's trust in our courts. Stefana continued that, moreover, the public display of the cozy personal relationships between Judge Hal and her partisan friends who appear before her undermines public trust in judicial independence. The Congresswoman said that Hal's speech was political, plainly inappropriate,

insisting of partisan statements, election interference, and improper extrajudicial statements while criminal cases are pending. Hal has so far not responded to Stephanics Ethics Probe. The White House put out new guidance for federal employees, demanding that they prioritize using trains, electric vehicles, and public transportation. They said this fulfills President Joe Biden's desire to lead by example on climate change. That's according to Fox News. Fox reported that this could have an impact on the travel industry due to the federal government being the nation's largest employer. According to Fox, overall government employees on official business took more than 2.8 million flights, made 2.3 million vehicle rentals, and took 33,000 train trips last year.

The Biden administration said in a statement on Thursday that the directive will accelerate the clean transportation transformation, increase good-paying union jobs, and create healthier communities. According to the guidance, government employees must rent an electric vehicle on official travel when the cost is less than or equal to the cheapest comparable gas-powered vehicle. They also have to choose electric vehicles when using ride-sharing programs. when available. Federal employees must also use rail instead of cars or planes when travel requires less than 250 miles of travel. For local trips, employees must use public transportation. Customs and border protection sent around a memo to agents on Wednesday, warning them of illegal aliens using high explosives. This comes after 10 improvised explosive devices were found near the border.

In a memo, which was first obtained by Fox Business, Border Patrol agents were ordered to exercise extreme caution and should report any possible armed subjects approaching the border with possible explosive devices. National Review reported that the explosive devices were discovered following an exchange of gunfire between agents stationed in Tucson, Arizona, and cartel members at a local ranch. This comes while Border Patrol is dealing with historic numbers of illegal border crossings, and Congress is in negotiations about increasing funding for border security. On Wednesday, there were 11,000 illegal alien encounters at the southern border, according to Fox News's Bill Malugian. While former First Lady Melania Trump delivered remarks at the National Archives' naturalization ceremony today, The National Archives contains a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

And today's appearance was a rare public appearance for the former First Lady who spoke in front of about 25 people. She said in her remarks, according to the Hill, that she felt a tremendous sense of pride and belonging when she took the oath of allegiance to the United States. It is my privilege to share this great nation, America, with you. Throughout our lives, we cross thresholds and often stand in the way of our goals. We persevere as we understand that conquering them will provide great access to personal development, fulfillment, and even eventually self-acceladation. For me, reaching the milestone of a moment. American citizenship marked the sunrise of certainty. At that exact moment, I forever discarded the layer of burden connected with whether I would be able to live in the United States.

I hope you are blanked it with similar feelings of comfort right now. Finally, I could plan all of the aspects of my life. I recall feeling a tremendous sense of pride and belonging after I resided the United States' oath of alliance, as the pathway to citizenship is arduous. Melania Trump was born in Serbia and moved to New York City. In 1996, she said that she realized quickly that she wanted to make the U.S. her permanent home. From that time, she began visiting embassies with the intent of getting a work visa. The former First Lady said my personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process

opened my eyes to the harsh realities these people face, including you who try to become U.S. citizens. She eventually did receive a visa in 2001 and became a naturalized citizen in 2006. Melania Trump told the group gathered at the National Archives that becoming an American citizen comes with responsibility. It means actively partnering in the democratic process and guarding our freedom. She added that it also means leading by example and contributing to our society. It is a life-altering experience that takes time, determination, and sometimes even tremendous strength. And with that, that's going to do it for today's episode of the Daily Signal's Top News Podcast. We hope you all have an excellent weekend. We will see you right back here on Monday

morning. Tyler O'Neill is going to be sitting down with Moms for Liberty. Be sure to catch that conversation Monday morning. And if you have a little extra time this weekend, take a moment to leave the Daily Signal podcast, a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen. And make sure that you hit that subscribe button so you never miss out on new shows. Have a wonderful weekend. We will see you right back here on Monday. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Luey and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheris.

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