Wednesday, January 13, 2021

JOE BIDEN AND CROOKED UNIONS - SEEMS LIKE THE WORD 'CROOKED' HAS FOLLOWED BIDEN HIS ENTIRE BRIBES SUCKING CROOKED CAREER

 

Before Becoming Boston’s Mayor, Biden’s Labor Pick Was Embroiled in Union Extortion Scandal

Marty Walsh's subordinates convicted of conspiracy, accepting bribes

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Boston mayor Marty Walsh (D.) / Getty Images

President-elect Joe Biden's pick for labor secretary was once caught on a wiretap admitting that he threatened a development company for refusing to use union workers.

Biden chose Boston mayor Marty Walsh (D.) to lead the Department of Labor, praising the longtime union ally as a "good friend" and "stand up guy" in a Friday announcement. As head of Boston's Building and Construction Trades Council, however, Walsh was ensnared in a federal probe alleging strong-arm tactics by union leaders.

Federal agents captured Walsh on tape candidly discussing strong-arm tactics with a fellow local labor leader in October 2012. The Boston Democrat recalled threatening development company AvalonBay with "permitting problems" on an upcoming project should it fail to hire union laborers, according to a 2016 Boston Globe report. A second Boston developer, Michael Rauseo, accused Walsh of employing similar tactics during a meeting held just months later. Rauseo told the Globe that, in December 2012, Walsh "demanded" that he rescind contracts issued to non-union contractors for an upcoming apartment project.

Walsh boasts deep ties to Biden: The president-elect spoke at Walsh's 2017 mayoral inauguration, and the pair have been photographed together in Boston on multiple occasions. Walsh also defended Biden following accusations of inappropriately touching women, calling Biden a "very emotional person" who "respects women."

Walsh's personal relationship with Biden—as well as his "traditional union background"—could boost his chances of advancing union-friendly policies in the Biden administration, Workplace Policy Institute cochair Michael Lotito told the Washington Free Beacon.

"Joe Biden has said that he wants to be the most pro-union president in history, so it's not surprising that he picked Walsh as his labor secretary in order to help make his dream come true," Lotito said. "One of the things [Walsh] can do is recommend to Mr. Biden different executive orders, especially those that involve government contractors … and since it appears that Biden and Walsh have a long-standing personal relationship, Walsh might be in a position to influence Biden."

Neither Biden's presidential transition team nor Walsh responded to requests for comment.

While Walsh maintained that he did "nothing wrong" throughout the federal probe and was not indicted, two members of his administration, intergovernmental-affairs director Timothy Sullivan and tourism director Kenneth Brissette, were convicted of extortion-related conspiracy in August 2019. Roughly five years prior, the pair told a music festival production company that it needed to hire local union members in order to receive permits for an upcoming event. The company feared it would be "financially ruined" if it "did not accede to these City officials' demands" and agreed to hire the union members, according to a 2019 Justice Department press release.

Sullivan and Brisette's convictions were overturned in February 2020, when a federal judge ruled that the two officials did not receive a "personal payoff" as a result of their conduct. But another Walsh city hall official, development and planning agency employee John Lynch, pleaded guilty to accepting a $50,000 bribe in September 2019. Walsh distanced himself from the scandals, saying "you can't monitor every single person's actions."

Walsh served as a Massachusetts state lawmaker from 1997 to 2013, during which time he enjoyed a cozy relationship with local unions. He was named head of union umbrella group Boston Building Trades in 2011, resigning two years later to run for mayor. He has received more than $500,000 from labor groups throughout his political career, state campaign-finance disclosures show.

Walsh's labor-secretary bid was endorsed by a number of top unions, including the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka celebrated Walsh's nomination, touting the Boston Democrat's status as a "longtime union member" who will "have the ear of the White House" as he works to implement union-backed legislation.

So the “disaster” Thomas Donilon, who first advised Sen. Biden in 1988, is the likely source for Joe Biden’s claim that the Chinese Communists are “not bad folks, folks” and “not competition for us.” This is the Fannie Mae hustler who “orchestrated” Joe Biden as the point man for China policy. On Biden’s watch, China ramped up internal repressions and became more aggressive, modernizing their military and creating island bases that put key American allies and interests at risk.

Schweizer: We’ve Never Had a President ‘This Commercially Linked to Our Chief Adversary,’ China as Biden

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On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Breitbart News senior contributor Peter Schweizer stated that President-Elect Joe Biden is the most “commercially linked to our chief adversary, which is China” of any president.

Schweizer said, “I don’t think we’ve ever had an American president that has been this commercially linked to our chief adversary, which is China. … I mean, you look at Donald Trump. He had some dealings, his family had dealings in China. He had legitimate businesses. You look at Michael Bloomberg, same thing. He had dealings in China, legitimate businesses. By no stretch of any imagination do the Bidens have any kind of a legitimate business that the Chinese were pouring money into. It was all about currying favor.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

The Dons Behind Biden

Why Biden thinks the Chinese Communists are “not bad folks” and “not competition for us.”

  

Biden Gets China,” headlined the January 2, 2012 report in The Atlantic. As author Steve Clemons explained, “Vice President Joe Biden will take the lead on the administrations next phase China policy.”  This marked a shift to a “strategy of engagement with Biden at the top,” that allows the US to deal with China’s likely next president from a Vice President to a Vice President/Next President status -- and to continue both the Departments of State’s and Treasury’s ongoing engagement with other designated key Chinese leaders.”

As Clemons explained, the move to put Biden at the top was “orchestrated” by Thomas Donilon, once described by James Mann in Foreign Policy as “Obama’s Gray Man” and seldom mentioned in the press. So Americans have cause to wonder what, exactly, Thomas Donilon is about.

According to AllGov.com, Donilon worked in the Carter White House and four years later served as campaign coordinator for Walter Mondale. In 1985, the University of Virginia law grad served with the Democratic National Committee and the next year joined the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee but “he remained interested in helping get Democrats elected to the White House.”

In 1988, “Donilon first advised Sen. Joseph Biden” then went on to serve as senior counsel on President Bill Clinton’s 1992 transition team, and chief of staff for secretary of state Warren Christopher. Donilon became assistant secretary of state for public affairs and participated in the expansion of NATO and the relationship between the U.S. and China. His background showed no scholarly work on that country or any other.

From 1995 to 2005, Thomas Donilon was chief lobbyist of the Federal National Mortgage Association, better known as Fannie Mae. As CNN reported, Donilon left the company before it imploded and “was forced to pay $400 million to the federal government for misstated earnings during his time there.” Donilon also attempted to interfere with an audit by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight and tried to launch a separate investigation into the OFHEO itself.

In 2010, the president tapped Tom Donilon for National Security Advisor, which troubled Robert Scheer of The Nation. “Why in the world would President Obama, whose legacy has been sabotaged by a housing crisis that Donilon helped create and conceal, have hired him to run the most sensitive position of public trust in his administration?” Donilon was a skilled political player, Scheer wrote, but as the president so often demonstrated, “it’s the top hustlers of whom he seems enamored.” In similar style, Robert Gates predicted that Donilon would be a “disaster” as national security advisor. 

In Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary of State at War, Gates wrote that Donilon characterized the United States military as “in revolt” and “insubordinate.” Donilon, who had never been in the military, “bridled” when Gen. McChrystal announced a “counterinsurgency” strategy in Afghanistan. Here Donilon was only advancing official administration policy. As Gates explained, “troops risking their lives need to be told that their goal is to ‘defeat’ those trying to kill them. But such terms were viewed in the White House as borderline insubordinate political statements by generals.”

According to James Mann, Donilon amassed “enormous internal control” over American foreign policy, Even so, “few news outlets have profiled Donilon, who generally prefers to operate behind closed doors.”

In a June, 2013, speech to the Asia Society, Donilon said, “I disagree with the premise put forward by some historians and theorists that a rising power and an established power are somehow destined for conflict.” No clarification that the “rising power” is a Communist dictatorship and one of the most murderous regimes in history, and the “established power” a constitutional democracy. As Donilon saw it, “a deeper U.S.-China military-to-military dialogue is central to addressing many of the sources of insecurity and potential competition between us.”  (emphasis added)

So the “disaster” Thomas Donilon, who first advised Sen. Biden in 1988, is the likely source for Joe Biden’s claim that the Chinese Communists are “not bad folks, folks” and “not competition for us.” This is the Fannie Mae hustler who “orchestrated” Joe Biden as the point man for China policy. On Biden’s watch, China ramped up internal repressions and became more aggressive, modernizing their military and creating island bases that put key American allies and interests at risk.

In November, CNN reported that Tom Donilon was a “leading contender” for director of the CIA, a post he has reportedly turned down. Still, the Donilon family influence runs strong.

Tom Donilon’s wife Cathy Russell was deputy assistant to the president and chief of staff for Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden. She then became U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues at the Department of State. As Bloomberg reports, Donilon’s wife served on Biden’s transition advisory board and will be director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Tom’s younger brother Mike is also a player.

During the 2020 campaign, Mike Donilon served as Biden’s chief strategist, and as the New York Times reports, Biden has now made Mike Donilon a senior advisor, “the defender of the Biden brand.” Meanwhile, back in 2012, brother Tom Donilon helped out by “orchestrating” Joe Biden’s takeover of  China policy. As the New York Post reported, through son Hunter, the “Big Guy” got a piece of the action.

“Biden Gets China,” has now become “China Gets Biden,” right where they want him. As President Trump says, we’ll have to see what happens.

Chamber of Commerce to Work with Joe Biden on Expanding Legal Immigration as 18M Americans Jobless

A naturalization ceremony for new citizens in Los Angeles. President Trump has recently indicated that the country would benefit from more legal immigration.CreditCreditMario Tama/Getty Images
Mario Tama/Getty Images
3:09

Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue says the business group “will work cooperatively” with President-Elect Joe Biden to expand legal immigration levels to the United States in order to fill American jobs with foreign workers as 18 million Americans remain jobless.

At an annual event this week, Donohue outlined the group’s plans to work hand-in-hand with incoming Biden administration officials to expand legal immigration levels beyond their already historic rates, where more than 1.2 million green cards are allotted every year and 1.4 million foreign visa workers are admitted to take American jobs annually.

Donohue claimed that despite 18 million jobless Americans and another 6.2 million Americans who are underemployed — all of whom want full-time work — the U.S. still has “significant labor shortages” and prided himself on suing President Trump in order to continue importing foreign workers during a mass unemployment crisis. He said:

We also have to confront the reality that we have people without jobs and massive amounts of jobs without people. Even if we successfully employed every American willing and able to work, we would still face significant labor shortages—in construction, agriculture, health care, retail, manufacturing, and tech.

Donohue continued:

We fought vigorously and successfully against actions by the Trump administration to severely limit legal immigration, and we will work cooperatively with the Biden administration to reform our immigration system to meet the needs of our modern economy. [Emphasis added]

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise … allowing the world’s most talented and industrious people to contribute to our economy drives growth, which in turn creates more jobs for Americans. This urgent priority should draw bipartisan support. [Emphasis added]

Building consensus on immigration reform, workforce development, and infrastructure investment this year will help accelerate the widespread recovery and deliver economic relief to the businesses and workers whose resilience has been put to the test. [Emphasis added]

That “consensus on immigration reform” is likely not only to include more legal immigration but also some form of an amnesty for illegal aliens living in the U.S. — both longtime priorities of corporate interests who see their profit margins grow when the cost of labor is crushed.

One particular study by the Center for Immigration Studies’ Steven Camarota revealed that for every one percent increase in the immigrant portion of an American workers’ occupation, Americans’ weekly wages are cut by perhaps 0.5 percent. This means the average native-born American worker today has his weekly wages reduced by potentially 8.75 percent, since more than 17 percent of the workforce is foreign-born.

As Breitbart News has reported, Biden has said he will “immediately” send an amnesty for illegal aliens to the U.S. Senate after taking office.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.


Citing Biden Transition, U.S. Cancels U.N. Envoy’s Trip to Taiwan

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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft / Reuters

By Michelle Nichols and Humeyra Pamuk

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A cancellation of all travel by the U.S. State Department this week includes a planned visit to Taiwan by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft, a State Department spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Craft had been due to visit Taiwan from Wednesday to Friday, prompting China to warn that Washington was playing with fire. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that all travel this week had been canceled, including his own trip to Europe, as part of the transition to the incoming Biden administration.

But European diplomats and other people familiar with the matter said Luxembourg's foreign minister and top European Union officials had declined to meet with him during his planned European trip this week.

Craft's Taiwan trip appeared to be another part of an effort by Pompeo and President Donald Trump's Republican administration to lock in a tough approach to China before Democratic President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.

Taiwan's government expressed "understanding and respect" for the decision, but also regret.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets that the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft cannot lead a delegation to visit Taiwan from Jan. 13 to 15 as scheduled, but welcomes Ambassador Craft to visit at an appropriate time in the future," it said in a statement.

Craft is due to leave the role when Biden assumes the presidency next week.

China had said it was firmly opposed to the visit. A representative of China's mission to the United Nations in New York urged Washington to stop "creating obstacles" for the relationship between China and the United States.

"It's time that the crazy, irrational behaviors of certain people come to a stop," the Chinese representative said.

Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its own territory, has been angered by stepped-up support for Taiwan from the Trump administration, including trips to Taipei by top U.S. officials, further straining Sino-U.S. ties. Pompeo on Saturday said he was lifting restrictions on contacts between U.S. officials and their Taiwanese counterparts.

Chinese fighter jets approached the island in August and September during the last two visits – by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach, respectively.

While the United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it is the island's strongest international backer and arms supplier, being obliged to help provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington, additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Grant McCool, Matthew Lewis and Himani Sarkar)

THE NEW CORPORATIST GLOBALIST DEMOCRAT PARTY FOR BILLIONAIRES, BANKSTER BAILOUTS AND NO (REAL) BORDERS

 

Lincoln Project Teams Up With Billionaires, Left-Wing Activists to Punish GOP, Elect More Democrats

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The Lincoln Project, a left-wing super PAC founded by minor internet celebrities, wants to remind its rich liberal donors that Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 election doesn't mean they should stop giving money to the Lincoln Project.

Last year, the super PAC spent almost $12 million in an effort to unseat seven incumbent GOP senators, going 0 for 7 in the process. When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) accurately described the Lincoln Project as a "scam" siphoning money away from people "who deserve it," the gang of former Republican operatives tried to win her over by bragging about how rich they are and how much they "admire" women who work in restaurants.

"I would like to officially reach out to @AOC on behalf of the @ProjectLincoln in defense of democracy," wrote PAC cofounder Steve Schmidt, the ex-GOP strategist who persuaded John McCain to pick Sarah Palin as his running mate. "We disagree on many issues and that is ok in our view. Btw, we don’t look down on waitresses. We admire them. We are all the types of guys who always tip at 50% or more."

The Lincoln Project's latest revenue-generating venture involves publicly shaming and "destabilizing" corporations that donate money to Republicans. The group has joined forces with Judd Legum, founder of the now-defunct left-wing activist blog Think Progress, by blatantly stealing his idea. The Lincoln Project announced its campaign of corporate shaming several days after Legum started hounding corporate PR shops and posting their responses on his website.

If the PAC's actions appear indistinguishable from those of a run-of-the-mill Democratic political organization, it might be because the Lincoln Project is funded by several run-of-the-mill Democratic political organizations.

Senate Majority PAC, whose mission is to elect Democrats to the Senate, gave $1.9 million to the Lincoln Project. Democratic-aligned dark money groups also pitched in. Majority Forward PAC, which was founded by Democratic lawyer Marc Elias and shares an address with Senate Majority PAC, contributed $1.3 million. The Sixteen Thirty Fund, which Politico recently described as "one of the left’s biggest financial hubs," donated $300,000. Fair Share Action gave at least $100,000.

Like most run-of-the-mill Democratic political organizations, the Lincoln Project receives a large percentage of its funding from liberal billionaires, including David Geffen, Hyatt heiress Jennifer Pritzker, Groupon founder Eric Lefkofsky, and hedge-fund titan Stephen Mandel. Walmart heiress Christy Walton is also a donor, as is Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood executive whose net worth is a mere $900 million.

Naturally, Hollywood celebs and private-equity executives are also a key part of the Lincoln Project's donor base. Directors Jay Roach and Rob Reiner have pitched in, while John Connaughton, the global head of Bain Capital's private-equity division, is a top donor.

"We are not a Democratic organization," Lincoln Project cofounder Reed Galen said in December. "We are a pro-democracy organization."

In related news: Dick Hed, an individual of unknown occupation residing in Tulsa, Okla., has donated $20,000 to the Lincoln Project, according to federal election records.

Ossoff: Feds Should Ensure Illegal Immigrants Receive Good Wages

Georgia Dem says ICE agents should be more concerned with labor laws than immigration status

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Senate candidate Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.) / Getty Images

MADISON, Ga.—Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff said that federal agents should be deployed to ensure that illegal immigrants receive good wages instead of enforcing federal immigration law.

A resident asked Ossoff how he would deal with people who were illegally brought to the United States as minors. The Democrat went on to chastise the "brutal conditions" facing workers on Georgia farms, arguing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents should be used not to detain illegal immigrants but rather to verify that such workers are treated well.

"When federal agents arrive at one of these farms, it should be to make sure people are being paid the minimum wage, working in humane conditions," Ossoff said at the Sunday event, adding that the U.S. should "show humanity and compassion for those who are part of our society but living in the shadows."

Ossoff's comments came months after the Democrat indicated his support for so-called sanctuary cities, stating that local law enforcement should not enforce federal immigration law because it undermines the "bonds of trust between local law enforcement and local communities." Ossoff has also praised House speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D., Calif.) $3 trillion HEROES Act, which includes unemployment payments for illegal immigrants.

Center for Immigration Studies policy director Jessica Vaughan told the Washington Free Beacon that Ossoff's "plan" reflects "little knowledge about illegal immigration or immigration enforcement."

"What I find troubling about that comment is that it indicates that [Ossoff] wants ICE to enforce wage and hour laws and other labor laws, which is not their job," Vaughan said. "That suggests that he does not want ICE to enforce immigration laws, and worksite enforcement is the type of immigration enforcement that does the most to deter illegal immigration. It's very effective, and we need to have more of it, not less of it."

The Ossoff campaign did not return a request for comment.

In addition to his past comments calling on local police to cease cooperating with federal agents against illegal immigration, Ossoff recently campaigned with former Obama administration official Julián Castro, who has faced criticism from fellow Democrats over his support for "open borders." Castro centered his failed presidential campaign on decriminalizing illegal border crossings and supported government-provided health insurance for illegal immigrants.

"This is tantamount to declaring publicly that we have open borders," former Obama DHS chief Jeh Johnson said of Castro's plan. "That is unworkable, unwise, and does not have the support of a majority of American people or the Congress."

Ossoff is running to unseat Republican senator David Perdue in Georgia's January 5 runoff election. Perdue has criticized the Democrat for supporting "lawless sanctuary cities."


New DHS Report Paints Picture of Biden’s Immigration Challenges

Lax immigration enforcement under Biden could bring about a new border crisis

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U.S. southern border
Getty Images

New data from the Department of Homeland Security capture the changing face of illegal immigration, revealing dramatic shifts that will shape President-elect Joe Biden's hopes for comprehensive immigration reform.

The report from the Office of Immigration Statistics captures a transition as the share of lone adults, particularly from Mexico, declined, replaced by children and adults traveling with them from the "northern triangle" countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. That change in turn has led to a dramatic decline in the number of individuals reported, as members of the latter group rely on more accommodative legal protections to remain in the country far longer than the former.

The report also shows that individuals who were not detained after apprehension are much more likely to still be in the country. That's a sign, acting deputy homeland security director Ken Cuccinelli wrote, that "catch and release" policies do not work.

That such policies, including an expansion of the use of "alternatives to detention," are top of the Biden immigration agenda augurs poorly for the incoming president. The challenges that changing migration patterns posed to the Obama and Trump administrations are unlikely to go away under Biden, teeing up yet another border crisis and ensuing political meltdown.

The report combines data from myriad sources to track the "lifecycle" of would-be entrants apprehended over the past five years at the southwestern border, providing information on the immigration status of some 3.5 million apprehensions. Its coverage bookends two major migrant crises: a surge of unaccompanied minors in 2014, and a much larger surge of both families and unaccompanied kids in late 2018 and early 2019.

These two crises are part of the changing face of migration. Whereas in the period of 2000 to 2004, 97 percent of all those apprehended were Mexicans—many of them lone adults seeking work—by 2019 that share had dropped to just 24 percent. By contrast, arrivals from the "northern triangle" countries rose from 44 percent of apprehensions in 2014 to 64 percent in 2019, amid the second crisis. Many of these individuals were children, often quite young, and adults traveling with them, claiming to be their family members.

Those demographic differences strongly determine what happens to an individual after he or she is apprehended. Single adults are quickly deported, with 78 percent of those apprehended over the preceding five years repatriated by Q2 2020. But family arrivals and children are not—just 32 percent of the latter, and only 11 percent of the former, had their cases resolved as of Q2 2020.

Such migration is likely to rise under Biden, who has promised to substantially reduce immigration enforcement and intends to pursue an amnesty, both of which could incentivize further arrivals. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that apprehensions at the border rose year-on-year in the immediate lead-up to and aftermath of Biden's election, which may indicate a rising tide of migrants eager to take advantage of a more lax immigration regime.

Those arrivals will enjoy the same preexisting immigration challenges that the Center for Immigration Studies' Andrew Arthur identified as driving the low number of deportations for families and children. "Loopholes" in federal immigration law incentivize the bringing of children from noncontiguous countries and delay almost indefinitely their immigration court process.

In particular, abuse of the asylum system, and of provisions which require the release from detention of minors and their guardians, results in large populations who arrive, are released, and never show up for subsequent immigration processing. According to the report, just 1 percent of those detained had unexecuted removal orders, while 55 percent of those released were still listed as unresolved.

The reason for this dynamic is not that those who arrive at the southwestern border have reasonable claims to be asylees: Just 14 percent of initial applicants are eventually granted asylum. Similarly, among those cases resolved, roughly 13.6 percent were granted some relief, while the rest were summarily deported.

In other words, the report indicates a large and persistent challenge to the U.S. immigration system, with an ever-growing pool of illegal entrants and an ever-expanding backlog of immigration court cases jamming up the process of legal immigration and the limited resources of DHS.

That dynamic is likely to continue, and even expand, under the Biden DHS. Biden's promised undoing of many of President Donald Trump's tougher enforcement tools, including the "Remain in Mexico" policy and the limitation of "reasonable fear" asylum claims, could exacerbate the inflow of people driven by the "loopholes" Arthur and Cuccinelli identify. So too could the deployment of "alternatives to detention," which Cuccinelli specifically singled out as problematic.

The Biden team, likely spooked by the surging apprehension numbers, has signaled that it will slow-roll the undoing of Trump's immigration agenda. But it has not promised any of the "targeted legislative fixes" endorsed by Cuccinelli in his letter, leaving in place the adverse incentives. That could lead to another humanitarian crisis at the southwestern border—a ticking time bomb Biden's team has evinced little interest in defusing.

Labor Department Cracks Down on Wage Undercutting by Foreign Workers

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The exterior of the U.S. Department of Labor / Getty Images

The Department of Labor will enact new measures to crack down on the undercutting of American wages by foreign workers.

The department announced in a Tuesday press release that it will set new wage rates for foreign workers to prevent potential abuses of the pay scale that undercut American wages. The reform is intended to safeguard job opportunities for American workers, according to the release.

The wage scale for paying foreign workers is too low, the department said, and undermines the wages and employment opportunities of U.S. workers.

"The Department also determined that the existing wage levels were artificially low and provided an opportunity for employers to hire and retain foreign workers at wages well below what their U.S. counterparts earn, creating an incentive to prefer foreign workers to U.S. workers," a Labor Department outline of the new regulation reads. "Existing wage levels [are] … at odds with the statutory scheme and [cause] downward pressure on the wages of the domestic workforce."

Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia said the new labor reforms will cut down on abuse in the foreign worker economy. 

"The U.S. Department of Labor is taking these steps to strengthen wage protections, address abuses in visa programs, and protect American workers from being undercut by cheaper foreign labor," Scalia said. 

Scalia will likely be succeeded by President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for labor secretary, Marty Walsh. As mayor of Boston, Walsh worked to create a more hospitable environment for foreign workers, passing legislation making Boston a sanctuary city for illegal immigration. In 2018, Walsh ignored pleas from ICE to crack down on his city’s immigration issues.

Scalia’s wage reforms will take effect 60 days after they are published in the Federal Register.


Chamber of Commerce to Work with Joe Biden on Expanding Legal Immigration as 18M Americans Jobless

A naturalization ceremony for new citizens in Los Angeles. President Trump has recently indicated that the country would benefit from more legal immigration.CreditCreditMario Tama/Getty Images
Mario Tama/Getty Images
3:09

Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue says the business group “will work cooperatively” with President-Elect Joe Biden to expand legal immigration levels to the United States in order to fill American jobs with foreign workers as 18 million Americans remain jobless.

At an annual event this week, Donohue outlined the group’s plans to work hand-in-hand with incoming Biden administration officials to expand legal immigration levels beyond their already historic rates, where more than 1.2 million green cards are allotted every year and 1.4 million foreign visa workers are admitted to take American jobs annually.

Donohue claimed that despite 18 million jobless Americans and another 6.2 million Americans who are underemployed — all of whom want full-time work — the U.S. still has “significant labor shortages” and prided himself on suing President Trump in order to continue importing foreign workers during a mass unemployment crisis. He said:

We also have to confront the reality that we have people without jobs and massive amounts of jobs without people. Even if we successfully employed every American willing and able to work, we would still face significant labor shortages—in construction, agriculture, health care, retail, manufacturing, and tech.

Donohue continued:

We fought vigorously and successfully against actions by the Trump administration to severely limit legal immigration, and we will work cooperatively with the Biden administration to reform our immigration system to meet the needs of our modern economy. [Emphasis added]

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise … allowing the world’s most talented and industrious people to contribute to our economy drives growth, which in turn creates more jobs for Americans. This urgent priority should draw bipartisan support. [Emphasis added]

Building consensus on immigration reform, workforce development, and infrastructure investment this year will help accelerate the widespread recovery and deliver economic relief to the businesses and workers whose resilience has been put to the test. [Emphasis added]

That “consensus on immigration reform” is likely not only to include more legal immigration but also some form of an amnesty for illegal aliens living in the U.S. — both longtime priorities of corporate interests who see their profit margins grow when the cost of labor is crushed.

One particular study by the Center for Immigration Studies’ Steven Camarota revealed that for every one percent increase in the immigrant portion of an American workers’ occupation, Americans’ weekly wages are cut by perhaps 0.5 percent. This means the average native-born American worker today has his weekly wages reduced by potentially 8.75 percent, since more than 17 percent of the workforce is foreign-born.

As Breitbart News has reported, Biden has said he will “immediately” send an amnesty for illegal aliens to the U.S. Senate after taking office.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.


Border Apprehensions Jump to Highest Level Since Year 2000

Migrant Apprehension in Q1 FY21 hit highest level since Clinton Administration. (Photos: U.S. Border Patrol)
Photos: U.S. Border Patrol
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U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended nearly 208,000 migrants during the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2021 who illegally crossed the southwest border between ports of entry. This is the highest first-quarter figure since Fiscal Year 2000.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the nine southwest border sectors apprehended 207,968 migrants who illegally crossed the border during the first three months of this fiscal year, according to the Southwest Land Border Encounters report published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Thursday evening. Historic reports indicate this is the largest first-quarter apprehension rate since the Clinton administration in FY2000.

“We’re already seeing the negative impacts of the proposed policy changes,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said in a press conference on January 5. The commissioner said the Mexican cartels and other human smugglers are spreading the word to migrants that our borders will be open to them.

“In this case, they’re correct,” Morgan said. “They’re right — it’s not just the perception.”

Apprehensions in December 2020 reached 70,630 — a jump from 32,853 in December 2019 (a 115 percent increase). This also marks the highest number of December apprehensions since FY2000.

During the first quarter of this fiscal year, Border Patrol agents expelled 183,434 of the 207,968 migrants under Title 42 Coronavirus protection protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CBP reports indicate. Commissioner Morgan previously told Breitbart News that most of these expulsions occur within two hours of their arrest to prevent further exposure to Border Patrol agents, CBP employees, and the American public.

During the January 5 press conference, Morgan said these Q1 numbers would be another immigration crisis but for the policies put in place by the Trump Administration. Those policies include the Remain in Mexico Program and the Title 42 CDC programs that allow the near-immediate return to Mexico of apprehended migrants.

“You take that ability away and that 2,500 [arrivals] a day becomes a crisis overnight,” Morgan told reporters. “That’s what concerns us.”

The demographics of the migrants being apprehended are reported to be overwhelmingly single adults in Fiscal Year 2020 and the first quarter of FY21. This is a shift from FY19 when Family Unit Aliens and Unaccompanied Minors dominate the apprehension figures.

During the first quarter, agents apprehended 180,633 single adults (two-thirds of total apprehensions for the quarter). This represents a 178 percent increase when compared to the same period one year ago (65,085).

The Rio Grande Valley Sector continues to be the busiest of the nine southwest border sectors. This is followed by the Tucson and El Paso Sectors.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s Sunday-morning talk show, What’s Your Point? Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, Parler @BobPrice, and Facebook.

Biden’s choice to lead DOJ Civil Rights is an open anti-white racist

On his Monday night show, in addition to commenting on the terrors of a new tech oligarchy in America, Tucker Carlson revealed the shocking truth about Kirsten Clarke, who is Joe Biden’s choice to lead the Department of Justice’s extremely powerful Civil Rights division. When Clarke was an undergraduate, she wrote such a vile anti-white screen that even the hard-left Harvard Crimson pushed back. In addition, she invited to campus a black speaker whose claim to fame was his Hitlerian anti-Semitism, and showered him with praise.

Clarke attending Harvard as an undergrad. Right there, of course, you can see just how oppressed this woman has been. Harvard! For God’s sake, what an insult to be forced to go that tawdry pile of bricks.

While at Harvard, Clarke became president of the Black Students Association. She thought it would be a good thing to explain her scientific views about race. These are the quotations that Tucker read on his show:

“Please use the following theories and observations to assist you in your search for truth regarding the genetic differences between Blacks and whites.

“One: Dr. Richard King reveals that at the core of the human brain is the ‘locus coeruleus,’ which is a structure that is Black, because it contains large amounts of neuro-melanin which is essential for its operation.

“Two: Black infants sit, stand, crawl and walk sooner than whites.

“Three: Carol Barnes notes that human mental processes are controlled by melanin–that same chemical which gives Blacks their superior physical and mental abilities. “

Four: Some scientists have revealed that most whites are unable to produce melanin because their pineal glands are often calcified or non-functioning. Pineal calcification rates with Africans are five to 15 percent, Asians 15 to 25 percent and Europeans 60 to 80 percent. This is the chemical basis for the cultural differences between Blacks and whites.

“Five: Melanin endows Blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual abilities — something which cannot be measured based on Eurocentric standards.”

The funniest thing about this ignorant eugenicist screed, which is the mirror image of the effluvia that flowed from the KKK crowd at the height of Jim Crow, is that it’s apparent that Clarke herself is the product of mixed genetics. This photo suggests that her share of the evil Caucasian gene is somewhere around 50%:

Clarke wasn’t done. A short time after penning that garbage, she invited Tony Martin to the campus. That’s not Tony Martin, the 20th century Jewish singer with the romantic voice. No, it’s Tony Martin, the former Wellesley professor so famed for his vile anti-Semitism that he ended his life speaking to Holocaust Daniel groups. After his openly anti-Semitic speech at Harvard, Clarke praised him as “an intelligent, well-versed black intellectual who bases his information on indisputable fact.”

To give Clarke credit, she’s an equal opportunity hater. She also supports Ivy League schools discriminating against Asians. When Trump tried to stop this, she called the federal government’s efforts “madness.”  

With Clarke on at the top of his list to lead the DOJ's Civil Rights division, no wonder Joe Biden felt comfortable announcing that his new administration will have race-based priorities:

Our priority will be Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American owned businesses, women-owned businesses, and finally having equal access to resources needed to reopen and rebuild.

While Clarke will probably quibble with giving Asians any advantage, we already know that, all federal laws to the contrary, she’ll be fine with a government that discriminates based on race.

The coming years aren’t going to be pretty. What we must hope is that American institutions are sufficiently strong that, when the American people manage to vote this crew out of office, there still remains a “nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men [read: people] are created equal.” (And you'll have to pardon me for quoting from that evil president who keeps receiving credit for freeing the slaves, when everyone knows the slaves freed themselves through their own agency.)



Wall Street Banks Freeze Political Donations After Capitol Hill Riots, Threaten Pro-Trump Politicians with Blacklisting

The headquarters of Goldman Sachs is pictured on April 17, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP) (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images
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Wall Street is slamming the lid shut on the coffers of its corporate political action committees and threatening pro-Trump politicians on Capitol Hill with blacklisting.

Following a week in which major social media companies cut of President Donald Trump and began excluding some of his biggest advocates in the wake of the Capitol Hill riot, some of the nation’s largest financial institutions have announced that they are halting donations to their political action committees and considering permanently cutting off politicians accused of attempting to “overturn” the 2020 election.

J.P. Morgan Chase, the nation’s biggest bank by assets and market capitalization, said it is halting donations through its PAC for six months. Citigroup, the third-largest U.S. bank by assets, is reportedly pressing pause on political donations for the first quarter of 2020.

Goldman Sachs put the kibosh on donations pending a review of “how people acted during this period,” according to the New York Times, with the likely result that it will exclude Republican politicians who challenged the 2020 election results. Morgan Stanley also said it is stopping political contributions. It is considering withdrawing support for any politicians who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s electoral college win.

Bank of American and Wells Fargo are still considering their response but are likely to follow the path chosen by their competitors.

Typically, bank contributions to political action committees and politicians are considered by the Americana public some of the worst intersections of money and politics. The current situation has given the banks a rare opportunity to pose as do-gooders, even while implicitly pressuring politicians to win back their favor by adopting pro-Wall Street stances.

Corporate America is also freezing donations. So far, Marriott, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Boston Scientific have said they will close their political purse strings.

The reaction to the Capitol Hill riot by supporters of President Trump stands in stark contrast to the response of banks and corporations to the Black Lives Matter anti-police riots and protests of last year. In response to those events, corporations pledged over a billion in support of Black Lives Matter and related causes.

 

Joe Biden’s DHS Nominee Raked in Millions from Big Tech, Wall Street

President-elect Joe Biden's Homeland Security Secretary nominee Alejandro Mayorkas speaks at The Queen theater, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
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President-Elect Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, raked in millions over the last two years representing multinational corporations in Big Tech and on Wall Street as a corporate lawyer, financial disclosure reports reveal.

Since 2019, Mayorkas made more than $3.3 million as a corporate lawyer for a series of multinational corporations, financial disclosure reports show, including the tech firms Airbnb, Uber, and Cisco Systems, along with the Wall Street firm Blackstone.

Mayorkas also represented T-Mobile, Intuit, the aerospace corporation Northrop Grumman, Clorox, MGM Resorts International, and the engineering company Leidos.

Specifically while representing Uber, Mayorkas helped ensure that the tech giant was complying with federal immigration laws when it packs foreign workers into its driving jobs. While representing T-Mobile, Mayorkas advised the telecommunications corporation as they merged with Sprint to dominate more market power as a super conglomerate.

Mayorkas’ financial disclosure reports are the latest from Biden cabinet nominees, all showing their close ties to big business, Wall Street, and the Washington, DC beltway.

Biden’s Treasury Department Secretary nominee Janet Yellen, for instance, has raked in more than $7.2 million from Wall Street and corporations for “speaking fees.” In one case, Yellen took nearly $1 million to give nine speeches to Citibank, one of the largest banks in the United States.

Likewise, Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State, previously advised as a consultant to tech corporations like Facebook, Uber, and LinkedIn, as well as Wall Street firms like Bank of America and Blackstone.

The progressive wing of the Democrat Party has criticized Biden’s “corporate revolving door” of Washington, DC insiders and executives with close ties to big business and special interests.

“This is not just a revolving door of private industry, but it’s a revolving door of just the same people for the last 10, 20, 30 years … [there is] just an extreme disdain for this moneyed, political establishment that just rules Washington, DC no matter who you seem to elect.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has previously said of Biden’s transition team.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.


Report: Joe Biden Advisers Plot Immigration Agenda with House Democrats

Migrant Caravan Crosses Into Mexico
John Moore/Getty Images
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President-elect Joe Biden’s advisers are reportedly meeting with House Democrats to discuss a swift immigration agenda for the incoming administration, which is almost certain to include some form of amnesty for illegal aliens living in the United States.

Sources familiar with the meetings told Politico that Biden’s policy advisers met with Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), as well as Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Linda Sanchez (D-CA) to discuss an immigration agenda:

The president-elect says he plans to introduce an immigration bill “immediately.” It’s not clear if that will be a larger reform package or a more narrow bill targeted at Dreamers — undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. at a young age, according to our transition reporting team. [Emphasis added]

Biden’s immigration policy advisers also met with Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) and Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) about a week ago to discuss legislation, a source with knowledge tells Laura Barron-Lopez. [Emphasis added]

Last month, Castro and Sanchez joined a number of other House Democrats to introduce legislation that would permanently add millions of foreign workers to the U.S. labor market every year. Those foreign workers, here on temporary visas, would otherwise be asked to return to their native countries.

Biden and his advisers have repeatedly hinted at action to dismantle reforms implemented by President Trump to reduce visa abuse, illegal immigration, and asylum fraud.

For instance, Biden’s advisers have said they will work to end U.S. asylum agreements with Central America so as to reopen the “Catch and Release” policy whereby border crossers are often caught by U.S. Border Patrol and released into the interior of the country.

Likewise, Biden is considering ending Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy that has drastically reduced asylum fraud, and he has suggested providing amnesty to  “over 11 million” illegal aliens in his first 100 days in office.

As Breitbart News reported, border apprehensions at the southern border have jumped to the highest level for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2021 since the year 2000.

Between October and December 2020, nearly 208,000 border crossers were apprehended at the border, the highest number since the Clinton administration. Officials have previously said that about half of all border crossers successfully illegally enter the U.S., undetected by Border Patrol.

“We’re already seeing the negative impacts of the proposed policy changes,” said U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.