At a time of a federal crackdown on immigration, American companies say they need more foreign skilled workers to fill open positions, and that they are offering generous perks to attract them. But workers abroad are increasingly anxious about the environment in the U.S., and are pushing back, according to a new survey.
Quick take: Last year, half the companies surveyed by Harris for Envoy, an immigration services firm, said they expect to increase their foreign hires. This year, the number is 59%. But a third of their candidates are so anxious over U.S. immigration policy that they either refuse to accept, or won't start work until their visa is approved.
President Trump said on Wednesday at meeting on tax reform that he is "totally opposed to domestic violence." This is the first comment the president has made on the issue of domestic violence since allegations of domestic abuse surfaced about former staff secretary Rob Porter.
Why it matters: Trump has only made comments defending the accused through since allegations were published against Porter last week. In a statement read yesterday, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, "above all, the President supports victims of domestic violence and believes everyone should be treated fairly and with due process." Per Axios' Jonathan Swan, he's been criticizing Porter privately, calling him "sick."
A group of four dozen Silicon Valley companies filed an amicus brief Wednesday in support of a California federal judge's decision to permanently block President Trump's executive order, which threatened to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities.
Big picture: Most major tech hubs are also sanctuary cities, and the loss of immigrant talent and federal funding could be detrimental to companies in the tech industry. San Francisco and Santa Clara initially filed the lawsuit, which resulted in District Court Judge William Orrick temporarily blocking the order last April and then permanently blocking it in November. The Department of Justice appealed the both injunctions.
Porn star Stormy Daniels (real name: Stephanie Clifford), who claimed to have a 2006 affair with President Trump, wants to publicly tell her side of that story, reports the AP.
Her side of the story: Daniels believes that Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's admission that he personally paid Daniels $130,000 to keep silent regarding the affair last year invalidates the non-disclosure agreement that she signed.
A group of House Democrats, including the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, released a new proposal today that would offer funding to states to upgrade their election systems. The group has also released a report with recommendations on election security.
Why it matters: Intelligence directors told lawmakers Tuesday that Russia is showing no sign it will stop trying to interfere in U.S. elections. Time is running out for states to update their equipment if they intend to do so before elections this year. Primaries begin in less than a month.
Sen. Orrin Hatch introduced several immigration amendments this morning focusing on high-skilled worker visas that would, among other things, make it easier for H-1B visa holders to change jobs.
Yes, but: The bill does not raise the number of H-1B workers permitted in the U.S., making the legislation more palatable for hardline Republicans worried about protecting American jobs. High-skilled worker visas have been largely left out of the immigration conversation so far, and the President’s four pillars have caused enough headache in the Senate.
The walls are closing in around South African President Jacob Zuma, who is refusing calls from his own party to resign and is now expected to face, and lose, a vote of no confidence on Thursday if he doesn’t step down before then.
The big picture: Zuma, 75, is a political survivor. He has been dogged by corruption allegations since before he became president in 2009, and multiple no confidence votes have failed during his tenure. The difference this time is that his own party has fully abandoned him.
The bipartisan group of senators called the “Common Sense Coalition,” led by Sen. Susan Collins, met this morning to work toward an immigration deal. They claim they're closing in on an agreement, which Sen. Lindsey Graham said would likely include a path to citizenship for 1.8 million "dreamers," $25 billion for border security and would not allow parents of "dreamers" to be sponsored for citizenship.
What's next: Collins told reporters they're fine-tuning the language, and GOP Sen. Jeff Flake and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine say they'll release a proposal by the end of the day.
39% of registered voters said they would vote for the Republican candidate in their district if congressional elections were held today, while 38% said they would vote for the Democrat, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. The same poll also reflects a bump in Trump approval numbers, with 47% of voters saying they approve of the job he's doing as president against 47% who do not.
Why it matters: The most recent generic ballot poll from RealClearPolitics shows Democrats hold a 7-point lead over Republicans, in line with most polling from the last three months. But this is down from a 13-point differential at the end of 2017, with the POLITICO/Morning Consult poll — conducted between Feb. 8 and Feb. 12 — indicating the Dems' lead may be slipping.
All habits, good and bad — in all organizations, big and small — flow down fast from the top. This dynamic is particularly true in the White House, and unmistakably true in this Trump White House.
The big picture: Trump’s lifelong habits — to improvise, to attack, to deny the undeniable, to leak — spread fast through the White House, metastasized in the agencies, and infected Republicans in Congress. They are Republican habits now.
Almost two months after he was elected leader of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, Cyril Ramaphosa is poised to become the country's next president as negotiations enter the second week over the fate of embattled President Jacob Zuma.
What’s happening now: Zuma is refusing calls to step down, and party leaders say a vote of no confidence will be held tomorrow. If he's ousted, as expected, parliament will elect the next president. Ramaphosa, 65, will almost certainly win due to the ANC's dominance in parliament.
A senior administration official said Tuesday night that President Trump "will veto any bill that doesn’t advance his common-sense immigration reforms" — a hardening of the White House bargaining position as the Senate begins an epic debate.
Why it matters: With moderate, bipartisan senators looking to restore protections for "Dreamers," who came to the U.S. as children, Trump is laying down a marker: He won’t approve the squishy bill that will most likely come out of the Senate.
President Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, told the New York Times that he personally paid $130,000 Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford), the porn star who had claimed to have had an affair with Trump.
"Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly ... The payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone.”
— Cohen's statement to the New York Times
Why it matters: The payment was made during the campaign, and the F.E.C. looked into a complaint that it constituted a possible campaign finance violation. Cohen claims it had nothing to do with the campaign.
Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker is reconsidering his decision to retire this year and multiple sources told the New York Times that he's seeking President Trump's blessing to re-enter the 2018 fray.
Why it matters: Corker once referred to the White House as an "adult day care," (with Trump firing back) but he's been singing a different tune lately. Still, it's far from clear Trump would support him over Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a conservative firebrand and White House ally.
BuzzFeed is suing the Democratic National Committee to force it to turn over documents relevant to a libel suit the publisher is facing over its publication of Christopher Steele's Russia dossier, according to Vanity Fair.
Why it matters: BuzzFeed is being sued by a Russian businessman, Aleksej Gubarev, who "says he was libeled in the dossier when it tied him to the Russians' alleged hacking of the [DNC's] e-mail servers," Vanity Fair reports. BuzzFeed is aiming to retrieve information from the DNC that would "undercut his libel claim."
Sen. Susan Collins and other moderates in the Senate will meet Wednesday morning to discuss immigration.
Why it matters: Some members, particularly Democrats, view a consensus deal from the moderates as the most likely path forward on immigration and DACA.
