Welcome to the online edition of From the Politics Desk, our evening newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News political team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, senior national political reporter Sahil Kapur examines how Thursday’s vote in the Senate signaled a recalibration of immigration policy by Democrats. Additionally, senior national affairs correspondent Jonathan Allen explains how Donald Trump’s annexation policies are most directly tied to the Monroe Doctrine.
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Democrats readjust immigration policy after defeat to President Trump
Written by Sahil Kapur
Democrats are taking steps to recalibrate immigration in the early stages of the new Congress after the issue became a political hot button issue in the last election.
Many Democrats support the first bill to pass both Republican-led chambers this year. The Laken Riley Act is named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing school student who was murdered by an immigrant in the United States last year. illegally.
The bill would require ICE to unlawfully detain and detain people in the country for theft-related crimes. According to the bill’s text, it would apply to people who have been charged, arrested, or convicted of acts of “robbery, theft, theft, or shoplifting.”
The bill passed the House 264-159 earlier this week, with 48 Democrats voting in favor. And it advanced in the Senate on Thursday by a vote of 84-9.
The support from some Democrats for the bill, which stalled last year, comes as the party seeks to reset the immigration system ahead of the second Trump administration. Voters in the 2024 election trust Donald Trump more than Kamala Harris to handle immigration by a nine-point margin, according to an NBC News exit poll. Exit polls showed that voters who cited immigration as a top issue favored Trump over Harris, 89% to 9%.
Final approval in the Senate remains uncertain unless the bill is amended, but Republicans are close to securing enough votes to pass the bill as written.
Some Senate Democrats representing key battleground states and border areas fully support the bill, including Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego. Mark Kelly, Democrat, Arizona. John Fetterman, Pennsylvania; Jon Ossoff, Georgia. Elissa Slotkin. Michigan Democrat, Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen Some say they are only voting to start a debate and have no intention of voting for the bill.
Several pro-immigration groups have harshly criticized the bill. But some Democrats say they disagree with voters on the issue and have steered the party in the wrong direction.
“I think the Democratic Party has allowed advocacy groups to move to the left on immigration and border security issues for a long time. There is pressure to oppose even popular immigration and border security reform because it could lead to deportations.” “We’re putting our money on the line,” said a Senate Democratic aide. NBC News in text messages. “This election showed that the majority of Americans don’t think so. That Democrats are against criminals, even if it means deporting illegal immigrants who commit crimes.” need to be clarified.”
This is likely to be just the first of many challenges for the party on this issue, as Republicans seek further opportunities to force Democrats to take tough votes on immigration.
Read more about Thursday’s vote →
➡️ Related article: Acting ICE Director P.J. Lechleitner tells NBC News that President Joe Biden “absolutely” should have acted sooner to tighten border security to reduce the flow of migrants into the United States. Read more →
When MAGA meets the Monroe Doctrine
Written by Jonathan Allen
Donald Trump’s new “America First” foreign policy is a return to the Monroe Doctrine.
Trump’s rise to power in Greenland and Panama has garnered a lot of attention as a revival of James Polk-era Manifest Destiny, and for good reason. America’s expansionist spirit — westward in the 1840s and now north and south — is one perspective on President Trump’s budding second-term foreign policy philosophy.
But the president-elect’s “Back to the Future” DeLorean could travel a little further into the 19th century, all the way to the 1820s.
In his seventh annual message to Congress in 1823, President James Monroe portrayed the United States as the Western Hemisphere’s foremost power and warned Europe to leave its neighbors alone.
“We have never participated in the wars of the European powers in matters that concern us, and it is not consistent with our policy to participate,” Monroe wrote. “We are necessarily more directly connected with the movements of this hemisphere, the causes of which must be obvious to every enlightened and impartial observer.”
The next generation of Manifest Destiny policies was rooted in the Monroe Doctrine, with the words “manifest” and “destiny” appearing in the same sentence in Monroe’s message to Congress, both of which legitimized American expansionism. was used to make
Europe no longer poses the greatest threat to the United States and its sphere of influence. China is the United States’ biggest rival, and power struggles over Greenland and the Panama Canal have major economic and national security implications.
Greenland is rich in untapped “rare earth” minerals that are key ingredients in a variety of products that the world currently relies on from China. It is also a strategic island important to the U.S. space and missile defense mission.
President Trump’s claim that China controls the Panama Canal is false. But China’s growing use of this valuable global sea route is a boon for America’s economic rivals. And China is increasing its presence in the Canal Zone.
President Trump’s critics say his statements about Greenland and Panama are inconsistent with his “America First” mantra. But when viewed through the lens of protecting U.S. interests in the Americas, this makes more sense as an updated version of the 19th century effort to strengthen the United States by dominating the Western Hemisphere.
🌎The Annexation Agenda: Read Alan Smith and Carol E. Lee’s article about what’s behind President Trump’s recent calls to annex Greenland, fill the Panama Canal, and absorb Canada.
🗞️ Today’s Top News
Tribute: At President Jimmy Carter’s funeral today at the Washington National Cathedral, all living former presidents lined up to pay their respects to the president. Continue reading → ⚫ Wildfire response: Biden canceled his trip to Rome and meeting with Pope Francis so he could instead focus on the federal response to the fast-moving wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area. Continue reading → ⚖️ In court: New York State Supreme Court on Friday rejected President Trump’s bid to halt sentencing, and prosecutors are asking the Supreme Court to do the same. Continue reading → 📞 Call a friend: Justice Samuel Alito acknowledged he received a phone call from President Trump the day before the president-elect asked the Supreme Court to halt future sentencing in the hush money case, but the lawsuit He claimed that there was no discussion. Continue reading → 🤝 Across the aisle: Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said he accepted an invitation to meet with President Trump. Continue reading → 👋 Moving forward: Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will resign his seat in the Ohio Senate late Thursday night. Continue reading → 🐾 You can’t teach the new DOGE new tricks: Elon Musk says budget cuts on Trump’s behalf likely won’t result in $2 trillion in savings, says secretary has set back goals he had previously set as joint secretary. Ministry of Government Efficiency. Read more →
That’s all from the political desk for now. Today’s newsletter was edited by Adam Wolner and Faith Wardwell.
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