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Happening Today: DACA, Bob Corker, Mike Pence, Harvey Weinstein

What to Know

  • Trump told congressional leaders his hard-line immigration priorities must be enacted in exchange for extending protection from deportation
  • Vice President Mike Pence left the 49ers-Colts game after about a dozen San Francisco players took a knee during the national anthem
  • Harvey Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company following an expose that detailed sexual harassment allegations made against him

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White House Links Border Wall, Green Card Overhaul to DACA

President Trump told congressional leaders that his hard-line immigration priorities must be enacted in exchange for extending protection from deportation to hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, many of whom were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Trump's list of demands included overhauling the country's green-card system, a crackdown on unaccompanied minors entering the country, and building his promised wall along the southern border. Many were policies Democrats have said explicitly are off the table and threaten to derail ongoing negotiations over legislation protecting young immigrants known as "Dreamers." They had been given a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the country under President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which Trump ended last month. In a letter to House and Senate leaders released by the White House, Trump said the priorities were the product of "a bottom-up review of all immigration policies" that he had ordered "to determine what legislative reforms are essential for America's economic and national security.

VP Pence Leaves NFL Game After Players Protest During Anthem

Vice President Mike Pence left the 49ers-Colts game after about a dozen San Francisco players took a knee during the national anthem, the latest move by President Trump's administration to clash with NFL players over patriotism and public demonstrations. The former Indiana governor flew in so he could watch Peyton Manning's jersey retirement ceremony. Pence didn't stick around long. Right around kickoff, Pence wrote on Twitter: "I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem." The White House also issued a statement from Pence, in which he said Americans should rally around the flag. Trump has called on NFL owners to fire players who don't stand for the anthem and urged fans to boycott games. White House officials have viewed it as a winning issue for the president, who has sought to remain closely connected to his working-class base of Midwestern voters who helped elect him in 2016. After Pence's walkout, Trump tweeted: "I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country. I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen." The tweet raised the question of whether Pence's actions had been planned in advance. San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid said Pence's departure looked like "a PR stunt."

GOP Senator Warns Trump Threats Risk "Path to World War III"

An enraged President Donald Trump and a prominent Republican senator who fears the country could be edging toward "chaos" engaged in an intense and vitriolic back-and-forth bashing on social media Sunday, a remarkable airing of their party's profound rifts. In political discourse that might once have seemed inconceivable, the GOP's foreign policy expert in the Senate felt compelled to answer his president's barbs by tweeting: "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning." In an interview Sunday with The New York Times, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Trump could set the U.S. "on the path to World War III" with threats toward other countries. Corker also said Trump acted as if he was on his old reality-TV show and that he concerned the senator, adding: "He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation." Corker also said his concerns about Trump were shared by nearly every Senate Republican, the paper reported.

Nobel Economics Prize Goes to Richard Thaler

The Nobel economics prize has been awarded to Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago for his contributions to behavioral economics. The 9-million-kronor ($1.1-million) prize was awarded to the academic for his "understanding the psychology of economics," Swedish Academy of Sciences secretary Goeran Hansson said. The Nobel committee said Thaler's work shows how human traits affect individual decisions as well as market outcomes. Thaler, 72, "is a pioneer in behavioral economics, a research field in which insights from psychological research are applied to economic decision making," a background paper from the academy said. That "incorporates more realistic analysis of how people think and behave when making economic decisions," it said. The economics prize is something of an outlier — Alfred Nobel's will didn't call for its establishment and it honors a science that many doubt is a science at all.

Feds, States Join Forces to Strengthen Election Cybersecurity

In the wake of revelations that alleged Russian hackers targeted state election systems, federal and state officials have joined forces to root out weaknesses in state systems before future elections, NBC News reported. The project, which will give states access to grants to upgrade election technology and tools to run simulations to examine holes in their systems, is a test for how well officials can work together to ward off potential election-related threats ahead of the midterm elections next year and the presidential election in 2020, experts said. However, some states aren't convinced the federal government should be reaching into an area that has traditionally been the province of the states — holding elections. Some experts also question whether something in which participation is voluntary can have any real impact. The 28-member federal-state group is called the Election Critical Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council and includes the Department of Homeland Security, state and local election officials, the FBI, and a federal election council. It will hold its first public meeting this month.

Harvey Weinstein Out at Company He Co-Founded

Harvey Weinstein, the sharp-elbowed movie producer whose combative reign in Hollywood made him an Academy Awards regular, was fired from The Weinstein Company following an expose that detailed decades of sexual harassment allegations made against Weinstein by actresses and employees. In a statement, the company's board of directors announced his firing, capping the swift downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful producers and expelling him from the company he co-created. Weinstein had previously taken an indefinite leave of absence following the revelation of at least eight allegations of sexual harassment uncovered in an expose by The New York Times. The board endorsed that decision and announced an investigation into the allegations, saying it would determine the co-chairman's future with the company. Under his leadership, the Weinstein Co. has been a dominant force at the Oscars, including the rare feat of winning back-to-back best picture Academy Awards with "The King's Speech" and "The Artist." In recent years, however, Weinstein's status has diminished because of money shortages, disappointing box-office returns and executive departures. An attorney for Weinstein didn't immediately return messages.

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