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September 9, 2022 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are continuing to work together to secure the border, stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas, and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry.

Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to more than 302,600 migrant apprehensions and more than 19,700 criminal arrests, with more than 17,200 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, DPS has seized over 340.5 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.

Texas has also bused over 7,900 migrants to our nation's capital since April and over 2,200 migrants to New York City since August 5. Since last Wednesday, more than 300 migrants from Texas have arrived in Chicago. The busing mission is providing much-needed relief to our overwhelmed border communities.

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration's refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Biden's open border policies.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR:

Governor Abbott Increases Reward For Reporting Criminal Stash Houses

Governor Abbott last week announced that his Public Safety Office, in conjunction with DPS, has increased the reward amount of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification of stash houses used in transnational criminal activity. The Texas Stash House Program encourages Texans to help combat transnational crime by anonymously reporting information on stash houses used to facilitate human trafficking, drug smuggling, and smuggling of people.

"As President Biden's dangerous open border policies continue to allow cartels and other criminal organizations to operate freely in our communities, it is more important than ever that Texans step up and report suspicious activity," said Governor Abbott. "These stash houses contain people or drugs that may haveotherwise made their way across Texas and the nation because of the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration's refusal to secure the border."

Read thepress release.

WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Discusses Increased RewardFor Reporting Stash Houses

DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez joined the Rio Grande Valleys KRGV to discuss the new increased reward now being offered by the State of Texas for information on stash house criminal activity. The reward has been increased to $5,000 for information leading to a bust.

Its just an incentive for the public to actually report this activity taking place so we can try to prevent this criminal activity thats taking place in communities, Lt. Olivarez said.

WATCH: DPS Discover 14 Illegal Immigrants During Traffic Stop In La Pryor

A DPS trooper initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle hauling a travel trailer for a traffic violation in La Pryor. During the stop, troopers discovered 14 illegal immigrants. The driver was charged with smuggling of persons. All 14 illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.

PHOTO: DPS Help Locate Stash House Hiding 21 Illegal Immigrants, Narcotics

DPS special agents, with assistance from Border Patrol, located a stash house in Webb County on Tuesday. Inside the house were 21 illegal immigrants16 males and five femalesall from Guatemala. Agents also discovered seven bundles of narcotics. One person was arrested and charged. All 21 illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.

WATCH: Newsmax Embeds With DPS Aircraft Division On Border

Newsmax border correspondent Jaeson Jones embeds with elite DPS Aviation Division. Newsmax's 40-minute border crisis special provides a deeper look at the ongoing chaos at the border caused by President Bidens open border policies.

WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Counters False White House Claims About Secure Border

DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez joined Newsmax to counter White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's claim that illegal immigrants are not just walking across the border.

They are walking across, in fact, said Lt. Olivarez. Once they get to Mexico from their country of origin, theyre paying a criminal organization to be smuggled into the United States, where they have to cross a river or in most severe cases, theyre having to cross the desert or mountainous terrain, like in West Texas.

WATCH: Smuggler Leads DPS On Pursuit, Over 20 Illegal Immigrants Bail Out

A human smuggler led DPS troopers on a vehicle pursuit in Mission, Texas. After running several red lights, the smuggler and nearly two dozen illegal immigrants bailed out and ran toward the brush. Fourteen illegal immigrants were apprehended, including two Chinese nationals.

Texas National Guard Employs Land, Water Resource To Interdict Illegal Activity

Texas National Guard soldiers in the Tactical Response Unit (TRU) employ both land and water resources to interdict illegal activity along the border. The TRU team uses fast boats on the water, while a team of soldiers on land in the brush stop criminal activity and illegal entry into the U.S.

Both teams radio Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies in the area for faster, more closely coordinated efforts. Border Patrol agents working cameras and agents on patrol can provide locations in real time to the TRU team. The TRU teams combined efforts every week average hundreds of turnbacks and roughly 50 apprehensions, which include human and drug smugglers, cartel members, and low-level criminals.

We see a good amount of traffic, by the time our boats are in the water, there are usually groups who have already crossed, said Sgt. Castillo, a member of the boat patrols. For those criminals or illegal crossers undeterred by the boats, our guys in the brush, they cover down.

WATCH: DPS Discover 16 Illegal Immigrants In Passenger Van During Traffic Stop

A DPS trooper discovered 16 illegal immigrants during a traffic stop along U.S. 90 in Kinney County. The driver was charged with smuggling of persons. All 16 illegal immigrants were referred to Border Patrol.

See original here:
Operation Lone Star Buses More Than 10000 Migrants To Sanctuary Cities - Office of the Texas Governor

BERLIN Angela Merkel, who served as chancellor of Germany for 16 years, will release her political memoirs in 2024.

Her publisher announced Thursday that the former chancellor, who is co-authoring the book with her longtime adviser Beate Baumann, will provide an exclusive, personal look into her political life and work.

"I am pleased to reflect on central decisions and situations of my political work in my book ... and make them understandable to a broad public, also with recourse to my personal biography," the ex-chancellor said in a note released by publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch.

Merkel, 68, steered Germany safely through a succession of crises including the global financial crisis, the migrant crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.

Looking back at her chancellorship shortly after she left office, she said that while the 16 years in office had fulfilled her, they had also been challenging because of the constant need to pay attention to, prevent, or react to crises.

Merkel, a former scientist who grew up in former communist East Germany, became Germany's first female chancellor on Nov. 22, 2005.

Named "The World's Most Powerful Woman" by Forbes magazine for 10 years in a row, Merkel has been cast as a powerful defender of liberal values in the West. Millions of women admire her for breaking through the glass ceiling of male dominance in politics, and she's been lauded as an impressive role model for girls.

However, since Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine in February, the former chancellor has also been accused of appeasing and engaging too closely with Russian President Vladimir Putin. She has rejected that criticism saying she always tried to work toward calamity being averted.

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Ex-chancellor Merkel's memoirs to be published in 2024 - Star Tribune

YUMA Governor Doug Ducey today celebrated the installation of shipping containers in gaps on Arizonas southern border, saying they have helped bring additional safety and security to Yuma and other communities.

Last time I stood along the border here in Yuma, multiple migrants crossed the border into Arizona illegally right in front of us, the governor said, near the Morelos Dam with the double-stacked shipping containers behind him. Now, 130 shipping containers fill border wall gaps that were previously wide open for dangerous cartel activity and illegal entry into our nation.

The governor, joined by state and local officials, surveyed some of the 3,820-feet of border barrier constructed last month, and spoke with local law enforcement and community leaders about how the strategy has assisted their efforts.

Its not a permanent solution. No one said it would be. But these containers have helped make it harder to get into our state illegally, the governor said. Migrant traffic is funneled to a few select spots, allowing Border Patrol to focus their limited resources.

Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot thanked the governor and agreed that the shipping containers have helped him keep Yuma safe.

The border barrier helps put a stop to the revolving door for the cartels that has been the southern border, the sheriff said. Yuma area law enforcement has been greatly impacted and has dealt with an increase in trespassing calls, criminal damage cases, 911 calls for rescues in the desert, and 50 death investigations this year. Governor Ducey is a true partner to law enforcement and has prioritized our well-being and ability to do our jobs.

The fast-moving Yuma Border Barrier Mission was launched when Governor Ducey issued an Executive Order directing the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to immediately fill the gaps in the Yuma border wall. The project was funded through the states monumental border security legislation, forged in partnership with legislative leaders this year.

Our Emergency Management team was charged with the coordination of efforts in filling gaps in the border wall, said Maj. Gen. Kerry L. Muehlenbeck, the Adjutant General of Arizona and Director of the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, We are proud to collaborate with our multiple state and federal partners to facilitate the efficient use of state resources and provide support to our communities.

The Yuma Sector has been one of the hardest hit areas for migrant traffic and drug trafficking.

The Yuma community has been put at risk and overburdened for far too long, said Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls. While the decision-makers in Washington let border communities fend for themselves, Governor Ducey has been by our side offering solutions since day one.

Migrants crossing the border wade through farmland, disrupting Yumas vital agriculture industry. Lettuce farmer Cory Mellon knows firsthand the toll the broken border has taken on farms and the community.

Yuma is a small town, were not built to sustain the amount of people traversing our community, Mellon said. On our farm, weve seen the increase in migrants crossing. Its not safe for our workers or for the migrants. Im grateful for Governor Duceys leadership in taking action to secure the border.

The Yuma sector saw a 1,200 percent increase in encounters in Fiscal Year 2021 compared to the year before. Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines said this is a problem Governor Ducey had a solution for.

The Yuma Border Barrier is working, he said. Weve seen less and less people attempting to cross. The containers have helped regain operational control of our nations southern border. Governor Duceys strategy has allowed law enforcement to concentrate resources and protect our communities.

BACKGROUND

On August 12, Governor Ducey issued an executive order authorizing the Arizona Department of Military Affairs to initiate operations to erect a barrier to close the gaps in the Southern Border wall. The Yuma Border Barrier was completed August 23 and consists of 130 double-stacked shipping containers which are reinforced with 4 feet of razor wire at the top. The shipping containers are 9 by 40 feet and weigh 8,800 pounds. The containers will be linked together and have been welded shut. In total, the border barrier stands 22 feet tall.

Governor Ducey signed on June 30, 2022 the most meaningful border security legislation in Arizona history, a plan to make record investments in protecting the state from the unprecedented crisis confronting our communities and law enforcement. The fiscal year 2023 budget, dedicates a record $564 million to help to secure our border with a physical barrier, address critical public safety staffing shortages, and modernize the technology and public safety equipment to target criminal activity and keep our citizens safe.

On May 11, 2022, the governor called on the leaders of social media companies to step up and take action to protect youth from cartel recruiting messages luring them into transnational human smuggling activity.

On April 19, 2022, Governor Ducey and 25 other governors launched the American Governors' Border Strike Force, a partnership to do what the federal government wont: secure the southern border. Governors Ducey and Abbott joined Martha MacCallum on Fox News to talk about the initiative that same day.

On April 1, 2022, Governor Ducey called on the Biden administration to maintain Title 42 to protect public health and safety.

In his January State of the State address, Governor Ducey proposed the idea for the American Governors' Border Strike Force. He said, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and I are teaming up to form the American Governors' Border Strike Force a commitment between states to do what the Biden administration is unwilling to do: Patrol and secure our border.

On December 7, 2021, the governor surged and repositioned Arizonas public safety resources to address the Biden Border Crisis in Yuma, Arizona.

On November 30, 2021, Governor Ducey sent a team of the states top law enforcement officers to meet with their counterparts in Texas to discuss the current border crisis, share best practices, and discuss future partnerships, including the American Governors Border Strike Force. The delegation included Major General Kerry Muehlenbeck, Department of Public Safety Director Heston Silbert and Department of Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer.

On October 6, 2021, Governor Ducey joined Governor Abbott and eight other governors in Mission, Texas, for a border security briefing and press conference, where they detailed a ten-point plan for the Biden administration to resolve the border crisis.

On September 20, 2021, Governor Ducey and 25 fellow governors requested an urgent meeting with President Biden to find meaningful solutions to the border crisis. Their hope was to meet with the president and his team directly to discuss actions the administration can take. Secretary Mayorkas responded two months later on November 24, but has not taken meaningful actions.

In July 2021, Governor Ducey successfully lobbied the Biden administration to continue Title 42 border protections and called on Congress to protect Title 42 from future Biden interference.

On June 10, 2021, Governor Ducey and Governor Abbott sent a letter to all U.S. governors asking them to send available law enforcement resources to the border.

On May 11, 2021, Governor Ducey joined 19 fellow governors to call on President Biden and Vice President Harris to reverse their destructive border policies.

On April 20, 2021, Governor Ducey issued a Declaration of Emergency and deployed the Arizona National Guard to the states southern border to support local law enforcement efforts.

Read more here:
Governor Ducey Tours Yuma Border Barrier | Office of the Arizona Governor - Governor Doug Ducey (.gov)

The NRCC also will air ads for the first time in three open seats: $2.7 million in a new district in North Carolinas Research Triangle, where Republican Bo Hines faces Democratic state Sen. Wiley Nickel; $2.6 million in a newly created district in the northern Denver suburbs, where Republican Barb Kirkmeyer is challenging state Rep. Yadira Caraveo; and $3.4 million in an open district in northeastern Ohio, where Democratic state Rep. Emilia Sykes faces Republican Madison Gesiotto Gilbert.

These buys give insight into what Republican strategists see as the clearest path to taking back the House. Additional spending is expected in the next two months.

We are continuing to expand the playing field deeper into Democrat-held territory and look forward to prosecuting the case against every one of these vulnerable Democrats, NRCC Chair Tom Emmer said in a statement.

The committee also upped its investment in Republican-held turf, too.

It will spend $2.2 million in its first ad buy to defend Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.). And the NRCC increased its spending to protect Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.), Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Steve Chabot (R-Ohio). All hold districts that Biden carried in 2020, leaving them increasingly vulnerable.

The NRCC also added to existing reservations in another eight districts currently held by Democrats, including Reps. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.), as well as districts currently held by retiring Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) and Conor Lamb (D-Pa.). It will also spend another $1.9 million to target Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and $1 million against Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.).

New NRCC spending:

Additional investments (with GOP-held seats in bold):

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House Republicans add $28M to fall TV reservations - POLITICO

Kevin McCarthy has promised to fulfill a Commitment to America if Republicans take back the House in November: The American Dream will be revived, he says. The nation will be made safe and free, and everything will get back on the right track. But what would a GOP return to power really look like? One word: Payback.

For all the minority leaders pseudo-inspirational campaign promises, priority number one for a Republican majority appears to be revenge. Not only would McCarthy likely gavel a range of partisan investigations, from inquiries into Hunter Biden to a political probe into the January 6 committee. His majority might also attempt to mount impeachments against President Joe Biden and, according to Semafors Kadia Goba, several other administration officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

Much of this growing vendetta appears to be coming from the furthest right flank, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has already repeatedly pushed for Bidens impeachment. (By her own account, Greene also drafted articles of impeachment last month against Garland following the FBI raid on Donald Trumps Florida home.) But McCarthy has consistently refused to stand up to radicals in his party like Greene, instead coddling them while casting out Trump critics like Liz Cheney. Theres no reason to think he wouldnt continue to do so should he assume the speakership, especially since McCarthy himself teased a Garland probe after the Mar-a-Lago search.

Its fair to assume, then, that a Republican-led House would waste little time getting to work on Trumps behalf. As Politico pointed out Thursday, as much as 60 percent of the GOP caucus next year will have served only since 2017, roughly the beginning of the Trump era. That could mean a majority in the lower chamber that is, at best, barely in touch with Biden and, at worst, harbors an open hostility toward him. Republicans claim thats because the president has made no attempt at outreach across the aisle. McCarthy has been ignored for two years, vilified to some degree, as Republican Representative Tom Cole complained to Politico. I think theyll probably learn to regret that. Of course, that's rich coming from Republicans, when 147 of those on Capitol Hill, including McCarthy, voted against certifying Bidens 2020 victory, even after pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed Congress. Many of them still cant bring themselves to acknowledge Bidens presidency as legitimate, let alone do anything that could be construed as bipartisan. There will be gridlock if Republicans take one or both chambers that much is certain. But itll be hard to blame Biden for it, given the GOP's stated intent to use their power to settle scores on behalf of Trump.

None of this is to say Biden or his administration are or should be above congressional oversight. Members of both parties have raised legitimate questions about, say, the execution of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and its aftermath. But politically motivated impeachments and probes into Trump-backed conspiracy theories have less in common with the congressional inquiries Democrats launched after taking the House in 2018, during Trump's presidency, and more in common with the Republicans ceaseless investigations into Hillary Clinton at the tail end of Barack Obamas presidency. McCarthy doomed his previous shot at the speakership when he essentially admitted, in 2015, that the Benghazi probe was meant, at least in part, to tank Clintons political standing. Seven years later, such acknowledgements have perhaps become the surest path to the gavel.

Before exacting any kind of payback, McCarthys party obviously has to score sweeping wins in midterms first. And while the odds remain in the GOP's favor, there are no guarantees. The GOP has already revised its forecast for the Senate as Democrats continue to build momentum, Republicans struggle with fundraising, and Mitch McConnell frets over candidate quality. The GOP has maintained its optimism about retaking the House, but voter outrage over abortion-rights rollbacks and concerns about the future of democracy could throw a wrench in the party's plans. Could the specter of House Republicans retaliating on behalf of Trump for the next two years be yet another electoral wildcard?

Read more from the original source:
House Republicans Threaten Biden With the Hillary Clinton Treatment - Vanity Fair