Judge Blocks Texas Immigration Crackdown

Source: Yahoo! News

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked most of a state immigration crackdown two days before it was set to go into effect on Sept. 1, offering a major victory for opponents as a tropical storm ravages the state and local officials struggle to assure immigrants it’s safe to seek help.

U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia issued an injunction that prevents Texas Senate Bill 4 from being implemented while a lawsuit challenging the law winds its way through the federal courts. The ruling marks a victory for immigrant rights groups and several local governments ― including those of Austin, Houston, San Antonio and El Cenizo ― that argued the law unconstitutionally requires police to do the work of federal authorities and would lead to racial profiling.

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POW MIA Bumper Sticker "For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor they will never know"

Cities to Congress and the Administration: Tax Reform Must Respect Local Authority

by the National League of Cities



Washington, D.C. - August 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- During a speech in Springfield, Missouri, President Donald Trump outlined his plan for tax reform. While the speech did not provide many details on specific measures the president hopes to advance, it did reinforce the president’s intention to simplify the tax code through comprehensive reform. In response to today’s speech, National League of Cities President Matt Zone, councilmember, Cleveland, released the following statement:

“City leaders applaud any effort to streamline our tax code, and welcome the president’s emphasis on Main Street in the tax reform process. The federal government, however, should not attempt to place the burden of reform on cities and the hundreds of millions of residents who call them home.

“While the administration and Congress have yet to provide details, the president has reiterated his plan to broadly target key deductions for elimination. As local leaders, we remain deeply concerned that the tax exempt status of municipal bonds and the state and local tax deduction may be eliminated in a misguided attempt to offset the costs of lower tax rates for top income brackets and corporations.

“Each day, state and local governments rely on these critical provisions of the current tax code to calibrate their own local tax rates and raise the revenues necessary to keep housing prices and markets stable, build and maintain infrastructure along main street, fund our schools and educate our children, and keep our communities and law enforcement officers safe. Eliminating these deductions would place tremendous pressure for cities to lower taxes and further strain local budgets already bracing for cuts to city funding in the Fiscal Year 2018 federal budget.

“Cities, states and counties are not a special interest tax loophole. Rather, they are the bedrock of our federal democracy that expect the continued flexibility to raise the necessary funds to address the concerns and challenges unique to their communities. We urge Congress to respect local authority and include city leaders in their ongoing discussions on tax reform.

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American Action Network Launches Mail Campaign for Tax Reform

by the American Action Network

Washington, D.C. - August 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Amidst President Donald Trump and congressional leaders crisscrossing the country to make the case for tax reform, American Action Network’s Middle-Class Growth Initiative (MCGI) announced a mail campaign in 34 congressional districts nationwide reaching one million Americans. The ad highlights America’s broken tax code and urges constituents to call their member of Congress to pass a simpler and fairer tax code with lower rates. View the list of districts targeted here.

“Thousands of good-paying jobs are fleeing to countries like China, the status quo is failing, and it is leaving America’s middle class behind,” said AAN Executive Director Corry Bliss. “Americans are ready to see meaningful, pro-growth tax reform become a reality. That’s why we are urging people across the country to call their member of Congress to pass reforms that will help create more jobs and raise wages here at home.”

In addition to this latest campaign, AAN’s MCGI is running television, digital and radio advertising in congressional districts nationwide to further momentum and ensure Congress prioritizes reforms that put America’s middle class and small businesses first.

The IRS Gives Tax Relief to Victims of Hurricane Harvey and Warns Against Scams

The IRS has decided to give tax relief to Hurricane Harvey victims.

"This has been a devastating storm, and the IRS will move quickly to provide tax relief to hurricane victims," said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. "The IRS will continue to closely monitor the storm's aftermath, and we anticipate providing additional relief for other affected areas in the near future."

The IRS is now offering this expanded relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as qualifying for individual assistance. Currently, 18 counties are eligible, but taxpayers in localities added later to the disaster area will automatically receive the same filing and payment relief.

The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on Aug. 23, 2017. As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until Jan. 31, 2018, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period. This includes the Sept. 15, 2017 and Jan. 16, 2018 deadlines for making quarterly estimated tax payments. For individual tax filers, it also includes 2016 income tax returns that received a tax-filing extension until Oct. 16, 2017. The IRS noted, however, that because tax payments related to these 2016 returns were originally due on April 18, 2017, those payments are not eligible for this relief.

The Internal Revenue Service has also announced that 401(k)s and similar employer-sponsored retirement plans can make loans and hardship distributions to victims of Hurricane Harvey and members of their families. This is similar to relief provided last year to Louisiana flood victims and victims of Hurricane Matthew.

The Internal Revenue Service has also issued a warning about possible fake charity scams emerging due to Hurricane Harvey and encouraged taxpayers to seek out recognized charitable groups for their donations.

While there has been an enormous wave of support across the country for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, people should be aware of criminals who look to take advantage of this generosity by impersonating charities to get money or private information from well-meaning taxpayers. Such fraudulent schemes may involve contact by telephone, social media, e-mail or in-person solicitations.

Criminals often send emails that steer recipients to bogus websites that appear to be affiliated with legitimate charitable causes. These sites frequently mimic the sites of, or use names similar to, legitimate charities, or claim to be affiliated with legitimate charities in order to persuade people to send money or provide personal financial information that can be used to steal identities or financial resources.

In response to shortages of undyed diesel fuel caused by Hurricane Harvey, the IRS will not impose a penalty when dyed diesel fuel is sold for use or used on the highway.

Kathy Griffin Withdraws Apolgy about Trump Decapitation Video

Kathy Griffin, complaining about how much she has lost due to the video, has taken back her apology about the video that caused so much controversy.

Cruz Joins Trump in Texas

Washington, D.C. - August 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Tuesday joined President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to tour areas around Corpus Christi that were impacted by the landfall of Hurricane Harvey late Friday night. Later on Tuesday, Sen. Cruz joined President Trump, along with Gov. Abbott, Sen. Cornyn, and U.S. Reps. Roger Williams (R-Texas), Kevin Brady (R-Texas), and Michael McCaul (R-Texas) to receive a briefing on the Texas’ storm response and recovery efforts from the Texas Department of Public Safety. While the storm’s impacts continue to be felt throughout South Texas, including devastating, ongoing flooding throughout the Houston metropolitan area, Sen. Cruz expressed gratitude for the Trump administration’s assistance in helping Texans recover from the storm and stressed his commitment to doing everything possible to ensure federal, state, and local resources can be allocated effectively in the rebuilding effort.

“The devastation we’re dealing with in Texas is still ongoing,” said Sen. Cruz. “Today in Corpus Christi, we saw brave Texans, for whom the work to rebuild is only just beginning. They still need help and assistance and we’re committed to ensuring they get that help, and I was grateful for President Trump’s assurances today that the full extent of the federal government’s resources will be deployed to help our state. My hometown of Houston, in particular, has been underwater for four days as the flooding continues. And in the face of this massive storm, we’re also seeing incredible stories of heroism. We’re seeing first responders, firefighters, National Guardsmen, Coast Guardsmen, law enforcement, and ordinary citizens, stepping up and saving their neighbors and helping them out. It is a huge challenge and yet at the same time it is inspiring to see Texans coming together and helping other Texans. It is with that spirit in mind that my office continues to work day and night with the federal government, with the state government here in Austin, and with the local governments on the ground throughout the affected areas to ensure they are getting the resources and the help they need to save lives, recover from this storm, and rebuild. We are Texas Strong, and Texas will come back stronger than ever before.”

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A Message to Protesters Seeking Equality, Justice and the Preservation of Freedom:

From the "I have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.

"But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.

Donovan to City: Staten Island Will Take Columbus Statue If You Don’t Want It

Charlie Daniels recently tweeted that he didn't know what Columbus had to do with the Confederacy, but after Charlottesville, someone vandalized the statue.

By House Representative Daniel Donovan (R-NY, 11th)

Staten Island, NY - August 30, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Amid calls to remove the Christopher Columbus statue in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle, Congressman Dan Donovan (NY-11) today asked Mayor de Blasio to resolve the matter by donating the statue to the National Parks Service, which controls Great Kills Park on Staten Island.

Donovan said, “Christopher Columbus is a permanent fixture of our national history. Rarely can we trace the wheels of progress over 500 years back to the actions of a single person. If a radical group bent on sanitizing history doesn’t want the statue at Columbus Circle anymore, Staten Island will gladly accept it.”

Donovan represents Staten Island and South Brooklyn in the U.S. House of Representatives. Approximately one-third of Staten Island residents are of Italian descent, among the largest concentrations in the country, and South Brooklyn also has a high density of Italian-Americans.

Donovan continued, “Columbus is a symbol of Italian-American culture. He discovered our land, and generations of Italian-Americans helped build New York. I will fight tooth and nail to see to it that his statue remains a fixture in our city.”

Donovan and his office spoke with senior Department of Interior officials on Thursday afternoon about the matter.

Self-Driving Vehicles

by House Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI, 12th)

Washington, D.C. - August 30, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) has joined the 2017 Autonomous Vehicle Summit in Detroit to discuss the future of mobility and automated vehicle legislation she is working to advance through the House of Representatives. In July, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to approve the SELF DRIVE Act which supports the development and deployment of automated vehicles.

“Driverless technology is going to be developed whether we like it or not, and the question before us is whether the United States is going to be the international leader in this area,” said Dingell. “It is critical that we have a strong, flexible regulatory framework for automated vehicles that protects consumers and puts safety first, but also keeps up with the pace of rapidly changing technology. Here in Michigan we’ve been working long and hard to launch the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti, and know that enacting federal legislation like the SELF DRIVE Act is imperative to reshaping American innovation for generations to come and ensuring the U.S. remains at the forefront of advanced vehicle technology.”

Dingell was joined by Allison Drutchas, Autonomous Vehicles Counsel at General Motors, for a conversation about how the SELF DRIVE Act addresses automated vehicle testing and regulation, as well as cybersecurity, data privacy and security.

The SELF DRIVE Act clarifies the federal and state roles for regulating highly automated vehicles (HAVs) to encourage the testing, development and deployment of HAVs in the United States. It includes language from five bills introduced by Dingell that:

Create a Federal Advisory Committee within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with subcommittees to examine: mobility access for the disabled community, mobility access for senior citizens and populations underserved by public transportation, and cybersecurity.

Establish new exemptions for motor vehicle safety standards to make easier the development or field evaluation of highly automated vehicles

The legislation includes important safety provisions, including requiring the submission of safety assessment certifications by manufacturers of HAVs and requiring NHTSA to initiate a rulemaking to develop new HAV standards. The legislation also requires manufacturers to develop a written cybersecurity plan that includes vulnerability detection and response practices and a process for controlling access to automated driving systems.