Born Americans

According to the Los Angeles Times, President Trump floats the idea of doing away with birthright citizenship by executive order. Most experts say the 14th Amendment and legal precedent stand in his way.

The U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court and federal law all say that children born within this country are citizens at birth, regardless of the citizenship status of their parents. President Trump, who’s been campaigning intensely against immigration, says he’s “in the process” of preparing an executive order to end that birthright. Is it a political stunt, like saying Congress will pass a tax cut before the midterm election Tuesday, even though it’s not in session? That’s what legal scholars tend to think. As for Trump claiming the U.S. is the “only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen”? That’s far from true, as more than 30 countries grant birthright citizenship and others have variations on the concept.

Trump has said he plans to close the southern border, but asylum seekers are already being turned away from border bridges with tactics that some have questioned.
— In races for House of Representatives seats across the country, Republicans find themselves in an unusual position this year: They’re unable to match Democratic spending on ads.