Monday morning news: February 11, 2019

Funding bill negotiations stall amid ICE debate » After days of optimism from both parties, government funding talks on Capitol Hill have hit another snag.

That means another partial government shutdown looms later this week.

Democrats want to cap the number of migrants Immigration and Customs Enforcement can detain. Republicans say that would mean more criminals on the streets. GOP Senator Lindsey Graham:

GRAHAM: I promise you this: Donald Trump is not going to sign any bill that reduces the number of bed spaces available to hold violent offenders who come across our border. He can’t do that. He won’t do that. 

Funding for a border wall remains the biggest issue overall. Democrats on the negotiating committee are reportedly willing offer between $1.3 and $2 billion in border wall funds. The White House wants $5.7 billion.

Acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said President Trump will not rule out another shutdown, but he is willing to compromise.  

MULVANEY: You cannot take a shutdown off the table, and you cannot take 5.7 off the table. But if you end up someplace in the middle, yeah, what you’ll probably see is the president say, yeah, okay. 

He added that the president would then find the rest of the money in other ways and that with or without Congress, there will be a wall.

While differences remain, Democratic Senator John Tester said he believes both sides are highly motivated to avoid another shutdown.

TESTER: Every negotiation—almost every negotiation out there hits bumps in the road. There are bumps in the road, but as long as we stay focused in a bipartisan way, bicameral way, to get this done, I’m hopeful we can get it done. 

The current temporary funding bill expires at midnight on Friday.

Lawmakers blast Trump admin over Khashoggi murder » Lawmakers are taking President Trump to task for not sending a report to Congress about last year’s murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In addition to Democratic complaints, Republican Mike McCaul also expressed alarm. He is the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul said he was “deeply troubled” by the administration’s failure to meet last Friday’s deadline to submit a report to Congress about the murder.

The Saudi royal family has been widely linked to Khashoggi’s death.

Under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, Congress can require the administration to report to lawmakers with 120 days whether a foreign person is responsible for certain killings, torture or other human rights violations. But the Trump administration said it had a right to decline to act.

McCaul said the U.S. must show leadership and speak out forcefully against governments who use violence against dissenters.

Sen. Klobuchar announces presidential campaign » Democrats’ presidential field gained one more contestant on Sunday.

KLOBUCHAR: I stand before you as the first woman elected to the United States Senate from the state of Minnesota to announce my candidacy for president of the United States! 

Amy Klobuchar made her announcement on a small outdoor stage as heavy snow fell on crowd of cheering supporters.

Klobuchar, easily won a third-term last year. She’s drawn support from voters in urban, suburban and rural areas. That includes dozens of counties Donald Trump won in 2016.

But her announcement also comes amid controversy: In the last week two deeply reported stories have alleged Klobuchar is verbally abusive to her Senate office staff.

Rep. Walter Jones dead at 76 » Congressman Walter Jones died on Sunday on his 76th birthday. The North Carolina Republican entered hospice care last month after breaking his hip.

Jones was known as a political maverick unafraid to buck his own party. He was one of the first Republicans to reverse direction on the war in Iraq. And before taking a leave of absence last year amid failing health, he pushed for debate in the House about bringing troops home from Afghanistan.

JONES: Mr. Speaker it makes no sense that our men and women in uniform have been there for 17 years. The Afghan government will never change. 

Jones also was a strong advocate for campaign finance reform and controlling the national debt.

The winner of a special election will complete his two-year term in the coastal 3rd District.

Probe finds sexual misconduct in Southern Baptist churches » A new investigation by two Texas newspapers finds that hundreds of Southern Baptist church leaders have been accused of sexual misconduct over the past 20 years.

The San Antonio Express News and Houston Chronicle reported Sunday on their six-month investigation. The report said since 1998 nearly 400 church leaders were accused of victimizing more than 700 people, including small children.

The papers say hundreds of alleged offenders have been convicted or have taken plea deals, with dozens of cases still pending. More than 100 are registered sex offenders, and some have returned to the pulpit.

The report stated that victims have accused several past presidents and other Southern Baptist leaders of concealing or mishandling abuse complaints.

Russell Moore, who heads the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, spoke out forcefully in support of the story. He called the revelations a scandal and commended the investigative reporting.

World Cup skier Lindsey Vonn retires » World Cup skier Lindsey Vonn is calling it a career. She won the bronze medal in the world championship downhill Sunday in her final race.

After a career filled with crashes and broken bones, Vonn was still recovering from a recently torn knee ligament and a bruised rib when she hit the slope yesterday.

VONN: I was weighing in my mind, you know, the risk of putting it all out there, crashing and being injured again, as opposed to finishing the way I wanted to, and it was an internal battle. 

At 34, Vonn eclipsed her own record from two years ago for oldest woman to win a medal at a worlds. She won 82 World Cup races over her 20-year career. That’s second best all-time.

Stars turn out for 61st Annual Grammy Awards » Many of the biggest stars in music gathered in Los Angeles last night for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Album of the Year went to Kacey Musgraves for Golden Hour.

MUSIC: [Golden Hour]

And This Is America, performed by Donald Glover and Ludwig Goransson won “Song of the Year.”

MUSIC: [This Is America]

Dua Lipa won honors for Best New Artist.

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album went to Lauren Daigle for Look Up Child.” She also won Best CCM song for You Say.

MUSIC: [You Say]

Tori Kelly won “Best Gospel Album” for Hiding Place.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) In this Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump waves after arriving on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. 

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