What Happened?

On Friday, President Donald Trump announced his backing of a proposed bill that would be “merit-based” in order to determine who is allowed to immigrate to the United States legally.

The US Senate bill, Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act (RAISE Act) was introduced last month by US Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Tom Cotton (R-AK).

The bill outlines a series of questions for individuals seeking to immigrate to the US. The questions ask an individual’s age, level of education, English competency, the salary and type of job they were offered prior to arriving in the US, investments and if they won any medals in the Olympics. Their answers are then rated on a points system, by a government department determined by the president, that requires 30 points to be considered for immigration.

According to the bill, the highest points are awarded to people between the age of 26 and 30 with a doctorate, high English proficiency and a job offer with a high salary. The bill also noted that if a person received a Nobel Prize or similar award they would automatically receive 25 points. According to the bill, applicants with the highest number of points would be at the top of the list to receive visas.

The bill also required an English test to determine proficiency in the language.

Last week Trump said this would be something he would support, however, according to The New York Times, several unnamed Republicans and Democrats slammed the potential bill. It would have to get congressional approval for it to make it to the desk of Trump, according to The White House website.

North Korea

On Tuesday at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey Trump said to reporters, “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.”

Since Trump took over the presidential office there have been several violent threats from North Korea. North Korea warned through their media, KCNA, on Wednesday they were looking beyond Guam and would hit the US mainland with preemptive strikes with nuclear weapons, if there are any indications the United States planned to strike North Korea first.

According to The New York Times, North Korea tested weapons last week and also responded to military exercises by the United States earlier in the week.

‘My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before….” Trump tweeted early Wednesday morning. “…Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!”

East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Pleasanton) told CNN yesterday, “We very much need a cool headed president and not bar stool threats. We really need the president to talk to our experts who will layout for him all the diplomatic options and assure him while the military options are there, there are no good ones.”