Trump policy to deter asylum seekers is illegal, says Amnesty director

‘Remain in Mexico’ policy is also a human rights violation that is ‘throwing the entire system into chaos’, said Margaret Huang

The Trump administration’s “remain in Mexico” policy aimed at deterring asylum seekers, especially at the southern border, is illegal and a human rights violation, the head of Amnesty International in the United States has said.

Related: Ice force-feeds immigrants inside Texas detention center

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Quebec mosque attack: two years on, will security trump openness?

The planned transformation of Quebec’s Grand Mosque is haunted by the deadly attack on the Islamic centre in 2017

Until 29 January 2017, random motorists on the busy Chemin Sainte-Foy would sometimes pull over to the Quebec City Grand Mosque to withdraw some money.

Converted from a Desjardins Bank, it still looks like one, with its rows of rectangular glass panes and a barricaded drive-through. Its only crescent and minaret are in graphic form on a small plastic sign, blocked from the road by trees.

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Jazmine Barnes shooting: man charged with murder in seven-year-old’s death

Eric Black Jr was taken into custody and has admitted to the shooting, the Harris county sheriff’s office said

A 20-year-old man has been charged with capital murder in the death of Jazmine Barnes, the seven-year-old who was killed when a man in a pick-up truck fired into her family’s car as they went to get coffee.

Related: Jazmine Barnes death: seven-year-old's family plead for help to catch killers

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Senate approves bill to keep government running into 2019

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joined by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., left, and Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, right, arrives to speak to reporters about the possibility of a partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. Congress and President Donald Trump continue to bicker over his demand that lawmakers fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, pushing the government to the brink of a partial shutdown at midnight Friday.

O’Rourke’s liberal credentials questioned as he eyes 2020

During this year's Texas Senate race, some home-state Democrats grumbled that Beto O'Rourke wasn't softening his liberal positions enough to finish a near-upset of Ted Cruz. Now, as the outgoing congressman mulls a 2020 White House run, a small but vocal segment of activists is suggesting he's not liberal enough, arguing he's more about feel-good flash than commitment to values that will excite his party's ascendant leftist wing.

Dallas GOP donor targets Abbott, pledges to make 100K robocalls defending Confederate plaque

A Dallas man angry over the removal of Confederate monuments has pledged to call 100,000 Texas households in the next few weeks urging them to contact their elected officials. Dallas businessman and GOP donor Christopher Ekstrom said the Conservative Response Team , a politically active nonprofit he leads, plans to make the robocalls before Jan. 12. The calls will urge registered Republicans to call Rep. Dennis Bonnen, the Angleton Republican assumed to become the next speaker of the Texas House, who recently joined Gov. Greg Abbott in calling for the removal of a controversial Confederate plaque at the state Capitol.

The Latest: Cruz, O’Rourke trade barbs in Senate debate

The Latest on the Texas Senate race debate between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke : Beto O'Rourke has evoked a nickname Donald Trump bestowed on his then-2016 presidential rival Ted Cruz, "Lyin' Ted," as the Democrat went on the offensive repeatedly during a Texas Senate debate in San Antonio. Early into the action, Cruz criticized O'Rourke for supporting a proposal that explored imposing a tax on oil production.

Beto O’Rourke goes after ‘Lyin’ Ted’ in debate

Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, left, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Trailing in the polls and looking to regain momentum in Texas's hotly contested Senate race, Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke came out swinging in his final debate against Ted Cruz, repeatedly questioning the Republican senator's honesty and work ethic as the two clashed over a litany of issues including immigration, abortion rights and President Donald Trump.

THOMAS: Confidence In Trump On The Rise

Given what the Trump administration is saying are record achievements for a president at this stage in office, why would anyone consider voting for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections? Writing in The Washington Examiner, Paul Bedard lists 289 accomplishments of the Trump administration, beginning with the obvious one, the economy: "They include 173 major wins, such as adding more than 4 million jobs, and another 116 smaller victories, some with outsize importance, such as the 83 percent one-year increase in arrests of MS-13 gang members." As the White House has touted, unemployment in all demographics is the lowest it has been since 1969.

Gloves off in second Ted Cruz-Beto O’Rourke debate

Rep. Beto O'Rourke shed his nice-guy approach in Tuesday night's Senate debate as Sen. Ted Cruz kept up the pressure to paint him as far too liberal for Texas. O'Rourke went on the attack early, in a way he hadn't done in the first debate and even more directly than he has on the stump in recent days - calling Cruz a liar, ineffective and self-serving.

Live Blog: Ted Cruz vs. Beto O’Rourke in The Texas Debate

Sen. Ted Cruz and challenger U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke are going head to head Tuesday night in The Texas Debate, hosted by Texas TEGNA stations, at KENS 5 in San Antonio. It could be their final debate before the U.S. Senate election on Nov. 6. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and challenger U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke are squaring off tonight in The Texas Debate at KENS 5 in San Antonio.

Texas Debate Preview: Cruz, O’Rourke battle down stretch in closely watched Senate race

The next hurdle on the race toward Election Day arrives Tuesday night when U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke face off in a debate at KENS 5 in San Antonio. With the finish line in sight after months of campaigning, the two men vying to serve Texas in the U.S. Senate have just a few more hurdles to clear.

V&E Picks Up Former Head of DOJ Environmental Division as Partner in DC

Vinson & Elkins has strengthened its environmental and white-collar crime practice, hiring Ronald Tenpas, a former assistant attorney general for the environment and natural resources division of the U.S. Department of Justice, as a partner in Washington, D.C. Tenpas, who focuses his practice on government enforcement matters, joined Vinson & Elkins on Monday from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where he had practiced since 2009 after spending 12 years with the DOJ. He served as AAG from 2007 through 2009, and earlier served as a U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Illinois.

Ted Cruz leads Beto O’Rourke in new poll by nine points

A new poll released Thursday morning showed Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has stabilized his lead over his Democrat challenger, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso. As for each candidate's images, 52 percent of Texans surveyed had a favorable view of Cruz, with 44 percent viewing him unfavorably.