The NY Times:
Trump … signed an executive order meant to end the separation of families at the border by detaining parents and children together for an indefinite period.
"I didn’t like the sight or the feeling of families being separated," [said the man who separated the families].
The president’s order does nothing to address the plight of the more than 2,300 children who have already been separated from their parents.
Federal officials initially said those children would not be immediately reunited with their families [probably because they've lost them].
Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesman for the Administration for Children and Families … said the decision about the children was made by the White House.
Brian Marriott, the senior director of communications for the agency, said that Mr. Wolfe had "misspoke" [because that was bad p.r., nothing more].
The president signed the executive order days after he said that the only way to end the division of families was through congressional action because "you can’t do it through an executive order."
The action raised new questions that White House officials [could] not immediately answer.
"It’s on [a federal judge]," said Gene Hamilton, the counselor to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "Are we going to be able to detain alien families together or are we not?" [because the Justice Department understands none of this].
With Republicans in the House and Senate pursuing different approaches to put a stop to the heart-wrenching scenes at the border, no legislative breakthrough seemed imminent. [Surprise!]
The president, furious about the pummeling he has taken in the news media in recent days, began casting about for a solution to the politically damaging situation [thus it's been about politics all along].
Trump also abandoned the positions that he and his allies had stuck to for weeks: that Democrats were to blame for the wrenching scenes of kids being torn from their parents, and that the administration was helpless to fix the problem. [Again — surprise!]
"If you are really, really pathetically weak, the country’s going to be overrun with millions of people," Mr. Trump said. "And if you’re strong, then you don’t have any heart. That’s a tough dilemma. Perhaps I’d rather be strong" [he said just before caving].