Silver Tongue

Feb 01

For real.

[video]

shitrichcollegekidssay:
Here’s your dose of ‘What the Fuck is Going On’ News: Extended Weekend Edition (1/28/2017 - 1/31/2017)
There was a Mosque in Texas, Islamic Center of Victoria, that was burned to the ground (source) on the 28th and later on the 29th there was another attack on a Mosque in Quebec. A shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, opened fire and killed 6 people within the Quebec City Mosque. Bissonnette is a white nationalist who publically supported Donald Trump and French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen. However that didn’t stop news networks from reporting that the shooter was Muslim himself, and White House press secretary Sean Spicer even used the attack to justify the current ban from the seven Muslim-majority countries. Fox news even continued to spread this falsehood after the actual suspect was revealed and charged. (source) (source)
Donald Trump claims that the executive order signed by Obama in 2014, which protects employees from workplace discrimination while working for federal contractors, will remain intact. This comes after he considered a reversal on the order. However, the Trump administration did not rule out a separate religious freedom order that could curtail some of these LGBT protections. (source)
After Trump put a hold on allowing people into the country from seven Muslim-majority countries, the weekend was filled with confusion. Passengers were taken off flights, sent away, held in detainment, screened, etc. The Department of Homeland Security ruled that the legal interpretation of the executive order did not apply to green card holders, later the White House overruled that. Later, Customs and Border Protection told airlines that fly to the US that green card holders can board planes to the US but they may get extra scrutiny on arrival. A lawsuit was filed by the ACLU for those who had already arrived in the U.S. however for travelers outside of the U.S. however, even those with valid visas, the ruling will not change the restrictions imposed on them by the order. (source)
In a statement issued in the early hours of Sunday, the Department said: “President Trump’s Executive Orders remain in place — prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety.” It added that the department will “continue to enforce all of President Trump’s Executive Orders in a manner that ensures the safety and security of the American people.” Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to the White House, told the Associated Press that nothing in the judge’s order “in anyway impedes or prevents the implementation of the president’s executive order which remains in full, complete and total effect.” (source)
The Trump Administration is now looking looking to crack down on “legal” foreign workers. The order is called “Protecting American Jobs and Workers by Strengthening the Integrity of Foreign Worker Visa Programs” and proposes taking aim at a range of nonimmigrant visa programs that let foreign-born people live and work in the United States for a limited span of time. (source as well as a breakdown of the provisions included in this order)
Another order that might be coming down also attacks “legal” immigrants and their families. This will attack those who use social services such as SNAP or TANF. This executive order will issue a rule saying that an immigrant can’t be admitted to the US if they’re likely to get any benefit “determined in any way on the basis of income, resources, or financial need.“ Plus those on visa who use the benefits would be subject to deportation and whoever sponsored them would have to reimburse the government for the benefits used. (source)
Monday night, Trump fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates for refusing to defend in court his immigration/refugee executive order that bars those from the seven Muslim-majority countries. She stated that she did not believe the order was “lawful,” and was fired by Trump who said in a statement released by the White House that she betrayed the country. For now Dana Boente will act as attorney general, however this is unlikely to last long because Jeff Sessions will likely be confirmed within the week. A bit ironic to note that Jeff Sessions questioned Yates during her own confirmation hearings and grilled her on hoping she would have the ability to stand up to the president if he asks to do something “improper” or want to execute plans that are “unlawful.” (source)
Steve Bannon, who currently serves as the chief strategist for Trump has been appointed to have a full seat on the Principals Committee of the Nation Security Council. No White House political advisor has ever served on the NSC, a committee that gives advice on national security issues. Bannon will now have the same status as the heads of the Pentagon and State Department, all while having zero national security or foreign policy experience. More alarming when you think about his white nationalism, xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and extreme hatred of immigration of all kinds. (source)
Trump signed an executive order on Monday morning that required two federal regulations to be rescinded for every one that is implemented. (source)
A new piece of legislation would direct the interior secretary to immediately sell an area of public land the size of Connecticut. According to Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the land “serves no purpose to the taxpayers.” The 10 states affected are Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. Residents can see how much acreage is earmarked for “disposal” in their counties by checking a PDF on Chaffetz’s website. (source)
A Senate committee voted to advance the nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education. She will now face a full Senate vote. (source)
Trump underplayed the effects of his 7 Muslim-majority countries executive order by stating on his Twitter than *only* 109 people were detained due to his ban. That’s an outright lie. As of 3 p.m. Monday, 1,059 legal permanent residents and 75 other visa holders were granted waivers and allowed to enter the United States in the wake of Trump’s order, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. That’s not counting the millions of people barred from the U.S. based on their nationality, or an estimated 20,000 refugees excluded because of the order. The White House has repeatedly cited a figure that, according to other government officials, applies only to individuals detained in the first few hours after Trump on Friday signed the order to temporarily bar all refugees and nationals of seven Muslim-majority nations. (source)
Trump’s pick for Supreme Court Justice will be announced tonight (1/31/2017) Updates on that to come.
UPDATE: Trump’s Supreme Court Justice nomination is Neil Gorsuch.
Gorsuch is 49 years old and was the conservative candidate many fellow conservatives hoped for - claiming he’d be a good heir to Scalia. Gorsuch is a strong supporter of “religious freedom rights,” arguing that contraceptive coverage under Obamacare infringes on the rights of religious groups. Gorsuch is STRONGLY against assisted-suicide laws and has written extensively against it.
He advocates a broad definition of “religious freedom” and has sided with religious organizations in cases such as Hobby Lobby v. Burwell. He has not written anything publicly about Roe V. Wade but his opinions opposing euthanasia presume he’s on the pro-life stance. And of course, he’s a fan of the death penalty and denied the requests of death-row inmates seeking to escape executions.