On the immigration order:
- The Acting Attorney General was not convinced of the constitutionality of the ban, so she directed the Justice Department to stop defending it. She was immediately sacked by the administration. The same article reports that at least 5 states are challenging the ban in court.
- Trump, of course, called today a "very good day" for national security. This guy gets excited about making people's lives as difficult as possible for no good reason.
- After obviously not thinking at all about permanent residents, the administration has decided to allow them in.
- CNN has coverage of the timeline of the order. Notable was that DHS objected vehemently but was overridden, and that people who should have been informed were left out of the loop.
- Trump asked for a Muslim ban done "legally"
- In response to the executive action, the ACLU has received more in donations this past weekend than it did all last year.
- New executive order to reduce regulations on businesses. Experts have commented that it appears to be a redundant order given previous directives, but I expect things like worker protections and safety regulations to face the axe. Of course, Trump lies through his teeth in justifying the order. (Original text)
- A Texas Mosque was torched shortly after the Muslim ban was announced. It's almost as if somebody is stoking xenophobic tensions!
- Trump orders list of crimes committed by immigrants to be published. I missed this in an earlier executive order. I want a list of all crimes committed by white men to be published too. This is unacceptable scapegoating and fearmongering.
- The "resignations" at the State Department were a purge, not voluntary. Essentially no leadership at the department now.
- On Bannon consolidating power and leaving no paper trail. Appropriate agencies left in the dark, no paper trail, consolidation of power... this is getting really scary.
- Here is an excellent analysis of recent events. I encourage you to read it all, but especially point #6, which discusses the fact that 19.5% of the Russian oil giant was recently privatized through Cayman Islands shell companies, similar to the 19% allegedly offered to Trump to become President and lift sanctions on Russia...
"It's not just the ban or the wall or the threat of martial law in diverse cities. It's that he is justifying them with assertions of danger. The tactic is designed to: 1. Other. 2. Erode empathy for the Other. 3. Create fear of the Other. 4. Engender hatred of the Other. The ban is AWFUL on its own. But it is only the foundation for a strategy of division that will lead to things worse than we have conjured. And it's critical to view all of these things as part of that complex strategy."
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