| It's hardly been a week, but President Donald Trump has already managed to throw a wrecking ball at the federal government and bring us one step closer to all-out constitutional crisis. Just take a look at what happened over the past few days: | | Over the weekend, the disastrous roll-out of Trump's likely-unconstitutional executive order – which bans entry from seven Muslim countries and suspends all refugee arrivals for at least four months– resulted in absolute chaos in airports across the country. The Departments of State, Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense were left virtually in the dark. Officials on the ground at airports received conflicting orders as to who, exactly, was barred from entry (at one point, even Legal Permanent Residents were detained, though DHS has announced that they will be allowed in on a case-by-case basis). A 5 year old boy was detained for hours without his mother. Refugee families (who've been vetted more thoroughly than Trump or any of his cabinet picks and have been waiting years to find shelter in the U.S.) were turned away and sent back to war zones. And people were denied legal representation. So far at least five separate Court orders came down against parts of the executive order. And in *classic* Trump form, the president decided to blame the chaos on a computer malfunction at Delta, ignoring the real crisis on his hands- namely, that his new directive targets innocent families and makes American less safe. | | Amidst all the chaos, Trump also decided to restructure the National Security Council by replacing the Joint Chiefs of Staff (American's top military commanders) and the Director of National intelligence with Steve Bannon, Trump's top advisor. So as if things weren't bad enough already, now our nation's top national security decisions will be made not by consulting military and intelligence experts, but instead with the help of a white-nationalist political hack. Just days into his presidency, Trump is already taking unprecedented steps to restructure the federal government and push through his extreme agenda. | All Of The Lights Votes. In the midst of all these executive orders, Senate Republicans appear to be trying to schedule as many votes on cabinet nominees as possible. Trump's Treasury Nominee, Steven "Foreclosure King" Mnuchin, is getting his committee vote today. Also today: Rex Tillerson's floor vote (aka the last time his confirmation can be stopped). Tomorrow, Education Secretary and grizzly bear alarmist Betsy DeVos and Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price will have their committee votes votes. (FYI, Price is now facing some even more serious insider trader allegations) . Wednesday is Scott Pruitt's, the EPA nominee, turn for a committee vote. And, Attorney General nominee and possible Muslim ban co-conspirator Jeff Sessions is supposed to get his committee vote Thursday. Phew. Call your senators and resist this cabinet. | America's Next Top Justice. In true Donald J. Trump fashion, another important branch of American democracy is being turned into a reality show. This morning at 5:43 am, Trump tweeted that he'll announce his SCOTUS nominee LIVE and in LIVING COLOR tomorrow at 8:00 pm. If you're curious, here are the contenders to be Trump's America's Next Top Justice. | | Quebec City. Last night, at least two gunmen opened fire on a Quebec City mosque during even prayer, killing six and wounding eight others. Details surrounding the attack are still unfolding, but the act of senseless violence against Muslims has rattled Canada, a country known for valuing diversity and welcoming refugees especially under the leadership of Prime Minster Trudeau. | | Swamp Staying Full. ICYMI in among all the #MuslimBan chaos, President Trump also signed an executive order on lobbying. Though President Trump claimed he would get tougher on lobbyists and "drain the swamp," his executive order actually weakens Obama's standards for ethics. Trump's executive order lets former lobbyists serve in his Administration, including lobbyists for foreign governments. Read more here. | | Muslim Ban. President Trump issued a statement Sunday basically telling people to stop calling his executive order a Muslim ban… even though it is. Check out ThinkProgress's takedown here. | | #NoBanNoWall. Join House and Senate Democrats at the Supreme Court tonight at 6 PM to object to President Trump's anti-refugee and anti-immigrant executive orders. Check out the event here and bring your friends to reject hate. | | [Ride] Sharing is Caring. Over the weekend, Lyft sent an email to customers criticizing Trump's assault on immigrants and refugees that said, "Banning people of a particular faith or creed, race or identity, sexuality or ethnicity from entering the U.S. is antithetical to both Lyft's and the nation's core values." Lyft also announced it will be donating $1 million to the ACLU over the next four years. Other big companies like Starbucks and Airbnb have stepped up to the plate to help and show their support for immigrants and refugees as well. | |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.