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You've been Trumped!

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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Sun 17 Dec , 2017 8:19 pm
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https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... mp/548600/
Quote:
On Thursday, the Trump administration instructed policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention not to use the following words in official documents being prepared for the 2018 budget: “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity," “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based,” and “science-based.” [Note - this also applies to other HHS departments http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/36 ... ies-report ]

...Based on this list, one can’t help but wonder if the following words might also make the administration’s censored list:

“Fact-based”

“Fact”

“Climate”

“Environment”

“Carbon”

“Atmosphere”

“Big Bang”

“Evolution”

“Fertilization”

“Zygote”

... [and more]
I keep wondering what term you're supposed to use instead of fetus. "Infant" or "child" would be totally inaccurate and scientifically confusing. "Developing, well-organized structure of foreign cells and tissues in the uterus" perhaps? Or "the stage after the embryo but before birth"?

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Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Mon 18 Dec , 2017 4:05 pm
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In response to the outcry over banned words at several HHS agencies:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/c ... the-agency

What looks like a non-denial attempting to look like a denial at HHS:
Quote:
“The assertion that H.H.S. has ‘banned words’ is a complete mischaracterization of discussions regarding the budget formulation process,” Matt Lloyd, an agency spokesman, said in a statement. “H.H.S. will continue to use the best scientific evidence available to improve the health of all Americans. H.H.S. also strongly encourages the use of outcome and evidence data in program evaluations and budget decisions.”
A definite denial by the CDC director:
Quote:
I want to assure you there are no banned words at CDC. We will continue to talk about all our important public health programs.— Dr Brenda Fitzgerald (@CDCDirector)
While this might be plausible.
Quote:
But in follow-up reporting, The New York Times cited “a few” CDC officials who suggested the move was not meant as an outright ban, but rather, a technique to help secure Republican approval of the 2019 budget by eliminating certain words and phrases.
Though it would still be bothersome that using accurate words like "evidence-based," "fetus" and "transgender" is enough to make the GOP and Trump (or Pence?) try to cut an agency's funds.

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Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Mon 18 Dec , 2017 9:20 pm
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http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/36 ... -religious
Quote:
The Trump administration is not posting public comments opposing a proposal to reduce regulations for faith-based groups, Politico reported Monday. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has only posted 80 of the more than 10,000 comments it has received on the proposal since it was posted on Oct. 25. The department stopped taking the comments on Nov. 24.

The proposal in question would remove regulations for religious groups “in order for these institutions to participate in HHS-funded or regulated programs.”

Under the Administrative Procedures Act, federal agencies are required to solicit public comments on proposed rules. All of the comments are typically posted on regulations.gov.

...Out of the comments that are posted, a majority are in support of the proposal.
No comment yet about the unusually selective posting of public comments from HHS.



http://thehill.com/policy/defense/36545 ... -to-accept
Quote:
Three former military surgeons general are calling the Trump administration’s claims about the complexity of training 23,000 personnel to process transgender recruits “suspicious.” ... The analysis was written by retired Vice Adm. Donald Arthur, surgeon general of the Navy from 2004 to 2007; retired Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, acting surgeon general of the Army in 2007; and retired Adm. Alan Steinman, the Coast Guard’s equivalent of a surgeon general from 1993 to 1997.

The Pentagon is set to begin accepting transgender recruits into the military on Jan. 1 after court orders blocking President Trump’s transgender ban said DOD must adhere to the plan to accept recruits by the date that was in place prior to the ban. The Pentagon has said it will follow the court orders as administration lawyers appeal.

In motions opposing the court orders, the administration included a sworn statement from Lernes Hebert, acting deputy assistant secretary of Defense for military personnel policy. To meet the Jan. 1 deadline, Hebert said,... would "impose extraordinary burdens."

Meanwhile, former Obama administration service secretaries, including former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, have said in a sworn statement in one of the court cases that the work on lifting the admission ban was largely done by the time they left office last January.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... es-mueller
Quote:
A coalition of groups opposed to President Trump and his agenda has assembled tens of thousands of individuals pledging to protest if Trump fires special counsel Robert Mueller.

...Prospective protesters may use the website TrumpIsNotAboveTheLaw.org to search for events near them or to create a new protest.

http://thehill.com/regulation/365432-us ... ed-organic
Quote:
The Trump administration is rolling back Obama-era rules for how animals should be treated if their meat is going to be sold as “certified organic.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its plan to withdraw the final rules, which were originally set to take effect on March 20 after having been delayed three times.

...Under the rules, producers and handlers participating in the National Organic Program stipulate that poultry must be housed in spaces that are big enough for the birds to move freely, stretch their wings, stand normally and engage in natural behaviors.

Livestock, meanwhile, must be provided access to an outdoor space year-round and be kept in indoor pens that are sufficiently large, solidly built and comfortable so that the animals are kept clean, dry and free of lesions.

Last edited by aninkling on Mon 18 Dec , 2017 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Tue 19 Dec , 2017 1:55 pm
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https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... an/548720/
Quote:
President Trump’s corporate tax cuts will likely generate enormous deficits, even if the administration’s rosiest economic forecasts come true, setting Republicans up to claim that it is time to cut Social Security, Medicare, and welfare, to reduce the expected $1 trillion deficit over the next 10 years created by those very tax cuts.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has already announced that the GOP plans to cut federal health care and anti-poverty programs because of a deficit that his party is about to balloon. “We’re going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform,” he said on a talk-radio show, “which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit.”

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/ ... r-churches
Quote:
Proponents of rolling back IRS restrictions on churches and charities aren’t giving up despite their failure to secure a provision in tax-reform legislation.

Repealing or weakening the so-called Johnson Amendment, enacted in 1954, has long been a priority of the religious right. Evangelical leaders say the rules barring churches from participating in campaign activity infringe on freedom of speech. It puts them at odds with many other Christian groups, and organizations representing other religions, who say the change is unneeded.

President Trump brought the issue to a heightened prominence during the presidential campaign and in May signed an executive order “to protect and vigorously promote religious liberty.” He pledged during the signing ceremony to seek the repeal of the Johnson Amendment.


http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... on-website
Quote:
The White House says it will take down a website that hosts petitions to the federal government, with a promise to restore it as a new site next year.

...The Trump administration has yet to respond to any petitions that have exceeded 100,000 signatures, which necessitate a response from the federal government. ...

Several of the petitions that have reached that threshold are highly critical of President Trump, including calls for him to release his tax returns, for him to divide or put all of his assets in a blind trust, and for him to resign.
Trump does claim he'll respond to those petitions once the new website is up. I'm not holding my breath.

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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Frelga
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Thu 21 Dec , 2017 11:42 pm
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This actually is the Onion and not a real news source whose headlines are no longer distinguishable from satire.
Quote:
Paul Ryan Confident American People Will Warm Up To Tax Plan Once They Realize Life A Cruel And Meaningless Farce https://t.co/hAKoxyski9 https://t.co/T1nZjsNjf0

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Frelga
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Fri 29 Dec , 2017 5:42 am
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Wait. These sunabeeches killed the property tax deduction? Bloody hell.

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MariaHobbit
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Fri 29 Dec , 2017 2:52 pm
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Looks like they are limiting it to $10,000.


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Frelga
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Fri 29 Dec , 2017 4:15 pm
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Oh. Still surprising, as it's one of the deductions that really help the middle class, but in line with the general fuck California spirit of the law.

WaPo had an article about the non-profits being concerned that raising the standard deduction would make smaller charitable contributions less attractive to middle class donors, who are most likely to support social causes.

It really was a dick move, passing tax legislation at the end of the year, when there's no time left to figure out strategies for the next year.

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Dave_LF
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Fri 29 Dec , 2017 5:01 pm
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They've also screwed with the child credit in ways that will detriment anyone with more than 2 (:raises hand:).


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Frelga
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Fri 29 Dec , 2017 9:17 pm
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Huh. But Marco Rubio said...

In Q&A, Sen. Marco Rubio lauds child tax credit expansion, wants Mueller probe to continue

He also said:
Quote:
If I were king for a day, this tax bill would have looked different. I thought we probably went too far on (helping) corporations. By and large, you’re going to see a lot of these multinationals buy back shares to drive up the price. Some of them will be forced, because they’re sitting on historic levels of cash, to pay out dividends to shareholders. That isn’t going to create dramatic economic growth. (But) there’s a lot of things in the bill that I have supported for a long time (such as) doubling the Child Tax Credit. And it is better – significantly better – than the current code.

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Dave_LF
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Fri 29 Dec , 2017 11:29 pm
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What they messed with (eliminated completely) is the "personal exemption" you used to be able to claim per-child. They increased the standard deduction by a flat amount to compensate, but if you have three or more children, you're likely to come out behind.

The "child tax credit" is something different.


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Frelga
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Fri 29 Dec , 2017 11:47 pm
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Oh, I see. They doubled the child credit but took away the deduction. Aw, math, no.

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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Sat 30 Dec , 2017 8:40 pm
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What bothers me most about the tax bill - besides the tax breaks for corporations and the really wealthy - is that, at the same time, the GOP wants to increase military spending, which already takes a huge portion of our taxes. And they're simultaneously claiming that our social safety nets - like Medicare, Social Security, welfare - cost too much.

Not to mention the magical thinking that this tax cut won't make the ballooning federal deficit worse.

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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Frelga
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Sat 30 Dec , 2017 8:53 pm
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And claiming that these tax cuts will magically improve economy to cover the deficit, despite a mountain of evidence that trickle down economy doesn't work.


Eta: the last paragraph is kind of adorable

Pence's vacation neighbors post 'make America gay again' sign
Quote:
Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo told The Aspen Times that a deputy from his office was there when a man came out and hung the banner.

"He was real sheepish and thought he might be confronted by the Secret Service or deputies who'd tell him he couldn't do it," DiSalvo said.

"When they said, 'We're not here to control your free speech rights,' they came out with chili and began feeding them," he said of the couple.

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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Sat 30 Dec , 2017 10:53 pm
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Good for them. Pence's open homophobia is pretty awful - not to mention embarrassing for a civilized country. What's worse is that it's influencing government policies.


Meanwhile, Trump's Christmas gifts to his buddies in the oil industry:
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-enviro ... cking-rule
Quote:
The Trump administration will take its final step to repeal the Obama administration’s 2015 rule setting standards for hydraulic fracturing on federal land.

A formal notice from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) making the repeal final was posted publicly Thursday and is due to be published in the Federal Register Friday.

...The 2015 rule came after years of deliberations within the Obama administration over how to deal with fracking. The practice, in which fluids are forced underground at high pressure to recover oil and natural gas, has grown dramatically in recent years, leading to a massive domestic oil and gas boom.

...The Obama rule focused mainly on three areas: mandating that companies disclose the chemicals they use to frack, requiring them to cover surface ponds that house fracking fluids and setting standards for the construction of the wells.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-enviro ... -standards
Quote:
The Trump administration wants to roll back some of a wide-ranging Obama-era regulation that was meant to improve the safety of offshore oil and natural gas drilling. The proposed rollbacks by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) are meant to help fulfill President Trump’s promise to ease regulations on the production of fossil fuels and support his goal of “energy dominance.”

...The Obama administration rule, written in 2016, integrated some of the lessons learned in the massive 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster at a BP well in the Gulf of Mexico.

...Thursday’s action does not make changes to the well control rule, which was the most significant post-Deepwater Horizon regulatory action. The Trump administration is still reviewing that rule for potential rollbacks or other changes.

...The most significant changes in Thursday’s proposal would eliminate the requirement for third parties to certify that certain safety equipment can withstand the most extreme conditions and reduce the mandate that certified professional engineers review drawings of all of a driller’s safety equipment.
Sounds like this basically happened because the industries being regulated didn't like it:
Quote:
BSEE said in its proposal industry groups and companies raised concerns or objections that led to the changes.

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Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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Jude
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Sat 30 Dec , 2017 11:29 pm
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Just out of curiosity, am I the only one that thinks that Bernie Sanders would have won if he had been the democratic candidate?

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Frelga
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Sun 31 Dec , 2017 12:30 am
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I am violently allergic to the phrase "Bernie would have won," but since it's you, Jude... I think it's unlikely.
1. He is perceived as a commie by a large chunk of the voters
2. He was as vulnerable to the electoral college as any Democratic candidate.
3.The same Russian-made election rigging machine would have been deployed against him

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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Tue 02 Jan , 2018 2:20 pm
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Against any other candidate but Trump, I would agree with Frelga. I would also add that the corporations and lobbyists that have so much power in the U.S. would have rallied against Sanders.

On the other hand, Bernie Sanders did quite well in the primaries with the might of the Democratic party apparatus against him. While Hillary Clinton managed to lose against a candidate many/ most people couldn't stand. I know so many people who voted third party because they had two choices they despised. Had they been given a relative unknown who they could support over Trump? Who knows. Maybe Sanders would have been too much a socialist for people to stomach. On the other hand, people were in the mood for a change, and maybe in the choice between 2 outsiders, they would have gone with the one who had some ideas to help "the little guy" and some experience getting things done. (as mayor of Burlington, for one thing - where he seems to have been fairly practical and pragmatic).

All I know is that Clinton has proved how tone-deaf she is to the average voter with all her post-election carping about how everything was against her, and she should have won. I thought she was (by far) the lesser of two evils before. At this point, I simply can't stand her.

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Tue 02 Jan , 2018 2:53 pm
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So much for Trump's commitment to infrastructure...
http://thehill.com/policy/transportatio ... alf-of-13b
Quote:
The Trump administration has shut down an Obama-era deal to have the federal government help fund a $13 billion rail tunnel project between New York and New Jersey, according to Crain’s New York Business.

In a letter obtained by Crain’s, an administration official calls the deal for the federal government to fund half of the project “non-existent.”

"Your letter also references a non-existent '50/50' agreement between USDOT, New York, and New Jersey. There is no such agreement," Federal Transit Administration deputy administrator K. Jane Williams wrote in Friday's letter, which came after New York and New Jersey requested federal loans to cover their part of the deal to split the cost of the work.

...The project would have funded necessary repairs to an Amtrak tunnel between New Jersey and New York City, as well as help fix damaged dual-tunnel conduit and rebuild New Jersey’s Portal Bridge.


This seems ominous, in these days where the Trump administration seems unconcerned about the risks of starting wars in Asia and the Middle East:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... istance-of
Quote:
Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that the U.S. will not repeat the "shameful mistake" of ignoring the "heroic resistance of the Iranian people" as the Trump administration vows to support Iranian protesters.

..."As long as @RealDonaldTrump is POTUS and I am VP, the United States of America will not repeat the shameful mistake of our past when others stood by and ignored the heroic resistance of the Iranian people as they fought against their brutal regime," Pence tweeted.

"The bold and growing resistance of the Iranian people today gives hope and faith to all who struggle for freedom and against tyranny. We must not and we will not let them down," he added in a second tweet.

Edit: The problem with having an uninformed president who isn't interested in learning the complexities of foreign policy:
https://www.theatlantic.com/internation ... an/549440/
Quote:
Donald Trump Doesn’t Understand What’s Happening in Iran

The president’s tweets about the recent protests are misleading and dangerous to protesters.

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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aninkling
Post subject: Re: You've been Trumped!
Posted: Wed 03 Jan , 2018 2:41 pm
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http://thehill.com/homenews/house/36706 ... s-hindered
Quote:
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee may publish a report detailing ways panel Republicans attempted to hinder the Russia probe, according to a senior Democrat on the committee.

In an interview published Tuesday, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) told Greg Sargent, a liberal columnist for The Washington Post, that Democrats are considering releasing such a minority report. One such example of Republican attempts to hurt the investigation, according to Himes, includes refusing to call certain witnesses.

Meanwhile, Trump continues his incoherent foreign policy of "whatever I personally feel at this moment should be our policy" and "we're going to retaliate against those who don't think as I do."
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... lestinians
Quote:
President Trump on Tuesday lashed out at the Palestinians and suggested that the U.S. could withhold aid money for them amid anger over Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

[Tweet 1]"It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel".. [Tweet 2]."We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?"
His tweet doesn't even make sense. Why should the Palestinians be thrilled that "we have taken Jerusalem off the table... but Israel would have had to pay more" ["for that" - presumably for taking Jerusalem as its capitol] ?


http://thehill.com/policy/international ... -jerusalem
Quote:
The U.S. will hold a reception for countries that did not vote last month to approve a United Nations (U.N.) resolution condemning the Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said Tuesday.
What, are we 5-year-olds now? You said I was stupid and I'm not going to invite you to my party! So there!



http://thehill.com/policy/defense/36709 ... y-confirms
Quote:
The United States is withholding $255 million in aid from Pakistan over what the Trump administration describes as a failure to sufficiently fight terrorism, U.S. Ambassador the United Nations Nikki Haley confirmed Tuesday.

“The administration is withholding $255 million in assistance to Pakistan,” Haley said at a press conference. “There are clear reasons for this. Pakistan has played a double game for years. They work with us at times, and they also harbor the terrorists that attack our troops in Afghanistan. That game is not acceptable to this administration.”

The withholding of the aid has been expected, particularly after Trump blasted Pakistan in a Monday tweet.
The trouble is, of course, that sometimes we need the cooperation of countries like this, and previous administrations recognized that sometimes you have to work with what you've got.



A little-known attack by the Trump administration on legal immigration - make the paperwork as onerous as possible and remove flexibility/ judgement calls from the process:
http://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/ ... eds-to-end
Quote:
Using every tool it can to restrain immigration, the Trump administration has now taken aim at a little-known but vital resource: immigration caseworkers in congressional offices.

An email sent late last month by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced several new requirements, “including a handwritten and notarized signature, even if the immigrant is overseas,” before a congressional office can accept a “privacy release” that allows it to contact federal agencies. This isn’t simply a case of more paperwork clogging up an already backlogged system. This is an unnecessary measure that can put lives at risk.
Finding a convenient local notary in some war-torn countries must be quite a job. Especially for those who are poor.



Trump's ICE nominee says that officials in sanctuary cities should be charged with crimes:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... be-charged
Quote:
President Trump's pick to run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday called for a crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities

...Homan, who was announced in December as President Trump's pick to permanently run the agency, went on to say that politicians enforcing sanctuary city policies need to be held "personally accountable." "We gotta take [sanctuary cities] to court, and we gotta start charging some of these politicians with crimes," he said.
So it seems that you would have the choice of being charged locally for not enforcing your city's policies or charged by the federal government for enforcing your city's policies....



One of the repercussions of the EPA not doing its job:
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-enviro ... -pollution
Quote:
Delaware’s state government is threatening to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not approving four requests to crack down on out-of-state air pollution. The state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control says that four specific power plants in Pennsylvania and West Virginia are contributing to ozone pollution in Delaware, and that the EPA has a responsibility under the Clean Air Act to force them to better control their pollution.

...Delaware’s official notices of intent to sue, which it said Tuesday that it will send, are required 60 days before it can file the actual lawsuits.

Multiple states have sued the EPA under the Trump administration to get it to take action against out-of-state polluting facilities.


Meanwhile...
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... -next-week
Quote:
“I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock,” Trump tweeted. “Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!"
We all know, by now, that to Trump, "fake news media" means any mainstream news that doesn't bow down and worship him. But this tweet is getting into really bizarre territory - I can't imagine any rational adult occupying himself/herself with this sort of nonsense. Much less the damn president of the US, who should be busy with important things.

We've been told repeatedly that Trump's twitter account should be considered as an official government statement. So now the US government is handing out "fake media awards"?
Utterly childish.

_________________

Society can and does execute its own mandates, and if it issues wrong mandates instead of right, or any mandates at all in things with it ought not to meddle, it practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression, since, though not usually upheld by such extreme penalties, it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating much more deeply into the details of life, and enslaving the soul itself. ― John Stuart Mill


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