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Trump Administration

Workers Union Director Says Shutdown Lawsuit Will Prove Trump Administration Not ‘Above The Law’

January 3, 2019 By Tess Bonn, Thehill.com , , ,
A lawsuit suing the Trump administration over the ongoing government shutdown will prove the federal government is not above the law, said a policy chief for the country's largest union representing federal workers. Jacqueline Simon, a policy director for The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), joined “Rising” to discuss the union’s lawsuit against the Trump administration. AFGE claims that the administration is violating the Fair Standards and Labor Act, by allegedly illegally forcing as many as 420,000 federal employees to work without any foreseeable paycheck.

Trump Scores, Breaks Generals’ 50-Year War Record

December 29, 2018 Gareth Porter, Theamericanconservative.com ,
The mainstream media has attacked President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria as impulsive, blindsiding his own national security team. But detailed, published accounts of the policy process over the course of the year tell a very different story. They show that senior national security officials and self-interested institutions have been playing a complicated political game for months aimed at keeping Trump from wavering on our indefinite presence on the ground in Syria. The entire episode thus represents a new variant of a familiar pattern dating back to Vietnam in which national security advisors put pressure on reluctant presidents to go along with existing or proposed military deployments in a war zone.

The Anti-War Left Must Capitalise On Trump’s Withdrawal From Syria

December 26, 2018 By Lindsey German, Counterfire.org , , , ,
Donald Trump’s announcement that US troops are withdrawing from Syria has caused havoc amongst the political and military establishment there. The resignation of Defence secretary James Mattis is the most public expression of this. The Financial Times’ Edward Luce describes Mattis as ‘the last grown-up in Donald Trump’s “axis of adults”’. Mattis has made it clear that his resignation is because he disagrees with Trump over the issue. The despair evidenced by Mattis’s resignation from these quarters demonstrates how much he was relied on to keep the president on a course desired by the US and its allies.

‘Plunge Protection Team’ Holds Emergency Meeting As Trump Chaos Sparks Fears Of Another Financial Crash

December 26, 2018 By Jake Johnson, Commondreams.org , ,
"The stock market goes up and down and the market is not the economy. But it is, for many people, their retirement or their college savings plan. And a lot of wealth has been wiped out because of the trade war, the tax cuts, and volatility not in the market but in the Oval Office." The deeply harmful government shutdown over President Donald Trump's demand for billions in border wall funding continued with no agreement in sight. From his vacation spot in Cabo San Lucas, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Sunday sent markets tumbling with a bizarre Twitter statement assuring the public that there is absolutely no reason to believe Wall Street is about to collapse—a move one reporter described as the "financial equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded theater."

Trump Administration Is Allegedly Slowing The Asylum Process To Discourage Applicants

December 24, 2018 By Sophie Weiner, Splinternews.com , , ,
Democrats called Murdock’s comments “disturbing,” especially since Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has often told asylum seekers to go through the process rather than crossing into the country illegally. CBP officials say that the comments by Murdock were taken out of context. “During this briefing, CBP reiterated what we have said numerous times, that with the influx of Central American family units arriving at our ports of entry without proper documentation, and crossing our borders illegally, the processing system at CBP and our partner agencies has hit capacity,” Corry Schiermeyer, CBP press secretary, told BuzzFeed. “As more people are processed, the capacity challenges increase, and become unsustainable.”

Trump Administration To Immediately Deport New Central American Asylum Seekers To Mexico

December 24, 2018 By Eric London, Countercurrents.org , , , , , , ,
The Trump administration announced a new policy that effectively guts the right of asylum for refugees from Central America. From now on, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin expelling non-Mexican refugees as soon as they have made application for asylum after crossing the US-Mexico border. They will be immediately deported to Mexico instead of being allowed to stay in the US pending the adjudication of their asylum claims. The Mexican government, taking its orders from Washington, will not oppose these deportations or bring any legal action against the United States for a policy that is in flagrant violation of international law. Its only concession to the refugees is that Mexico will not confine them in US-style detention camps.

Bolton Threatens To Force Africa To Choose Between The US And China

December 22, 2018 Glen Ford, Blackagendareport.com , , , , ,
Donald Trump last week trotted out his war dog, National Security Advisor John Bolton, to growl and snarl  over China’s attempts to “gain a competitive advantage” in Africa through “predatory” practices that supposed include “bribes, opaque agreements, and the strategic use of debt to hold states in Africa captive” to Beijing’s global schemes. Bolton gave his speech at the right-wing Heritage Foundation, a place that specializes in crafting social policies that appeal to white supremacist majorities within the U.S. domestic order. He could be confident that the Heritage audience knows little about the actual state of the world, holds facts in low regard, and gives less than a damn about Africa.

Did Defense Secretary Nominee James Mattis Commit War Crimes In Iraq?

December 22, 2018 By Aaron Glantz, Revealnews.org , , ,
Retired Gen. James Mattis earned the nickname “Mad Dog” for leading U.S. Marines into battle in Fallujah, Iraq, in April 2004. In that assault, members of the Marine Corps, under Mattis’ command, shot at ambulances and aid workers. They cordoned off the city, preventing civilians from escaping. They posed for trophy photos with the people they killed. Each of these offenses has put other military commanders and members of the rank and file in front of international war crimes tribunals. The doctrine that landed them there dates back to World War II, when an American military tribunal held Japanese Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita accountable for war crimes in the Philippines. His execution later was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Bolton Speech On Africa: A Case Of The Wolf And The Foxes

December 21, 2018 By Ajamu Baraka, Blackagendareport.com , , , ,
Malcolm X reminded us that we had to be careful about the difference between the wolf and the fox. The wolf for black people were the hardcore, racist white folks with the hoods and clearly articulated stance in support of white supremacy. The fox, on the other hand were the liberals who were supposed to be our friends. Their ultimate support for white supremacy was always just as deadly but sugarcoated in diversionary language like “humanitarian intervention” and the “responsibility to protect.” The game, according to Malcolm, was that black folks would recognize the danger of the wolf and run from the wolf straight into the jaws of the fox with the consequence being just as fatal because both the fox...

Trump’s Syrian Withdrawal Order Sparks Political Firestorm In Washington

December 21, 2018 Bill Van Auken, Wsws.org , ,
An apparent order by US President Donald Trump for the withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops deployed in Syria over the next 60 to 100 days has sparked consternation and sharp opposition from the Pentagon, top Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill as well as Washington’s NATO allies. The withdrawal order, which was leaked to the media by senior officials within the administration and the military, was given what apparently constituted a confirmation by a brief tweet from Trump Wednesday declaring, “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.”

Why Trump Decided To Remove U.S. Troops From Syria

December 21, 2018 Staff, Moonofalabama.org , ,
Last Friday President Trump had another long phonecall with the Turkish President Erdogan. Thereafter he overruled all his advisors and decided to remove the U.S. boots from Syria and to also end the air war. This was the first time Trump took a decisive stand against the borg, the permanent neoconservative and interventionist establishment in his administration, the military and congress, that usually dictates U.S. foreign policy. It was this decision, and that he stuck to it, which finally made him presidential.

Trump’s African Pivot: Another Swipe At China

December 20, 2018 Kenneth Surin, Counterpunch.org , , ,
This week the Trump administration unveiled a “new” strategy for Africa, designed to counter China’s growing influence on that continent. John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, said the US would spend more money on and pay greater attention to African countries, making it clear that the decision was motivated by concerns about the American lag in its global economic competition with China. In his speech to the Heritage Foundation, Bolton said the greatest threat in Africa came not from poverty or Islamist extremism but from China (and to a lesser extent Russia). Bolton announced a new initiative– “Prosper Africa” — to promote American investment in African countries.

US Pledges Billions In Aid To Limit Central American Migration

December 19, 2018 Staff, Telesurenglish.net , , , , ,
However, Trump’s threats to slash aid to the region if immigration was not contained have persistently raised doubts about how much the United States would stump up. The United States will spend billions of dollars in Central America and Mexico, as part of a plan to officially strengthen economic growth in the region but also aimed at deterring immigrants who want to travel to the United States as they are forced to flee poverty and violence, the U.S. and Mexican governments said on Tuesday. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been seeking to persuade U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to work with Mexico to develop Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, as well as Mexico’s poorer south to stem the flow of migrants and asylum-seekers.

I’m A Postal Worker. If You Get Mail In A Small Town Or Suburb, Listen Up!

December 19, 2018 Kathy Toler, Intrepidreport.com ,
I’ve been a postal clerk for 23 years, serving my customers in a public post office in Gresham, Oregon. As you might imagine, with the holidays fast approaching, it’s a busy time of year for us. Every day, I help my customers mail letters, cards, and packages across town and across the county. Even when we’re busy, it’s a joy to share a small part in spreading holiday cheer. Because the Postal Service charges uniform rates across the country, I don’t need to ask you if a package is being sent to a home or a business, or whether the recipient lives in a big city or a distant rural area.

Trump Administration Auctions Off 150,000 Acres Of Public Land For Fossil-Fuel Extraction

December 15, 2018 Alexandra Jacobo, Nationofchange.org , ,
The Trump administration is continuing to their ramp-up of offering up public lands to the oil and gas industry for fossil fuel extraction. The newest offering is 150,000 acres of public lands near several national parks in Utah. The land that will be auctioned off is near Canyonlands and Arches national parks, Bears Ears, Canyons of the Ancients and Hovenweep national monuments, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Some of the included lands are within 10 miles of internationally known protected areas. The land will be used for natural gas extraction, aka fracking. Citizens of Utah and environmental groups gathered in the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday to protest the decision.
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