Trump Administration

Noam Chomsky Diagnoses The Trump Era

By Noam Chomsky and David Barsamian for Toward Freedom - At one level, Trump’s antics ensure that attention is focused on him, and it makes little difference how. Who even remembers the charge that millions of illegal immigrants voted for Clinton, depriving the pathetic little man of his Grand Victory? Or the accusation that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower? The claims themselves don’t really matter. It’s enough that attention is diverted from what is happening in the background. There, out of the spotlight, the most savage fringe of the Republican Party is carefully advancing policies designed to enrich their true constituency: the Constituency of private power and wealth, “the masters of mankind,” to borrow Adam Smith’s phrase. These policies will harm the irrelevant general population and devastate future generations, but that’s of little concern to the Republicans. They’ve been trying to push through similarly destructive legislation for years. Paul Ryan, for example, has long been advertising his ideal of virtually eliminating the federal government, apart from service to the Constituency—though in the past he’s wrapped his proposals in spreadsheets so they would look wonkish to commentators. Now, while attention is focused on Trump’s latest mad doings, the Ryan gang and the executive branch are ramming through legislation and orders that undermine workers’ rights, cripple consumer protections, and severely harm rural communities.

CIA Director Met Advocate Of Disputed DNC Hack Theory

November 10, 2017 Duncan Campbell and James Risen, theintercept.com Educate! CIA, DNC, Hacking, Trump Administration

By Duncan Campbell and James Risen for The Intercept - CIA DIRECTOR MIKE Pompeo met late last month with a former U.S. intelligence official who has become an advocate for a disputed theory that the theft of the Democratic National Committee’s emails during the 2016 presidential campaign was an inside job, rather than a hack by Russian intelligence. Pompeo met on October 24 with William Binney, a former National Security Agency official-turned-whistleblower who co-authored an analysis published by a group of former intelligence officials that challenges the U.S. intelligence community’s official assessment that Russian intelligence was behind last year’s theft of data from DNC computers. Binney and the other former officials argue that the DNC data was “leaked,” not hacked, “by a person with physical access” to the DNC’s computer system. In an interview with The Intercept, Binney said Pompeo told him that President Donald Trump had urged the CIA director to meet with Binney to discuss his assessment that the DNC data theft was an inside job. During their hour-long meeting at CIA headquarters, Pompeo said Trump told him that if Pompeo “want[ed] to know the facts, he should talk to me,” Binney said. A senior intelligence source confirmed that Pompeo met with Binney to discuss his analysis, and that the CIA director held the meeting at Trump’s urging.

New Video: Defend J20 Resistance From State Repression

November 9, 2017 Staff, dcdirectactionnews.wordpress.com Resist! Protests, Repression, Trump Administration

By Staff of DC Direct Action News - On January 20th, 200+ protesters were mass-arrested, detained, and now face 6 decades in prison. Their cell phones were confiscated and searched, their homes were raided, and their social media data was seized. The US Attorney’s Office is setting a repressive precedent for political expression under Donald Trump’s administration. It is incumbent upon anyone who values dissent to stand in solidarity with the defendents in this case. On January 20, 2017, tens of thousands of people converged in Washington, D.C. for the #DisruptJ20 protests to oppose the inauguration of Donald Trump. A combination of blockades, marches, and festive demonstrations shattered the spectacle of a peaceful transition of power, and made it clear around the world that people do not recognize Trump’s authority. What could have been a day signaling resignation and defeat became a moment of defiance and resistance. As such, the protests on J20 set a tone and precedent for the events that unfolded shortly after, including the notably successful, mass direct actions at airports against Trump’s Muslim ban, as well as ongoing resistance to deportations. While Trump and his alt-right footsoldiers have encountered few meaningful obstacles from liberal politicians in the halls of power, grassroots resistance has continued to prove a substantial force.

Koreans Around The World Say “No” To Warmongering Trump

November 7, 2017 Staff, zoominkorea.org Resist! South Korea, Trump Administration, US Imperialism

By Staff of Zoom in Korea - Trump arrived in Japan late Saturday November 4 as part of his thirteen-day tour of Asia and is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on November 7. North Korea and the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula will be at the top of his agenda for much of the trip. The White House announced just days ago that Trump could decide whether to re-list North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism during his tour. “With Trump’s visit coming up, a nuclear aircraft carrier has been deployed near the Korean Peninsula, and the Moon Jae-in administration has been talking about imposing its own sanctions against North Korea as a welcome gift to Trump,” said Kim Chang-han of the newly-formed Minjung Party. “The current U.S.-South Korea alliance is based on South Korea’s subordination and is a war alliance that is far too dangerous.” In Japan, Zainichi Koreans protested in front of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on November 3. Among the groups protesting were Zainichi Koreans United for Democracy and Reunification (Han Tong Ryun) and the Zainichi Korean People’s National Solidarity Network. “Last month, the U.S. not only simulated the dropping of nuclear bombs but also flew B-1B strategic bombers in the air space of the Korean Peninsula,” noted Son Hyung-geun of Han Tong Ryun. He urged, “Let us abandon denial of the possibility of war and raise our voices with a sense of urgency against war, U.S. invasion of North Korea and Trump.”

Trump Continues Tradition Of President Waging War Wherever It Wants

November 7, 2017 Marjorie Cohn, truth-out.org Educate! Trump Administration, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

By Marjorie Cohn for Truthout - Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on October 30 that the Trump administration has all the legal authority it needs to kill people anywhere in the world. But just in case Congress wishes to update its old Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), Mattis and Tillerson told them how to do it: Write a blank check to the president. The October 4 killings of four US soldiers on a "routine training mission" in Niger brought the committee's hearing into sharper focus. It turns out the presence of these troops in Niger was unlawful. Mattis claimed the four dead US soldiers were just there on a train-and-advise mission. "I think it was reasonable to think they could go out there and train these [Niger] troops without the idea they're going into direct combat; but" he admitted, "that's not a complete answer. I need to wait until I get the investigation to fully appraise it." Derek Gannon, a former Green Beret, said, "[US military involvement in Africa] is called Low Intensity Irregular Warfare, yet technically, it's not considered war by the Pentagon. But," he added, "warfare is warfare to me." Mattis insisted that Title 10 of the US Code grants authority for train-and-advise missions anywhere in the world.

Trump Administration Rescinds Special Ed Guidance

October 23, 2017 Michelle Diament, www.disabilityscoop.com Educate! Disability Rights, mental health, Trump Administration

By Michelle Diament for Disability Scoop - The Education Department said Friday that it has rescinded 72 guidance documents — 63 from the Office of Special Education Programs and nine from the Rehabilitation Services Administration — some of which have been on record for decades. The move comes as the agency works to follow through on an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February requiring the federal government to “to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens.” Over the summer, the Education Department sought public comment on “regulations that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement or modification.” Now, officials with the agency’s Office of Special Education Programs said they are working in phases to comply with the order. “The first phase involved reviewing guidance that OSERS has published on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehab. Act), as amended,” said Kimberly M. Richey, acting assistant secretary of special education and rehabilitative services, in a statement announcing the decision to withdraw numerous guidance documents. “Initially, we evaluated the guidance to determine those that were outdated, unnecessary or ineffective.” Guidance documents flagged by the review touch on special education funding, least restrictive environment, private placements, employment and more. Some were issued as recently as 2014 while others have been around since the 1980s.

The Collapse Of Trumpcare And The Rise Of Single Payer

October 19, 2017 Adam Gaffney and Zackary D. Berger, www.blogs.bmj.com Educate! Health Care, Single-Payer, Trump Administration

By Adam Gaffney and Zackary D. Berger for The BMJ Opinion - Two major developments in September upended US healthcare politics. The month’s end saw the failure of a last-ditch blitz by Senate Republicans to dispatch the Affordable Care Act (ACA) via the Graham-Cassidy bill, a painful defeat for opponents of Obamacare, including President Trump. And on 13 September, Senator Bernie Sanders’ single-payer “Medicare-for-All” bill was released, galvanizing proponents of progressive healthcare reform. Among the notable aspects of Sanders’ bill was its co-sponsorship by 16 Senators (as opposed to zero for Sanders’ last bill), among whom were most of the potential Democratic 2020 presidential contenders. Rising support for single-payer in the Senate follows a similar shift in the House of Representatives, where a majority of Democratic lawmakers now support Representative John Conyers’ single-payer bill. The immediate impact of these single-payer bills—given that neither will pass in the current Congress—may seem modest. Yet in conjunction with the collapse of Republicans’ ACA repeal efforts, they could signal a new era in American healthcare politics.

Israeli Arms Maker Picked To Build Prototype Of Trump’s Border Wall

October 18, 2017 Ali Abunimah, www.electronicintifada.net Educate! Border, Israel, Trump Administration

By Ali Abunimah for The Electronic Antifada - An Israeli arms maker has been picked by the US Department of Homeland Security to build a prototype of the wall President Donald Trump has vowed to build along the full length of the US-Mexico border. Elta North America is one of eight firms that will receive about $300,000-$500,000 each to build test versions of the barrier. Trump now says his wall will be “see through,” suggesting an emphasis on fences and electronic monitoring, rather than concrete. Construction of the prototypes is expected to begin this fall near San Diego. The company is the Maryland-based subsidiary of Elta Systems Ltd., which is owned by one of Israel’s leading arms companies, Israel Aerospace Industries. Elta is not the only Israeli firm that pitched itself to build Trump’s wall. Magal Security Systems, a company that has helped Israel isolate Gaza from the outside world, earlier expressed its interest in winning the contract.

Trump Shoots The US In The Foot Over Iran

October 16, 2017 Eric Margolis, www.ericmargolis.com Educate! Iran, Trump Administration, US Imperialism

By Eric Margolis for Eric Margolis - President Donald Trump has put the United States on the course for war with Iran. That was clearly his objective last Friday when he refused to certify the international nuclear accord with Iran and proclaimed heavy sanctions against Tehran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guards Corps. Trump’s move was also a clever ploy to deflect blame for abrogating the key 2015 Iran nuclear treaty that the US signed with Iran, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union. Accusing Iran of ‘terrorism’ and ‘violating the spirit of the accord,’ Trump threw the Iran issue into the hands of the Republican-dominated US Congress. He had to. All of Trump’s senior national security officials and those from the treaty partners and UN reported that Iran had kept its end of the deal. So Trump trotted out the old song and dance about terrorism – which means anything Uncle Sam does not like. The same United States that supports the murderous Islamic State and its allies in Syria and Iraq. There won’t be much doubt about how Congress handles this hot potato. The leading senators and congressmen who will deal with the issue, like Bob Corker, Tom Cotton, and Marco Rubio, are all firmly in the pocket of pro-Israel lobbies. The US vociferous ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, is almost a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Las Vegas gambling mogul and uber Zionist billionaire, Sheldon Adelson – who is also a key financial backer of Trump and Netanyahu.

Judge Orders Limits On Warrant Seeking Info On Anti-Trump Site

October 16, 2017 Kate Conger, www.gizmodo.com Educate! Inauguration, Repression, Trump Administration

By Kate Conger for Gizmodo - A judge ordered the web hosting company DreamHost to redact identifying information about visitors to a website used to coordinate a protest during President Trump’s inauguration, imposing further limits on an extensive warrant obtained by the Justice Department that initially aimed to collect visitors’ IP addresses. Chief Judge Robert E. Morin of the Superior Court of D.C. had previously ordered DreamHost to turn over information about the operators of the website, disruptj20.org. The Justice Department alleged that the site was used to privately communicate plans for a riot, and that it needed the IP addresses of the millions of visitors to the site in order to discover who had incited the violence. After resistance from DreamHost, the Justice Department narrowed the scope of its request. In an order issued today, Morin said that the government would need to submit a report explaining the minimization procedures it would use when searching DreamHost’s data—in short the government would need to explain why it needs everything it needs. Only then would Morin allow the DoJ to review redacted data, and the government would again have to provide the court with its justification for removing any redactions. “Because of the potential breadth of the government’s review in this case, the Warrant in its execution may implicate otherwise innocuous and constitutionally protected activity,” Morin wrote.

Trump Advisers Propose Privatizing Native American Reservations

October 11, 2017 Staff, www.theindigenousamericans.com Educate! Indigenous Peoples, Privatization, Reservations, Trump Administration

By Staff of The Indigenous American - Native American reservations cover just 2 percent of the United States, but they may contain about a fifth of the nation’s oil and gas, along with vast coal reserves. Now, a group of advisors to President-elect Donald Trump on Native American issues wants to free those resources from what they call a suffocating federal bureaucracy that holds title to 56 million acres of tribal lands, two chairmen of the coalition told Reuters in exclusive interviews. The group proposes to put those lands into private ownership – a politically explosive idea that could upend more than century of policy designed to preserve Indian tribes on U.S.-owned reservations, which are governed by tribal leaders as sovereign nations. The tribes have rights to use the land, but they do not own it. They can drill it and reap the profits, but only under regulations that are far more burdensome than those applied to private property. “We should take tribal land away from public treatment,” said Markwayne Mullin, a Republican U.S. Representative from Oklahoma and a Cherokee tribe member who is co-chairing Trump’s Native American Affairs Coalition. “As long as we can do it without unintended consequences, I think we will have broad support around Indian country.” Trump’s transition team did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

D.C. Police Threw More Than 70 Grenades At Inauguration Protesters

October 10, 2017 Baynard Woods, www.therealnews.com Resist! Inauguration, Police abuse, Protests, Repression, Trump Administration

By Baynard Woods for The Real News Network - MPD deployed the weapons during massive protests of Donald Trump’s inauguration. At some point around 10:00 a.m. on the morning of the inauguration some protesters began breaking windows of major corporations on 13th Street NW between Logan Circle and Franklin Square. The protesters who engaged in vandalism were dressed in all black as part of a so-called “black bloc.” In the statement of notice for an expert witness set to appear in the first trial related to the case, which begins on Nov. 20, the prosecutors argue that the “‘black bloc’ tactic involves participants dressing in all black clothing and concealing their faces with masks, bandanas, and other clothing items. This tactic makes it difficult for law enforcement to identify the individual perpetrators of violence or destruction within the larger group.” Shortly after the police encountered the group, they began to deploy weapons, spraying large amounts of pepper spray (I was covering the event and was hit with spray). Platoon 32, for instance, emptied four large MK46 canisters and seven smaller canisters of the irritant.

Jeff Sessions Issues Directive Undercutting LGBT Protections

October 9, 2017 Staff, www.theguardian.com Educate! Jeff Sessions, LGBTQ, Trump Administration

By Staff of The Guardian - The attorney general, Jeff Sessions, on Friday issued a sweeping directive that undercuts federal protections for LGBT people, telling agencies to do as much as possible to accommodate those who claim their religious freedoms are violated. In response, one LGBT rights advocate called the directive a “license to discriminate” and “an attack on the values of freedom and fairness that make this nation great”. Also on Friday, the Trump administration issued a new rule that substantially undermines women’s access to birth control under the Affordable Care Act. The Sessions directive, an attempt to deliver on Donald Trump’s pledge to evangelical supporters that he will protect religious liberties, effectively lifts a burden from religious objectors to prove their beliefs about marriage or other topics are sincerely held. A claim of a violation of religious freedom will now be enough to override many anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people, women and others. The guidelines are so sweeping that experts on religious liberty called them a legal powder keg that could prompt wide-ranging lawsuits against the government. “This is putting the world on notice: you better take these claims seriously,” Robin Fretwell Wilson, a law professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told the Associated Press. “This is a signal to the rest of these agencies to rethink the protections they have put in place on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Whistleblower Quits With Letter Over Trump Interior Dept. Leadership

October 9, 2017 Sabrina Shankman, www.insideclimatenews.org Resist! Climate Change, Trump Administration, Whistleblowers

By Sabrina Shankman for Inside Climate Change - A senior Interior Department official announced his resignation on Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of poor leadership, wasting taxpayer dollars and failing to address climate change. Joel Clement's resignation comes four months after he invoked the protections of whistleblower law for what he said was an illegal attempt by the department's leaders to intimidate him for speaking out about climate change. "You and President Trump have waged an all-out assault on the civil service by muzzling scientists and policy experts like myself," Clement wrote in his resignation letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. "You have disrespected the career staff of the Department by questioning their loyalty, and you have played fast and loose with government regulations to score points with your political base at the expense of American health and safety." In the letter, Clement listed some of the groups of Americans who are reckoning with the impacts of climate change—including families and businesses in the path of hurricanes and flooding, the fishermen and farmers coping with new realities, medical professionals working to understand new diseases—and issued a warning.

New Yorkers Picket Trump Tower In Support Of Puerto Rico

October 5, 2017 Ashoka Jegroo, www.wagingnonviolence.org Resist! New York (NY), Protests, Puerto Rico, Trump Administration

By Ashoka Jegroo for Waging Nonviolence - A crowd of about a hundred protesters picketed outside of Trump Tower in New York City on Tuesday in support of hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, while also protesting colonialism and the Trump administration’s response to Hurricane Maria. The protest occurred on the same day as President Trump’s first trip to Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the island two weeks ago. “We’re here denouncing not only Trump’s visit to the island. We’re denouncing what’s going on right now and how politicians from both parties are using Puerto Rico as a ping pong ball. They are not helping my country,” said Norma Perez of Call to Action On Puerto Rico. “Also we want to denounce the payment of [Puerto Rico’s] debt. This is not the time to pay any debt. Just take the debt with you, allow us to be free, and we can move on and be an independent country without the colonialism, without everything they are imposing on us in Puerto Rico.” The protesters, many of whom were Puerto Ricans from the island or the diaspora, demanded an end to the Jones Act, a law imposed by the United States in 1920 that only allows U.S. ships to deliver goods to the island.

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