Trump Administration

Meet Neil Gorsuch, The New Antonin Scalia

By Bill Blum for Truth Dig - Just when we might have thought we’d seen Donald Trump at his zaniest (say, in the first presidential debate) and most dangerous (say, in his executive order on immigration last week), he outdid himself with the nomination of Neil Gorsuch, 49, a judge from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (headquartered in Denver), to fill the late Antonin Scalia’s empty chair on the Supreme Court. The zany part is the way our narcissist in chief introduced Gorsuch as his pick. The dangerous part is that Gorsuch is exactly the sort of Scalia-in-waiting we would expect from an extremist right-wing administration that aims to roll back constitutional rights...

Trump’s SCOTUS Pick Won’t Go Down Without A Fight

February 1, 2017 Chris Tognotti, www.bustle.com Educate! Donald Trump, Supreme Court, Trump Administration

By Chris Tognotti for Bustle - On Tuesday, Jan. 31, all of America got its first look at the first Supreme Court nomination of the Trump era. And in the end, it was one of the names bandied about for weeks ― the pick was Neil Gorsuch, who was reportedly in Washington, D.C. the evening of the announcement to help gin up suspense. And with the progressive base of the Democratic Party animated and fervent about a strong resistance being put up to President Trump's agenda, you might be wondering: can the Democrats block Gorsuch's nomination, or is it already a lost cause? The simple answer is yes, they could theoretically block him, but there are procedural moves, to say nothing of routine political pressures, that the GOP can use to ultimately push him through regardless of the opposition.

Trump Purges State Department, CIA May Be Next

January 31, 2017 Dan Wright, www.mintpressnews.com Educate! CIA, Donald Trump, Trump Administration

By Dan Wright for Mint Press News - Today, four State Department senior leaders resigned from their positions. The senior State Department leaders were reportedly asked to leave via letter in what is believed to be an effort to “clean house” at the department. While the officials technically resigned, the real decision was for the Trump Administration to accept what are pro forma resignations at the beginning of any administration. Also among those not asked to return to service was highly controversial Assistant Secretary for Europe Victoria Nuland, who seemed to work tirelessly to damage US relations with Russia.

As Opposition To DeVos Swells, Hope For Her Rejection Builds

January 28, 2017 Nadia Prupis, www.commondreams.org Resist! Education, Trump Administration

By Nadia Prupis for Common Dreams - Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said no Democrat will vote in favor of DeVos, and the party is actively seeking Republicans to oppose her as well. There may be enough opposition to Education Secretary pick Betsy DeVos to overturn her nomination, as activists, teachers, and members of Congress step up their resistance. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday said he would vote against DeVos, stating that the billionaire heiress and proponent of privatization would "single-handedly decimate our public education system." President Donald Trump's "decision to ask Betsy DeVos to run the Department of Education should offend every single American man, woman, and child who has benefited from the public education system...

Indiana Teachers Sit-In Demanding Young Recuse Himself From DeVos Vote

January 28, 2017 Paulina Firoz, www.thehill.com Resist! Education, Indiana, Sit-In, Teachers, Trump Administration

By Paulina Firoz for The Hill - A group of teachers in Indiana held a sit-in at the office of a senator they say should recuse himself from the vote to confirm President Trump’s pick for secretary of Education. The teachers say Betsy DeVos gave Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) $48,000 in donations last year, according to a report by local news outlet WTHR, which they say make his vote a conflict of interest. “Why would she pay so much, with so much desire to have this job if she were unqualified for it?” said one teacher said to WTHR at Thursday’s sit-in. Young is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is scheduled to hold an executive session to vote on DeVos’s nomination on Jan. 31.

Lawyer Defending Racial Gerrymandering Picked For Top Civil Rights Job

January 28, 2017 Lee Fang, www.theintercept.com Educate! Civil Rights, DOJ, Trump Administration

By Lee Fang for The Intercept - JOHN GORE, AN ATTORNEY who has worked to defend laws that critics say are designed to weaken the voting rights of African-Americans and other minorities, was selected by President Donald Trump to serve as a senior civil rights official at the Department of Justice. Gore’s new role as Trump’s choice for deputy assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is notable because he will lead the division that oversees civil rights laws, including voter suppression issues. Trump and his nominee to lead the Justice Department, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, are strong supporters of voting restrictions such as voter identification.

In First 100 Hours Of Trump Admin, Students Nationwide Walk-Out Of Class

January 26, 2017 Allyson Gross, www.alternet.org Resist! Protests, Student Protests, Trump Administration

By Allyson Gross for 350.org - New York, NY -- Within 100 hours of Donald Trump’s inauguration, in the first and largest youth-led mobilization of 2017, thousands of students across the country walked-out of class in protest of Trump and his corrupt fossil fuel billionaire cabinet. This comes just two days after nearly 3 million people mobilized in Women’s Marches around the world. Students on dozens of campuses across the country are demanding administrations resist and reject Trump’s climate denial cabinet by divesting from fossil fuels and reinvesting in solutions to the climate crisis. “In the face of Trump’s dangerous climate denial, youth are rising up,” said Greta Neubauer, Director of the Divestment Student Network.

Trump Administration Imposes Freeze On EPA Grants And Contracts

January 25, 2017 Andrew Revkin and Jesse Eisinger, www.propublica.org Educate! EPA, Trump Administration

By Andrew Revkin and Jesse Eisinger for Pro Publica - The Trump administration has imposed a freeze on grants and contracts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Trump administration has imposed a freeze on grants and contracts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a move that could affect a significant part of the agency’s budget allocations and even threaten to disrupt core operations ranging from toxic cleanups to water quality testing, according to records and interviews. In one email exchange obtained by ProPublica on Monday, an EPA contracting officer concluded a note to a storm water management employee this way: “Right now we are in a holding pattern.

Treasury Pick’s Trail Of Suffering

January 25, 2017 Heather McCreary, www.inequality.org Educate! Donald Trump, Senate, Treasury, Trump Administration

By Heather McCreary for Inequality.org - The Senate held confirmation hearings on Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s pick for Treasury Secretary, on January 19. Mr. Mnuchin has had a long career in the financial industry, one which made him extremely wealthy and left behind a trail of financial ruin for tens of thousands of families. My family is one of them. That’s why I flew across the country to Washington, D.C. to watch the confirmation hearing in person and to tell my story at a forum on Capitol Hill hosted by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. In 2006, my husband and I purchased our “dream home” in Sparks, Nevada. When the Great Recession hit, our dream became a nightmare.

Inauguration Offers Preview Of Trump-Era Policing

January 22, 2017 John Knefel, www.truthout.org Resist! Inauguration Day, Militarization, Police abuse, Trump Administration

By John Knefel for TruthOut. As much of the United States waits in collective distress to see exactly what the presidency of Donald J. Trump will bring, it is already clear that the country is in for an unprecedented assault on ethics regulations and legal obligations from the White House. At the same time, all the signs point to a renewed era of harsh law enforcement for the rest of the country, focused primarily on already heavily policed and marginalized communities. An ominous statement posted to the official White House website today reads: "The dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America is wrong. The Trump Administration will end it." It remains to be seen exactly how law enforcement will change under Trump, and whether he will actively pursue some of his most discriminatory campaign promises, like subjecting Muslims to increased surveillance and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.

Trump Team Prepares Dramatic Cuts

January 21, 2017 Alexander Bolton, www.thehill.com Organize! Trump Administration

By Alexander Bolton for The Hill - Donald Trump is ready to take an ax to government spending. Staffers for the Trump transition team have been meeting with career staff at the White House ahead of Friday’s presidential inauguration to outline their plans for shrinking the federal bureaucracy, The Hill has learned. The changes they propose are dramatic. The departments of Commerce and Energy would see major reductions in funding, with programs under their jurisdiction either being eliminated or transferred to other agencies. The departments of Transportation, Justice and State would see significant cuts and program eliminations.

#DayAgainstDenial Protests Across U.S. Call Attention To Climate Change

January 12, 2017 Sharon Kelly, www.desmogblog.com Resist! Climate Change, Protests, Trump Administration

By Sharon Kelly for Desmog Blog - President-elect Donald Trump's nominees for the Cabinet began appearing before the U.S. Senate to start their confirmation hearing process on Tuesday — and some of the slots to be filled will have major implications for American climate change policies. Rex Tillerson, who announced his retirement as CEO of ExxonMobil, is scheduled to appear before the Senate on Wednesday, as is Elaine Chao, Trump's nominee for Secretary of Transporation. On Monday, environmentalists nationwide organized protests at senators' home offices, with organizers calling on their representatives to refuse to confirm Cabinet nominees hostile to combating climate change.

8 Reasons The Senate Must Reject Jeff Sessions

January 11, 2017 William J. Barber II, www.commondreams.org Educate! Congress, Trump Administration

By William J. Barber II for Common Dreams - The positions and policies he has supported do not uplift America’s shared values of love, justice and mercy. On Capitol Hill today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding confirmation hearings to consider the first of Donald Trump’s cabinet nominations, Sen. Jefferson B. Sessions of Alabama. 26 years ago, this same committee denied Sessions a recommendation for the federal bench. “Most of Reagan’s judicial appointments have been people with impressive credentials regardless of their ideologies,” the editors of the LA Times wrote. “Sessions is a different story.” The Senate refused to confirm Sessions in 1986 because the testimony they heard suggested that he sided with his namesake, Jefferson Davis, over America’s commitment to equal protection under the law.

1,226 Law Professors Tell Congress To Dump Jeff Sessions

January 7, 2017 Daniel Reynolds, www.advocate.com Resist! Donald Trump, Trump Administration

By Daniel Reynolds for Advocate - Sessions, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the post in November, has a lengthy anti-LGBT record. He voted to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage; spoke out against the Supreme Court marriage equality ruling; voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; is a cosponsor of the so-called First Amendment Defense Act, which would allow discrimination against LGBT people and others in the name of “religious freedom”; voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded the federal definition of hate crimes to include those based on sexual orientation, gender, and disability...

Trump’s Secretary Of State Gets $182 Million Golden Parachute

January 6, 2017 Wires and David Martosko, www.dailymail.co.uk Educate! Donald Trump, Exxon, State Department, Trump Administration

By Wires and David Martosko For Dailymail - Rex Tillerson, the nominee of President-elect Donald Trump for secretary of state, is severing ties with Exxon Mobil through a $182 million retirement package ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing. Tillerson was expected to step down as CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp. in March when he turned 65, the company's mandatory retirement age. Exxon said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that Tillerson has agreed to give up approximately 2 million unvested shares. If his appointment is confirmed, the value of those shares – worth about $182 million at Tuesday's closing price – that Tillerson would have received over the next 10 years will be transferred to an independently managed trust, the company said in a statement.

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