Here’s your dose of “What the Fuck Is Going On” News (2/9/2017 edition)
A federal appeals court has refused to reinstate Trump’s ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is now possible where much of the ban could expire and run it’s course before a decision is made. However, the administration also could change the executive order, including changing its scope or duration. (source)
After Nordstrom (and other clothing stores) pulled Ivanka Trump’s fashion line, Donald Trump went to Twitter to complain about the company. Today, Kellyanne Conway went on Fox News to speak about the incident and went on to officially endorse Ivanka’s line. “This is just wonderful line. I own some of it. I fully — I’m going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.” Being a federal employee, this is an outright violation of federal ethics laws. However enforcement measures are largely left to the head of the federal agency and in Conway’s case this means the White House so chances are she will receive little to no punishment. (source)
A Phoenix woman, Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, was taken into custody late last night by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reflecting the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Guadalupe came to the U.S as a young teen with her parents and hasn’t lived in Mexico since she was 14. Now, 36 she has two children and has attended her scheduled meetings with the ICE every 6 months. This is an indication of the reach that Trump’s executive order has received and that it will no longer prioritizing violent offenders. Protesters tried to help Guadalupe by blocking the ICE vans from taking her away, several were arrested and Guadalupe has officially been deported to Nogales, Mexico. (source)
A New York judge has ordered the NYPD to divulge files showing how it’s been surveilling Black Lives Matter demonstrations over the last two years. (source)
Trump has signed another series of executive orders, this time dealing with crime, police, and cartels. One order tasks the attorney general with setting up a “Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety,” that will work to reduce crime, particularly “illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and violent crime.” The second tasks the attorney general with developing a strategy, in coordination with local, state, and federal agencies, to prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes against police, as well as reviewing whether existing laws go far enough in protecting police from violent crimes.The third tasks the secretary of state, attorney general, secretary of homeland security, and director of national intelligence to co-chair and direct the existing interagency Threat Mitigation Working Group with a broad review of policies to make sure the US is adequately detecting and prosecuting international drug cartels. (source)
In a call with Vladimir Putin, Trump denounced a treaty that caps U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads as a bad deal for the United States. Trump said that the 2010 treaty, known as New START was a bad deal - but only after he paused the conversation to ask his aids what the treaty even was. (source)
After Sen. Richard Blumenthal relayed some of his conversation with Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch, Trump attacked Blumenthal. According to Blumenthal, Gorsuch called Trump’s regular criticisms of the federal judiciary “disheartening” and “demoralizing,“ comments that were later confirmed. Trump claims that Gorsuch never made these comments and then went after Blumenthal’s military record and how he misrepresented himself. Later Trump attacked CNN for never asking Blumenthal about this misrepresentation in the past, which they quickly debunked. (source) (source)
Construction crews have resumed work on the final segment of the Dakota Access pipeline, and the full system could be operational within three months. However, the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes are still working hard to oppose the efforts and have filed a legal challenge to block the work and protect their water supply. (source)
The Global Gag Rule – which cuts U.S. aid funding to charities that provide, support or discuss abortion is already causing major problems worldwide. This is an article that really should just be read in it’s entirety, warning for graphic content.
Chuck Cooper, the conservative Supreme Court litigator, is withdrawing his name from consideration to be the next solicitor general. His withdrawal means that Kellyanne Conway’s husband, George Conway, might be appointed to the role. (source)
Rep. Tom Price is Trump’s pick for health and human services secretary and he’s receiving a lot of push back due to his actions in Congress. Price spent the last 12 years in Congress writing legislation on health care issues, he also bought and sold health care stocks whose value was affected by the legislation he was working on. This isn’t an illegal move, but it does raise a lot of concerns regarding ethics. Despite this concern, Price is headed towards his final confirmation vote. (source)
Today Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb pardoned a man named Keith Cooper. Back when Mike Pence was the governor of Indiana, he denied a pardon requested by Cooper after he spent nearly a decade in prison for a crime he did not commit. DNA evidence eventually found Cooper innocent but his record still showed he committed the crime, making life outside prison very difficult. (source)
The Trump administration is still reviewing Dodd-Frank Wall Street regulation, and there are plans to introduce new legislation to quash many bank regulations and regulators’ enforcement authority in Dodd-Frank. However, the acting Securities and Exchange Commission Chair, Michael Piwowar, is quickly trying to target one rule. The regulation under attack is one that require corporations to disclose the discrepancy between what their CEOs earn and what their ordinary workers take home. (source) (source)
A senior national security official, Michael Anton, in the Trump administration has be outed as a writer using the pseudonym Publius Decius Mus. He gained popularity for penning works that are anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, anti-immigration, and promoting white nationalism. Anton’s works have noted that diversity is “a source of weakness, tension and disunion,” and asked “What good has immigration done for the United States and the American people?” Anton also defended the America First Committee, a group that urged the U.S. to stay out of World War II by invoking anti-Semitic stereotypes, by claiming it was “unfairly maligned.” (source) (source)
Update: To the surprise of nobody, Trump tweeted in response to a federal appeals court has refusing to reinstate Trump’s ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations. He used all caps, so we know it’s serious:
Oddly enough he recently admitted that he did not want to enact the travel ban so quickly and instead give notice first. Stating that he wanted to wait a bit, but was told no. “The law enforcement people said to me, ‘Oh, you can’t give a notice. I suggested a month. And I said, ‘What about a week?’ They said you can’t do that because then people are gonna pour in before the toughness.“
GO 👏 THE 👏 FUCK 👏 OFF. Also, the American educational system is trash. I applaud this child’s parents for giving her a voice and standing up against bias authority.
(Can someone caption this?)
Classroom full of mostly black and brown students:
Black student:[unintelligible—and then] …and then throwing everything away beneath it because it doesn’t pertain to you. I’m sorry —
White teacher:—you know what, I’m sorry -I’m sorry…
Black student:—No, no, no…I let you talk -I let you talk, you’re gonna let me talk.
[Other students gasps]
White student:Go ahead. Finish.
Black student:I’m sorry that this is the way that it is. You’re right, it is fucked up. But white people control everything…and that’s not fair. And when anybody, any other minority tries to say anything about it or change it, we’re complaining or we’re ungrateful or all this other stuff because we still have this or that. But then you say something about ‘Oh, I don’t want—there’s too many Latinos and there’s too many—’
White teacher: I didn’t say that—
[Various students disagree]
White teacher: I said I want to control the border!
Black student: You said you don’t want this to turn into a Latin country because there’ll be too many
White teacher: I did not say that.
[Various students disagree]
Student 2: You said you want to preserve the American culture.
Black student: There is no American culture. American culture is EVERYTHING.
[Various students agree]
Random: Mayonnaise!
[Students laugh]
Black student: And because you are white and so closed-minded, you refuse to accept that, you refuse to accept—
White teacher: Don’t tell me I’m closed-minded—
Black student: Everything you’ve said to me is closed-minded.
White teacher: Just because I don’t agree with you doesn’t mean I’m closed-minded.
Black student: You don’t need to agree—I -I’ve had conversations with people that don’t agree with me, but if they at least listen and try to accept—you’re not accepting the truth.
White teacher: Why do I have to accept what you think is right?
Black student: You need to accept the truth! Not what I think is right, what is actually happening right—
White teacher: Well, let me tell you what I think. You said white people have been in control of everything….who is the president of the United States right now?!
Students: A black man!
*Various sounds of incredulity*
Black student: WITH A WHITE CONGRESS! WITH A WHITE SENATE! WITH WHITE EVERYTHING ELSE! HE DOESN’T HAVE THE CONTROL OF EVERYTHING!
Random: GO OFF
Other Random: GO OFF–
*The class is in an uproar*
Random student: YOU ARE SO PRIVILEGED THAT YOU JUST DON’T SEE IT!
“You’re too pretty to be single” Why is one person’s idea of ideal aestheticism A basis for a relationship status And furthermore What is so goddamn shameful or pathetic about being single anyway Is confidence and comfort in being by one’s self intimidating to you
“Swearing is unladylike” Bullshit Swears are only words And these words do not negate my intelligence, or passion, or define anything about me as a person or my character Men are never told not to swear Swear as much as you fucking want
“Your standards are too high! Just give him a chance” No You are invalidating a woman’s right to say no She doesn’t need to explain herself to anyone She doesn’t owe anyone anything Ever Everyone should have standards for themselves, and not feel like they need to lower them to please anyone Or be shamed for leading someone on when they know it would never work Because that happens too
“If you dress like that, boys will get the wrong idea” What idea might that be? That women might actually feel beautiful and confident in their own bodies? Heaven forbid Because obviously women’s bodies belong to everyone else except themselves
“Don’t frown - someone might be falling in love with your smile!” Why Is it my responsibility to always smile no matter how I feel I am a human being who is allowed to experience pain, or confusion, or sorrow, or boredom Men are never criticized for having “resting bitch face”
“Short hair makes you look like a boy!” This is assuming That there is one certain way for “boys” and “girls” to look Not so Some boys have long hair, some girls have short hair, some people who are both or neither also have hair Hair has no gender Humans are allowed to look different from each other and express themselves how they like Gender identity and gender expression are not the same
They aren’t “real” girls because they were born with a penis Anyone is a girl who says they are a girl Stop trying to undermine someone’s identity They know themselves better than you do Anatomy and identity are different, and sometimes separate Why are you so obsessed with other people’s genitals anyway
“You’re going to break a lot of hearts one day” Why would you ever Ever Say this to a girl A young, impressionable girl Breaking hearts is not a compliment, or a goal Coming from someone who has broken at least one From simply being honest and being myself It is a burden - a guilt that has been (mis)placed on my shoulders since childhood I never wanted to be labelled a heartbreaker simply for existing
“You don’t want kids? You’ll change your mind one day” No I won’t Even if I do, one day, that doesn’t make my opinion right now any less valid or deserving of respect Stop disbelieving people about their own life choices Also, having children is not a necessary milestone for a successful or fulfilling life
“Don’t have sex before marriage - boys really want a virginal girl” Sure they do And are boys ever held to that same expectation To stay virgins until marriage? Because as women are shamed for “impurity,” boys are applauded for “experience” I love the smell of double standards in the morning
“You shouldn’t wear so much makeup” The natural look is great The makeup look is great The anything you feel like doing or not doing to your own face look is great Let people do whatever they want to their own bodies Whatever makes them feel good Why do you care
“Selfies are just for attention” Maybe Maybe not What’s so wrong about liking attention What’s so wrong about feeling beautiful and confident in your own skin And wanting to share that feeling with others We were taught for so long to hate our bodies What is so threatening about finally loving them
“Cat-calling is flattering! Learn how to accept a compliment!” “I like your hair” is a compliment “You’re a really talented writer” is a compliment The gross, vulgar things that men shout at women they don’t know on the street Are not compliments They are harassment - meant to imply ownership and dominance and even violence Compliments should not make people fear for their lives walking home Compliments should not actually get people killed
