Author: Data and Research Manager

Bigotry And Xenophobia Now Have Free Rein

The following article by Cynthia Tucker Haynes was posted on the National Memo website January 28, 2017:

President Donald Trump will build a wall along the border with Mexico. You know that’s true because, well, he says it is.

Starting his tenure with a showman’s gifts for displays of authority and action, he signed an executive order calling for the “immediate construction of a physical wall.” Putting still more pressure on undocumented workers, he also signed an order that will make it easy for border enforcement agents to deport those who have not been convicted of any crime. Continue reading “Bigotry And Xenophobia Now Have Free Rein”

A Therapist Attempts to Explain Donald Trump’s Rocky First Few Days in Office

The following article by Jesse Singal was posted on the New York Magazine website Janury 25, 2017:

Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump has had a rocky first workweek in office. He can’t stop making false statements about the size of his inaugural crowd and the election’s popular-vote margin. According to insider accounts — his White House is leaking like a sieve — he is upset that the nation and the media don’t realize how great he is. He is still sending ill-advised tweets, including one this morning in which he, despite having not communicated with Chicago’s leadership on the idea, threatened to send “the feds” to the Windy City to deal with the gun-violence problem there (apparently he saw an O’Reilly Factor segment on it). This has not been a normal first few days for a president, by any means.

This isn’t new, of course. There’s a decades-long pattern of Trump acting in a very unusual manner by the standards of normal, well-adjusted adulthood. Throughout the campaign and the first days of his presidency, observers have scrambled to try to understand him, to try to find some framework that can explain what’s going on. Continue reading “A Therapist Attempts to Explain Donald Trump’s Rocky First Few Days in Office”

Repealing the ACA without a Replacement — The Risks to American Health Care

The following commentary by former President Barack Obama was posted on the New England Journal of Medicine website January 26, 2017:

Health care policy often shifts when the country’s leadership changes. That was true when I took office, and it will likely be true with President-elect Donald Trump. I am proud that my administration’s work, through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other policies, helped millions more Americans know the security of health care in a system that is more effective and efficient. At the same time, there is more work to do to ensure that all Americans have access to high-quality, affordable health care. What the past 8 years have taught us is that health care reform requires an evidence-based, careful approach, driven by what is best for the American people. That is why Republicans’ plan to repeal the ACA with no plan to replace and improve it is so reckless. Rather than jeopardize financial security and access to care for tens of millions of Americans, policymakers should develop a plan to build on what works before they unravel what is in place. Continue reading “Repealing the ACA without a Replacement — The Risks to American Health Care”

Bannon Takes Control

While Trump lies, the former Breitbart chief seizes the reins of power.

The following article by Jefferson Morley was posted on the AlterNet website January 26, 2017:

PHOTO: AP Photo

One key question of the Trump presidency in its first week is: who is actually going to perform the tasks associated with the job?

While the liberal comedians and right-wing pundits agitate themselves about crowd sizes, odd tweets and imaginary voter fraud, Politico and the Hill supply some data points about the all-important paper flow in Washington. Steve Bannon, the former Goldman Sachs executive-turned-Breitbart news chief, is running the government, while the president argues with actresses.

Politico reports that the executive orders Trump has been signing were prepared and coordinated by Bannon. Various Cabinet secretaries and congressional leaders were not consulted, according to the story. Such procedural corner-cutting is not inconsequential when it comes to spending $25 billion of taxpayer funds or running the CIA. Continue reading “Bannon Takes Control”

Kim Kardashian West Sends a Not-so-subtle Message After Donald Trump’s Immigration Ban

The following article by Blake Bakkila of People Magazine was posted on the Yahoo website January 29, 2017:

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that temporarily bans any refugees from entering the U.S., indefinitely bans refugees who hail from Syria and temporarily bans citizens from several Muslim countries from entering the U.S.

The controversial order that has sparked protests across the country has outraged many, including a slew of celebrities and politicians. Kardashian West has joined the growing list of people sharing their grievances online. Continue reading “Kim Kardashian West Sends a Not-so-subtle Message After Donald Trump’s Immigration Ban”

We kept our baby. Here’s how Republicans can prove that they’re pro-life, too.

The following article by Emily Barbero was posted on the Washington Post website January 27, 2017:

Emily Barbero lives in Minneapolis.

In 2012, while expecting our first (and only) child, my husband and I went in for a routine ultrasound. The technician saw something and alerted the resident perinatologist, who alerted the genetics team. We quickly wiped the gel from my belly, and they escorted us down the hall. In the rush, the black-and-white photos of our baby were left on the printer. Someone probably threw them away long ago.

After reviewing our file, the genetics counselor explained to us that they couldn’t quite know what was wrong for sure without further testing, but that our son’s brain showed clear anatomical issues. She said that some children with our son’s condition never walk or talk. They sometimes have cognitive, social and emotional delays. Their quality of life can suffer, and they can be a considerable drain on the emotional and financial health of families. Continue reading “We kept our baby. Here’s how Republicans can prove that they’re pro-life, too.”

An ‘America first’ philosophy? During May’s visit, it’s more like ‘Trump first.’

The following article by Ashley Parker was posted on the Washington Post website January 27, 2017:

The world according to President Trump is mostly about President Trump.

Even with British Prime Minister Theresa May standing at the lectern just to his right Friday, the new president used his first joint news conference with a world leader to underscore that while his campaign message may have been “America first,” his actual guiding philosophy is more “Trump first.”

On a host of issues, from Russia to torture to Brexit, Trump cast his policy positions almost entirely in terms of personal — not foreign — relations. Continue reading “An ‘America first’ philosophy? During May’s visit, it’s more like ‘Trump first.’”

Russians Charged With Treason Worked in Office Linked to Election Hacking

The following article by Scott Shane, David E. Sanger and Andrew E. Kramer was posted on the New York Times website January 27, 2017:

WASHINGTON — Ever since American intelligence agencies accused Russia of trying to influence the American election, there have been questions about the proof they had to support the accusation.

But the news from Moscow may explain how the agencies could be so certain that it was the Russians who hacked the email of Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Two Russian intelligence officers who worked on cyberoperations and a Russian computer security expert have been arrested and charged with treason for providing information to the United States, according to multiple Russian news reports. Continue reading “Russians Charged With Treason Worked in Office Linked to Election Hacking”

Anti-Obama commentary left out the most important context

Cal Brink’s Jan. 27 commentary “Obama administration’s parting shot at hunters was gratuitous,” was intended to deceive. What other conclusion can one make when Brink refers to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Order 219, titled “Use of Nontoxic Ammunition and Fishing Tackle,” then calls it a ban on “traditional ammunition.” Nowhere in his piece did he use the word “lead,” as in lead ammunition.

Order 219 is for the “use of nontoxic ammunition and fishing tackle to the fullest extent practicable for all activities” in our national parks, wildlife refuges and other public hunting areas under the management of the federal government. And the order gives the Fish and Wildlife Service five years to implement it, meaning it affects no one until 2022 (https://www.fws.gov/policy/do219.html). And this order doesn’t affect, at all, hunting on private property or state hunting areas, like the Mille Lacs Wildlife Management Area. Continue reading “Anti-Obama commentary left out the most important context”