Tag: Donald Trump

DeVos’ Code Words For Creationism Offshoot Raise Concerns About ‘Junk Science’

The following article by Annie Waldeman was posted on the ProPublica website January 30, 2017:

Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s pick as secretary of education, has funded groups that champion “intelligent design,” a sophisticated outgrowth of creationism. Science educators worry that she could use her bully pulpit to undermine the teaching of evolution in public schools.

AP/Carolyn Kaster
Secretary of education nominee Betsy DeVos testifies at her confirmation hearing in Washington on January 17, 2017.

At a confirmation hearing earlier this month, Betsy DeVos, President Trump’s pick for education secretary, responded to a question about whether she would promote “junk science” by saying she supports science teaching that “allows students to exercise critical thinking.”

This seemingly innocuous statement has raised alarms among science education advocates, and buoyed the hopes of conservative Christian groups that, if confirmed, DeVos may use her bully pulpit atop the U.S. Department of Education to undermine the teaching of evolution in public schools.

DeVos and her family have poured millions of dollars into groups that champion intelligent design, the doctrine that the complexity of biological life can best be explained by the existence of a creator rather than by Darwinian evolution. Within this movement, “critical thinking” has become a code phrase to justify teaching of intelligent design.
Candi Cushman, a policy analyst for the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, described DeVos’ nomination as a positive development for communities that want to include intelligent design in their school curricula. Both the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation and Betsy DeVos’ mother’s foundation have donated to Focus on the Family, which has promoted intelligent design.

Continue reading “DeVos’ Code Words For Creationism Offshoot Raise Concerns About ‘Junk Science’”

Fate Of Trump’s Immigration Order Is Up To The Courts — And It’s Already 0-5

The following article by Michael Doyle with the McClatchy Washington Bureau was posted on the National Memo website January 31, 2017:

President Trump signs an executive order Friday, January 27, at the Pentagon that temporarily bans people from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting refugee admissions faces broad new legal challenges with the filing Monday of multiple far-reaching lawsuits possibly destined for the Supreme Court.

Five different federal courts have already weighed in, each targeting part of the order. Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations challenged the entire order in federal court in Northern Virginia. Though filed on behalf of named individuals, including Sacramento, Calif., resident Basim Elkarra, the CAIR lawsuit casts a wider net. Continue reading “Fate Of Trump’s Immigration Order Is Up To The Courts — And It’s Already 0-5”

Vatican Worried About Trump Immigration Order

The following article by Philip Pullela of Reuters was posted on the National Memo website February 2, 2017:

The Vatican said on Wednesday it was worried about U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves on immigration, in the Holy See’s first comment since his executive order banning travel into the United States by citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries.

“Certainly there is worry because we are messengers of another culture, that of openness,” the Vatican’s deputy secretary of state, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, told an Italian Catholic television station in answer to a question about Trump’s order.

Becciu, who ranks third in the Vatican hierarchy, was asked about the executive order as well as Trump’s promise to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Continue reading “Vatican Worried About Trump Immigration Order”

‘Why let ’em in?’ Understanding Bannon’s worldview and the policies that follow.

The following article by Frances Stead Sellers and David A. Fahrenthold was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2017:

Stephen K. Bannon walks in before a listening session with cybersecurity experts in the Roosevelt Room in the White House on Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

In November 2015, Stephen K. Bannon — then the executive chairman of Breitbart News — was hosting a satellite radio show. His guest was Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), who opposed President Obama’s plan to resettle some Syrian refugees in the United States.

“We need to put a stop on refugees until we can vet,” Zinke said.

Bannon cut him off. Continue reading “‘Why let ’em in?’ Understanding Bannon’s worldview and the policies that follow.”

Resistance from within: Federal workers push back against Trump

The following article by Juliet Eilperin, Lisa Rein and Marc Fischer was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2017:

The signs of popular dissent from President Trump’s opening volley of actions have been plain to see on the nation’s streets, at airports in the aftermath of his refu­gee and visa ban, and in the blizzard of outrage on social media. But there’s another level of resistance to the new president that is less visible and potentially more troublesome to the administration: a growing wave of opposition from the federal workers charged with implementing any new president’s agenda. Continue reading “Resistance from within: Federal workers push back against Trump”

Trump’s hard-line actions have an intellectual godfather: Jeff Sessions

The following article by Philip Rucker and Robert Costa was posted on the Washington Post website January 30, 2017:

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, testifies at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 10. (Melina Mara/The Washington Pos1

In jagged black strokes, President Trump’s signature was scribbled onto a catalogue of executive orders over the past 10 days that translated the hard-line promises of his campaign into the policies of his government.

The directives bore Trump’s name, but another man’s fingerprints were also on nearly all of them: Jeff Sessions. Continue reading “Trump’s hard-line actions have an intellectual godfather: Jeff Sessions”

Trump’s claim taking credit for cutting $600 million from the F-35 program

The following article by Michelle Ye Hee Lee was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2017:

“But we cut approximately $600 million off the F-35 fighter, and that only amounts to 90 planes out of close to 3,000 planes. And when you think about $600 million, it was announced by Marillyn, who’s very talented, the head of Lockheed Martin. I got involved in that about a month ago. A lot was put out, and when they say a lot, a lot meant about 90 planes. They were having a lot of difficulty. There was no movement and I was able to get $600 million approximately off those planes.”
— President Trump, remarks to the press, Jan. 30, 2017

Trump met privately with Lockheed Martin chief executive Marillyn Hewson, following his pre-inauguration criticism in December of the company and the cost of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter planes. Then, in a Jan. 30, 2017, meeting, Trump announced a dramatic cut of $600 million from the program. Is that correct? Continue reading “Trump’s claim taking credit for cutting $600 million from the F-35 program”

Mar-a-Lago: Such A Sweet Deal At Twice The Price

The following article by Carl Hiaasen was posted on the National Memo website January 30, 2017:

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks about the results of the Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois and Missouri primary elections during a news conference held at his Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida March 15, 2016. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

Welcome future members!

We here at beautiful Mar-a-Lago appreciate your enthusiasm at the prospect of joining our luxurious club, located on the almost-private island of Palm Beach.

Since November, we’ve been swamped with so many applications that we’ve decided to increase our initiation fee by 100 percent. Contrary to numerous fake news reports, we’re not doing this to cash in on Mr. Trump’s being elected president. That would be greedy and low-class. Continue reading “Mar-a-Lago: Such A Sweet Deal At Twice The Price”

The number of people affected by Trump’s travel ban: About 90,000

“Only 109 people out of 325,000 were detained and held for questioning.”
— President Trump, tweet, Jan, 30, 2017

“Remember we’re talking about a universe of 109 people. There were 325,000 people that came into this country over a 24 hour period from another country. 109 of them were stopped for additional screening.”
— White House press secretary Sean Spicer, press briefing, Jan. 30, 2017

President Trump and his aides love to cite a small number and a big number in order to minimize the impact of the president’s executive order suspending the visas of citizens of seven countries.

But these figures are incredibly misleading, so let’s go through the math. Continue reading “The number of people affected by Trump’s travel ban: About 90,000”