Tag: Trump authoritarianism

Judge throws out Trump rule limiting what science EPA can use

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Biden officials had asked the Montana federal judge to send back the Environmental Protection Agency rule limiting studies behind public health safeguards.

A federal judge on Monday vacated the Trump administration rule limiting which scientific studies the Environmental Protection Agency can use in crafting public health protections, overturning one of the last major actions taken by the agencybefore President Biden took office.

The ruling by Judge Brian Morris, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, Great Falls, marked a victory for environmental groups and public health advocates. Just two weeks before Biden’s inauguration, EPA finalized a rule requiring researchers to disclose the raw data involved in their public health studies before the agency could rely upon their conclusions.

The rule, which was made effective immediately, would assign less weight to studies built on medical histories and other confidential data from human subjects where the underlying information was not revealed. That sort of research — including dose-response studies, which evaluate how much a person’s exposure to a substance increases the risk of harm — have been used for decades to justify EPA regulations. Continue reading.

Proud Boys organizer arrested in Florida over riot at Capitol

Biggs had organized a 2019 rally in Portland, Oregon, in which more than 1,000 far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators faced off.

ORLANDO, Fla. —Two Florida men, including a self-described organizer for the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, were arrested Wednesday on charges of taking part in the siege of the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, authorities said.

Joseph Biggs, 37, was arrested in central Florida and faces charges of obstructing an official proceeding before Congress, entering a restricted area on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and disorderly conduct.

According to an arrest affidavit, Biggs was part of a crowd on Jan. 6 that overwhelmed Capitol Police officers who were manning a metal barrier on the steps of the Capitol. The mob entered the building as lawmakers were certifying President Joe Biden’s election win. Continue reading.

Bipartisan Disgust Could Save the Republic

The frightening reality check lawmakers and the public got on Jan. 6 is likely to make things a bit easier for the incoming president.

IT WAS, PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden said solemnly, “one of the darkest days in the history of our nation,” a day when pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol and occupied the chamber where both defenders and detractors of the president found themselves jointly threatened by a marauding mob.

But if that day was a low point in a tumultuous five years of a campaign and presidency that served to further divide an already partisan Congress, it may also have been just the jolt lawmakers needed to remember why they were sent to Washington in the first place.

Republicans who just hours before had been defiantly challenging an Electoral College vote count to make Biden the next president backed down, looking shell-shocked as they said this was no longer the best way to go. Trump’s golf pal, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, called on his colleagues to accept the election results and on Thursday tweeted laudatory comments about Biden’s response to what lawmakers called an attempted coup. Continue reading.

History shows Trump’s house of cards will eventually fall — and reality itself with get the last word

AlterNet logoTrump has overlearned one life lesson: Impulse trumps deliberation. There have been gaps in its success but overall, it has worked beautifully. His impulsivity now reliably outwits any wit.

He just learned that lesson again with his impeachment acquittal, another spin and win for the great Trump impulse machine. He’s on a roll, so what will he do?

If you were suddenly dropped into Trump’s shoes, you might remember that you have to reign yourself in since the world is no longer doing much reigning. But then you haven’t overlearned Donald’s one life lesson. Continue reading.

The National Archives is destroying records about victims of Trump’s ICE policies. A historian explains the implications

AlterNet logoLast month, the National Archives and Records Administration apologized for doctoring a photo of the 2017 Women’s March to remove criticisms of President Trump. The shocking revelation that the agency had altered the image was first reported in The Washington Post. In an exhibit called “Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote,” the National Archives had displayed a large image of the first Women’s March. But signs referencing Trump had been blurred to remove his name — including a poster reading “God Hates Trump” and another reading “Trump & GOP — Hands Off Women.” Other signs in the photo referencing female anatomy were also blurred. The National Archives initially stood by its decision to edit the photo, telling The Washington Post that the changes were made “so as not to engage in current political controversy.” For more, we turn to a historian who says this was only the latest example of “a great and growing threat to our nation’s capacity to protect and learn from history.” The National Archives reportedly is allowing millions of documents, including many related to immigrants’ rights, to be expunged. We speak with Matthew Connelly, professor of history at Columbia University and principal investigator at History Lab. His recent piece for The New York Times is headlined “Why You May Never Learn the Truth About ICE.”

AMY GOODMAN:

This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

Continue reading.

Trump suggests that protesting should be illegal

The following article by Felicia Sonmez was posted on the Washington Post website September 5, 2018:

President Trump has long derided the mainstream media as the “enemy of the people” and lashed out at NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem. On Tuesday, he took his attacks on free speech one step further, suggesting in an interview with a conservative news site that the act of protesting should be illegal.

Trump made the remarks in an Oval Office interview with the Daily Caller hours after his Supreme Court nominee, Brett M. Kavanaugh, was greeted by protests on the first day of his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.

“I don’t know why they don’t take care of a situation like that,” Trump said. “I think it’s embarrassing for the country to allow protesters. You don’t even know what side the protesters are on.”

View the complete article here.

Historian Says Trump’s Attack on the Truth Is a Clear Sign He Is an ‘Authoritarian in the Making’

The following article by Cody Fenwick was posted on the AlterNet website August 30, 2018:

He wants his supporters to distrust all other sources of information.

President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington earlier this year. He was in Ohio on Friday to address a state Republican Party dinner. GOP Gov. John Kasich was not there. Credit: Tom Williams, CQ Roll Call file photo

President Donald Trump’s persistent attacks on the media and independent sources of information often seem like desperate efforts to fend off criticism or haphazardly cover up yet another of his administration’s countless scandals. But some observers see his attacks on the truth in a much more sinister light.

In his latest attacks on internet and social media companies, including Google, Facebook, and Twitter, historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat of New York University observed to theWashington Post that this new salvo builds upon his now routine insults of the press.

“When Donald Trump is starting to raise the specter of trying to fiddle with search engines and saying that they are rigged — this raises alarm bells in me as a scholar of authoritarianism,” she said.

View the complete article here.

‘Totally dishonest’: Trump asserts only he can be trusted over opponents and ‘fake news’

The following article by Ashley Parker was posted on the Washington Post website August 30, 2018:

President Trump criticized the media, calling many reports “fake news” at a rally on Aug. 2 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (The Washington Post)

Over roughly the past day, President Trump has decried the “totally dishonest” media, with its “fake news” and “fake books.” He has argued that Google is biased against conservatives. And he has accused NBC News of “fudging” the tape of an interview with him that has been available online for more than a year.

The president has even declared there is no chaos in his White House, which he claimed is a “ ‘smooth running machine’ with changing parts,” despite the tumult that emanates almost daily from within its walls.

Trump’s assertions — all on Twitter, some false, some without clear evidence — come just over nine weeks before the midterm elections that could help determine his fate, and they are bound by one unifying theme: All of his perceived opponents are peddling false facts and only Trump can be trusted.

View the complete article here.

Brennan Says He’s Considering Legal Action After Trump Revoked His Security Clearance

The following article by Elizabeth Preza was posted on the AlterNet.org website August 19, 2018:

He also called on Congress to stand up to the president.

Former CIA Director John Brennan on Sunday said he’s mulling legal action against Donald Trump over the president’s decision to revoke his security clearance.

Speaking with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Brennan said he’s considering standing up to Trump’s “abuses” in court.

“If my clearances and my reputation as I’m being pulled through the mud now, if that’s the price we’re going to pay to prevent Donald Trump from doing this against other people, to me it’s a small price to pay,” Brennan said. “So I am going to do whatever I can personally to try to prevent these abuses in the future. And if it means going to court, I will do that.”

View the complete article here.

Brennan decision reveals Trump at his worst

The following editorial by the Star Tribune Editorial Board was posted on their website August 19, 2018:

Revoking security clearances shows president’s autocratic tendencies.

The autocratic tendencies of this country’s chief executive grow stronger by the day, this time taking the form of revoking security clearances as punishment for those whose words embarrass, displease or reveal.

But in revoking the clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, President Donald Trump has crossed a line among those trained to spot governments in crisis.

View the complete article here.