justsomeantifas:
Here’s your dose of “What the Fuck is Going On” news (Extended edition 2/4/2017 - 2/7/2017)
Today (2/7) Betsy DeVos was confirmed as secretary of state, the vote was 50/50 until Mike Pence was called in to break the tie officially confirming DeVos. There was widespread resistance against DeVos, especially from teachers, who believe she is dangerous, unqualified, and essentially bought her position. (source)
Trump met with county sheriffs from around the nation when one sheriff, Harold Eavenson, told Trump there was a senator planning legislation that he didn’t agree with. The legislation would reform the state’s civil forfeiture laws and require a conviction before the sheriff’s department could receive the forfeiture money. Trump responded “Who is that state senator? Do you want to give his name? And we’ll destroy his career.” (source)
Despite polls often showing that Trump’s favorability is lowering and the support for his policies and executive order is more negative than positive, Trump believes that the majority of the country is actually in favor of him and his actions. He stated on his Twitter that ANY polls that show negative results against him is fake news and should not be trusted. (source)
Today the US Army officials told Congress that the Trump administration was set to approve the final permit needed to finish the Dakota Access Pipeline and literally as I was writing this the news broke that the Trump administration has given a final green light. Last minute legal challenges could halt the project but Trump has made it clear that he wanted the pipeline approved and built “in an expedited manner.” (source)
Trump made a claim that terrorism in the U.S. and Europe is happening so much that the media isn’t reporting it and doesn’t want to because of their own agendas. This is an outright lie given that terrorism that happens in countries all over the world but attacks on the West get overreported when in comparison to terrorism elsewhere. In response to the backlash this statement received, the administration published a list of terror attacks as proof that the media refuses to cover this. The list not only included the highly publicized attacks in San Bernardino, Paris, Brussels, Nice, Berlin, and the Orlando Pulse Nightclub but the list was riddled with spelling errors, mistakes, excluded non-Western victims, and included incidents that resulted in zero fatalities. (source) (source)
Trump also made another false claim that “the murder rate in the United States is the highest it’s been in 45 years.“ He’s made this claim numerous times over the course of his campaign - something that isn’t even remotely close to being true. (source)
One of the executive orders that is on deck for Trump is going to deal with Guantanamo Bay. The order would would keep the base in use, suspend the release of current detainees and leave open the possibility of keeping new prisoners there. (source)
Reports are stating that Trump wasn’t even aware that he gave his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, a seat on the National Security Council. Trump was apparently not fully briefed on the executive order he signed giving Bannon the seat. Trump spoke out against the story and sources saying that this is false and he also spoke out against those who believe Bannon is calling the shots. “I call my own shots, largely based on an accumulation of data, and everyone knows it.” (source)
After the Super Bowl, Trump gave an interview with Bill O'Reilly where he was asked to back up his claims that 3-5 million people committed voter fraud. Once again Trump provided no evidence stating “Well, many people have come out and said I’m right, you know that.” When pressed further that he needs to actually show data proving his claim Trump said “Forget that. Forget all of that.” (source)
Today there is a hearing on Trump’s travel ban. The Ninth District Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco will hear oral arguments whether it will remain suspended for now. This hearing is not about whether or not the ban is or isn’t unconstitutional and is specifically covering the suspension. (live updates here)
Trump is taking steps to execute a crackdown on legal immigration and working closely with Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas to do so. Cotton is working on a series of bills to revamp the nation’s immigration system. One of the pieces of legislation is going to cut the yearly number of immigrants who can obtain green cards. (source)
House Republicans voted to eliminate the Election Assistance Commission, which helps states run elections and is the ONLY federal agency charged with making sure voting machines can’t be hacked. (source)