And in a real twist of fate my representative has just canceled his townhall and will instead have a "teleconference" where his people can control the conversation and answer only approved questions. I'm curious to hear about what the activism experts think about that move, and whether that is in alignment with the oath of office these representatives take. Can't wait to hear the spin about a controlled teleconference meeting the spirit of the 1st amendment!
It might just be a matter of time until constituents start protesting in the House and Senate galleries, one-by-one. Sure, the constituents will get removed by Capitol Police, but the optics won't be good for Congress and bringing the legislative process to a halt isn't always a bad thing.
And if that is too disruptive, then just start lining up outside of Congress itself. There are only so many roads and access points in and out of the Capitol, and Representatives and Senators have to enter and exit the building at some point.
You know it's bad when Devos is the one making sense.
Quote:
A fight over a draft order that would rescind protections for transgender students in public schools has erupted inside the Trump administration, pitting Attorney General Jeff Sessions against the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos.
Ms. DeVos initially resisted signing off on the order and told President Trump that she was uncomfortable with it, according to three Republicans with direct knowledge of the internal discussions. The order would reverse the directives put in place last year by the Obama administration to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice.
Mr. Sessions, who strongly opposes expanding gay, lesbian and transgender rights, fought Ms. DeVos on the issue and pressed her to relent because he could not go forward without her consent. The order must come from the Justice and Education Departments.
Mr. Trump sided with his attorney general, these Republicans said. And Ms. DeVos, faced with the choice of resigning or defying the president, has agreed to go along. The Justice Department declined to comment on Wednesday.
Though an official order from the administration was expected to be released as early as Wednesday, Mr. Sessions and Ms. DeVos were still disputing the final language.
According to a draft of the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times, the Trump administration cites continuing litigation and confusion over the Obama directives as a reason for telling schools to no longer obey them.
Well considering how much Trump believes in image management, and considering DeVos is the least popular cabinet member possibly in the history of the Republic, and considering this went through anyway despite her alleged protests (lest we forget her extremely strong religious beliefs), I'm gonna go ahead and assume she's trying to juke her image here more than she actually strongly believes in protecting the rights. If she strongly believed, she would have resigned. So sorry to be skeptical, but I'm assuming PR massaging here.
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"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
George Will and David Frum seem like the only sane Republicans these days.
Don't know if posted previously because this thread moves too fast to keep up to but here is a recent conversation with Frum on the Sam Harris podcast.
During his tenure as attorney general of Oklahoma, Scott Pruitt, now the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, closely coordinated with major oil and gas producers, electric utilities and political groups with ties to the libertarian billionaire brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch to roll back environmental regulations, according to over 6,000 pages of emails made public on Wednesday.
The publication of the correspondence comes just days after Mr. Pruitt was sworn in to run the E.P.A., which is charged with reining in pollution and regulating public health.
“Thank you to your respective bosses and all they are doing to push back against President Obama’s EPA and its axis with liberal environmental groups to increase energy costs for Oklahomans and American families across the states,” said one email sent to Mr. Pruitt and an Oklahoma congressman in August 2013 by Matt Ball, an executive at Americans for Prosperity. That nonprofit group is funded in part by the Kochs, the Kansas business executives who spent much of the last decade combating federal regulations, particularly in the energy sector. “You both work for true champions of freedom and liberty!” the note said.
Buried deep in the Trump administration’s plans to round up undocumented immigrants is a provision certain to enrage Mexico — new authority for federal agents to deport anyone caught crossing the southern border to Mexico, regardless of where they are from.
If present immigration trends continue, that could mean the United States would push hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans, Hondurans, Salvadorans, Brazilians, Ecuadorans, even Haitians into Mexico. Currently, such people are detained in the U.S. and allowed to request asylum.
President Trump wants them to do so from Mexico, communicating via videoconference calls with U.S. immigration officials from facilities that Mexico would presumably be forced to build.
The memo goes on to point out how foisting the immigrants onto Mexico would benefit DHS’s budget, saying that it would, “save the Department’s detention and adjudication resources for other priority aliens.”
Update: In a call with reporters Tuesday morning, DHS officials confirmed they were working on a plan to send migrants who had entered the United States from Mexico back to Mexico, even if they were not citizens of that country.
Kellyanne Conway, once the most visible spokesperson for the Trump White House, has been sidelined from television appearances for making statements that were at odds with the administration's official stance, White House sources told CNNMoney on Wednesday.
Conway has not given a television interview since early last week. On that Monday, she claimed that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had the president's "full confidence." Hours later, Flynn resigned.
The following day, Conway claimed Flynn had offered to resign, even though White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump had asked Flynn for his resignation.
She has not given a television interview since then.
Quote:
Those statements, which came amid existing public scrutiny over Conway's credibility, led the president and his top advisers to conclude that her appearances were doing more harm than good for the administration, the sources said.
Conway was "off message," a White House source said.
Both Conway and the White House press office did not respond to requests for comment.
Conway's absence from the airwaves has already lowered the level of controversy for the Trump White House, suggesting that the press office may be getting a better grip on its messaging strategy.
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The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
In other news a federal appeals court has upheld Maryland's ban on assault rifles. Common sense gun control? I expect the NRA will completely lose their collective minds.
Chief digital officer steps down from White House job over background check
White House Chief Digital Officer Gerrit Lansing was among the six staffers who were dismissed from the White House last week after being unable to pass an FBI background check, according to sources.
A source close to Lansing said the issue with the background check was over investments.
Lansing previously led the digital department for the Republican National Committee.
http://www.avclub.com/article/george...ocialMarketing
Clooney notes that Trump has 22 acting credits and collects $120,000 a year from his Screen Actors Guild pension fund, which would make anyone a member of the Hollywood elite.
Steve Bannon is also “a failed film writer and director,” making him practically a member of the Hollywood elite as well. Plus, as we’ve previously reported, he makes a ton of money off of Seinfeld reruns.
