US Politics — Page 2

Jay Rosen: A few notes on unbuilding a key part of the presidency

February 19, 2017 by Michael Boyle

This is an important piece on the new reality from media thinker extraordinaire Jay Rosen:

Trump is thus revising the Presidency before our eyes. In his grip, it no longer attempts to muffle anxiety about the President and make people around the world feel okay about granting one person such enormous, unthinkable and inhuman powers. Instead, a new model is proposed: the president keeps everyone in a constant state of excitement and alarm. He moves fast and breaks things. He leads by causing commotion.

Source: Jay Rosen – PressThink

Flynn & Yates… very interesting

February 14, 2017 by Michael Boyle

This Michael Flynn business is interesting on its own merits (for values of “interesting” that include “disturbing” among other things), but also because we have learned that it was Sally Yates – once the acting Attorney General – who was fired over her statement that she would not prosecute pursuant to the “Muslim Ban” Executive Order – that spoke to the administration over a month ago about the problems Flynn posed.

Which raises the most interesting question of all – was the form of the Muslim Ban EO (including obvious establishment clause problems) really just a pretext to fire her?

Hmmm.

Trump denounced arms-reduction treaty in Putin call: report

February 9, 2017 by Michael Boyle

Part of the reason I want to document this period is because in no time at all, we’ll know this is true, but won’t remember the moment when the depths of this man’s ignorance was first uncovered.

I grant that until the election he didn’t have to know about this kind of information. But you think that you could take it for granted that before any call was scheduled, the President of the US would ask for and receive a full, detailed briefing to catch him up on little details like… the foundation of one of the most important parts of the US/Russia relationship.

But no…

Asked by Putin about the possibility of extending the treaty capping U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads — known as New START — Trump reportedly paused to ask his aides what the treaty was, two U.S. officials and one former U.S. official briefed on the call told Reuters.

He then told Putin it was one of a number of bad deals negotiated by former President Barack Obama and that it favored Russia, before launching into a conversation about his own popularity, according to the sources.

Source: Trump denounced arms-reduction treaty in Putin call: report | TheHill

‘The days of pretending that this isn’t serious are over’: GOP adviser calls on media to ‘expose’ Trump’s treason

February 4, 2017 by Michael Boyle

So this is interesting:

GOP consultant who was once asked to head up communications for now-President Donald Trump tweeted out a laundry list of suggestions to the media Saturday morning on how to best push back at a White House administration that continues to threaten them.

According to writer and media consultant Cheri Jacobus, “The days of pretending” what is happening under Trump isn’t “serious” is over and it is time for a concerted push-back.

Source: ‘The days of pretending that this isn’t serious are over’: GOP adviser calls on media to ‘expose’ Trump’s treason

Seattle federal judge halts Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban

February 3, 2017 by Michael Boyle

Here’s Dahlia Lithwick in Slate reporting on the news out of Seattle tonight:

On Friday night, in the most stinging and widespread rebuke to the new administration so far, a federal judge in Seattle ordered a nationwide stay on President Trump’s week-old executive order barring travelers from seven countries from entering the U.S., Reuters reported.Unlike the judicial orders already in place, the order entered by Judge James Robart (a George W. Bush appointee, in case you’re keeping score) went to the heart of the executive order, requiring that the travel restrictions be stayed immediately. Federal officers are barred from enforcing the parts of the ban that target immigrants from those seven countries and refugees, and that grant exemptions to refugees on the basis of their religion.

Source: Seattle federal judge halts Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban