Not my prez from day Jan 19 to yesterday:
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19TH, 2017 (The day before the inauguration)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the DOJ’s Violence Against Women programs. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Minority Business Development Agency. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Economic Development Administration. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the International Trade Administration. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Legal Services Corporation. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the DOJ. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Electricity Deliverability and Energy Reliability. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
• On January 19th, 2017, DT said that he would cut funding for the Office of Fossil Energy. (Source:
http://time.com/money/4639544/trump-...et-budget-cut/)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20TH, 2017 (The day of the inauguration)
• On January 20th, 2017, DT ordered all regulatory powers of all federal agencies frozen. (Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politi...ulations-memo/)
• On January 20th, 2017, DT ordered the National Parks Service to stop using social media after RTing factual, side by side photos of the crowds for the 2009 and 2017 inaugurations. (Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/21/politi...ervice-tweets/)
• On January 20th, 2017, roughly 230 protesters were arrested in DC and face unprecedented felony riot charges. Among them were legal observers, journalists, and medics. (Source 1:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/inaugura...osecutors-say/ Source 2:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/20...P=share_btn_tw)
• On January 20th, 2017, a member of the International Workers of the World was shot in the stomach at an anti-fascist protest in Seattle. He remains in critical condition. (Source:
https://iww.org/de/content/fellow-wo...rotest-seattle)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21ST, 2017 (The day of the Women’s March)
• On January 21st, 2017, DT brought a group of 40 cheerleaders to a meeting with the CIA to cheer for him during a speech that consisted almost entirely of framing himself as the victim of dishonest press. (Source:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sources-...ump-cia-visit/)
• On January 21st, 2017, the Facebook page of the College Republicans at the University of Washington who hosted the event where a protester was shot in the stomach issued a statement that, among other things, contained the threat “If you keep prodding the right you may be unpleasantly surprised what the outcome will be. Youve obviously learned nothing after Trump’s election..” [all punctuation errors and omissions in original statement] (Source:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...71403456299979)
• On January 21st, 2017, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer held a press conference largely to attack the press for accurately reporting the size of attendance at the inaugural festivities, saying that the inauguration had the largest audience of any in history, “period.” (Source:
http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2...d-size-sot.cnn)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22ND, 2017
• On January 22nd, 2017, White House advisor Kellyanne Conway defended Spicer’s lies as “alternative facts” on national television news. (Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/22/politi...rnative-facts/)
• On January 22nd, 2017, DT appeared to blow a kiss to director James Comey during a meeting with the FBI, and then opened his arms in a gesture of strange, paternal affection, before hugging him with a pat on the back. (Source [reporting is debatable, but video is available here]:
https://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/pre...e-house-event/)
MONDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 2017
• On January 23rd, 2017, DT reinstated the global gag order, which defunds international organizations that even mention abortion as a medical option. (Source 1:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...it_seemed.html Source 2:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...policy-n710081)
• On January 23rd, 2017, Spicer said that the US will not tolerate China’s expansion onto islands in the South China Sea, essentially threatening war with China. (Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/politi...efing-day-one/)
• On January 23rd, 2017, DT repeated the lie that 3-5 million people voted “illegally” thus costing him the popular vote. (Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/u...rats.html?_r=0)
• On January 23rd, 2017, it was announced that the man who shot the anti-fascist protester in Seattle was released without charges, despite turning himself in. (Source:
http://patch.com/washington/seattle/...polous-protest)
• On January 23rd, 2017, DT files an executive order full of nationalist language and ethno-centric dog whistling proclaiming January 20th, 2017, the day of his inauguration, as a national holiday, "National Day of Patriotic Devotion, in order to strengthen our bonds to each other and to our country -- and to renew the duties of Government to the people." (Source:
https://www.federalregister.gov/docu...iotic-devotion)
• On January 23rd, 2017, DT names Ajit Pai to Director of Federal Communications Commission. Pai is an outspoken opponent of net neutrality, and has said that its “days are numbered.” (Source:
http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/01/s...=twitter_nymag)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24TH, 2017
• On January 24th, 2017, Spicer reiterated that DT believes the lie that 3-5 million people voted “illegally” thus costing DT the popular vote. (Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/u...istration.html)
• On January 24th, 2017, DT tweeted a picture from his personal Twitter account of a photo he says depicts the crowd at his inauguration and will hang in the White House press room. The photo is curiously dated January 21st, 2017, the day AFTER the inauguration and the day of the Women’s March, the largest inauguration related protest in history. [Transparency note: a previous version of this item took for granted a tweet claiming this was a photo of Barack Obama’s first inauguration. Since comparing the photos side by side, it does not appear that this is the case.] (Source 1, original tweet:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...37936056008704 Source 2, screenshot:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C29SZfMXUAA8HN_.jpg:large)
• On January 24th, 2017, the EPA was ordered to stop communicating with the public through social media or the press and to freeze all grants and contracts. (Source:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/presiden...ntract-freeze/)
• On January 24th, 2017, the USDA was ordered to stop communicating with the public through social media or the press and to stop publishing any papers or research. All communication with the press would also have to be authorized and vetted by the White House. (Source:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.2954647 Source 2:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...KBN1582M3?il=0)
• On January 24th, 2017, HR7, a bill that would prohibit federal funding not only to abortion service providers, but to any insurance coverage, including Medicaid, that provides abortion coverage, went to the floor of the House for a vote. (Source 1:
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics...se-passes-hr7/ Source 2, text of the bill:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-...se-bill/7/text)
• On January 24th, 2017, Director of the Department of Health and Human Service nominee Tom Price, who characterized federal guidelines on transgender equality as “absurd,” continues his confirmation hearing. (Source 1, Facebook post by Tom Price:
https://www.facebook.com/reptomprice...54118633590421 Source 2, confirmation hearing:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/24/politi...aring-finance/)
• On January 24th, 2017, DT ordered the resumption of construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline, while the North Dakota state congress considers a bill that would legalize hitting and killing protesters with cars if they are on roadways. (Source 1, Dakota Access Pipeline executive order:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/u...ine-trump.html Source 2, North Dakota protester assault legalization bill:
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/dak...otests-n706681)
• On January 24th, 2017, it was discovered that police officers had used confiscated cell phones to search the emails and messages of the 230 demonstrators now facing felony riot charges for protesting on January 20th, including lawyers and journalists whose email accounts contain privileged information of clients and sources. (Source:
http://www.citylab.com/crime/2017/01...phones/514244/)
• On January 24th, 2017, responding to criticism from the NAACP about a lack of attention to Civil Rights policy and bridge-building by the current administration, Spicer claimed of DT, “Just the other day, he sat down with Martin Luther King, Jr.," clearly unaware that Martin Luther King, Jr. is long dead, and that the man that DT met with was his son, Martin Luther King, III. (Source:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.2954571)
• On January 24th, 2017, the Badlands National Park Service, perhaps as an act of resistance in response to DT's order last week to shut down all Twitter accounts temporarily in response to the main National Parks Service's sharing of photos comparing the size of the inauguration crowds in 2009 and 2017, tweeted 3 times from their account (@BadlandsNPS) on the subject of global warming, particularly ocean acidification and carbon dioxide levels. Captured in screenshots and shared by Twitter user @leahmcelrath, the tweets were deleted less than an hour after she shared them. (Source 1:
http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/01/n...ver-trump.html Source 2:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38740205)
• On January 24th, 2017, DT threatened a federal takeover of the city of Chicago from his personal Twitter account, proving that he has zero grasp of the constitution, states rights, or the 10th amendment. The information in his tweet and much of the wording is taken nearly word for word from a Bill O’Reilly segment on Fox News. (Source 1, original DT tweet:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...80766288228352 Source 2, screenshot of DT tweet:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2-_E9BWIAQhYUz.jpg:large Source 3, tweet referring to Fox News Segment:
https://twitter.com/mlcalderone/stat...84122561871872 Source 4, screenshot of tweet referring to Fox News segment:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2-8B87XcAEYiru.jpg)
• On January 24th, 2017, DT specifically praised Fox News for their ratings during the inauguration coverage, while criticizing CNN’s and calling the latter “FAKE NEWS.” (Source 1, original tweet:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...78417213747200 Source 2, screenshot of tweet:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2_Jfq6WIAAdK0j.jpg)
• On January 24th, 2017, the White House orders the EPA to take down its climate change webpage, fulfilling the fears of government climate scientists who scrambled to save their research before the inauguration. (Source:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN15906G)
• On January 24th, 2017, scientists begin organizing a march on Washington to protest the administration’s hostility toward science. (Source 1, website:
http://www.scientistsmarchonwashington.com/ Source 2, Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/ScienceMarchDC Source 3, Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c8dda0b1dc29)
• On January 24th, 2017, DT announced that he will have a “big day” for National Security tomorrow, including the building of the wall, in a misspelled tweet, since deleted and reposted. God help us. (Source:
http://mashable.com/2017/01/25/trump...k#u5k.KijOQiqD)
• On January 24th, 2017, in response to public outcry, the Department of Agriculture lifted the gag order on its scientists. No such rescinding of media blackout has been granted to the Environmental Protection Agency. (Source:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/dinograndon...agV#.fqEWg1j8Z)
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25TH, 2017
• On January 25th, 2017, DT announced in a pair of tweets from his personal Twitter account that he will order an investigation into “massive voter fraud” for an election he won, setting the stage for further legal undermining of voting rights. Of note is that he specifically mentions those who are registered to vote in two states. Steve Bannon, Chief White House Strategist and noted white supremacist, is registered to vote in 2 states. (Source, tweet 1:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...27824903090176 Source, tweet 2:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...28768227217408 Source 3, RE: Steve Bannon:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer...69w6c5jmu.html)
• On January 25th, 2017, DT announced on Twitter, again from his personal Twitter account, that he will be announcing his Supreme Court nomination on Thursday of next week. (Source, tweet:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...29586091307008)
• On January 25th, 2017, National Public Radio publicly announced that they would not call lies on the part of DT and White House representatives “lies.” (Source:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-w...-intent-is-key)
• On January 25th, 2017, Politico published a story highlighting 3 prominent DT acolytes, bolstered by DT’s success, now mounting campaigns of their own to run for office in much the same way that DT did and on the same platforms. Among them are Alan Cobb, who will be running for the 4th district of Kansas congressional seat, who was quoted as saying, “I would wholeheartedly support the Trump agenda. It’s all consistent with what’s best for the 4th District,” and Bruce Levell, who plans to run for a suburban district of Atlanta, who was quoted as saying, “I’d like to see someone in that seat who’s a champion of Trump’s policies. I’d like to be that champion.” (Source:
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/0...-office-234134)
• On January 25th, 2017, in full view of the White House, Greenpeace protestors unfurl a banner on a crane that reads, simply, “RESIST.” (Source:
https://twitter.com/marikatogo/statu...78392149344256)
• On January 25th, 2017, the Washington Post and New York Times both reported that a draft of an executive order by DT would lift the ban on CIA “black site” prisons to detain and torture suspects of terrorism. (Source 1:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/u...sons.html?_r=0 Source 2:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.b5438f79f9d1)
• On January 25th, 2017, clearly upset by negative press related to all of the above, the White House issues a press release with pull quotes from various ring wing media praising DT, as well as neutral commentary by other outlets. (Source 1:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald...s-trump-234160 Source 2:
https://twitter.com/mmurraypolitics/...64894606442496 Source 3, full text of the press release:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press...ps-bold-action)
• On January 25th, 2017, Spicer confirmed that there will be investigations of voter fraud prompted by baseless accusations of DT that massive voter fraud occurred. These investigations would focus on large urban population centers that DT lost, and are most likely to have voters vulnerable to being mislabeled fraudulent because they have moved to a new state or city and were unaware that their names were still on previous rolls. (Source 1:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/25/politi...o-voter-fraud/ Source 2:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/u...stigation.html)
• On January 25th, 2017, DT signed an executive order to build a wall along the entire border between the United States and Mexico, still claiming that he will somehow make Mexico reimburse the United States for said wall. (Source 1:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/0...185244055.html Source 2:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38740717)
• On January 25th, 2017, DT signed an executive order blocking all federal aid to US Sanctuary Cities, including but not limited to San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Austin and Boston. The Attorney General will be responsible for determining whether or not a city is complying with the executive order and thus eligible for federal aid. The current candidate for Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has previously called for a “Muslim ban,” though he did backtrack in his confirmation hearing in early January. The text also says that the DT administration will publish a weekly list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants in Sanctuary Cities. (Source 1:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38740717 Source 2:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/0...185244055.html Source 3:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...ation-hearing/ Source 4 and 5, tweets with screenshots of text of Sanctuary City ban, to be updated when the executive order is officially filed:
https://twitter.com/christinawilkie/...47165208248320 https://twitter.com/willsommer/statu...48441505648648)
• On January 25th, 2017, journalists pointed out that an executive order expected to be signed later today or this week by DT which would ban not only refugee asylum but issuing visas at all to citizens of predominantly Muslim nations would apply only to Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, but not to those from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, three nations where DT has businesses. While a ban on anyone from any nation based on religion is ludicrous, racist, ethnicist, and in the case of countries in the midst of horrifying civil wars, cruel, it should be noted that:
o Islam is the state religion of Egypt, with a population density of anywhere from 80-97%. (Source, CIA:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat...k/geos/eg.html)
o While Turkey is, for the time being, still in name a secular country, 99.8% of the country identifies as Muslim. (Source:
http://www.wingia.com/web/files/news/14/file/14.pdf)
o Islam is the state religion of Saudi Arabia, with a population density of nearly 100% of its citizens identifying as Muslims. (Source, CIA:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat...k/geos/sa.html)
(Source for news item:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN1582XQ Source 2:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.f5613d7291b8 Source 3:
http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/08/news...ries-business/ Source 4:
https://mic.com/articles/130070/here...res#.tln4BPvaQ)
• On January 25th, 2017, after announcing that the White House would investigate “voter fraud” in large metropolitan areas, Spicer declared, officially, without any investigation whatsoever, that no voter fraud existed in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, or Detroit. All three cities are in states DT won by small margins, had previously gone to democrat candidates, and were subject to recount efforts by Jill Stein and the Green Party shortly after the upset election. (Source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.399f71897b91)
• On January 25th, 2017, Newsweek reported that several high level DT administration staffers, among them Jared Kushner, Kellyanne Conway, Steve Bannon, and Sean Spicer, have private RNC email addresses, despite repeated insistence by DT, his campaign, his supporters, several press outlets, and even DT detractors claiming that use of a private email server by candidate Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State was grounds for disqualifying her from office. (Source:
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-emails...-server-548191)
• On January 25th, 2017, as an aside in an article about DT’s love of the White House phone system, the New York Times reported that DT is still using his unsecured Android phone, despite repeated insistence by DT, his campaign, his supporters, several press outlets, and even DT detractors claiming that use of a Blackberry by candidate Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State was grounds for disqualifying her from office. (Source 1:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/u...ouse.html?_r=2 Source 2:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanwhit.../#5a9849592304)
• On January 25th, 2017, the New York Times reported that DT gathered congressional leaders in the State Dining Room to discuss, among other things, his belief that he lost the popular vote because of voter fraud. Provided as “proof” was an anecdote he says was from a friend of his, ‘“the very famous golfer, Bernhard Langer,” whom he described as a friend, according to three staff members who were in the room for the meeting.’ DT went on to say that Langer was in line to vote in Florida, when he was informed that he could not vote. “Ahead of and behind Mr. Langer were voters who did not look as if they should be allowed to vote, Mr. Trump said, according to the staff members — but they were nonetheless permitted to cast provisional ballots. The president threw out the names of Latin American countries that the voters might have come from.” Langer is a German citizen who is a permanent resident of the United States and would not be eligible to vote. His daughter has denied that he is friends with DT. (Source:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/01/2...ing-fraud.html)
• On January 25th, 2017, DT gave an absolutely unhinged and generally nonsensical interview with ABC television, in which he continuously avoided answering questions, denied saying things he is on record as saying, stated that the CIA loved his speech and gave him “the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl,” talked over the interviewer, repeatedly told the interviewer that he and his network were demeaning DT, called Chicago a war zone worse than Afghanistan and said, “I will send in what we have to send in. Maybe they're not gonna have to be so politically correct. Maybe they're being overly political correct. Maybe there's something going on,” and, once again, emphasized that he had a very large crowd at his inauguration, which, again, he did not. He continued to insist on this even when the interviewer stated, unequivocally, that he was not interested in the crowd size and tried to change the subject. While every bit of this interview is absolutely horrifying, the major takeaway for me, at the moment, is this:
DAVID MUIR: Mr. President, it does strike me though that we're relitigating the presidential campaign, the election ...
(OVERTALK)
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, no. We're looking at it for the next time.
DT essentially came out and explained that they are “looking at it” (voter fraud) for next time… obviously, to increase voter suppression laws to ensure his victory in the next election. This is EXTREMELY worrying. The entire interview is extremely worrying. (Source:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trans...ry?id=45047602)
• On January 25th, 2017, responding to the executive order stripping federal funding for Sanctuary Cities, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio stated that he will not begin deporting law abiding, undocumented immigrants. One recalls the famous headline of the 70’s in which President Ford refused to send funds to New York City during the recession, only this time, it’s NYC to President: Drop Dead.
(Source 1, de Blasio press conference overview:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/01/...ge-who-we-are/ Source 2:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/nyregion/28veto.html)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26TH, 2017
• On January 26th, 2017, Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary, reportedly tweeted his Twitter password for the second time in 2 days. You will recall that Spicer said that John Podesta, head of the Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, was irresponsible and deserved the hack for falling for a phishing scam. Spicer’s Twitter account also appears to be tied to a Gmail account-- AKA, a personal email account not on a government server. (Source 1:
https://gizmodo.com/sean-spicer-just...ful-1791649692 Source 2, with video of Spicer blaming Podesta for hack on CNN:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/none-...ssian-hacking/ Source 3:
https://twitter.com/Nash076/status/824656400320253959)
• On January 26th, 2017, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists advanced the “Doomsday Clock” from 3 minutes to midnight to 2.5 minutes to midnight. The Doomsday Clock was conceived of by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project as a way to indicate our closeness to nuclear war, but has since been used to represent multiple threats to humanity. The Doomsday Clock has not been moved for any specific governmental threat in decades, but was jumped from 5 minutes to 3 in 2015 as a reaction to climate change data. (Source:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-w...er-to-midnight)
• On January 26th, 2017, DT will visit Philadelphia, where he will be met by a resistance group offshot of the Women’s March. (Source:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1499649786715157/)
• On January 26th, 2017, DT called Private Chelsea Manning, who had had her sentence commuted by Barack Obama during the last days of his presidency, an “ungrateful TRAITOR, who should never have been released from prison,” for a not unmeasured article by the Private criticizing Obama for the compromises he made during his presidency. DT has frequently called Obama a weak, bad leader, during his campaign and for years before that, when not busy questioning the 44th President’s citizenship. It should also be noted that the verbiage was verbatim lifted from a Fox News segment, posted 14 minutes after the segment aired, the second time in 3 days that DT has directly parroted the network. (Source 1, scroll down for DT’s tweet:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/u...smtyp=cur&_r=0, Source 2, Private Manning’s piece for the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...helsea-manning Source 3:
https://twitter.com/brianstelter/sta...95118955069441)
• On January 26th, 2017, the entire senior staff of the State Department resigned rather than work for DT and Rex Tillerson. It is unclear whether Patrick Kennedy, undersecretary of management, and three of his top officials resigned of their own accord. (Source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.3f665f99ff59)
• On January 26th, 2017, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico announced he would not be meeting with DT next week, after all, after DT’s excessive insistence that Mexico would pay for the border wall. (Source:
https://twitter.com/EPN/status/824660333964824576)
• On January 26th, 2017, it was revealed by Twitter user @leahmcelrath that the @POTUS Twitter account used by DT is link to an unsecured Gmail account. (Source:
https://twitter.com/leahmcelrath/sta...71531980718080)
• On January 26th, 2017, DT proclaimed in a speech in Philadelphia, “Here in Philadelphia, the murder rate has been… steady… horribly increasing.” It has been somewhat steadily declining. It has not been horribly increasing. (Source 1, Philadelphia crime stats:
https://www.phillypolice.com/crime-m...ats/index.html)
• On January 26th, 2017, journalist Rania Khalek tweeted that an acquaintance of hers, a Syrian national green card holder and thus US permanent resident, was denied reentry to the US today. This is unconfirmed, but Khalek is a legitimate journalist. Afterward, she tweeted a NIAC Action link with analysis of how the executive order’s vague language could specifically endanger even documented immigrants from Muslim countries on the list of banned nations. Please note that this executive order has not yet been signed or filed, and yet may already being enforced. (Source 1, tweet from Khalek:
https://twitter.com/RaniaKhalek/stat...63053056831488 Source 2, tweet from Khalek with link to NIAC Action:
https://twitter.com/RaniaKhalek/stat...76549509128192 Source 3, direct link to NIAC action statement:
https://www.niacaction.org/trumps-mu...than-imagined/)
• On January 26th, 2017, the New York Times published an interview with White House strategist and noted white supremacist, Steve Bannon, in which he framed the press as an opposition party to the White House.
“The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for awhile,” Mr. Bannon said during a telephone call. “I want you to quote this,” Mr. Bannon added. “The media here is the opposition party. They don’t understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.”
The entire interview is a horror, and paraphrases several Nazi proganda strategies to discredit the free press as liars. This is not normal. It is NOT alarmist to compare his rhetoric to Nazi propaganda, and it is not a coincidence that he is using this strategy. (Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/b...imes&smtyp=cur)
• On January 26th, 2017, in direct contradiction of DT’s repeated statement that Mexico will pay for the wall along the entirety of our southern border, Spicer announced at a surprise press conference that was supposed to be an executive order signing ceremony, that DT was weighing a 20% tax on all goods imported to the United States from Mexico, effectively charging US residents to pay for the wall. Trade experts have pointed out that because roughly 40% of Mexican manufactured goods contain materials or parts made in the US, a “border tax” would cost jobs in all 3 North American nations. (Source 1:
http://www.businessinsider.com/sean-...imports-2017-1 Source 2:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/26/politi...all/index.html Source 3:
http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/26/news...tes-inputs-40/)
• On January 26th, 2017, I was reminded that there is an entire propaganda site, still, called “Trump News.” Recent articles include extremely dangerous propaganda such as “The CDC is an edifice of fraud,” “President Trump Silences EPA Climate Change Propaganda, Real Scientists Rejoice,” “The ‘Deep State’ Is At War With Trump,” “Trump Administration Already Taking The Discredited Establishment Media To Task For Reporting More Fake News,” and an article threatening and outing a brave Secret Service officer, “Did This Secret Service Agent Say She Would NOT ‘Take A Bullet’ For President Trump?” as well as outright lies, such as “‘Make AMERICA Great Again!’ Once-Defiant Mexico Now Willing To Talk To Trump About NAFTA” (Source:
http://trump.news/)
• On January 26th, 2017, via the above propaganda site, I learned of the existence of treason.news, a website that tracks federal employees that “should be in jail” and features a noose in its logo. Click at your own risk-- this is disturbing, but needs to be known. (Source:
http://treason.news/ Source, link from trump.news, halfway down the page under the screenshot:
http://trump.news/2017-01-26-did-thi...ent-trump.html)
• On January 26th, 2017, Politico reported that DT’s administration has pulled all marketing, email outreach, and ads, including ads that have already been placed, for healthcare.gov. While individuals can still sign up through the January 31st deadline, advertising has been pulled during the most important 5 days when most enrollees apply because of reminders to do so. (Source:
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/0...are-ads-234245)
• On January 26th, 2017, the Washington Post reported that DT pressured the National Park Service to find and release more flattering pictures of his inauguration crowd. (Source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...=.bf2653afae74)
• On January 26th, 2017, the New York Daily News reported that a Muslim woman and airline employee was assaulted by a man at the JFK airport lounge on Wednesday, January 25th, 2017. The man was quoted as saying, “F--k Islam, f--k ISIS,” “Trump is here now. He will get rid of all of you. You can ask Germany, Belgium and France about these kind of people. You will see what happens,” and when asked by the woman he was harassing what she had done replied, “You did nothing, but I am going to kick your f---ing a--.” He is being held on multiple charges, including menacing and harassment as hate crimes. (Source:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...yNewsTw)
• On January 26th, 2017, the Moscow Times reported that the FSB have arrested a top security expert believed to be an American asset who leaked intelligence regarding Russian hacking and cyber-attacks used to influence the US election. Four suspects have been arrested in Russia thus far, compromising American intelligence efforts. (Source:
https://themoscowtimes.com/news/amer...eid=ba2db135c1)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT asserted that the nearly 2 year vetting process of refugees from Middle Eastern nations results in us knowing “nothing about them.” (Source:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/vid...ald_trump.html)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT asserted that border security tightened just upon his naming General Kelly as Director of Homeland Security. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT would not answer whether or not his Supreme Court nominee would be an originalist, saying only, “I don't want to say that. You're going to see on Thursday,” before asking Hannity to change the subject. It is questionable whether DT, who has made statements and attempted to enact executive orders in direct defiance of the President’s constitutional powers, even knows what an originalist is. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT said that, given an attempted filibuster of his Supreme Court nominee, he would ask that McConnel use the “nuclear option” to override objections. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT asserted that Democrats objections to his unqualified, racist, or dangerous cabinet nominations were driven purely by politics. Hannity specifically mentions Chuck Schumer as an obstructionist, despite Schumer voting “Yea” on each of DT’s appointments. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT asserted that Jeff Sessions is a “wonderful man,” and that “Everybody agrees” Mike Pompeo was an excellent choice for director of the CIA. This is a favorite tic of DT’s, to say “everybody agrees” when very few people do, either because he is gaslighting or because he has no ability to hear any criticism or advice that does not dovetail with his own opinions. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT said,
“They're obstructionists. I'll tell you what. They're obstructionists. I go to a meeting with them that's supposed to be a very quiet meeting, nobody talking outside of the meeting. They leave the meeting and they have a news conference about what I said. They're talking to the cameras about exactly what I said at the meeting, which is fine because I say things that I don't mind going out because I assume they're going to do that. But the deal was we wouldn't talk to the press. And they go out and they talk to the press.”
It is unclear if DT knows what the word “obstructionist” means, or if he is merely parroting Hannity’s use of the word. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT said that more important to him than reduced spending or a balanced budget is a strong military. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT appeared to be led by the nose into confirming a 75% reduction in regulations on business.
HANNITY: But you want to get rid of 75 percent of regulation.
TRUMP: Yes, I do.
HANNITY: Or more.
TRUMP: 75 or more.
DT then went on to say that with a 75% reduction in regulation, that American consumers would still have the same level of protection.
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT once again framed the press as hostile and dishonest, while agreeing with Hannity’s assertion that the media “colluded” against DT in the campaign.
TRUMP: They're very hostile. These are very hostile people. These are very angry people.
HANNITY: But they also colluded against you in the campaign.
TRUMP: Yes.
HANNITY: And my question to you is...
TRUMP: Well, they're very dishonest people. The media is very dishonest. I've been saying it. I say it openly.
HANNITY: I said journalism's dead, so we agree.
TRUMP: Never dead, but they're very dishonest people in many cases. Hey, look, you have some very honest ones. But I get stories that are so false and so dishonest...
(Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT once again brought up the meeting with the CIA in which he embarrassed and upset multiple CIA members, particularly by bringing a cheering squad of 40 people, saying that he knew he gave a very good speech because, since he won the election, he knows if he has been received well or poorly. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
• On January 26th, 2017, in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, DT once again brought up the size of his inauguration crowd. Again. (Source:
http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/20...t-white-house/)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27TH, 2017
• On January 27th, 2017, the Independent’s finance site, The Street, reported that the majority of cement used to build DT’s proposed wall to keep out Mexican people and imports would come from Italy… and Mexico. (Source:
https://news.thestreet.com/independe...exane-bnp.html)
• On January 27th, 2017, in advance of meeting with across-the-pond right wing hate monger and UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, the DT White House referred to her as Teresa May no less than 3 times. Teresa May is an adult film star. (Source:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tru...mes-2017-01-27)
• On January 27th, 2017, newly confirmed UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said, in remarks to the press before the presentation of her credentials to the UN Secretary-General, “Our goal with the administration is to show value at the UN, and the way that we’ll show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies, and make sure that our allies have our back, as well. For those who don’t have our back, we’re taking names – we will make points to respond to that accordingly.” She went on to say that her purpose at the UN would be to go in and evaluate what was working and to change what was not, a rather wild statement considering that she is a representative of a single nation in a council comprised of 193 sovereign nations. (Source:
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/7659)
• On January 27th, 2017, despite his frequent comments during the campaign that NATO was “obsolete,” Theresa May said in her joint press conference with DT that he had said privately that he was 100% committed to supporting NATO. It is unclear what was said to make her believe that, and DT has not publicly confirmed her assertion. (Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...-politics-live)
• On January 27th, 2017, I was alerted to an article in Buzzfeed regarding DT’s current Health Policy Advisor (a position that does not require congressional confirmation), Katy Talento, who believes that funding for HIV/AIDS research was actually used to support Russian prostitution, in addition to believing that oral contraceptives cause abortion. Talento somehow holds a masters in science from Harvard. (Source:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton...xVN#.nym8GNLpD)
• On January 27th, 2017, Senator John McCain put forth a press release reminding DT ahead of his phone call with Vladimir Putin that the Russian kleptocrat is “a murder and a thug.” DT is expected to lift sanctions on Russia imposed after their attempts to take over the Crimea, an action DT has repeatedly denied or seemed not to understand. (Source:
http://theweek.com/speedreads/676375...day-phone-call)
• On January 27th, 2017, the White House issued a press release in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The statement was conspicuously devoid of any mention of either Jews or anti-semitism, or the staggering numbers of people killed in the Holocaust. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League expressed that this omission was “puzzling and troubling.” In light of the alt-right Neo-nazi support of DT, it is particularly unsettling. (Source 1:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ce-day-no-jews Source 2:
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement..._jewish_people)
• On January 27th, 2017, DT tweeted that Gregg Phillips, the “expert” advisor on voter fraud, asserted that at least 3,000,000 votes were cast illegally, and that a phone app, VoteStand, would prove his claims. The app allows the user to take a photograph and enter in “identifying information” of someone they believe is voting illegally. (Source:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2613131)
• On January 27th, 2017, DT signed 2 executive orders without distributing the text or commenting on their contents publicly before signing. One apparently has to do with military expansion, while the other outlines his often touted “extreme vetting” process for immigrants and refugees. (Source:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...etting-n713336)
• On January 27th, 2017, in an interview with the Brody File of Christian right wing CBN, DT asserted that Christian refugees from Syria would be given top priority, and falsely asserted that Christian refugees had a much more difficult time than Syrian Muslims seeking asylum. His exact words, “They’ve [Christians] been horribly treated. Do you know if you were a Christian in Syria it was impossible, at least very tough to get into the United States? If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible and the reason that was so unfair, everybody was persecuted in all fairness, but they were chopping off the heads of everybody but more so the Christians. And I thought it was very, very unfair.” Muslims and Christians from Syria seeking refuge in the United States have always been subject to the same 9 step vetting process currently used for screening refugees. (Source:
http://www1.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/arc...ty-as-refugees)
• On January 27th, 2017, a US judge blocked a Texas law that requires women who have miscarriages or abortions to bury the resulting fetal tissue. (Source:
http://www.statesman.com/news/judge-...dGZxY7asPwrNI/)
• On January 27th, 2017, the 4chan board, /pol/ started an operation to encourage undocumented immigrants to out themselves on Twitter using a hashtag they created-- #undocumentedunafraid-- with the intention of reporting those who revealed themselves to ICE. (Source 1, tweet:
https://twitter.com/girlswithtoys/st...29540904787968 Source 2 and 3, screenshots:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MX6x2UMAA1Pu9.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MX7HkVMAEdOYO.jpg)
• On January 27th, 2017, the cover for Vanity Fair Mexico featuring Melania Trump rolling a diamond necklace onto a fork like a piece of spaghetti, was revealed, one day after Spicer announced a potential 20% tax on all Mexican imports and two days after reports that he will sign an executive order to build a wall along the border between Mexico and the United States. The cover also perpetuates the ludicrous idea that Melania is “The New Jackie Kennedy,” despite the 1962 First Lady being a Prix-de-Rome winning writer who studied at the Sorbonnne and graduated with a degree in French literature from Georgetown Univeristy, and became an accomplished editor and philanthropist. Mrs. Trump attended one year of college before dropping out to become a model, plagiarised a speech given by Michelle Obama, and was a vocal proponent of the racist “birther” conspiracy that President Barack Obama was born outside of the US. (Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/27/medi...ico/index.html)
• On January 27th, 2017, Kellyanne Conway apparently told Dan Merica on CNN that “We are not revealing what he signed today,” in reference to the two unknown executive orders DT signed earlier. To be confirmed. (Source:
https://twitter.com/JDiamond1/status/825128816938991616)
• On January 27th, 2017, @RoguePOTUSStaff, a Twitter user claiming to be a member of the White House Staff posted the tweet below indicating that DT plans to use an executive order to force the IRS to end the audit of his taxes (screenshot and embedded because these accounts continue to be taken down):
