… Read the restPresident Donald Trump said in a new interview Friday that persecuted Christians will be given priority over other refugees seeking to enter the United States, saying they have been “horribly treated.”
Speaking with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Trump said that it had been “impossible, or at least very tough” for Syrian Christians to enter 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. So
All entries by this author
He thought it was very, very unfair
Jan 27th, 2017 3:58 pm | By Ophelia BensonTrump hates women
Jan 27th, 2017 3:28 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe theocrats marching to demand a restoration of forced pregnancy got a boost from the Trumpists today.
Abortion opponents gathered on Friday in Washington for their annual march, which has taken place every year since 1974 to protest the Supreme Court’s 44-year-old Roe v. Wade decision from 1973.
■ Vice President Mike Pence, the highest-ranking official to ever speak in person at the march, told the crowd that “life is winning.”
■ Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump, also addressed the crowd.
■ The march drew thousands of activists.
They want to make sure women go back to being victims of their own bodies.
… Read the restIn previous years, no president or vice president has ever addressed the march in person. This
Dropping in
Jan 27th, 2017 11:45 am | By Ophelia BensonThe Trump-May meeting from the BBC’s point of view.
Prime Minister Theresa May is holding talks at the White House with US President Donald Trump.
They posed for photographs in front of a bust of Sir Winston Churchill – which Mr Trump pointed to, saying it was “a great honour” to have it back.
The new president had the bust restored to the Oval Office after it was removed by former president Barack Obama.
Mrs May smiled and told him: “Thank you, we were very pleased that you accepted it back.”
Sigh. A Fox News talking point. That whole fraudulent fuss about Churchill’s bust was a racist dogwhistle back in the early days of Obama’s tenure. Oh oh oh, … Read the rest
The biggest lie
Jan 27th, 2017 10:48 am | By Ophelia BensonThe White House has put out a statement in the name of Trump that’s titled On International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
… Read the restIt is with a heavy heart and somber mind that we remember and honor the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror.
Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest. As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent.
In the name of the perished, I pledge to do everything in my power throughout my Presidency, and my life, to ensure that the forces of evil never
Hastily upgrading
Jan 26th, 2017 4:58 pm | By Ophelia BensonPBS News has a startling little item:
The @POTUS twitter account, one of the White House’s main social media accounts, appears to be controlled by a user with a personal gmail account, the PBS NewsHour has confirmed.
They took a screen shot:
Oh well. It’s only the president.
… Read the restThe Next Web first reported on the apparent vulnerability of several accounts associated with the new White House earlier today. The finding was widely shared on Twitter by technology journalists.
In addition to being linked to a personal gmail account, the Twitter account appeared to have the lowest possible level of security, foregoing settings that would require a user to enter additional personal information to reset the password on the
Part of a crackdown
Jan 26th, 2017 1:53 pm | By Ophelia BensonMore on the silencing of the EPA:
The Trump administration is examining the website of the Environmental Protection Agency to determine which information will remain, underscoring concerns that climate change and other scientific data might be removed.
EPA employees have also been instructed not to release press releases, publish blog posts or post anything on social media. It’s part of a crackdown by the new administration that seems to be especially felt at the EPA and the Interior Department, leaving some employees “terrified.”
EPA spokesperson Doug Erickson said the objective of the website review is to have an agency page that reflects the new administration’s policies.
But the science is what it is, regardless of policies.
… Read the restAsked if climate
Press are directed to the Press Office, which is also silenced
Jan 26th, 2017 1:42 pm | By Ophelia BensonObviously I can’t vouch for this, because it’s anonymous, so keep that in mind – but for what it’s worth, this is being passed around on Facebook:
… Read the restFrom an EPA staffer:
“So I work at the EPA and yeah it’s as bad as you are hearing:
The entire agency is under lockdown, the website, facebook, twitter, you name it is static and can’t be updated. All reports, findings, permits and studies are frozen and not to be released. No presentations or meetings with outside groups are to be scheduled.
Any Press contacting us are to be directed to the Press Office which is also silenced and will give no response.
All grants and contracts are frozen from the
“They don’t understand this country.”
Jan 26th, 2017 1:33 pm | By Ophelia BensonIt’s only the first week of the Trump putsch and already we’re miles deep into Nazi territory.
The New York Times talked to Steve Bannon yesterday, and what he said is blood-chilling. He could be reading from a volume of collected rants by Goebbels. It would be gross if he were just the Breitbart guy, but he’s now at the center of the executive branch.
… Read the rest“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
Hey gang, let’s re-open the black sites!
Jan 26th, 2017 12:45 pm | By Ophelia BensonOne of the little items he’s trying to hustle through while no one is looking –
… Read the rest[T]he draft of a Trump administration executive order that spilled into public view early Wednesday — a document that raised the prospect of reviving C.I.A. “black site” prisons like those where terrorism suspects were once detained and tortured — has the potential to further fracture a national security team already divided over one of the most controversial policies of the post-9/11 era.
The White House disclaimed the document, which was leaked to The New York Times and other news organizations, but three administration officials said the White House had circulated it among National Security Council staff members for review on Tuesday morning. And many
Choice
Jan 26th, 2017 12:12 pm | By Ophelia BensonTrump complains that the media choose unflattering photos of him – he complained about it in that interview with David Muir of ABC – yet he chose this photo to tweet:
"@romoabcnews: .@DavidMuir first @POTUS interview since taking office. Tonight on @ABCWorldNews @ABC2020 tonight. pic.twitter.com/I4Vz1mRdBK"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2017
Big boy now
Jan 26th, 2017 11:18 am | By Ophelia BensonYou know how tv news shows use a photo to signal a break for commercials, right? Last night CNN used this one for the purpose, causing me to laugh myself breathless:
Well chosen.… Read the rest
The biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning
Jan 26th, 2017 10:27 am | By Ophelia BensonAaron Blake at the Post does another annotated transcript, this time of the interview Trump did yesterday with ABC News, his first interview from Inside The House. It is, of course, astonishing. I saw a few clips of it last night, and was duly astonished.
This is one choice bit:
… Read the restDAVID MUIR: Let me just ask you, you did win. You’re the president. You’re sitting …
PRESIDENT TRUMP: That’s true.
DAVID MUIR: … across from me right now.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: That’s true.
DAVID MUIR: Do you think that your words matter more now?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yes, very much.
DAVID MUIR: Do you think that that talking about millions of illegal votes is dangerous to this country without presenting the evidence?
Oh well, it’s only the State Department
Jan 26th, 2017 9:26 am | By Ophelia BensonBreaking news – senior people flee the State Department leaving it empty at the top.
… Read the restSecretary of State Rex Tillerson’s job running the State Department just got considerably more difficult. The entire senior level of management officials resigned Wednesday, part of an ongoing mass exodus of senior foreign service officers who don’t want to stick around for the Trump era.
Tillerson was actually inside the State Department’s headquarters in Foggy Bottom on Wednesday, taking meetings and getting the lay of the land. I reported Wednesday morning that the Trump team was narrowing its search for his No. 2, and that it was looking to replace the State Department’s long-serving undersecretary for management, Patrick Kennedy. Kennedy, who has been in that
Coral reefs and sandstone formations
Jan 25th, 2017 5:45 pm | By Ophelia BensonAnd then there’s BadHombreNPS. (There’s a long list of them. Long and growing.)
Global sea levels rose 17cm in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century. #climate
— BadHombreLands NPS (@BadHombreNPS) January 25, 2017
The @internetarchive is a valuable tool in times of science censorship. https://t.co/61VB4TrwrT
— BadHombreLands NPS (@BadHombreNPS) January 25, 2017
Unlike certain, um, individuals, @ArchesNPS's sandstone formations are *naturally* orange due to the presence of hematite. #science #geology
— BadHombreLands NPS (@BadHombreNPS) January 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/BadHombreNPS/status/824364927913787392
BREAKING: Statement from @NPCA CEO, Theresa Pierno regarding censorship of comms channels for gov't agencies pic.twitter.com/1kf1h2vSI1
— National Parks Conservation Association (@NPCA) January 25, 2017
… Read the restKeep it up,
Redwoods and internees
Jan 25th, 2017 5:32 pm | By Ophelia BensonMore rogues on Twitter:
DYK redwood groves are #1 carbon sink / acre in nature? About 200 tons an acre. More redwoods would mean less #climatechange #climate pic.twitter.com/mHdpRmYEx0
— Redwood N&S Parks (@RedwoodNPS) January 25, 2017
During WWII Death Valley hosted 65 endangered internees after the #Manzanar Riot. #JapaneseAmericanInternment
— Death Valley NP (@DeathValleyNPS) January 25, 2017
"We want the opportunity they have to prove their loyalty. We are asked to accept a denial of that privilege in the name of patriotism." pic.twitter.com/4JedTyfX57
— Death Valley NP (@DeathValleyNPS) January 25, 2017
Togo Tanaka: interned at Manzanar and Cow Creek (Death Valley) during WWII #JapaneseAmericanInternment pic.twitter.com/hvqtv6rynV
— Death Valley NP (@DeathValleyNPS) January 25, 2017
Ka-ching ka-ching
Jan 25th, 2017 5:12 pm | By Ophelia BensonLying corrupt president announces plans to exploit his office to expand his business.
… Read the restOnly days after Donald Trump took the oath of office, the head of his hotel-management company outlined hopes for an ambitious expansion across the U.S., raising new questions about potential conflicts between his business and the presidency.
Trump Hotels Chief Executive Officer Eric Danziger suggested the company’s broad U.S. ambitions while saying it shelved plans for expansion in China, where the president’s comments have already led to rocky diplomatic relations.
“There are 26 major metropolitan areas in the U.S., and we’re in five,” Danziger said after a panel discussion Tuesday at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles. “I don’t see any reason that we
Nope
Jan 25th, 2017 4:39 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe maquis is forming. There is a growing list of rogue Twitter accounts to do what the official ones can’t. The AltUSNatParkService one for instance:
The Unofficial “Resistance” team of U.S. National Park Service. Not taxpayer subsidised! Come for rugged scenery, fossil beds, 89 million acres of landscape
Obama enacted rules that federal agencies should have scientific integrity policies guaranteeing right of free speech for employees #climate
— NOT ALT WORLD (@NotAltWorld) January 25, 2017
It followed the gagging of some researchers and the altering of reports under the Bush administration. #climate
— NOT ALT WORLD (@NotAltWorld) January 25, 2017
… Read the restAn American government that ignores science to pursue ideological & corporate agendas endangers the world, now, and for future generations.
Welcome to our new, terrifying reality
Jan 25th, 2017 12:00 pm | By Ophelia BensonPhil Plait on Trump’s censorship of the science agencies:
Welcome to our new, terrifying reality: According to reports, President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered a media blackout of people who work at the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture.
He adds that he wants to be careful, and that this could be just a transitional move while the new administration gets sorted.
… Read the restThis may be true. BuzzFeed and the Associated Press, however, obtained internal emails from the EPA and USDA that indicate the new administration is gagging people at the two government agencies, forbidding them [to tweet], going on any social media, or issuing press releases about their science. The only news they are allowed
Maybe they will, maybe they won’t
Jan 25th, 2017 11:13 am | By Ophelia BensonIn newer news – the Jaipur Literary Festival says it has not decided not to invite Taslima in future. It’s hedging. It hasn’t decided not to, it hasn’t decided not to not to – it hasn’t decided. Good that it hasn’t, I suppose, but really it shouldn’t be hedging. It should have told the “protesters” to take a hike.
Late on Monday evening, Festival producer Sanjoy Roy said in a statement: “They expressed their anger… I heard them out. Explained we supported minorities in every way. Underscored that we are a platform for all points of view. Agreed that we should consider their request not to reinvite them (Taslima Nasrin and Salman Rushdie).”… Read the restThis led to speculation on the
