‘Free’ trade wars

‘Free’ trade

My comments on this are in a new blog post, “The fallacy of ‘free’ trade is more than a fallacy of ‘free’ trade.”

Bob Tita, “Harley-Davidson to Shift Production Overseas to Offset EU Tariffs,” Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/harley-davidson-to-shift-production-overseas-to-offset-eu-tariffs-1529927301

Megan McArdle, “How free-traders blew it,” Washington Post, June 27, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/06/27/how-free-traders-blew-it/


The language of authoritarian populism

Updates

  1. Originally published, June 24, 10:02 pm.
  2. June 25, 5:06 am:
    • Donald Trump’s tweets demonizing unauthorized migrants are far from alone on social networks.[1] What’s remarkable is how very much alike all these comments sound. (Unauthorized migration)
  3. June 25, 4:10 pm:
    • Wow. I’ve been getting a picture that Evangelical Protestants support Donald Trump despite his transgressions out of fear of progressive social change.[2] John Fea explains how that fear has, in fact, displaced faith, leading to support for authoritarianism, and that this is a mistake that Evangelicals in the U.S. have made throughout history.[3]
    • Readers of my dissertation will not be surprised. Genuine fear for their lives is one factor pushing unauthorized migrants to the U.S.[4] Trump administration threats only change the calculation, not the desperation.[5] (Unauthorized migration)
    • MS-13, the very violent gang that Donald Trump and his supporters use to rationalize anti-immigration policy, was actually founded in Southern California. It poses a real threat, but not the one Trump claims.[6] (Unauthorized migration)
    • It appears that at at least two facilities, family reunifications are only occurring with deportations and some accordingly agree to ‘voluntary’ deportations under duress. It’s not clear that the U.S. government reliably even honors its reunification promises.[7] (Unauthorized migration)
    • Jennifer Rubin expresses what very much appears to me to be a functionalist conservative take on the current Republican line on unauthorized migration.[8] I do not know if she is a Republican. One might assume so, but I certainly don’t see how, under present circumstances, she could remain one. (Unauthorized migration)
    • Jeff Sessions’ claim that prosecutions would continue notwithstanding, prosecutions of adults crossing the border with children appear to be being suspended. At least until Congress passes a fix for the court settlement that has been interpreted to require separations when adults are prosecuted, this enables families to remain together while their cases are processed.[9] Note: This story is published by the National Review, which seems to be dominated by neoconservatives. It can therefore be expected to bias in favor of so-called “Law and Order,” about which, see my comment under Unauthorized migration.
  4. June 25, 6:33 pm:
    • So there’s this article that normally I wouldn’t archive, much less put in an issue here. But it has a quotation about Donald Trump[10] that I think is really right on. Somebody at Vox apparently agrees: They put that very passage in their newsletter.[11]
  5. June 26, 8:45 pm:
    • The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban.[12]
    • The Secretary of Health and Human Services confirmed suspicions that family reunifications were only occurring in cases where the adults abandoned their asylum claims and submitted to voluntary deportation. He cited the Flores settlement.[13] However, in a preliminary injunction, a federal judge has adopted a different view, saying the separations cannot meet the requirement for due process.[14] (Unauthorized migration)
  6. June 26, 9:05 pm:
    • There is personal news.

Personal News

Some of you know that Patches, the sweetest, dearest cat ever, returned to me last Friday, the 22nd. At first, all seemed well. On the morning of the 26th, however, she began peeing on my bed again. I have surrendered her to the Marin Humane Society in Novato.

I am heartbroken. I’ll never meet as loving a cat as this ever again. I promised her a “forever home” and I meant it. I wasn’t able to keep that promise. And it certainly isn’t her fault she had a urinary tract infection.

As one who has suffered some of the injustice in our society, the last thing I would ever want to do is mete out injustice to such a creature. I wish her well.


Unauthorized migration

Something I wrote almost five years ago, while I was still working toward my Ph.D.:

Borders surround countries—nation-states—and enclose human beings, labeled “citizens,” within those countries, who are accorded certain rights and privileges. Borders correspondingly exclude nationals from other countries, who are apparently unworthy of those same rights and privileges. It is unclear to me that there is any way this cannot be interpreted in terms of superiority and inferiority: People allowed to be within a country are considered superior and those who are not are considered inferior.[15]

Fast forward to today:

They’re lucky we aren’t executing them.[16]

I personally think they should shoot them all at the border and call it good. It’ll save us hard working AMERICAN’S billions of dollars on our taxes! 😉[17]

This is the language of authoritarian populism in reference to unauthorized migrants.[18] And always, when you see the words, “Law and Order,” ask whose “law?” Whose “order?” It usually means the “Law and Order” of overwhelmingly wealthy, mostly white, mostly men, who, as Jeffrey Reiman has pointed out, are not generally subject to that “Law,” that “Order.”[19] Rather,

Tara Isabella Burton, “Jeff Sessions could be expelled from the Methodist Church over migrant policies,” Vox, June 19, 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/6/19/17479232/united-methodist-church-charges-expel-jeff-sessions-migrant

Jay Root and Shannon Najmabadi, “Kids in exchange for deportation: Detained migrants say they were told they could get kids back on way out of U.S.,” Texas Tribune, June 24, 2018, https://www.texastribune.org/2018/06/24/kids-exchange-deportation-migrants-claim-they-were-promised-they-could/

Philip Rucker and David Weigel, “Trump advocates depriving undocumented immigrants of due-process rights,” Washington Post, June 24, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-advocates-depriving-undocumented-immigrants-of-due-process-rights/2018/06/24/dfa45d36-77bd-11e8-93cc-6d3beccdd7a3_story.html

Maria Sacchetti, Michael E. Miller, and Robert Moore, “Sen. Warren visits detention center, says no children being returned to parents there,” Washington Post, June 24, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/immigration/desperate-to-get-children-back-migrants-are-willing-to-give-up-asylum-claims-lawyers-say/2018/06/24/c7fab87c-77e2-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html

Maria Sacchetti, Kevin Sieff and Marc Fisher, “Separated immigrant children are all over the U.S. now, far from parents who don’t know where they are,” Washington Post, June 24, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/separated-immigrant-children-are-all-over-the-us-now-far-from-parents-who-dont-know-where-they-are/2018/06/24/c9bc5ba6-7568-11e8-805c-4b67019fcfe4_story.html

Evan Sernoffsky and Joe Garofoli, “MS-13 is scary, but Trump may be exaggerating the threat,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 24, 2018, https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/MS-13-is-scary-but-Trump-may-be-exaggerating-the-13020572.php

Jon Swaine, “Trump stokes immigration chaos with call for summary deportations,” Guardian, June 24, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/24/trump-family-separations-children-immigration-dhs-texas

Cindy Carcamo, “At the border, mothers prepare to make an agonizing choice,” Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-asylum-seekers-prepare-to-cross-20180625-story.html

Jack Crowe, “Border Patrol Commissioner Suspends Prosecution of Adults Who Cross Border with Children,” National Review, June 25, 2018, https://www.nationalreview.com/news/illegal-immigrant-families-prosecution-suspended-border/

Jennifer Rubin, “What is wrong with Republicans?” Washington Post, June 25, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/25/what-is-wrong-with-republicans/

Kyle Swenson, “‘They’re lucky we aren’t executing them’: National Guardsman faces punishment for Facebook post on migrants,” Washington Post, June 25, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/25/theyre-lucky-we-arent-executing-them-national-guardsman-face-punishment-for-facebook-post-on-migrants/

Josh Gerstein, “Judge orders Trump administration to reunite migrant families,” Politico, June 26, 2018, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/judge-orders-trump-reunite-migrant-families-678809

Sarah D. Wire and Jazmine Ulloa, “Trump administration won’t return children to immigrant parents in custody, top official says,” Los Angeles Times, June 26, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-immigration-house-vote-20180626-story.html


Donald Trump

There’s this idea that if only people asked Trump X, Y, and Z, we’d get to the bottom of something. But if we’ve learned anything, it’s that he’s the constant; he’s resolute in his belief that he’s right, that he’s a victim, and that the last thing he heard is the truth, provided it’s something positive about him. No variable is going to change what he is.[20]

Julia Ioffe, “Seth Meyers Has ‘Very Fond’ Memories of Roasting Trump,” Atlantic, June, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/06/seth-meyers-trump-oprah/559118/

John Fea, “Evangelical Fear Elected Trump,” Atlantic, June 24, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/a-history-of-evangelical-fear/563558/


Muslim Ban

Lydia Wheeler, “Supreme Court upholds travel ban, handing Trump major victory,” Hill, June 26, 2018, http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/394143-supreme-court-upholds-trump-travel-ban


  1. [1]Kyle Swenson, “‘They’re lucky we aren’t executing them’: National Guardsman faces punishment for Facebook post on migrants,” Washington Post, June 25, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/25/theyre-lucky-we-arent-executing-them-national-guardsman-face-punishment-for-facebook-post-on-migrants/
  2. [2]Bill Berkowitz, “Are Right-Wing Evangelicals True Christians or Just Another White Identity Cult?” Truthout, March 4, 2016, http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/are-evangelicals-true-christians-or-just-another-white-identity-cult; David Goldstein, “Evangelicals have qualms with Trump, but see nowhere else to turn,” McClatchy, June 10, 2016, http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article82901192.html?rh=1; Bethania Palma Markus, “Christian leader: Trump reveals that progressives were right about evangelicals all along,” Raw Story, March 1, 2016, http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/christian-leader-trump-reveals-that-progressives-were-right-about-evangelicals-all-along/; Russell Moore, “Why this election makes me hate the word ‘evangelical,’” Washington Post, February 29, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/02/29/russell-moore-why-this-election-makes-me-hate-the-word-evangelical/; Napp Nazworth, “Conservative Evangelical Author Matt Lewis on Trump, Evangelicals and Stupid Republicans (Interview),” Christian Post, January 26, 2016, http://www.christianpost.com/news/conservative-evangelical-author-matt-lewis-donald-trump-evangelicals-stupid-republicans-155688/; Ray Nothstine, “Who Are the Evangelicals Supporting Donald Trump?” Christian Post, August 30, 2015, http://www.christianpost.com/news/who-are-the-evangelicals-supporting-donald-trump-143997/
  3. [3]John Fea, “Evangelical Fear Elected Trump,” Atlantic, June 24, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/a-history-of-evangelical-fear/563558/
  4. [4]David Benfell, “Conservative Views on Undocumented Migration” (doctoral dissertation, Saybrook, 2016). ProQuest (1765416126).
  5. [5]Cindy Carcamo, “At the border, mothers prepare to make an agonizing choice,” Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-asylum-seekers-prepare-to-cross-20180625-story.html
  6. [6]Evan Sernoffsky and Joe Garofoli, “MS-13 is scary, but Trump may be exaggerating the threat,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 24, 2018, https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/MS-13-is-scary-but-Trump-may-be-exaggerating-the-13020572.php
  7. [7]Jay Root and Shannon Najmabadi, “Kids in exchange for deportation: Detained migrants say they were told they could get kids back on way out of U.S.,” Texas Tribune, June 24, 2018, https://www.texastribune.org/2018/06/24/kids-exchange-deportation-migrants-claim-they-were-promised-they-could/; Maria Sacchetti, Michael E. Miller, and Robert Moore, “Sen. Warren visits detention center, says no children being returned to parents there,” Washington Post, June 24, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/immigration/desperate-to-get-children-back-migrants-are-willing-to-give-up-asylum-claims-lawyers-say/2018/06/24/c7fab87c-77e2-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html
  8. [8]Jennifer Rubin, “What is wrong with Republicans?” Washington Post, June 25, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/25/what-is-wrong-with-republicans/
  9. [9]Jack Crowe, “Border Patrol Commissioner Suspends Prosecution of Adults Who Cross Border with Children,” National Review, June 25, 2018, https://www.nationalreview.com/news/illegal-immigrant-families-prosecution-suspended-border/
  10. [10]Julia Ioffe, “Seth Meyers Has ‘Very Fond’ Memories of Roasting Trump,” Atlantic, June, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/06/seth-meyers-trump-oprah/559118/
  11. [11]Jennie Neufeld to Vox Sentences list, “Trump’s trade war comes for Harley-Davidson,” June 24, 2018, https://www.vox.com/
  12. [12]Lydia Wheeler, “Supreme Court upholds travel ban, handing Trump major victory,” Hill, June 26, 2018, http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/394143-supreme-court-upholds-trump-travel-ban
  13. [13]Jay Root and Shannon Najmabadi, “Kids in exchange for deportation: Detained migrants say they were told they could get kids back on way out of U.S.,” Texas Tribune, June 24, 2018, https://www.texastribune.org/2018/06/24/kids-exchange-deportation-migrants-claim-they-were-promised-they-could/; Maria Sacchetti, Michael E. Miller, and Robert Moore, “Sen. Warren visits detention center, says no children being returned to parents there,” Washington Post, June 24, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/immigration/desperate-to-get-children-back-migrants-are-willing-to-give-up-asylum-claims-lawyers-say/2018/06/24/c7fab87c-77e2-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html; Sarah D. Wire and Jazmine Ulloa, “Trump administration won’t return children to immigrant parents in custody, top official says,” Los Angeles Times, June 26, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-immigration-house-vote-20180626-story.html
  14. [14]Josh Gerstein, “Judge orders Trump administration to reunite migrant families,” Politico, June 26, 2018, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/judge-orders-trump-reunite-migrant-families-678809
  15. [15]David Benfell, “Humans Without Borders: A Paradox,” October 15, 2013, https://parts-unknown.org/drupal7/journal/2013/10/15/humans-without-borders-paradox
  16. [16]Gerod Martin, quoted in Kyle Swenson, “‘They’re lucky we aren’t executing them’: National Guardsman faces punishment for Facebook post on migrants,” Washington Post, June 25, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/25/theyre-lucky-we-arent-executing-them-national-guardsman-face-punishment-for-facebook-post-on-migrants/
  17. [17]Lori McAllen, quoted in Kyle Swenson, “‘They’re lucky we aren’t executing them’: National Guardsman faces punishment for Facebook post on migrants,” Washington Post, June 25, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/25/theyre-lucky-we-arent-executing-them-national-guardsman-face-punishment-for-facebook-post-on-migrants/
  18. [18]David Benfell, “Conservative Views on Undocumented Migration” (doctoral dissertation, Saybrook, 2016). ProQuest (1765416126).
  19. [19]Jeffrey Reiman, The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, 7th ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004).
  20. [20]Seth Meyers, quoted in Julia Ioffe, “Seth Meyers Has ‘Very Fond’ Memories of Roasting Trump,” Atlantic, June, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/06/seth-meyers-trump-oprah/559118/

Fascism

Updates

  1. Originally published, June 20, 2:46 am.
  2. June 20, 2:05 pm:
    • Donald Trump capitulated on the family separation issue, signing an executive order halting the practice.[1] (Unauthorized migration)
    • There is personal news.
    • I need to nap now. I am no way, no how caught up.
  3. June 20, 4:27 pm:
    • Aaron Blake on Donald Trump’s executive order halting family separations: “Virtually everything [the Trump administration] said about the policy is tossed aside with this executive action. It’s the political equivalent of waving the white flag and the legal equivalent of confessing to making false statements. Rather than letting Congress rebuke it, the White House is rebuking itself and trying to save some face.”[2] (Unauthorized migration)
    • I’m still going through social media, but I’m sort of caught up now.
  4. June 21, 10:56 pm:
    • Prosecutions involving unauthorized migrant families are being suspended. Not much else is clear.[3] (Unauthorized migration)
    • There is an update on the personal news.

Original caption: Immigrant children, many of whom have been separated from their parents under a new “zero tolerance” policy by the Trump administration, are being housed in tents next to the Mexican border in Tornillo, Texas, June 18, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake. (Fair use.)

It happens to be World Refugee Day.

I thought it important to revisit a research journal post I wrote in February, last year, seeking to synthesize a definition of fascism:

Fascism is an ideology that seeks to institutionalize structural and physical violence against some or many subaltern groups on the grounds of bigotry and to increase its own public support through the exploitation of such violence and bigotry. This bigotry may take several forms including nationalism, scapegoating, sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. To the extent that it succeeds, it acts as a self-reinforcing feedback as public support enables further and more extreme violence.[4]

U.S. history is replete with examples of this behavior. The separation of unauthorized migrant parents and children[5] is yet another.


Personal news

On a personal note, some of you may know I was in a traffic collision—entirely my fault—last Wednesday (the 13th). I suffered (and am suffering) minor injuries and my precious Prius was almost certainly totaled.

A crack to my sternum was compounded by bronchitis, stemming from my cat’s urinary tract infection (now treated) and her subsequent refusal to pee in her litter box (think ammonia, lots and lots of ammonia in her urine, that I was breathing in). In health respects, this has been something of a perfect storm with a lot of crap all coming to a head. But I’m recovering (and my cat is back at the shelter for reeducation on litter box usage).

The new (to me) car.
Thursday (June 21), I forked over a bunch of money for a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. It’s a bit more spacious, has a bit more oomph, and has a different collection of features from the old Prius (the Prius had a back-up camera but the Camry has automatic headlights, the Prius could play music via Bluetooth but the Camry has heated seats and a moonroof, and so on).

But it’s also very clear to me that I’ve been driving way too many miles. Reflecting on this as I was driving (my mother’s car) back from the dealer, I began remembering all the little slip-ups I’d been making recently while driving, before the big one that ended so catastrophically last week. These were warning signs that I’ve felt unable to heed.

I’ve been driving over 200 miles per day, trying to make any money at all. It’s not paying off, it was hard on—even as good, solid, and reliable a car as it was—the Prius, and I clearly can’t keep it up. I don’t know what I’m going to do here, because the reason I’ve been doing this is that I have had so little success finding work—it’s been over seventeen years now since I was last gainfully employed. This needs to change, rather urgently, and with much more seriousness than anyone in my social network (which surely in all those years should have been able to hook me up with something, even as years and many multitudes of job applications were going nowhere) has been willing to take it.

That I’m hopelessly stuck in this situation means I’m almost certainly setting myself up for another catastrophe.


Unauthorized migration

Aaron Blake, “Trump and Kirstjen Nielsen’s embarrassing surrender on separating families at the border,” Washington Post, June 20, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/06/20/trump-and-kirstjen-nielsens-embarrassing-surrender-on-separating-families/

Andrew Restuccia and Lorraine Woellert, “Trump signs executive order halting family separations,” Politico, June 20, 2018, https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/06/20/im-ashamed-of-what-theyre-doing-backlash-grows-for-trump-and-his-aides-655498

Nick Miroff, Dan Lamothe, and Seung Min Kim, “Reversal on migrant families deepens confusion over Trump’s immigration order,” Washington Post, June 21, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-will-stop-prosecuting-parents-who-cross-the-border-illegally-with-children-official-says/2018/06/21/4902b194-7564-11e8-805c-4b67019fcfe4_story.html


  1. [1]Andrew Restuccia and Lorraine Woellert, “Trump signs executive order halting family separations,” Politico, June 20, 2018, https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/06/20/im-ashamed-of-what-theyre-doing-backlash-grows-for-trump-and-his-aides-655498
  2. [2]Aaron Blake, “Trump and Kirstjen Nielsen’s embarrassing surrender on separating families at the border,” Washington Post, June 20, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/06/20/trump-and-kirstjen-nielsens-embarrassing-surrender-on-separating-families/
  3. [3]Nick Miroff, Dan Lamothe, and Seung Min Kim, “Reversal on migrant families deepens confusion over Trump’s immigration order,” Washington Post, June 21, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-will-stop-prosecuting-parents-who-cross-the-border-illegally-with-children-official-says/2018/06/21/4902b194-7564-11e8-805c-4b67019fcfe4_story.html
  4. [4]David Benfell, “A simple definition of fascism,” February 14, 2017, https://parts-unknown.org/drupal7/journal/2017/02/14/simple-definition-fascism
  5. [5]Nancy Cook, “Trump aides plan fresh immigration crackdowns before midterms,” Politico, June 18, 2018, https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/06/18/trump-aides-plan-fresh-immigration-crackdowns-before-midterms-652246; Jake Johnson, “Trump Finally Admits He’s Responsible: ‘You Have to Take the Children Away,’” Common Dreams, June 19, 2018, https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/06/19/trump-finally-admits-hes-responsible-you-have-take-children-away; Jennifer Hansler, “Cardinal Dolan: There is no Bible passage to justify family separation,” CNN, June 16, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/16/politics/cardinal-dolan-family-separation-cnntv/index.html; James Hohmann, “Trump is losing the debate over splitting up immigrant families,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?e=YmVuZmVsbEBwYXJ0cy11bmtub3duLm9yZw%3D%3D&s=5b23c997fe1ff66463922db0; Tal Kopan, “New DHS policy could separate families caught crossing the border illegally,” CNN, May 7, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/07/politics/illegal-immigration-border-prosecutions-families-separated/index.html; Tal Kopan, “DHS secretary defends separating families at the border,” CNN, May 15, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/dhs-separating-families-secretary-nielsen-hearing/index.html; Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins, Jeff Zeleny, and Sarah Westwood, “White House scrambles to contain immigration fallout,” CNN, June 18, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/18/politics/immigration-white-house-pressure/index.html; Nesrine Malik, “Trump is creating his American caliphate, and democracy has no defence,” Guardian, June 18, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/18/trump-american-caliphate-democracy-arab-world; Nomaan Merchant, “Hundreds of children wait in Border Patrol facility in Texas,” Associated Press, June 17, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/9794de32d39d4c6f89fbefaea3780769; Reuters, “Tent city for immigrant children in Texas,” June 19, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/pictures-report-idUSRTX69U2; Brianna Rennix, “Understanding The Administration’s Monstrous Immigration Policies,” Current Affairs, June 17, 2018, https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/06/understanding-the-administrations-monstrous-immigration-policies; Jennifer Rubin, “Leave the Bible out of it, child separation is not ‘Christian,’” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/15/leave-the-bible-out-of-it-child-separation-is-not-christian/; Kelsey Snell and Susan Davis, “President Trump Injects Fresh Chaos Into Immigration Debate,” National Public Radio, June 15, 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/06/15/620356425/president-trump-injects-fresh-chaos-into-immigration-debate; Julie Zauzmer and Keith McMillan, “Sessions cites Bible passage used to defend slavery in defense of separating immigrant families,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/06/14/jeff-sessions-points-to-the-bible-in-defense-of-separating-immigrant-families/;

Strange times: The further descent of the raging, delusional narcisist-in-chief

Updates

  1. Originally published, June 18, 11:20 pm.
  2. June 19, 7:46 am:
    • Nesrine Malik argues that the family separation of Unauthorized migrants is a step to an authoritarian regime.[1] I am unwilling to credit the Trump administration with the intelligence to intend this but fear she may in some way be correct.
    • Reuters has pictures of a tent city for separated children here.[2] You should definitely take a look. (Unauthorized migrants)
  3. June 19, 7:10 pm:
    • The family separation policy is fascism, pure and simple: “Unlike the Nazis, say, the Trump administration doesn’t want to do its torture and killing in-house.”[3] Donald Trump acknowledged that the separations follow from his administration’s decision to prosecute Unauthorized migrants and that journalists “are helping these smugglers and these traffickers like nobody would believe,”[4] before hugging the U.S. flag.[5]

Unauthorized migrants


The Trump administration has been planning a crackdown on migration for a year. They are doubling down,[6] even as their attempts to contain the public relations damage sputter.[7]

Unlike the Nazis, say, the Trump administration doesn’t want to do its torture and killing in-house. From the detention facilities here, the undesirables will be sent beyond our borders to meet their fates, unseen by us. We need dispose of no bodies. The fact that this looks different from the systematic state atrocities that are most familiar to us does not alter the reality of what is occurring here. Our government is a government that murders women and children.[8]

Brianna Rennix, “Understanding The Administration’s Monstrous Immigration Policies,” Current Affairs, June 17, 2018, https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/06/understanding-the-administrations-monstrous-immigration-policies

Nancy Cook, “Trump aides plan fresh immigration crackdowns before midterms,” Politico, June 18, 2018, https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/06/18/trump-aides-plan-fresh-immigration-crackdowns-before-midterms-652246

Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins, Jeff Zeleny, and Sarah Westwood, “White House scrambles to contain immigration fallout,” CNN, June 18, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/18/politics/immigration-white-house-pressure/index.html

Nesrine Malik, “Trump is creating his American caliphate, and democracy has no defence,” Guardian, June 18, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/18/trump-american-caliphate-democracy-arab-world

Reuters, “Tent city for immigrant children in Texas,” June 19, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/pictures-report-idUSRTX69U2N


Donald Trump

Perhaps it is time for a Adolf Hitler analogy. Not because of his fascism toward unauthorized migrants or his racist appeals, as tempting as that may be, but rather to the syphilis-induced insanity the Führer suffered, because with Donald Trump, a raging, delusional narcissist appears to be descending even further into insanity.[9] I want to say he’ll crack up—but we’ve been here before.[10] Even if my logic is correct, who can say that this will be it? That this will be the time he finally melts down in a way that forces his removal? Or, perhaps even more worrisome, what more will he do before that point is reached? What, indeed, will be Trump’s Eastern Front?

Chris Cillizza, “Donald Trump’s Twitter feed is getting more and more bizarre,” CNN, June 18, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/18/politics/trump-tweets/index.html


  1. [1]Nesrine Malik, “Trump is creating his American caliphate, and democracy has no defence,” Guardian, June 18, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/18/trump-american-caliphate-democracy-arab-world
  2. [2]Reuters, “Tent city for immigrant children in Texas,” June 19, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/pictures-report-idUSRTX69U2N
  3. [3]Brianna Rennix, “Understanding The Administration’s Monstrous Immigration Policies,” Current Affairs, June 17, 2018, https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/06/understanding-the-administrations-monstrous-immigration-policies
  4. [4]Donald Trump, quoted in Jake Johnson, “Trump Finally Admits He’s Responsible: ‘You Have to Take the Children Away,’” Common Dreams, June 19, 2018, https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/06/19/trump-finally-admits-hes-responsible-you-have-take-children-away
  5. [5]Jake Johnson, “Trump Finally Admits He’s Responsible: ‘You Have to Take the Children Away,’” Common Dreams, June 19, 2018, https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/06/19/trump-finally-admits-hes-responsible-you-have-take-children-away
  6. [6]Nancy Cook, “Trump aides plan fresh immigration crackdowns before midterms,” Politico, June 18, 2018, https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/06/18/trump-aides-plan-fresh-immigration-crackdowns-before-midterms-652246
  7. [7]Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins, Jeff Zeleny, and Sarah Westwood, “White House scrambles to contain immigration fallout,” CNN, June 18, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/18/politics/immigration-white-house-pressure/index.html
  8. [8]Brianna Rennix, “Understanding The Administration’s Monstrous Immigration Policies,” Current Affairs, June 17, 2018, https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/06/understanding-the-administrations-monstrous-immigration-policies
  9. [9]Chris Cillizza, “Donald Trump’s Twitter feed is getting more and more bizarre,” CNN, June 18, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/18/politics/trump-tweets/index.html
  10. [10]David Benfell, “I, Donald,” Not Housebroken, June 6, 2018, https://disunitedstates.org/2018/06/06/i-donald/

Who will watch the watcher? It can’t be the executive branch. But the obvious alternative is scarier.

I forgot to mention a new blog post, entitled, “The callousness of the moment” in the last issue.


Updates

  1. Originally published June 14, 10:11 am.
  2. June 14, 9:42 pm:
    • CNN has a useful summary of the the Justice Department Inspector General’s report on James Comey’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email server.[1] This is somewhat more helpful than the Bloomberg report[2] I posted here earlier.
    • Increasingly impatient with a political failure to act, bankruptcy judges are increasingly working to provide relief to student loan borrowers.[3] For inquiring minds, no, I don’t expect this to benefit me personally as I already have all my loans consolidated on a REPAYE plan and am currently recertifying for whichever plan (probably REPAYE) offers the lowest monthly payments (so far, these have been zero). (Student Loans)
    • In my last issue, on the topic of breaking up California, I pointed out that “if you don’t like the conservative bias of the electoral college or if you don’t like the conservatism of the U.S. Senate, breaking up high-population states is the thing to do.”[4] I told you so. An analysis in the Sacramento Bee confirms that where there are now two Democratic U.S. senators representing California, the plan would likely result in six Democratic senators representing the three new states.[5] That Democratic Party politicians aren’t interested[6] tells you they’re interested in something other than representing their constituents or advancing even marginally less conservative policy. Which was my point.
  3. June 15, 3:50 am:
  4. June 15, 2:20 pm:
    • Defending the Trump Administration policy of separating children from their parents, Jeff Sessions cited Romans 13, which needs to be read in context with Romans 12.[7] (Unauthorized migration)
    • Donald Trump said he would not sign the more moderate of two compromise bills that were being set for a House vote to fund the border wall and secure legal status for folks previously protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.[8] (Unauthorized migration)
    • Massachussetts is starting a program to help older workers get hired.[9] (Ageism)
  5. June 15, 5:40 pm:
    • A federal judge revoked Paul Manafort’s bail due to allegations of witness-tampering. “It was not immediately clear where Manafort would be jailed.” Rudy Giuliani said “that the Mueller investigation ‘might get cleaned up with some presidential pardons’” but backtracked. Donald Trump thought it was so unfair that Manafort was going to jail[10] and not “[James] Comey and Crooked Hillary [Clinton] and all of the others.”[11] (James Comey)
  6. June 15, 6:30 pm:
  7. June 15, 10:56 pm:
    • So Paul Manafort is going to jail[13] and—I don’t know if there’s really a connection—suddenly, Mitch McConnell is blowing his top at Robert Mueller. Donald Trump’s and Rudy Giuliani’s idiocy was to be expected. But, as Jonathan Chait puts it, “McConnell so far has held back from joining Trump’s effort to make the Justice Department into a palace guard at his personal disposal. At times he has flashed the yellow light to Trump’s most aggressively lunatic threats.”[14] Could it be that somebody’s getting much too close for comfort? (James Comey)
  8. June 16, 1:50 pm:
    • For me, this is something of a non sequitur, but Natasha Bertrand takes Paul Manafort’s jailing as Robert Mueller’s warning to Donald Trump about lying in an interview[15] that, to my eyes, doesn’t even look like it’s going to happen. It’s an interesting read anyway. (James Comey)
    • If you’ve read Colin Woodard’s American Nations or even looked at the associated map, you might realize that Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is on the frontier between what he labels Greater Appalachia and what he labels the Midlands. I see his description of the folks of Greater Appalachia[16] as looking very much like—enough so that I’m inclined to think that they’re at least the ideological ancestors of—authoritarian populists, the larger part of Donald Trump’s base.[17] I’m guessing the publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is an authoritarian populist. He fired a cartoonist for proposing and drawing too many cartoons critical of Trump. The cartoonist had worked there for 25 years.[18]
    • I remain deeply skeptical of polling methodology in the current environment due to its low response rates,[19] but some Brookings scholars have concluded 1) that Donald Trump has now for all intents and purposes captured the Republican Party, and 2) that—here’s where the polling data comes in—the Republican Party increasingly represents only old folks who are dying off.[20] This is an interesting read and I recommend it—some of what they say is surely pertinent—but we’ve been hearing the demographic argument for a while. As I’ve previously noted, it flatly hasn’t worked out so far,[21] and I’m deeply suspicious that in any population of human beings, some will be more conservative than others. The analysis here assumes that all the young will remain progressive or ‘liberal’ or at least less conservative as they age while a saying that dates back at least to 1785 suggests a quite different experience that seems to have been echoed over the centuries since.[22]
    • Add a lawsuit filed by the New York state attorney general to the list of thorny legal messes that Donald Trump now faces.[23]
  9. June 17, 12:51 am:
    • I guess I’ll never actually know and I have to confess I’m wondering: I’m watching for signs of favorable treatment for John Manafort—you know, the conservative meme of a ‘country club’ prison. Given the coverage I’ve seen so far, it doesn’t look like it.[24] But CNN’s story seems like it might be bending over just a little too far to make that point. There is the “VIP” designation and, translated into terms of incarceration, I don’t know what, if anything, that actually means. One thing that’s odd is it sounds like he’s able to keep his cell phone,[25] which would 1) undermine the point of the detention,[26] and 2) be very unusual for any prisoner anywhere, because cell phones are usually treated as contraband; California’s prisons, for example, go to great (and failing) lengths to try to keep cell phones out. (James Comey)
  10. June 17, 3:44 am:
    • The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s publisher defended firing a cartoonist, saying the latter had become “too angry.”[27] (Donald Trump)
    • A story in Politico suggests that Donald Trump’s capture of the Republican Party is complete.[28]
    • The Washington Post’s story on Paul Manafort’s jailing indicates that the jail in question has a “VIP section” but otherwise talks about conditions ordinary prisoners face.[29] (CNN’s story discussed those conditions as well.[30]) It’s still not clear, though it seems awfully probable, that Manafort had to give up his cell phone. (James Comey)
  11. June 17, 2:57 pm:
    • I’m late getting to this but a couple days ago, James Hohmann had a very useful “Daily 202” newsletter that begins with the controversy on separating families.[31] (Unauthorized migration)
    • Pro-Tip: If you’re going to cite a Bible passage in support of some policy, as Jeff Sessions did regarding separating families, that passage should actually support the policy.[32] (Unauthorized migration)
    • Roger Stone has revealed a meeting with a Russian, whom he now thinks might have been an FBI plant, offering ‘dirt’ on Hillary Clinton.[33] (James Comey)
    • Tristan Snell explains the New York state attorney general’s suit against the Trump Foundation as exposing Donald Trump as a con man.[34]
  12. June 17, 6:33 pm:
    • The Associated Press has reported on the conditions at a prison where some families are being allowed to remain together, where there are some unaccompanied children, and where some children have been separated from their parents.[35] (Unauthorized migration)

James Comey

Jeremy Herb and Marshall Cohen, “6 takeaways from the Justice watchdog report on the Clinton email investigation,” CNN, June 14, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/14/politics/takeaways-ig-report-comey-fbi/index.html

Chris Strohm, “Comey Broke From FBI Procedures in Clinton Probe, Watchdog Finds,” Bloomberg, June 14, 2018, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-14/comey-broke-from-fbi-procedures-in-clinton-probe-watchdog-finds

Natasha Bertrand, “Mueller’s Warning to Trump: The Cover-Up Is Also a Crime,” Atlantic, June 15, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/muellers-targets-keep-digging-deeper-holes/562985/

Jonathan Chait, “Mitch McConnell Turns Against Robert Mueller,” New York, June 15, 2018, http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/06/senate-republican-leader-mitch-mcconnell-turns-on-mueller.html

Spencer S. Hsu, Ellen Nakashima, and Devlin Barrett, “Paul Manafort ordered to jail after witness-tampering charges,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-ordered-to-jail-after-witness-tampering-charges/2018/06/15/ccc526cc-6e68-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html

Tom Jackman, “Manafort checks into VIP section at Virginia jail where Chris Brown, Michael Vick also did time,” Washington Post, June 16, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-checks-into-vip-section-at-virginia-jail-where-chris-brown-michael-vick-also-did-time/2018/06/16/8ad19196-71a2-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html

Katelyn Polantz, “What life is like for Paul Manafort in jail,” CNN, June 16, 2018, https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/06/16/politics/paul-manafort-virginia-jail-life/index.html

Manuel Roig-Franzia and Rosalind S. Helderman, “Trump associate Roger Stone reveals new contact with Russian national during 2016 campaign,” Washington Post, June 17, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-associate-roger-stone-reveals-new-contact-with-russian-national-during-2016-campaign/2018/06/17/4a8123c8-6fd0-11e8-bd50-b80389a4e569_story.html


Donald Trump

Edward-Isaac Dovere, “‘This is the new Republican Party,’” Politico, June 13, 2018, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/13/trump-republicans-sanford-resistance-644721

Elaine Kamarck, Alexander R. Podkul, and Nicholas W. Zeppos, “Trump owns a shrinking Republican party,” Brookings Institute, June 14, 2018, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/06/14/trump-owns-a-shrinking-republican-party/

Jacqueline Thomsen, “Five things to know about the lawsuit against the Trump Foundation,” Hill, June 14, 2018, http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/392392-five-things-to-know-about-the-lawsuit-against-the-trump-foundation

Ann Telnaes, “An American editorial cartoonist has been fired for skewering Trump. He likely won’t be the last,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/06/15/an-american-editorial-cartoonist-has-been-fired-for-skewering-trump-he-likely-wont-be-the-last/

Daniel Lippman, “‘He’s just become too angry’: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publisher defends firing cartoonist,” Politico, June 16, 2018, https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/06/16/pittsburgh-cartoonist-firing-publisher-gazette-650389

Tristan Snell, “The proper way to view the Trump Foundation scandal,” CNN, June 16, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/16/opinions/trump-foundation-scandal-opinion-snell/index.html


Replication

Philip Zimbardo has some explaining to do.[36] This is a very sad thing for me to say: I was deeply impressed by his book, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, in which he advances a theory of the power of the situation, which resonates with me, even if I am considerably less optimistic than he is about individuals’ ability to overcome it. That theory is based on his ethically problematic work in the Stanford Prison Experiments and he tells a very touching tale of how it was his girl friend (whom he later married) who persuaded him he’d gone too far.[37] Yes, this is a book I cited in my dissertation.[38]

Brian Resnick, “The Stanford Prison Experiment was massively influential. We just learned it was a fraud,” Vox, June 13, 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/6/13/17449118/stanford-prison-experiment-fraud-psychology-replication


Student Loans

Katy Stech Ferek, “Judges Wouldn’t Consider Forgiving Crippling Student Loans—Until Now,” Wall Street Journal, June 14, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/judges-wouldnt-consider-forgiving-crippling-student-loans-until-now-1528974001


California

Phillip Reese, “‘Three Californias’ would likely mean four more Democrats in U.S. Senate,” Sacramento Bee, June 14, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/site-services/databases/article213195344.html


Unauthorized migration

James Hohmann, “Trump is losing the debate over splitting up immigrant families,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?e=YmVuZmVsbEBwYXJ0cy11bmtub3duLm9yZw%3D%3D&s=5b23c997fe1ff66463922db0

Jennifer Rubin, “Leave the Bible out of it, child separation is not ‘Christian,’” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/15/leave-the-bible-out-of-it-child-separation-is-not-christian/

Kelsey Snell and Susan Davis, “President Trump Injects Fresh Chaos Into Immigration Debate,” National Public Radio, June 15, 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/06/15/620356425/president-trump-injects-fresh-chaos-into-immigration-debate

Julie Zauzmer and Keith McMillan, “Sessions cites Bible passage used to defend slavery in defense of separating immigrant families,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/06/14/jeff-sessions-points-to-the-bible-in-defense-of-separating-immigrant-families/

Nomaan Merchant, “Hundreds of children wait in Border Patrol facility in Texas,” Associated Press, June 17, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/9794de32d39d4c6f89fbefaea3780769


Ageism

Robert Weisman, “Help wanted, but not from older workers: Many struggle to find jobs as employers post openings,” Boston Globe, June 14, 2018, http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/06/14/help-wanted-but-not-from-older-workers-many-struggle-find-jobs-employers-post-openings/CIQgOC1AYXqlGIFtZWkcHN/story.html?camp=breakingnews:newsletter


  1. [1]Jeremy Herb and Marshall Cohen, “6 takeaways from the Justice watchdog report on the Clinton email investigation,” CNN, June 14, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/14/politics/takeaways-ig-report-comey-fbi/index.html
  2. [2]Chris Strohm, “Comey Broke From FBI Procedures in Clinton Probe, Watchdog Finds,” Bloomberg, June 14, 2018, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-14/comey-broke-from-fbi-procedures-in-clinton-probe-watchdog-finds
  3. [3]Katy Stech Ferek, “Judges Wouldn’t Consider Forgiving Crippling Student Loans—Until Now,” Wall Street Journal, June 14, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/judges-wouldnt-consider-forgiving-crippling-student-loans-until-now-1528974001
  4. [4]David Benfell, “You want proof that most U.S. politicians abhor their constituents? Here it is,” Irregular Bullshit, June 13, 2018, https://parts-unknown.org/reading/2018/06/13/you-want-proof-that-most-u-s-politicians-abhor-their-constituents-here-it-is/
  5. [5]Phillip Reese, “‘Three Californias’ would likely mean four more Democrats in U.S. Senate,” Sacramento Bee, June 14, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/site-services/databases/article213195344.html
  6. [6]Andrea Diaz, “3 Californias? The initiative to break up the state may be on the ballot in November,” CNN, April 13, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/13/us/california-closer-to-split-into-three-states-trnd/index.html
  7. [7]Julie Zauzmer and Keith McMillan, “Sessions cites Bible passage used to defend slavery in defense of separating immigrant families,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/06/14/jeff-sessions-points-to-the-bible-in-defense-of-separating-immigrant-families/
  8. [8]Kelsey Snell and Susan Davis, “President Trump Injects Fresh Chaos Into Immigration Debate,” National Public Radio, June 15, 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/06/15/620356425/president-trump-injects-fresh-chaos-into-immigration-debate
  9. [9]Robert Weisman, “Help wanted, but not from older workers: Many struggle to find jobs as employers post openings,” Boston Globe, June 14, 2018, http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/06/14/help-wanted-but-not-from-older-workers-many-struggle-find-jobs-employers-post-openings/CIQgOC1AYXqlGIFtZWkcHN/story.html?camp=breakingnews:newsletter
  10. [10]Spencer S. Hsu, Ellen Nakashima, and Devlin Barrett, “Paul Manafort ordered to jail after witness-tampering charges,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-ordered-to-jail-after-witness-tampering-charges/2018/06/15/ccc526cc-6e68-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html
  11. [11]Donald Trump, quoted in Spencer S. Hsu, Ellen Nakashima, and Devlin Barrett, “Paul Manafort ordered to jail after witness-tampering charges,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-ordered-to-jail-after-witness-tampering-charges/2018/06/15/ccc526cc-6e68-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html
  12. [12]Jennifer Rubin, “Leave the Bible out of it, child separation is not ‘Christian,’” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/15/leave-the-bible-out-of-it-child-separation-is-not-christian/
  13. [13]Spencer S. Hsu, Ellen Nakashima, and Devlin Barrett, “Paul Manafort ordered to jail after witness-tampering charges,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-ordered-to-jail-after-witness-tampering-charges/2018/06/15/ccc526cc-6e68-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html
  14. [14]Jonathan Chait, “Mitch McConnell Turns Against Robert Mueller,” New York, June 15, 2018, http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/06/senate-republican-leader-mitch-mcconnell-turns-on-mueller.html
  15. [15]Natasha Bertrand, “Mueller’s Warning to Trump: The Cover-Up Is Also a Crime,” Atlantic, June 15, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/muellers-targets-keep-digging-deeper-holes/562985/
  16. [16]Colin Woodard, American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (New York: Penguin, 2011).
  17. [17]David Benfell, “Conservative Views on Undocumented Migration” (doctoral dissertation, Saybrook, 2016). ProQuest (1765416126).
  18. [18]Ann Telnaes, “An American editorial cartoonist has been fired for skewering Trump. He likely won’t be the last,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/06/15/an-american-editorial-cartoonist-has-been-fired-for-skewering-trump-he-likely-wont-be-the-last/
  19. [19]David Benfell, “On a nine percent response rate,” May 28, 2018, https://parts-unknown.org/drupal7/journal/2017/05/28/nine-percent-response-rate
  20. [20]Elaine Kamarck, Alexander R. Podkul, and Nicholas W. Zeppos, “Trump owns a shrinking Republican party,” Brookings Institute, June 14, 2018, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/06/14/trump-owns-a-shrinking-republican-party/
  21. [21]David Benfell, “A national divorce,” Not Housebroken, September 8, 2015, https://disunitedstates.org/2015/09/08/a-national-divorce/
  22. [22]Garson O’Toole, “If You Are Not a Liberal at 25, You Have No Heart. If You Are Not a Conservative at 35 You Have No Brain,” Quote Investigator, February 24, 2014, https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/02/24/heart-head/
  23. [23]Jacqueline Thomsen, “Five things to know about the lawsuit against the Trump Foundation,” Hill, June 14, 2018, http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/392392-five-things-to-know-about-the-lawsuit-against-the-trump-foundation
  24. [24]Spencer S. Hsu, Ellen Nakashima, and Devlin Barrett, “Paul Manafort ordered to jail after witness-tampering charges,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-ordered-to-jail-after-witness-tampering-charges/2018/06/15/ccc526cc-6e68-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html
  25. [25]Katelyn Polantz, “What life is like for Paul Manafort in jail,” CNN, June 16, 2018, https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/06/16/politics/paul-manafort-virginia-jail-life/index.html
  26. [26]Spencer S. Hsu, Ellen Nakashima, and Devlin Barrett, “Paul Manafort ordered to jail after witness-tampering charges,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-ordered-to-jail-after-witness-tampering-charges/2018/06/15/ccc526cc-6e68-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html
  27. [27]Daniel Lippman, “‘He’s just become too angry’: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publisher defends firing cartoonist,” Politico, June 16, 2018, https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/06/16/pittsburgh-cartoonist-firing-publisher-gazette-650389
  28. [28]Edward-Isaac Dovere, “‘This is the new Republican Party,’” Politico, June 13, 2018, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/13/trump-republicans-sanford-resistance-644721
  29. [29]Tom Jackman, “Manafort checks into VIP section at Virginia jail where Chris Brown, Michael Vick also did time,” Washington Post, June 16, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/manafort-checks-into-vip-section-at-virginia-jail-where-chris-brown-michael-vick-also-did-time/2018/06/16/8ad19196-71a2-11e8-afd5-778aca903bbe_story.html
  30. [30]Katelyn Polantz, “What life is like for Paul Manafort in jail,” CNN, June 16, 2018, https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/06/16/politics/paul-manafort-virginia-jail-life/index.html
  31. [31]James Hohmann, “Trump is losing the debate over splitting up immigrant families,” Washington Post, June 15, 2018, https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?e=YmVuZmVsbEBwYXJ0cy11bmtub3duLm9yZw%3D%3D&s=5b23c997fe1ff66463922db0
  32. [32]Jennifer Hansler, “Cardinal Dolan: There is no Bible passage to justify family separation,” CNN, June 16, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/16/politics/cardinal-dolan-family-separation-cnntv/index.html
  33. [33]Manuel Roig-Franzia and Rosalind S. Helderman, “Trump associate Roger Stone reveals new contact with Russian national during 2016 campaign,” Washington Post, June 17, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-associate-roger-stone-reveals-new-contact-with-russian-national-during-2016-campaign/2018/06/17/4a8123c8-6fd0-11e8-bd50-b80389a4e569_story.html
  34. [34]Tristan Snell, “The proper way to view the Trump Foundation scandal,” CNN, June 16, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/16/opinions/trump-foundation-scandal-opinion-snell/index.html
  35. [35]Nomaan Merchant, “Hundreds of children wait in Border Patrol facility in Texas,” Associated Press, June 17, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/9794de32d39d4c6f89fbefaea3780769
  36. [36]Brian Resnick, “The Stanford Prison Experiment was massively influential. We just learned it was a fraud,” Vox, June 13, 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/6/13/17449118/stanford-prison-experiment-fraud-psychology-replication
  37. [37]Philip Zimbardo, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil (New York: Random House, 2008).
  38. [38]David Benfell, “Conservative Views on Undocumented Migration” (doctoral dissertation, Saybrook, 2016). ProQuest (1765416126).

You want proof that most U.S. politicians abhor their constituents? Here it is.

North Korea

I have not found a satisfactory answer to Ryan Lizza’s question. It is, by the way, the same question I was asking, and it just doesn’t seem to matter where you turn: Every analyst is saying pretty much the same thing about this agreement.

Jonathan Freedland, “Trump really has achieved a historic breakthrough – for the Kim dynasty,” Guardian, June 12, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/12/trump-nuclearth-korea-kim-jong-un

Jennifer Rubin, “How Trump lost the summit before the photographers even left the room,” Washington Post, June 12, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/12/how-trump-lost-the-summit-before-the-photographers-even-left-the-room/

John Wagner, “Trump says North Korea ‘no longer’ a nuclear threat as he returns to Washington,” Washington Post, June 13, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-korth-korea-no-longer-a-nuclear-threat-as-he-returns-to-washington/2018/06/13/b1d69566-6ef0-11e8-bf86-a2351b5ece99_story.html


NAFTA

George Monbiot argues that the way free trade agreements are negotiated is anti-democratic,[1] probably precisely because the people know they’re getting a raw deal.

Always, always, when encountering an emotion-laden word like “free,” to which we are expected to patriotically stand up and salute, ask, “Free for whom? To do what? To whom?” With so-called “free trade” agreements, the answer isn’t any prettier than it is for so-called “free markets.”

George Monbiot, “Donald Trump was right. The rest of the G7 were wrong,” Guardian, June 13, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/13/trump-nafta-g7-sunset-clause-trade-agreement


James Comey

Erwin Chemerinsky, “Trump’s lawyers say Mueller can’t touch him. Is the president really above the law?” Sacramento Bee, June 12, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article212989114.html


California

I’m still not fond of how Tim Draper would break up the state. A specific plan that would draw my support would recognize, for example, that California’s Bible Belt, that is, the Central Valley, should not be lumped in with the likes of San Francisco, Marin, and Sonoma Counties. But if you don’t like the conservative bias of the electoral college or if you don’t like the conservatism of the U.S. Senate, breaking up high-population states is the thing to do. What strikes me as interesting here is how consistently mainstream politicians reject such a solution claiming it doesn’t solve any problems—actually it helps to mitigate a huge problem of representation—which is to suggest that they don’t want people to be better represented.

Taryn Luna, “Californians to vote on splitting state three ways,” Sacramento Bee, June 12, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article213068964.html


  1. [1]George Monbiot, “Donald Trump was right. The rest of the G7 were wrong,” Guardian, June 13, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/13/trump-nafta-g7-sunset-clause-trade-agreement

PG&E may face criminal charges in Sonoma County wildfires

In case you missed it, there was a new blog entry based on the last issue of the Irregular Bullshit. It happens there’s an update to that post today (June 9) that’s primarily of legal interest but more fundamentally raises the question of a constitutional position that is effectively above the law in a system where, ideologically, no one is supposed to be above the law but, practically, the prospect of impeachment may fail to prevent violations of the law that presidential power may in fact facilitate.


Sonoma County wildfires

Mark Chediak and Pamela A Maclean, “PG&E May Face Criminal Charges After Probe of Deadly Wildfires,” Bloomberg, June 9, 2018, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-09/pg-e-may-face-criminal-charges-after-probe-of-deadly-wildfires

Dale Kasler, “PG&E to blame for more wine country fires, Cal Fire says,” Sacramento Bee, June 8, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article212856769.html


James Comey

Last night I had a couple passengers, one of whom expressed an impatience with Robert Mueller’s investigation. She wanted to see results. I hastened to point out that there actually had been several indictments. As it happens, Philip Bump has the score.[1]

Philip Bump, “Mueller’s ‘witch hunt’ snags another witch,” Washington Post, June 8, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/06/08/muellers-witch-hunt-snags-another-witch/


  1. [1]Philip Bump, “Mueller’s ‘witch hunt’ snags another witch,” Washington Post, June 8, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/06/08/muellers-witch-hunt-snags-another-witch/

A bullying president tries it with a special prosecutor

Updates

  1. Originally published June 3, 1:44 pm.
  2. June 4, 12:41 am:
    • The New York Post has what is probably worthwhile coverage of the question whether Donald Trump can pardon himself. Here, for me, is the money line: “‘For every person who confidently asserts that [Trump] can [pardon himself], there is another person asserting just as confidently that he can’t,’ [Michigan State Professor of Law Brian] Kalt said. ‘Without a real case, both of those people are wrong.’”[1]
  3. June 4, 7:39 am:
    • In a previous installment, I pointed to a story in which CalFire had found PG&E power lines at fault in fires other than the Sonoma County wildfires[2] but drew a link to claims made against the companies in these fires.[3] Now the San Francisco Chronicle has a story suggesting that these claims pose an existential threat to the company.[4]
  4. June 4, 2:37 pm:
    • Donald Trump claimed an “absolute right” to pardon himself[5]
    • Jennifer Rubin calls out Republican congressional leaders for their hypocrisy in failing to stand up to Donald Trump.[6]
  5. June 6, 1:54 pm:
    • Some text formerly posted under Donald Trump has been edited and incorporated into a new blog post entitled, “I, Donald.”
    • The taxi business is ugly anyway, but competition from Ridesharing services is apparently (and probably) a contributing factor in taxi driver suicides.[7]
    • A federal judge ruled against the federal government’s move to cut some funds from Philadelphia, a “sanctuary city.”[8] (Unauthorized migration)
  6. June 7, 1:05 am:
    • CNN’s coverage of the Philadelphia “sanctuary city” case[9] offers a bit more detail. (Unauthorized migration)

James Comey

Michael S. Schmidt, Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Matt Apuzzo, “Trump’s Lawyers, in Confidential Memo, Argue to Head Off a Historic Subpoena,” New York Times, June 2, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/02/us/politics/trump-lawyers-memo-mueller-subpoena.html

Brett Samuels, “Admission that Trump dictated statement on Trump Tower meeting raises new questions,” Hill, June 3, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390464-admission-trump-dictated-statement-on-trump-tower-meeting-raises-new

Maegan Vazquez and Veronica Stracqualursi, “Preet Bharara says Trump pardoning himself would be ‘almost self-executing impeachment,'” CNN, June 3, 2018, https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/06/03/politics/rudy-giuliani-donald-trump-pardon-himself/index.html

Morgan Winsor, “President Trump ‘probably does’ have the power to pardon himself: Giuliani,” ABC News, June 3, 2018, https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/president-trump-power-pardon-giuliani/story?id=55611418


Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s pardons have a message—for Robert Mueller.[10]

But I think the scenario many worry about is becoming clear: One morning, probably on Twitter….

The text formerly here has been incorporated in a new blog entry entitled, “I, Donald.”

What happens next, I think, is anybody’s guess.

Matt Ford, “The Problem With Trump’s Pardons,” New Republic, May 31, 2018, https://newrepublic.com/article/148651/problem-trumps-pardons

Nikki Schwab, “Experts split on whether Trump can pardon himself,” New York Post, June 3, 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/06/03/experts-split-on-whether-trump-can-pardon-himself/

Jennifer Rubin, “What GOP cowering has gotten us: Talk of self-pardon and absolute power,” Washington Post, June 4, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/04/what-gop-cowering-has-gotten-us-talk-of-self-pardon-and-absolute-power/

Jordan Fabian and Mallory Shelbourne, “Trump: I have the right to pardon myself,” Hill, June 4, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390516-trump-i-have-the-right-to-pardon-myself


Sonoma County wildfires

David R. Baker, “PG&E’s survival hinges on Wine Country fire reports,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 3, 2018, https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/PG-E-s-survival-hinges-on-Wine-Country-fire-12963191.php


Ridesharing

Reihan Salam, “Taxi-Driver Suicides Are a Warning,” Atlantic, June 5, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/taxi-driver-suicides-are-a-warning/561926/


Unauthorized migration

Associated Press, “Federal judge sides with Philadelphia in “sanctuary city” immigration fight,” CBS News, June 6, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/philadelphia-sanctuary-city-fight-judge-rules-2018-06-06/

Tal Kopan, “Judge slaps Sessions, feds over ‘sanctuary cities,'” CNN, June 6, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/06/politics/sanctuary-cities-court-ruling-sessions-immigration/index.html


  1. [1]Nikki Schwab, “Experts split on whether Trump can pardon himself,” New York Post, June 3, 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/06/03/experts-split-on-whether-trump-can-pardon-himself/
  2. [2]Taryn Luna, “PG&E responsible for three Northern California wildfires, Cal Fire alleges,” Sacramento Bee, May 25, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article211958659.html
  3. [3]David Benfell, “Most of those 1500 kids are probably okay. Please don’t try to find them,” Irregular Bullshit, June 1, 2018, https://parts-unknown.org/reading/2018/06/01/most-of-those-1500-kids-are-probably-okay-please-dont-try-to-find-them/
  4. [4]David R. Baker, “PG&E’s survival hinges on Wine Country fire reports,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 3, 2018, https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/PG-E-s-survival-hinges-on-Wine-Country-fire-12963191.php
  5. [5]Jordan Fabian and Mallory Shelbourne, “Trump: I have the right to pardon myself,” Hill, June 4, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390516-trump-i-have-the-right-to-pardon-myself
  6. [6]Jennifer Rubin, “What GOP cowering has gotten us: Talk of self-pardon and absolute power,” Washington Post, June 4, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/04/what-gop-cowering-has-gotten-us-talk-of-self-pardon-and-absolute-power/
  7. [7]Reihan Salam, “Taxi-Driver Suicides Are a Warning,” Atlantic, June 5, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/taxi-driver-suicides-are-a-warning/561926/
  8. [8]Associated Press, “Federal judge sides with Philadelphia in “sanctuary city” immigration fight,” CBS News, June 6, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/philadelphia-sanctuary-city-fight-judge-rules-2018-06-06/
  9. [9]Tal Kopan, “Judge slaps Sessions, feds over ‘sanctuary cities,'” CNN, June 6, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/06/politics/sanctuary-cities-court-ruling-sessions-immigration/index.html
  10. [10]Matt Ford, “The Problem With Trump’s Pardons,” New Republic, May 31, 2018, https://newrepublic.com/article/148651/problem-trumps-pardons

Most of those 1500 kids are probably okay. Please don’t try to find them.

Updates

    1. Originally published, May 28, 4:05 pm.
    2. May 29, 9:40 am:
      • California Republicans who think the ‘sanctuary state’ is a winning issue may be in for a disappointment.[1] (Unauthorized migrants)
    3. May 30, 12:07 pm:
      • Pursuant to California Supreme Court ruling imposing strict limits on companies’ use of “independent contractor” status to avoid labor protections, notably including minimum wage,[2] San Francisco has subpoenaed Uber and Lyft for proof that drivers who picked up or dropped off in the city were not employees.[3] I am in the class of drivers City Attorney Dennis Herrera is seeking information on. I do not know if he is similarly pursuing the city’s taxi companies who also rely on the “independent contractor” scam. (Ridesharing)
      • CNN has a story on the allegedly missing Unauthorized migrants children.[4]
    4. May 30, 4:25 pm:
      • I think I’ve said this here before, but a long time ago my mother, a now-retired journalist, explained to me that it’s the obstruction that gets them, referring to powerful miscreants who might escape prosecution for underlying crimes but fall prey to prosecutors on obstruction of justice charges. She was right when she said it and her admonition sure as hell looks to be right in reference to the Robert Mueller investigation as it emerges that Donald Trump tried to persuade Jeff Sessions to “unrecuse” himself.[5] (James Comey)
    5. May 31, 8:08 am:
      • Donald Trump now claims he did not fire James Comey over the Russia investigation.[6] I am reminded of Muhammad Ali’s line, “Float like a butterfly sting like a bee – his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.”[7] Why? Because this is so transparently an effort to do just that, and so ridiculously and pathetically a failure to do it.
    6. May 31, 10:28 am:
      • I was hoping the Washington Post might have more detail than the Hill story in the earlier update[8] on Donald Trump today denying that the Russia investigation was the reason he fired James Comey. I was disappointed.[9]
    7. June 1, 12:35 am:
      • Higher education advocates delivered burrito bowls in protest[10] of California Governor Jerry Brown’s suggestion that universities should be more like Chipotle Mexican food restaurants.[11] (California universities)
      • I’ve been saying for years that the single most effective thing one can do for the environment is to go vegan. A new, comprehensive study confirms this to be the case.[12] (Plant-based lifestyles)

Unauthorized migrants

One of the more truly sickening stories that’s just been too much for me to bear has been on the Trump administration’s decision to separate parents from children when they cross the border in violation of the law.[13] This story became especially horrifying when it emerged that the Department of Homeland Security had lost track of something like 1500 children.[14] Rumors spread like wildfire—and were accepted as truth—that these children had been sold to human traffickers, a fear that presumably stems from an incident that occurred during the Obama presidency.[15] I am reproducing here a long Twitter thread that I would prefer were in the form of a sanely citable article:

Please note, in the following, Josie Rice means ‘alone’ not ‘alien.’ She blames autocorrect.

For background on the following tweet, see this story from the Washington Post.

From here the thread goes into conversation, where Rice’s admonition “that at least 50 percent of people on twitter refuse to learn basic reading comprehension” applies. Typographical errors in the above are hers—the only way to correct these on Twitter is by deleting and reposting the tweet, which fucks up a thread.

Leila Miller, “HHS Official Says Agency Lost Track of Nearly 1,500 Unaccompanied Minors,” Public Broadcasting System, April 26, 2018, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/hhs-official-says-agency-lost-track-of-nearly-1500-unaccompanied-minors/

Tal Kopan, “New DHS policy could separate families caught crossing the border illegally,” CNN, May 7, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/07/politics/illegal-immigration-border-prosecutions-families-separated/index.html

Tal Kopan, “DHS secretary defends separating families at the border,” CNN, May 15, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/dhs-separating-families-secretary-nielsen-hearing/index.html

Dakin Andone, “US lost track of 1,500 immigrant children, but says it’s not ‘legally responsible,'” CNN, May 27, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/26/politics/hhs-lost-track-1500-immigrant-children/index.html

Taryn Luna, “Is ‘sanctuary state’ the best political issue for the GOP in years? Not in California, experts warn,” Sacramento Bee, May 29, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article211445449.html

A. J. Willingham, “Here’s what’s really happening with the 1,500 ‘missing’ immigrant children,” CNN, May 29, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/29/us/immigration-refugee-child-missing-hhs-obama-photo-trnd/index.html


Sonoma County wildfires

It’s important to point out that CalFire’s findings are not about the Sonoma County wildfires but rather about other Northern California wildfires.[16] Similar allegations have been made against PG&E in the Sonoma County wildfires[17] and I continue to see advertising for legal help for victims that targets the company.

Taryn Luna, “PG&E responsible for three Northern California wildfires, Cal Fire alleges,” Sacramento Bee, May 25, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article211958659.html


Julian Assange

Jim Sciutto and Jenna McLaughlin, “Assange’s refuge in Ecuadorian embassy ‘in jeopardy,'” CNN, May 25, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/24/politics/julian-assange-ecuador-embassy-jeopardy/index.html


North Korea

As I keep saying, follow deeds, not words.

Zack Beauchamp, “The real reason Trump’s North Korea summit failed,” Vox, May 24, 2018, https://www.vox.com/world/2018/5/24/17389896/trump-cancelsth-korea-summit-kim-jong-un


California universities

Jerry Brown is a disgusting idiotic hypocrite who certainly got better than the education he advocates here.[18]

Alexei Koseff, “Be more like Chipotle, Jerry Brown tells California universities,” Sacramento Bee, May 24, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article211828544.html


Ridesharing

City Attorney of San Francisco, “Herrera investigates Uber, Lyft over driver pay and benefits,” PR Newswire, May 29, 2018, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/herrera-investigates-uber-lyft-over-driver-pay-and-benefits-300655892.html

Bryan Menegus, “San Francisco Subpoenas Uber and Lyft for Proof Drivers Aren’t Employees,” Gizmodo, May 29, 2018, https://gizmodo.com/san-francisco-subpoenas-uber-and-lyft-for-proof-drivers-1826398148

Heather Somerville, “San Francisco subpoenas Uber, Lyft on driver classification,” Reuters, May 29, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ridehailing-sanfrancisco/san-francisco-subpoenas-uber-lyft-on-driver-classification-idUSKCN1IU2IX


James Comey

Aaron Blake, “Robert Mueller’s obstruction of justice probe is bigger than we realized,” Washington Post, May 30, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/05/30/the-trump-obstruction-of-justice-probe-is-bigger-than-we-realized/

Jordan Fabian, “Trump claims he did not fire Comey over Russia,” Hill, May 31, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390015-trump-claims-he-did-not-fire-comey-over-russia

John Wagner, “Trump again insists Russia probe was not the reason he fired Comey, despite previous comments to the contrary,” Washington Post, May 31, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-again-insists-russia-probe-was-not-the-reason-he-fired-comey-despite-previous-comments-to-the-contrary/2018/05/31/03ae6444-64ca-11e8-a768-ed043e33f1dc_story.html


Plant-based lifestyles

Damian Carrington, “Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth,” Guardian, May 31, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth


  1. [1]Taryn Luna, “Is ‘sanctuary state’ the best political issue for the GOP in years? Not in California, experts warn,” Sacramento Bee, May 29, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article211445449.html
  2. [2]Lydia DePillis, “California ruling puts pressure on Uber, Lyft and other gig economy employers,” CNN, May 1, 2018,http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/01/news/economy/california-gig-employer-ruling/index.html
  3. [3]City Attorney of San Francisco, “Herrera investigates Uber, Lyft over driver pay and benefits,” PR Newswire, May 29, 2018, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/herrera-investigates-uber-lyft-over-driver-pay-and-benefits-300655892.html; Bryan Menegus, “San Francisco Subpoenas Uber and Lyft for Proof Drivers Aren’t Employees,” Gizmodo, May 29, 2018, https://gizmodo.com/san-francisco-subpoenas-uber-and-lyft-for-proof-drivers-1826398148; Heather Somerville, “San Francisco subpoenas Uber, Lyft on driver classification,” Reuters, May 29, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ridehailing-sanfrancisco/san-francisco-subpoenas-uber-lyft-on-driver-classification-idUSKCN1IU2IX
  4. [4]A. J. Willingham, “Here’s what’s really happening with the 1,500 ‘missing’ immigrant children,” CNN, May 29, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/29/us/immigration-refugee-child-missing-hhs-obama-photo-trnd/index.html
  5. [5]Aaron Blake, “Robert Mueller’s obstruction of justice probe is bigger than we realized,” Washington Post, May 30, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/05/30/the-trump-obstruction-of-justice-probe-is-bigger-than-we-realized/
  6. [6]Jordan Fabian, “Trump claims he did not fire Comey over Russia,” Hill, May 31, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390015-trump-claims-he-did-not-fire-comey-over-russia
  7. [7]Muhammad Ali, quoted in Chris Johnston, “Muhammad Ali’s best quotes: ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,'” Guardian, June 4, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jun/04/muhammad-ali-greatest-quotes-sting-butterfly-louisville-lip
  8. [8]Jordan Fabian, “Trump claims he did not fire Comey over Russia,” Hill, May 31, 2018, http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390015-trump-claims-he-did-not-fire-comey-over-russia
  9. [9]John Wagner, “Trump again insists Russia probe was not the reason he fired Comey, despite previous comments to the contrary,” Washington Post, May 31, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-again-insists-russia-probe-was-not-the-reason-he-fired-comey-despite-previous-comments-to-the-contrary/2018/05/31/03ae6444-64ca-11e8-a768-ed043e33f1dc_story.html
  10. [10]Alexei Koseff, “Burrito bowls for Jerry Brown: ‘It’s insulting’ to compare UC to Chipotle, advocates say,” Sacramento Bee, May 31, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article212284659.html
  11. [11]Alexei Koseff, “Be more like Chipotle, Jerry Brown tells California universities,” Sacramento Bee, May 24, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article211828544.html
  12. [12]Damian Carrington, “Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth,” Guardian, May 31, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth
  13. [13]Tal Kopan, “New DHS policy could separate families caught crossing the border illegally,” CNN, May 7, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/07/politics/illegal-immigration-border-prosecutions-families-separated/index.html; Tal Kopan, “DHS secretary defends separating families at the border,” CNN, May 15, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/dhs-separating-families-secretary-nielsen-hearing/index.html
  14. [14]Dakin Andone, “US lost track of 1,500 immigrant children, but says it’s not ‘legally responsible,'” CNN, May 27, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/26/politics/hhs-lost-track-1500-immigrant-children/index.html; Leila Miller, “HHS Official Says Agency Lost Track of Nearly 1,500 Unaccompanied Minors,” Public Broadcasting System, April 26, 2018, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/hhs-official-says-agency-lost-track-of-nearly-1500-unaccompanied-minors/
  15. [15]Abbie VanSickle, “Obama administration placed children with human traffickers, report says,” Washington Post, January 28, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/obama-administration-placed-children-with-human-traffickers-report-says/2016/01/28/39465050-c542-11e5-9693-933a4d31bcc8_story.html
  16. [16]Taryn Luna, “PG&E responsible for three Northern California wildfires, Cal Fire alleges,” Sacramento Bee, May 25, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article211958659.html
  17. [17]Paul Payne and Mary Callahan, “Santa Rosa couple sues PG&E over Sonoma County fires,” Santa Rosa Press Democrat, October 18, 2017, http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7535529-181/santa-rosa-couple-sues-pge
  18. [18]Alexei Koseff, “Be more like Chipotle, Jerry Brown tells California universities,” Sacramento Bee, May 24, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article211828544.html