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Daily Archive: 29/01/2017

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January 2017

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What I’m Reading – January 29, 2017

Written by , Posted in Feminism, Politics, What I'm Reading

The last week has shown what a monster we have in the White House. Remember that every day.

Fight Back

  • “The New York Taxi Drivers Alliance on Saturday said it would not make any pickups from John F. Kennedy International Airport after two Iraqi travelers were detained trying to enter the U.S. following President Trump’s immigration ban.” NY taxis refuse to pick up from JFK over refugee detention (by Brooke Seipel, at The Hill)
  • “The freedom struggles of black people that have shaped the very nature of this country’s history cannot be deleted with the sweep of a hand. We cannot be made to forget that black lives do matter. This is a country anchored in slavery and colonialism, which means for better or for worse the very history of the United States is a history of immigration and enslavement. Spreading xenophobia, hurling accusations of murder and rape and building walls will not erase history. No human being is illegal.” Here’s the Full Transcript Of Angela Davis’s Women’s March Speech (Angela Davis)
  • “On Friday, during Inauguration Day protests, D.C. police arrested 230 demonstrators after corralling them at 12th and L streets NW. Defense attorneys and some of those arrested are likening the treatment to the problematic mass arrests at ­Pershing Park nearly 15 years ago, saying these protesters, too, were “trapped and detained” and then arrested without being given dispersal orders.” Defense attorneys allege police trapped and then arrested protesters (By Peter Hermann and Michael E. Miller via @postlocal)
  • “The intention of this weekly document is to make clear suggestions for action backed by well-considered research. If an issue doesn’t affect you, consider whether you would support this issue on behalf of other Americans and act accordingly. Although these topics have been well researched and are intended to be helpful, they are still subject to human error. Please do your own research!” What to Do This Week
  • “Rewire Legislative Tracker is an easily searchable database of the laws, people, organizations, and litigation involved in sexual and reproductive health and justice in the United States, as well as the connections among them. Primarily focused on the anti-choice universe, the database provides factual summaries of key topics, lawsuits, and laws. It is available for use by the public with credit to Rewire.” Legislative Tracker
  • “While many tech reactions have been muted and largely focused in how to deal with hardships that could result for employees because of the ban, some tech leaders — such as Netflix’s Reed Hastings — have issued strong challenges to Trump’s action. “Trump’s actions are hurting Netflix employees around the world, and are so un-American it pains us all,” wrote Hastings in a personal statement on Facebook. “Worse, these actions will make America less safe (through hatred and loss of allies) rather than more safe.”” Airbnb, Salesforce and Etsy’s CEOs are the latest tech leaders to speak out against Trump’s Muslim ban (by Kara Swisher via Recode)

Horrifying Legislation and Executive Action

  • “If the REINS Act had been in effect, it’s unlikely that the Tea Party-dominated Republican caucus in the House would have approved of any of these rules. Future standard setting under the entire body of legislation enacted over the past 40 years to protect the public, from the Clean Air Act to the Dodd Frank financial sector reforms, would be frozen. Over time, as new health, safety, consumer and labor protection issues arise, all of these laws will effectively have been repealed, with no public debate and no accountability. It will also be impossible to restore them as long as the REINS Act is in effect, because by requiring Congress to approve every regulation, it makes it impossible to pass technically complex and scientifically valid rules on any topic of controversy.” The Most Dangerous Bill You’ve Never Heard Of Just Passed The House (by Carl Pope, via Huffington Post)
  • “In its simplest form, turning Medicaid into a “block grant” simply means handing control of the program — and the funding for it — over to the states. But in all these plans the details reveal something else, too: a massive cut to Medicaid spending that could throw tens of millions of people off the program. To understand how that works, you need to understand the unusual way that Medicaid works.” Donald Trump’s plan to cut Medicaid spending, explained (by Sarah Kliff via @Vox)
  • “None of that money is spent on performing abortions. The Helms Amendment has prevented U.S. tax dollars from funding overseas abortions since 1973. Proponents of the global gag rule believe the policy is nevertheless still necessary, arguing that Helms isn’t strong enough by itself. But the Guttmacher Institute and other opponents of the gag rule say that such restrictions have devastating effects on international organizations, often forcing them to close their clinics or reduce their services, denying women access to help from safe providers and even hampering HIV prevention efforts.” Donald Trump Reinstates Ronald Reagan’s Abortion ‘Global Gag Rule’ (by Amanda Terkel and Laura Bassett, via The Huffington Post)
  • “President Barack Obama signed a continuing resolution Dec. 10 that included $100 million specifically for Flint’s water crisis, but as reported by MLive, that legislation included a process for the city to apply for the funds through a grant program at the state Department of Environmental Quality. Anna Heaton, press secretary for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, said in an email to MLive that the “statutory language is being reviewed to see if the [Drinking Water Revolving Fund] grants [targeting Flint] would be affected.” “We haven’t received any guidance from the federal government,” Heaton’s statement said.” Flint, Mich., Left Wondering How Trump’s EPA Freeze Will Impact the $100,000,000 It Was Promised in Grant Aid (by Monique Judge, via The Root)
  • ““It’s basically a fear tactic,” Wang told BuzzFeed News. “The weekly list is part and parcel of Trump’s efforts to intimidate and coerce cities, counties, and states.” Wang said declined detainer outcome reports are unreliable because they’re issued without probable cause to believe they are deportable and have lead to people being wrongly detained, including UC citizens. As recently as Tuesday, a federal court found that immigration authorities and the state of Rhode Island violated a US citizen’s constitutional rights by detaining her without probable cause.” Trump To Publish Weekly List Of Crimes Committed By Undocumented Immigrants In Sanctuary Cities (by Adolfo Flores, at Buzzfeed News)
  • “Weatherford says that he woke up the morning after the event to “several homophobic and transphobic slurs as well as (sexual) threats” on social media, through his UW work email, and on a website where students can rate their professors.” UW Instructor Gets Doxxed, Harassed and Threatened After the Milo Yiannopoulos Protests (by Amber Cortes via The Stranger)

White Feminism

  • “When women of color speak out of the anger that laces so many of our contacts with white women, we are often told that we are ‘creating a mood of hopelessness,’ ‘preventing white women from getting past guilt,’ or ‘standing in the way of trusting communication and action,'” Lorde said. In short, black women were accused of stunting feminism, thwarting its efficacy and momentum. They were bursting the bubble of “sisterhood” and “solidarity” within a movement that has historically marginalize them. In order to make any true progress, Lorde maintained that women must agree in some measure to abandon these illusions of unity. Acknowledging women’s differences, accepting criticism and embracing each other’s anger will only make the feminist movement stronger.” Women of color are being blamed for dividing the Women’s March — and it’s nothing new (by Marie Solis, via @mic)

Good Things

  • “In an unprecedented event, nine black women were elected as circuit and district judges in Jefferson County, Alabama, this November. For a predominantly Republican state, the Democratic sweep came as a surprise, as Alabama is one of the few states that judges still have to run on party lines to get elected.” Why the Election of 9 Black Female Judges in Alabama Matters (by Lindsay Peoples via @TheCut)