The new national security adviser, John Bolton, moves into his White House office today, and there’s no reason to think this personnel change is good news. Bolton is a hawk and an unrepentant advocate of the Iraq war, and his appointment enables President Trump’s recklessness and eagerness to involve the United States in more wars.
Some of Bolton’s worst ideas? Bolton argued earlier this year for a preventive strike on North Korea, an illegal move that would put millions of Koreans, Japanese, and Americans at risk. And not only does he advocate for the destruction of the Iran deal, but he also said that “our goal should be regime change in Iran.”
Bolton isn’t just receiving backlash from the progressive community. His former colleague in the Bush administration, Richard Painter, said Bolton’s appointment was “an invitation to war, perhaps nuclear war.” And Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Colin Powell when he was Secretary of State and former Army colonel, “found Bolton’s militarism troubling.” It’s clear that his appointment is a danger to our country’s ability to engage in diplomacy and puts the country on the path to war.
ACTION OF THE DAY
#BootPruitt. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt keeps finding himself in scandal after scandal—from living in an energy lobbyist’s condo for only $50 a night to reassigning or removing people who disagreed with him at EPA. On the whole, he’s wasted more than $400,000 of taxpayer’s money, that we know about. It’s clear: Pruitt’s culture of corruption is putting our environment at risk, as well as the safety and health of our communities. Read one man’s story about how the EPA’s policy changes under Pruitt are making it harder for his family to breathe. Then, sign the petition today, and tell Pruitt that it’s time to resign.
WHAT’S TRENDING
No More Free, Clean Water. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced on Friday that the state would no longer provide free bottled water to Flint residents. Although Snyder claimed the water is now clean, much of the water is still flowing through the lead pipes that have not yet been replaced. Anger erupted among Flint residents, who continue to suffer from negative health outcomes due to the contaminated water. Flint’s mayor, Karen Weaver, said she was informed of the decision only moments before Snyder’s statement was made public.
Tragedy in Liberty City. Yesterday, four people were shot, two of them fatally, in Miami in a drive-by shooting. One of those killed was under 18 years old. The killings have not made national headlines, even though it was a brutal attack on young people who still had their entire lives ahead of them. The students from Parkland have been lifting up the story, and the Superintendent of Miami-Dade Public Schools tweeted, “We must take a serious look at gun violence and access to guns in all zip codes.” Read the Center for American Progress’s report on six ways to reduce gun violence in America. Then, call your elected officials, and demand action.
UNDER THE RADAR
Immigration Raid in Tennessee. As Trump sends the National Guard to the Southern border, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up its raids in immigrant communities. On Friday, ICE officers “arrested 97 immigrants at a meat-processing plant in rural Tennessee on Thursday in what civil rights organizations said was the largest single workplace raid in a decade and a sign that the Trump administration is carrying out its plan to aggressively ramp up enforcement this year.” It’s similar to workforce raids that have happened in 7-Eleven stores nationwide. These surprise blitzes on peoples’ workplaces only generate fear and panic—and it doesn’t make our country any safer.