Stand With Immigrants. Today Trump signed his Muslim ban 2.0. No matter how he spins it, this new executive order is another Muslim ban and it has nothing to do with keeping America safe. Join CAP Action and our partners for a rally in support of refugees, Muslims, and immigrants at the White House today at 6 PM ET to send the message that oppose any policy that discriminates against Muslims, refugees, and immigrants.
Not in DC? No problem! We’ll be sending live updates on the events on Twitter and Facebook. Follow along to help amplify the resistance! Then, find a resist event near you at resistancenearme.org.
Calling A Ban A Ban
Today President Trump signed his Muslim ban 2.0, a new version of his extreme executive order banning immigration from Muslim-majority countries and halting the refugee resettlement program. The first version of Trump’s immigration order was blocked by the courts, after an incredibly botched roll-out led to chaos in airports and protests across the country.
This new executive order was supposed to be the Trump Administration’s attempt to make a working “travel ban” that responds to concerns raised by the courts. But even Trump adviser Steven Miller admitted that this new version is the same as the first. The new order takes Iraq off of the list of countries whose residents are banned entry into the U.S. But residents from Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen are still barred from entering the country, despite the fact that Department of Homeland Security analysts found no evidence that they pose a terror threat to the U.S. Like the first order, Trump’s new Muslim ban will also temporarily halt all refugee admissions to the U.S. Pausing refugee resettlement will not make America safer, it will only harm the most vulnerable refugees.
Bottom line: Trump can try to word it any way he wants, but his new executive order is still a Muslim ban. And any version of a Muslim ban is unconstitutional. Trump’s assault on immigrants and refugees betrays America’s foundation as a country of immigrants and does nothing to keep America safe.
WHAT’S TRENDING
Lies. Trump’s list of them just keeps growing. Over the weekend, Trump alleged that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the election. Unsurprisingly, Trump offered no evidence in support of his claim. FBI Director Comey then rejected Trump’s claims. As the President frantically lies to distract from the growing speculation around his administration’s ties to Russia, one thing stands out as unmistakably true: the need for an independent investigation and special prosecutor to investigate Russian activity in the 2016 election is more urgent now than ever.
Speaking of Russia… According to a new CNN/ORC poll, 65 percent of Americans—including a sizeable number of Republicans and Independents—want a special prosecutor to handle the Russia investigation instead of Congress. And yes, for those of you keeping track at home, that means more people approve of a special prosecutor than approve of Trump. Sign this MoveOn petition to demand one be appointed now.
SEE YOU IN (a lower) COURT. The Supreme Court is not deciding (for now) a case about transgender students’ rights in school. Instead, they are sending the case back to a lower court to retry the case, after the Trump administration rescinded Obama administration guidance written to protect transgender students’ access to education. This fight is not over—nothing about the Court’s decision today changes the fact that Title IX, a civil rights law, protects trans students’ right to learn free from discrimination.
Basement bill. As in the secret GOP bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Rand Paul couldn’t find it. The White House and Congress couldn’t agree on it. Now, congressional Republicans are trying to push forward an ACA repeal behind closed doors—literally. The new bill will be unveiled this week, when it goes to the Hill for mark up. And as the Trump Administration backs away from full repeal, a growing number of Americans are rallying behind health care law.
Attack. Congress keeps using the 1996 Congressional Review Act to dismantle Obama era standards and rules. Congress has already gotten rid of standards that limit corruption in the oil industry, as well as rules that protect our drinking water and environment. They’re back at it this week trying to dismantle President Obama’s rules that help our environment, our workers, and our students—including the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces (because who needs those), the Arctic Drilling Safety rule, the Every Student Succeeds Act Accountability and State Plan Regulation, and the Bureau of Land Management’s Planning 2.0 rule, which updated the planning process for our public lands.
UNDER THE RADAR
Firsts. South Dakota could become the state to pass the first anti-LGBT state law of 2017. Last Thursday, the South Dakota state legislature passed SB 149, a bill that would allow taxpayer-funded adoption and foster care agencies to turn away loving LGBT people, single parents, or even people who’ve gotten divorced and remarried. This bill would make it harder for same-sex couples to start families – and, since same-sex couples are far more likely to foster and adopt than different-sex couples, will make it harder for children in the foster care system to find safe and loving homes. Last year, Daugaard vetoed a bathroom bill similar to North Carolina’s HB 2. Now, LGBT and children’s advocates are calling for another veto.
GOOD NEWS
At Your Defense. Led by Mexico’s chief diplomat Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, the Mexican government is now aiding unauthorized immigrants in their journey to legalization. The government has opened 50 new legal assistance centers across its U.S. consulates to help immigrants seek citizenship in response to hardening rhetoric from the Trump administration.