monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

A federal judge has ordered a mother and her daughter be flown back to the United States, after learning they had been deported mid-appeal.

The two were being represented in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who said they had fled "extreme sexual and gang violence".

The judge said it was unacceptable they had been removed during their appeal.

He reportedly also said Attorney General Jeff Sessions could be held in contempt of court for the deportation.

The mother and daughter were part of a case filed by the ACLU and the Centre for Gender and Refugee Studies on behalf of 12 mothers and children who said they had fled violence, but were at risk of deportation.

A tightening of rules in June by Mr Sessions means victims of domestic abuse and gang violence no longer generally qualify for US asylum.

The government had pledged not to deport anyone in the case before Friday at the earliest, ACLU said.

But ACLU said they learned during Thursday's emergency hearing that the mother and daughter had already been put on a flight back to El Salvador by US authorities.

Washington DC District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan said that it was unacceptable that people claiming asylum had been removed while lawyers argued their case.

He branded the situation "outrageous" and ordered the pair be returned immediately, according to reports.

An official from the Department of Homeland Security told the Reuters agency that the agency worked to comply with the court's order.

"Upon arrival in El Salvador, the plaintiffs did not disembark and are currently en route back to the United States," the department said in an emailed statement.

The mother and daughter are said to have arrived back in Texas, where they were being held, by Thursday night.

President Donald Trump's parents-in-law have become US citizens in a private ceremony.

Viktor and Amalija Knavs, Melania Trump's Slovenian-born parents, took the oath of citizenship in New York on Thursday, their lawyer confirmed.

He said the pair had been living in the US on green cards sponsored by Mrs Trump.

President Trump has railed against family-based or "chain" immigration in the past.

He argues instead for a merit-based system prioritising professionals over relatives, and has drawn criticism for his vocal attacks on immigration laws and immigrants.

North Korea has lashed out again at the US for not lifting sanctions against the country.

The foreign ministry said it had made various goodwill gestures, and yet the US was still following an "outdated acting script" and jeopardising any moves towards denuclearisation.

Its foreign ministry cited various conciliatory moves it says the country has made: halting missile tests, the return of the remains of US soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War and the dismantling of a nuclear site.

"As long as the US denies even the basic decorum for its dialogue partner and clings to the outdated acting script which the previous administrations have all tried and failed, one cannot expect any progress in the implementation of the joint statement including the denuclearisation," it said.

Earlier this week, North Korea's foreign minister called US actions "alarming". And last month, North Korea accused the US of using "gangster-like" tactics in the negotiations.

"MINOR-ATTRACTED PERSON (MAP)"... Riiiiiiiiiight......

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has warned the US that any sanctions targeting Russian banking operations and currency trade will be treated as a declaration of economic war and retaliated against by any means necessary.
“If they introduce something like a ban on banking operations or the use of any currency, we will treat it as a declaration of economic war. And we’ll have to respond to it accordingly – economically, politically, or in any other way, if required,” Medvedev said during a trip to the Kamchatka region.

"Our American friends should make no mistake about it,” he emphasized.

Medvedev noted that Russia has a long history of surviving economic restrictions and never caved in to the pressure in the past. “Our county had been living under constant pressure through sanctions for the last hundred years,” Medvedev said, accusing the US and its allies of employing sanctions to undercut global competition. “Nothing has changed.”
... ... ...

The National Park Service (NPS) has granted officials permits for a white nationalist rally and counter-protests in Washington DC on 12 August.

Jason Kessler, who organised last year's deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, received approval for the event in June.

But NPS waited to issue the permit before finalising a security plan.

The "Unite the Right 2" rally will be held near the White House and about 400 people are expected to attend.

It comes on the first anniversary of last year's rally, which led to the death of one counter-protester.

Isn't it the same thing?

WASHINGTON — Senior American national security officials, seeking to prevent President Trump from upending a formal policy agreement at last month’s NATO meeting, pushed the military alliance’s ambassadors to complete it before the forum even began.

The work to preserve the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreement, which is usually subject to intense 11th-hour negotiations, came just weeks after Mr. Trump refused to sign off on a communiqué from the June meeting of the Group of 7 in Canada.

The rushed machinations to get the policy done, as demanded by John R. Bolton, the national security adviser, have not been previously reported. Described by European diplomats and American officials, the efforts are a sign of the lengths to which the president’s top advisers will go to protect a key and longstanding international alliance from Mr. Trump’s unpredictable antipathy.

Obama changing his views on gay marriage didn't directly benefit members of his family

Spike Lee says President Donald Trump is a 'bullhorn' for racism

Manafort? Who Cares?

Other than seeing occasional headlines, I have spent less than one minute following the Paul Manafort criminal trial. I imagine the overwhelming majority of Americans would say the same. Here’s why:

1) I don’t care about Paul Manafort. I had never heard of him before his brief association with the Trump campaign.

2) Manafort is charged, in essence, with tax evasion. He may well have dodged taxes. If so, he is not alone, and it is of no interest to me.

3) The charges against Manafort have nothing to do with Donald Trump or the 2016 election. So, why is he being persecuted by Bob Mueller? I really don’t know. Does Mueller have a roving commission to destroy the lives of anyone who had the misfortune to support President Trump’s campaign or work in his administration? Seemingly so. If Manafort is Exhibit A, General Michael Flynn is Exhibit B.

4) I have zero respect for Bob Mueller. The judge who is presiding over the Manafort trial seems to agree.

5) Most people who aren’t crazy–these days, that is a significant qualification–seem to have figured out that the Mueller “investigation” is a bust. The Zogby poll finds that, by a 52% to 30% margin, Americans think it is time for Mueller to wrap up his probe. Asking the question a little differently, Rasmussen finds that 39% of voters think Mueller’s investigation “should be closed,” while 50% disagree.

6) Personally, I don’t want Mueller to close up shop until he has undergone the humiliation of losing to the Russian entity that, to Mueller’s chagrin, showed up in court to defend the criminal charges against it. No, wait! Mueller responded. That wasn’t an indictment, it was a press release! I don’t actually have any evidence!

7) Pathetic.

Without Free Speech, Everything You Say Is Meaningless
To have more success, free speech advocates should stop seeing this issue through a strictly political lens and start considering censorship as a moral problem.

Unfortunately, the more successful the suppression of speech, the more apparent it is that speech becomes meaningless as a result. Artificially removing certain arguments or words will eventually make all arguments and words suspect.

As people encounter the intimidating chatter of so many voices and opinions, they should always remember that arguing for free speech is arguing for meaningful speech. Restricting speech only drains it of meaning and renders it useless. When it becomes useless, reality retreats in favor of false narratives, and emotion overrides reason.

The N.F.L.’s 2018 began in earnest on Thursday with the first full slate of preseason games, and the question that has dogged the league all summer — will players continue social justice protests during the playing of the national anthem — was answered loud and clear.

Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the most outspoken players in recent years, was joined by his teammate De’Vante Bausby in raising a fist while the anthem was played. As had been customary in the past, Chris Long, a veteran defensive end, stood next to Jenkins with a hand on the defensive back’s shoulder.

Stills and Wilson received praise on social media from Colin Kaepernick, the inactive player whose protests as a member of the San Francisco 49ers started this movement.

Stills told reporters after the game that he and Wilson had not coordinated a demonstration in advance of the game.

“It just happened that way,” Stills said. “When I’m on a knee, most of the time I’m praying, and thank God for having Albert next to me. Being a part of this protest hasn’t been easy. I thought I was going to be by myself out there. Today I had an angel with me with Albert being out there. I’m grateful he sees what’s happening, and he wants to do something about it as well.”

Elsewhere, four members of the Jacksonville Jaguars (Telvin Smith, Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Fournette and T.J. Yeldon) waited in the tunnel until after the anthem had concluded before their team’s game against the New Orleans Saints, and three members of the Seattle Seahawks (Quinton Jefferson, Branden Jackson and Duane Brown) did the same before their team’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.

In a notable shift, however, the 49ers, who had been one of the more active political teams in previous years, did not appear to have any players kneeling during the anthem before their game against the Dallas Cowboys. Marquise Goodwin, a wide receiver, had his right arm raised for the duration of the song.

For Jenkins, who had stopped demonstrating last season after he and a coalition of players secured increased funding for social issues from the league, the preseason game represented a return to his old form. In addition to raising his fist, Jenkins and some of his teammates on the defending champion Eagles took the field for warm-ups wearing T-shirts highlighting various statistics about racial disparities in prisons.

That Jenkins went back to demonstrating was not surprising after his strong reaction to recent changes in the league policy regarding behavior during the anthem.

“Quite frankly, guys in our league don’t like being told what to do, what they can and can’t do,” Jenkins told Philly.com. “We don’t have this type of policies for the other causes we support, whether it be our ‘Salute to Service,’ or breast cancer awareness, or anything else. It’s just when you start talking about black folks, quite frankly. It’s disheartening, but we’ll continue to be creative.”

The protests came less than three months after the league, without consulting the players’ union, updated its rules to obligate players to stand on the field during the national anthem, or remain in the locker room. Previously, players were obligated to be on the field but were only encouraged to stand.

Over the past two seasons, dozens of players across the league protested during the anthem to raise awareness of social injustice and police brutality against black people. The protests turned into a full-blown crisis for the league last September when President Trump criticized the league’s owners for not penalizing players who protest.

In response to backlash from the president and some fans, the league tightened its policy, which now includes potential fines against teams whose players protest. The league has allowed teams to decide on their own whether they want to penalize players directly.

On Friday, President Trump again criticized players on Twitter.

Quote:

Donald Trump
@realDonaldTrump
The NFL players are at it again - taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem. Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their “outrage” at something that most of them are unable to define. They make a fortune doing what they love....

Quote:

Donald Trump
@realDonaldTrump
.....Be happy, be cool! A football game, that fans are paying soooo much money to watch and enjoy, is no place to protest. Most of that money goes to the players anyway. Find another way to protest. Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!

It is unclear whether the protests on Thursday will continue in the weeks ahead. Some players may have just wanted to show their displeasure with the new policy, while others may have wanted to stand up to President Trump.

The players who protested on Thursday may not be penalized. After the N.F.L. Players Association filed a grievance in July arguing that the new policy violated the N.F.L.’s collective bargaining agreement, the league agreed to freeze the enforcement of the policy while it tries to work out a potential solution with the union.