By Miriam Raftery

February 19, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – President Donald Trump has raised disturbing comparisons to notorious dictators and to disgraced President Richard Nixon with his unjustified attacks on respected, established media outlets as “fake news” and his repeated denouncements of  “dishonest media.”  

Worse yet, Trump’s tweet this week calling media an “enemy of the American people” has drawn sharp criticisms from  a Fox News anchor, his own Secretary of Defense, Republican Senator John McCain, and Carl Bernstein, the reporter whose investigation exposed the Watergate scandal that led to Richard Nixon’s resignation.

East County News Service

Rep. Vargas denounces exclusion as “unacceptable”, says Trump actions are creating “chaos around the nation”

February 16, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Several Hispanic members of Congress including Congressman Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) were booted out of a bipartisan meeting with the acting director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by Speaker Paul Ryan’s staff, reportedly on orders from President Donald Trump.

By Miriam Raftery

February 15, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – CNN reports that President Donald Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, has been withdrawn due to growing opposition in Congress as well as from organized labor.

Protesters storm town halls, march on Wall Street and call for national strike Feb. 17

By May Strong

February 11, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - It’s been a rough week for some Republican Congressional members backing the Trump agenda, as well as for a cabinet appointee.  They’ve been dogged by vocal protests at airports, town hall meetings, schools and even their own homes. Meanwhile a national strike is being organized on February 17 for all who seek to resist Trump.

By Miriam Raftery

February 9, 2017 (Seattle) – In a unanimous verdict in State of Washington v. Trump, a three-judge panel on the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against President Donald Trump and refused to reinstate a travel ban on refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim nations.  That means admission to the U.S. will resume for refugees  and for immigrants who are citizens of of Iran, Iraq, Libya Sudan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as green card holders with permanent residency in the U.S.

In their decision, the judges wrote, “The Government has pointed to no evidence that any alien from any of the countries named in the Order has perpetrated a terrorist attack in the United States. Rather than present evidence to explain the need for the Executive Order, the Government has taken the position that we must not review its decision at all. We disagree…”

By Miriam Raftery

February 7, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – For the first time in history, the Vice President had to cast the deciding vote on a cabinet nominee.  Betsy DeVos was confirmed 51-50 as Secretary of Education, with all Democrats voting no, along with two Republicans (Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska). 

Executive order canceled 129,000 immigrant visas

"The refugee crisis, the millions that are displaced…Now is not the time to be spectators, we need to be involved: Generous with our time, money and with our feet." --Rabbi Scott Meltzer

By Thea Skinner  

February 6, 2017 (San Diego) -- Days before U.S. District Judge James Robard halted an executive order to bar immigrant travel, the Jewish community and official leaders organized at Congregation Beth El in La Jolla on February 2nd.

Concerns raised over personnel shortages in jobs ranging from food safety inspectors to Social Security offices

By Miriam Raftery

February 1, 2017 (San Diego) — After a public outcry, the Trump administration has issued some clarifications on his order freezing hiring of federal employees and added new exemptions. 

East County News Service

January 31, 2017 (San Diego) -- “Federal courts have rightly stayed President Trump's unconstitutional executive order banning Muslims and refugees. Immigration officials need to follow and respect the rule of the federal judges and allow those being held to have access to attorneys. The right of habeas corpus is a bedrock of our democracy,” says Congresswoman Susan Davis, who yesterday called on President Trump to left his executive order banning travel to the U.S. from  predominantly Muslim nations.

By Miriam Raftery

January 29, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Consumer advocates are voicing concern over Ajit Pai, President Donald Trump’s newly appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  Pai has a record of opposing net neutrality and supporting big media mergers. A former corporate attorney for Verizon, Pai could also enable Trump to escalate his war on media outlets such as CNN that he has harshly criticized for broadcasting hard-hitting news reports on his administration.

By Miriam Raftery

January 26, 2017 (San Diego) – San Diego could face substantial impacts from President Donald Trump’s executive orders issued yesterday regarding immigration and border security.

By Miriam Raftery

January 25, 2017 (San Diego) – President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to cancel the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact with 12 Pacific Rim nations.

The action is being hailed by even many Trump opponents who did not support the trade deal, but has drawn criticism from others, particularly in the business community.

By Miriam Raftery

January 24, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Federal funding for abortions has long been banned, including under the Obama administration. But now President Donald Trump has gone farther, signing an executive order to ban all funding for nonprofits that provide abortions overseas, even money that provide vital women’s health services such as birth control, mammograms, pre-natal and maternity care.

Trump’s action could result in 6.5 million unintended pregnancies, 21,700 mothers dying, 2.1 million unsafe abortions, and countless deaths of newborn babies from preventable conditions, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

By Miriam Raftery

January 24, 2017 (Washington D.C.) - In his book, 1984, George Orwell wrote, “The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.”

Recent actions by the Trump administration to discredit journalists over truthful reports and stifle public comments have alarmed First Amendment supporters, constitutional scholars, journalists, and government watchdog groups.

East County News Service

January 22, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is bringing a federal lawsuit to stop President Trump from violating the Constitution by receiving payments from foreign governments that CREW contends are illegal.