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January 2017

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 10, 2017 30 Comments
Does it get more craven than Cory Booker securing his place in history by becoming the first Senator ever to testify against a fellow Senator during confirmation hearing? It should happen on Wednesday. Are there not enough people already calling Sessions names that Booker has to add his voice? CNN reports:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 10, 2017 42 Comments
Those of you concerned about Barack Obama's future once he leaves the White House in less than two weeks can now rest easy. Apparently, he has decided to start a second career as a climate scientist! The soon-to-be-former President of the United States had a policy paper that just published in Science (hat tip Willis Eschenbach posting in Watts Up With That).

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 10, 2017 20 Comments
In 2015, Kathryn Steinle was murdered by Francisco Sanchez, a Mexican citizen and illegal immigrant who had been deported five times prior to killing Steinle. Steinle was shot and killed while walking along San Francisco's Pier 14. “We have been and always will be a city of refuge, a city of sanctuary, a city of love...We promise to be a city that’s always welcoming. There are no walls in our city!” said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, confirmed the city's sanctuary status. Following her death, Steinle's family filed a wrongful death suit against the city of San Francisco.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 10, 2017 14 Comments
Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with its plans of creating an international Islamic army. Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance (IMA) comprises of 39 Sunni Muslim states including nuclear-armed Pakistan. According to a report published this week by the British newspaper Guardian, former Pakistan army chief Raheel Sharif has been tapped to become the first commander of this "Muslim Nato". Saudi-led Islamic army is not backed by Iran, which is busy building a rival Muslim block by financing and arming standing armies and terrorist militias in Shia-majority countries and regions. The declared aim of this military alliance is to fight terrorism. Ironically, its leading member states are direct sponsors of Jihadi terrorism across the world. Pakistan's military actively nurtures and sponsors Islamic terrorist groups operating against Hindu-majority India, along with its long-standing ties with Taliban in Afghanistan. Gulf Arab States and Turkey have supported and funded Islamic State (ISIS) at one time or another.

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 10, 2017 33 Comments
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has begun his confirmation hearing for attorney general. We have a live stream in this post. This is expected to be one of the most tense confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet. The Democrats will ask Sessions about his record on civil rights and female rights. However, the GOP holds the majority in the Senate so more than likely he will receive confirmation.

Posted by Mike LaChance on January 10, 2017 15 Comments
Tucker Carlson aired his first show in his new 9 pm time slot on Monday night and featured as his first guest on the program, former FOX News host Glenn Beck. It seemed like an odd choice but it did make great TV. Tucker kicked off their conversation by asking Beck for his thoughts on the election but their talk quickly moved to Ted Cruz and faith. Mediaite reports:
‘Did it Shake Your Faith?’: Tucker Carlson Grills Glenn Beck About Trump’s Election On his first broadcast at the 9 PM ET timeslot, Tucker Carlson began the program with Glenn Beck, and right away it got pretty interesting.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 10, 2017 22 Comments
Tension between old-school white liberal feminists and those who want to include racial identity politics in the movement is something we have written about for years, including in this 2014 post, #WhiteWomanPrivilege meets Festivus: The airing of bitter intra-feminist racial grievances:
We have noted before the tensions between white liberal feminists and non-white liberal feminists. Sometimes it breaks out into a Twitter War, as it did when #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen hashtag unleashed bitter intra-feminist racial grievances.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on January 09, 2017 38 Comments
You might think that the Obama administration would be gracious on its way out the door. Fuggedaboutit. Valerie Jarrett—asked by Greta Van Susteren during her inaugural MSNBC show this evening—what was her biggest surprise during her eight years in the White House, gave a nasty, partisan response. Said the senior adviser to President Obama: "what surprised me was the willingness of the Republicans in congress to put their short-term political interests ahead of what's good for the country . . . I thought they would come to the table and really try to work with us to focus on what we could do to move our country forward together. So it was disappointing and surprising that they didn't."

Posted by Mary Chastain on January 09, 2017 11 Comments
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said that President-elect Donald Trump backs his plan to appeal the Affordable Care Act only if the government has a replacement at the same time:
“He called after seeing an interview that I had done [talking about] that we should vote on Obamacare replacement at the same time,” Paul said in an interview on Monday. “He said he was in complete agreement with that.”

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 09, 2017 6 Comments
Jared Kushner, husband of Trump's oldest daughter Ivanka, was appointed a Senior Adviser to president-elect Trump, news outlets reported Monday afternoon. Kushner married Ivanka in 2009. The couple have three children together. Kushner owns the New York Observer and played a key role in Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Before assuming the role of Senior Advisor Kushner must traverse two fairly significant hurdles -- federal anti-nepotism laws and his participation in Trump-family businesses that might be a conflict of interest to his tentative White House gig.
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