Albert Doyle Wrote:Trump just reopened the torture gulag black sites.

Magda Hassan Wrote:

Peter Lemkin Wrote:Donald Trump Issues Media Blackout at Multiple Federal Agencies


"Americans recognize that science is critical to improving our quality of life, and when science is ignored or politically corrupted, it's the American people who suffer," said physicist Lewis Branscomb. (Eric Vance / USEPA / flickr)

Though the majority of President Donald Trump's controversial cabinet nominations have not yet been confirmed, his so-called "beachhead" teams have arrived at their respective agencies, carrying out orders that make clear that the "War on Science" has begun.
On Tuesday, BuzzFeed broke the news that scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are no longer allowed to share information about taxpayer-funded research with the public.
In an email sent Monday and obtained by the news outlet, Sharon Drumm, chief of staff for the USDA's primary in-house research arm, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), told the department: "Starting immediately and until further notice, ARS will not release any public-facing documents…This includes, but is not limited to, news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds, and social media content."
As BuzzFeed noted:

Though some Agricultural Research Service work touches on sensitive subjects like pesticides and genetically modified food, its research is generally less politically charged than that conducted by other agencies, especially those focused on understanding climate change, such as the Environmental Protection Agency. But under the Obama administration, the Agriculture Department funneled research money into finding ways of cutting down the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from cows.

At the same time, Trump surrogate Myron Ebell, a climate change denier who has led the transition for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has confirmed reports that the new administration has ordered a "freeze" on grants and contracts at the agencya move that the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) warns "could seriously impede the agency's work…protect[ing] our health and the environment from pollution."

Good luck with that Trump. There will be leaks. ::

Quote:

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The secretary of homeland security, working with myself and my staff, will begin immediate construction of a border wall. So badly needed. You folks know how badly needed it is, as a help, but very badly needed. This will also help Mexico by deterring illegal immigration from Central America and by disrupting violent cartel networks. As I've said repeatedly to the country, we are going to get the bad ones out: the criminals and the drug deals and gangs and gang members and cartel leaders. The day is over when they can stay in our country and wreak havoc. We are going to get them out, and we're going to get them out fast. And John Kelly is going to lead that way.

AMY GOODMAN: The construction of the expanded wall is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars. It remains unclear how Trump's directive will pay for the project. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto vowed Wednesday night not to pay for the wall. He's set to meet with Trump next week but may now cancel his trip. Trump's directive also greatly increases the number of immigration enforcement personnel.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Our order also does the following: ends the policy of catch and release at the border, requires other countries to take back their criminalsthey will take them back, cracks down on sanctuary cities, empowers ICE officers to target and remove those who pose a threat to public safety, calls for the hiring of another 5,000 Border Patrol officers, calls for the tripling the number of ICE officers.

AMY GOODMAN: The order also strips funding from so-called sanctuary cities. But mayors across the country, including those in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, say they'll continue to allow police officers to refuse to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants on behalf of federal authorities.
For more, we're going to Washington, D.C., where we're joined by Erika Andiola, a nationally known immigrant activist who served as a spokesperson for Bernie Sanders, helped him craft immigration policy. She's the political director for Our Revolution, recently spoke at the Women's March on D.C. She is a DACA recipient, or DREAMer, who grew up in Arizona. In 2013, her house was raided. Immigration agents picked up her mother and her brother.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Erika. Can you, overall, respond to this historic day yesterday? More changes to immigration policy in one day than we have ever seen.
ERIKA ANDIOLA: Absolutely. Well, first off, thank you for having me. And yesterday was definitely a day that all of us were afraid was going to happen. There was several changes that, you know, have been, basically, horrifying for our communities. And we'reyou know, I think, for a lot of us in the immigrant rights movement and the progressive movement, we're stillyou know, we're trying to figure out what's the best way to resist this, but also making sure that we're starting the organizing on the ground to make sure that our people are ready for this.
AMY GOODMAN: So, let's take eacheach executive order that President Trump has laid out. Start with what concerns you most, Erika.
ERIKA ANDIOLA: You know, I think most of the points that he touched on yesterday concern me a lot. I think, for us, you know, one of theat least for myselfI'm from Arizona, so I have seen what it is to use the police, to use local law enforcement, to basically cooperate with ICE, and not only that, but to make sure that, you know, you increase the number of people that end up in deportation proceedings or deported. And what he did yesterday, basically, you know, makes that so much easier and makes Arizona sort of a nationalat the national level. And so, you know, I think we need to make sure that we are ready in all fronts. You know, I think, for many of us, it is our responsibility
AMY GOODMAN: Well
ERIKA ANDIOLA: to make sure
AMY GOODMAN: Well, let me go to President Trump's plans for DACA, or the Deferred Action on Childhood [Arrivals], which has provided temporary deportation relief and work authorization to almost 800,000 young people. Democracy Now! spoke to a DACA recipient last night in New York during a rally against Trump's new orders.

CESAR VARGAS: My name is Cesar Vargas. I'm the co-director of the DREAM Action Coalition. And I'm also undocumented. For myself, I am here because this directly impacts me and my mother, who's also undocumented. And we could be subject to deportation. But at the same time, I'm here to elevate my voice, to show my faith, that we're not afraid, that we're not going to let fear dictate what we do in the next four years, and we're not going to let Trump's ego or his Twitter account really target us.

One of his executive actions is ending DACA, the President Obama's deportation relief program. And I could lose my driver's license. I could lose my home. I could lose my work authorization and my law license as New York's first undocumented attorney. So, there's a lot at stake, which is why we're here, because we're fighting because there is a lot at stake.

AMY GOODMAN: With the loss of deferred action status, DACA recipients revert to being undocumented. But unlike most undocumented immigrants, the government knows exactly who they are and where they live. Erika Andiola, you're a DACA recipient. So, talk about what is going to happen. It is not clear yet what happens to DACA folks.
ERIKA ANDIOLA: Yeah, yeah. And our understanding is that, you know, it was one of his promises, that he would end the program. We know that there is internal pushback. There's some, you know, people within the administration that want to make sure that he moves forward with getting rid of the program. There's other people within the administration and other Republicans who are telling him not to do it. We don't know what's going to happen. There's alsoyou know, I think right now there's a lot of uncertainty of how it would happen, whetheras my example, is my DACA expires in February, so literally a month from now. So, they could wait until that expires, not giveyou know, make sure that doesn't get renewed. We could leave somethey could leave some people with DACA. Or they could literally say, "You can no longer work. You need to give back the work permits." We don't know exactly how it's going to work, but it's definitely concerning to a lot of people, given that, you know, it is a program that has helpednot only helped DACA recipients, but it has given so much back to the country. And so, we're hoping that he makes the right decision, that the GOP and those folks that are a lot more moderate, that know exactly what DREAMers have contributed to this country, you know, convince him not to do this, which would be devastating for a lot of our community members.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to ask you about President Trump's plans to expand the border wall. His pick to head homeland security secretary, retired General John Kelly, was skeptical of the effectiveness of a border wall during his confirmation hearing earlier this month.

JOHN KELLY: A physical barrier, in and of itselfcertainly, as a military person that understands defense and defenses, a physical barrier, in and of itself, will not do the job. It has to be really a layered defense. If you were to build a wall from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, you'd still have to back that wall up with patrolling by human beings, by sensors, by observation devices.

AMY GOODMAN: So, analysts say Trump's plans for a border wall could still face several challenges, including lawsuits from landowners, as well as environmental and engineering obstacles. The Government Accountability Office estimates the cost of building a single-layer fence along the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico would the $6.5 million per mile, plus an additional $4.2 million per mile for roads and more fencing. This doesn't include maintenance of the fence. Some experts put the total cost of Trump's border wall at $14 billion. Over the last decade, the U.S. has already installed 700 miles of fencing, tens of thousands of motion sensors, as well as spy towers, radar systems, Predator surveillance drones, thousands of law enforcement agents along the U.S.-Mexico border. So, can you respond to this, Erika?
ERIKA ANDIOLA: Yeah, I mean, first of all, you know, the border hasis the most secured border than any time in history, per GOP's wishes or the people who have been advocating for a secure border. But the fact is that it's notit's not going to change the lot. And the reality is that if he wants to waste taxpayer dollars, if he wants to go to Congress and ask for more money to build this wall, it's not going to do much in terms of immigration policy. The reality is, this is bigger than a wall. The reality is that people are coming from other countries because they have a necessity to do so. And the fact is that we haven't even dealt with what is happening here in the U.S. with the undocumented community. And so, you know, for me, it's definitely not worth building this wall for millions of reasons. And, you know, we're hoping that when this goes to Congress, that our elected officials and our leaders decide the right thing and, again, like I said, not waste people's money on something that's not going to work.
AMY GOODMAN: Erika, I want to askafter Trump issued his order to strip funding from cities that shield undocumented immigrants, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed mayors across the country in saying he would not allow police officers to be used as immigration enforcement agents. This is what he said.

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO: We will not deport law-abiding New Yorkers. We will not tear families apart. We will not leave children without their parents. We will not take breadwinners away from families who have no one else. And we're not going to undermine the hard-won trust that has developed between our police and our communities. This executive order is very vague. And our corporation counsel, Zach Carter, is here, former U.S. attorney earlier in his life, and made very clear to me today that if any action is taken as a result to restrict our funding, at that point we will bring legal action to stop it.

AMY GOODMAN: So that's the New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Erika Andiola, we just have five seconds, but sanctuary cities and states, like California?
ERIKA ANDIOLA: Absolutely. So this is a time for the sanctuary cities all over the country and other cities to step up, progressive cities, and protect our community members. California is leading the charge. SB 54 is going to do that. We're hoping that California actually passes the bill and that it spreads across the country to protect our communities.


Mexican president cancels US visit over Trump's order to build border wall

Enrique Peña Nieto has said Mexico will not pay for the wall, as US Congress faces questions about budgetary impact of its construction

Mexican president demands respect' and rejects US border wallDavid Agren in Mexico City, Ben Jacobs in Philadelphia and Julian Borger in Washington
Thursday 26 January 2017 17.16 GMTLast modified on Thursday 26 January 201722.00 GMT

Mexico's president, Enrique Peña Nieto, has cancelled a scheduled visit to Washington next week to meet with Donald Trump, after the US president signed an executive order to move forward on construction of a border wall and repeated his claim that Mexico would be forced to pay for it. Peña Nieto tweeted on Thursday that he had informed the White House that he would not attend the meeting with Trump that had been scheduled for Tuesday.

"Mexico reiterates its willingness to work with the US to achieve agreements which benefit both nations," he added.
Speaking to congressional Republicans in Philadelphia, Trump claimed the decision to cancel the meeting with Peña Nieto was mutual.
"The president of Mexico and myself have agreed to cancel our planned meeting next week," said Trump. He added: "Unless Mexico is going to treat the United States fairly, with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go a different route. We have no choice."
Trump also repeated his criticism of Nafta, the US free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, describing it as "a terrible deal [and] a total disaster for us since its inception".
Trump: Meeting with Peña Nieto would have been fruitless'Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, said that the White House would attempt to set up a new meeting. "We'll look for a date to schedule something in the future. We will keep the lines of communication open," he said.
The Mexican president has come under sustained criticism at home for failing to come up with a decisive strategy to deal with Trump's combative policies, and was under growing pressure to pull out of the meeting.
In a short video statement on Wednesday night, he once again declared that "Mexico will not pay for any wall", but stopped short of cancelling the trip to Washington.
On Thursday morning, Trump appeared to be goading Peña Nieto into pulling out of the visit, saying on Twitter: "The US has a $60bn trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of Nafta with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost.
"If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting."
Many Mexicans welcomed Peña Nieto's decision, but asked why it had taken so long to make a stand and why it was not included in Wednesday night's video.
"It's good, but too late. He should have immediately announced it immediately," said Carlos Bravo Regidor, professor at the Centre for Research and Teaching in Economics. "The fact that he has not been able to turn Trump into a piñata for national unity is turning [Peña Nieto] into that piñata."

'Sanctuary cities' endangered by Trump order threatening to cut federal funds
The Mexican president has seemed to be constantly wrongfooted by Trump since he launched his election campaign with a barrage of explicitly anti-Mexican rhetoric. Peña Nieto'sperceived failure to stand up to Trump during a visit to Mexico City in August helped drive down his personal popularity ratings to a historic low of 12%.
Peña Nieto appeared frozen in an impossible situation: agreeing to pay for Trump's wall would stoke domestic outrage; not paying could provoke problems with Trump's team.
That indecision has only fuelled criticism at home.
Political consultant Fernando Dworak described Peña Nieto's response as "tepid". "He needed to show strength. Something like: we're withdrawing from all dialogue until there are conditions to talk again."
Others have been more direct, including ex-president Vicente Fox who has targeted Trump with profanity-laden tweets for more than a year.
The diplomatic spat comes as US congressional leaders are facing questions about how to actually pay for the border wall and the budgetary impact such a huge project would have.
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said on Thursday that a border wall would cost between $12bn and $15bn, but neither he nor the House speaker, Paul Ryan, would say how that cost would be offset in the federal budget.
Spicer, the White House spokesman, declined to say how the Trump administration would secure funding from Mexico for the wall, simply saying "a variety of potential sources" could pay for it.
"The president's been very clear on his intention to build the wall and how it would be paid for," Spicer said. "I think he's been consistent with that throughout."
Speaking to reporters in Philadelphia, Ryan dodged questions about whether the wall would be paid for with budget cuts or new revenue, or if it would represent additional deficit spending.
Ryan repeatedly referred to the wall as a fence, referring to the 2006 Secure Fences Act, a bipartisan bill that provided for barriers along portions of the US-Mexico border.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to build a concrete wall along the entire border, but Wednesday's executive order used a broader definition: "A contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier."
The rift with Mexico comes at a time when there are significant gaps in the US foreign policy establishment that would otherwise be working to heal the divide.
The nominee for secretary of state, former oil executive Rex Tillerson, has yet to be confirmed and there are still no announced candidates for scores of top posts at the state department.
Meanwhile, key people in the department's senior management are leaving this week. Most of them are political appointees, who routinely submit their resignations at the beginning of new administration.
A former senior state department official pointed out that what was not routine was that there was no one in line to replace them.
"The Trump people wanted a bunch of the top people to leave on inauguration day. But it was pointed out to them that if they did, there would be nobody home," the former official said.

Peter Lemkin Wrote:MIT University Scientists, Engineers state the Wall Trumpf has proposed will cost no less than 450 Billion USD - double that with only a few years of patrolling it; electronic detectors to detect persons going over/under, etc. ::face.palm::

Former Mexican Vicente Fox tweeted 'We will not pay for any fucking Wall!' @#nofuckingwall ::rofl::