Articles & Editorials:
Main Stories
Russia and Wilbur Ross, US Secretary of Commerce
New Commerce Secretary at Nexus of Lucrative Trump Russia Deal (21:44)
This is a must-watch. If you check out nothing else on this site this week, this story is huge.
(MSNBC – 2/27/17)
Two Trump Companies Discovered in Cyprus, EU’s Russian Off-Shore Banking Haven
(Huffington Post – 12/19/16, Updated 3/2/17)
Here’s Another Trump Cabinet Pick With Close Financial Ties to Russians
(Mother Jones – 12/19/16)
Russia and the Trump Campaign
Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking
(New York Times – 3/1/17)
Russia and Jeff Sessions, US Attorney General
Sessions Met With Russian Envoy Twice Last Year, Encounters He Later Did Not Disclose
(Washington Post – 3/1/17)
Jeff Sessions Denials of Contact With Russians are Falling Apart Quickly
(Washington Post – 3/2/17)
Six Times Sessions Talked About Perjury, Access, and Special Prosecutors – When It Involved the Clintons
(Washington Post – 3/2/17)
“Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, is considered by US intelligence to be one of Russia’s top spies and spy-recruiters in Washington, according to current and former senior US government officials.”
CNN, regarding the Russian individual who met with recently resigned National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and current Attorney General Jeff Sessions
(CNN – 3/2/17)
Jeff Sessions Recuses Himself from Russia Inquiry
(New York Times – 3/2/17)
Meet the Russian Diplomat at the Center of the Sessions Controversy
(The Hill – 3/3/17)
Why Would Jeff Sessions Hide His Talks With Sergey Kislyak?
(New Yorker – 3/3/17)
Yemen Raid
Trump Passes Blame for Yemen Raid to His General: “They Lost Ryan”
(Washington Post – 2/28/17)
Yemen SEAL Raid Has Yielded No Significant Intelligence: Officials
(NBC News – 2/28/17)
Slain SEAL’s Dad Wants Answers: “Don’t Hide Behind My Son’s Death”
(Miami Herald – 2/26/17)
Other Stories That You Should Know About:
Healthcare
Trump: “Nobody Knew Healthcare Could Be So Complicated”
(The Guardian – 2/27/17)
Trump’s Mental health
Trump Says Obama is Helping to Organize Protests Against His Presidency
(Washington Post – 2/28/17)
Trump Accuses Obama of ‘Nixon/Watergate’ Wiretap – But Offers No Evidence
(Washington Post – 3/4/17)
Posted on Twitter around 6am Saturday, 3/4/17:
Lawmakers Stunned by Trump’s Wiretap Allegations
(Politico – 3/5/17)
White House Says It Will No Longer Comment on Trump’s Wiretapping Claims
(Huffington Post – 3/5/17)
Director of National Intelligence (2010-2017) James Clapper on Trump’s Allegations of Wiretapping by Obama Administration
(Meet the Press, MSNBC – 3/5/17):
Freedom of the Press
“I consider the media to be indispensable to democracy. We need an independent media to hold people like me to account. Power can be very addictive. And it can be corrosive. And it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.”
Former President George W. Bush
Interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show – 2/27/17
(Full Article : NPR)
Trump Moves to Become Master of His Own Messages
(New York Times – 3/2/17)
Hate Crimes
He Yelled ‘Get Out of My Country,’ Witnesses Say, and Then Shot Two Men from India, Killing One
(Washington Post – 2/24/17)
A Sikh Man Was Shot On His Driveway And Allegedly Told, “Go Back To Your Own Country”
(Buzzfeed – 3/4/17)
In Day of Pro-Trump Rallies, California March Turns Violent
(Reuters – 3/4/17)
Editor’s Note: Much of the violence in the rally was committed and/or incited by people who came to protest Trump. When the anti-Trump people behave like this, it serves to discredit the anti-Trump movement, and increases the likelihood that future Trump protests may experience retaliatory violence from Trump supporters.
Keeping Track of the Basics:
- Trump’s Cabinet Picks and Their Status in the Approval Process
(Full Article – The Atlantic) - Entire Trump Administration: Who’s Who
(Full Info – Real Clear Politics)
Editorials
Trump’s Emotional Moment With a Navy SEAL’s Wife Could Define Him – For Good But Also For Bad
(Aaron Blake, Washington Post – 3/1//17)
Remembering a City Where Smog Could Kill
(Jim Dwyer, New York Times – 2/28/17)
Alternative Facts from an Alternative Universe
Self-selecting our news sources, a reluctance to hear opposing ideas, and the choice by many of us to surround ourselves only with like-minded individuals has resulted in many Americans becoming oblivious to the beliefs of those with whom they disagree. This bubble helped create the world of “alternative facts” in which Donald Trump could become President.
To counter this, each week I will present a little of what Trump’s supporters are thinking. Their reality may be very different from yours. Please listen/read to the end, and consider what respectful questions you could ask to better understand and have a conversation, rather than seeking to prove them wrong as quickly as possible and shut them down. We can’t change minds if we can’t talk to each other.
I’m a Silicon Valley Liberal, and I Traveled Across the Country to interview 100 Trump Supporters – Here’s What I Learned
(Sam Altman, Business Insider, 2/23/17)
Cartoons, Images & Videos
Photo by Agence France Presse:
Artwork by Illustrator Kieron Dwyer:
Posted by ImgFlip.com:
Artwork posted on Facebook by Rob Brezsny:
Published by Vox, Graphic by Javier Zarracina:
Events & Actions
Two major nationwide protests coming up:
- Wednesday, March 8, 2017: “A Day Without a Woman”
Women nationwide will not be participating in work – at their jobs or in the home – to bring attention to the importance of women to the functioning of America. Learn more here! - Saturday, April 15, 2017: “Trump Tax Day March”
Americans across the country will be marching to let President Trump know that it’s not just reporters who care about his undisclosed tax returns – find your nearest rally here!
The Week In Trump 