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Nevilledog
Nevilledog's Journal
Nevilledog's Journal
March 15, 2024
No paywall link
https://archive.li/3hmO8
Donald Trump and the Republican Party head into the 2024 election running essentially as single-issue candidates, and that issue is the border and “migrant crime.”
With economic growth, the stock market, unemployment, wage growth, and inflation all trending positively for many months, they have pushed all their chips into the middle of the table on the border issue. The central premise of their argument is that Trump had the “most secure border in history,” where everyone was kept out—and the few who were able to evade Border Patrol officers were quickly deported. That premise is a lie.
Before getting into the numbers, we can start with Trump’s own words about the border when he was president, which stands in sharp contrast with the mythology that he peddles now. Trump has attempted to rewrite the history of his administration in a number of areas in order to blame Joe Biden—the Afghanistan withdrawal, the pandemic, the economy, the 2020 election, and Jan 6.
But there is perhaps no topic where he lies more comprehensively than the border.
What makes the problem even worse is that, while Democrats are always eager and willing to push back on the other topics, they are generally unwilling to discuss the border—even to refute Trump’s lies. I wrote an article about that called, “Democrats Don’t Want to Talk About the Border, So I’ll Start.”
*snip*
Trump Is Flat-Out Lying About Having the 'Most Secure Border in History' as President
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-is-flat-out-lying-about-having-the-most-secure-border-in-history-as-presidentNo paywall link
https://archive.li/3hmO8
Donald Trump and the Republican Party head into the 2024 election running essentially as single-issue candidates, and that issue is the border and “migrant crime.”
With economic growth, the stock market, unemployment, wage growth, and inflation all trending positively for many months, they have pushed all their chips into the middle of the table on the border issue. The central premise of their argument is that Trump had the “most secure border in history,” where everyone was kept out—and the few who were able to evade Border Patrol officers were quickly deported. That premise is a lie.
Before getting into the numbers, we can start with Trump’s own words about the border when he was president, which stands in sharp contrast with the mythology that he peddles now. Trump has attempted to rewrite the history of his administration in a number of areas in order to blame Joe Biden—the Afghanistan withdrawal, the pandemic, the economy, the 2020 election, and Jan 6.
But there is perhaps no topic where he lies more comprehensively than the border.
What makes the problem even worse is that, while Democrats are always eager and willing to push back on the other topics, they are generally unwilling to discuss the border—even to refute Trump’s lies. I wrote an article about that called, “Democrats Don’t Want to Talk About the Border, So I’ll Start.”
*snip*
March 15, 2024
No paywall link
https://archive.li/oVGDR
Christopher Rufo, the U.S. Secretary of Education, watched the hearing with delight. It was early November 2025, almost exactly a year since Donald Trump had won his second term to the White House. Already, the nation had changed under his watch, with today’s hearing on educational indoctrination only the latest evidence of the transformation at work.
Michelle Obama had not been president of Harvard University for six months, and if this grilling before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions stayed on track (and it would, because the staff of each Republican senator on the committee had been coached by White House director of legislative affairs Madison Cawthorn on which questions to ask, when, and how; the afternoon producers on Fox News had been similarly prepped), she was going to make her predecessor Claudine Gay look like a long-termer.
It was delicious stuff, watching the former first lady squirm. Having already landed a couple of haymakers during the first round of questioning, the committee’s chairman, Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance—President Trump’s favorite bulldog on Capitol Hill and already a 2028 presidential favorite—was now launching a stemwinder about “rooting out the cancer of wokeness.” Fox News turned its camera on Michelle, who looked as if she might kill Vance—or, if this continued, herself.
Secretary Rufo muted the television and rose. He was still getting used to his office, a plain room in a concrete building on Maryland Avenue, nothing like the sumptuous quarters overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue that Attorney General Laura Ingraham crowed about every time he saw her in one of the Old Ebbitt Grill back rooms, drinking what she claimed was a club soda, gossiping with special assistant to the president Chaya Raichik—better known as Libs of TikTok—about the latest West Wing intrigue. She really needed to get her ass in gear, Rufo thought. There was no time to waste. President Trump’s second term was flying by, and even if he managed to extend that term by a year or two—White House counsel Kimberly Guilfoyle was just polishing up her memorandum on how to postpone the 2028 election—there was too much work left for foot-dragging.
*snip*
Trump's Cabinet of Horrors
https://newrepublic.com/article/179422/trumps-cabinet-horrors?utm_campaign=SF_TNR&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=socialNo paywall link
https://archive.li/oVGDR
Christopher Rufo, the U.S. Secretary of Education, watched the hearing with delight. It was early November 2025, almost exactly a year since Donald Trump had won his second term to the White House. Already, the nation had changed under his watch, with today’s hearing on educational indoctrination only the latest evidence of the transformation at work.
Michelle Obama had not been president of Harvard University for six months, and if this grilling before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions stayed on track (and it would, because the staff of each Republican senator on the committee had been coached by White House director of legislative affairs Madison Cawthorn on which questions to ask, when, and how; the afternoon producers on Fox News had been similarly prepped), she was going to make her predecessor Claudine Gay look like a long-termer.
It was delicious stuff, watching the former first lady squirm. Having already landed a couple of haymakers during the first round of questioning, the committee’s chairman, Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance—President Trump’s favorite bulldog on Capitol Hill and already a 2028 presidential favorite—was now launching a stemwinder about “rooting out the cancer of wokeness.” Fox News turned its camera on Michelle, who looked as if she might kill Vance—or, if this continued, herself.
Secretary Rufo muted the television and rose. He was still getting used to his office, a plain room in a concrete building on Maryland Avenue, nothing like the sumptuous quarters overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue that Attorney General Laura Ingraham crowed about every time he saw her in one of the Old Ebbitt Grill back rooms, drinking what she claimed was a club soda, gossiping with special assistant to the president Chaya Raichik—better known as Libs of TikTok—about the latest West Wing intrigue. She really needed to get her ass in gear, Rufo thought. There was no time to waste. President Trump’s second term was flying by, and even if he managed to extend that term by a year or two—White House counsel Kimberly Guilfoyle was just polishing up her memorandum on how to postpone the 2028 election—there was too much work left for foot-dragging.
*snip*
March 9, 2024
Shortly after he took over as North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor in 2021, current Republican candidate for governor Mark Robinson launched a task force to root out indoctrination in our public schools.
Robinson claimed indoctrination was a widespread problem and set up an online portal to solicit complaints about educators from the public. The majority of the submissions Robinson received were from people who took issue with his politically-motivated witch hunt and saw an opportunity to roast him over it.
As for the actual complaints about educators, Robinson published those online without substantiating a single one and didn’t bother to redact names of educators or worksites. Those complaints were dominated by white racial resentment (remember, this was at the height of the fake outrage over critical race theory) and included suggestions such as canceling Black History Month and not talking so much about slavery because it’s “getting old.”
In terms of actual indoctrination unearthed, Robinson’s witch hunt was a complete nothing burger.
Fast forward a couple of years to North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly flipping a legislator, stealing a supermajority, then tripling funding for school vouchers.
*snip*
North Carolina's public voucher dollars are funding Christian Nationalist indoctrination in schools
https://notesfromthechalkboard.com/2024/03/09/north-carolinas-public-voucher-dollars-are-funding-christian-nationalist-indoctrination-in-schools/Shortly after he took over as North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor in 2021, current Republican candidate for governor Mark Robinson launched a task force to root out indoctrination in our public schools.
Robinson claimed indoctrination was a widespread problem and set up an online portal to solicit complaints about educators from the public. The majority of the submissions Robinson received were from people who took issue with his politically-motivated witch hunt and saw an opportunity to roast him over it.
As for the actual complaints about educators, Robinson published those online without substantiating a single one and didn’t bother to redact names of educators or worksites. Those complaints were dominated by white racial resentment (remember, this was at the height of the fake outrage over critical race theory) and included suggestions such as canceling Black History Month and not talking so much about slavery because it’s “getting old.”
In terms of actual indoctrination unearthed, Robinson’s witch hunt was a complete nothing burger.
Fast forward a couple of years to North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly flipping a legislator, stealing a supermajority, then tripling funding for school vouchers.
*snip*
March 6, 2024
No paywall link
https://archive.li/SMJ7i
Donald Trump reportedly did not expect to win the presidency in 2016, which isn’t surprising considering how ill-prepared he and his team were to take control of the country. He appointed established conservatives to key positions before learning some had personal principles that extended beyond indulging the president’s ego. Trump wreaked havoc on the United States for four years, but the damage might have been even greater if he wasn’t battling career public servants who tried to check his impulses, or if he wasn’t such a political neophyte.
Trump will not be the dog that caught the car heading into his second term. He’ll be ready and waiting to take the wheel and hit the gas. The former president has now had nearly a decade to burnish his understanding of how Washington, D.C., works, and to assemble a political machine laser-focused on exploiting a federal government full of loopholes to give him the power to enact an authoritarian agenda that could spell disaster for the economy, the environment, human rights, and democracy.
Trump still needs to win the Republican nomination, but his romp through the primaries has confirmed that he is in total control of the race and will almost certainly be squaring off with Joe Biden in an election to determine the fate of the nation.
Here’s what’s at stake:
He will indict Biden and his other political enemies
Trump has made abundantly clear that he will use a potential second term in office to take revenge on his enemies. He’s planning to do so by helming the Justice Department with a loyal attorney general willing to appoint a slew of special prosecutors to go after everyone he feels has wronged him. These plans have been in the works since 2021, as Rolling Stone reported in August, and focus not just on Biden, whom Trump believes is the primary force behind his myriad legal woes, but also on Special Counsel Jack Smith, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and plenty of others. “There are almost too many targets to keep track of,” one Trump adviser familiar with the discussions says.
*snip*
Every Awful Thing Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-second-term-plans-wildest-proposals-1234947327/No paywall link
https://archive.li/SMJ7i
Donald Trump reportedly did not expect to win the presidency in 2016, which isn’t surprising considering how ill-prepared he and his team were to take control of the country. He appointed established conservatives to key positions before learning some had personal principles that extended beyond indulging the president’s ego. Trump wreaked havoc on the United States for four years, but the damage might have been even greater if he wasn’t battling career public servants who tried to check his impulses, or if he wasn’t such a political neophyte.
Trump will not be the dog that caught the car heading into his second term. He’ll be ready and waiting to take the wheel and hit the gas. The former president has now had nearly a decade to burnish his understanding of how Washington, D.C., works, and to assemble a political machine laser-focused on exploiting a federal government full of loopholes to give him the power to enact an authoritarian agenda that could spell disaster for the economy, the environment, human rights, and democracy.
Trump still needs to win the Republican nomination, but his romp through the primaries has confirmed that he is in total control of the race and will almost certainly be squaring off with Joe Biden in an election to determine the fate of the nation.
Here’s what’s at stake:
He will indict Biden and his other political enemies
Trump has made abundantly clear that he will use a potential second term in office to take revenge on his enemies. He’s planning to do so by helming the Justice Department with a loyal attorney general willing to appoint a slew of special prosecutors to go after everyone he feels has wronged him. These plans have been in the works since 2021, as Rolling Stone reported in August, and focus not just on Biden, whom Trump believes is the primary force behind his myriad legal woes, but also on Special Counsel Jack Smith, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and plenty of others. “There are almost too many targets to keep track of,” one Trump adviser familiar with the discussions says.
*snip*
February 26, 2024
No paywall link
https://archive.li/gMnEZ
Some of the most interesting discussions you can have with others are those about reality and truth. These are the conversations that have fueled the pursuit of knowledge for centuries, stirring curiosity and sparking debates that illuminate the mysteries of the world. But within these engaging dialogues lies a curious phenomenon: a tendency for some to veer into the realm of skepticism.
It’s within this space that conspiracy theories find their footing–a captivating domain where reality is envisioned with suspicion and speculation. From whispers of overpowering organizations pulling strings from the shadows to historic events shrouded in secrecy, conspiracy theories offer a tantalizing glimpse into the darker recesses of human imagination.
The Most Commonly Believed Conspiracy Theories
Research from Personality and Individual Differences describes conspiracy theories as offering unsubstantiated explanations for world events and often implicate evil people or groups as being the cause. According to the 2024 study, there are six kinds of conspiracy theories that are most commonly believed:
*snip*
A Psychologist Explains 6 Types Of Conspiracy Theories
https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/02/25/a-psychologist-explains-6-types-of-conspiracy-theories/No paywall link
https://archive.li/gMnEZ
Some of the most interesting discussions you can have with others are those about reality and truth. These are the conversations that have fueled the pursuit of knowledge for centuries, stirring curiosity and sparking debates that illuminate the mysteries of the world. But within these engaging dialogues lies a curious phenomenon: a tendency for some to veer into the realm of skepticism.
It’s within this space that conspiracy theories find their footing–a captivating domain where reality is envisioned with suspicion and speculation. From whispers of overpowering organizations pulling strings from the shadows to historic events shrouded in secrecy, conspiracy theories offer a tantalizing glimpse into the darker recesses of human imagination.
The Most Commonly Believed Conspiracy Theories
Research from Personality and Individual Differences describes conspiracy theories as offering unsubstantiated explanations for world events and often implicate evil people or groups as being the cause. According to the 2024 study, there are six kinds of conspiracy theories that are most commonly believed:
1. Government malfeasance. These theories claim that governments engage in covert activities—such as orchestrating terrorist attacks or faking natural disasters—to justify military intervention, expand surveillance powers or to distract the public from other issues. Believers may point to inconsistencies in official accounts or past instances of government misconduct as evidence of a larger conspiracy. Examples of these include theories surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which suggest involvement or complicity by the U.S. government.
2. Malevolent global manipulation. Proponents of these theories may argue that powerful and shadowy groups, like the Illuminati or global elites, control world events to further their own agendas. Such agendas include establishing the New World Order or consolidating their wealth and power. These believers may cite symbols, alleged connections among influential figures or patterns of historical events as proof of hidden agendas.
3. Personal well-being control. These conspiracies involve suggestions that corporations or governments are using technologies, like microchips or electromagnetic frequencies, to manipulate or harm individuals. Theorists may fear that these entities seek to control behavior, track individuals’ movements or even alter their thoughts and emotions.
4. Extraterrestrial cover-ups. Believers in these theories contend that governments and military organizations are actively concealing the truth about the existence of extraterrestrial life. This may include claims of UFO sightings or encounters with aliens, which are then claimed to be dismissed or suppressed by official channels. Believers argue that disclosure of the existence of alien life would have profound implications for society and the balance of power.
5. Control of information. These theories suggest that various organizations, such as the government, the media or academic institutions, manipulate information to shape public perceptions, suppress dissent or advance certain agendas. These believers may distrust official narratives, often question the credibility of mainstream media outlets and will seek out alternative media channels for “untainted” information.
6. Covid-19. These theories encompass a wide range of false and misleading claims about the origins, severity and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Including allegations that the virus was deliberately engineered, believers in this theory purport that Covid-19 is a bioweapon or a hoax perpetrated for political and economic gain. Many may go further to suggest that Covid-19 vaccinations are part of a larger scheme to control or harm the population.
*snip*
February 26, 2024
Introduction
Former President Donald Trump has said he will be a dictator on “day one.” He and his advisors and associates have publicly discussed hundreds of actions to be taken during a second Trump presidency that directly threaten democracy. These vary from Trump breaking the law and abusing power in areas like immigration roundups and energy extraction; to summarily and baselessly firing tens of thousands of civil servants whom he perceives as adversaries; to prosecuting his political opponents for personal gain and even hinting at executing some of them. We track all of these promises, plans, and pronouncements here and we will continue to update them in real time.
We assess there is a significant risk of autocracy should Trump regain the presidency. Trump has said he would deploy the military against civilian protestors and his advisors have developed plans for using the Insurrection Act, said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act to conduct deportations of non-citizens, continued to threaten legally-established abortion rights, and even had his lawyers argue that a president should be immune from prosecution if he directed SEAL Team Six to assassinate his political enemies. Trump also seeks the power to protect his personal wealth as he faces staggering civil fines, and to bolster his immunity as he faces 91 criminal charges in prosecutions in different parts of the country.
While Trump has claimed he will be a dictator for only the first day of his administration, his promise to do so–even for 24 hours–is antithetical to American democracy. History teaches us that dictatorial powers, once assumed, are rarely relinquished. Moreover, Trump cannot possibly achieve his stated goals for the use of that power (in immigration and energy policy) in one day, meaning that his “dictatorship” would of necessity likely last much longer.
Trump’s former advisors—those with the most experience watching him govern behind the scenes—believe he is a danger to the country. John Bolton, Trump’s former National Security Advisor, said, “I think Trump will cause significant damage in a second term, damage that in some cases will be irreparable.” Alyssa Farah Griffin, former Trump White House Director of Strategic Communications, noted, “Fundamentally, a second Trump term could mean the end of American democracy as we know it, and I don’t say that lightly.”
*snip*
American Autocracy Threat Tracker (Just Security)
https://www.justsecurity.org/92714/american-autocracy-threat-tracker/Introduction
Former President Donald Trump has said he will be a dictator on “day one.” He and his advisors and associates have publicly discussed hundreds of actions to be taken during a second Trump presidency that directly threaten democracy. These vary from Trump breaking the law and abusing power in areas like immigration roundups and energy extraction; to summarily and baselessly firing tens of thousands of civil servants whom he perceives as adversaries; to prosecuting his political opponents for personal gain and even hinting at executing some of them. We track all of these promises, plans, and pronouncements here and we will continue to update them in real time.
We assess there is a significant risk of autocracy should Trump regain the presidency. Trump has said he would deploy the military against civilian protestors and his advisors have developed plans for using the Insurrection Act, said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act to conduct deportations of non-citizens, continued to threaten legally-established abortion rights, and even had his lawyers argue that a president should be immune from prosecution if he directed SEAL Team Six to assassinate his political enemies. Trump also seeks the power to protect his personal wealth as he faces staggering civil fines, and to bolster his immunity as he faces 91 criminal charges in prosecutions in different parts of the country.
While Trump has claimed he will be a dictator for only the first day of his administration, his promise to do so–even for 24 hours–is antithetical to American democracy. History teaches us that dictatorial powers, once assumed, are rarely relinquished. Moreover, Trump cannot possibly achieve his stated goals for the use of that power (in immigration and energy policy) in one day, meaning that his “dictatorship” would of necessity likely last much longer.
Trump’s former advisors—those with the most experience watching him govern behind the scenes—believe he is a danger to the country. John Bolton, Trump’s former National Security Advisor, said, “I think Trump will cause significant damage in a second term, damage that in some cases will be irreparable.” Alyssa Farah Griffin, former Trump White House Director of Strategic Communications, noted, “Fundamentally, a second Trump term could mean the end of American democracy as we know it, and I don’t say that lightly.”
*snip*
February 26, 2024
An increasingly detailed picture of former President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda is emerging — one that would make the near-daily shocks of his norm-shattering first White House tenure look tame.
Some of the particulars have already blown up into campaign furors, thanks to Trump’s public remarks about abandoning NATO allies and serving as a “dictator” on “day one,” as well as leaks of his private musings on a 16-week abortion ban. His supporters’ policy manifestos have yielded headlines predicting that Trump 2.0 would bring mass deportations of immigrants, overt use of the Justice Department to punish his political enemies, and — as POLITICO reported Tuesday — an embrace of “Christian nationalism” to guide federal policies.
Other items on the potential Trump second-term agenda would be more granular but also far-reaching, from publishing federal science reports that dispute the reality of global warming, to launching new and wider trade wars, cracking down on liberal school districts’ transgender policies and freeing the crypto industry from the threat of regulation.
What these proposals have in common: They would go well beyond steps Trump took — or in many cases even attempted — from 2017 to 2021.
*snip*
Beyond shock and awe: Inside Trump's potential second-term agenda
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/25/second-trump-term-00140488An increasingly detailed picture of former President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda is emerging — one that would make the near-daily shocks of his norm-shattering first White House tenure look tame.
Some of the particulars have already blown up into campaign furors, thanks to Trump’s public remarks about abandoning NATO allies and serving as a “dictator” on “day one,” as well as leaks of his private musings on a 16-week abortion ban. His supporters’ policy manifestos have yielded headlines predicting that Trump 2.0 would bring mass deportations of immigrants, overt use of the Justice Department to punish his political enemies, and — as POLITICO reported Tuesday — an embrace of “Christian nationalism” to guide federal policies.
Other items on the potential Trump second-term agenda would be more granular but also far-reaching, from publishing federal science reports that dispute the reality of global warming, to launching new and wider trade wars, cracking down on liberal school districts’ transgender policies and freeing the crypto industry from the threat of regulation.
What these proposals have in common: They would go well beyond steps Trump took — or in many cases even attempted — from 2017 to 2021.
*snip*
February 23, 2024
No paywall link
https://archive.li/8JsH5
Donald Trump is attempting to appeal and delay having to pay that whopping fine that New York Judge Arthur Engoron laid on him earlier this month in the Trump Organization fraud suit brought by state Attorney General Letitia James. As we’ve all heard, to do so, he has to secure a bond.
NBC News did some cipherin’ Wednesday and reported that he’ll need a bond of about $540 million. It is widely assumed he doesn’t have the liquid cash. He has some buildings, notably 40 Wall Street, but many experts are saying that the government doesn’t like to take real estate as collateral. “Whoever is going to bond [Trump] is committing that they’re going to make good on that judgment,” New York business attorney David Slarskey told NBC. “Who’s going to do that?”
Indeed. That is the question. And the possible answer is chilling, if we imagine Trump back in the White House next year.
In sum: He could borrow this money from just about anybody. Or not even borrow it. Someone might just give it to him. Incredibly, as Neal Katyal said on MSNBC Wednesday night, there is apparently no law that prohibits someone in Trump’s position from securing the collateral from anyone. It’s another one of those laws that I suppose no one ever even thought to write because the system has never encountered a Donald Trump before. But now it has.
*snip*
Imagine a President Trump Who Owes Saudi Arabia $540 Million
https://newrepublic.com/post/179250/president-trump-owes-saudi-arabia-540-millionNo paywall link
https://archive.li/8JsH5
Donald Trump is attempting to appeal and delay having to pay that whopping fine that New York Judge Arthur Engoron laid on him earlier this month in the Trump Organization fraud suit brought by state Attorney General Letitia James. As we’ve all heard, to do so, he has to secure a bond.
NBC News did some cipherin’ Wednesday and reported that he’ll need a bond of about $540 million. It is widely assumed he doesn’t have the liquid cash. He has some buildings, notably 40 Wall Street, but many experts are saying that the government doesn’t like to take real estate as collateral. “Whoever is going to bond [Trump] is committing that they’re going to make good on that judgment,” New York business attorney David Slarskey told NBC. “Who’s going to do that?”
Indeed. That is the question. And the possible answer is chilling, if we imagine Trump back in the White House next year.
In sum: He could borrow this money from just about anybody. Or not even borrow it. Someone might just give it to him. Incredibly, as Neal Katyal said on MSNBC Wednesday night, there is apparently no law that prohibits someone in Trump’s position from securing the collateral from anyone. It’s another one of those laws that I suppose no one ever even thought to write because the system has never encountered a Donald Trump before. But now it has.
*snip*
February 22, 2024
Key takeaways
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is the policy playbook for a second Trump administration, and its impacts on immigration would be far more complex and destructive than previously reported. It isn’t simply a refresh of first-term ideas, dusted off and ready to be re-implemented.
Rather, it reflects a meticulously orchestrated, comprehensive plan to drive immigration levels to unprecedented lows and increase the federal government’s power to the states’ detriment. These proposals circumvent Congress and the courts and are specifically engineered to dismantle the foundations of our immigration system.
The most troubling proposals include plans to:
These proposals, along with the others discussed herein, mark a significant divergence from traditional conservative immigration priorities like promoting merit-based immigration, fostering assimilation, and enhancing interior enforcement. Instead, they are designed to cripple the existing immigration system without regard for the extraordinarily harmful effects on the health and wealth of our country. They would weaken our nation’s prosperity and security and undermine the vitality of our workforce, with far-reaching consequences for future generations of Americans.
*snip*
Project 2025: Unveiling the far right's plan to demolish immigration in a second Trump term
https://www.niskanencenter.org/project-2025-unveiling-the-far-rights-plan-to-demolish-immigration-in-a-second-trump-term/Key takeaways
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is the policy playbook for a second Trump administration, and its impacts on immigration would be far more complex and destructive than previously reported. It isn’t simply a refresh of first-term ideas, dusted off and ready to be re-implemented.
Rather, it reflects a meticulously orchestrated, comprehensive plan to drive immigration levels to unprecedented lows and increase the federal government’s power to the states’ detriment. These proposals circumvent Congress and the courts and are specifically engineered to dismantle the foundations of our immigration system.
The most troubling proposals include plans to:
1. Block federal financial aid for up to two-thirds of all American college students if their state permits certain immigrant groups, including Dreamers with legal status, to access in-state tuition.
2. Terminate the legal status of 500,000 Dreamers by eliminating staff time for reviewing and processing renewal applications.
3. Use backlog numbers to trigger the automatic suspension of application intake for large categories of legal immigration.
4. Suspend updates to the annual eligible country lists for H-2A and H-2B temporary worker visas, thereby excluding most populations from filling critical gaps in the agricultural, construction, hospitality, and forestry sectors.
5. Bar U.S. citizens from qualifying for federal housing subsidies if they live with anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
6. Force states to share driver’s licenses and taxpayer identification information with federal authorities or risk critical funding.
These proposals, along with the others discussed herein, mark a significant divergence from traditional conservative immigration priorities like promoting merit-based immigration, fostering assimilation, and enhancing interior enforcement. Instead, they are designed to cripple the existing immigration system without regard for the extraordinarily harmful effects on the health and wealth of our country. They would weaken our nation’s prosperity and security and undermine the vitality of our workforce, with far-reaching consequences for future generations of Americans.
*snip*
February 20, 2024
Executive Summary
* Every year, individuals with ties to different extreme causes and movements kill people in the United States; the ADL Center on Extremism (COE) tracks these murders. Extremists regularly commit murders in the service of their ideology, to further a group or gang they may belong to, or even while engaging in traditional, non-ideological criminal activities.
* In 2023, domestic extremists killed at least 17 people in the U.S., in seven separate incidents. This represents a sharp decrease from the 27 extremist-related murders ADL has documented for 2022—which itself was a decrease from the 35 identified in 2021. It continues a trend of fewer extremist-related killings after a five-year span of 47-79 extremist-related murders per year (2015-2019). One reason for the trend is the decrease in recent years of extremist-related killings by domestic Islamist extremists and left-wing extremists.
* The 2023 murder totals include two extremist-related shootings sprees, both by white supremacists, which together accounted for 11 of the 17 deaths. A third shooting spree, also by an apparent white supremacist, wounded several people but luckily did not result in fatalities.
* All the extremist-related murders in 2023 were committed by right-wing extremists of various kinds, with 15 of the 17 killings involving perpetrators or accomplices with white supremacist connections. This is the second year in a row that right-wing extremists have been connected to all identified extremist-related killings.
*snip*
Murder and Extremism in the United States in 2023
https://www.adl.org/resources/report/murder-and-extremism-united-states-2023Executive Summary
* Every year, individuals with ties to different extreme causes and movements kill people in the United States; the ADL Center on Extremism (COE) tracks these murders. Extremists regularly commit murders in the service of their ideology, to further a group or gang they may belong to, or even while engaging in traditional, non-ideological criminal activities.
* In 2023, domestic extremists killed at least 17 people in the U.S., in seven separate incidents. This represents a sharp decrease from the 27 extremist-related murders ADL has documented for 2022—which itself was a decrease from the 35 identified in 2021. It continues a trend of fewer extremist-related killings after a five-year span of 47-79 extremist-related murders per year (2015-2019). One reason for the trend is the decrease in recent years of extremist-related killings by domestic Islamist extremists and left-wing extremists.
* The 2023 murder totals include two extremist-related shootings sprees, both by white supremacists, which together accounted for 11 of the 17 deaths. A third shooting spree, also by an apparent white supremacist, wounded several people but luckily did not result in fatalities.
* All the extremist-related murders in 2023 were committed by right-wing extremists of various kinds, with 15 of the 17 killings involving perpetrators or accomplices with white supremacist connections. This is the second year in a row that right-wing extremists have been connected to all identified extremist-related killings.
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