Obama Era Police Reforms Face Potential Reversal By Trump…

With the Trump and Sessions “tough on crime” agenda it now appears Justice Department investigations into police department abuse of civilians civil rights, as well as physical abuse by police officers, may come to a grinding halt.  There exists a fine line between enforcement of the law to protect the public and abuse, one that shouldn’t be crossed. Officers or departments that cross this line have little, if any respect for the civil rights of the individual. Policing this is a the responsibility of our government.

VOX – A new memo by the Trump administration makes it official: The US Department of Justice is putting police reform on hold.

The March 31 memo, published by the Washington Post, instructs Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s top two deputies to “immediately review” reform agreements — known as “consent decrees” — reached with police departments across the country after Justice Department investigations found that these departments routinely violated their residents’ civil rights. The memo argues that the review is necessary to, among other things, ensure public safety comes first and to “help promote officer safety, officer morale, and public respect for their work.”

In short, Justice Department deals that enforced reforms — from revised use-of-force policies to greater emphasis on “community policing” — at police agencies are under review to ensure Sessions and President Donald Trump’s own agenda on policing issues is represented in them.

Given that Trump and Sessions both support a “tough on crime” approach to criminal justice, that could mean that the Justice Department will now take a more tolerant approach to police abuses and a less tolerant view of police reforms than the Obama administration did. In fact, the Trump administration might even try to revoke the Obama-era reform plans altogether.

This isn’t unexpected. On the campaign trail, Trump consistently decried what he characterized as the Obama administration’s aggressive attitude toward the police. He argued that the administration’s policies have fostered a broader anti-police sentiment, enabling more crime and violence against cops. And he suggested that he would allow police to be even more aggressive than they are today.

Sessions expressed a similar view. “There is a perception, not altogether unjustified, that this department, the Civil Rights Division, goes beyond fair and balanced treatment but has an agenda that’s been a troubling issue for a number of years,” he said during a November 2015 Senate hearing called “The War on Police.”

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Before the March 31 memo, it was already clear that Trump’s Justice Department wouldn’t conduct many more investigations into police. Sessions said as much earlier this year, acknowledging that his agency will “pull back” on its inquiries into police departments.

Now we also know that the Trump administration is reviewing — and may potentially ax — police reform plans, even after the Justice Department under Obama found that police departments routinely violated American citizens’ constitutional rights.

This, however, just keeps a promise Trump made while running for president. On the campaign trail, Trump described himself as “tough on crime.” He advocated for more police departments to adopt stop and frisk, which was ruled unconstitutional in New York City because it was used to target minority residents. He said at a February 2016 debate that police officers are “absolutely mistreated and misunderstood.” And he even suggested that Black Lives Matter protesters may need to be investigated by the Justice Department.

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It wouldn’t be the first time the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division was effectively gutted by an administration. As Ryan Reilly reported for the Huffington Post, the Bush administration between 2001 and 2009 severely weakened the agency’s ability to investigate any civil rights violations, much less police departments’. So Americans were by and large left in the dark about some of the worst abuses from law enforcement and other government officials.

That history now looks certain to repeat itself.

Full article BELOW THE FOLD.

Koch Influence In The Trump Administration…

The long reach of the Koch bothers into American conservative/libertarian politics now reaches to the Trump administration.  They have been actively involved in exerting influence on politicians for years. Their primary goals are to strip regulation on business and reduce tax responsibilities on the wealthiest of Americans.

They must certainly be pleased with “brother” Trump.

The Intercept – IF THE BILLIONAIRE Koch brothers turn to the White House for favors, they will see many familiar faces.

Newly disclosed ethics forms reveal that a significant number of senior Trump staffers were previously employed by the sprawling network of hard-right and libertarian advocacy groups financed and controlled by Charles and David Koch, the conservative duo hyper-focused on entrenching Republican power, eliminating taxes, and slashing environmental and labor regulations.

Some of the relationships were well-known. Marc Short, for instance, now Trump’s chief liaison to Congress, previously led Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the dark money nonprofit used by the Koch brothers and their donor cohort to dispense money to allied groups. Freedom Partners, which maintains an affiliate Super PAC, was at the center of the Kochs’ $750 million election effort during the campaign last year.

But the ethics forms, made available to the public on Friday evening, reveal a number of previously undisclosed financial ties between the Koch network and Trump’s inner circle of political aides.

Donald McGahn, Trump’s campaign attorney turned White House counsel, provided legal services to a range of outside Koch groups working to influence the election. McGahn, through the law firm Jones Day, advised Freedom Partners, as well as i360, the Koch’s big data firm set up to identify and target voters, and Americans for Prosperity, the election advocacy and grassroots lobbying organization run by the Koch brothers. Ann Donaldson, McGahn’s chief of staff, came to the White House from McGahn’s law firm. Her financial disclosure shows that she also provided legal services to Freedom Partners and i360.

Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s former campaign manager turned close White House advisor, consulted over the last year for Americans for Prosperity’s national foundation, as well as for the Michigan and Ohio chapters of the group. Conway served as a board member for the Independent Women’s Forum, a Koch-backed group whose goal is “increasing the number of women who value free markets and personal liberty.”

Article conrinues BELOW THE FOLD.

“1984” And The Rise Of Trump…

Image result for images of George Orwell's 1984
“In particular, this undermining of the concept of facts and the demonization of foreign enemies [by the Trump administration] really resonate in ‘1984″

“No one is suggesting that we’re living in Orwell’s world. But the road to that world is people just becoming disengaged and allowing their government to do whatever it wants.”

This Tuesday close to 200 movie theatres worldwide will be showing the film adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984”. For those who have read Orwell’s depiction of a society controlled by  totalitarian single party rule in which government surveillance of its citizens is commonplace (Big Brother is Watching You) and truth is whatever the government wishes it to be can’t help but see parallels with the Trump administration and the conservative movement in America today.

We applaud the efforts by Dylan Skolnick, and Adam Birnbaum in organizing the event and hope it cast more light on the insidious trend of conservative politics woldwide and the Trump administration in particular.

Find the complete article from THE HILL right here.

Trump May Be In The Mood To Compromise With Dems To Get A Healthcare Deal…

“If we don’t get what we want, we will make a deal with the Democrats and we will have — in my opinion — not as good a form of healthcare, but we are going to have a very good form of healthcare and it will be a bipartisan form of healthcare.” 

Whether or not President Trump actually means what he said remains to be seen. He has been all over the road meandering his way to little success thus far. So, maybe the reality show host has finally learned that being wealthy, a braggart, and a whiner just cut it in politics or governing. Not in a democratic republic anyway.

If in fact Trump can convince enough congressional republicans, forget about the hardheaded/knuckleheads of the so-called Freedom Caucus, to work with democrats in a truly bipartisan way that results in a healthcare system that works for all Americans we’ll be on board and pulling hard for Trump to succeed. Because if he is true to his word this time America will succeed.

We’re gonna hold our breath for a bit and give Trump a chance to put his “famed” deal making expertise at work on this one. Hopefully he won’t disappoint.

From THE HILL:

President Trump will “make a deal with the Democrats” if Republicans can’t get their way on healthcare.

In an interview published Sunday in the Financial Times, Trump said negotiations on healthcare are ongoing, just a week after Republican measures to repeal and replace ObamaCare failed to get a vote in the House.

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The GOP measures that failed last month were met with skepticism from both conservative lawmakers and centrist Republicans. Members of the House Freedom Caucus argued in favor a clean repeal of ObamaCare, while moderate Republicans expressed concern over the new plan’s dismantling of ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion.

Since Republicans pulled the bill from the House floor last month, Trump has criticized several Freedom Caucus members over their vocal opposition to the GOP proposal.

In the interview with the Financial Times, Trump said if he works to recruit Democrats, then the “Freedom Caucus loses so big.”

“Well I will get the Democrats if I go the second way. The second way, which I hate to see, then the Freedom Caucus loses so big and I hate to see that, because … our plan is going to be a very good plan. When I say our plan, not phase one just: phase one, two and three added up is a great plan …” said Trump.

Of course there is no certainty Democrats will be in any mood to work with a man who has spent his time do little if anything to build trust and respect.

Hoping for a sea change resulting in cooperation that finally yields a win-win outcome that sets America on real change and AFFORDABLE heath insurance for all. Middle America needs some help here.