Trump fires dissenting attorney general

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART Tuesday, 31st January 2017 "Do you think it looks fine to shave your beard and leave only a moustache? It was not men whom God created like that, but dogs and cats." Peter the Great Help support Daily Maverick. Mobile readers [click here to use][SnapScan], or [click here for other][options]. [Op-Ed: Independence of Western Sahara is an inalienable right] STORY OF THE DAY [Pravin Gordhan: ‘Systematic and highly organised campaign by the Gupta family’] By STEPHEN GROOTES In the political battle between the Gupta family and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, punches have started to come thick and fast, the use of elbows is becoming more prevalent, and we all know that no holds are barred. On Monday, Gordhan filed his formal legal papers in response to papers already lodged by the Guptas. They were responding to his orginal application for a declaratory order that he does not have the power to intervene in the relationship between the Guptas and their former banks. At the heart of this is the 72 suspicious transactions amounting to R6.8-billion that the Financial Intelligence Centre was worried about. While the court papers are supposed to be about the law and technical argument, they actually open a window on what is really happening here; politics, by other means. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Defiant Attorney General fired by Trump] Brooking no dissent in his ranks, President Donald Trump has sacked an acting Attorney General. Sally Yates had ordered her subordinates not to defend or uphold Trump's Muslim ban. In turn, Trump fired Yates on Monday, stating that she had "betrayed the Department of Justice". It is unlikely Yates is losing any sleep over her decision. [Student charged with Quebec shootings] A political science student has been charged with Quebec City's fatal mosque shootings. Alexandre Bissonnette is suspected to have extremist beliefs, largely espousing an anti-feminist, ultra-nationalist ideology. Bissonnette, it seems, clearly did not read enough traditional political philosophy during his classes. [Smoking costs world over a trillion dollars] It costs $1.4-trillion to be exact. A study conducted by the World Health Organisation has indicated that at least 1-20th of the world's health care systems are occupied with smoking-related illnesses or diseases, while 40% of the burden is laid on developing countries' health care systems. [Renewables not enough to match Paris climate goals] The rapid expansion of renewable energy worldwide will not be sufficient to meet the Paris climate goals, including a 2-degree temperature cap. Without a reduction in fossil fuel use, no amount of expanded renewable energy will be enough to meet the target laid out by mid-century. Tax fossil fuels, the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo, Norway says, or prepare for climate change disaster. — Help support Daily Maverick. Mobile readers [click here to use][SnapScan], or [click here for other][options]. PICTURE OF THE DAY BY EPA/NIGEL RODDIS A competitor falls in mud during the Tough Guy event in Perton, Britain, 29 January 2017. The annual event which started in 1987 raises money for charity and challenges thousands of international competitors with a cross-country run followed by an assault course consisting of 20 obstacles including water, fire and tunnels. IN NUMBERS 180 The number of moon rocks gifted to the world by the United States that are currently unaccounted for. FACTS OF THE DAY In 1943 German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered to the Soviets, thereby effectively ending the Battle of Stalingrad. A full surrender followed two days after. Around 762 AD, demand for books in Baghdad was so high, that any book dealer would be paid the tomes' weight in gold. FEATURED ARTICLES [Pravin Gordhan: ‘Systematic and highly organised campaign by the Gupta family’] [Pravin Gordhan: ‘Systematic and highly organised campaign by the Gupta family’] BY Stephen Grootes [TRAINSPOTTER: Security Clusterf*&% – the ANC Lekgotla’s hidden agenda] [TRAINSPOTTER: Security Clusterf*&% – the ANC Lekgotla’s hidden agenda] BY Richard Poplak [False remedy: Hate Speech Bill – alarm at dangers and pitfalls as first deadline closes] [False remedy: Hate Speech Bill – alarm at dangers and pitfalls as first deadline closes] BY Marianne Thamm [ANC: As NEC outlines 2017 plans, controversies remain unaddressed] [ANC: As NEC outlines 2017 plans, controversies remain unaddressed] BY Greg Nicolson [Property Wars: The battle for the soul of Cape Town] [Property Wars: The battle for the soul of Cape Town] BY Rebecca Davis [Op-Ed: Journalist Ahmed Abba could face death penalty in Cameroon] [Op-Ed: Journalist Ahmed Abba could face death penalty in Cameroon] BY COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS [Op-Ed: Is our privacy all but gone?] [Op-Ed: Is our privacy all but gone?] BY Dale T. McKinley [Analysis: What a friend extremists have in fundamentalist democracy] [Analysis: What a friend extremists have in fundamentalist democracy] BY Jasmine Opperman [Theatre Review: ‘When Swallows Cry’ will make you cry] [Theatre Review: ‘When Swallows Cry’ will make you cry] BY NOMATTER NDEBELE [Op-Ed: Clarity and contested numbers – a reply to Imraan Valodia] [Op-Ed: Clarity and contested numbers – a reply to Imraan Valodia] BY David Kaplan [ISS Today: 28th AU Summit – Searching for new African consensus in the age of Trump] [ISS Today: 28th AU Summit – Searching for new African consensus in the age of Trump] BY ISS TODAY [Cricket: Of mountains and molehills and recruitment of new head coaches] [Cricket: Of mountains and molehills and recruitment of new head coaches] BY Antoinette Muller [GroundUp: Nzimande’s department given 14 days to fix certificate backlog] [GroundUp: Nzimande’s department given 14 days to fix certificate backlog] BY GroundUp [Op-Ed: Life Esidimeni – Trial by fire for Health Ombud] [Op-Ed: Life Esidimeni – Trial by fire for Health Ombud] BY John Stephens [Snapshot: Hate melts in the frozen streets of Manhattan] [Snapshot: Hate melts in the frozen streets of Manhattan] BY JANET SMITH [Patricia De Lille gives up DA Western Cape leadership] [Patricia De Lille gives up DA Western Cape leadership] BY Marianne Merten OPINIONISTAS [Does the right to protest on private property trump the rights of property owners?] [Does the right to protest on private property trump the rights of property owners?] A column by Pierre de Vos [What shall we talk about over dinner?] [What shall we talk about over dinner?] A column by Kalim Rajab [A deadly plague of cannabis oil pedlars] [A deadly plague of cannabis oil pedlars] A column by Ivo Vegter [Back to Education Basics in the Year of Oliver Tambo] [Back to Education Basics in the Year of Oliver Tambo] A column by Busani Ngcaweni [‘Sexual and Reproductive Rights should always be fought for’] [‘Sexual and Reproductive Rights should always be fought for’] A column by MARION STEVENS — Help support Daily Maverick. 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