Trump Officials Are Exploring Mass Arrests of US Mayors

[t]   Tuesday, January 30, 2018 [t r u t h o u t] [View Recent Newsletters]( [Tell a friend about Truthout!]( [Donate Today!](   Truthout is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; donations are tax deductible.   BuzzFlash The Second Amendment Represents a United States Built on Stolen Land and Chattel Slavery Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: It is our history of violence that makes us a gun culture. [Read the BuzzFlash Commentary](   Jim Hightower: Fed Up With Corporate-Rigged Politics? [Read the Article at BuzzFlash](   Trump Administration Holds Off on New Russia Sanctions, Despite Law [Read the Article at Reuters](   UK Mass Digital Surveillance Regime Ruled Unlawful [Read the Article at the Guardian](   The US Shows Indifference Toward Refugees, Continues Arms Deals [Read the Article at BuzzFlash](   Amazon, JPMorgan, Berkshire Creating New Health Care Company [Read the Article at ABC News](   Texas Is at the Epicenter of a Surge of Violence Against LGBTQ People [Read the Article at Rewire](   Group Sues to Stop Roundup of 10,000 Wild Horses [Read the Article at EcoWatch](     Time is running out to raise the $21,000 still needed to keep Truthout whole. Can you take a few seconds to support our work? [Donate Now]( [The People vs. the Democratic Establishment: The Coming Attack on Progressive Candidates]( Michael Corcoran, Truthout: With the grassroots increasingly rejecting the Democratic Party's neoliberal agenda, the establishment will be looking to protect the status quo in the coming elections. A big part of this will include concerted efforts to undermine potential progressive candidates, such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, should they run in the 2020 presidential race. [Read the Article]( [Trump Officials Are Exploring Mass Arrests of US Mayors]( Ron Fein, Truthout: While some dismiss the Trump administration's threat to arrest and prosecute elected mayors and governors of sanctuary cities and states as "theater," the very fact of the US government contemplating such an action is a chilling reminder of the state of the union today. History tells us that threats from autocrats, no matter how absurd they may sound, should always be taken seriously. [Read the Article]( [Advocates Say Work Requirements Will Kick People With Disabilities Off Medicaid]( Mike Ludwig, Truthout: The Trump administration claims that people with disabilities will be exempt from rules requiring Medicaid recipients to be employed. However, advocates point out that most Medicaid recipients with disabilities would actually be saddled with significant barriers to coverage under the requirements, which are already rolling out in several states. [Read the Article]( [What State of the Union? Trump Throws His Energy Behind Fighting Russia Investigation]( Heather Digby Parton, Salon: The White House usually tries to build excitement in the leadup to the State of the Union, but naturally, this White House has opted for chaos instead. The president and the House Republicans haven't stopped inappropriately meddling in the Russia investigation long enough to get through his big day. They are throwing spaghetti at the walls, and this week at least one strand stuck. [Read the Article]( [Trump's Travel Ban Is Just One of Many US Policies That Legalize Discrimination Against Muslims]( Basic Sizemore and Rhonda Itaoui, The Conversation: Trump's Muslim ban will have tremendous consequences for 150 million people, the majority of whom are Muslim. This policy did not emerge in a vacuum -- it is a continuation of post-9/11 state-sanctioned Islamophobia. Here's a brief overview of some of the most critical yet overlooked measures. [Read the Article]( [Trump Says Ice Caps Are Healthy, "Setting Records"]( Jon Queally, Common Dreams: Last week, Trump said the polar ice caps are "doing great" and "setting records." The ice caps are setting records ... but for how precarious they are and how rapidly they're melting. Rates of Arctic warming and sea ice decline are now at levels not seen in 1,500 years, according to federal government data. [Read the Article]( [Ravi Ragbir Speaks Out After Being Freed From "Unnecessarily Cruel" ICE Detention]( Amy Goodman and Juan González, Democracy Now!: On Monday, a federal judge in New York City ordered the immediate release of immigrant rights leader Ravi Ragbir from detention, calling his detention "unnecessarily cruel." For a deeper understanding of the case and its implications, we speak with Ravi Ragbir; his wife, immigrant rights advocate Amy Gottlieb; and his lawyer. [Watch the Video and Read the Transcript]( [There Has Been Absolutely No Movement on Guantánamo]( Janine Jackson, FAIR: January 11 marked 16 years since the opening of the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, specifically designed to be beyond the reach of US law and away from public view. Guantánamo is a monument to the lawlessness and cruelty of the US after September 11, 2001, throwing over civil rights and liberties under the pretense of defending the country. [Read the Interview and Listen to the Audio]( [We Need Radical Imagination]( Sarah van Gelder, YES! Magazine: One consequence of the daily barrage of lies, violence, bigotry and vulgarity produced by the Trump administration is an atmosphere that crowds out space for imagining new possibilities. Yet imagination, as Hawaiian Native rights advocate Poka Laenui describes it, is more than an antidote to hopelessness. It is a source of power. [Read the Article]( [This Week's Progressive Pick: Not a Crime to Be Poor]( Many cities and areas in the United States have made it a crime to be poor. Peter Edelman details how numerous policies, particularly in the criminal legal system, punish those of limited means, particularly people of color. [Get the Book With a Donation to Truthout]( [Want to strengthen Truthout and help us plan for the future? Click here to become a monthly sustainer.]( [The Newspaper Guild] Please add messenger@truthout.org to ensure you receive our messages Truthout is a proud member of the Newspaper Guild/CWA, Local 36047 [Subscribe]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy](