Can Trump's Wall Survive His Fake Emergency?

Saturday, February 16, 2019 Truthout is funded by readers -- not by corporations, advertisers or lobbyists. To support our independent reporting and analysis, make a tax-deductible donation. [Donate Now →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Can Trump's Wall Survive His Fake Emergency?]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout It took less than a day for Donald Trump and his emergency declaration to be sued, with more lawsuits likely to follow. When we look back on the crater left by this incredible failure of leadership, we will in all likelihood remember that his "big, beautiful" border wall died at its own Rose Garden party because the president tried and failed to outsmart a reporter. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Aggressive U.S. Foreign Policy Is Back -- in Venezuela]( Bilal Zenab Ahmed, Truthout Trump's foreign policy on Venezuela is a throwback to the 1980s, when mini wars and social destabilization campaigns in Nicaragua, Panama and Grenada served to restore a sense of moral supremacy and military invincibility that the U.S. had lost in Vietnam. Now it appears that Venezuela will be used to revive the moral justification for intervention that was lost in the failures of Iraq and Afghanistan. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump's Broken Promises to the Land of "American Carnage"]( Sean T. Posey, Truthout In late November, General Motors announced that it had no plans to allocate any new products to its Lordstown, Ohio, plant after it discontinues production on the Chevrolet Cruze this March. The move essentially ends the plant's last 1,600 jobs, and represents only the latest dispatch from the heartland of what President Trump has called "American carnage." [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Capitol Police Slammed for Physical Attacks on Reporters]( Julia Conley, Common Dreams Capitol Police pushed and slammed into reporters this week around the time that senators were voting on the spending bill. The police attempted to prevent reporters from speaking to lawmakers -- a practice that is common in the Senate basement, where the incident took place. The altercation was the latest evidence that Capitol Police have grown increasingly aggressive toward the press recently. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [The U.S. Military Is Poisoning Germany]( Pat Elder, Civilian Exposure Aqueous film forming foam used in routine fire training on U.S. military bases leaches into the groundwater of nearby communities. Germany is facing a public health crisis as fishing ponds, streams and rivers around U.S. airfields are 1,000 times more contaminated than they should be. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Amazon HQ2: Why New Yorkers Were Right to Be Skeptical]( Nathan Jensen and Calvin Thrall, The Conversation This week, Amazon backed out of a deal to build a second headquarters in New York, citing political opposition to its plans. But how often do companies that agree to build factories and create jobs in exchange for economic incentives back away from their promises? And when they do, do taxpayers ever learn about it? [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump Interior Department Secretary Pick Gutted Protections for Birds]( Elizabeth Shogren, The Center for Investigative Reporting Donald Trump's new pick for Interior Department secretary played a key role in gutting protection for migratory birds. David Bernhardt, a former industry lobbyist, has been personally involved with intricacies of new policies at the department that benefit oil companies and other industries. Bernhardt has made no secret of his determination to reduce regulations and foster Trump's goal of "American energy dominance." [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's War on Credit Scores Is a Big Deal]( s.e. smith, Care2 Credit scores can have a profound impact on the trajectory of your life. Recently, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put financial services firm Equifax on blast, calling the credit-scoring system "broken." As a member of the House Finance Committee, she's in an excellent position to dig into the practices of the credit-scoring industry. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- In Case You Missed It --------------------------------------------------------------- [Is Trump's National Emergency a Step Toward Fascism?]( Mark Bray, Truthout Hitler and Mussolini's ascent to power was aided by the failure of much of the left to recognize the novel threat posed by fascism until it was too late. The politics of anti-fascism are grounded in a commitment to never make this mistake again. Trump's national emergency ought to be resisted as if it were a slide into further authoritarianism whether that proves to be the case or not. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Trump Moves the World Closer to "Doomsday"]( Marjorie Cohn, Truthout Trump's withdrawal from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty started a dangerous chain reaction that brings us closer to the end of the world as we know it. Former nuclear war planner Daniel Ellsberg warns that U.S. and Russian plans to develop intermediate-range missiles are triggers to "all-out thermonuclear war." [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Like what you're reading? Support Truthout's independent news and analysis by making an automatic monthly donation. [Donate Now →]( Connect With Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Donate]( Truthout is a reader-supported, nonprofit organization; donations are tax-deductible. Truthout is a proud member of the Newspaper Guild/CWA, Local 36047. Please add messenger@truthout.org to ensure you receive our messages. 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