Category Archives: Politics

“I lasted eight days.”

The Atlantic: I Was a Muslim in Trump’s White House. “When President Obama left, I stayed on at the National Security Council in order to serve my country. I lasted eight days.” By Rumana Ahmed.

“In 2011, I was hired, straight out of college, to work at the White House and eventually the National Security Council. My job there was to promote and protect the best of what my country stands for. I am a hijab-wearing Muslim woman––I was the only hijabi in the West Wing––and the Obama administration always made me feel welcome and included.

Like most of my fellow American Muslims, I spent much of 2016 watching with consternation as Donald Trump vilified our community. Despite this––or because of it––I thought I should try to stay on the NSC staff during the Trump Administration, in order to give the new president and his aides a more nuanced view of Islam, and of America’s Muslim citizens.

I lasted eight days.”

Link via Craig.

What do you do after surviving your own lynching?

Buzzfeed: On August 7, 1930, three black teenagers were lynched in Marion, Indiana. James Cameron was one of them. He lived. By Syreeta McFadden.

“The photo of the lynching of two Indiana teenagers would never grace the pages of the local paper. But the image is everywhere.
[…]
“Did you know that there was a third boy they tried to lynch that night?“ our museum guide, a tall but frail older man, asked us, his voice warm and gravelly. We didn’t. Our guide went on to explain that there were actually three ropes strung up on the maple tree in Marion on August 7, 1930. A third teenager had been dragged from his jail cell to the courthouse square. His name was James Cameron and he was the only known person to have ever survived a lynching in America.
We were standing in front of him.”

Link via MetaFilter.

Today’s Press Conference

The Washington Post: Donald Trump’s combative, grievance-filled press conference, annotated.

“A solemn President Trump turned his Thursday afternoon announcement of a new labor secretary nominee into a screed against the media and large-scale defense of his first four weeks as president.

It was remarkable. Trump hit all the usual points: The polls, the electoral college, the media, etc. He even said that he inherited a “mess” four separate times. There were grievances galore.

Below is the transcript, which we’ll update as it comes in, along with our analysis and annotations.”

The New York Times: Full Transcript and Video: Trump News Conference.

“President Trump on Thursday announced his new nominee for labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, during a news conference at the White House. Following is a transcript of that event, as prepared by the Federal News Service.”

NPR: Trump Press Conference On Labor Secretary And Russia, Annotated.

“President Trump began his press conference Thursday afternoon naming his new nominee for labor secretary, R. Alexander Acosta. He also announced his decision to issue a new executive action while his travel ban is held up in court.

The president said “nobody that I know of” on his staff was in contact with Russia during the campaign. He also said he did not direct Michael Flynn, who resigned as national security adviser this week, to discuss U.S. sanctions during a pre-inauguration phone call with Russia’s U.S. ambassador.

Trump also touted new approval numbers — citing one in his favor and leaving out a number of other polls that how him with a lower rating — and claimed to have “inherited a mess” in regards to the economy, though unemployment figures contradict that claim.”