#this post is specifically addressed to white americans but the sentiment applies to white progressives from elsewhere

[retourpresdetoi]

white yaoi website I know but. white progressives on here tend to treat BIPOC experiences and oppression as hypothetical, or as divorced talking points. and i don't know how to explain to y'all that this is real shit real people go through every day, not "what if" scenarios you can use to bolster your smug internet thesis.

government action oppressing black and brown people isn't new. it isn't some distant evil that we need to prevent, it is here NOW! BIPOC in the states suffered under the first trump term, suffer currently under biden, and will continue to suffer no matter which fascist is elected. the global south will continue to be pillaged. congolese are dying in mines right now. sudanese are being killed right now. people are cooking alive in India and Mexico alike, right now. palestinians are being bombed. right. now. now now now.

i am asking you to consider this deeply when you tell people to vote for a party that continues to not care if BIPOC live or die. a party that kills people who look like us, our families, across the world. i am asking you to consider this deeply when you, yourself, vote. do you vote with BIPOC in mind, or are you only voting to preserve your white comforts? what do our lived experiences mean to you? what do our lives mean to you? and i want you to ask yourself what you, personally, are doing to continue to fight against the american fascist machine. voting cannot be enough. politicians will not save us. they will not save you.

yes, vote. vote in your local elections. vote for your school board and your council members and your representatives. research nearby mutual aid networks. offer support and understanding and fucking acknowledgement to the black and brown people in your communities. care about BIPOC experiences- our pain, our joy, our art and our love and our lives. care about what we have to say. care about us. please.

[studentofrhetoric-blog]

Part 1, Tuesday, March 28th, 2017

International News:

--- "Satellite imagery of North Korea's main nuclear test site taken over the weekend indicates that Pyongyang could be in the final stages of preparations for a sixth nuclear test, a U.S. think tank reported on Tuesday. Washington-based 38 North, a website that monitors North Korea, said the images from Saturday showed the continued presence of vehicles and trailers at the Punggye-ri test site and signs that communications cables may have been laid to a test tunnel. Water was also being pumped out and was draining downhill "presumably to keep the tunnel dry for monitoring or communications equipment," it said. "The combination of these factors strongly suggests that test preparations are well under way, including the installation of instrumentation. The imagery, however, does not provide any definitive evidence of either a nuclear device or the timing of a test." A lack of activity elsewhere at the site "may mean that test preparations are in their final stages," the report said, although it added: "Since North Korea knows the world is watching and is capable of deception, caution should be used before declaring that a nuclear test is imminent.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-nuclear-report-idUSKBN16Z274?il=0

--- "The Scottish parliament on Tuesday backed a bid to hold a new independence referendum in 2018 or 2019, but the British government immediately rejected the proposal. The stand-off further complicates the United Kingdom's political situation just as years of daunting negotiations on the terms of its exit from the European Union are about to begin...The Scottish legislature in Edinburgh voted by a majority of 69 to 59 to give First Minister Nicola Sturgeon a mandate to formally seek permission from the British parliament in London to prepare for a referendum in late 2018 or early 2019."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-scotland-idUSKBN16Z2AD?il=0

Domestic & International News:

--- "United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has appointed former South Carolina Governor David Beasley to run the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP), at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed slashing funding for the world body and its agencies. Beasley will replace another American, Ertharin Cousin, who has been the WFP executive director since 2012. Washington was the top contributor to WFP in 2016 with $2 billion, a third of the agency's budget."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-un-idUSKBN16Z2O8?il=0

--- "Ash Carter, who until January was U.S. defense secretary, said on Tuesday he did not see major changes in the campaign against Islamic State since President Donald Trump took office, amid accusations the U.S. military may be relaxing rules protecting civilians. "I don't see overall major changes and I certainly hope they stay on the path that we set because I think that's the right path," Carter said at a forum at Harvard University, in his first public address since leaving the post. Carter declined to speculate about the investigation into an explosion in Mosul believed to have killed scores of civilians, even as he stressed the importance of probes of such incidents. The U.S. military has acknowledged a possible role in the incident but also says Islamic State could be to blame."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-carter-idUSKBN16Z31L?il=0

--- "The U.S. Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly backed the expansion of NATO to allow Montenegro to join the alliance, hoping to send a message that the United States will push back against Russian efforts to increase its influence in Europe. The long-delayed vote was 97-2 in favor of Montenegro's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. That was well above the two-thirds majority needed in the 100-member Senate to ratify Montenegro's membership. There was no immediate confirmation of whether President Donald Trump would formally deposit the instrument of ratification, the last step in the U.S. ratification process."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nato-montenegro-idUSKBN16Z2UG?il=0

Domestic News:

--- "A Republican-controlled committee of lawmakers approved a bill on Tuesday to allow a congressional audit of Federal Reserve monetary policy, a proposal Fed policymakers have opposed and which faces an uncertain path to final approval. Democrats uniformly spoke against the proposal during a meeting of the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, suggesting the bill would face stronger resistance than in the past. "We should not in any way hinder their independence," said Representative Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, echoing the sentiment of Fed policymakers who say they could come under political pressure to avoid making unpopular decisions such as raising interest rates to slow growth and control inflation. The next step for the bill would be a floor vote by the entire House, where Republicans hold a solid majority. Republican President Donald Trump expressed support for audits of the U.S. central bank during his election campaign, but it remained unclear whether the White House would back the proposal."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-congress-idUSKBN16Z2GJ?il=0

--- "U.S. President Donald Trump told a group of senators on Tuesday that he expected lawmakers would be able to reach a deal on healthcare, without offering specifics on how they would do it or what had changed since a healthcare reform bill was pulled last week for insufficient support. "I have no doubt that that's going to happen very quickly," Trump said at a bipartisan reception held for senators and their spouses at the White House."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-obamacare-idUSKBN16Z34Z?il=0

--- "Leaders of the largest police union in the United States have warned President Donald Trump that he could endanger public safety if he follows through with cuts in federal grants to immigrant "sanctuary cities," the union's director told Reuters after a White House meeting. In a move that concerned the Fraternal Order of Police, one of Trump's biggest supporters in the 2016 election campaign, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Monday that the Justice Department would restrict grants to jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities...The Justice Department plans to restrict sanctuary cities from using grants from the department's Office of Justice Programs and Community Oriented Policing Services, both of which send grant money to local and state police departments. Pasco said the union does not support the policies of sanctuary cities, but its executives are concerned that cuts in funding could hurt police departments in those areas. Trump told the group that the policy on sanctuary cities was a work in progress and that he would work with the union to make sure public safety would not be affected, Pasco said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-sanctuary-police-idUSKBN16Z34D?il=0

--- "Officials from so-called sanctuary cities met in New York on Tuesday to discuss their response to threats from the Trump administration to cut off some funding to cities and states that fail to assist federal authorities in arresting illegal immigrants...Tuesday's meeting in New York marked the second straight day of brainstorming on the immigration issue by leaders of some of America's biggest urban centers. Public officials, liberal activists and academics from around the country shared information on a host of issues. Topics discussed included when and how to challenge requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold illegal immigrants under arrest, for separate local offenses. Attendees came from California, Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Washington State and elsewhere."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-sanctuary-idUSKBN16Z2M4?il=0

--- "The Kansas Senate gave final approval on Tuesday to a bill expanding eligibility for Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) even though the measure faces a likely veto by Republican Governor Sam Brownback. The 25-14 Senate vote followed the House's 81-44 passage of the bill last month, with the vote totals falling short of veto-proof margins in both Republican-controlled chambers."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kansas-medicaid-idUSKBN170019?il=0

--- "The U.S. House voted on Tuesday 215-205 to repeal regulations requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers' privacy than websites like Alphabet Inc's Google or Facebook Inc. The White House said earlier Tuesday that President Donald Trump strongly supports the repeal of the rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission in October under then-President Barack Obama. Under the rules, internet providers would need to obtain consumer consent before using precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children's information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing. Last week, the Senate voted 50-48 to reverse the rules in a win for AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc. The White House in its statement said internet providers would need to obtain affirmative "opt-in" consent from consumers to use and share certain information, but noted that websites are not required to get the same consent. "This results in rules that apply very different regulatory regimes based on the identity of the online actor," the White House said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet-idUSKBN16Z2JI?il=0

--- "For years the national political organizations of both Democratic and Republican state attorneys general observed an agreement not to target the other party's incumbent office-holders in elections. That hands-off stance ended this month when Republican AGs voted to abandon the agreement and spend money to help unseat Democrats in other states, according to the Republican Attorneys General Association. The decision has not been previously reported. The move comes as Democratic attorneys general in states across the country have assumed lead roles in opposing some of Republican President Donald Trump's policies. State AGs in Washington and Hawaii successfully sued to block Trump's executive orders restricting travel from some Muslim-majority countries, and California's attorney general has pledged to defend the state's environmental standards. Republican attorneys general who supported the change reasoned that AGs should join other national political campaigns which target incumbents, two sources familiar with the closed door process said. Additionally, a desire by some to roll back same-sex marriage and the potential for increased corporate contributions played a role in the decision, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss the deliberations. The so-called 'incumbency rule' observed by the state attorneys' party fundraising arms reflected a rare bit of bipartisanship in the polarized environment of U.S. politics, aimed at promoting cooperation across state lines on issues of common interest, such as consumer protection."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-republican-ags-exclusive-idUSKBN16Z1A5?il=0

--- "A Republican-controlled congressional panel rejected a bid by Democrats on Tuesday to obtain President Donald Trump's tax returns, despite warnings that Trump's business holdings could pose conflicts of interest as Congress turns to tax reform. At a sometimes fiery 2-1/2-hour hearing that careened from lawmaker concerns over political corruption and national security to privacy rights and tax accounting, the House Ways and Means Committee voted 24-16 along party lines to oppose a Democratic resolution that sought the release of 10 years of Trump's tax returns to the House of Representatives. While the hearing was under way, House Republicans separately turned back a Democratic attempt to force a floor vote on Trump's tax returns. Committee Republicans accused Democrats of using the tax-writing committee for political grandstanding. "This resolution is a procedural tool being utilized – and I think, abused – for obvious political purposes," panel Chairman Kevin Brady said.   Democrats said they were exercising proper congressional oversight and accused Republicans of protecting Trump."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-taxreturns-idUSKBN16Z332?il=0

--- "President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an order to undo Obama-era climate change regulations, keeping a campaign promise to support the coal industry and calling into question U.S. support for an international deal to fight global warming. Flanked by coal miners and coal company executives, Trump proclaimed his "Energy Independence" executive order at the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency. The move drew swift backlash from a coalition of 23 states and local governments, as well as environmental groups, which called the decree a threat to public health and vowed to fight it in court. The order's main target is former President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, which required states to slash carbon emissions from power plants - a key factor in the United States' ability to meet its commitments under a climate change accord reached by nearly 200 countries in Paris in 2015. Trump's decree also reverses a ban on coal leasing on federal lands, undoes rules to curb methane emissions from oil and gas production and reduces the weight of climate change and carbon emissions in policy and infrastructure permitting decisions. Carbon dioxide and methane are two of the main greenhouse gases blamed by scientists for heating the earth. "I am taking historic steps to lift restrictions on American energy, to reverse government intrusion and to cancel job-killing regulations," Trump said at the EPA."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-energy-idUSKBN16Z1L6?il=0

--- "President Donald Trump's call for $1.5 billion this year to help build a wall along the border with Mexico could be in jeopardy as fellow Republicans in Congress weigh delaying a decision on the request. Republican Senator Roy Blunt, a member of his party's leadership, told reporters on Tuesday that money for the wall likely would not be coupled with a spending bill that must pass by April 28 to avoid shutting down federal agencies whose funding expires then. Blunt said the must-do funding "comes together better" without Trump's additional request for the border wall and military programs and could be considered "at a later time." Democrats are threatening to block the bill funding federal agencies from April 29 to Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year, if money for the border wall is included. They object to one of Trump's premier 2016 campaign promises, saying it is poorly planned and that there are other border security measures already constructed or under consideration. When he ran for president, Trump pledged Mexico would pay to build the wall, designed to keep illegal immigrants and drugs from entering the United States. The Mexican government has said it will not do so. The initiative has also faced resistance among Republicans, including lawmakers representing some border towns. The federal government would have to purchase land in many locations in order to construct the edifice, which could make construction costs soar."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-wall-idUSKBN16Z31R?il=0

--- "The impact of the new Trump administration's effect on the economy remains too uncertain for the U.S. Federal Reserve to react or begin recasting its outlook, Fed Governor Jerome Powell said on Tuesday. Asked about the collapse of the healthcare bill last week, Powell said that uncertainty about "the scope, the timing and the contents" of President Donald Trump's policies were making it difficult for Fed policymakers to assess what they might mean. "It is difficult to incorporate effects from policy when it is so uncertain what the policy may be. So I don't incorporate any effects for now," Powell said. "Until things become clearer, it is difficult to assess." Since Trump's election, Fed officials have debated how his campaign promises may change an economy many policymakers feel is on a sturdy course. Depending on how those policies are designed and when and if they are approved, the programs Trump promised during the campaign - tax cuts, massive infrastructure spending, tough trade rules, tighter limits on immigration - could boost growth, lead to higher inflation, or throw the global economy into a trade war."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-powell-idUSKBN16Z2YF?il=0

--- "Ford Motor Co on Tuesday said it would invest $1.2 billion in three Michigan facilities and create 130 jobs in projects largely in line with a previous agreement with the United Auto Workers union, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump touted a "major investment" by the automaker on Twitter. In January, Ford scrapped plans to build a $1.6 billion car factory in Mexico and instead added 700 jobs in Michigan following Trumps criticism that centered on trade and investing in America. Ford said on Tuesday it would spend $850 million on a planned upgrade of a plant in Wayne, Michigan, for the Ford Bronco, an SUV model, and the Ford Ranger - a mid-size pickup truck. The company will also invest $150 million and create 130 or retain jobs at an engine plant in Romeo. Both projects were part of 2015 negotiations with the UAW, when Ford said it would invest $9 billion in U.S. plants over four years. Ford also said it would invest $200 million in a data center in Flat Rock to support advances in vehicle connectivity and future developments in autonomous vehicles, but it will not result in any new hourly jobs. The move comes at a time when U.S. new car and truck sales are at an all-time high and investors are watching closely for signs of a possible downturn in the highly-cyclical industry...The announcement by Ford on Tuesday comes less than two weeks after Trump visited Detroit to promise more auto jobs for Michigan and other Midwestern U.S. states. Trump pounced on Ford's announcement before the company could release its plans on Tuesday. "Major investment to be made in three Michigan plants," Trump posted on Twitter early Tuesday. "Car companies coming back to U.S. JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!" Trump has at times promoted job announcements at the White House that had been previously planned or announced. Last week he praised an investment decision by Charter Communications Inc that the company announced before he was elected."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-ford-jobs-idUSKBN16Z19M?il=0

--- "U.S. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill sought on Tuesday details from the nation's top opioid drugmakers on their sales and marketing practices, as lawmakers step up efforts to tackle the country's deadly opioid crisis. The Missouri senator's investigation comes amid an epidemic of opioid addiction, with 91 Americans dying everyday as a result of overdose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This epidemic is the direct result of a calculated sales and marketing strategy major opioid manufacturers have allegedly pursued over the past 20 years to expand their market share," McCaskill, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote in a letter to the drugmakers. McCaskill asked Johnson & Johnson, Mylan NV, Purdue Pharma, Insys Therapeutics Inc and Depomed Inc for internal estimates of the risk of abuse, addiction and overdose of opioids."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-opioids-probe-senator-idUSKBN16Z2EL?il=0

--- "U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said on Tuesday he will not divulge - even to other members of his panel - who gave him intelligence reports that indicated President Donald Trump and his associates may have been ensnared in incidental intelligence collection. Asked by an ABC News reporter whether he would inform the other committee members about who gave him the reports he viewed on the White House grounds last week, Nunes said: "We will never reveal those sources and methods.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-nunes-idUSKBN16Z2TZ?il=0