Trump-free Friday politics roundup

The travel ban is still in limbo, the AHCA is analyzed, and politics is a series of cage matches now. All this and more in this week’s politics roundup.

Appeals court upholds freeze of travel ban

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the most recent immigration travel order remains unenforceable. The controversial travel ban is therefore still on ice and the administration cannot enforce key elements of the order.

Proponents of the travel ban, which affects travel from six Muslim-majority countries, argue that it is a necessary step to ensure national security. To that effect, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has stated that he plans to take the case to the Supreme Court.

The 13-judge panel voted 10-3 against the order. Chief Judge Roger L. Gregory wrote that the ban “in context drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination.”

In March, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang placed an injunction on the order, a revised version of an earlier travel ban that had sparked nationwide protests. Chuang found that the ban discriminated against Muslims and therefore could not be enforced.

Montana GOP candidate forgets that politics isn’t MMA

Congressional candidate Greg Gianforte has been cited for misdemeanor assault after allegedly “body slamming” a Guardian reporter on the eve of a Montana special election.

Gianforte, the GOP hopeful, was running against Democrat Rob Quist. Montana’s single congressional seat was left vacant by Ryan Zinke, who had left office to serve as interior secretary for the presidential administration.

Journalist Ben Jacobs apparently angered Gianforte so much with questions about the recent healthcare bill that it required a physical response. The encounter was recorded and took place in the presence of journalists from Fox News.

Republicans generally stood by Gianforte’s candidacy, though many condemned his actions and called for an apology. Gianforte was eventually charged with assault and given a court date next month. Numerous local and statewide newspapers withdrew their endorsements of Gianforte.

Because over half of Montanans had already cast their votes before the incident, however, Gianforte actually won the election with 50 percent of the vote. Montana can now look forward to a representative with a standing assault charge. At the time that incident was first being reported, some voters expressed suspicion or indifference regarding the charges.

Quist gained 44 percent of the vote in an election that had grown tighter than Republican strategists had initially thought. Libertarian candidate Mark Wicks took the final six percent.

Congressional Budget Office judges healthcare bill

Ben Jacobs, the Guardian reporter assaulted by Gianforte, was specifically questioning the congressional candidate about a recent analysis of the American Health Care Act.

The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan federal agency that provides economic information to Congress, recently released a report regarding the AHCA.

Its findings? If the AHCA passes in its current form, it will cut the federal deficit by $119 billion over the next 10 years. It will also leave 23 million more people without health insurance.

While it’s true that premiums would fall under the AHCA, this would be due to sick people leaving the market entirely. Plans would also likely offer fewer and less substantial benefits, lowering premiums as well.

Reactions to the CBO report varied. Some, such as rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), focused on the hope of lowered premiums and decreased deficit. Others expressed deep concern about the 23 million that would be left in the healthcare wilderness. The possibility of state waivers introduced further complexity. An individual’s healthcare experience could vary to great extent, depending on their state of residence.

Michael Flynn plans to plead the fifth

Michael T. Flynn, former National Security Advisor and possible real-life Peter Pettigrew without the silver murderin’ hand, will likely receive a subpoena from the House Intelligence Committee soon. Senior Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, stated that Flynn has declined to hand over documents or voluntarily interview with the committee.

Earlier this week, Flynn rejected a subpoena for documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee. He cited the Fifth Amendment, which protects individuals from being compelled to incriminate themselves. He also declined to interview with the Senate committee.

On the one hand, Flynn should be able to exercise his constitutional rights without incurring legal wrath. After all, the Fifth Amendment is meant to protect innocent people “who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances.”

However, Flynn’s contacts with Russia and his failures to disclose them to federal officials make him more blatantly suspicious than most.

The Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, has even said that Flynn could be held in contempt of Congress. Combine this with charges of Flynn lying to federal officials and perhaps attempting to influence the president. If convicted, Flynn could face serious fines and even jail time.

Jared Kushner may be a focus of the Russia investigation

Because, of course, we can never pass by American politics again without speaking of Russia, yet another member of the Executive Branch is now under scrutiny. This time around, it’s the President’s son-in-law and close advisor, Jared Kushner.

Why would investigators turn to Kushner? After all, he’s probably so busy fixing our criminal justice system, solving the opioid epidemic, and brokering peace in the Middle East that he hardly has time to drink a cup of coffee.

Apparently, between all of those responsibilities, Kushner also held a series of meetings with Moscow banker Sergey Gorkov and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Though Kushner is not reportedly a central figure in the investigation, his contacts with Russian officials are cause for concern. Even the White House seems to be unable to settle on how, exactly, it wants to describe Kushner’s meetings.

Gorkov is the head of Vnesheconombank, which was subject to sanctions after Russia annexed Crimea and supported Ukrainian separatists. Kislyak, meanwhile, has been a busy ambassador. He has also met with Michael Flynn, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former campaign adviser J.D. Gordon, and former foreign policy adviser Carter page.

And, finally, your palate cleanser

Maybe news beyond our atmosphere makes you feel small. It probably should, honestly, and to good effect. We’re small and our problems are small, or at least in a galactic sense. That’s not to deny the day-to-day effects that policies like the AHCA and immigration bans can have on human lives. Still, it’s nice to be reminded that there are bigger things out there. There are still events and sights that are wholly unconnected to our bickering species.

With that in mind, check out some of the latest images from the Juno spacecraft currently in orbit around Jupiter. Juno, which arrived at the massive gas giant last summer, is the first spacecraft to get a good look at the planet’s poles.

Scientists were surprised to learn that both the north and south poles of Jupiter are infested with massive cyclones. While no one’s entirely sure how these weather patterns form or behave, they’re bound to be ripe for scientific information.

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NASA scientists are also looking for more information about Jupiter’s auroras, ammonia in its atmosphere, and the possibility of a solid core at the center of the planet.

Unexpected results in the world of science can end up being very, very exciting. At the very least, the images beamed back by Juno are frankly beautiful.