Trump-free Friday politics: September 8
Everyone’s mad about DACA and immigration, North Korea is still being North Korea, and more in this week’s politics roundup
DACA ends
Citing concerns about “the rule of law” and purported violence from immigrants, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of DACA on Tuesday. This Obama-era immigration policy, implemented in 2012, essentially granted “administrative relief” to people who entered the United States illegally, but as children.
Under DACA, immigrant youth were able to gain work permits and avoid deportation. They were also subject to increased scrutiny and had to disclose their immigration status. Now, with the government fully aware that they are in the country quasi-illegally, many immigrants are wondering what will happen.
DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, has been the subject of considerable debate. Some believe that it provides increased opportunity for people to become legal citizens. Others say that it was a presidential overreach. Sessions and others have claimed that DACA recipients, also commonly called “dreamers,” have taken college spots and valuable jobs from American citizens.
Like many other policy implementations, it’s not entirely clear how the White House plans to move forward. Approximately 800,000 people are recipients of DACA. This move does entail a “wind down” period of six months, rather than a more abrupt one produced by a legal challenge. The president also attempted to reassure people via Twitter—egged on by Nancy Pelosi, no less—though how cheerful you feel after that tweet may vary from person to person.
Still, many are concerned that they or others in their community will be deported with little warning or support. This poses a particularly thorny problem for childhood arrivals. Though they are not U.S. citizens, “dreamers” may be unfamiliar with the language, culture, and government of their country of origin. Numerous states are already suing the presidential administration for this action, while several protests took place throughout the nation.
North Korea and the U.S. are collaborating on the worst flashback ever
“Boy,” said no sane person in recent memory, “I sure hope they bring back the devastating nuclear weapons, simmering international conflict and pervasive anxiety of the Cold War era! Things are just too peaceful lately, you know?”
Anyway, North Korea is apparently moving closer to arming an ICBM with a nuclear warhead. On Monday, South Korean sources reported that the North may be preparing for another missile launch. Earlier, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear weapons test so far.
The U.S. is now urging China, North Korea’s biggest trade partner, and other member nations of the U.N. Security Council to cut off all fuel supplies to North Korea. White House officials have described this move as one of the last non-military, sanction-based options available.
President and Democrats work together, we all still feel kind of gross
In this particular chapter of the worst soap opera ever, the president met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Schumer and Pelosi met with the president at the White House with a big mess of deals. Namely, they offered to keep funding the federal government through December, avoiding a budget showdown for now. They also agreed to raise the debt ceiling and issue the first federal aid funds for Hurricane Harvey relief.
The meeting—not to mention Schumer’s post-deal smile—has made Republicans understandably nervous. The White House has been solidly conservative, for better or for worse. To hear the president warmly refer to “Chuck and Nancy” surely makes GOP politicians do a good old-fashioned spit take.
That he expressed openness to eliminating the debt ceiling altogether or even making a deal about DACA has inspired even more hand-wringing on all sides. “Chuck and Nancy would like to see something happen, and so do I,” he said to reporters when questioned about immigration policy.
What’s happening here? Perhaps the president is lashing out at Republican congresspeople. They’ve hardly been successful when it comes to passing legislation and making his campaign promises reality. Maybe he’d like to seem as if he’s on the winning side, for once. Of course, this is all only a temporary maneuver. When this issue rears its head again in mid-December, who will be in the best position to negotiate?
Betsy DeVos sees that you feel gross and decides to make it worse
If that last bit of news didn’t leave you feeling spiritually greasy, then there’s always Betsy DeVos. Education Secretary DeVos has recently signaled that the Department of Education may walk back its enforcement of Title IX.
Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. It’s been used to expand the availability of girls’ and women’s sports program. That said, it’s also been used to fight sexual assault in educational institutions. During the Obama presidency, the Office of Civil Rights interpreted Title IX to provide protections for women and girls from sexual assault and sex-based discrimination.
In 2011, the OCR issued official guidance telling educational institutions to take a more aggressive stance in related investigations with a lower burden of proof. The Office also increased its own investigations. Colleges that didn’t cooperate stood to lose federal student aid. That would have been a death knell for nearly any educational institution.
While proponents hailed this move, others claimed that it led to false accusations and dealt a blow to both free speech and due process. During a speech at George Mason University, DeVos herself said that “Survivors, victims of a lack of due process, and campus administrators have all told me that the current approach does a disservice to everyone involved.”
And, finally, your palate cleanser
Hurricanes are generally, shall we say, “bad.” There’s flooding, high winds, massive property damage, and, all too often, considerable loss of life.
But, even in the midst of disaster, there’s some deeply interesting science and the occasional flock of flamingos hanging out in a zoo restroom. What do zoos do in hurricanes, anyway?
Like many other institutions, zoos and aquariums must have a solid disaster plan. But, unlike other places, they have to grapple with some unique scenarios.
After all, it’s not really practical to evacuate an entire zoo. And how, exactly, can you move animals that are sensitive to changes in their environment? Plus, I’m calling not-it on figuring out what shelters can take crocodiles or African elephants.
Next: Trump-free Friday politics: September 1
This isn’t all meant to be doom and gloom. It is true that Hurricane Harvey has done plenty damage and Hurricane Irma’s destruction has only just begun. Still, take heart that there are people out there that will camp out at the zoo, tenderly caring for otters and lions and poison dart frogs. It’s okay to even smile a little bit. Those flamingos are beautifully goofy, after all.