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HeadlinesOctober 30, 2018

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Trump to End Birthright Citizenship in Violation of Constitution

Oct 30, 2018

President Trump said Monday he will sign an executive order ending the constitutionally protected birthright citizenship for children of noncitizens born on U.S. soil. Trump was speaking with reporters for the documentary series “Axios on HBO.”

President Donald Trump: “How ridiculous. We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years, with all of those benefits. It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. And it has to end.”

Jonathan Swan: “Have you talked about that with counsel?”

President Donald Trump: “Yeah, I have.”

Jonathan Swan: “So, where in the process do”—

President Donald Trump: “It’s in the process. It’ll happen.”

Trump’s executive order would violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

Trump Continues Attacks on Caravan, Sends 5,200 Troops to Border

Oct 30, 2018

This comes as the White House and the right-wing media are continuing to focus ahead of the midterm elections on a caravan of Central American migrants that is more than 1,000 miles from the U.S. border. On Monday, the White House announced plans to send 5,200 active-duty U.S. troops to the border. Meanwhile, Trump described the caravan as “an invasion,” echoing language used by Robert Bowers, who attacked a synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday, killing 11 worshipers. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked if troops at the border would adhere to posse comitatus, meaning armed forces cannot be used in a domestic police role, and if Trump would suspend habeas corpus, or the right of arrested individuals to appear before a judge.

Steven Portnoy: “It has not been ruled out? Those are options on the table?

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “Look, I’m not going to get into specific policies that we’re considering. There’s a number of actions that we’re looking at taking.”

Advocacy Groups Raise Alarm over Sick Kids in Central American Caravan

Oct 30, 2018

This comes as human rights groups are raising concerns over health conditions among the migrants and their children. This is Oaxaca’s human rights ombudsman Arturo Peimbert.

Arturo Peimbert: “Many have a fever. They are having acute bronchitis and respiratory problems. We estimate there are, more or less, 2,000 children who are traveling with this caravan. Some 500 are very, very young. It’s not only the problem with transportation, but we’re making a call to highlight this dimension of the crisis we are facing.”

Last week, Mexico offered the migrants temporary work permits if they stayed in parts of southern Mexico, but Mexican police are also cracking down on the migrants, killing a Honduran man on Monday.

220 Immigrant Children in U.S. Still Separated from Families

Oct 30, 2018

In more immigration news, the Trump administration added 14 more names last week to the list of migrant children still separated from their families. Two hundred twenty separated children remain in custody, four months after a judge ordered all families be reunited.

Pittsburgh Leaders Oppose Trump Visit

Oct 30, 2018

President Trump is slated to visit Pittsburgh today with first lady Melania Trump, his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner in the wake of Saturday’s mass shooting, which killed 11 Jewish worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue. Some local leaders are opposing Trump’s visit, including the former leader of the synagogue, Lynette Lederman, who called Trump “the purveyor of hate speech.” The comments came as a group of Jewish leaders also told the president he is not welcome in Pittsburgh until he “fully denounces white nationalism.” Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has called on Trump to delay any visit; meanwhile, the synagogue’s current rabbi has said Trump is welcome.

WH Denies Trump Rhetoric Responsible for Recent Extremist Violence

Oct 30, 2018

Trump has repeatedly blamed the media and what he calls “fake news” reporting for Saturday’s massacre. This is White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaking Monday.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “No, the president’s not placing blame.”

Jonathan Karl: “That’s what he did this morning.”

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “The president’s not—is not responsible for these acts. Again, the very first action that the president did was condemn these heinous acts. The very first thing that the media did was condemn the president and go after him, try to place blame—not just on the president, but everybody that works in this administration.”

Meanwhile, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway blamed “anti-religiosity” for political violence. She was speaking on “Fox & Friends” Monday.

Kellyanne Conway: “The anti-religiosity in this country, that is somehow in vogue and funny to make fun of anybody of faith, to constantly be making fun of people who express religion—the late-night comedians, the unfunny people on TV shows—it’s always anti-religious. And remember, these people were gunned down in their place of worship, as were the people in South Carolina several years ago.”

This comes as the man arrested for Saturday’s mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue appeared in court Monday. Robert Bowers faces 29 charges, including 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder and two hate crimes. Saturday’s shooting has been described as the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.

Fifteenth “Suspicious Package” Found in Atlanta in Mail Bomb Campaign

Oct 30, 2018

As more details emerge following the arrest of Cesar Sayoc, the 56-year-old man accused of sending mail bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN, another “suspicious package,” addressed to CNN headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, was intercepted by authorities on Monday. So far 15 packages have been found; none of them exploded. A senior law enforcement official told NBC Sayoc had a list of over 100 people he hoped to target.

Fiancée of Murdered Saudi Journalist Demands Justice

Oct 30, 2018

In Turkey, the Saudi public prosecutor investigating journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder at the hands of Saudi hit men met with Istanbul’s chief prosecutor Monday. The Saudi prosecutor is due to inspect the Saudi Consulate where the killing took place four weeks ago today. Meanwhile, Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancée is speaking out about his killing. In an interview Monday, she said that Saudi authorities are responsible and should provide more information.

Hatice Cengiz: “This is an incident, an assassination, that took place inside the Saudi Arabian Consulate. Probably, the Saudi authorities know how such a murder was carried out.”

Gaza: Israeli Forces Kill 1, Injure 25 at Separation Barrier Protest

Oct 30, 2018

In Gaza, Israeli forces shot and killed one man and wounded 25 others, including two medics, Monday during ongoing Palestinian protests at the heavily militarized separation barrier with Israel.

Tunisia: Suicide Bomber Injures Nine

Oct 30, 2018

In Tunisia, nine people were wounded after a female suicide bomber detonated explosives in the capital Tunis. The suicide bomber was the only fatality from the explosion. No outside group had claimed responsibility, and the bomber’s motivation is not yet known.

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Air Pollution Blamed for 500,000 Premature Deaths in Europe Each Year

Oct 30, 2018

In environmental news, a new report from the European Environment Agency finds air pollution causes more than half a million premature deaths in Europe each year. This comes as the U.N. released another report Monday finding that 93 percent of all children live in areas with excessively high levels of fine particulate matter.

Italy: At Least 6 Dead as Floods Leave Most of Venice Underwater

Oct 30, 2018

In Italy, three-quarters of the city of Venice were underwater Monday as strong winds caused heavy rainfall to flow over the raised walkways meant to keep water out of the city streets. Other parts of Italy are also experiencing flooding and strong winds, killing six people across the country. Scientists predict that Venice could be completely submerged by the end of the century if climate change continues at its current pace.

Jimmy Carter Calls on Georgia GOP Candidate to Resign as Secretary of State

Oct 30, 2018

Back in the United States, former President Jimmy Carter wrote a letter calling for Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp to resign his role as Georgia secretary of state. Kemp’s Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams and civil rights groups have accused Brian Kemp of putting 53,000 voter applications on hold by using minor discrepancies in voters’ registrations and ID cards to bar them from casting a ballot. In his letter, President Carter wrote, “Popular confidence is threatened not only by the undeniable racial discrimination of the past and the serious questions that the federal courts have raised about the security of Georgia’s voting machines, but also because you are now overseeing the election in which you are a candidate.” This comes as Brian Kemp is under fire for posing for a photo with an anti-Muslim extremist at a recent campaign event. Far-right conspiracy theorist James Stachowiak was wearing a T-shirt that read, “Allah is not God, and Mohammad is not his prophet,” when Kemp posed for the photo. Kemp can be seen giving a thumbs-up on the picture.

Trump Calls African-American Candidate for Florida Governor a “Thief”

Oct 30, 2018

Meanwhile, President Trump called Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum a “thief” in an interview Monday with Fox News.

President Donald Trump: “The FBI offered him tickets at $1,800 apiece, and he took them. He took a trip with the same FBI agent. I guess he was posing as a developer or something. … Here’s a guy that, in my opinion, is a stone cold thief. And his city, Tallahassee, is known as the most corrupt in Florida and one of the most corrupt in the nation.”

Gillum responded by tweeting, “I heard @realDonaldTrump ran home to @FoxNews to lie about me. But as my grandmother told me—never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it.” This comes after Gillum was targeted by a racist robocall paid for by a white supremacist group. In August, Gillum’s Republican opponent for governor, Ron DeSantis, urged voters not to “monkey this up” while appearing on Fox News. If Andrew Gillum wins, he will be the first African-American governor of Florida.

Lawsuit Charges Trump Family Misled Investors Through Sham Businesses

Oct 30, 2018

A new lawsuit filed Monday is accusing President Trump and his family of misleading investors by promoting sham businesses in exchange for money. The New York Times reports that the suit accuses Trump and three of his children—Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr.—of endorsing “business opportunities” that were in fact schemes designed to defraud people, including the Trump Network, a vitamin marketing company, and the Trump Institute, which charged for seminars promising to reveal Trump’s real estate “secrets.”

David Wise, Journalist Who Exposed “Invisible Government,” Dead at 88

Oct 30, 2018

A memorial for late veteran journalist David Wise was held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Monday. Wise was best known for co-writing “The Invisible Government.” The 1964 book exposed many of the CIA’s darkest secrets including the agency’s involvement in overthrowing the governments of Iran and Guatemala as well as secret CIA activity in Cuba, Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia. The CIA initially considered buying up all copies of the book. “The Invisible Government” became a best seller. His book “The Politics of Lying: Government Deception, Secrecy, and Power,” written in 1973, won the George Polk Award and the George Orwell Award. David Wise died on October 8, at 88 years old, in Washington, D.C.

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Ntozake Shange, Pioneering Black Feminist and Author, Dies at 70

Oct 30, 2018

And the pioneering black feminist poet, novelist and playwright Ntozake Shange has died at the age of 70 in Bowie, Maryland. Shange is best known for writing “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf.” The story focuses on seven black women dealing with issues including racism, sexism, abortion and domestic violence. This is Shange in an interview from 2010 talking about writing during the early 1970s.

Ntozake Shange: “It was very tumultuous time. The war in Vietnam was not over yet. Attica had just happened in ’71. They shot up most of the Black Panthers in Chicago in the office one morning, 44 people. And the Black Panther movement was coming apart at the seams in California. It was just a really furiously alive community in both black and Latin communities, and in music and art and poetry, as well.”

Speaking on her work, Shange once said, “When I die, I will not be guilty of having left a generation of girls behind thinking that anyone can tend to their emotional health other than themselves.”

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