Trump and his Legal Team

It was announced Monday that Trump is adding prominent white-collar attorney Joseph diGenova to his personal legal team. DiGenova joins Ty Cobb, Jay Sekulow, and John Dowd (Trump’s lead lawyer).

Also on Monday, Axios reported that Special counsel Robert Mueller has turned his focus on events since the election, not during the campaign, in his conversations with President Trump’s lawyers. The Axios report said, “That suggests a focus on obstruction of justice while in office, rather than collusion with Russia during the campaign.”  

The report said the top two topics that Mueller has expressed interest in so far are the firings of FBI director James Comey and national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Bob Woodward on Reporters

Veteran journalist Bob Woodward criticized reporters on the right and left who were becoming too emotionally invested in their coverage of Donald Trump, calling them "unhinged."

Woodward told CNN in January of this year that "In lots of reporting, particularly on television, commentary, there's kind of self-righteousness and smugness, and people kind of ridiculing the president. When we reported on Nixon, it was obviously a very different era, but we did not adopt a tone of ridicule. The tone was, ‘what are the facts?'"

In a March 8, Newsweek article, Woodward said, “I don't think journalism is failing at all in the Trump era. But we have a lot of work to do. A number of reporters have at times become emotionally unhinged about it all, one way or the other. Look at MSNBC or Fox News, and you will see those continually either denigrating Trump or praising him. I think the answer is in the middle, and in this class I talk about how it’s important to get your personal politics out. It's destructive to become too politicized. The emotion should be directed at doing more work, not some feeling or personal conclusion.” 

The former Washington Post reporter, now an associate editor, responded journalists could always do better, including himself, but that he thought the media had not "failed" to date.

Van Jones on the Death Penalty for Drug Dealers

CNN commentator Van Jones reacted to President Donald Trump’s speech on Monday, where the President called for harsher punishments for large capacity drug dealers, which would include the death penalty. Van Jones responded by saying that the president’s proposal to execute drug dealers is not going to be an effective solution to America’s substance abuse crisis.

In an interview on CNN, Van Jones said that Trump needs to “focus on the people on the front lines…they need more beds, they need more help, they need more hope, they need more jobs. Like I said, they need more bible study. All that’s on the list. This death penalty thing is a complete non-starter and it’s divisive and it’s stupid. I think it’s an offense to the people who are really trying to solve this problem.” 

This interview between Brooke Baldwin and Van Jones occurs just a day after Van Jones returned from West Virginia to combat opioid addiction in that area. 

Van Jones relayed that he appreciated Trump’s remarks about getting help for addicts, but he said that the president’s death penalty calls are “180 degrees from what the people on the ground are saying” about how to solve the problem. Van Jones continued to call the proposal a “poison pill” that will keep key actors in the drug war from working with each other to find a solution.

Professors claim scientific objectivity reinforces 'whiteness'

University of Colorado at Denver scholars Cheryl E. Matias and Paul T. Le, recently published an essay titled, “Towards a truer multicultural science education: how whiteness impacts science education.”

The focus of their article argues that science educators must do more to combat “whiteness” and “White ideology” in the classroom. According to the essay, White science educators should strive to “recognize different forms of racism beyond the commonplace of explicit racism,” “understand the importance of White heritage by acknowledging what it means to be White,” “actively reject dominant racial ideologies such as deficit thinking, essentialism, and colorblindness” and “reimagine what science education spaces can look like.” 

One of the excerpts from the article says, “Whiteness embraces White ideology, and because Whites are at the apex of the racial hierarchy, whiteness becomes normalized and is invisible to those who benefit the most from it. This is particularly troubling because the normality of whiteness means that Whites do not believe that they are actively investing in White supremacy or racism, which keeps oppression intact.” 

The authors go on to write, “that the history of European colonization and conquest influenced contemporary attitudes of valid knowledge, and much of the way western nations teach science erases the values and culture of indigenous people. Therefore, our science is out of touch with the experiences of our students of Color and, instead, represent post-colonial discourses of White power and control over people of Color via forcing the internalization of Western science knowledge.”

Fordham protesters accuse conservatives of 'white supremacy'

On Monday, March 12, Fordham University students held a protest against White Supremacy. According to the Facebook event page 23 students attended, however, no official number has been released. 

The protest on Monday was organized by Fordham Students United (FSU), who describe themselves as “an intersectional coalition of student leaders, activists, faculty & alumni.” The protest stemmed from an incident last December in which conservative students tried to buy coffee from Rodrigue's Coffee House, which is on campus, while wearing MAGA gear. FSU members were mad that people working in the coffee house were punished. However, the woman running the coffee shop told the Republican students that their hats represented “fascism” and “Nazis,” which violated the coffee shop’s safe space policy. She was also seen trying to yank a hat out of one of the students’ hands. 

The March 12 protest lasted for approximately an hour and a half and consisted of students shouting chants of “hate speech is not free speech” and marching with signs stating that “Racism is a Social Sin” and “White Supremacy Kills.” One student said, “We just want to call on the school to directly address that there is a problem of white supremacy on campus, to denounce it, and to hold the people who are propagating this message accountable,” student Reyna Wang told the Ram (Fordham’s newspaper), while another student claimed that she is “literally scared” by the situation.

Trump immigration policies have overwhelmed Canada's refugee system

President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration has led to an increase in the number of immigrants in the U.S. illegally now seeking asylum in Canada, according to Reuters. 

More than 20,000 people, including thousands of Haitians and Nigerians and hundreds of Turks, Syrians and Eritreans, crossed the border into Canada in search of asylum in 2017. The migration wave does not seem to be abating in 2018, with over 1,500 asylum seekers crossing the border in January.

The heavy influx of immigrants has overwhelmed Canada’s asylum system and caused some of the worst delays in recent years. 

On Feb. 20 the board said it will effectively prioritize those applicants who have been waiting months or years. This will mean a longer wait for more recent arrivals than the current 20-month average estimated time for processing claims. 

In November, Toronto spent about $20 million to house refugees in hotel rooms through the end of 2018, according to city documents obtained by Reuters. The Canadian government has set aside $173 million in its latest budget to cover the costs of processing refugee applications and increasing the patrols at the border.

Los Alamitos Votes to Opt Out of California Sanctuary Law

With about 12,000 residents spread across a few miles of suburban Southern California, the Los Alamitos council rebelled Monday night and voted to reject the state’s sanctuary law. Los Alamitos Council members voted 4-1 to opt out of a state law that limits cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents. 

The state law, Senate Bill 54, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year and became effective on January 1. It includes prohibiting state and local police agencies from informing federal authorities in cases when illegal immigrants facing deportation are released from detention. 

Los Alamitos’ adopted ordinance claims the new state law “may be in direct conflict with federal laws and the Constitution.” The council, therefore, “finds that it is impossible to honor our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” if they do not opt out of it. 

Many believe the example of the Los Alamitos Council may be a game-changer in California, where state officials have positioned themselves as against the immigration policies of the Trump administration. Mayor Troy Edgar said he hoped mayors in other cities consider similar local legislation, and his message was clear: “As the mayor of Los Alamitos, we are not a sanctuary city.” 

The new local law is not yet a done deal. Before it becomes law, council members must vote for it a second time, which is expected. That vote is scheduled for April 16.

Minneapolis Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Justine Damond Turns Himself in

Minneapolis police officer, Mohamad Noor, who shot and killed Australian woman Justice Damond in July of 2017, turned himself in Tuesday, after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was held on third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. A $500,000 bail was set by the jail, according to county records. The charging documents, which have been filed under seal, have not yet been made public. 

Officer Mohamed Noor shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond on July 15, minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home, in Southwest Minneapolis. Damond's death drew international attention, cost the police chief her job and forced major revisions to the department's policy on body cameras. 

Officer Mohamed Noor has not spoken publicly about the case. His attorney, Thomas Plunkett, confirmed Officer Noor turned himself in, but had no other immediate comment.

Maryland School Shooting

A student with a handgun shot two classmates inside Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Maryland, today before he was fatally wounded during a confrontation with a school resource officer, a sheriff said. Great Mills High School is about 65 miles southeast of Washington.  

The shooter has been identified as 17-year-old Austin Wyatt Rollins. Two other students, a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, were hospitalized, the girl with life-threatening injuries. The female victim is listed in critical condition, according to MedStar St. Mary's Hospital. The male victim was in "good condition," the hospital said. 

Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron said the school resource officer engaged the shooter and ended the threat, which occurred in a hallway just before classes began. The officer fired a round at the shooter, who was armed with a handgun, and the shooter fired a round as well, Cameron said.

Cynthia Nixon Announces Run for Governor

Actress and activist Cynthia Nixon, 51, announced Monday that she is officially running for governor of New York. She announced her candidacy via twitter, tweeting; "I love New York, and today I'm announcing my candidacy for governor," along with a video 

Cynthia Nixon will challenge Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the state's Democratic primary in September. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is seeking re-election to a third term, in the Sept. 13th Democratic primary 

Cynthia Nixon hasn’t previously held public office, she’s still best known for playing lawyer, Miranda Hobbes, on the HBO series Sex and the City. She has been a longtime activist on progressive issues, has pushed for LGBT rights, and she’s also a vocal education advocate, calling for increased funding for public schools. She is also a prominent supporter of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mail Time!

• Excellent analysis on the McCabe mess. Based on your decades long personal relationship with President Trump, do you think he will fire Mueller? President Trump is rightly frustrated and infuriated by the special counsel, but I think firing Mueller would be a huge mistake.

• Your analysis on 3/19 was excellent! You and your guest explained both the Hilary investigation and the Trump investigation so well that I finally feel like I have a handle on the issues. I remember listening to the Comey press conference months ago about his conclusions on Hilary's emails, and thinking this is just weird, bazaar that he is saying all this. 

• I was so proud of the kids where I went to school. During the school walkout, not many kids walked out, but those who did chose to do so to honor the people who died. Instead of protesting, they formed a prayer circle and held hands for seventeen minutes.

Word of the Day: Callow