The above is but one of many extraordinary, controversial, and frankly unlawful actions currently being pursued by the Trump administration. They’re remaking the National Geographic Society and broadening the criteria for rejecting student visa applicants. A partnership between two human rights-focused law firms has already brought successful lawsuits against the administration. They want to stop executive orders that put their business dealings with the federal government at risk. At the same time, Donald Trump is still pushing for American control of Greenland, sending a ripple of confusion among world leaders.
Reshaping and Screening Measures
Donald Trump may have just ordered the most radical restructuring of the US Smithsonian Institution in its history. This initiative aims to eliminate what the Trump administration terms as “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from museum displays. The decision is part of a broader effort to align cultural institutions with what the administration views as patriotic values.
Furthermore, Trump has ordered consular posts to increase their scrutiny of foreign student visa applicants to an extreme. This expanded screening requires invasive social media searches for the purpose of identifying and rejecting candidates considered dangerous or supportive of terrorism. These measures are the latest example of the administration’s obsession with national security and its attempts to dominate the debate on immigration enforcement.
Legal Battles and Political Critiques
Two well-known law firms, Public Citizen and the Institute for Justice, sued the Trump administration on behalf of plaintiffs. They want to stop executive orders that threaten their business dealings with the government. The firms are understandably going to great lengths to protect their attorneys’ security clearances. They claim that stripping these clearances would immediately undermine their operations and ruin critical client relationships.
In A Better Politics, Hillary Clinton recently took the Trump administration to task over their approach to governance in an especially pointed essay. She said it was “dumb” and “dangerous,” a comment with added significance given the intense political environment fueled by the myriad of threats Trump’s administration. The ongoing conflict between “the rule of law versus the rule of billionaires” was highlighted by a top Democratic government official and attorney, emphasizing the ideological divide shaping current political discourse.
Greenland Ambitions and Trade Tensions
On his visit to the new Pituffik space base, Trump had some predictably ambitious things to say. He argued that the United States needed to purchase Greenland to protect “world peace.” His comments have ignited new debates in Washington over America’s territorial dreams.
“I think Greenland understands that the United States should own it,” he stated, adding, “And if Denmark and the EU don’t understand it, we have to explain it to them.” – Donald Trump
Trade relations with Canada are center stage. In that dynamic phone call, Trump touted his initial exchange with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as “extremely productive.” This discussion is taking place against a backdrop of market-distorting trade practices and increasing trade tensions between the two countries.
Union Disputes and Administrative Controversies
In a second major departure from his predecessors, Donald Trump signed a new executive order. This order would deny collective bargaining rights to hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Union leaders complain that he is an incorrigible union-buster. They describe it as a “blatant” effort to stifle opposition from federal employees.
In other news, on his first day of taking office, Alvaro Bedoya, a Federal Trade Commission Commissioner, was suddenly fired. He was particularly concerned about the possible “quid pro quo” dealmaking of the Trump administration, a harbinger of internal strife and subsequent difficulties in national governance.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson has blocked the Trump administration from dismantling a key consumer financial watchdog, reinforcing judicial checks on executive power. This decision highlights the continuing legal pressures the administration is under as it attempts to push back against policy changes with the dollar.
Executive Pardons and Financial Regulation
In an unusual piece of financial regulation news, Donald Trump has pardoned the three co-founders of crypto exchange BitMEX. They had all agreed to plead guilty to Bank Secrecy Act violations. This action underscores both Trump’s unabashed pro Wall Street natural hostility towards financial regulation and his readiness to exercise clemency in glamorous cases.