Early Trump Shakeup, Hate on the Rise

In Transition: President-elect Trump told the Wall Street Journal he didn’t think his campaign rhetoric went too far. “No, I won.” But Trump told the paper he would become more positive and that his goal is to bring the country together.

Despite his pledge to completely repeal Obamacare, Trump now says he may keep some provisions he likes, including allowing children to remain on family policies until age 26, and barring the denial of insurance for pre-existing medical conditions.

In the first reorganization of his yet-to-be presidency, Trump has relieved the politically-tarnished Chris Christie from heading his transition and handed the job to Veep-elect Mike Pence. It’s pretty early for a team shakeup, but he did it in the campaign and won.

Trump said he wanted to tap Mike Pence’s Washington experience, but Christie was damaged by the criminal conviction of two former aides in the New Jersey “Bridgegate” scandal. There’s still a chance Christie will be indicted. Former NY Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn will act as vice chairs of the transition.

Trump’s three adult children will also be involved.

Feel the Hate: Despite Trump’s call for unity, reports are coming in of increasing messages of hate and intolerance in the wake of the Trump victory. Muslim women wearing scarves have been taunted and some have decided not to wear the scarf at all to avoid attention. Reports collected on Twitter say non-white and foreign-looking people have been told to go back to their own country and worse. Some pretty hateful stuff.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is also collecting reports of hate incidents in support of Trump.

Yesterday, for instance, a number of black freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania received group texts titled “Nigger Lynchings” and other hate messages. The messages came from an otherwise anonymous group identifying itself as “Daddy Trump.” One message said, “Heil Trump” and another included an old photo of a group lynching.

Not Their President: Protests to the election of Donald Trump continued for a third night. In Miami they blocked a causeway and near Iowa City they clogged a section of I-80.  In Portland, Ore. A demonstrator was shot and wounded as a crowd blocked a bridge.

Count the Money: The Dow Jones had its best week since 2011, closing up 5.4 percent. Investors are betting on lower corporate taxes and reduced regulation under a Trump administration, but they still have concerns that he might make a hash out of foreign relations.

Not Now, I’m Busy: The judge in the Trump University fraud lawsuit yesterday advised the lawyers that, given everything else that’s happening, it might be better to settle the case now. Former students who paid up to 35,000 are suing, saying they got nothing but empty promises for their money. Trump’s lawyers yesterday asked for a delay in the opening of the trial until after the defendant’s inauguration as president, but US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel said he was not inclined to do that.

Permawar: Islamic State fighters have been executing civilians they accuse of treason and in one case, shooting a man who ignored the ban on using a cellphone, according to the United Nations. They’ve been hanging the victims from utility poles. Among the UN’s sources is a man who played dead during a mass killing.

The Obit Page: Robert Vaughn, the actor who personified the words “handsome” and “debonair” and rose to fame in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E, has died at age 84.

Vaughn played the part of secret agent Napoleon Solo from the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, fighting the nefarious enemies from THRUSH, which was a stand-in for the Soviet Union.

He worked with Steve McQueen in the movies Bullitt and Towering Inferno, and was one of the seven cowboy mercenaries in the original Magnificent Seven.

>Aileen Mehle, the witty New York gossip columnist otherwise known as Suzy Knickerbocker, has died at age 98. “Suzy” kept the nation informed of who was doing what with whom for 50 years. She was the original Gossip Girl.

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Friday, March 29, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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