What Had Happened Was...(August 12th-18th, 2019)
A lightning fast weekly recap so you don't feel like an idiot on Monday
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Here’s a catch-up of the major events of the week of August 12, 2019. You can check in with a minimal time commitment, read about the big stuff and stay in the know before we’re on to the next. This week we had unusually cruel new policies from Trump, we had to learn what a yield curve is and what it means for the economy, Tennessee pushes an extremely restrictive abortion bill, Israel bans two sitting Congresswomen from entering the country and we finally have an official cause of death for Jeffrey Epstein. Let’s dive right in.
Sweeping New Destructive Policies from Trump
On Monday, the Trump administration announced it would be enacting a final version of the “Public Charge Rule” which will deny green cards and visas to immigrants who use, or are expected to use, a wide range of federal, state and local government benefits, including food stamps, housing vouchers and Medicaid.
"This news is a cruel new step toward weaponizing programs that are intended to help people by making them, instead, a means of separating families and sending immigrants and communities of color one message: You are not welcome here." — Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center
Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, claims the purpose is to clarify existing law and to ensure that immigrants do not become dependent on the government. But the reality of this policy means that millions of immigrants already living in the U.S. and their citizen children will be harshly affected. The policy punishes all immigrants who pay into the system through income tax and sales tax despite their citizenship status and threatens the ability to seek legal status for using what they’ve paid for. This latest move is just an attempt to curtail future immigration in another attempt to appease the Trump base before the 2020 election.
The new regulations also expand the definition of "public charge" to include non-cash benefits and include nutrition assistance, housing vouchers and subsidized medical insurance. Green card and visa applicants can now be denied for being "primarily dependent on the government for subsistence" and also if they are likely to need public assistance "at any time." Income and financial assets are now also in play. Immigrants earning less than 250% of the federal poverty guidelines (more than $64,000 for a family of four) will now have a very hard time getting green cards, which will have a chilling effect and further establish a class system based on race and origin.
The Trump administration also proposed a plan on Thursday to strip the Endangered Species Act of key provisions that will substantially weaken a law enacted 45 years ago to keep plant and animal species in decline from going extinct. The proposal would end the extension of species protections regardless of endangered or threatened status. The proposal is set to be approved by the end of the year and if enacted, will only allow for protections for threatened plants and animals on a case-by-case basis. The administration also intends to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to strike language that guides officials to ignore economic impacts when determining how wildlife should be protected.
“These regulations are the heart of how the Endangered Species Act is implemented. Imperiled species depend on them for their very lives. Unfortunately, the sweeping changes being proposed by the Trump administration include provisions that would undercut the effectiveness of the ESA and put species at risk of extinction. The signal being sent by the Trump administration is clear: Protecting America’s wildlife and wild lands is simply not on their agenda.” — Jamie Rappaport Clark, chief executive of Defenders of Wildlife
Conservationists have been warning about this impending threat from the Trump Administration for a while now. They argue the portion of the proposal that removes the requirement that compels federal agencies to consult with scientists and wildlife agencies before approving permits for ventures such as oil and gas drilling and logging is especially catastrophic. Trump’s intention to clear the road for corporate profit at the expense of the environment is especially obvious in this new proposal.
Recession Concerns
This week recession talk got loud. On Wednesday the U.S. stock market saw its largest one-day decline as a result of Trump’s trade war escalation. Bond markets have a strong track record of predicting recessions and they began showing warning signs this week. The Yield Curve inverted after this market decline, which sparked heavy discussion of an impending recession. Several concerning things occurred at once: trade war escalated and continued to spook investors, the German economy is slowing significantly, Chinese retail is weak and affecting the market and the British Yield Curve joined the U.S. curve and also inverted for the first time since 2007. Trump advisor Wilber Ross took to cable news to continue to boost consumer confidence and basically deflect on answering the real questions.
The bottom line is that the U.S. economy will remain on solid ground as long as consumer spending remains strong. Even though paychecks have grown, the stock market has reached record highs and unemployment has stayed at a historic 50-year low (thanks, Obama), consumer spending drives 70% of the U.S. economy. But the fear of consumers pulling back based on current events are ever present. Trump's trade policy, a weakening global economy, the waning effects of the 2017 tax cuts, the risk of deflation and painful memories of the Great Recession loom heavy.
Tennessee Abortion Bill
(Mark Humphrey / Associated Press)
The Tennessee state legislature met this week to discuss a near-total ban on abortion that would define life at conception and redefine fetal viability as beginning at the moment a woman has positive pregnancy test. This total ban is intended to be attached as an amendment to Bill 1236, a six-week abortion ban also known as a “heartbeat” bill similar to the ones eight other states passed earlier this year. The amendment, proposed by Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody, who filed SB 1236 in its original form, would make abortion illegal from the moment of conception, much like the Alabama law that was designed to challenge Roe v. Wade.
“This is not a heartbeat bill. It’s time to cut Roe down.” — David Fowler, founder of the Family Action Council of Tennessee who was introduced in the Monday hearing by committee chair state Sen. Mike Bell (R-Riceville)
Under the standard set by Roe v. Wade, fetal viability generally occurs between 24 and 28 weeks’ gestation and states cannot ban abortion before viability. This amended bill under discussion in the Tennessee Senate would go farther by establishing that a fetus becomes viable at the moment of conception. Abortion at any stage would become illegal in Tennessee, which could affect how miscarriages are handled, limit birth control, and dictate how a woman and her doctor make any medical decisions once she is pregnant. As with the Alabama law, doctors performing medical abortions would be charged with a felony.
“No one in Tennessee wants Republican politicians in control of every birth. Women have the right to choose when and if they want to start a family. This unconstitutional amendment is further proof that Republican politicians are completely out of touch with Tennesseans who broadly agree that abortions should be kept safe and legal. Restricting access to birth control and prosecuting pharmacists for selling standard IUDs and hormonal contraception is a step toward a dystopian society where women are subjugated, second class citizens. This Republican policy is not just a bad idea—it’s dangerous.” — State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville)
Some Republican lawmakers are hesitant to proceed based on the heavy costs to the state for impending litigation. It’s clear that the restraint that was shown when the state session ended has been reignited. In the Spring, Tennessee lawmakers who argued that the blatantly unconstitutional legislation was doomed for a lengthy court battle and therefore a waste of taxpayer dollars, opted to enact a “trigger bill” instead of a “heartbeat bill.” A trigger bill would instantly enact abortion restriction in the event that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. But with this latest move of considering abortion legislation that is far more extreme than what was under consideration before, Tennessee has shown that they’re not even close to done with the attack on women’s health.
Israel Bans Omar and Tlaib
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu banned two Democratic U.S. congresswomen from visiting the country and the Palestinian territories after Trump encouraged him to do so on Twitter. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) have been vocal critics of the Israeli government and Trump's unwavering support of Netanyahu and voted against a non-binding resolution condemning a Palestinian-led movement. Both Congresswomen have called for boycotts, divestment and sanctions in Israel, but despite this push back on their part, this ban still represents a significant reversal in foreign relations from Netanyahu and his government. The fact that it was done at the behest of the President of the United States against his own country women who are sitting Congresswomen is especially telling about Trump’s intentions and the extent Netanyahu’s loyalty.
Netanyahu claimed his government respects the U.S. Congress but said there are limits: “As a vibrant and free democracy, Israel is open to all its critics and criticism, with one exception: Israeli law prohibits the entry of people who call and operate to boycott Israel.”
In phone calls with lawmakers, Israel’s ambassador tried to justify the decision, saying Omar and Tlaib had no real intention of visiting Israel or meeting with Israeli officials and criticized the group sponsoring the trip as radical. But a staffer to Omar said she and Tlaib had meetings lined up with Arab and Jewish members of Knesset as well as planned visits with current and former U.S. ambassadors to Israel, David M. Friedman and Daniel B. Shapiro. The aide also noted that Israel did not object when other lawmakers had visited through the same pro-Palestinian group previously, using the same itinerary. The distinction here was that those other visits did not include huddles with Israeli officials, which makes Israel’s justification for barring a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from the country hypocritical.
Israel ultimately conceded to allow Tlaib permission to enter for "a humanitarian visit of her 90-year-old grandmother, but Tlaib declined on the basis that her grandmother would not approve of the conditions placed on her and that it would “kill a piece of her” to do it. Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri also took to Twitter to denounce her intentions claiming that Tlaib’s “hate for Israel overcome[s] her love for her grandmother."
Cause of Epstein’s Death Confirmed
Earlier in the week we received reports that the outstanding final conclusion by the Medical Examiner concerning Jeffrey Epstein’s death was delayed due to the need for further investigation. Newly released details confirmed that Epstein had sustained multiple breaks in his neck bones, including the hyoid bone, which in men is near the Adam’s apple. Forensic experts confirm that a break of this kind can occur in those who hang themselves, particularly if they are older, but they are more common in victims of homicide by strangulation. The office of New York City’s chief medical examiner, Barbara Sampson, completed an autopsy of Epstein’s body Sunday but had still not confirmed a cause of death for most of the week.
But on Friday, the New York City medical examiner’s office officially confirmed that the cause of death for Epstein was suicide by hanging. Epstein appeared to have tied a bedsheet to the top of a set of bunk beds, then knelt toward the floor with enough force that he broke several bones in his neck, according to officials. Many questions remain concerning the events leading up to his death and the lack of protocols employed by the facility where Epstein was being held. Stay tuned.
On a sad note:
We lost actor and activist Peter Fonda on Friday to respiratory complications stemming from lung cancer at the age of 79. He passed away at his Los Angeles home surrounded by family. Fonda was born into Hollywood royalty, a movie star in his own right and counterculture icon with his 1969 movie Easy Rider. Generations looked up to him and what he represented both on the screen and in his real life.
I had the pleasure of interacting with Peter a few times on Twitter. He was passionate about women’s issues and fought for everyone to have true equality and access to America. It was a real thrill whenever he would take his time to comment on a post or to talk to me in a thread about an issue. I found every interaction with him to be truly kind and generous. We need more people like him in the world and I’m taking solace in the idea that he will no doubt continue to help us out from the other side now.
The Fonda family issued the following statement: “While we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and love of life. In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.”
Amen.
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Amee Vanderpool writes the “Shero” Newsletter and is an attorney, contributor to Playboy Magazine, analyst for BBC radio and Director of The Inanna Project. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.