Day 530

[matt (Matt Kiser)]

Updated 7/3/2018 10:50 AM PDT

1/ The Trump administration will rescind Obama-era guidelines that encourage college admissions to consider race as a factor in order to diversify their student bodies. Trump administration officials contend the current policies "mislead schools to believe that legal forms of affirmative action are simpler to achieve than the law allows." The reversal would restore George W. Bush's policy that "strongly encourages the use of race-neutral methods" for student admissions. Jeff Sessions said Justice Department prosecutors will investigate and sue universities over discriminatory admissions policies. Schools that don't follow the new policy could also lose federal funding. (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Reuters)

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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/07/03/day-530/

[Keaton_James]

Senate panel upholds finding that Russia backed Trump, contradicting House

The committee singles out and validates this conclusion from the Intelligence Community Assessment:

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Goverment developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.

Trump is preparing to have a chummy meeting with Putin in a couple weeks. Any President who is committed to protecting our democracy would cancel the meeting and demand an apology from Putin along with assurances that Russia will never again interfere in our elections. But to Trump, it’s just, hey, no harm no foul.

Here’s the full report – just seven pages – succinct and to the point.

[dragonfly9]

Happy 4th…

We have to try to measure up to the democratic ideals upon which this nation was founded. We built it with these inalienable rights, enacting a Bill of Rights and a Constitution. But we enabled slavery, determined who can vote, allowed for rich to subvert poor and gave into the religious zealotry to determine who my wed, make cakes for whom, or even what can be read in schools.

Here is to hoping our system of checks and balances encircling the three branches of government - executive, judicial and legislative will survive the challenges of a power mad, ill equipped President.

Wishing the work the Judicial system as well as citizens and journalists do to seek out the truth will prevail. God speed Mueller.

@ariberman
Trump admin suffered big defeat in court today as federal judge slammed its “bad faith” in adding citizenship question to 2020 census & ruled challengers can depose senior officials from Commerce & DOJ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/07/federal-judge-rips-trump-administration-over-census-citizenship-question/

[dragonfly9]

From Axios

1 big thing: Reasons to love America, 2018

Gallup this week began its report on the poll above (taken by phone June 1-13; 1,520 U.S. adults; ±3-point margin of error for total):

This Fourth of July marks a low point in U.S. patriotism.

For the first time in Gallup’s 18-year history asking U.S. adults how proud they are to be Americans, fewer than a majority say they are 'extremely proud."
>
Currently, 47% describe themselves this way, down from 51% in 2017 and well below the peak of 70% in 2003."

Axios AM

[Pet_Proletariat]

Happy Independence Day!

A July 4 Tradition: NPR Reads The Declaration Of Independence