WTF Community

Day 818

Updated 4/17/2019 1:44 PM PDT

1/ Attorney General William Barr directed immigration judges to deny some asylum seekers the opportunity to post bail after being detained. Previously, migrants who established "a credible fear of persecution or torture" in their home country were eligible to seek release on bond. Now they could end up being jailed indefinitely while they wait months or years for their claims to be processed. The Department of Homeland Security will have the discretion to decide whether to release immigrants who initially crossed the border illegally, but later claimed asylum. The order will go into effect in 90 days. (New York Times / CNN / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico / ABC News)


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/04/17/day-818/
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Here’s a running list of stories I’m keeping an eye on today. What’d I miss? Contribute any links, write short blurbs, or send me copyedits below and become the media.

the Department of Homeland Security alone will have the discretion to decide whether to release immigrants who crossed the border illegally and later claimed asylum

In New Effort to Deter Migrants, Barr Withholds Bail to Asylum Seekers - The New York Times
The order — which directs immigration judges to deny some migrants a chance to post bail — will not go into effect for 90 days.

Ruling by Attorney General Barr means thousands more migrants may wait months in detention
In his decision, Barr said that asylum seekers who begin in expedited removal, in which they are not given the right to see a judge, and are then transferred to full removal proceedings, in which they wait to make their case before a judge, should not be released on bond.


Trump on Tuesday vetoed a bipartisan measure to cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war, calling it “an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities.”

To Pressure Cuba, Trump Plans to Lift Limits on American Lawsuits - The New York Times
The veto, only the second time Mr. Trump has used his power to block legislation passed by both houses of Congress, strikes down a resolution that invoked the War Powers Act to distance the United States from a four-year conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and resulted in a widespread famine.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-moves-to-resist-house-inquiries-setting-up-fight-over-congressional-subpoena-powers/2019/04/16/49f4c75c-6057-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html?utm_term=.ef62039cde73

Trump’s attorneys and the White House are moving to resist a growing number of congressional requests for information

The administration does not plan to turn over information being sought about how particular individuals received their security clearances, Trump’s meetings with foreign leaders and other topics that they plan to argue are subject to executive privilege

House Democrats said Tuesday that they […] have little confidence that the Justice Department under Attorney General William P. Barr will enforce contempt actions if their demands are flouted, but they believe subpoenas can be enforced through civil litigation.


The new aluminum plant, slated to be built in the home state of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will be the biggest new aluminum plant constructed in the U.S. in decades. Rusal will have a 40 percent stake in the facility.


Germany’s troubled Deutsche Bank faces fines, legal action and the possible prosecution of “senior management” because of its role in a $20bn Russian money-laundering scheme, a confidential internal report seen by the Guardian says.

The bank admits there is a high risk that regulators in the US and UK will take “significant disciplinary action” against it. Deutsche concedes that the scandal has hurt its “global brand” – and is likely to cause “client attrition”, loss of investor confidence and a decline in its market value.

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Nadler’s 3-minute statement tells you everything you need to know about Barr’s egregious handling of the Mueller Report.

Trump’s cover-up steamroller lumbers on – it’s now driven by his hand picked crony in the DOJ. Nadler and the House Democrats will need to throw everything they’ve got at it to stop it in its tracks.

BTW, I for one, am only going to use the term “Mueller Report,” to refer to the complete, unedited, unredacted report. Any report that is edited or redacted, I will be referring to as the “Barr Report” – this is the report that Barr will be releasing tomorrow. IMO, the “Barr Report” is not the “Mueller Report” and it is not even a version of the “Mueller Report.” It is a separate report that is comprised of selected quotations from the “Mueller Report” (those quotations being selected by a close ally of Trump) – calling it a version of the “Mueller Report” gives it more weight than it merits.

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