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California federal judge bars Trump administration from adding citizen question to 2020 census

Jeff Daniels
CNBC
Wed, 06 Mar 2019 05:49 UTC
Commerce Sec Wilbur Ross/Trump
© Doug Mills/New York Times
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (c) speaking to President Trump regarding adding citizenship question to the 2020 census.
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the administration of President Donald Trump from adding a citizenship question on the 2020 U.S. census, ruling that it is unconstitutional and unlawful. It marks the second federal judge this year to rule against the administration on the issue.

California argued that Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross' plan to add the question would discourage immigrants and Latinos from participating in the census. They also contended it would cause an undercount and jeopardize congressional seats and billions of dollars in federal funding.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco found that the citizenship question violates the Constitution's Enumeration Clause, which requires "actual enumeration" of all people in each state every 10 years. It also was found to be in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act's prohibition against agency action that is "arbitrary and capricious."

At least six lawsuits have been filed over the Trump administration's plans, including several in New York. A federal judge in Manhattan in January also blocked the Commerce Department's plans to add the citizenship question.

The U.S. Supreme Court also has weighed in on the controversy, announcing last month it will hear arguments on the administration's plans.

Comment: See also:

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No Entry

'Banned in the UK' - Hezbollah's badge of honour

John Wight
RT
Wed, 06 Mar 2019 15:35 UTC
Hezbollah funeral
© AFP/STR
Members of Hezbollah carry the coffin of a fighter killed in combat against IS in Syria.
Hezbollah has earned a formidable reputation for military prowess on the battlefield and political nous off it. It's no wonder 'they' want to ban it.

Attaining to the status of rule of thumb is that whenever a military and/or political organization is proscribed in the West, prudence demands a closer look; this on the basis that in most cases (though not all) what 'they' deem worthy of being proscribed and banned is in truth worthy of support.

Take Hezbollah, for example, and the British government's decision to criminalise the Shiite group's political wing. Previously only the group's military wing had been banned in the UK. Is there anyone left in the room that seriously believes this constitutes anything other than another feeble manifestation of the UK's servile toadying to Washington?

In what stands as a monument to opportunism, the Trump administration has consistently placed Hezbollah in same terrorism box as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and Al-Qaeda, conveniently eliding the small detail that the Lebanese resistance and national liberation movement has done as much as, if not more than, any single military force in fighting and defeating IS and Al-Qaeda in Syria.

Comment: By virtue of labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organization, Israel legitimizes its invasions and incursions into Lebanon. Tarnishing Hezbollah's political influence garners support from the US and UK who dutifully follow suit. Not missing a step, Netanyahu domestically uses the threat of Hezbollah (most recently the Hezbollah tunnels PR stunt) to inject fear into his re-election rhetoric as a reminder of the enemy afoot, while diminishing public focus on his upcoming indictments. The reality is simple: Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization: neither its militant wing, nor its political wing.

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Arrow Up

As Kashmir flare-up continues, India reports 'heavy' shelling, Pakistan fends off 'aggression'


RT
Wed, 06 Mar 2019 09:09 UTC
Border Security Force
© REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers stand guard
India claims Pakistan shelled its territory along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir. Islamabad, in turn, accused India of numerous ceasefire violations.

Pakistani troops shelled the border town of Rajouri on the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir on Wednesday, Indian media reported, citing military officials. Islamabad used artillery, as well as small arms during the attack, and the Indian Army fired in retaliation, they said.

All schools were closed within 5km of the LoC in the area where the shelling took place.
This was the second ceasefire violation recorded by India that day. The previous incident also occurred in Rajouri district.

The spokesperson for the Pakistani Army, meanwhile, was quoted as saying that New Delhi is "continuously committing violations" along the LoC, and that the nation is "ready to answer Indian aggression."

Comment: More from RT, 3/6/2019:
Islamabad will return its ambassador to New Delhi as tensions "appear to be de-escalating," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced. The step comes after both countries appeared to be on the brink of all-out war.

"Pakistan has further increased diplomatic efforts and we have decided to send back the Pakistani high commissioner to New Delhi," Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told media on Wednesday. "This is a positive development," he said.

In a bid to improve bilateral ties, the Pakistani delegation is set to visit New Delhi to hold talks over the Kartarpur Corridor, which will allow Sikh pilgrims from India to visit the Gurdwara in Kartarpur, Pakistan without a visa.

The Pakistani foreign minister also thanked his counterparts in China, Russia, Turkey, UAE, Jordan, and the US for their role in calming recent tensions between India and Pakistan.
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Dollar

Russian telecom giant to pay huge US fine to settle corruption case in Uzbekistan


RT
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 20:03 UTC
scales of justice
© Reuters / Joshua Roberts
Russia's largest mobile operator MTS has agreed to pay $850 million in fines to resolve US federal charges over alleged bribing of a government official in Uzbekistan to gain access to the country's telecommunications market.

MTS, or Mobile TeleSystems, which has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange, said it managed to reach a voluntary settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

"The agreement puts an end to the investigation around the former MTS subsidiary in Uzbekistan carried out from 2004 to 2012," the company said in a statement. "The penalty will be paid from the funds that were reserved by MTS in the third quarter of 2018."

The SEC confirmed the information, saying that apart from the criminal and civil fines, the company also agreed to an independent compliance monitor for at least three years. According to the agency, MTS carried out illicit payments of at least $420 million to unnamed front companies controlled by the Uzbek official.
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Stock Up

US trade deficit soars to decade high of $621 billion despite Trump's efforts to bridge gap


RT
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 19:57 UTC
us port
© Getty Images / Orbon Alija
Despite the trade war against China and numerous import tariffs imposed on a number of countries, the US trade deficit hit a 10-year high of $621 billion last year, the US Commerce Department reported.

In December alone, the imbalance in trade, which represents the difference between the values of imported goods and services and the value of the country's sales abroad, jumped nearly 19 percent to a seasonally adjusted $59.8 billion. The shortfall reportedly came due to a 2.1-percent increase in imports to $264.9 billion, while exports saw a decline of 1.9 percent to $205.1 billion.

The full-year figure represents the highest mark since 2008, when the country reported a $709 billion deficit due to the peak of the recession. In 2018, the goods and services year-on-year shortfall increased by $68.8 billion, or 12.5 percent.

"Exports increased $148.9 billion, or 6.3 percent. Imports increased $217.7 billion, or 7.5 percent," the report reads.

Comment: Incredible. Is it that Trump's sanctions/tariffs/threats are having the opposite effect? Or because there's nothing the US can do to stop its structural tendency towards greater consumption and less production?

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Jet4

Su-27 intercepts & chases US spy plane away from Russia's borders


RT
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 19:55 UTC
spy plane
© Defense Ministry
A Russian Su-27 fighter jet has intercepted and escorted an American RC-135 spy plane over the waters of the Baltic Sea near the Russian border, the Defense Ministry has said, releasing a short video of the engagement.

Captured from the cockpit of the super-maneuverable Russian fighter aircraft, the video of the encounter shows the jet safely approaching from behind and aligning with a large aircraft, identified as an RC-135 reconnaissance plane. The exact time of the engagement was not revealed.

The number of foreign military jets snooping near Russian borders has grown drastically in the past years and the Air Force frequently scrambles jets to intercept and escort them away, often to the dire criticism of US and other NATO countries, who call Moscow's attitude 'unprofessional'.

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X

Trump cancels public reporting of civilian deaths in US drone strikes


RT
Wed, 06 Mar 2019 19:02 UTC
US drone
© Reuters/Josh Smith
US airmen prepare a MQ-9 Reaper drone as it leaves on a mission at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan.
US President Donald Trump has revoked the executive order requiring public reports on civilian casualties in drone strikes carried out by the CIA, as well as US military.

The new executive order, issued Wednesday, revokes the reporting requirement introduced by President Barack Obama in July 2016. The action required the Director of National Intelligence to release an unclassified summary of US strikes against terrorists "outside areas of active hostilities" and assessments of non-combatant deaths caused by those strikes.

The Pentagon still has an obligation to report on civilian casualties caused by US military operations, as it is mandated by the National Defense Authorization Acts of 2018 and 2019, Trump's executive order noted.

In a statement commenting on the decision, the White House National Security Council said that the order removes "superfluous reporting requirements" that "distract our intelligence professionals from their primary mission."

Comment: With drone attacks on the rise in the Trump administration, the lack of accountability for civilian victims is reaching new levels of obfuscation. Off-scene control by drone teams not only increases the margin for error, it also conveniently buffers blame for civilian casualties and inappropriate attacks. Canceling public reports of civilian casualties by drone warfare is a form of perception management aimed at protecting and prolonging a questionable use of force in unacceptable circumstances. Trump shouldn't hide the numbers, he should stop the drone attacks.

See also:

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Russian Flag

Russian MPs approve legislation punishing for fake news & insults directed at the state


RT
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 19:23 UTC
fake news
© Global Look Press / Sascha Steinach
Spreading fake information and insulting the Russian state could result in hefty fines for individuals and organizations, according to a new law, adopted by the lower house of parliament in the final reading.

The new legislation includes two bills, dedicated to different types of misinformation.

One bill prohibits spreading "socially important" false information which "endangers life and well-being of citizens," incites mass disturbance of social order or breaches public security. Minor infringements will apparently not be punished.

The bill suggests fines up to 400,000 rubles ($6,000) for private individuals, up to 900,000 rubles ($13,645) for public officials and up to 1.5mln rubles ($22,000) for organizations. The law doesn't criminalize disinformation activities even if they result in death or major disruption.
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War Whore

Calling Dr. Strangelove: The threat of nuclear war cannot prevent World War III forever

Robert Bridge
RT
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 19:17 UTC
dr strangelove
© Getty Images / Archive Holdings Inc.
Today, humanity is confronted with an ugly paradox in that the world's foremost peacekeepers are nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. One bad move on the geopolitical chessboard, however, could trigger a global catastrophe.

On July 25, 1945, in the waning moments of World War II, then US President Harry S. Truman jotted the following words in his diary, "We have discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world." But not terrible enough to employ them, it seems.

Just weeks later, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese industrial cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, indiscriminately killing some 200,000 civilians in, literally, a flash. Many others died in the years that followed from radiation poisoning and other associated illnesses. If there is a special place in hell for those who would expose the planet to such horrific weapons, Truman must certainly be there.

The historic tragedy is not without some dark irony. Albert Einstein, whose theory of relativity spearheaded the development of atomic weapons, was worried that Adolf Hitler would acquire the deadly know-how before the West. This prompted him in 1939 to write a letter to Truman's predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, advising him to expedite research into nuclear fission. American scientists, working in the secret Manhattan Project, succeeded beyond Einstein's wildest dreams.
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Megaphone

Hungarian PM Orban: Breakup of EU 'can't be ruled out' if Brussels tries to enforce pro-immigration policies


RT
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 18:58 UTC
eu flag burning
© REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that a breakup of the European Union cannot be ruled out if one part of the bloc tries to impose pro-immigration policies on another.

Quoted on the Hungarian government's website, Orban said he could see a danger of fragmentation within the European Union.

"If we are left alone and they do not force islamisation on us, Europe can continue to live as the club of free nations," Orban said, but added that if Brussels forces Hungary "to accept the UN migration pact or the European Commission's decisions so as to make us fit their own Western concessive policies, a breakup [of the EU] cannot be ruled out."

On Wednesday, Orban welcomed recent suggestions by French President Emmanuel Macron about needed reform of the EU and said it could be the "start of a serious debate" about the future of Europe.
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