WTF Just Happened Today

Monday, November 18, 2024

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1/ Trump confirmed that he plans to declare a national emergency “on day 1” to use the military to carry out “the largest deportation program in American history.” Trump responded “TRUE!!!” at 4:08 am to a post on his personal social media network that his incoming administration is “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.” There are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. – about 3% of the total U.S. population. (Politico / New York Times / ABC News / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Axios)

• ACLU sues ICE for transparency on Trump’s mass deportation plans and private deportation flights. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against ICE, accusing the agency of withholding information about its deportation operations, including contracts with private airlines and conditions on deportation flights. The lawsuit comes as Trump prepares to implement mass deportations, a campaign promise with few disclosed details. Advocates seek to uncover ICE’s practices, citing concerns over human rights abuses and misuse of taxpayer dollars. ICE has faced criticism for opaque operations and mistreatment of detainees, including shackling families and inadequate oversight of private contractors. (Washington Post)

2/ The Trump transition team is compiling a list of current and former U.S. military officers involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan for possible court-martial. A 2022 independent review by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction blamed both the Trump and Biden administrations for the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Trump team reportedly wants to create a commission to investigate the withdrawal, determine who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military and whether the military leaders could be charged with treason for following Biden’s order to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Trump has called the withdrawal a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.” (NBC News)

3/ House Speaker Mike Johnson said he’d “strongly request” that the House Ethics Committee not release its report into allegations of sex trafficking, corruption, and drug use by Matt Gaetz, Trump’s nominee for attorney general. “That is not the way we do things in the House,” Johnson said. “I think that would be a terrible precedent to set.” Gaetz resigned from Congress days before a House panel was set to vote on releasing a report on the allegations against Gaetz. His resignation ended the Ethics panel’s jurisdiction over him. The House Ethics Committee, meanwhile, will meet Wednesday to discuss and potentially vote to release the report anyway. Both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee want the report released for Senate consideration on whether to confirm Gaetz for attorney general. House Ethics Chair Michael Guest said the Ethics C...

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