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GOP silences Sen. Elizabeth Warren during debate on Jeff Sessions
Sen. Elizabeth Warren – Photo courtesy of popurls.com
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was officially silenced by Senate Republican leaders on February 7 for “impugning” Jeff
Sessions during debate on Sessions’ nomination to be attorney general. Warren was reading a letter from Coretta Scott King opposing Sessions’ 1986 see WARREN SILENCED page 12
Loser! 9th Circuit rules against Trump Muslim ban
WA AG Bob Ferguson celebrates 9th Circuit ruling – Photo courtesy of Associated Press
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the Trump administration’s request for a stay
delaying a district judge’s order allowing travelers from banned countries to enter the United States. US District Judge James Robart of Sesee 9TH CIRCUIT page 6
Mike Pence earns his keep Meet your new Casts deciding vote for Attorney General: Betsy DeVos He hates you!
Betsy DeVos confirmed as Secretary of Education due to tie-breaker vote cast by VP Pence – Photo courtesy of AP
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Vice President Mike Pence had to be called in to cast the deciding vote for Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos on February 7.
Every Democratic senator voted against her, along with two Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. That made for a 50-50 split, and Pence had to be summoned to do his constisee DEVOS page 12
Jeff Sessions confirmed as US Attorney General – Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Jeff Sessions was confirmed as US attorney general on February 8, on a largely party-line 52-to-47 vote. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democratic
senator to vote yes. Sessions modestly voted “present.” Both of Washington’s senators – Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell – voted no. “Sen. Sessions is not the attorney genersee SESSIONS page 12
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Celebrating 41 Years!
Bringing in the New Year by Kevin Wang MD Faculty Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency Program Special to the SGN 2017 brings in a new year full of challenges, opportunities and, in the case of the Seattle Gay News, another year full of articles from Swedish Medical Center. All of us at Swedish want to thank the readers of Seattle Gay News, whether it’s print or online, for your support. We will be here so long as you continue to read and send in comments! This year, we want to continue providing you information that is helpful to the LGBTQ community. We’ll be talking about some of the projects we’re hoping to get started this year at Swedish to provide a more welcoming environment for our LGBTQ community ranging from our adolescent patients to our geriatric ones. We’ll continue talking about important preventative measures that you can address with your primary care provider along with some articles to help guide you through available community resources. As always, we’re happy to write about topics that you’d like us to discuss. Feel free to contact those at Seattle Gay News (sgn2@sgn.org) and they’ll forward over your requests! So what are we going to write about this month? I decided to stray a bit from our usually medically focused article and write about something slightly different. I’ve had the opportunity to work with the Gender Justice League’s (www.genderjusticeleague.org) Say My Name: Name and Gender Marker Change Clinics. They had many types of volunteers ranging from legal experts to social workers to case workers to medical providers to our amazing allies. I think this is also a great opportunity to review how to correct your name and gender markers on your legal documentation here in Seattle. You might also be wondering why we decided to write about this and not about something like high blood pressure or cholesterol. I’m sure we’ll get to those soon enough. My desire to write this article comes from my own trans* panel who have some serious concerns about our current administration along with legislation that may prevent our trans* community from pursuing these corrections. We want our trans* community to know that we are here to support you and want to arm you with a checklist on how to access these services! First off, my go to place to find out how to correct your name and gender markers is www.transequality.org. This website has it all from how to change your name in your county to how to change your birth cer-
Kevin Wang, M.D. testifies before the Reference Committee on Health of the Public and Science against transphobic legislation – Photo by Chris Crawford / AAFP News
tificate information. You can also look up birth certificate information for other states if you were born outside of Washington. We’ll get to that soon! Let’s start with name corrections. For those of you who live in Seattle, you’ll need to file a petition with the clerk at your local district court division within the county of your residence. You’ll need to bring in your Photo ID. A copy of this petition, along with a step-by-step guide, is found on http://www.kingcounty.gov/courts/ district-court/name-changes.aspx. Keep in mind that there is a one-time fee of $171, cash only. Once the petition is filed, it will be presented to a judge for approval. I recommend getting additional copies of your name change order so that you can use it for other legal documentation changes. Once you have your name corrected, most folks will follow that with a gender marker correction on your state ID and/or driver’s license. It would be a good idea to wait until you have your name correction order in place so that you don’t have to do these separately. This form does require that you meet with your primary care provider, since it requires their signatures. Just head on over to http://www.dol.wa.gov/ driverslicense/genderchange.html to download the form. You can either go to a licens-
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ing office or mail in your form. Just remember that you’ll need to have a copy of your current WA ID, a $10 payment and the form to have your gender corrected on your state ID/driver’s license. For those of you who were born in WA, you can follow this up with getting your information corrected on your birth certificate. WA requires that you have a letter from your primary care provider that states your previous name (the one found on your original birth certificate), date of birth and corrected gender marker. Your provider does not need to have any details of your treatment. You also need to write a letter that has your name on record, birthdate, place of birth, parents’ full names listed on your birth certificate, contact information and the correction requested. You should also include one of the copies of name change orders (see above) if you want your name corrected, as well. You can also order copies of your new birth certificate. Each copy costs $20. Additional information can be found at http://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/BirthDeathMarriageandDivorce/GenderChange. For those of you who are born outside of WA, the Transequality website has information for each state. Just go to http:// www.transequality.org/documents. You
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can search for your state to check out the requirements. Some states, however, are stricter and require that you have had gender affirmation surgery. In regards to federal documents, let’s start with passports. This will require that you obtain a letter from your primary care provider. They’re pretty strict with the wording on this letter. Your provider can find a sample letter on the Transequality website. If you plan on correcting your gender marker on an existing passport or getting one for the first time, you’ll need to download the application (it’s on the website) and provide proof of US citizenship (previous passport, birth certificate), proof of identity that has your signature and photograph (previous passport, driver’s license), a recent color 2”x2” photo, name change order (if you’re changing your name, too), a provider letter along with the fee. This will require that you go to an office in person. This information above may be found on the website at http://www.transequality.org/know-your-rights/passports. If you’d like to simply correct your name, this can be done by filling out the passport renewal application and sending this in with your most recent passport, a recent 2”x2” color photo, order for name change (see above) along with an applicable fee. This information can also be found at http://www.transequality.org/know-yourrights/passports. The last bit of information we’ll talk about is correcting your name and gender marker on your social security record. Keep in mind that gender information is not typically recorded on the card. However, some programs do match gender against social security records and you’ll need to keep that in mind if your employer isn’t as accepting. To correct your gender information, you will need a US passport with the correct information, birth certificate with the correct information or a signed letter by your provider (easiest for you!). There is a sample letter on the Transequality website that your doctor can use. Just go to http://www.transequality.org/knowyour-rights/social-security. To correct your name, you’ll need a name change order (see above). There are other ways to correct your name but this is the easiest. I hope that this information will give our trans* community the tools they need to take some matters into their own hands. And for our trans* people who are seeking primary care, know that Swedish is there to provide you with the care you’re looking for!
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TRUMP’S ALTERNATE FACTS by Janice Van Cleve SGN Contributing Writer (Tune: “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things”) Electoral college gave me a landslide A mandate to end the illegals’ free ride I had the biggest Crowd on the mall These are a few of my alternate facts It’s just not true that climate’s a-changing Coal mining’s future is gonna be gaining Putin did nothing
To help me to win These are a few of my alternate facts I love all women, that’s why I grope them I love the Muslims, that’s why I ban them I’ll make the Mexicans Pay for the wall These are a few of my alternate facts DeVos will improve our public schools Sessions will fairly defend the rules Carsen will stuff All his pyramids with grain These are few of my alternate facts
The media’s biased except when they praise me China’s a bad guy except when they fund me Intelligence agencies Got it all wrong These are a few of my alternate facts When the critics fact check against me When the experts prove me wrong When my alternate facts Have nothing to say I turn and she’s there Kellyanne Conway!
Surviving the Age of Trump by Jesse Monteagudo SGN Contributing Writer The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States was the most traumatic and unexpected event in modern American history. Trump, a businessman and reality show star with no political or military experience, triumphed over Hillary Clinton, a deeply flawed but much more experienced candidate. Trump’s election was the triumph of the Tea Party movement, perhaps our country’s most successful political movement. Created in reaction to Barack Obama’s pricey stimulus package and Affordable Care Act, the Tea Party articulated the Heartland’s fear and anger at big government, illegal immigrants, Muslim terrorists, and uppity minorities. Unlike the left-leaning Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter movements, the Tea Party knew its way around our twoparty system and was able to take control of the Republican Party. Thanks to the Tea Party, the GOP took over the House of Representatives in 2010 and the Senate in 2014. Trump realized the power of the Tea Party, put himself at the head of it, and won the Republican nomination for President against a crowded field of candidates. The Trump election completed the Tea Party
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takeover of the federal government. Trump promised to be “more presidential” once he became president, but in fact President Trump is just like Candidate Trump, only with more power. An Alpha Male with an enormous ego to match his aspirations, Trump was always convinced of his own greatness and of his capacity to win at anything that he sets out to do. In Trump’s mind he is always right and his enemies are always wrong; and Trump is merciless to those who dare to attack or criticize him. Just like he did in business, President Trump intends to do things his own way, extending the power of the president and rejecting constitutional checks and balances, whether on the part of Congress, the courts, or what he calls the “dishonest media.” Though he is the most powerful man on earth, Donald Trump is not a happy man. Vain and insecure, Trump sees himself as the challenged hero of his own saga, constantly surrounded by enemies. Unlike his predecessors, who laughed when they were spoofed by the comics on Saturday Night Live, Trump gets upset anytime Alec Baldwin or anyone else does a Trump impersonation. With First Lady Melania at the Trump Tower with their son, and daughter Ivanka at home with her own family, the lonely Trump articulates his hatreds
and frustrations by sending out late night Tweeter messages, attacking everything and everyone who does not kiss his ass and letting his advisors clean up the mess. I almost feel sorry for presidential shills Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus and Kellyanne Conway; who constantly have to defend a boss who cannot be treated as a rational human being. This sympathy should not extend to White House strategist Steve Bannon, Trump’s grey eminence, whom I believe is truly evil. Though most of Trump’s self-described “deplorables” continue to support their hero, the Trump administration is a disaster for those of us who refuse to surrender to his whims. How do we survive the Age of Trump? Though Trump might want to model his rule after that of his idol, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Trump is not a dictator. Our country’s federal and constitutional system does not allow anyone to have his own way, not even authoritarian types like our Tabloid President. Ours is a great country, no matter how much Trump and his stooges might try to ruin it, and there is still a lot to love about the USA. Those of us who opposed Candidate Trump and now oppose President Trump must and will continue the fight, for ourselves and for those we love, and we will prevail.
Celebrating 41 Years!
Trump vs Nordstrom by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Donald Trump launched an attack on Seattle-based retail giant Nordstrom on February 8, after the company dropped Ivanka Trump’s line of clothing and accessories. “My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom,” Trump tweeted. “She is a great person – always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!” The tweet originally went out on Trump’s personal account but it was then retweeted from his official POTUS account. Nordstrom announced in January that it was dropping Ivanka Trump’s line “based on the brand’s performance.” It was the fifth major retailer to do so. Meanwhile, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls – owned by TJX Companies – pulled all Ivanka signs and features and banished her clothing to the “runs,” the regular racks where most of their goods are displayed. Following up on Trump’s tweet, the White House seemed to go all out to promote Ivanka’s merchandise. In a February 9 interview on “Fox and Friends,” Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway urged viewers to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff.” She personally was going to do so, Conway added. Later the same day, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said at a briefing that Nordstrom’s decision was a “direct attack” on Trump and his policies. “This is a direct attack on his policies and her name, so there’s clearly an attempt for him to stand up for her because she’s being maligned because they have a problem with his policies,” Spicer said. By February 9, Donald Trump Jr. was joining calls on Breitbart to boycott Nord-
Trump’s tweet in response to Nordstrom dropping Ivanka’s clothing line – Photo by Michael Vadon / Flickr (CC-BY)
strom in retaliation. “Exclusive – Women Nationwide Cut Up Nordstrom’s Cards, Plan Boycotts After Political Decision to Drop Ivanka Trump,” he tweeted. Nordstrom replied that its decision was strictly business, not personal. “Over the past year, and particularly in the last half of 2016, sales of the brand have steadily declined to the point where it didn’t make good business sense for us to continue with the line for now,” Nordstrom said in a statement.
Legal experts said Trump and Conway violated ethical norms and possibly federal law because of their statements. Norm Eisen, former ethics advisor to President Obama and co-founder of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called the Trump tweet “outrageous.” “Nordstrom, others injured should consider suing, incl. under CA Unfair Comp Law, forbidding ‘any unfair biz act,’” Eisen wrote on Twitter. “I will help!” “Appears Kellyanne Conway may have
just violated ban on Federal employee using public office for endorsement of product. 5 CFR 2635.702,” tweeted attorney Larry Noble, general counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan organization of lawyers based in DC. In January, Eisen and Richard Painter – also a former White House ethics attorney who worked for George W. Bush – filed suit against Trump, charging that his businesses get payments from foreign governments, thus violating the emoluments clause of the US Constitution.
Your voice, your choice: Help decide how to spend $2 million of the city’s budget Share your project ideas today Last year, youth engaged in Seattle’s first participatory budgeting process in which more than 3,000 young people decided how to spend $700,000 of the City’s budget. Building on this success, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON) is expanding the concept to the new Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks & Streets. Now all ages will have the opportunity to decide how to spend $2,000,000 of the City’s budget on small-scale physical improvement projects in Seattle’s parks and streets. Have an idea for a project? You can submit your ideas now or at an in-person idea collection session. Projects could include community crosswalks, medians, flashing beacons, sidewalk repair, curb ramps, park benches, and trail improvements, to name a few. The only criteria are the ideas must focus on Seattle’s parks or streets, benefit the public, and cost $90,000 or less. Ideas will be collected through the month of February. Once ideas are submitted, Department of Neighborhoods will recruit volunteers in March and April to be part of the project development teams in each Council District. The role of these teams will be to turn the submitted project ideas into eight to 10 proposals for the ballot. In June, everyone will have the opportunity to vote for the top projects within their Council District. Voting will take place on-
From Seattle Department of Neighborhoods – Photo by Frank-Fujimoto
line and at in-person voting stations. Then in 2018, those projects that received the most votes will be funded and implemented by the City. Up to $285,000 will be spent
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per District. Share your ideas today! If you have questions about how to get involved in any of the phases, contact Jenny Frankl at
206.233.2044 or Jenny.Frankl@seattle.gov.
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Courtesy of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
Mid-winter news from Out In Front! Keeping Busy in the Winter Months Our current cohort is more than halfway finished with their program (where did the time go?) and the Board of Directors is preparing for a busy spring and summer season. Thank You! Thanks to more than 30 donors, we reached our goal of raising $5,000 for scholarships and tuition assistance! Gifts made during our Giving Tuesday/Holiday Appeal will help reduce the cost of tuition for eligible participants in the 2017-18 cohort. Thank you for your generous gifts. If you’d still like to participate, visit www. outinfrontseattle.org. Program Sessions Head To Completion
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continued from cover attle ruled on February 3 that immigration and customs officials nationwide may not enforce Trump’s executive order barring travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. The Trump administration asked Robart for a stay pending appeal but he refused. The administration then turned to the 9th Circuit, but that court has now turned him down as well.
The cohort recently participated in the LGBTQ Diversity Retreat, a two-day intensive workshop which covers how various identities impact our interactions and why understanding the diversity within the LGBTQ community – and the need for the inclusion of multiple voices and perspectives – is essential to effective leadership. In February the cohort heads south to Olympia to gain in-depth understanding of the legislative process. In March, Media Day helps the participants consider and select the appropriate forms of media while transmitting a persuasive and compelling message. In April, as the program begins to wind down, Finding Your Place helps the participants assess their talents and skills and make decisions about how best to use them
on the local, regional, national or international stage. Finally in May, Sustainable Action helps the participants prepare for the future and learn strategies to sustain themselves as leaders.
The effect of the 9th Circuit decision is that entry into the United States remains as it was before Trump’s intervention: US citizens, green card holders, and visa holders may enter at will, and refugees may enter after legal vetting. The 9th Circuit rejected the Trump administration’s arguments that the states of Washington and Minnesota lacked standing to bring the original lawsuit. The fact that students and workers residing in the two plaintiff states were swept up in the Trump ban was sufficient to establish harm, the circuit court ruled.
On the subject of the stay – which would have allowed the ban to remain in place until a court could decide the case on its merits – the 9th Circuit said that its decision was “guided by four questions: “(1) whether the stay applicant has made a strong showing that he is likely to succeed on the merits; (2) whether the applicant will be irreparably injured absent a stay; (3) whether issuance of the stay will substantially injure the other parties interested in the proceeding; and (4) where the public interest lies.” On each question, the court ruled
2017-18 Cohort Applications The application for our 10th cohort is now available at www.outinfrontseattle. org. Space in the cohort is limited so we encourage you to apply now to receive priority interview scheduling. We encourage all interested applicants to read the program materials and application thoroughly before beginning the application. Graduation 2017! You are cordially invited to celebrate our newest alumni at Graduation! Join us
on Thursday June 8, 2017 at 7pm at Mount Baker Community Club. You’ll have an opportunity to meet our alumni, members of the Out In Front board, our presenters and supporters. We promise an evening filled with food, drink and inspiration. More detailed information will be announced soon or visit www.outinfrontseattle.org. Dates to Remember GiveBig 2017 – Wednesday, May 10 Graduation 2017 – Thursday, June 8 Courtesy of Out in Front
against the Trump administration. Trump was quick to react. In an all-caps tweet written within minutes of the court’s announcement, he promised “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” Trump may now appeal for an en banc hearing by the full 9th Circuit, or he may ask the Supreme Court to review his lawyers’ request for a stay.
Lawyer who defended Prop 8 likely pick for solicitor general spot by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The lawyer who defended anti-equality Prop 8 on behalf of the Protect Marriage organization is expected to Donald Trump’s pick for solicitor general of the United States. Chuck Cooper is considered the likely nominee because he is a longtime friend of newly confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Cooper, from Alabama like Sessions, is reported to have helped prepare Sessions for his Senate confirmation hearing. In gratitude, Sessions is said to want Cooper for the job and a “source close to the White House” says that Trump has agreed to let Sessions pick his own man for solicitor general, Yahoo News reported. As solicitor general he would be the country’s top trial lawyer, charged with defending laws passed by the Republicancontrolled Congress and – significantly – Trump’s executive orders. In 2013, Cooper unsuccessfully argued that his clients – the group that put the repeal of same-sex marriage on the California ballot – should be able to defend the law in court when the State of California refused to do so. In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court dismissed Cooper’s appeal, saying that Protect Marriage had no standing to intervene in the case. Same-sex marriages were then allowed to resume in California two years before the high court legalized them nationwide in its Obergefell decision. The 2013 Prop 8 case was not Cooper’s only Supreme Court appearance for an anti-LGBT cause. In 1986, working as
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Chuck Cooper is the likely pick for Solicitor General – Photo by Paul Sakuma / AP Photo
a lawyer in Ronald Reagan’s Office of Legal Counsel, Cooper argued that the federal government could reject job applicants with AIDS out of fear of contagion. In a 7-to-2 decision the Supreme Court rejected the government’s arguments, ruling that individuals with AIDS are protected under laws applying to disabled individuals.
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Cooper has also argued in favor of giving federal tax breaks to religious schools that discriminate on the basis of race. In 1983, however, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government may, indeed, revoke the tax-exempt status of religious schools for racial discrimination. Cooper says that since his work on the Prop 8 case his position on same-sex mar-
riage “has evolved.” The evolution may be due to his Lesbian daughter, who married her partner in 2014. Cooper reportedly helped plan the wedding.
Celebrating 41 Years!
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Celebrating 41 Years!
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Celebrating 41 Years!
Rep. Jayapal introduces bill to protect people detained while entering the US by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Newly elected congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-7) has introduced her first bill – the Access to Counsel Act – to make certain that people detained while attempting to enter the United States are guaranteed access to legal counsel. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), also newly elected to her post, is sponsoring the companion bill in the Senate. The bill is being brought forward even before the chaos created by Donald Trump’s Muslim-ban executive order has been fully sorted out. After Trump’s order, hundreds of travelers – including refugees, immigrants, green card holders, and US citizens, many of them women, children, or elderly – were detained at US ports of entry. Many were held without food or water or access to legal counsel to help them understand their rights. “The day after the president signed his inhumane Muslim-ban executive order, innocent men, women, and children at Seattle-Tacoma and airports across the country were detained and barred from entering the United States without any access to counsel,” Jayapal said in a statement. “Unlawfully detaining and deporting individuals is wrong, and denying them access to an attorney is a gross violation of basic rights. To uphold principles of due process and fair treatment, this bill will ensure the government gives individuals access to an attorney.” “Detention without access to representation goes against the basic values of our judicial system,” Harris added. “Refugees, immigrants, students, and tourists all deserve to be able to access their lawyer in legal proceedings that could change the course of their lives, whether they enter the country at an airport or come across the border. Interactions with immigration enforcement officials are often confusing and disorienting, and no one should be exploited because of their lack of knowledge of our legal system.” Jayapal’s bill requires Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and
Pramila Jayapal and Kamala Harris – Photos courtesy of bp.blogspot.com and emilyslist.org
Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to provide access to counsel to anyone, including noncitizens and unaccompanied children, who may be detained at airports, ports of entry, and detention centers. The Access to Counsel Act of 2017 would: • affirm that the right to access to counsel attaches at the time of holding or detention; • provide a redress option if counsel cannot personally meet with those detained at the border or ports of entry for the provision of legal advice remotely (e.g., phone or videoconference); • invalidate any effort by immigration enforcement officials to persuade someone
to relinquish their legal status (by executing a Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status or Withdrawal of Application for Admission) if that person has been denied access to counsel; and • direct that CBP and ICE shall limit detention to the briefest term possible and least restrictive conditions practicable, and include access to food, water, and restroom facilities. Eleven members of the US House of Representatives have signed on as original co-sponsors for the Access to Counsel Act: Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Hakeem
Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D- Calif.), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), and Cedric Richmond (D-La.). Six senators signed on as original co-sponsors: Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Thirty-five organizations, including the City of Seattle, are also supporting the legislation.
Sen. Maria Cantwell takes on Army Corps of Engineers Action on DAPL is “unlawful and unacceptable” by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell has sent a letter critical of the Army Corps of Engineers to Donald Trump. At issue is the Corps’ sudden approval of an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) that would encroach on a lake supplying drinking water to the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. Cantwell was joined by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and senior Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee. The Standing Rock Sioux opposed the pipeline project from its inception, and it had been blocked by the Obama administration. The tribe worried that any oil spill would destroy Lake Oahe, which provides drinking water for the Standing Rock Reservation and another reservation further
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Senator Maria Cantwell – Photo courtesy of spokesman.com
down the Missouri River. Trump, however, ordered an expedited review of DAPL as one of his first official acts. “The arbitrary and capricious decision to grant the easement now ignores the rights of tribal governments, circumvents legal requirement, and stifles the voices of millions of people who have expressed concerns over the process to date,” Cantwell and colleagues said in a letter to Trump. “Granting this easement without meaningful tribal consultation, or proper preview of environmental impacts, is unlawful and morally acceptable.” Cantwell’s letter noted that the Corps seemingly rushed to judgment at the demand of Donald Trump. It was Corps policy to notify Congress that it intended to grant an easement, and then wait at least 14 days before actually doing so. The sudden DAPL easement “violates that policy and circumvents appropriate
congressional review,” the lawmakers told Trump. “The United States has both a legal and moral responsibility to uphold its tribal treaty and trust responsibilities. This announcement demonstrates a total disregard for tribal rights, the rule of law, separation of powers, and transparency.” The Seattle City Council has voted to oppose the DAPL project, and it decided on February 7 to end the city’s financial relationship with Wells Fargo Bank over the bank’s support of the pipeline. Meanwhile, Standing Rock Sioux leaders vowed to continue their fight against the project. “As native peoples, we have been knocked down again. But we will get back up, we will rise above the greed and corruption that has plagued our peoples since first contact,” tribal chairman Dave Archambault II said in a statement.
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nomination to a federal judgeship when Republican leader Mitch McConnell objected. Warren had violated Senate Rule 19, he charged, by reading this sentence from King’s letter: “Mr. Sessions has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens.” Rule 19 – established in 1902 after a fistfight broke out on the Senate floor between the two senators from South Carolina – says that “No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or un-
SESSIONS
continued from cover al this country needs,” Murray said before the vote. “I urge members of the Senate to stand up for the Constitution, to stand with your fellow Americans. The stakes are too high to make Sen. Sessions our next attorney general. I urge you to join me in voting against this nomination. Now, more than ever, we need an attorney general who will be independent and willing to stand up to President Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional actions, whenever they happen. The last thing this country needs is a rubber stamp to validate this administration’s illegal actions.” Sessions’ dismal record on race was a key issue driving opposition to his confirmation, but his record on LGBT rights is equally appalling. In the course of his 20-
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continued from cover tutional duty and cast the deciding vote as president of the Senate. It was reportedly the first time a vice president has had to cast a tie-breaking vote on a cabinet nominee. Through her husband, Dick DeVos, she is heiress to the multibillion-dollar Amway fortune. Her brother, Erik Prince, is founder of Blackwater, the company that supplied mercenaries for the US side in Iraq. An elder of the controversial Mars Hill Church, DeVos is also a longtime funder of charter schools groups, earning her the op-
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becoming a Senator.” “The senator has impugned the motives and conduct of our colleague from Alabama,” McConnell said about Warren. The presiding senator, Republican Steve Daines of Montana, agreed and ordered Warren to sit down. She objected, stating, “I am surprised that the words of Coretta Scott King are not suitable for debate in the United States Senate.” Ultimately, the Senate, on a party-line 49-to-43 vote, ruled that Warren had to be silent for the rest of the debate on Sessions. “I’ve been red-carded on Sen. Sessions; I’m out of the game of the Senate floor. I don’t get to speak at all,” Warren said in a brief phone conversation with MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow. Warren then took to social media to reg-
ister her opposition to Sessions. “I will not be silent about a nominee for AG who has made derogatory & racist comments that have no place in our justice system,” she tweeted. Warren then went to a room off the Senate chamber where she read the full Coretta Scott King letter aloud on Facebook. Meanwhile Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) took to the Senate floor to finish reading the letter from the point at which Warren was cut off. No one objected to Udall’s reading. Georgetown law professor Heidi Feldman, having seen on the news what happened to Warren, decided to head to the Capitol and read King’s letter out loud, to whomever might want to listen. “I’ve been an increasingly political active person since 2008,” she said. “I marched in the Women’s March, and I’ve
organized law students. I just felt that I had to do this.” Feldman tweeted her plans and location, and arrived on the lawn south of the Senate at 10:15 p.m. Not long after, a dozen protesters joined her, taking turns reading from the letter. Ironically, Sessions was still a member of the Senate, and therefore protected by Rule 19, only because Republican leaders needed his vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary and so delayed action on Sessions’ nomination until after DeVos was confirmed. DeVos was confirmed on February 7 by the narrowest of margins – 51 to 50 – with Vice President Mike Pence being brought in to cast the tie-breaking vote.
year career as a US senator from Alabama, Sessions: • voted for a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage, • voted against even debating the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), • voted against repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, • voted twice against protecting LGBT people under federal hate crimes laws, • co-sponsored a bill to allow states to opt out of federally mandated marriage equality, • co-sponsored the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) to allow discrimination against LGBT people based on religious claims, and • said states have a right to pass laws like North Carolina’s HB 2 (the so-called “bathroom bill”). Human rights groups responded to the confirmation with defiance. “BREAKING: Jeff Sessions confirmed as attorney general,” the ACLU tweeted.
“If he violates the Constitution, we’ll sue.” “Jeff Sessions has been confirmed,” organizers of the Women’s March added. “Sanctuary cities are now more important than ever. This is why we will continue to resist. #WhyIResist.” “It is deeply disturbing that Jeff Sessions, who has such clear animus against so many Americans – including the LGBTQ community, women, and people of color – could be charged with running the very system of justice designed to protect them,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. Sessions has earned a lifetime zero rating from HRC. “Tonight’s Senate vote to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions as US attorney general marks a profoundly sad day for justice in our country,” Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) wrote in a statement. “It is the duty of the attorney general to rigorously protect and defend the civil rights of all Americans. Sen. Sessions’ past actions, voting record, and public com-
ments, particularly regarding communities of color, LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and those with disabilities, offer little assurance that he is suited to uphold that critical responsibility.” The debate on Sessions’ confirmation was rancorous, with Republicans ordering Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren to be silent. Afterwards, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer vented his frustration. “What we’ve seen is a president who belittles judges when they don’t agree with him,” Schumer said. “What we’ve seen is a president who is willing to shake the roots of the Constitution and a fundamental premise – no religious test – that’s embodied in our Constitution, within his first few weeks in office. “We certainly need an attorney general who will stand up to that president… But [Sessions] is not – if you can say one thing about him – he’s not independent of Donald Trump.”
position of the giant American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA) unions, the ACLU, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. DeVos didn’t help her nomination with a lackluster performance at her confirmation hearing. Despite Republican efforts to bolster her testimony, almost all observers found her answers shallow if not outright ignorant of education policy. “It was the most embarrassing confirmation hearing that I have ever seen,” said Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.). He demanded that Republicans explain how they could still support her. “If we cannot set aside party loyalty long enough to perform the essential duty
of vetting the president’s nominees, what are we even doing here?” Franken asked. Senate Democrats held the floor for the final 24 hours before her confirmation vote, taking turns to speak out against her confirmation. Collins and Murkowski had announced they were voting against DeVos well before the vote, but a number of Republican senators had not announced whether they would vote yes or no, giving Democrats at least a hope that their speeches could sway one more Republican to block the nomination. In the end, however, Donald Trump got what he wanted, even though he had to send Mike Pence down to the Capitol to put DeVos over the top. Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top
Democrat on the committee whose GOP members approved DeVos, said that Democrats’ efforts to block the nomination were not wasted although they were unsuccessful. “It’s made an impact here and made a difference,” she said. “And I think it’s woken each of us up in this country to what we value and what we want.” Lily Eskelsen García, president of the NEA, said her union would tap into the vast database of advocates it had built during the confirmation process to help keep DeVos in check. “As soon as she does something alarming, it will be known, it will be seen,” she said. “She won’t be able to hide.”
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Celebrating 41 Years!
Pope: Donald Trump is not a Christian Steve Bannon: Pope isn’t either by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Pope Francis strongly implied that Donald Trump is un-Christian in a February 8 sermon, while Trump advisor Steve Bannon has been working with traditionalist Catholic clergy to undermine the pontiff. “In the social and civil context as well, I appeal not to create walls but to build bridges,” the pope said in his weekly catechism lesson. “To not respond to evil with evil. To defeat evil with good, the offense with forgiveness. A Christian would never say ‘you will pay for that.’ Never. “That is not a Christian gesture. An offense you overcome with forgiveness. To live in peace with everyone.” Francis has used the “bridge not walls” theme before. Last year, after visiting the US-Mexican border, the pope replied to a question about Trump by saying that anyone who wants to build a wall instead of a bridge is “not Christian.” Meanwhile former Breitbart boss and current Trump advisor Steve Bannon has been cozying up to traditionalist Catholic officials who are opposed to the pope. According to the New York Times, Bannon has allied himself with Cardinal Raymond Burke, a longtime opponent of Pope Francis. Burke was appointed cardinal by the ultraconservative Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and occupied a series of powerful positions in the Vatican bureaucracy. He then ran afoul of Benedict’s successor, Pope Francis, at one point even threatening to “formally correct” the new pope’s teaching on families. Francis fired Burke from his most important posts and sent him to be papal del-
Pope Francis – Photo courtesy of upi.com
egate to the Knights of Malta, the modern remnant of an old crusading order. Even in that innocuous post, Burke annoyed the pope, who replaced him with a mere archbishop on February 2. According to the Times, Bannon’s relationship with Burke goes back to the cardinal’s glory days in 2014, shortly before he lost his Vatican posts. Bannon visited the Vatican in April 2014 to recruit Edward Pentin, a leading Catholic traditionalist reporter, to write for Breitbart. Pentin is the author of The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? – a book charging that Pope Francis and his lib-
eral associates steamrolled the Vatican’s Synod on the Family. While in Rome, Bannon also met Benjamin Harnwell, a confidant of Cardinal Burke and “the smartest guy in Rome,” according to Bannon. Harnwell arranged for Bannon to meet Burke. The two hit it off right away, the Times says, because both felt a need to counter what they saw as a “cultural Marxism” that had seeped into the church and resulted in Francis’s election. Bannon found the meeting “incredibly powerful.” “When you recognize someone who has sacrificed in order to remain true to
his principles and who is fighting the same kind of battles in the cultural arena, in a different section of the battlefield, I’m not surprised there is a meeting of hearts,” Harnwell told the Times. “There are huge areas where we and the pope do overlap, and as a loyal Catholic, I don’t want to spend my life fighting against the pope on issues where I won’t change his mind,” Harnwell added. “Far more valuable for me would be spend time working constructively with Steve Bannon.”
Trump not welcome here, Speaker of Parliament says by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer Donald Trump is not welcome in the House of Commons, Speaker John Bercow told the House on February 6. Trump had essentially invited himself for a state visit to Britain, and Bercow wanted to head off any idea that he would be asked to address Parliament. “We value our relationship with the United States,” Bercow said from chair in Westminster Hall. “However, as far as this place is concerned, I feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the House of Commons. “Before the imposition of the migrant ban, I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall. “After the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump, I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.” Opposition Labor leader Jeremy Corbin tweeted “Well said, John Bercow. We must stand up for our country’s values. Trump’s state visit should not go ahead.” Labor member Paul Flynn told the speaker that “we owe you a debt of gratitude for deciding, in this case, that such an invitation should not be supported by members of this House.” Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farrow added, “Trump should be under no illusion. We are snubbing him.” On the government side of the aisle, however, Bercow’s comments sparked outrage. The Chair of the Commons Foreign
Speaker John Bercow – Photo courtesy of sandrakessell.wordpress.com
Affairs Committee, Conservative Crispin Blunt, attacked Bercow for expressing a political opinion. “He has no idea whether he will be speaking for a majority of the House of Commons, and this is why speakers do not express their opinion,” Blunt said. “That’s the entire point; otherwise they can’t remain neutral and above the political fray.” According to the British website ITV,
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Conservative members of Parliament are plotting to vote Bercow out. “Things are moving fast,” one member told ITV. “He could be gone this week.” Nevertheless, Prime Minister Theresa May has not called for a vote of no confidence in Bercow. Bercow said – well before his remarks about Trump – that he would retire from the speakership at the end of 2017. While Bercow has not backed down
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from his statement on Trump, he did apologize to the Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord Fowler, who complained that he had not been consulted before Bercow made his speech. “I should make it clear that I was not consulted on that decision or its timing,” Fowler complained. “However, the speaker contacted me this morning. He told me that while he maintained his view on the issue, he was genuinely sorry for failing to consult with me. “I do not intend to argue the case for or against Mr. Trump’s visit – that is not my role as speaker. But allow me to say that I have spent the last 30 years campaigning against prejudice and discrimination, particularly for the rights of LGBT people and those with HIV/AIDS.” Before being elected speaker, Bercow was himself a Conservative member of Parliament, but he earned a reputation as a maverick who was often in trouble with his party’s leadership. In particular, Bercow defied the Conservative Party on LGBT issues. In November 2002, when the Labor government introduced the Adoption and Children Act, which would allow unmarried same-sex and opposite-sex couples to adopt children, the Conservative leadership ordered their members to vote against the bill. Bercow jumped ship and voted with Labor for same-sex adoption rights. In 2010, Bercow won the Stonewall Politician of the Year award for his work to support equality for Britain’s LGBT community.
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