Nationwide Order

Tonight, federal judge issues temporary restraining order, effective nationwide—

Judge James Robart, a George W. Bush appointee, made his ruling effective immediately on Friday, suggesting that travel restrictions could be lifted straight away. He is expected to issue a full written ruling over the weekend.

With Friends Like These

Anne Laurie, with a small rundown of the opener for dismantling Dodd-Frank. Only to help his nice friends, whose "nice businesses" can't possibly borrow money. It's rough for those plain people, sons of the soil, the people of Goldman and of Sachs...

This, too; and certainly just for starters—

Eric Trump's business trip to Uruguay cost taxpayers $97,830 in hotel bills— When the president-elect's son Eric Trump jetted to Uruguay in early January for a Trump Organization promotional trip, U.S. taxpayers were left footing a bill of nearly $100,000 in hotel rooms for Secret Service and embassy staff.

It was a high-profile jaunt out of the country for Eric, the fresh-faced executive of the Trump Organization who, like his father, pledged to keep the company separate from the presidency. Eric mingled with real estate brokers, dined at an open-air beachfront eatery and spoke to hundreds at an "ultra exclusive" Trump Tower Punta del Este evening party celebrating his visit.

The Uruguayan trip shows how the government is unavoidably entangled with the Trump company as a result of the president's refusal to divest his ownership stake. In this case, government agencies are forced to pay to support business operations that ultimately help to enrich the president himself. Though the Trumps have pledged a division of business and government, they will nevertheless depend on the publicly funded protection granted to the first family as they travel the globe promoting their brand.

Here's one little estimate—

Also...

Weekending

After a hard week of signing stuff...

He headed off to a restful weekend at the Southern Palace—where, at last report, the price of membership had doubled. But "last report" was over a week ago... Perhaps its value has risen more, after his photo op with his "friends," who "can't borrow money" until Dodd-Frank is crushed.

A couple days ago, Clever Sister was browsing articles at STAT. Amid headlines, "Travel ban threatens medical research and access to care in the US, groups warn"; "Trump's Immigration and Travel Ban Causes Confusion, Disruption in Genomics Community"; and stories on criticism of charity fundraisers at Mar al Lago... someone slipped this in—

"With a doctor ensnared in the immigration ban, Cleveland Clinic is still planning fundraiser at The Toupee of Doom resort"

It's Safe To Come Out Now

Out of the woodwork; into the White House... Digby, on a formerly anonymous writer (and "dystopian prophet") who's now joined the team

...the author of some notorious essays written under the pseudonym Publius Decius Mus is actually a former George W. Bush speechwriter named Michael Anton, who has now joined the Trump administration as a national security adviser. (Anton's pseudonym apparently refers to a Roman general who sacrificed himself in battle.)

Sample quote from his oeuvre—

"The ceaseless importation of Third World foreigners with no tradition of, taste for, or experience in liberty means that the electorate grows more left, more Democratic, less Republican, less republican, and less traditionally American with every cycle."

Digby—

As you can see, "Third World foreigners" and the "left" are not traditionally American in his view. Their children are being spawned for the purpose of forming a permanent class of rulers dedicated to oppressing the white and native-born "real" Americans who have the only legitimate claim to the country. Anton passionately declared, "I want my party to live. I want my country to live. I want my people to live."

Groundhog Day

Pat Bagley

The Barbarian Conquest, Day 8

It seemed to have been a pretty quiet day. I assumed He was resting up for tomorrow... His big phone date, when he presumably receives marching orders.

Earlier, he did manage to sign a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day... without mentioning Jews.

In the three-paragraph statement Friday, Trump said: "It is with a heavy heart and somber mind that we remember and honor the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror."

"Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest.‎ As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent," he continued, again referring only to "the innocent."

Before the day ended, he ordered "extreme vetting" against refugees. So much for preventing horror against innocents.

But maybe "the innocent" was merely a slogan in the war against women's health. Holocaust remembrance as a plug for today's forced-birth march. After all, the newly-purchased executive branch sent over a VP to give the keynote.

The Barbarian Conquest, Day 7

So, there is a plan for "American jobs"...

Also, a new graphic representation of "temporary ban" countries...

WaPo reports tonight...

On the morning after Donald Trump's inauguration, acting National Park Service director Michael T. Reynolds received an extraordinary summons: The new president wanted to talk to him.

In a Saturday phone call, Trump personally ordered Reynolds to produce additional photographs of the previous day's crowds on the Mall, according to three individuals who have knowledge of the conversation. The president believed that the photos might prove that the media had lied in reporting that attendance had been no better than average.

Trump also expressed anger over a retweet sent from the agency's account, in which side-by-side photographs showed far fewer people at his swearing-in than had shown up to see Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009.

Now that He owns everything, everyone is a possible target of his rage over his true smallness.