Suzan eraslan is a theater director, Costume designer, and real estate agent, currently watching every movie ever nominated for best picture and documenting it here.
On February 2nd, 2017, Reuters reported that the U.S. military is investigating how many more civilian casualties resulted from DT's first military action in which a Navy SEAL and an 8-year-old American girl were killed.
On February 2nd, 2017, one of the corrections officers held in the Vaughn Rebellion was released at 5:00 AM, and another was unresponsive and pronounced dead at 5:30 AM. The inmates took control of the prison yesterday morning in protest of the poor conditions inside the prison, the harassment they have suffered at the hands of correctional officers, and "Donald Trump. Everything that he did. All the things that he’s doing now. We know that the institution is going to change for the worse."
On February 2nd, 2017, at 10:41 AM, in response to the anti-fascist black bloc action in Berkeley against white supremacist and UK national Milo Yiannopoulos, Fox News tweeted "Free speech for all or no federal funds!" as quoted from the Fox and Friends television program. At 11:13 AM, less than half an hour later, DT tweeted "If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?" This is yet another instance in which Fox News has made a point on television and DT has tweeted their point, often using the same language, minutes later. It should also be noted that it is not the White House's purview to revoke federal funding from a state university. See screenshots below (click to enlarge).
On February 2nd, 2017, a source at Nordstrom said that they would be winding down their brand partnership with Ivanka Trump's lifestyle brand of shoes, apparel, home goods, etc. While some inventory will remain, they will not be restocking. The decision is not yet public, but is likely due to the Grab Your Wallet campaign to boycott businesses that work with DT and his family.
On February 2nd, 2017, UBER CEO, in response to mass deletions and account cancelations of the car service app, announced that he was leaving the DT advisory council.
On February 2nd, 2017, the connection was made that, while the botched Yemen raid in which a Navy SEAL, and 8-year-old American girl, and like 15 other women and children were killed, DT tweeted this rather than being in the situation room. Press Secretary Sean Spicer insisted that the raid, which multiple sources have said was undertaken without sufficient intelligence, was laid out in advance by President Barack Obama, and was a success. Multiple Obama National Security officials have vehemently denied that the raid was laid out in detail by the previous administration.
On February 2nd, 2017, at her first visit to the United Nations, DT appointed UN Ambassador Nikki Haley condemned the military strike on the Ukraine by Russia. She said that she was sorry that on her first meeting she should have to bring this up, as the U.S. does "want to better our relations with Russia." "The dire situation in eastern Ukraine is one that demands clear and strong condemnation of Russian actions... The United States stands with the people of Ukraine, who have suffered for nearly three years under Russian occupation and military intervention. Until Russia and the separatists it supports respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, this crisis will continue." She later tweeted a screenshot of her notes app, condemning yesterday's attack. DT has yet to make a public statement regarding the intensifying military activity in Eastern Ukraine.
On February 2nd, 2017, at the National Prayer Breakfast, DT spent the vast majority of his speech bragging about his reality show and denigrating the ratings of new host Arnold Schwarzenegger. DT also said he did not know whether a chaplain was an appointed position before saying he was appointing chaplain Barry Black to another year, punctuating the declaration with, "The hell with it." DT followed up his situationally inappropriate swearing with a promise to dismantle the Johnson amendment, which prohibits tax-exempt organization from endorsing or opposing a political candidate. Arnold Schwarzenegger quickly shot back on Twitter saying, "Hey Donald. I have a great idea. Why don't we switch jobs? You take over TV, cause you're such an expert in ratings. And I take over your job, so that people can finally sleep comfortably again."
On February 2nd, 2017, an unnamed source reported that DT is obsessed with the appearance and dress of his staffers, specifically dictating that male staffers are to wear ties and women "must dress like women." The requirement for a clean cut appearance does not appear to extend to White House chief strategist and noted white supremacist and neo-Nazi Steve Bannon.
On February 2nd, 2017, the U.S. Treasury amended President Barack Obama's sanctions against Russia to "authorize certain transactions" with Russia's FSB, the post-Soviet name of the KGB. The extent to which the FSB participated in hacking American citizens during the election with DT's knowledge has yet to be investigated.
On February 2nd, 2017, the House of Representatives rolled back a rule restricting the sale of firearms to the severely mentally ill. House Republicans have been and continue to utilize the Congressional Review Act to systematically dismantling government protections put into place by President Barack Obama before he left office.
On February 2nd, 2017, thousands joined NYC based Yemeni bodega owners as they rallied against DT's executive order banning entry to the US for visa-holders from 7 majority Muslim nations, including Yemen. The bodega owners held a collective strike from noon to 8:00 PM, with a rally at Borough Hall. The bodega strike rally was fortified by a second protest demanding justice for Ramarley Graham, an unarmed Black teen who was killed by the NYPD, that started in Manhattan and crossed the bridge to join the Yemeni organized demonstration in Brooklyn This is the 6th mass demonstration in New York City since DT took office.
On February 2nd, 2017, Governor Dennis Daugaard overturned a voter-approved ethics law to enact an independent state ethics commission that would set strict limits on gifts to lawmakers.
On February 2nd, 2017, a mosque was vandalized in Montreal, continuing a rash of islamophobic violence at houses of worship in Canada. Windows were broken today, but the mosque was sprayed with graffiti earlier this week.
On February 2nd, 2017, Oregon Live reported that an Iranian infant and her parents who had applied for an been granted a visa to bring the girl to the US for open heart surgery had been denied entry because of the executive order banning travel to the US for those from 7 majority Muslim nations, including Iran. The surgery the 4-month-old girl requires cannot be performed in Iran because of a lack of equipment. Her parents were told to apply for a visa again in 90 days when the ban is lifted. The language of the executive order explicitly allows for the ban to be reinstated after the 3 month mark and possibly indefinitely.
On February 2nd, 2017, Nordstrom officially cut ties with the Ivanka Trump brand citing poor sales as their reason for dumping the brand. (KEEP BOYCOTTING, FRIENDS!)
On February 2nd, 2017, protesters at New York University cut short a presentation by little known racist and transphobic anti-feminist Gavin McInnes organized by the University's College Republicans. A red baseball cap was set on fire and 4 protesters were arrested. McInnes is the founder of the Proud Boys, a self-proclaimed anti-racial guilt and anti-feminist organization that has been an anti-fascist target since it was launched in December 2016.
On February 2nd, 2017, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi sparked controversy among DT supporters by calling noted white supremacist and neo-Nazi Steve Bannon a "white nationalist" on the House floor. It is unclear if those upset would have a similar problem with Pelosi stating that the sky is blue or that water is wet.
On February 2nd, 2017, DT mouthpiece Kellyanne Conway invoked a fictitious terror attack she called "the Bowling Green Massacre" to justify the executive order banning visa holders from 7 majority Muslim nations from entering the US while on Chris Matthews's "Hardball" television show. The Bowling Green Massacre never happened. It is unclear if Conway believes in the story.
CONTENT NOTE/TRIGGER WARNING: Rape, particularly spousal rape and incest On February 2nd, 2017, the Daily Beast reported that Arkansas quietly passed a draconian anti-abortion law last week that would allow a spouse or parent to prevent someone from seeking an abortion by suing the abortion provider. With no exception for incest or rape, the law provides no protections for abortion providers from those committing spousal rape or parents who have raped their own children.
On February 2nd, 2017, a Federal Court found that Alabama's gerrymandering of 12 state legislative districts unconstitutionally relied on race to redraw district lines, and ordered the districts to correct the "constitutional deficiencies before the 2018 primary elections."
On February 2nd, 2017, Ivanka Trump hosted a "working dinner party" to discuss issues facing women and mothers in the workplace with a group of guests comprised almost entirely of male CEOs. It is unclear how she planned to learn anything about the average working woman or mother from their male bosses.