“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly” – President Trump, in response to protesters who came out for the Women’s March on Washington
The Crib Sheet is a collection of stories, events, and ideas that are shaping the conversation in New Mexico and D.C. politics.
- President Trump announced this morning that he will nominate former U.S. Representative Heather Wilson to become Air Force secretary. If confirmed she would be the first Air Force Academy graduate to serve as Secretary of the Air Force.
- Trump also moved Monday to make good on campaign promises by issuing executive orders that 1) freeze hiring of federal workers (except military), 2) ban funding to groups promoting abortion overseas, 3) move to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.
- The Hill has a good summary on Trump’s inaugural speech. In short, Trump’s campaign rhetoric continues as he moves quickly to “put his stamp” on Washington.
- The “new reality” for the press during the President Trump era is epitomized by Kellyanne Conway’s tense back and forth with Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press yesterday.
- The newly sworn-in president and his advisors are annoyed and fighting back over photo evidence that went viral comparing the size of the crowds at Trump’s swearing-in ceremony to his predecessor.
- The Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting a wish from locals in the South Dakota area that all Dakota Access pipeline protesters leave. “The pipeline fight has moved beyond the camps and our strategy must evolve with the process,” Standing Rock Tribal Chairman David Archambault II said in a statement.
- The New Mexico House adjourned Saturday after approving two of four budget bills and sent them to the Senate. The budget crisis has lawmakers moving much faster than other sixty day sessions.
- Hundreds of thousands of protesters participated in the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday. In New Mexico, thousands joined the nationwide protest, with large crowds in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. However, their “inclusive” message appeared to clash with reports that some women were excluded if they did not support the pro-choice platform of the protest’s organizers.
- The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear arguments in Texas’ voter ID legal fight, following lower court rulings that say state law discriminates against minority groups.
- Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight has his “first article in a series that reviews news coverage of the 2016 general election”. The first piece is on how most reporting overstated the strength of Clinton and missed her “Electoral College liability”.
