This article originally appeared in The Logoff, a daily briefing designed to keep you up-to-date on the Trump government without letting political headlines dominate your existence. Sign up here.
Greetings from The Logoff: The Trump government is now pressing to send National Guard forces to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago even as state and local officials object.
What’s new? Approximately 400 Texas National Guard personnel are en route to Chicago following a federal judge’s temporary rejection of Illinois’ appeal to halt their assignment, an action Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker referred to Monday as an “unconstitutional invasion.” They could be arriving as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.
Furthermore, during the weekend, an Oregon federal judge turned down two initiatives by President Donald Trump to dispatch National Guard troops — initially from Oregon and subsequently from California — to Portland. Trump has wrongly portrayed the city as “war ravaged.”
Why is Trump seeking troop deployment? The administration has cited demonstrations at ICE centers in both Portland and Chicago as partial justification, albeit with significantly exaggerated terms regarding the protests’ real impact. Chicago, specifically, has been under a heavy, militarized clampdown by federal immigration officials who have employed tear gas against Chicago residents and arrested a member of the city council.
What’s the larger picture? In August, Trump deployed National Guard personnel to Washington, DC, where their involvement has been minimal, limited to landscaping on National Park Service property. Yet, Trump has hinted at a more severe intention for these deployments. “We ought to utilize these risky cities for military drills,” he expressed to US military leaders recently.
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What’s the importance? Trump is endeavoring to deploy soldiers into US metropolitan areas to tackle an entirely fictional scenario, going against the wishes of the leaders of those cities. Simultaneously, he is enlisting conservative governors, such as Texas’s Greg Abbott, to assist him in pursuing his adversaries. Furthermore, his administration’s language is becoming increasingly exaggerated. On Monday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller characterized anti-ICE demonstrations in Portland as “the quintessential definition of domestic terrorism.”
And now, it’s time to disconnect…
This discussion on Vox’s The Gray Area involving my associate Sean Illing and neuroscientist Charan Ranganath concerning the essence of memory made for excellent listening. I trust you’ll find it enjoyable as well, and we anticipate your return tomorrow!
Source: vox.com