It's Trump's Party Now

Rarely in history have events as captivating as impeachment trials ended without scathing marks. The same will go for Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.

The aftermath of Trump’s trial, which will likely end with a decisive and largely partisan acquittal, on Wednesday, will set the tone of future presidential power, the national political climate, and the relationship between the two parties in Congress.

Most importantly, the drama stemming from impeachment has pushed further, if that’s even possible, the Republican party into the open arms of Trump. By uniting so decisively behind Trump, Republicans have committed to an unspoken promise, by which they have locked their fates with that of the president’s success in this upcoming election season. Basically, the Republican Party is Trump’s Party. 

What else?
Party divisiveness is about to soar. The current-day political atmosphere already fosters a high sense of polarization, but it’s unlikely the impeachment fight will ease any tensions. Expect a tough fight on both ends as months progress. 

Lastly,
Cracks in the American political system regarding checks and balances are beginning to appear. The impeachment process will inevitably shift the balance of power in Washington toward the executive branch. By allowing a sitting president the legal right to withhold aid from a foreign country in exchange for political favors, in addition to resisting all congressional attempts to subpoena witnesses and evidence for his investigation, goes directly against laws delineated in the Constitution. 

For the love of GoDFHADJF, can Congressional Republican leaders keep in mind that even one concession can have years-long consequences?

The "Remain in Mexico" Plan

Last week, the Trump Administration released a new immigration plan, dubbed the MPP, allowing US border officers to deport non-Mexican asylum seekers to the most dangerous of locations in Mexico as they wait to hear back from the US immigrations courts – all without legal assistance. 

Here’s what this means
Legal asylum seekers who attempt to enter the US through the US-Mexico border can be sent to extremely dangerous parts of Mexico, where they are supposed to wait until their court proceedings. This can take up to months or even years, where families, including children as young as 10 months old, face dangerous, destitute and life-threatening conditions. Some of these include kidnapping, sexual assault, abuse and lack of basic necessities. 

Here are the facts
Only 4% of asylum seekers in MPP succeed in being represented by an attorney, and less than 1% are granted protection in the US. 

The policy legally allows: family separation, extraordinarily narrow grounds for asylum, and fees to even apply for asylum.

In the past year, over 16,000 children have been forced to remain in Mexico as they await a fate that will likely not fall in their favor. This policy is a failure that endangers the lives of children across the aisle.

Wash. Your. Hands.

The virus stimulating worldwide panic continues to rapidly grow, as thousands more are contracting the illness each day.
As of this weekend, there are 14,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus in China, with more than 300 dead. However, a new study suggests as many as 75,815 people in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, may have been infected – despite official government records alleging significantly less.

With the coronavirus spreading beyond China’s borders, including to the US and France, more countries are closing their doors. New Zealand, Iraq and Indonesia joined the Philippines on Sunday in imposing new restrictions on people coming from or through China as a preventative measure. 

Moreover,
The US government has quarantined a group of 195 people who were evacuated from Wuhan to a California military base. To ensure no one develops symptoms, the quarantine will last around two weeks.

But wait, there’s more. 
Thousands of passengers are also being quarantined on a cruise ship in Italy while a sick passenger is tested for the virus. 

Bottom line: 
According to officials, the severity of the epidemic is being seriously underplayed by the Chinese government, and while there’s no need for hysteria, we should all remain vigilant about our sanitation habits.