Trump’s First 100 Days: Muslim ban and “nuclear option”
By the numbers:
- Syrian Refugees admitted to US in 2016: 13,210
- Chance of being killed by a refugee: 1 in 3.64 billion
- Chance of being killed by lightning: 1 in 174,426
Trump bans immigration from Syria and other Muslim countries
On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order temporarily barring new refugees from coming into the country alongside barring citizens’ entry from Muslim countries. The move has been suspected for a while as Trump repeatedly hinted at such an action on the campaign trail. The order has already been criticized by J-Street, a political action committee that promotes stability for Israel. The group condemned the action on Twitter:“President Trump's executive order on refugees is an affront to American values.” - J-Street
McConnell tries to steer Trump away from “nuclear option”
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, told Politico today the president should be wary of using the “nuclear option” in the Senate. The nuclear option refers to eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees, which would guarantee the swift approval of Trump’s pick. Senate Republicans don’t have a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has said he will oppose any nominee that isn’t traditional. Although Trump can’t strike down the filibuster rule himself, he holds a strong influence as the effective leader of the party.