Coalition calls for charges to be dropped against Standing Rock journalists

We at the Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent press freedom advocacy organization, along with the organizations listed below, write to request that the Morton County State’s Attorney’s Office drop the charges against journalists arrested during protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline or justify the arrests of reporters in the course of their work.

CPJ has documented at least 10 journalists still facing charges in relation to the protests, including nine in Morton County. Two of the journalists–Christopher Schiano and Nicholas Georgiades, from the nonprofit media collective Unicorn Riot–face trial on misdemeanor criminal trespass charges today and tomorrow respectively. Police arrested them September 13 while Schiano and Georgiades were filming protesters who had locked themselves to construction equipment. In a video of the arrest, one of the journalists can be heard saying, “I’m press, sir. I’m press.”

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Most of the journalists facing charges are freelancers or from smaller, independent outlets that lack the resources to pay attorney fees or mount a public defense for the reporters. The fact that these journalists do not have the backing of large media companies may make them more vulnerable–but it does not lessen their First Amendment protected right to report the news.

Journalists have an important role in documenting incidents in the public interest, including instances of civil disobedience and law enforcement operations. This role often draws them near to the scene of action. Trespass and rioting laws should require criminal intent, and journalists who are simply doing their job should not face criminal charges.

Standing Rock Legacy Continues in Texas, Florida Protests

Ten thousand people lived at the Sacred Stones, Oceti Sakowin, and Sicangu camps last summer trying to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from crossing the Missouri River. Now the area is a moonlike landscape of gashed earth and burned structures. Construction workers are hurrying to make up for lost time. While the Standing Rock protest camps have been packed up and hauled away in hundreds of dumpsters, the protest’s influence lives on. The DAPL protests energized a new generation of environmental protesters, giving them a new set of tactics and fresh messaging to use against pipeline construction. The Standing Rock legacy can particularly be seen in Texas and Florida.

“There are now hundreds of scenes spread across North America. The protection of water, the rebalancing of the world, now has a symbol and a memory to carry that story forward,” says Mark Trahant, a professor of journalism at the University of North Dakota. “Every pipeline project that’s planned across North America will have to defend itself in every community, on social media, and with investors.”

NM Democratic party breaks ties with national bank over Dakota pipeline

The Democratic Party of New Mexico is calling it quits with Wells Fargo.

The party divested $70,000 from the national bank in solidarity with the Sioux Tribe at Standing Rock. For months, the tribe has been attempting to block the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Wells Fargo is funding.

Doug Pacheco, financial director for the party, told Albuquerque Business First they closed out three accounts.

“In 2016 we did about $1 million of business, with the election and stuff, and that’s what we expect to be doing around 2018,” he said. “That’s federal and nonfederal money.”

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Pacheco said the party has chosen a New Mexico-based nonprofit for their financial needs going forward.

“We have decided to go with Nusenda Credit Union, which is a local institution here,” he said. “We decided to really support our values by going local.”

Oklahoma Bill To Protect ‘Critical Infrastructure’ Could Curb Public Protest, Critics Say

Oklahoma legislators are advancing a bill that outlaws trespassing on sites containing “critical infrastructure.” Supporters say the measure will help prevent damage and disruption of energy markets, electric grids and water services, but environmental activists and civil rights groups say the bill’s real purpose is to block political protests of pipelines and similar projects.

Jeff Sessions recuses himself from Russia inquiry amid calls for resignation

Attorney general Jeff Sessions will recuse himself from investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election, after revelations that he held two undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador last year.

Sessions took the decision despite support from Donald Trump, who described the controversy as “a total witch hunt”.

Amid mounting calls for his resignation, Sessions told a press conference on Thursday that he decided not to participate in any investigations “related in any way to the campaign for president of the United States” after meeting with senior department officials.

Sessions insisted that he had not misled senators during his confirmation hearing and claimed it was “totally false” to suggest he had met with “Russian operatives” to discuss Trump’s election campaign.

“I have now decided to recuse myself,” he said, adding: “I should not be involved in investigating a campaign I had a role in.”

Mike Pence used his AOL email for state business as governor – and was hacked

Vice-president Mike Pence used a personal email account to discuss security issues as governor of Indiana and was hacked last summer, it was reported on Thursday.

Pence’s AOL account was compromised by a scammer who sent an email to his contacts claiming Pence and his wife had been attacked on their way back to their hotel in the Philippines, losing their money, bank cards and mobile phone, the Indianapolis Star reported.

“In response, Pence sent an email to those who had received the fake communication apologising for any inconvenience,” the paper said. “He also set up a new AOL account. Because the hacker appears to have gained access to Pence’s contacts, experts say it is likely that the account was actually penetrated, giving the hacker access to Pence’s inbox and sent messages.”

Trump slump? US tourism industry fears downturn

Thousands of professors around the globe have pledged not to travel to the US.

A growing list of Canadian schools who once made regular trips across the border for sports, music and other educational events are cancelling their journeys for fear that foreign-born students could be singled out.

In Philadelphia, at least one large conference worth an estimated $7m in revenue to the city has been cancelled, and the tourism board of New York City recently reversed its pre-election projection that the city would see an increase of 400,000 international travellers in 2017.

The board now predicts 300,000 fewer foreign tourists will visit the Big Apple this year than did in 2016.

Anecdotes like these are the worst fears of travel industry analysts, who’ve been warning for weeks that the US could be entering a tourism “Trump slump”.

Undocumented woman arrested after seeking protection prepares for possible indictment

A woman arrested by immigration officials at a Texas courthouse where she sought protection from domestic violence is set to find out whether she will be indicted by a grand jury for illegal re-entry to the US.

Irvin Gonzalez has been held in the El Paso County jail since being held on 9 February by federal agents moments after being granted a protective order by a judge. The case prompted a national outcry, with women’s rights advocates arguing that the arrest risks discouraging undocumented people in violent situations from contacting law enforcement for help.

Advocates are particularly outraged by the contrast with her American ex-boyfriend, who had received a light sentence despite being convicted of international drugs trafficking.

The grand jury meets on Wednesdays, with an indictment against the 33-year-old expected to be made public either this week or next. Even if Gonzalez is not indicted she is likely to be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and to face deportation.

Dakota Access Pipeline expected to bring $100M a year to North Dakota

North Dakota is expected to gain $100 million or more annually in tax revenue once crude oil begins flowing through the Dakota Access Pipeline, according to an Associated Press report released on Thursday.

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“This is just one benefit a state gets if it is able to make these pipelines work,” Nick Loris, research fellow in energy and environment policy at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News. “It’s a cherry on top economically, for something that gets Americans and businesses reliable, safe sources of energy — these are good things.”

But Fox News contributor and former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who opposes the pipeline, said the real cost may be higher than state officials know.

“North Dakota and other states may soon discover that the temporary financial benefits of pipeline revenue will be far outweighed by the almost incalculable environmental damage which these pipelines bring, including the potential contamination of drinking water supplies,” Kucinich told Fox News.

Keystone XL Pipeline reportedly exempt from President Trump’s ‘Buy American’ policy despite executive order

President Trump recently signed an executive order demanding that any new oil pipelines on U.S. soil are built with American steel — but that apparently doesn’t go for the controversial Keystone XL project, according to a report.

Trump reignited the Keystone development in a January executive action that ordered the Secretary of Commerce to ensure that all pipeline projects “use materials and equipment produced in the United States.”

But a White House spokeswoman told Politico on Thursday that the Keystone XL is apparently exempt from the order since its developer, TransCanada, first proposed the plan in 2008.

“The Keystone XL Pipeline is currently in the process of being constructed, so it does not count as a new, retrofitted, repaired or expanded pipeline,” the spokeswoman told the news site, using language employed in the order.

That remark completely contradicts comments recently made by Trump.

Paul blocked from seizing GOP Obamacare bill

Sen. Rand Paul tried unsuccessfully to wrest a draft of the House GOP’s Obamacare bill from a secure room in the Capitol on Thursday, an escalation of his opposition to the party’s health care plans.

The bill had apparently been moved from the room, which was guarded by Capitol Police — or was never there at all — by the time Paul got there. But his decision to stomp over to the House side with dozens of reporters in tow, highlighted conservatives’ concerns about an opaque process as the GOP races to repeal Obamacare.

The conservative senator from Kentucky went into a House hideaway in the Capitol, claimed he was told he could not remove the bill and make it public, and then held an impromptu news conference, complaining about House Republicans’ lack of transparency.

Clinton returns to Wellesley, but few get to see it

Hillary Clinton’s surprise return to her alma mater on Thursday was billed as a lively question-and-answer session for members of the Wellesley College community.

But the school went to extraordinary lengths to make sure that her remarks remained virtually private. The administration initially promised a live-stream of the event to the campus community. But it reneged on that promise early Thursday afternoon, canceling the live-stream and then canceling viewing in an overflow space in the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center. It was impossible for anyone without a ticket to Alumnae Hall to listen in on Clinton’s 90-minute talk.

The 1,000 Wellesley students, staffers and faculty inside the hall were asked to turn off cell phones.

It’s the closest thing to an off-the-record, private conversation the school could provide.

The measures were taken to “ensure this remains a private Wellesley event,” the college’s president, Paula Johnson, said in an email to the Wellesley community.

Sessions reassures senators: No pot crackdown imminent

The Trump administration is causing serious paranoia among marijuana advocates with its hints of a federal crackdown on recreational use. But Attorney General Jeff Sessions has privately reassured some Republican senators that he won’t deviate from an Obama-era policy of allowing states to implement their own marijuana laws.

Sessions has rattled both libertarians and liberals in ordering a review of the hands-off pot policy under President Barack Obama. But Sessions provided some private assurances to senators before he was confirmed that he was not considering a major shift in enforcement, despite his opposition to the use of marijuana.

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But a large group of bipartisan senators aren’t taking any chances. They sent a letter on on Thursday urging Sessions to uphold the Obama-era policy of allowing states to implement their recreational marijuana laws, after the Trump administration has indicated it could crack down on marijuana.

The effort is led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who hail from states that have legalized marijuana. Press secretary Sean Spicer has hinted at “greater enforcement” of federal laws treating marijuana as an illegal drug. Sessions said this week that he is “dubious about marijuana” and is reviewing current policy.

But senators are beginning to push back.

“We respectfully request that you uphold DOJ’s existing policy regarding states that have implemented strong and effective regulations for recreational use,” the senators wrote to Sessions. “It is critical that states continue to implement these laws.”

Palantir Provides the Engine for Donald Trump’s Deportation Machine

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is deploying a new intelligence system called Investigative Case Management (ICM), created by Palantir Technologies, that will assist in President Donald Trump’s efforts to deport millions of immigrants from the United States.

In 2014, ICE awarded Palantir, the $20 billion data-mining firm founded by billionaire Trump advisor Peter Thiel, a $41 million contract to build and maintain ICM, according to government funding records. The system is scheduled to arrive at “final operating capacity” by September of this year. The documents identify Palantir’s ICM as “mission critical” to ICE, meaning that the agency will not be able to properly function without the program.

ICM funding documents analyzed by The Intercept make clear that the system is far from a passive administrator of ICE’s case flow. ICM allows ICE agents to access a vast “ecosystem” of data to facilitate immigration officials in both discovering targets and then creating and administering cases against them. The system provides its users access to intelligence platforms maintained by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and an array of other federal and private law enforcement entities. It can provide ICE agents access to information on a subject’s schooling, family relationships, employment information, phone records, immigration history, foreign exchange program status, personal connections, biometric traits, criminal records, and home and work addresses.

It’s Not Just Jeff Sessions: The FBI Must Investigate Scott Pruitt for Lying to Congress

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt lied to Congress about his use of private email to conduct government business when he was Oklahoma attorney general. And as it did with Hillary Clinton, and as it should do with Jeff Sessions, the FBI should immediately open an investigation into what is becoming an alarming pattern for the Trump cabinet.

A Feb. 17 investigation by Oklahoma City’s Fox 25 news station revealed that Pruitt used a private email account to coordinate strategy and talking points with fossil fuel companies to oppose environmental rules, among other things. And a subsequent review of more than 7,500 emails by the Associated Press showed that Pruitt used his private email to conduct official business, including communicating with staff and lobbyists.

That directly contradicts what Pruitt told Congress in January. In Pruitt’s pre-confirmation questionnaire, Senator Cory Booker asked, “Have you ever conducted business using your personal email accounts, nonofficial Oklahoma attorney general email accounts, text messages, instant messenger, voicemails, or any other medium?”

Pruitt’s responded: “I use only my official OAG [Office of the Attorney General] email address and government-issued phone to conduct official business.”

As we know now, that was untrue.

Bernie Sanders to Friedman: Should some Israel funds go to Gaza?

Sen. Bernie Sanders asked David Friedman, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to Israel, whether he would back using funds earmarked for assistance to Israel to help rebuild the Gaza Strip.

Sanders in a letter he handed Friedman after they met Wednesday also asked whether he thinks the tax-exempt status of groups that fundraise for settlers should be reviewed. JTA obtained a copy of the letter on Thursday.

The questions in the letter are significant as they suggest the path forward for Israel policy among progressive Democrats.

Sanders has emerged as a de facto leader of progressives following his insurgent but unsuccessful campaign last year for the Democratic presidential nomination. In perhaps the best-received speech over the weekend at the annual conference of J Street, the liberal Middle East policy group, Sanders pushed the theme that pro-Israel Jews need not hesitate to criticize Israeli government policies.

His letter outlines three questions for Friedman: whether he supports a two-state outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the appropriateness of an ambassador having deep involvement in the settler movement as a fundraiser and advocate, as Friedman does; and regarding Israeli assistance.

Dreamer in process of Daca renewal to be deported without court hearing

A 22-year-old who was detained as she was leaving a press conference on immigrants’ rights Wednesday will not get a court hearing before she is deported, her lawyers said.

Daniela Vargas was in the process of renewing her application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca), the Obama administration program that temporarily protects from deportation undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children. Vargas was an aspiring math teacher who went to college while under the program. And immigrants’ advocate Bill Chandler, who knew Vargas well, said she had a receipt showing that her application was being processed.

Ice said in a statement on Wednesday that the action was part of “targeted immigration enforcement”. On Thursday, lawyer Nathan Elmore said Ice indicated it would pursue immediate deportation against Vargas without allowing her to first have a court hearing. Elmore has filed a petition seeking a trial.

“Ice is supposed to target undocumented immigrants who commit crimes,” said Elmore. “Convicted criminals. Daniela doesn’t fit into any of these categories. Is this where you want your tax dollars directed?”

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Chandler, the executive director of Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance, said Ice agents have attended his organization’s immigration advocacy events before to locate potential undocumented immigrants. “One of the things that has happened, with the phenomenon of Trump becoming president, is that Ice agents … they’re just going after everybody that they can get their hands on.”