Yesterday, I briefly mentioned how a recent opinion temporarily staying Trump’s takeover of the Oregon National Guard* used the phrase “simply untethered to facts.” It’s from this section of the opinion:
…this Court concludes that the President did not have a “colorable basis” to invoke § 12406(3) to federalize the National Guard because the situation on the ground belied an inability of federal law enforcement officers to execute federal law. Id. at 1051–5. The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts.
I find it remarkable that a Trump-appointed federal judge can speak with more clarity about Trump’s (and his minions’) delusions than most of our press corps. Even if they’re afraid of calling him out directly, there is nothing stopping them from running stories using the phrase “simply untethered to facts.” It’s actually newsworthy! It has conflict! It is getting harder to believe that those running most major news organizations like what Trump is doing overall.
*Trump is now deploying the already-federalized California Guard to deploy them in Oregon. The judge who offered the opinion, according to news reports, is not pleased.
mikethemadbiologist
The local situation in Portland is accelerating fast. The California National Guard was already moved to Oregon prior to the Oregon federalization announcement. As such, they would have been able to deploy rapidly after Oregon’s National Guard was blocked from doing so–fortunately, the judge was quick to rule that THAT was a clear violation of his original order and also prohibited.
Within hours of the ruling, federal law enforcement officers (already present at the ICE facility) changed tactics to deal more aggressively with the crowds, presumably to provoke a response justifying rescinding the order.
In other news, the evidence has emerged that the Portland ICE facility is in violation of its land use permit. The permit prohibits overnight or long-term detention of detainees. Added alongside the additional hassle that the Feds have made by enlarging the protests, there is mounting local support for outright canceling the permit and forcing the facility to completely leave town.
Up to date news on the situation:
opb.org
portlandmercury.com
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