What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[viper37]

Trump administration halting student visa appointments ahead of "expanded social media vetting"

What say you?

I say if you have a point to make, by all means please make it.

Minsky, a little help here, please.

[The Minsky Moment]

It's usually a good working assumption that an announced Trump administration execution action is illegal or unconstitutional.

That said, a temporary halt for a few days to phase in a new screening method might pass, and if done quickly enough, could evade effective review anyways.

[The Minsky Moment]

As for the substance, Trump has been trying to ban Muslims since Jan 2017.

One can expect that measures like this will have a severe effect on the attractiveness of the US for top students, with serious follow on effects for the entire US university system, research clout, and long term economic viability.  All of the this is WAD as the Trump coterie's ideal end state is something like Putin's Russia, a corruption superpower with second rate tech and a third-rate economy, extreme wealth inequalities, but lots of amusement for an entrenched billionaire class and regime insiders.

Having a real cutting edge economy means cultural and political clout for scientists, engineers, and educators; it also means proper enforcement of the rule of law.  That is far too heavy a price for the Kleptrumptocracy.

[crazy canuck]

It's usually a good working assumption that an announced Trump administration execution action is illegal or unconstitutional.

That said, a temporary halt for a few days to phase in a new screening method might pass, and if done quickly enough, could evade effective review anyways.

I am assuming obtaining an order of mandamus would be difficult without considerable delay amounting to a refusal to carry out the administrative function.

[Savonarola]

And in today's least surprising news:

Trump is pardoning Todd and Julie Chrisley, the reality TV couple convicted of fraud

While it is simple professional courtesy, one TV reality star fraudster to another, I say impeach him again for this alone.

[Syt]

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-visa-policy-targets-foreign-nationals-who-censor-americans-state-dept-2025-05-28/

US to ban foreign officials over 'flagrant censorship' on social media

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. will impose visa bans on foreign nationals it deems to be censoring Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, and he suggested the new policy could target officials regulating U.S. tech companies.

Rubio did not name any specific instances of censorship. But U.S. tech companies and the Trump administration have challenged U.S. allies in Europe, alleging censorship of social media platforms. Restricting officials from visiting the U.S. appeared to be an escalation by Washington.

Rubio said in a statement that a new visa restriction policy would apply to foreign nationals responsible for censorship of protected expression in the U.S. He said it was unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants for social media posts made on U.S. soil.

"It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States," Rubio said.

Some foreign officials have taken "flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so," Rubio said.

U.S. social media companies like Facebook and Instagram parent Meta (META.O), opens new tab have said an EU content moderation law, the Digital Services Act, amounts to censorship of their platforms. The Trump-appointed chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in March warned the EU Digital Services Act excessively restricts freedom of expression.

In January, Meta said it would end its U.S. fact-checking program in favor of community notes on controversial posts, but the company continues fact checking elsewhere, including in Europe and Latin America.

EU regulators have issued preliminary findings that X, the platform owned by Trump-ally Elon Musk that also relies on community notes, saying it breached the bloc's content moderation rules.

EU officials have defended the Digital Services Act, which is meant to make the online environment safer and fairer by compelling tech giants to do more to tackle illegal content, including hate speech and child sexual abuse material.

A European Commission spokesperson said commissioners were aware of Rubio's announcement, which "seems to be of a general nature." The spokesperson declined to comment further.

The EU has been seeking a trade deal with Washington to avoid President Donald Trump's threatened 50% tariffs on European imports. Rubio's announcement came just before he met with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Washington.

[Razgovory]

This will probably not apply to Turkey.

[Jacob]

I'd favour banning US social media altogether to avoid such unpleasantness.

[Syt]

This will probably not apply to Turkey.

Or Saudi-Arabia, Qatar, India, etc.

[Zanza]

Is that the same government that wants to do social media screening for political opinions before issuing student visas?

[Zoupa]

For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights.

Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life – a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority.

lol. Does the secretary of state think an american's "birthright" somehow applies to other countries' laws?

What a joke.

[Syt]

It harkens back to the movie trope of a character in a foreign country shouting, "You can't do this! I'm an AMERICAN!"

[Josquius]

Sounds like 19th century China.

[The Minsky Moment]

One of the worst aspects of the media coverage of the Trump EOs has been the breathless coverage of his actions without clearly explaining the obvious point that the vast majority of them are blatantly illegal or unconstitutional and not likely to survive Court review.  This has done two disservices - one has been the reinforce the bogus narrative of bold Presidential action instead of the reality of a lazy and scofflaw administration dispensing with the hard work of getting preferred legislation passed through Congress, or administrative rules properly published through the Administrative Procedures Act. The second has been to boost the bogus narrative of an "activist" judiciary thwarting executive action instead of the reality of hard pressed judges doing their job sorting through an avalanche of badly drafted, illegal horseshit flowing out the sewers of the White House.


And yes the recent tariff ruling prompted this.  We've discussed here the dubious legal basis for imposing those tariffs and the real risks of an adverse court determination, with all the consequences that follow for obligation to compensate injured parties etc.  This prospect was criminally under-covered in the media discussions of the tariff actions.  Had a Democratic President attempted such an action of similar scope and questionable legality, Fox News etc would have been pounding the illegality of the action 24/7.

[The Minsky Moment]

Proof:

Who's more authoritarian than Zerobama who rules by decree without congressional approval.