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Contents
COVID-19 Still Met With Disregard by Current President
Abuse Behind the No-Fly List
White House Under Siege by an Invisible Enemy
Pence Closes Borders Against CDC Advisement
Vote, Vote, Vote!
Justice in the News
COVID-19 Still Met With Disregard by Current President
The CDC now recognizes that COVID-19 can spread through airborne transmission
New York attempts to increase voter registration due to a dramatic lack of young registered voters
Mellon Foundation pledges millions towards re-imagining US Monuments and Museums
Ongoing Court Cases
Abuse Behind the No-Fly List
On October 1, 2013, four American Muslim men filed a lawsuit against the FBI, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for asking them to become informants and spy on their religious communities; because they refused, they were placed on the No-Fly list.
What you need to know about Tanvir v. Tanzin:
Four law-abiding American Muslim men with no criminal records were sought out by the FBI to become informants and report on their religious communities.
Because they were placed on the No-Fly list, they were unable to visit their family members overseas for years.
One “was separated from his wife and three young daughters for roughly five years.”
On June 9, 2015, the government informed the four plaintiffs that they were being removed from the No-Fly list, making clear that these men were never a threat to national security.
Why is this relevant now? The Supreme Court scheduled this case’s oral argument for October 6th (yesterday!), after postponing it indefinitely due to COVID-19 on March 16.
What are the plaintiffs suing the FBI Agents for?
A violation of the RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) for being placed on the No-Fly list.
To seek reparations for the harm that they went through while being on the No-Fly list.
To help prevent similar civil rights violations from happening in the future to other members of religious communities.
The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to provide immunity to the FBI agents in order to avoid this lawsuit. It’s important that we, as a country, hold our federal officials accountable in order to truly protect all of our citizens.
“They have done a lot of damage to me and to my life. They messed up my life,” said Jameel Algibhah, another plaintiff. “I haven’t seen my family in a long time. My youngest daughter doesn’t even know me. I want to continue this lawsuit.”
Education
White House Under Siege by an Invisible Enemy
Early Friday morning, October 2nd, President Trump announced via Twitter that the First lady and he had tested positive for COVID-19. The president’s positive test comes after multiple people have tested positive for COVID after Trump held an event to announce his nomination for Amy Coney Barrett.
Here’s what you need to know:
The threat of an outbreak in Trump’s circle first arose when his senior adviser, Hope Hicks had tested positive for COVID-19.
Notable attendees of the nomination event who have since tested positive were former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Senator of Utah Mike Lee, and the president of Notre Dame University John L. Jenkins.
For precautionary measures, Trump flew to Walter Reed National Medical Health Center
His team of doctors administered the steroid dexamethasone, the experimental drug remdesivir, and a non-FDA approved antibody cocktail developed by the drugmaker Regeneron to help his body fend off the virus.
Status of his health:
Questions over the status of the president’s health began to increase as the White House reported conflicting statements on how he was doing.
In a controversial decision, Trump left the medical center to participate in a motorcade while still infected with COVID to wave at supporters, risking the Secret Service agents in the car with him of infection.
On Monday, October 5th, Trump left the hospital while still under COVID-19 treatment as he was cleared by his doctors to go, but doctors have stressed that he must monitor his battle with COVID.
Additionally, Trump provoked many as he tweeted out a video to address his battle with COVID and downplayed the severity of the virus by expressing that Americans should “not be afraid of it.”
As the president continues to battle COVID, many wonder what the effects of the rest of the campaign will be and how this will affect the Supreme Court nomination. Additionally, the extent of those infected by COVID-19 within the White House is expected by experts to grow.
Law
Pence Closes Borders Against CDC Advisement
While President Donald Trump is in the hospital, recovering from COVID-19, Vice President Mike Pence has decided to close the US Southern borders.
The CDC Director has the power to limit immigration to the US through Title 42 of the Public Service Act, which gives top federal health officials authority in order to prevent the spread of disease.
What VP Pence wants the CDC to do:
In early March, VP Pence asked Robert Redfield, the Director of the CDC, to use his official power to close US borders even though there was no evidence that showed that closing the borders would reduce the spread of COVID-19
VP Pence’s March request came after the CDC had initially refused to comply with a Trump administration directive which called for shutting down borders
What are the current effects of VP Pence's Order?
150,000 children and adults were expelled from the United States of America
The order included closing both the Southern Border (facing Mexico) and the Northern Border (facing Canada), thus having a major impact on thousands of asylum-seekers and immigrants
Despite the CDC’s efforts to have VP Pence and the White House focus on the national enforcement of social distancing, the mask mandate, and increasing the number of contact tracers, White House officials, including Pence and Trump's aide, Stephen Miller, are pushing for an immigration order from the CDC instead.
Call-to-Action
Vote, Vote, Vote!
Voter turnout was disconcertingly low in the 2016 presidential election, and the COVID-19 pandemic has created unique challenges for voters in 2020. However, the November election will decide the future of our country, and people need to recognize the importance of casting their vote.
If you have…
30 seconds: Check your voter registration status
1 minute: Inform yourself further and share this voting guide with others
2 minutes: Ask your family members if they plan on voting and are registered to do so (Focus on younger voters, especially those who have not been eligible to vote in past elections!)
5-10 minutes: If you have friends or family who do not plan on voting or seem reluctant, have a conversation with them about the importance of voting in the November election (this article may help)
Volunteering Opportunity: Become a poll worker
Written by: Namrata Subramanian, Daniele’ Evans, Jacob Neel, & Raymond Hurst
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