The online editorial staff comprises Betsy Shirley, Jenna Barnett, Josiah R. Daniels, Mitchell Atencio, Heather Brady, Kierra Bennning, and Zachary Lee.

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Weekly Wrap 3.17.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 03-17-2017

1. The Theology of Suspicion: What ‘Get Out’ Can Teach White Christians

To tell the story of black photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) on a visit to her family’s suburban home, Get Out director Jordan Peele doesn’t need to venture into the supernatural to dredge up terror: America’s history offers more than enough material

2. The 1.6 Billion Dollar Hoax

An elaborate hoax based on forged documents escalates the phenomenon of “fake news” and reveals an audience on the left that seems willing to believe virtually any claim that could damage Trump.

3. Jesus Take the Reins

In the fast-growing cowboy church movement, the trappings of traditional worship are eschewed to entice people through the door, dung-covered boots and all.

Maryland Judge Joins Hawaii Judge in Freezing Second Travel Ban

by the Web Editors 03-16-2017

Image via a katz 

Judge Watson’s ruling came from a lawsuit filed by Hawaii, according to the Guardian. In the case, the state of Hawaii claimed that the ban hurt Hawaii’s tourism industry and negatively affected businesses and universities’ ability to recruit talented individuals from the banned countries. They continued to point out that the ban hurts families bringing up the example of Ismail Elshikh — an imam of the Muslim Association of Hawaii — whose Syrian mother-in-law’s visa is still on hold and might not denied with the new restrictions of the ban.

Trump Budget Proposes Major Cuts to Education, State, EPA, More

by the Web Editors 03-16-2017

On March 16, the Trump administration released President Donald Trump’s proposal for the 2018 federal budget, revealing a list of significant cuts to various federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Department, and the Department of Education.

Second Travel Ban to Go Into Effect March 16, Amid Outcry

by the Web Editors 03-14-2017

 

Image via Geoff Livingston/Flickr

This executive order is strikingly similar to the first order signed by President Trump on Jan. 26, which ordered "extreme vetting" for refugees, indefinitely blocked entry to Syrian refugees, suspended visa issuances to anyone from seven countries, and suspended all refugee entry for 120 days.

Weekly Wrap 3.10.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 03-10-2017

1. The Dark Psychology of Dehumanization, Explained

“‘Dehumanization doesn’t only occur in wartime,’ says Nick Haslam, a psychologist and the world’s current leading expert on the topic. ‘It’s happening right here, right now. And every day, good people who don’t see themselves as being prejudiced bigots are nevertheless falling prey to it.’”

Rep. Joe Kennedy Calls Out Paul Ryan for Calling ACA Repeal ‘Act of Mercy’

by the Web Editors 03-09-2017

During Wednesday night's heated debate over the GOP's proposed replacement to the Affordable Care Act — which ultimately passed the House Ways and Means Committee early Thursday morning — Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) quoted Matthew 25 to rebuke Speaker Paul Ryan's description of the measure as "an act of mercy." 

Environmental Justice Official at EPA Steps Down, Decrying Proposed Cuts

by the Web Editors 03-09-2017

The White House and Pruitt have proposed a budget for the EPA that would cut the agency’s budget by $2 billion and eliminate 20 percent of the workforce, including the entire Office of Environmental Justice. In his letter, Ali suggests the budget cuts will specifically harm those most in need of help, saying that the agency’s new leadership hasn't given "any indication that they are focused or interested in helping those vulnerable communities.”

Supreme Court Will Not Hear Major Transgender Rights Case

by the Web Editors 03-06-2017

On Monday morning, the Supreme Court announced that it would not be hearing the case of Gavin Grimm, who was denied the use of the boys restroom by the Gloucester County school board in Virginia. The nation’s highest court was scheduled to hear arguments in the case on March 28th. Instead the Supreme Court vacated the appeals court's ruling in favor of Grimm, directing the lower court to re-examine the case in light of a recent Trump administration action.

 

Trump Signs New Refugee Ban, Very Similar to Old Refugee Ban

by the Web Editors 03-06-2017

Image via Geoff Livingston/Flickr

The new language signals the Trump administration's intent to put forward an executive order that will stand. 

Weekly Wrap 3.3.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 03-03-2017

1. Churches Are Readying Homes And Underground Railroads To Hide Immigrants From Deportation Under Trump

“When you die, the question is not ‘Did you follow the government?’ and then you’re allowed into heaven,” [one pastor] said. “It’s ‘Did you care for your neighbor?’”

2. The Unintended Consequences of a Spiritual Discipline

“This year, Ash Wednesday falls during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. ...In the face of a world that already pressures many into self-denial, self-deprivation, and self-harm, the strength of the spiritual discipline of fasting cracks.”

Jeff Sessions Recuses Himself from Russia Investigations

by the Web Editors 03-02-2017

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations surrounding Russian involvement in the presidential election "to the extent they exist," in an impromptu news conference March 2. The move comes after the Washington Post broke news the night before that he twice spoke with Russia's ambassador last year and that he did not disclose the conversations when pressed during his Senate confirmation hearing.

Weekly Wrap 2.24.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 02-24-2017

4. Longing for Resettlement: The Psychological Impact of Banning Refugees

“In Dadaab refugee camp, the largest in the world, a researcher recorded a Somali term for that feeling: buufis, which was described in the book City of Thorns as the ‘longing for resettlement,’ or ‘a kind of depression rooted in an inextinguishable hope for a life elsewhere that simultaneously casts the present into shadow.’”

5. On the Milo Bus with the Lost Boys of the America’s New Right

 This was never, in fact, about free speech at all. It was about making it OK to say racist, sexist, transphobic, and xenophobic things, about tolerating the public expression of those views right up to the point where it becomes financially unwise to do so. Those suddenly dropping Yiannopoulos are making a business decision, not a moral one — and yes, even in Donald Trump’s America, there’s still a difference.”

Trump Administration Ends Transgender Protections in School

by the Web Editors 02-23-2017

The Trump administration is ending Obama-era protections of transgender students from discrimination “on the basis of sex.”

Standing Rock Protesters Hold Leaving Ceremony by Burning Camp

by the Web Editors 02-22-2017

The AP also reports that at least 150 of the 200-300 people left in the camp left peacefully and earlier than the evacuation deadline. Several busses, vans and a towing truck greeted the protestors to transport them to North Dakota’s capital city of Bismarck. Others chose to stay and face the consequences – forcible removal and jail.

Women-Led Films Reached All-Time High in 2016

by the Web Editors 02-22-2017

Both the highest grossing film all year, Rogue One, and the highest grossing Best Picture nominee, Hidden Figures, were led by female protagonists

New DHS Policy Expands Deportations, Increases Personnel

by the Web Editors 02-21-2017

New policies also allow for easier immediate deportation by expanding the expedited removal process. This specific part of the policy allows U.S Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport people at a faster rate from anywhere in the country. DHS has also ordered 10,000 new immigration and customs agents, plus the revival of a program that qualifies local police officers to assist in deportation. 

Senate Votes to Confirm Scott Pruitt to Lead the EPA

by the Web Editors 02-17-2017

Image via Gage Skidmore/flickr.com

On Feb. 17, by a 52-46 vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt’s nomination by President Donald Trump to head the agency was decried by many as soon as it was announced, due to Pruitt’s history of opposition to the standards of the agency he now leads; Pruitt even sued the EPA 14 times.

Weekly Wrap 2.17.17: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Week

by the Web Editors 02-17-2017

1. The Lasting Trauma of Japanese American Incarceration
Sunday marks 75 years since the signing of Executive Order 9066, which led to the mass incarceration of tens of thousands of Japanese Americans. A look back, and lessons for today.

2. The Ancient City ISIS Is Destroying, Preserved Online
A new digital exhibition, “The Legacy of Ancient Palmyra,” features prints and photographs from the pre-Islamic metropolis.

3. Trump Says He Wants to Prioritize Christian Refugees. Middle Eastern Christians in the U.S. Respond.
The reaction to Trump’s statements among Assyrians living in the U.S. is far from uniform.

WATCH: 5 Veterans of Civil Rights Movement Offer ‘Full Frontal’s Ashley Nicole Black Tips for Resistance

by the Web Editors 02-16-2017

What advice to civil rights veterans have for those weary from weeks of protests? 

"Suck it up. It's too important not to," Joan Trumpauer Mulholland told Full Frontal with Samantha Bee's Ashley Nicole Black.

World Relief Cuts at Least 140 Positions, Closes 5 Offices in Wake of Trump’s Refugee Order

by the Web Editors 02-15-2017

Syrian mother with three children in one of the Asylum Centers near Belgrade on Jan. 31. Zeljko Sinobad / Shutterstock.com

World Relief, a global humanitarian organization and one of the main non-governmental organizations involved in the U.S. refugee resettlement program, announced today that the organization is laying off at least 140 employees and shuttering five local offices "as a direct result of the recent decision by the Trump Administration to dramatically reduce the number of refugees resettled in the U.S. throughout fiscal year 2017."