U.S. President Donald Trump meets with pharmaceutical industry representatives at the White House in Washington, U.S. on January 31, 2017.Yuri Gripas/Reuters
Women go on strike in the U.S. to show their economic clout
Organizers who put together the vast women's marches held coast-to-coast the day after U.S. s President Donald Trump was inaugurated also put together Wednesday's A Day Without a Woman protest, meant to demonstrate their economic clout as part of International Women's Day events around the globe. American women were encouraged to stay home from work, not spend money, wear red and join rallies across the country in protest of Mr. Trump's administration's unfolding agenda of budget cuts and policy actions that are expected to threaten the health, economic and social well-being of women, gays, children and "gender nonconforming people." Some school districts cancelled classes because so many teachers and employees were expected to be absent. Mr. Trump took to Twitter Wednesday and asked others to join him in "honouring the critical role of women." He tweeted he has "tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve." While the protest Wednesday has been acclaimed, it also poses some deep concerns and risks for women in the workforce.
Senators seek evidence to support Trump's wiretapping claim
After Mr. Trump's tweet last weekend accusing of former president Barack Obama of tapping his phones during the U.S. election, senators are looking into evidence of his claims. The leaders of a congressional inquiry into Russia's efforts to sway the U.S. election called on the Justice Department to produce any evidence that supports Mr. Trump's allegation, saying Congress "must get to the bottom" of it. Senators Lindsey Graham, a Republican, and Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, asked acting deputy attorney-general Dana Boente and FBI Director James Comey to produce the paper trail created when the Justice Department's criminal division secures warrants for wiretaps.
U.S. judge rules Hawaii can challenge Trump's new immigration ban
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the state of Hawaii can file an amdended complaint against Mr. Trump's new executive order temporarily banning the entry of refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority countries. The state is claiming the revised ban signed by the President on Monday violates the U.S. Constitution. It is the first legal challenge against the revised order.
NBC chief to Trump: We won't be intimidated
The war between the media and Mr. Trump continues. The chief of NBC News said on Tuesday that the President's attacks on some media outlets won't deter his organization from doing its job and that they are not going to be intimidated. NBC News was one of the organizations specifically cited by Mr. Trump last month in his tweet about "fake news" media. The chief said the President's attacks are a distraction. And what's more: Mr. Trump's antics may just be a distracting and dangerous tap dance around the real issues.
Trump's immigration ambitions extend beyond the wall
With all of the talk about Mr. Trump's plans for immigration, it's also clear his ambitions go beyond wall building and accelerating deportations. Mr. Trump made it clear he wants to overhaul legal immigration to the United States, a move that would reduce the number of legal immigrants entering the country. He's mentioned a switch away from the "current system of lower-skilled immigration" to a "merit-based" method – like his Canadian friends. But Canada accommodates and accepts a much higher level of immigration than what Mr. Trump is ready to accept. Mr. Trump's vetting practices in immigration could narrow the candidates eligible to come to the United States to what Linda Chavez, a conservative commentator and immigration expert, says is "people from Europe with college degrees."
Also, have your travel plans been affected some way or another by Mr. Trump's immigration ban? Let The Globe and Mail know here.