President Trump and his aides have repeatedly suggested that the executive order temporarily barring refugees and blocking citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States is an outgrowth of Obama administration policy.
MR. TRUMP’S STATEMENT ON FACEBOOK, JAN. 29
“The seven countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror.”
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
The seven countries were largely chosen by the Republican-led Congress.
. . .
MR. TRUMP’S STATEMENT ON FACEBOOK, JAN. 29
“My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas or refugees from Iraq for six months.”
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
Obama never barred Iraqi refugees.
. . .
MR. TRUMP’S STATEMENT ON FACEBOOK, JAN. 29
“To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe.”
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
After he signed the order, Mr. Trump said that Christians would be given priority once the United States resumed taking in refugees....
Mr. Trump has said that the travel ban does not target Muslims, noting there are more than 40 majority-Muslim countries worldwide that are not affected.
But Mr. Trump said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network that Christians would be given priority once the United States resumed taking in refugees.
The White House has said Mr. Trump simply wants to give preference to persecuted minorities. And in majority-Muslim countries, Christians are often religious minorities.
During the campaign Mr. Trump framed the plan as a temporary ban on all Muslim visitors. He also recently described the executive order as a “ban.”....
In Age of Trump, Scientists Show Signs of a Political Pulse (NYT)
...Some scientists have objected to plans for the Washington march, arguing that the event will feed the view among many conservatives that scientists have a political agenda.
But the idea that they should be above the fray has been slowly unraveling as researchers realize that their own aloofness may largely be to blame for public disregard for the evidence on issues like climate change or vaccine safety. And in the era of Trump, some say it could finally come completely apart.
“I think that many people have moved well beyond that,” said Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, which is enlisting scientists to monitor what is occurring in federal agencies. “It’s nonsense — you need to follow your own heart. You can do science and still be a good citizen.”....
