This morning, it was discovered that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has been revoking visas for students across the country manually, rather than leaving that decision to universities, as is the norm. While Zeteo suggests the students and universities were not notified, this does not seem to be the case. In an article I haven’t linked, several hundred received notification to self-deport this morning. It is unclear if more visas were revoked than the 300 Zeteo reports, but those 300 seem to have been notified.
These visa revocations are tied to the visa provision preventing “interference in foreign policy”. In the cases Zeteo and other outlets reviewed, this interference was little more than social media activity. In some cases, merely sharing a post critical of US policy was sufficient for revocation.
California Governor Gavin Newsom decried the ‘toxicity’ of the Democratic Party on Friday, in an interview with Bill Maher. He said the party was ‘too judgmental’ and that it ‘needs to mature’. Rich words coming from a guy who’s busily doing a total 180 on positions held for years, probably in an effort to swing right in prep for a run for President. For instance, after hosting noted white supremacist and shitbag Charlie Kirk on his podcast, he performed an encore lap by inviting Steve Bannon on.
Newsom’s descent into dirtbag is well underway; it’s hard to exaggerate just how much he’s alienating his base in California in his efforts to court the entirely mythical swing Republican vote. Any Californian can tell you, the Republicans in this state hate his ass passionately – a drive up or down I-5 will plaster your eyes with anti-Newsom signage. Even Democrats in California have basically only been tolerating him, since he’s largely ineffectual. He exemplifies the bog-standard Big Donor Democrat stereotype, with no real policy positions at any given moment other than what’s politically expedient. He’s also totally in bed with PG&E, and has utterly failed to reform them after the massive fires their collapsing infrastructure has caused.
Democrats want a fighter and someone who will stand up to fascists, not someone who will invite them on to their podcast, agree with them, and be the most milquetoast politician while doing so.
In Wisconsin, Appellate court judge Andrew Voigt denied AG Josh Kaul’s lawsuit which is attempting to stop Elon Musk’s 1 million dollar voting giveaway; Kaul has already appealed the ruling. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find Voigt’s rationale for his refusal.
In international news, Ecuador is preparing for the arrival of United States military aid in Manta by building a new military base there. This is of particular interest to me, as I have a lot of friends in Latin America, and I work with a lot of people whose families are from Latin America. Ecuador is in a somewhat precarious position both geographically and politically. Geographically, coastal cities like Guayaquil are perfect for international narco trade, and former president Rafael Correa’s closure of the previous base in Manta encouraged the narcos to move into the country from Peru and Colombia. This was further exacerbated by FARC ending operations in Colombia, which was kind of policing the southern border with Ecuador. My friends in Colombia (Medellin and Barranquilla) have said the government is still making life difficult for the Colombian narcos, so moving their goods through Ecuador is easier.
Currently President Daniel Noboa is facing off in a special election with candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who’s the protégé of former president Correa. I suspect this base is a play to swing votes toward himself and away from Gonzalez, as the country is still dealing with some serious gang violence.