Scott Pruitt may sound reasonable on TV – but Trump’s EPA …

Trump's pick to safeguard the environment may seem more normal than his boss but he still holds anti-science views With the nonstop drama regarding President Donald Trump's Russia connections hogging the headlines, it's easy to overlook the fact that Senate Republicans are still rubber-stamping the den of crooks and conspiracy theorists Trump is drawing from to stock his Cabinet. Early nominees like Betsy DeVos and Jeff Sessions, who managed to sneak in before stories about secret phone calls to Russia took over the headlines, encountered some pushback and protest, and were confirmed by narrow party-line votes.

Keystone XL developer renews effort to build in Nebraska

The developer of the Keystone XL pipeline said Thursday that it is once again seeking state approval for a route through Nebraska. The Canadian company's previous attempts to start construction in Nebraska have been thwarted by activists and some landowners who worry that it could damage property and contaminate groundwater supplies.

Inaction on Syrian atrocities seen as normal

It's a pattern that experts say will likely continue with the revelation this past week that, since 2011, officials at a military prison in Syria have summarily executed as many as 13,000 people by hanging. Amnesty International, which documented the killings, concluded that they were part of a systematic government policy, and constituted crimes against humanity.

Anti-gay Jeff Sessions confirmed as Trump’s attorney general

Despite activists and groups such as the Human Rights Campaign lambasting him for his record on equal rights, the Alabama senator has officially been elected to the prestigious position with a vote of 52 in favour to 47 against. Sessions' record on LGBT+ rights is abysmal - he voted against marriage equality, is in favour of allowing discrimination in the name of religion, and called discriminatory measure Don't Ask Don't Tell "pretty effective".

Lawsuit: Trump Cabinet nominee has not turned over records

Attorney Blake Lawrence, left, answers a question about a lawsuit against Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt over public access to official emails, in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. Looking on are Brady Henderson, center, and Ryan Kiesel, both of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma.

Trump’s Muslim ban: ‘It’s shock and awe without bombs’

Lawyers and protesters fanned across Los Angeles International Airport terminal on Tuesday, distributing questionnaires to travellers from the Middle East and Africa. The answers are meant to offer the public some insight into what happens in airport holding facilities, where travellers who have been detained are barred from outside contact - a practice that critics say reflects the lack of transparency about US immigration.

‘Christians in the Middle-East have been executed’: Trump …

US President Donald Trump speaks to staff at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2017, where he vowed to restore "control" of US frontiers by building a wall on the Mexican border U.S. President Donald Trump fought back on Sunday amid growing international criticism, outrage from civil rights activists and legal challenges over his abrupt order for a halt on arrivals of refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries. In his most sweeping action since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump, a Republican, put a 120-day hold on Friday on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Environmentalists preparing to battle Trump, GOP in court

The night before Donald Trump's inauguration, five environmental lawyers filed a federal court brief defending an Obama administration clean-water rule that the new president and his Republican allies have targeted for elimination, considering it burdensome to landowners. The move served as a warning that environmentalists, facing a hostile administration and a Republican-dominated Congress, are prepared to battle in court against what they fear will be a wave of "It's going to be all-out war," said Vermont Law School Professor Patrick Parenteau.

This week at progressive state blogs: Activism surges; who gets naming rights to ‘The Wall’?

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according... Send a letter to U.S. Senators: Block Jeff Sessions' appointment as Attorney General. **NOTE: THE FORM LETTER IS BLANK.

Jeff Sessions vote expected next Tuesday, despite the ACLU’s request for delay

A Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General is expected to proceed Tuesday, according to a Senate staffer, despite requests by a civil liberties group to delay it in order to question the senator about executive actions signed by President Trump this week. The American Civil Liberties Union wrote to Sen. Charles Grassley and Sen. Dianne Feinstein , respectively the chairman and ranking member of the judiciary committee , asking them to cancel Tuesday's pending committee vote on Mr. Sessions nomination and to instead hold another round of questioning.

Senate committee approves Tillerson for secretary of state

Former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson won the backing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Monday to be secretary of state when it voted to send his nomination to the full Senate with a recommendation of approval. The vote was 11-10.

Protest movements surge ahead of Trump’s Inauguration

Two weeks before Donald Trump's inauguration, Moumita Ahmed packed her bags and moved from New York to Washington, D.C. to house hunt. The property she's seeking will serve as a base for activists throughout Trump's presidency, where organizers will meet, hold trainings, and possibly stay overnight while in town.

The Latest: Too many protesters to hold march in Chicago

So many people have turned out for the Women's March in Chicago that organizers have cancelled their plans to march through the city's downtown. Organizers say far more people than they were initially expecting are at the demonstration in Grant Park along Lake Michigan, and overflow areas are being used.