We Resist: Day 5

One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they disgorge every single day.

So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.

Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.

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Here are some things I've read today:

A number of Trump's Cabinet nominees have been passed out of committee for full Senate votes: Rex Tillerson for State; Ben Carson for HUD; Wilbur Ross for Commerce; Elaine Chao for Transportation.

James Mattis (Defense); John Kelly (Homeland Security); and Mike Pompeo (CIA) have already been confirmed in full Senate votes. The only Democratic Senator to vote against all three of them is Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York (who filled Hillary Clinton's vacated seat).

Trump will also be retaining James Comey as FBI director, because of course he will.

Lisa Lambert at Reuters: Republicans pass sweeping bill to reform 'abusive' U.S. regulation. This piece is nearly two weeks old already, and the fact that it went largely without notice makes it all the more terrifying. Remember what I was just saying about checks and balances? At best, this is an extraordinary erosion of checks and balances. At worst, the House just declared we're a dictatorship now. (Relevant reminder: Trump campaigned on slashing 90% of federal regulations.)

Josh Dawsey and Nancy Cook at Politico: Trump Assembles a Shadow Cabinet. "The White House is installing senior aides atop major federal agencies to shadow the administration's Cabinet secretaries, creating a direct line with loyalists who can monitor and shape White House goals across the federal bureaucracy."

Caroline Mortimer at the Independent: Trump administration suspends all Environmental Protection Agency grants. "Staff at the Environmental Protection Agency have been told by the incoming Trump administration to freeze all the grants designed to fund research, redevelopment of former industrial sites, air quality monitoring, and education, but were banned from discussing it with anyone outside the agency."

Steve Holland at Reuters: Trump to advance Keystone, Dakota pipelines. "U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed executive actions to accelerate the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects and to decree that American steel should be used for pipelines built in the United States. Trump also signed an action to expedite environmental review and approval of high-priority infrastructure projects that he hopes to get moving as part of his drive to rebuild U.S. airports, roads, and bridges."

Oliver Darcy at Business Insider: Breitbart National Security Editor and Fox News Contributor Expected to Join Trump White House. "Breitbart national security editor and Fox News contributor Sebastian Gorka is expected to join President Donald Trump's White House, a source familiar with the matter told Business Insider. The source said that the position is likely in the National Security Council." This is terrifying, given Breitbart's position on meddling in foreign elections to assist white supremacist referenda and candidates.

Richard Engel, Marc Smith, and Eric Baculinao at NBC News: Beijing Strikes Back at White House, Draws Red Lines Over South China Sea, Taiwan. "A day after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer vowed that the United States would stand up to China's military expansion in the South China Sea, officials here are firing back. 'There might be a difference' of opinion regarding who has sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea, 'but that's not for the United States' to get involved in, Lu Kang, a senior official with the Chinese foreign ministry, told NBC News in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. In other words, he was suggesting the U.S. should butt out of China's relationship with its neighbors. But the new Trump administration has made it clear it has no intention of doing so."

Jon Swaine at the Guardian: Two journalists covering inauguration protests face felony riot charges. "Two journalists who were arrested while covering the unrest in Washington D.C. surrounding Donald Trump's inauguration last Friday have been charged with felonies and could face up to 10 years in prison. The journalists, who were there on assignment, are both charged with the most serious level of offense under the District of Columbia's law against rioting. They could also each be fined up to $25,000 if convicted."

Stephen Wolf at dKos: South Dakota GOP will declare 'state of emergency' to repeal voter-approved ethics reform law. "On Monday, Republicans are set to begin passing House Bill 1069, which would effectively eviscerate the voter-approved ethics reform law. Especially galling is how lawmakers are using a mechanism reserved for declaring literal states of emergency so that the repeal measure would take effect immediately."

Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) has introduced federal legislation "To provide that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization."

What have you been reading that we need to resist today?