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From The Reporter’s Notebook
A Republican lawmaker in Texas recently sent out a letter to Muslim faith leaders and student associations that contained a poll about their religious beliefs, including Sharia law, local news outlets reported Thursday. TPM’s Kristin Salaky wrote that State Rep. Kyle Biedermann asked recipients of the letter, dated Jan. 11, whether they support three things: Sharia law, persecution of people who leave Islam and designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, Mustafaa Carroll, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relation’s Houston chapter told The Houston Chronicle.
Agree or Disagree?
Josh Marshall: “One point to keep in mind. After noon tomorrow, each of these agencies will work for Donald Trump. He could simply order them to stop. That might be unethical. It might be wrong. People might resign. But all of these people work for the President. Unsurprisingly, this appears to be the main reason for the leaks. From the Times: “Of the half-dozen current and former officials who confirmed the existence of the investigations, some said they were providing information because they feared the new administration would obstruct their efforts.” The other thread of the story is that the Senate is also beginning to investigate this. Trump can’t shut that down, though ultimately the Senate has to work through the intelligence agencies to probe these matters. It gets complicated.”
Say What?!
“I hope you’re as much fun on that dais as you were on your couch.”
– During former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s (R) confirmation hearing, the energy secretary nominee accidentally let slip a “’Saturday Night Live’ sound bite” that temporarily derailed questioning.
BUZZING: Today in the Hive
From a TPM Prime member: “It is Trump’s anger that appeals to this group more than the substance behind it, and therefore I see it as more cultural than political. When he promises to make America great again by bringing jobs back by nixing bad trade deals and strong-arming Carrier and the like, he is appealing to people who believe that these are the solutions to what ails them. He is not telling them that for every job lost to a trade deal 5 have been lost to automation. I doubt he even knows that, but it doesn’t matter. His id is appealing to their id. And the id comes through very well in a 140 character tweet, or a nasty sound bite. And tweets and sound bites are THE access that many people now choose for their information, or self gratification.”
Related: Trump Says The Approval Ratings Polls Are Rigged!
Have something to add? Become a Prime member and join the discussion here.
What We’re Reading
The Alt-Right’s Meltdown Is Just Like Any Other Message Board Drama (BuzzFeed)
The 5 craziest hours in the White House (The Washington Post)
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