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Trump signs executive order on Obamacare

Published on 20 January, 2017
Trump signs executive order on Obamacare

Washington, Jan 21 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Friday night signed an executive order aimed at trying to fulfil one of his most impassioned campaign promises; repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or the Obamacare.

The executive order signed in the Oval Office is designed "to ease the burden of Obamacare as we transition from repeal and replace," White House press secretary Sean Spicer told the media.

Spicer did not respond when asked for further details, CNN reported.

In addition to the presidential action on Obamacare, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus will also send out a memo to all government agencies and departments calling for a regulatory freeze, Spicer said.

With his signature, Trump sent a powerful signal on Day One of his presidency: His top priority in the Oval Office will be dismantling the Affordable Care Act, a law that covers some 20 million Americans.

The signing of the order also highlighted how deeply divisive Obamacare remains seven years after its inception: passing a health care reform bill was one of former President Barack Obama's first priorities when he took office in 2009; overhauling it is now an urgent mission of Obama's successor, CNN reported.

Also on Friday, shortly after Trump was sworn into, the newly updated White House website said the new administration will eliminate the Climate Action Plan, the centrepiece of Obama's climate legacy that aims to cut carbon emissions from power plants.

Trump also signed papers confirming the appointments of James Mattis as Secretary of Defense and John Kelly as Secretary of Homeland Security.

Senate confirms Trump's first two Cabinet members


Washington, Jan 21 (IANS) The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's first Cabinet members on Friday, formally approving his defence secretary and secretary of homeland security.

Marine General John Kelly was confirmed to be President Donald Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security and retired Marine General James Mattis will run the Department of Defence, CNN reported.

The vote for Kelly was 88 to 11.

Kelly, a four-star general who had been head of the US Southern Command, retired from the Marines in 2016, Politico reported.

The final vote to confirm Mattis was 98-1. New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was the only senator to vote against him, with Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions -- Trump's pick for attorney general -- abstaining.

"I am pleased by the confirmation votes of Generals Mattis and Kelly. These uniquely qualified leaders will immediately begin the important work of rebuilding our military, defending our nation and securing our borders. I am proud to have these two American heroes join my administration," Trump said in a White House statement, his first since becoming President.

"I call on members of the Senate to fulfil their constitutional obligation and swiftly confirm the remainder of my highly qualified cabinet nominees, so that we can get to work on behalf of the American people without further delay."

Trump signed a bill clearing the way for Mattis to be confirmed as his first action as President earlier Friday, CNN reported. 

Congress passed the waiver -- making an exception to a law requiring defense secretaries be out of the military at least seven years before serving -- earlier this month.

The Senate will not consider Kansas Representative Mike Pompeo for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director until Monday, after at least three Democrats objected to his quick confirmation over concerns including surveillance. 

Instead, they voted on opening debate on his nomination, a procedural step.

Trump inauguration: 6 policemen injured, 217 protesters arrested in Washington 


Washington, Jan 21 (IANS) Six police officers were injured and 217 protesters arrested after they smashed windows, damaged cars and threw rocks at security personnel near US President Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony on Friday in Washington D.C.

At least two police officers and one other person were taken to the hospital for undetermined injuries after run-ins with protesters, D.C. Fire Spokesman Vito Maggiolo told CNN.

After the swearing-in ceremony, demonstrators near 12th and K streets threw rocks and bottles at police, who were clad in riot gear and attempting to disperse the crowd. 

A large number of police were on scene and used smoke and flash-bang devices to try to scatter the protesters.

Acting D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told CNN that there were several hundred protesters who were confronting police, while he praised the thousands of other demonstrators who behaved in a peaceful fashion to get their point across.

"We have been pointing out all along that this is a very isolated incident and by and large everything is going peacefully and a lot of folks have come to the city to enjoy this historic day, not only the Capitol but walking all around the city," Newsham said.

Throughout Friday, demonstrators, some wearing masks and dressed in black, shattered building windows, vandalized police cars and other vehicles, setting some on fire -- including a limousine -- and toppled news kiosks.

"Pepper spray and other control devices were used to control the criminal actors and protect persons and property," the police said.

Protester Lysander Reid-Powell, a 20-year-old student from New Mexico told CNN: "I think Donald Trump is a fascist, and it's very easy for people, especially people who are in pain, to slip into fascism." 

At one checkpoint, about 50 protesters sat down in the street in an attempt to block Trump supporters from entering a secure area to watch the swearing-in ceremony and speech. 

Not far away, a group of immigration backers staged a "pop up" protest near another check point.

"We're here to take a stand against the ideas that Trump spouted throughout the course of this campaign -- sexism, Islamophobia, his bigotry and nationalism," said protester Jed Holtz, from New York City.

There also were anti-Trump protests around the world, including London, Hong Kong and Berlin -- where demonstrators held a sign that read, "Walls divide", CNN reported. 

In the West Bank, Palestinians protested against Israeli settlements and Trump's plan to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

In New York, seven people were arrested at a demonstration outside of Trump Tower, according to the New York Police Department.

On Saturday, the Women's March on Washington could attract a quarter million participants, organisers said.

"We're really trying to set a tone of resistance for the coming years," Lacy MacAuley, a DisruptJ20 organizer, told CNN. 

"Donald Trump represents a shift in our politics in a dangerous, harmful, exclusionary direction. We oppose those policies of hate."

According to Department of Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson, as many as 900,000 spectators were slated to attend inaugural ceremonies.


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