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The order will be enforced by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and “other federal authorities,” as well as state and local officials. “To the extent permitted by law\u2026federal agencies are required to implement additional measures enforcing the provisions of this Order,” the CDC says.<\/p>\n
“CDC reserves the right to enforce through criminal penalties,” the agency adds, though it claims\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0to intend “to rely primarily on these criminal penalties.” The feds may also implement “additional civil measures enforcing the provisions” of the order (which “is not a rule within the meaning of the Administrative Procedure Act,” the CDC notes, “but rather is an emergency action”).<\/p>\n Creating a vast network of law enforcement officials empowered to enforce these mask rules will of course provide a handy new excuse for monitoring and surveilling citizens.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, deputizing federal agents, state authorities, and local cops to enforce transit mask rules will open up all sorts of new police harassment and abuse opportunities.<\/p>\n Only targeting\u00a0people without masks<\/em>\u00a0might not seem to leave a lot of room for discriminatory enforcement. But the CDC order doesn’t just stop at\u00a0people not wearing masks<\/em>. In fact, it leaves a lot up to officials’ discretion.<\/p>\n For instance, travelers can take masks off while eating, drinking, or taking medication\u2014leaving room for a lot of individual judgments in how long it’s reasonable or appropriate to remove a mask for during these activities, as well as misinterpretation in whether someone is allowed to have a mask on or off at a given moment.<\/p>\n The CDC order also says it’s not enough to simply wear a mask\u2014it has to be a certain kind<\/a>\u00a0of mask. It can’t be a bandana, scarf, ski mask, or balaclava. It can’t fit too loosely or too tightly. It can’t contain an exhalation valve or be made from knitted fabrics, leather, plastic, or vinyl.<\/p>\n Again, that leaves a lot of room for authorities to choose who they target for enforcement.<\/p>\n “The CDC rule came just over a week after Biden’s executive order, which already mandated masks on certain modes of public transportation including planes and trains, and it mandated masks on federal property,”\u00a0notes<\/a>\u00a0The<\/em>\u00a0Atlanta Journal-Constitution<\/em>.<\/p>\n The new CDC rules apply to any passengers, operators, or staff of any “aircraft, train, road vehicle, vessel\u2026or other means of transport,” including “rideshares meaning arrangements where passengers travel in a privately owned road vehicle driven by its owner in connection with a fee or service.” The order also applies “on the premises of a transportation hub,” defined as “any airport, bus terminal, marina, seaport or other port, subway station, terminal (including any fixed facility at which passengers are picked-up or discharged), train station, U.S. port of entry, or any other location that provides transportation subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.”<\/p>\n Kids under two years old, people with disabilities that disallow them from wearing masks, and people for whom “wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety, or job duty” are exempted.<\/p>\n Trump PAC, lawyers, and impeachment defense raise eyebrows.<\/strong>\u00a0A political action committee (PAC) launched by former President Donald Trump “raised $31.5 million in the weeks after Election Day,”\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0The Washington Post<\/em>. But as of January 1, “Trump had held on to the majority of that money in the coffers of Save America, his new leadership PAC, which carries few restrictions on how the money can be spent and can now be used to finance his post-presidential political career.”<\/p>\n With his second impeachment trial fast approaching, Trump has “abruptly parted ways with five lawyers handling his impeachment defense,”\u00a0The New York Times<\/em>‘ Maggie Haberman\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0over the weekend.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump had pushed for his defense team to focus on his baseless claim that the election was stolen from him, one person familiar with the situation said. A person close to Mr. Trump disputed that that was the case but acknowledged that there were differences in opinion about the defense strategy. However, Mr. Trump has insisted that the case is “simple” and has told advisers he could argue it himself and save the money on lawyers. (Aides contend he is not seriously contemplating doing so.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nFREE MINDS<\/h2>\n