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Connections

Reacting to a busy first week for the new Trump administration

President Donald Trump has refused to release his tax returns, saying he is in the process of being audited.
President Donald Trump has refused to release his tax returns, saying he is in the process of being audited.

12:00: Reacting to a busy first week for the new Trump administration

1:00: Trump cancels flights for hundreds of refugees

President Trump is having a busy first week back in office, following through on a number of campaign promises: pardoning people convicted of storming the capitol on January 6th; moving aggressively on the southern border and deportations; ending federal government support for DEI programs. The president's supporters cheered his executive orders. His ideological opponents are already feeling frustrated and fatigued. Our guests discuss their hopes and expectations for the new Trump White House:

  • Richard Dollinger, retired judge and state senator
  • Luis Martínez, management consultant and former candidate for NYS Senate

Then in our second hour, President Trump signed an executive order that suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, pausing most refugee admissions. Keeping Our Promise is a Rochester-based organization that has helped bring hundreds of Afghan allies and their families to Western New York. Suddenly the promise of a new life in the United States is in jeopardy. President Trump has canceled flights for 1,660 Afghan refugees who had previously been cleared by the U.S. government, according to Reuters. Some are children; some fought for the former U.S.-backed government. Now there are questions about how this order could affect Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas, or SIVs, as well as other refugee groups. We discuss the implications of these actions with our guests:

  • Ellen Smith, founder and executive director of Keeping Our Promise
  • Getachew Bashir, director of the Refugee Department at Catholic Charities Family and Community Services
  • General John Bradley, retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and co-founder of the Lamia Afghan Foundation
  • Shawn VanDiver, president and chairman of #AfghanEvac
Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.

Connections with Evan Dawson

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