FEDERAL JUDGE RULES THAT CENSUS CANNOT ASK WHETHER A RESIDENT IS A CITIZEN OR NOT
By Kevin Ryan

A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s push for a citizenship question on the 2020 Census questionnaire, in a case likely headed to the Supreme Court

The trial in New York was the first of three challenging the government’s addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. Opponents of the question called it a partisan move that would reduce the response rate and harm the count.

In his ruling, Judge Jesse Furman, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, blocked the administration from adding the question the Census questionnaire. Furman, an Obama appointee, said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated a statute that requires him to collect data through the acquisition and use of “administrative records” instead of through “direct inquiries” on a survey such as the census.

But Furman also said he was unable to find that Ross’s decision to add the question was a pretext for impermissible discrimination as the challengers had argued.

The ruling will likely not be the final word in the case, as the Supreme Court will likely have the last say.

MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle implied without evidence Tuesday that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) has something to hide and the president is blackmailing him over it.

Graham has become one of the President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in the Senate, although he has criticized him for some key decisions, such as the military pullout from Syria. Ruhle seemed to imply there’s more to their relationship than politics, however, during a discussion about Graham with former Rep. David Jolly and professor Eddie Glaude.

"Before Don got elected, Lindsey Graham called Donald Trump a racist, xenophobic bigot. Those are Lindsey Graham's words," Jolly said. "I doubt Lindsey Graham could tell you Donald Trump has had a change of heart in the last 24 months, I bet the change of heart has been with Lindsey Graham, not the president."

"Or it could be that Donald Trump or somebody knows something pretty extreme about Lindsey Graham," Ruhle replied. "We’re gonna have to leave it there."

The smirk Ruhle produced when she spoke suggests she was referring to rumors about Graham’s sexuality, which some Democrats have been trumpeting anew recently. Jon Cooper, chairman of the Democratic Coalition super PAC, explicitly accused Graham on Saturday of letting himself be blackmailed for "some pretty serious kink."

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CNN legal analyst and civil rights attorney Areva Martin may have just added a new definition for the term "colorblind."

You see, Martin was debating on-air Sirius XM radio host and Fox Nation host David Webb on Tuesday about race and job qualifications, and Webb insisted that one's qualifications are more important than skin color in determining who gets hired.

"I never considered my color the issue," Webb told Martin. "I considered my qualifications the issue."

With that Martin called out Webb for his "white privilege."

"Well, David, you know that's a whole 'nother long conversation about white privilege and things that you have the privilege of doing that people of color don't have the privilege of," Martin told Webb.

Webb then inquired, "How do I have the privilege of white privilege?"

Seemingly a bit annoyed, Martin replied, "David, by virtue of being a white male you have white privilege" before saying it would be "a whole long conversation I don't have time to get into."

The bomb is dropped

Sadly we couldn't catch the expression on Martin's face when Webb gave her the bad news.

"Areva, I hate to break it to you, but you should've been better prepped," the host began. "I'm black."

There were a few seconds of silence before Martin said, seemingly without much embarrassment, "OK, then. I stand corrected."