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Ivanka Trump Supports Her Dad's Choice to Block Equal Pay Legislation


The Trump administration is doing away with an Obama-era initiative to close the gender wage gap—and Ivanka Trump is okay with it.

To hold employers accountable for promoting equal pay, former President Barack Obama created a rule requiring them to release salary data categorized by gender and race. It was set to go into effect in spring 2018—but now, thanks to the Trump administration, it never will.

Obama’s rule was “enormously burdensome,” Neomi Rao, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, told the Wall Street Journal. “We don’t believe it would actually help us gather information about wage and employment discrimination.” As a result, the Trump administration decided to block it.

Some wondered what Ivanka Trump, who serves as her father’s adviser, might have to say about this—given that she’s made wage equality one of her causes. On Equal Pay Day, she wrote on Facebook that “closing the gender pay gap is critical to the economic empowerment of American women,” and that she would “work towards this goal alongside my father.” And when she announced her global Women Entrepreneurs Fund, she cited combating the wage gap as one of her goals.

But Ivanka has been criticized for paying lip service to gender equality without doing much to further it. She’s stayed silent on her father’s decisions to cut funding for women’s healthcare and remove other Obama-era legislation to protect women in the workplace. In fact, she told the Washington Post that she tries not to give her dad her opinion at all. Her book, Women Who Work, claimed to help women get ahead in the workplace—but it was widely denounced as relevant only to a privileged few.

So it’s perhaps no surprise that Ivanka is standing by her father, as usual. “Ultimately, while I believe the intention was good and agree that pay transparency is important, the proposed policy would not yield the intended results,” she said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal. “We look forward to continuing to work with EEOC, OMB, Congress and all relevant stakeholders on robust policies aimed at eliminating the gender wage gap.”

The Anne Frank Center—among others on Twitter—have called her out for this statement, using it as further proof that she’s mostly talk and little action when it comes to gender equality.



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It Was Only a Matter of Time Before Melania Trump Got FLOTUS Merch


Hot off the heels (sorry) of a controversial travel get-up, Melania Trump landed in Houston this afternoon—and though she ditched the Manolo Blahnik stilettos on Air Force 1, FLOTUS was spotted wearing another item that had the Internet scratching its head.

The Trumps are in Texas to visit those affected by Hurricane Harvey—though, so far, the purpose for their trip has been eclipsed by the First Lady’s wardrobing choices for the photo opportunities. As The Cut pointed out, the First Lady deplaned in Houston wearing an accessory that might signal she’s finally succumbed to her husband’s affinity for merchandise: a hat that spells out “FLOTUS,” in case there were any questions surrounding her current title.

PHOTO: JIM WATSON

Though Melania skipped the signature “Make American Great Again” red, her black-and-white “FLOTUS” cap is right in line with her husband’s headgear. (President Trump has recently been spotted wearing a new “USA” style himself.) And while a FLOTUS-branded hat isn’t quite as questionable as stilettos to visit a city recovering from a Category 3 hurricane, we’re nonetheless curious as to why Melania decided now was the time to partake in the Trump family merch tradition.

Luckily, all it took was a quick scroll through Twitter to realize that we weren’t alone in this line of thought.

FLOTUS’ office has released a statement about the inordinate amount of attention Melania’s wardrobing choices have received during this official visit. But this outfit change does beg more questions—such as: Will these hats be popping up on Donald J. Trump’s official online store in the near future? Will other members of the administration also be getting the merch treatment? Only time will tell… but this might be an example of how being #onbrand can go a tad too far.

Related Stories:

Melania Trump Thanks Chelsea Clinton for Defending 11-Year-Old Barron

There’s a Reason Why You Might’ve Noticed More Ivanka Trump Clothing at Goodwill Than Ever Before

New Report Reveals the Overwhelming Hypocrisy Behind Ivanka Trump’s Clothing Brand



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Donald Trump Couldn't Tell the Difference Between Two Female Reporters During a News Conference


Donald Trump has boasted that “no one has more respect for women” than he does—but he sure seems to have trouble telling them apart.

The president struggled to tell the difference between two blonde female reporters at a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö on Monday. As Niinistö called upon a member of the Finland press corps to ask a question—a reporter who happened to be a woman with blonde hair—Trump interjected.

“Again? You’re going to give her the same one?” he asked, alluding to a different blonde-haired woman who had asked a question earlier.

“No, she is not the same lady,” Niinistö retorted. “They are sitting side by side.”

The reporter gamely offered her own insight, telling the President, “We have a lot of blonde women in Finland.” Then she got back to business, launching into a question about Finland’s role in the relationship between Russian and the U.S.

This isn’t the first time Trump has struggled to get through a basic interaction with the press. In the roughly seven months since he took office, his tempestuous relationship with the media has seen an impromptu press conference turn downright hostile, a campaign-style rally built mostly on media attacks, and a truly cringe-worthy moment when the President singled out an Irish reporter to compliment her “nice smile.”

As for Monday’s gaffe, even a cursory glance would indicate that the two women who were subjects of the President’s mix-up, Maria Annala and Paula Vilén, don’t really look alike:

As Annala lamented, “We have a lot of blonde women in Finland” could, sadly, be her journalistic legacy forever.



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Melania Trump Gets Mocked For Wearing Stilettos to Houston After Hurricane Harvey


On Tuesday, Donald and Melania Trump took off for Texas to witness the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the relief efforts taking place firsthand. Photos of the President and First Lady show Melania looking unusually casual in a green bomber jacket, a black shirt and black cropped pants, but instead of grabbing a pair of sneakers or, you know, rain boots, Melania choose to cap off her look with sky-high black stilettos.

Obviously, Twitter users couldn’t resist commenting on the choice of footwear, with some taking it as evidence that the First Lady cares more about her image than helping the victims of the hurricane. Others pointed out that they’re just plain ridiculous to wear during what the National Weather Service called “unprecedented” flooding.

A Trump spokesperson told The Washington Examiner in Melania’s defense that she planned to change into a different pair of shoes. Still, people are confused about why she was wearing her signature heels in the first place.

This isn’t the first time Melania’s come under fire for her fashion choices. In May, she wore a 51,500 Dolce & Gabbana jacket to the G7 Summit in Sicily, garnering criticism for flaunting her wealth while many Americans struggle to survive on far less money every year—especially as her husband’s administration furthers policies that would make life harder for these people.



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Trump Pardoned Arpaio During Hurricane Harvey Because 'Ratings Would Be Far Higher'


Donald Trump, U.S. president and former reality TV star, apparently had ratings in mind on Friday when he pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who’s long faced accusations of racial profiling. During a press conference Monday, Trump suggested he timed the controversial move to get the best proverbial bang for his buck.

“I wonder if you could tell us what was behind your thinking for issuing the pardon for the Sheriff,” Fox News’ John Roberts told the president. “And, as well, what do you say to your critics, even some in your own party, who say it was the wrong thing to do?”

“Well, a lot of people think it was the right thing to do, John,” Trump responded. “And actually, in the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally. You know the hurricane was just starting, and I put it out that I had pardoned, as we say, Sheriff Joe.”

Trump proceeded to compliment Arpaio, insisting he’s “done a great job for the people of Arizona.”

“He’s very strong on borders, very strong on illegal immigration,” Trump continued. “He is loved in Arizona.”

In case you haven’t been following along, the pardoning itself was highly contentious: Arpaio—an avid Trump supporter—was convicted in July of misdemeanor contempt of court in connection to his treatment of people he believed were undocumented immigrants. His pardoning drew widespread criticism from both democrats and high-ranking members of Trump’s own party.

A survey released last Monday found that just 21% of Arizonans supported a possible pardon for Arpaio. Significantly more respondents — half, in fact — opposed it.



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Donald Trump Officially Ordered the Military to Ban Transgender Recruits


On Friday night President Donald Trump issued a directive banning transgender recruits from the military. It comes two days after news broke that a White House memo along these lines was being finalized to send to the Department of Defense. Along with the ban, the directive also bars funds for sex reassignment surgeries unless the transgender service member is already in treatment. What’s unclear from Friday’s official order, however, is whether transgender troops currently serving will be allowed to continue.

Trump’s order also applies to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard. According to the New York Times, it falls largely to Defense Secretary James Mattis to come up with how to implement Trump’s order—and to decide whether transgender troops can stay. Mattis’ decision, according to a press briefing about the memo reported by NPR, will be based on how their “continued service affects military effectiveness, lethality, resources and unit cohesion.” He has six months to come up with his proposal, according to the Times.

Trump’s ban marks an end to an initiative from President Obama’s administration that allowed the military to recruit transgender people into the armed forces. The current president had first announced his proposal in a series of tweets in July, saying, “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming … victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”

Trump’s tweets caused an uproar, with people accusing Trump of discrimination when it came to his arguments about why trans people shouldn’t be allowed to serve in the military. Case in point: the military actually spends more on Viagra than it does for trans health care—so the President’s point about medical costs being the issue is pretty weak.

When asked at Friday’s briefing if the President’s announcement was discriminatory, a White House official responded, “The president is the president for all Americans, and during last year’s campaign he was the first GOP nominee to talk about LGBTQ issues at the GOP convention, but he also was critical of the Obama administration’s change in that longstanding DOD policy.” He went on to say, “He’s going to continue to ensure that the rights of the LGBTQ community, as well as all Americans, is protected. This policy is based on a series of national security considerations.

Many people, including Senator Tammy Duckworth who served in the army in Iraq, have spoken out against Trump’s ban by arguing that gender identity has nothing to do with the ability to serve the country. If someone is able to do the job, that’s all that matters.

On Saturday morning, the ACLU announced that they’d be filing a lawsuit against Trump on Monday.

We’ll keep you posted with where this goes.

Related Stories:
–Senator Tammy Duckworth on Trump’s Trans Military Ban: ‘This Man Is Not Fit to Be Commander-in-Chief’
–President Donald Trump Bans Transgender People From Serving in the Military: Celebrities React
–Donald Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Is Set to Go Into Effect Within 6 Months, According to a New Memo



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