The disarray among politicians of both major parties on display in last year鈥檚 election campaign has intensified in the first two months of Donald Trump鈥檚 presidency.
Charges and counter-charges are hurled between the Democrats and the Trump administration, prompting Congressional investigations that may bring in the FBI, CIA and other spy agencies.
Under President Donald Trump鈥檚 new guidelines, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are stepping up raids, roundups and deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Fulfilling his promise to 鈥渢ake the shackles off鈥 ICE and Border Patrol Agents, the thugs in uniform have been given the green light.
A February 26 New York Times front page article was headlined: 鈥淎gents Discover a New Freedom on Deportations, Emboldened by Trump.鈥
A subhead read: 鈥淨uick Shift as Officers Expand Targets and Start Roundups.鈥
The Trump administration is pressing on with its reactionary agenda amid ongoing mass protests.
Wall Street and businesses, big and small, greeted Trump鈥檚 election with elation in anticipation of his campaign promises to rapidly eliminate regulations they regard as onerous. As Trump seeks to fulfil these promises, the capitalists are moving to take advantage of the chance to rake in greater profits.
鈥淭rump鈥檚 America,鈥 wrote a leading African American journalist, Charles Blow in the New York Times, January 30, 鈥渋s not America: not today鈥檚 or tomorrow鈥檚, but yesterday鈥檚.
鈥淭rump鈥檚 America is brutal, perverse, regressive, insular and afraid. There is no hope in it; there is no light in it. It is a vast expanse of darkness and desolation.鈥
There is a lot of disgust toward Trump and his white nationalist strategist Steve Bannon, former executive chairman of Breitbart News, a leading promoter of conspiracy theories and white supremacists.
Since the huge Women鈥檚 Marches protesting Trump鈥檚 policies on January 21, there have been almost daily demonstrations against his policies.
These include rallies against his stepped-up raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants, in particular the Day Without Immigrant national protests on February 16 during which thousands of migrants went on strike and demonstrated across the country.聽
In one week leading up to February 10, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested nearly 700 people in raids in at least 11 states.
Donald Trump came roaring out of the starting gate after his inauguration, doubling down on the main themes of his election campaign. He moved quickly to initiate a slew of executive orders, tweets and rulings.
One major aspect of this is his drive to progressively concentrate ever more power in his own hands. Since the start of his campaign for president, Trump has maintained that the establishments of both the Democratic and Republican parties have failed to deal with the problems facing US people at home, and the decline in US power globally.
The day after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president, January 21, more than 4 million people joined 鈥淲omen鈥檚 Marches鈥 across the United States to protest the new Commander in Chief鈥檚 promised attacks on women鈥檚 rights.
Hundreds of thousands more took to the streets around the world, with protests on every continent, including Antarctica. In London alone, about 100,000 marched on the day.
Donald Trump may have won the US elections with demagogic, strongman promises to 鈥淢ake America Great鈥, but, in the lead up to his inauguration, the hollowness of such claims is clear as he stocks his Cabinet with oligarchs collectively worth billions.
Last year鈥檚 presidential election was marked by deep divisions in both the Democratic and Republican parties, on top of a stalemate in Congress between the twin parties of US capitalism.
When Donald Trump is sworn in as president on January 20, he will take over the running of the US intelligence agencies 鈥 the CIA, FBI, NSA etc 鈥 that have brought charges to discredit the outcome of his election.
The Electoral College has rubberstamped Trump鈥檚 election and Congress has ratified it. The storm over allegations of Russian聽interference in last year鈥檚 elections will pass as The Leader takes charge and cleans house in these agencies.
But there are some things that should be noted about this brouhaha.
The systematic police repression of African Americans that Black Lives Matter (BLM) has exposed has prompted Black athletes to express their solidarity. The latest has been the silent protests at sporting events initiated by Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers.
His protest is simple. He kneels when the national anthem is played before games. In spite of attacks against him, other professional athletes have emulated his protest. Perhaps most significant has been the many high school players across the country who have joined in.
New reports of police murdering Black people seem to occur daily. Three recent police killings that have sparked huge protests took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Charlotte, North Carolina; and El Cajon, California.
The Charlotte murder and demonstrations have received the most coverage. Before he was shot dead on September 20, Keith Scott, a 43-year-old African American, was sitting in his car waiting for his child to come home from school.
Intervention from the White House and a court order have temporarily halted construction of the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline 20 miles (32km) on either side of Oahe Lake, part of the Missouri River in North and South Dakota.
The temporary restraining order halts construction along this 40-mile stretch. But pipeline construction continues apace elsewhere.