Hashtag of the day: #FreeMelania has taken off on Twitter after a video clip from the inauguration started circling the internet. It shows First Lady Melania Trump smiling at her husband, but changing her expression completely the moment he turns away–what’s going on there? Now read on for some newsworthy rants!

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

The U.S. is Now a “Flawed Democracy”

For the first time ever, the United States has slipped down on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) ranking of democracies worldwide. The U.S. used to be considered a “full democracy” but is now labeled a “flawed democracy,” the same designation as countries like Singapore, India, and Italy. The index considers categories like the electoral process, pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of the government, and political participation. The threshold for being a “complete democracy” is 8.0 points. The U.S. fell from 8.05 in 2015 to 7.98 in 2016. According to the scale, we have an underdeveloped political culture, low political participation, and weak governance.

We know what you’re thinking, but it’s not all President Donald Trump’s fault—the U.S. has been slipping down this slope for years, according to the EIU. Mainly, this is because the public’s trust in the government has hit historic lows.

Leader of free world no longer a democracy, no matter how you look at it (Trump not reason but doesn’t help)https://t.co/atJDRvlJSl

— Danny Quah (@DannyQuah) January 25, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post RantCrush Top 5: January 26, 2017 appeared first on Law Street.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday that fulfilled, at least partially, his campaign promise of building a “beautiful wall” on the Mexican border. According to Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer, the order will direct the Department of Homeland Security to use existing funds and resources to begin work on the wall, perhaps as early as next month. Drafts of another executive order signal Trump will enact strict visa bans for immigrants from “terror prone” nations. He is also expected to temporarily bar refugees from Muslim-majority countries.

Those executive orders have yet to be signed, but they imply Trump will follow through with his promise to clamp down on immigration, whether from Latin America or the Middle East and Africa. Trump signed the executive action on the Mexican border wall at the DHS headquarters Wednesday afternoon. Any additional funding for the wall, which Trump has promised will ultimately come from Mexico’s coffers, would need congressional approval.

Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017

According to another executive order draft on immigration and refugees, Trump will authorize a freeze on refugees fleeing civil wars in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. Exceptions will be made for religious minorities who are escaping persecution. The order will also temporarily block visas for immigrants from Muslim-majority countries–Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen–until stricter vetting procedures are in place.

“To think that Trump’s first 100 days are going to be marked by this very shameful shutting of our doors to everybody who is seeking refuge in this country is very concerning,” Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, told The New York Times. “Everything points to this being simply a backdoor Muslim ban.” It is unclear if Trump will block Muslims from other Muslim-dense countries–Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and others–from coming to the U.S.

A draft of another executive order Trump is considering reviews bringing back CIA “black sites,” all of which President Obama shuttered during his first week in office in 2009. But the draft is clear that the Trump Administration will not bring back water torture, a move he flirted with on the campaign trail. The draft states: “no person in the custody of the United States shall at any time be subjected to torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as described by U.S. or international law.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Trump Makes Good on Mexican Border Wall Promise appeared first on Law Street.

Donald Trump has announced he is going to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto only a few hours before a major immigration speech in Arizona. Last week, Peña Nieto sent out invitations to Trump and Hillary Clinton to come visit. Trump waited until the last minute to accept, and declared on Twitter Tuesday night that he looked “very much forward” to the personal meeting.

I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

But Trump’s trip to Mexico has given birth to the Twitter hashtag #TrumpsMexicoTripSayings, which makes fun of Trump’s distinctive way of speaking.

.#TrumpsMexicoTripSayings
just stopping by to check on my best employees.
no, not the rapists. those are friends.
. pic.twitter.com/YHXB5D2pdD

— ANONYMOUS JOBS (@AnonymousJobsUS) August 31, 2016

"I know walls. Walls love me. I build the best walls. Everyone agrees. They're terrific." #TrumpsMexicoTripSayings pic.twitter.com/tjdNco93d1

— I H Laking (@IHLaking) August 31, 2016

The visit to Mexico may come as a surprise given Trump’s previous statements about Mexicans and Latinos–he has accused them of being rapists and killers who are bringing crime and drugs into the U.S., he kicked a Hispanic journalist out of a news conference, and he wants to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it.

So, maybe this trip is an attempt to win over some Latino votes as Trump’s poll numbers are going down. Trump’s stance on immigration has been questioned during the past couple of weeks, as he has indicated he might be open to a more lenient immigration policy than he has previously stated.

But that doesn’t necessarily go far in Mexico. Former President Vicente Fox apologized on behalf of the country in an interview with CNN, saying that this invitation is a very opportunistic move that he hopes both the U.S. and Mexican public can see through. He said that Trump cannot undo the harm of his offensive remarks about Mexicans and Muslims that have made him so unpopular in many parts of the world.

There was even a Twitter argument going on between Trump and Fox on Wednesday morning. Trump reminded Fox that he also invited him to visit Mexico earlier this year, after apologizing for saying Mexico would not pay for that “f—–g wall”.

Former President Vicente Fox, who is railing against my visit to Mexico today, also invited me when he apologized for using the "f bomb."

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016

Fox replied that his invitation only stood if Trump was willing to apologize to the Mexican people.

@realDonaldTrump, I invited you to come and apologize to all Mexicans. Stop lying! Mexico is not yours to play with, show some respect.

— Vicente Fox Quesada (@VicenteFoxQue) August 31, 2016

Writer Andy Borowitz suggested in a satire article in the New Yorker that Obama would pay $5 billion for Mexico to keep Trump.

.@BorowitzReport: Obama Pays Mexico Five Billion Dollars to Keep Donald Trump https://t.co/0mmA0R6WYl pic.twitter.com/7HM6QsKghe

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) August 31, 2016

But it seems like the Mexican politicians would rather only have a quick visit.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post #TrumpsMexicoTripSayings Makes Fun of Donald Trump’s Mexico Visit appeared first on Law Street.

After the somewhat surprising success of John Oliver’s #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain campaign, some “Last Week Tonight” viewers may have thought that the comedian’s assault on Mr. Drumpf was over.

Those viewers would be wrong.

On Sunday’s episode, Oliver set aside 18 minutes and 30 seconds to completely demolish and dismantle one of Trump’s most popular political proposals: his wall.

This wall is said to be the solution to all of the United States’ immigration problems. He’s going to build a wall and most importantly “make Mexico pay for it.” Then he’ll watch as all the Mexican rapists and drug dealers vanish overnight.

The problem is that (blatant racism aside), if you actually start to work out the logistics of taking on such a hefty building project it quickly becomes apparent that this plan is just as idiotic as it sounds.

Not only can the wall not be built over the Rio Grande river, but it will also conservatively cost our country an estimated $25 billion–and Mexico sure as hell isn’t going pay for it. Former Mexican presidents have even said so!

Additionally, building a huge concrete rebar and steel monstrosity across 1,000 miles of the U.S. border will have absolutely zero effect on number of immigrants illegally overstaying their visas.

Since Oliver can explain the insane logic behind Trump’s wall in a much more entertaining way than I can, take a few minutes out of your day to watch the truly entertaining clip below:

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post John Oliver Completely Dismantles Trump’s Wall appeared first on Law Street.