Did a selfie accidentally reveal the administration’s plan to halt all visas? | Hacker News Reader

Did a selfie accidentally reveal the administration’s plan to halt all visas?

economist.com

40 pointsdx03414 comments

There is nothing accidental about that photo, Bannon and Boteach, are both very media savvy. Boteach is a one-man PR machine for the Boteach brand and Bannon co-founded Breitbart News.

We are just being played here.

Being played poorly, I might add.

The travel ban was supposedly issued on a Friday to get people to protest to demonstrate the administration's power. Then the courts blocked the ban and made the administration look impotent.

Exactly my thought. What would be the point of writing those down on a whiteboard? And who is so organised and tidy with their whiteboard?

Also, this doesn't belong on HN

I disagree and think these topics (especially the part about policies to search computers of entrants to the U.S.) are interesting and relevant to this crowd. (The fact that this post is #1 on HN right now suggests this as well).

> And who is so organised and tidy with their whiteboard?

Someone too out of touch (or hipster) to use a computer to do it. I've met people who do everything in paper notebooks and whiteboards and almost never open a computer and the level of detail in their notes borders on art.

Although I think it is more likely it was staged.

Nothing out of touch in recognizing that paper notebooks and whiteboards are way more ergonomic than computers for certain use cases.

I agree. I couldn't figure out a way to say it without coming off that way. I realize there are legitimate reasons one might choose to use paper.

"Infinite resolution" being one I hear often.

"Such a tactic, with all the economic and administrative woe it would entail, would be a ludicrously large hammer to use on such a small nut. No reasonable president would wield it."

That last line would once have offered greater reassurance.

It was planned, but that makes it even more stupid. The courts have been using Trump and his surrogates own words against them showing their true intent in the travel ban. Don't see how this will help them when they're challenged again.

It could be that losing battles in court is part of their strategy for whipping their base into a frenzy against the judiciary.

Is the policy to search computers and phones when entering the U.S. still happening? If so, is it also affecting U.S. citizens? I would think they'd have rights that don't allow this without a warrant. Not sure about non-citizens.

Well you'd be wrong. It's legal to circumvent such protections at the border -- in fact, this is one reason they do it.

You know it's the Economist because the angle they go for on this story is the effect on the travel industry.

It's their business travel blogger.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com