Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Blocking Republicans’ Cruel Health Care Cuts Is Not Enough — We Must Move to Medicare For All

 

at 4/29/25 3:08pm

Today, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Debbie Dingell (MI-06), reintroduced the Medicare for All Act.“The American people understand, as I do, that health care is a human right, not a privilege and that we must end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of its citizens,” said Senator Bernie Sanders. “It is not acceptable to me, nor to the American people, that over 85 million people today are either uninsured or underinsured. Today, there are millions of people who would like to go to a doctor but cannot afford to do so. This is an outrage. In America, your health and your longevity should not be dependent on your wealth. Health care is a human right that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to and they deserve the best health care that our country can provide.”“It is a travesty when 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured and millions more are drowning in medical debt in the richest nation on Earth,” said Representative Pramilla Jayapal. “We don’t suffer from scarcity in America, we suffer from greed. That’s most clear in our broken healthcare system, which is why we need Medicare for All. People deserve and want comprehensive health care that covers mental health, long-term care, reproductive care, dental, vision and hearing, all without copays, private insurance premiums, sky high deductibles or other hidden fees. Health care is a human right, that is exactly why it’s time to pass Medicare for All.”“Every American has the right to health care, period. If you’re sick, you should be able to go to the doctor without being worried about the cost of treatment or prescription medicine. Too many families must decide between putting food on the table and getting medical care that they desperately need,” said Representative Debbie Dingell. “A health care system that ties coverage to employment will always leave patients vulnerable. It’s flat-out wrong and Medicare for All would put a stop to it. We’ve been fighting this fight since the 1940s, when my father-in-law helped author the first universal health care bill. It’s time to get this done.”“As Donald Trump, Robert Kennedy and Congressional Republicans rush to strip health care from millions of Americans, we know this: We must not only block their cruel cuts but move America to a system that provides health care to everyone as a matter of right,” said Robert Weissman, co-president, Public Citizen. “America spends much more than other wealthy countries on health care only to have the worst health outcomes. The system works for health insurers, Big Pharma, hospital chains and private equity firms – but no one else. Medicare for All would ensure everyone in America can get the care they need throughout their lives. It is the realistic, humane, just and efficient reform we need.”“Nurses see the failure of our country’s profit-driven health care system every time we clock in to work,” said Nancy Hagans, President of National Nurses United. “In the richest country on earth, nobody should be forced to choose between taking their medications and putting food on the table. Yet countless families are pushed to the breaking point while greedy corporations charge astronomical, ludicrous fees for care that our patients have every right to receive. Nurses are fighting for a future in which our patients’ health is put first always and that’s why we are proud to continue our support for Medicare for All. When we guarantee health care for all, corporations and billionaires will no longer be able to deny anyone the care that they need.”“We are long overdue for a universal health care system that guarantees care for all — free of copays, deductibles, and job-based coverage restrictions,” said Dr. Diljeet K. Singh, M.D., Dr.P.H., and President of Physicians for a National Health Plan. With the passage of the Medicare for All Act, physicians can focus on healing patients, not battling insurers over denials and delays. Patients will finally be able to seek care without the constant fear of crushing medical bills. Physicians for a National Health Program proudly stands with our legislators in the fight to make excellent health care a reality for everyone in America.”“Postal workers know the value of affordable, universal services, grounded in a commitment to putting people over profits. That’s the type of service we are committed to provide communities across the country, day in and day out,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “For too long, greedy corporations and their Wall Street investors have been able to deny the people of the country the quality, affordable, universal healthcare working people deserve. “Medicare for All,” healthcare as a human right, will make us all healthier and financially better off. A healthcare system that works for working people, not the profits of the insurance companies, is long overdue. It’s time for Medicare for All.”“Medicaid is a life and death issue for tens of millions of people,” said Jaron Benjamin, Deputy Chief of Campaigns at Popular Democracy in Action. “For years, our network has fought for programs like Medicaid and Medicare that keep families whole: elders aging with dignity, children getting the care they need, people with disabilities living full lives. Instead of protecting what works, Republicans in Congress are pushing cuts to Medicaid so they can hand more money to their billionaire backers. We won’t stand by while our communities are sacrificed for tax giveaways.”“If you want to renew the public’s faith in our political system, pass The Medicare for All Act of 2025,” said Alan Minsky, Executive Director, Progressive Democrats of America. “This one piece of legislation will instantly end the era, which has lasted far too long, when profits and wealth accumulation are more important than human life, including yours. MFA will return the general welfare, and the well-being of every individual, to the heart of our social contract. That will renew faith in America.”“It is a travesty when 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured and millions more are drowning in medical debt in the richest nation on Earth,” said Jayapal. “We don’t suffer from scarcity in America, we suffer from greed. That’s most clear in our broken healthcare system, which is why we need Medicare for All. People deserve and want comprehensive health care that covers mental health, long-term care, reproductive care, dental, vision and hearing, all without copays, private insurance premiums, sky high deductibles or other hidden fees. Health care is a human right, that is exactly why it’s time to pass Medicare for All.”“Health care is a human right and a basic need. Yet instead of getting health care, Americans get delays, denials, and bills they cannot afford. Today, predatory insurance CEOs are poised to reap the windfall from the tax scam giveaways earmarked for billionaires and corporations. The oligarchs that put Donald Trump and Dr. Oz in power want everything we have. We get sicker, make impossible choices, and go broke. They boost the stock prices of corporations – like UnitedHealth – that profit off our pain, and buy more mansions and yachts. We can put an end to those warped priorities through Medicare for All,” said Sulma Arias, executive director of People’s Action Institute. “Working people have made this the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, and there is more than enough if we don’t let the corporate crooks and billionaires steal it. So it’s time to choose: Our health care or their greed?” she added. “Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. The reintroduction of the Medicare for All Act is a crucial step toward ending a system that profits from people’s pain,” said Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper, Co-Executive Directors of Popular Democracy. “Too many Americans are forced to choose between paying their rent and paying for life-saving medication, while corporations rake in billions. Medicare for All isn’t just a policy—it’s the lifeline working families desperately need. Our communities deserve a healthcare system that prioritizes people over profits. We will fight until we win the healthcare we deserve.”

— New Report Reveals No-Till’s Massive Pesticide Problem

 

at 4/29/25 11:42am

A new report from Friends of the Earth refutes the widely-held assumption that conventional no-till agriculture is “regenerative.” Based on a first-of-its-kind analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, the report finds that most no-till systems are so heavily dependent on toxic herbicides to manage weeds that a staggering one-third of the U.S.’s total annual pesticide use (a term that includes herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) can be attributed to no- and minimum-till corn and soy production alone.Chemical-intensive agriculture predominates in the U.S. not through the fault of farmers, but because that is what public policies and markets support. Farmers have widely adopted no-till to minimize soil erosion and now must be supported to reduce agrochemical inputs.The report finds that the vast majority (93%) of acreage of the top two no- and minimum-till crops, corn and soy, use toxic herbicides that have devastating consequences for soil life and human health. These chemicals, being broadcast across nearly 100 million acres nationwide, predominantly in the Heartland and Great Plains, have been linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility, neurotoxicity, disruption of the gut microbiome, endocrine disruption, and more. The majority (61%) of use is chemicals that are classified as highly hazardous. Glyphosate, the cancer-linked main ingredient in the widely criticized weedkiller Roundup, is the most widely used herbicide in no-till corn and soy. The cost of chemical-intensive no-till goes beyond impacts on our health: It is also destroying the soil that grows our food. The pesticides widely used in conventional no-till devastate soil health, harming the soil microbiome and invertebrates like worms and beetles, as well as essential pollinators and other wildlife. Healthy, living soil improves farmers’ resilience to droughts and floods, conserves water, and draws more carbon down from the atmosphere. Soil ravaged by toxic pesticides, on the other hand, threatens resources needed for a healthy food system. The report debunks the faulty assumption that conventional no-till is a climate solution, summarizing extensive scientific research showing there is no clear relationship between no-till and soil carbon sequestration. And the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fossil-fuel-based synthetic pesticides and fertilizers used in no- and minimum-till corn and soy are equivalent to that of 11.4 million cars on the road over an entire year — about the number of cars in the top 9 no-till states combined. “As regenerative agriculture takes center stage in national conversations about how to make America healthy, it’s crucial that we advance truly regenerative agriculture,” said Dr. Kendra Klein, Deputy Director of Science at Friends of the Earth. “Conventional no-till, soaked in toxic pesticides that threaten our children’s health, ravage soil, and exacerbate climate change, is taking us in the wrong direction.”The ascendance of no-till is linked to the chemical industry’s attempt to deepen farmers’ dependence on their toxic products. Chemical companies such as Imperial Chemical Industries and Chevron conducted no-till experiments and helped spread the concept of industrial no-till in the 1970s, recognizing it as an opportunity to increase the market for their herbicides. Currently, pesticide giant Bayer is offering to pay farmers to practice no-till as part of their “regenerative agriculture” program. “Major food companies investing in regenerative agriculture need to avoid greenwashed conventional no-till and instead support the transition to legitimately regenerative agriculture that will protect soil health, human health — and their future bottom line,” said Sarah Starman, Senior Campaigner of Food & Agriculture with Friends of the Earth. Truly regenerative agriculture cannot be boiled down to single practices, it works with the farming system as a whole. Research shows that careful tillage in holistic farming systems can achieve better soil outcomes than chemical-intensive no-till agriculture.A central tenet of truly regenerative agriculture is dramatic reduction of harmful agrochemicals. Research shows that reducing use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in conventional agriculture is not only possible, it can increase yields by fostering beneficial insects and healthy soil and can increase profitability by reducing farmers’ input costs. A leading form of truly regenerative agriculture is organic farming. And unlike the term ‘regenerative,’ the USDA organic seal is enforced through a rigorous legal standard. Decades of research shows that organic farms, on average, improve soil health, climate resilience, and soil carbon sequestration; reduce emissions; and protect biodiversity, human health, and community wellbeing. Key findings At least 93% of no-till and minimum-till corn and soy acreage in the U.S. uses synthetic herbicides, representing an area the size of California (99.5 million acres).Herbicide use in no-till corn and soy can be associated with 33% of total annual pesticide use in the U.S. — 285 million out of 851 million pounds of pesticides.The majority of use (61%) is herbicides classified as highly hazardous to human health and/or the environment — 173 million pounds.Glyphosate accounts for an estimated 40% of the total use of herbicides in no-till corn and soy. At least 26 million pounds of additional herbicides are used annually due to conventional no- and minimum-till management in corn and soy.At least 89% of conventional no- and minimum-till corn and soy acres rely on seeds genetically engineered to be herbicide tolerant. Neonicotinoid seed coatings are used on up to 100% of conventional no-till corn acreage. Fossil-fuel-based inputs to no- and minimum-till corn and soy in the form of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers can be associated with ~49.3 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions. Conventional no-till production does not increase soil carbon and in some cases has been found to reduce it. Tillage is not universally detrimental to soil health and can be incorporated into regenerative farming systems.

— “In His First 100 Days, Trump Did All He Could to Engineer a Recession,” says Groundwork’s Owens

 

at 4/29/25 11:40am

The first months of President Donald Trump’s second term have been marked by chaotic policymaking and instability, which continues to bear out in the economic data. Today, consumer confidence data from the Conference Board showed a fifth straight month of decline, the worst since the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumer expectations at a 13-year low. Additionally, the Expectations Index dropped to 54.4, the lowest level since October 2011, and well below the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession. Expectations of inflation over the next year have climbed to 7.0%, the highest since November 2022.Groundwork Executive Director Lindsay Owens released the following statement: “Today’s numbers are sobering and signal that we are plunging headfirst into a recession. If this is the level of pain the president is willing to inflict on Americans in just a few short months, it’s no wonder that consumers and businesses are bracing themselves for a long, dark road ahead.“This is a man-made crisis. In his first 100 days, Trump did all he could to engineer a recession.” Email press@groundworkcollaborative.org to speak with a Groundwork expert about Trump’s economic mismanagement. BACKGROUND Consumer confidence fell by 7.9 points in April to 86.0, reaching its lowest point in 13 years. Meanwhile, the Expectations Index for the future dropped 12.5 points to 54.4, its lowest level since October 2011, and meets the threshold that typically signals an upcoming recession. Expectations about inflation over the next year have climbed to 7.0%, the highest since November 2022. Final consumer sentiment data from the University of Michigan survey last week showed that economic expectations have fallen 32% since January, the steepest three-month percentage decline seen since the 1990 recession. President Trump’s approval rating on the economy has plunged to new lows since he took office, while economic indicators continue to show he is pushing the economy toward a recession. A Gallup poll last week showed that for the first time in at least 25 years, a majority of Americans (53%) said their personal financial situation was getting worse. This is higher than the Great Recession, the pandemic, and when inflation peaked in the summer of 2022. Businesses are similarly experiencing rising uncertainty under Trump. The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index dropped 3.3 points to 97.4 in March 2025, marking its lowest level since October 2024, and falling below market expectations, which had forecasted a reading of 101.3. The term “recession” was mentioned on 44% of earnings calls in the first quarter of this year. Only 3% of earnings calls mentioned “recession” in the last quarter of 2024.Additionally, Trump’s promised manufacturing boom hasn’t just failed to materialize – the sector as a whole is weakening. Economic growth is also projected to take a significant hit due to Trump’s policies. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s gold-adjusted GDPNow tracker projects that the economy will shrink by 1.5% in the first quarter of this year. New IMF Growth Projections have the United States at 1.8%, down from 2.8% in 2024.

— 100 Days of Conflicted Justice

 

at 4/29/25 11:38am

When Pam Bondi was nominated to be President Trump’s Attorney General, her extensive record as a corporate lobbyist, combined with her apparent openness to obliging Trump’s authoritarian desires, raised flashing red flags about the DOJ. Over the last 100 days, many of the actions taken by Bondi and the DOJ officials under her charge have unfortunately shown that those fears were well-founded.Here are 10: OPENED the door to bribery by freezing enforcement under the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that bars bribes by U.S. businesses to win overseas deals.CANCELED FBI effort to combat foreign influence in U.S. politics by disbanding FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force and paring back enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.REVOKED free speech protections for journalists, allowing authorities to compel reporters to expose confidential sources.DROPPED lawsuit to enforce voting rights and protect equal access to the ballot.ENDED bribery and corruption case against New York Mayor for political reasons.DEMANDED the names of thousands of FBI agents who investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.INSERTED highly partisan political appointees into decision-making about sensitive matters including ethics recusals, bar referrals, employee discipline, and releasing information sought by Congress and inspectors general.DROPPED a discrimination case against Elon Musk’s SpaceX.DISBANDED its consumer protection unit and moved to halt or dismiss dozens of enforcement investigations and cases against corporations including: Eight corporations facing DOJ Civil Rights Division cases and investigationsSeven corporations facing DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division cases and investigationsTwenty corporations facing DOJ and Securities Exchange Commission cases and investigations into possible Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations ENCOURAGED Trump’s attacks on judges by saying the DOJ would look into taking action against a federal judge for doing his job to uphold the Constitution and the law.

— National Nurses United urges passage of Medicare for All Act

 

at 4/29/25 11:35am

Registered nurses with National Nurses United (NNU) are reaffirming their support for the Medicare for All Act, following the bill’s reintroduction in Congress today by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the U.S. Senate and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) in the U.S. House of Representatives.NNU members have long supported efforts to achieve guaranteed health care for every person in the United States, through a single-payer system that provides health care based on patient needs, not industry profits. The legislation comes at a critical time when vital lifesaving health care programs, like Medicaid and Veterans Health Administration benefits, are at risk of being completely gutted.“Nurses are fighting for a future in which our patients’ health is put first always and that’s why we are proud to continue our support for Medicare for All,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and NNU president. “When we guarantee health care for all, corporations and billionaires will no longer be able to deny anyone the care that they need. In the richest country on earth, nobody should have to be forced to choose between taking their medications and putting food on the table. Yet countless families are pushed to the breaking point while greedy corporations charge astronomical, ludicrous fees for care that is every patient’s right to receive.”The Medicare for All Act builds upon and expands Medicare to provide comprehensive benefits – primary care, vision, dental, prescription drugs, mental health services, home and community-based care, and more – to every person. In addition to allowing patients to have the freedom to choose the doctors, hospitals, and other providers they wish to see without worrying about whether a provider is in-network, the bill would also allow the health care system to negotiate drug prices and reduce exorbitant administrative waste.Currently, 85 million people in America are either uninsured or underinsured, a number that stands to grow exponentially if Congressional lawmakers choose to gut, rather than defend and strengthen, the country’s public health infrastructure.“The goal of the current administration and their billionaire buddies is to pile on endless cuts and attacks so that we become too demoralized and overwhelmed to move forward,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN and executive director of NNU. “Registered nurses and our allies don’t step back but step up, during pandemics, climate emergencies, and authoritarian regimes. We won’t let them threaten public services like Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security or try to eliminate federal workers’ protected union rights. As patient advocates, it is our duty to fight for a system that prioritizes people over profits. So even on our hardest days, we won’t stop fighting for Medicare for All.”“The American people understand, as I do, that health care is a human right, not a privilege and that we must end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of its citizens,” said Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). “It is not acceptable to me, nor to the American people, that over 85 million people today are either uninsured or underinsured. Today, there are millions of people who would like to go to a doctor but cannot afford to do so. This is an outrage. In America, your health and your longevity should not be dependent on your wealth. Health care is a human right that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to and they deserve the best health care that our country can provide.”“It is a travesty when 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured and millions more are drowning in medical debt in the richest nation on Earth,” said Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) . “We don’t suffer from scarcity in America, we suffer from greed. That’s most clear in our broken healthcare system, which is why we need Medicare for All. People deserve and want comprehensive health care that covers mental health, long-term care, reproductive care, dental, vision and hearing, all without copays, private insurance premiums, sky high deductibles or other hidden fees. Health care is a human right, that is exactly why it’s time to pass Medicare for All.”“Every American has the right to health care, period. If you’re sick, you should be able to go to the doctor without being worried about the cost of treatment or prescription medicine. Too many families must decide between putting food on the table and getting medical care that they desperately need,”said Representative Debbie Dingell (MI-06). “A health care system that ties coverage to employment will always leave patients vulnerable. It’s flat-out wrong and Medicare for All would put a stop to it. We’ve been fighting this fight since the 1940s, when my father-in-law helped author the first universal health care bill. It’s time to get this done.”For more information on the Medicare for All Act, please refer to NNU’s fact sheet.In addition to the Medicare for All Act, NNU members are advocating for the following federal legislation:NURSE STAFFING STANDARDS FOR HOSPITAL PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY CARE ACT, sponsored by Rep. Jan Schakowsky: There are no federal mandates regulating the number of patients a registered nurse can care for at one time in U.S. hospitals. As a result, registered nurses (RNs) are consistently required to care for more patients than is safe, compromising patient care and negatively impacting patient outcomes. These dangerous conditions are causing thousands of RNs to leave the hospital bedside. This legislation would improve patient care and increase nurse retention by setting mandated, minimum RN-to-patient staffing ratios.THE WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION FOR HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS ACT, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Joe Courtney: Violence against nurses and other health care workers in hospitals and other health care facilities is a growing epidemic across the United States. Nurses report being punched, kicked, bitten, beaten, choked, and assaulted on the job — and some have faced stabbings and shootings. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the hazard of workplace violence, with nurses reporting an increase in violent incidents on the job since the beginning of the pandemic. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would mandate OSHA to promulgate a standard that would require all covered employers to develop and implement prevention plans to reduce workplace violence incidents. The Workplace Violence Prevention bill passed the House of Representatives in both the 116th and 117th Congress with significant bipartisan support.THE RICHARD L. TRUMKA PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE (PRO) ACT, sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Bobby Scott: A union gives workers the ability to act together to advocate for safe working conditions, to improve their wages and benefits, and to protect their workplace rights through collective bargaining and concerted activity. For registered nurses, union advocacy and representation allows us to focus on what we do best: caring for our patients. Attacks on unions and the right to unionize have hurt efforts to improve the lives of working families. Current labor law does far too little to protect and allow workers to exercise our right to join a union. The PRO Act is an important step to protect workers’ rights to organize a union and to stop employers’ attacks so that every worker can organize without fear of retaliation. The PRO Act passed the House of Representatives in the 116th and 117th Congress with bipartisan support.THE VA EMPLOYEE FAIRNESS ACT, sponsored by Rep. Mark Takano: Section 7422 of Title 38 of the U.S. Code limits the collective bargaining rights of certain Veterans Affairs (VA) clinical professionals, including registered nurses. This section restricts the ability of registered nurses to speak out about poor working conditions and to resolve disputes with management. As a result, the quality of patient care can deteriorate and problems in VA facilities can go unaddressed. The VA Employee Fairness Act would improve patient care in VA hospitals by expanding the collective bargaining rights of registered nurses and other clinicians employed by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VA Employee Fairness Act passed the House of Representatives in December 2022 with bipartisan support.

— Marks of the Fascist, Tacky, Insatiable Beast

 

at 4/27/25 9:00pm

As we approach the 100-day milestone (yes it's only been that long) a sadistic, repressive regime increasingly reviled by its own people defiantly hurtles on - arresting judges, crushing dissent, abducting migrants, citizens, pregnant mothers, sick toddlers - while grotesquely cashing in on its atrocities with tawdry meme coins, black-tie dinners, loyalty pins and OMFG 2028 hats. We are become government by chaos, cruelty, greed - Liberace backed by the Stasi, a nation of gulags filled with gold (plated) gimcracks. SAD.Historically, the 100-day milestone is seen as an ad-hoc national Rorschach test on a new president - or in this case führer - with pundits viewing the political landscape and drawing data-based conclusions. Amidst today's mayhem, though, the only clear verdict is, "There's some seriously dystopian things going on." Polls show an administration (sic) that's lost the support of much of its populace - “He has broken his own record for being the worst" - with approval ratings underwater on virtually every issue, including the economy and immigration. Happily, he keeps losing in court, even with Trump-appointed judges: Thank you independent judiciary and the ACLU. Nobody wants to visit his third-world shithole of a country anymore, mouthy Democrats like Jasmine Crockett are saying mean things about him - to his rants about keeping us safe from criminals she invariably notes, "I haven’t seen anybody with a rap sheet that looks like the president’s” - and despite a lame "ONLY THE WEAK WILL FAIL!” rallying cry, he's crashed the economy with "this most imbecilic and destructive trade war in the history of the world."The "holy-shit-that's-dumb" spectacle of his disastrous "Liberation Day" tariffs offered grim quick proof of his staggering ineptness: What could match the mad dissonance of $6 trillion instantly obliterated in a market meltdown as he bragged of "billions and billions of dollars pouring into our country"? He confused trade deficits with the national debt, made up numbers - a 25% tariff on cars would raise $100 billion, no wait, $600 billion - and wildly flip-flopped. It turns out he based his "formula" on research its author said he got "very wrong" and advice by a fictional "Ron Vara" conjured up by Peter Navarro, who Elon dubbed "dumb as a sack of bricks" before later apologizing to bricks. The crowning moment of "chickenfuckery": Nobody collected any money at ports packed with goods due to a "technical glitch." The Economist on the "complete drivel" of a trade policy by an idiot duped by his own MAGA echo chamber: "If you failed to spot America being 'looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far,' congratulations: You have a firmer grip on reality than the President of the United States."Luckily for him, a flunky says, "He’s at the peak of just not giving a fuck anymore." Great news for the nuclear codes! Thus does the old mad king spend over a quarter of his time at his crappy golf courses - cue many Nero cartoons - at a cost of more than $3 million a game. Asked about his weekend as the economy burned, he gloated, "I won (at golf) - it's good to win." We wouldn't know. Meanwhile, he rants, spews, babbles, out of the loop. He's considering drone strikes on Mexican drug cartels. He wished "Happy Easter to all," even the "despicable and unAmerican radical left lunatics (who) hate our country so much" and the "WEAK and INEFFECTIVE judges allowing this sinister attack so violent it will never be forgotten!" On Earth Day, focusing on the important things and celebrating now that "we finally have a president who follows science," he announced he's putting up two, new, beautiful, "top of the line" flag poles at the White House: "They needed flag poles for 200 years. It was something I've often said, you know, they don't have a flag pole per se. It's going to be two beautiful poles." Encountering bad polls, he literally raves.As always, it's also, "a great time to get rich." Which is why he's still stupefyingly - how much money is enough? - grifting, a tacky hucksterism that echoes a 2016 portrayal of Trump as the GOP's "answer to Liberace." Both bitchy, germaphobe divas, Trump was (sort of) friends with the king of glitz, a master of sequined suits, candelabras on his Cadillac and gold-and-chandelier-drenched home - akin to Trump Tower, "the Liberace of buildings" - but topped by a faux Sistine Chapel ceiling featuring himself. His mantra: ‘Too much of a good thing is wonderful." And so to Trump's new scam, a $TRUMP memecoin that netted him millions, joined by $MELANIA, before predictably crashing. Now he's offering “the most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the World," where top buyers can attend an "unforgettable Gala DINNER.” "Own $TRUMP! ARE YOU IN?” shrieks the promo with exploding confetti like Better Call Saul ads. "The competition is fierce!" Sen. Chris Murphy: "This is the most brazenly corrupt thing a President has ever done. Not close.” All told, it has been "100 days from Hell," "delusions of monarchy" mixed with "fundamental ineptitude."Still, the scams and bling keep coming. Recently, FCC Chair Brendan Carr posted a photo of himself wearing a gold lapel pin of Dear Leader squinting up like he did at an eclipse, a cultish image prompting the NYT to boldly suggest it "raises questions" - like, given its resemblance to once-ubiquitous Mao Tse-Tung pins, "Is Trump the most communist leader we've ever had?" Following in the tradition of dictators past - Libyan students had to quote Gaddafi, Turkmenistan's gold statue rotated to the sun, North Koreans wear Kim Jong-un badges and sing Friendly Father - Trump has worn an aptly cartoonish version of himself, and myriad pins online go for as little as $3.97. His relentless merch machine hawks this for $25, "gold-plated," reportedly of a base metal used for cheap doodads that's toxic: "Tacky and cheap in every way. The Trump brand." Also, "The SS had their Death Head, MAGA has their Shit Head." The White House denies rumors pin-wearing is mandatory, but adds it's A-ok to "show support for the greatest President in history," also nice little family you have and how sad if anything happened to them. More grandiose gestures hover. Trump is said to be considering planning a much-dreamed-of, $100-million "great celebratory military parade," just like other big bad guys, to mark his June 14 birthday, which coincides with the Army's 250th anniversary. Cue marching soldiers, armored vehicles, tanks ripping up the streets of D.C, and what waste and fraud? Also, the guy losing faster and sooner than any president in history continues trolling about maybe running (or crawling by then) for a third term. "They say I can't run again - that's the expression," he jabbered in February. "There are methods which you could do it. A lot of people want me to do it." Just in case, he's already cashing in with yet another crappy red cap - more trashy, deadly marks of the beast - this one declaring Trump 2028, which costs $50 and promises to "make a statement," presumably about evil tinpot wannabe dictators who just will not STFU. His store is also selling $36 t-shirts: "Trump 2028 (Rewrite the Rules). The future looks bright!" Except - per Billy Roach's "Facts owe" - for most of the denizens of a now-ravaged, on-the-edge America.Back in the real world, away from the bling and lies and frenzied delusion, Trump and his accomplices are feverishly committing ever more outlandish atrocities against everyone who isn't them, especially if brown-skinned. Last month, citing "the dynamic nature of enforcement operations," the Justice Dept (sic) quietly gave ICE agents the power to conduct searches without warrants of people’s homes if based on "a reasonable belief" they suspect targets of being "an Alien Enemy." (Good god almighty they deserve hell just for their twisted desecration of language itself). "As much as practicable," agents should follow legal procedures and get warrants before "contacting an Alien Enemy,” the memo generously adds. “However, that will not always be realistic or effective in swiftly identifying and removing Alien Enemies," so sometimes they might just be whisked in the middle of the night into murderous gulags in foreign countries like Abrego Garcia and over 200 Venezuelans who happen to have tattoos while Kristi De Goebbels primps and smirks, but hey, too bad, so sad, at least now we're legally covered. Under such dubious rubrics, Trump's rabid cabal of fascists and lickspittles have eagerly taken on the task of dismantling burdensome due process. Slimy Marco Rubio has defended detaining and seeking to deport over 300 innocents, including Tufts graduate student Rumesya Oztur, for mere political speech he doesn't agree with, gloating, "Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa. It's just that simple." Except when not: In another shitshow, he also revoked visas for South Sudanese after their country allegedly refused to accept one of their own named Nimeri Garang; in fact, Rubio mistakenly sent them DRC citizen Makula Kintu who told the U.S. he wasn’t from South Sudan but they wouldn't listen, insisting his argument was "legally irrelevant." Defying multiple court orders, Rubio is reportedly still sending “alien enemy” victims to El Salvador if they're over 14 - "What about those deadly Venezuelan toddlers?" - and praising their evil, profit-making alliance as “an example for security and prosperity, though U.S. law bars financial support for “units of foreign security forces," torturous or no.Meanwhile Nazi Press Barbie says they're "exploring legal pathways" to disappear U.S. citizens, but only "heinous criminals (who) have broken our laws repeatedly," maybe like with 33 felony convictions? Tulsi Gabbard says gangs are foreign terrorists "invading" us 'cause they're working with the Venezuelan government to make America weaker and browner so they don't deserve any due process, though experts and 17 of 18 U.S. intelligence agencies call the charge "ludicrous"; in response she told Congress they're all deep-state liars who "twisted and manipulated" the (fictional) evidence "to undermine the president's agenda," she "fully supports" the (imaginary) assessment they're foreign terrorists acting with Maduro's support, they're thus subject to arrest and removal as alien enemies, and in what one skeptic calls "the fastest mole hunt in the history of mole hunts," she's already referred the leaking "deep-state criminals" to the DOJ for possible prosecution and, obviously, conveniently, their removal to CECOT or some similarly merciless location. Whew. Stalin really could have used her.And still the ICE rampage escalates. In New Orleans, they just arrested, held incommunicado and deported two mothers, one pregnant, and their three U.S.-citizen children - 7, 4 and a 2-year-old girl with metatastic cancer - at a routine immigration hearing, even as the girl's father was frantically petitioning the court to keep her in the country; agents admitted the move was a ploy to get him to turn himself in. For once, there was blowback: A horrified judge, Trump-appointed yet, ordered a hearing based on his "strong suspicion the government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.” We hope he knows multiple others have met the same fate - U.S. permanent residents detained at DHS offices, delivering paperwork, in naturalization interviews, a deported family with a 10-year-old U.S. citizen with brain cancer, a deported Cuban wife of a U.S. citizen with whom she shares a baby daughter. Her distraught husband: "They separated a girl from her mother. They killed a mother, a father, and the future of a girl while she was still alive." So much winning.On Friday, the fascist-abuse-of-state-power-meter got turned up still more when FBI agents in Wisconsin arrested Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, for allegedly helping an immigrant evade arrest by ICE in her courtroom by letting him leave by another door. Though they caught him later, an outraged Ka$h Patel clamored, "We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject, an illegal alien" - oh how they love their racist slurs - for which she faces two federal felony counts of obstruction and concealing an individual. Defense attorneys called the action "very, very outrageous"; Attorney-General (sic) Pam Bondi, who took bribes to let both Jeffrey Epstein and Trump U. skate, went on Fox News as usual to declare the judiciary "deranged" and darkly warn, "We will find you." FactPac called on the Florida Bar to review Bondi's conduct and consider her disbarment for being "a lawless Attorney General." Finally, observers wondered, "What stage of fascism does arresting judges mark?" and speculated, "Her Nuremberg trial will be the best one."Because the authoritarian goal is to harass or intimidate anyone who seems able to thwart their power, the regime's targets have also included labor unions, disgruntled or fired federal workers threatened with criminal penalties if they speak up - "Und Blabbermouths vill be zhot" - and victims of former anti-discrimination agencies like Equal Employment perversely flipped in service of today's hatred, like Barnard College professors asked to declare if they're Jewish and have encountered anti-Semitism or "unwelcome discussions." Given the sinister Red-Scare tactics and horrific damage inflicted by "a guy who eats a big bowl of contempt for breakfast each morning," it's hard to fathom the freakish juxtapositions at work, to conflate the cheesy clown and huckster with the foul, dark, implacably broken sociopath, devoid of empathy, grace, any saving human virtue. Jamelle Bouie posits a personality so driven by the need to dominate, to demonstrate "mastery over his perceived enemies," to "trample over those who don’t belong in his America," that he "will always want more...There must be a loser or else there is no Trump." (Please)."When historians reflect on this regime," Robert Reich muses, "cruelty will be the word most used to define it." Also emblematic, others suggest: Sadism, stupidity, corruption, the vital task of "seeing people for who they really are." Recently, comedian Larry David wrote a blistering piece parodying Bill Maher's account of a dinner with Trump, who he called "gracious and measured." David's My Dinner With Adolf begins when, in the spring of 1939, a letter arrives "inviting me to dinner (with) the world’s most reviled man, Adolf Hitler.” "Everyone said don't go, he's a monster," but he decides "we need to talk to the other side - even if it (has) annexed other countries and committed unspeakable crimes against humanity." At dinner, Hitler laughs and tells jokes, like about his dog having diarrhea; he beams, "'Hey, if I can kill Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals, I can kill a dog!' which got the biggest laugh of the night...Suddenly he seemed so human. Like this was the real Hitler...We're not all that different." Leaving, he tells the furher, "I'm so thankful i came. Although we disagree on many issues, it doesn’t mean we have to hate each other." Then, "I gave him a Nazi salute and walked out into the night.”

— Sanders Statement on Trump's Arrest of a Milwaukee Judge

 

at 4/25/25 2:40pm

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today released the following statement on the Trump administration's arrest of a Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, circuit judge:This morning, President Trump directed the FBI to arrest trial court judge Hannah Dugan in Milwaukee. She is being charged with obstructing law enforcement, a federal crime. Let’s be clear. Trump‘s arrest of Judge Dugan in Milwaukee has nothing to do with immigration. It has everything to do with his moving this country toward authoritarianism. He is illegally usurping Congressional powers. He is suing media that he dislikes. He is attacking universities whose policies he disagrees with. He is intimidating major law firms who have opposed him. He is ignoring a 9-0 Supreme Court decision to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador, where he was illegally sent. He is threatening to impeach judges who rule against him. Trump’s latest attack on the judiciary and Judge Dugan is about one thing – unchecked power. He will attack and undermine any institution that stands in his way. Trump continues to demonstrate that he does not believe in the Constitution, the separation of powers, or the rule of law. He simply wants more and more power for himself. It is time for my colleagues in the Republican Party who believe in the Constitution to stand up to his growing authoritarianism.

— New Filings: Government Admits It Had No Warrant for Mahmoud Khalil When Agents Took Him

 

at 4/25/25 7:45am

In filings in the case of Mahmoud Khalil submitted to immigration court yesterday and federal court today, the Trump administration admitted he was taken without any kind of warrant and made new, false claims that Mr. Khalil had refused to cooperate with ICE agents and told them he was going to leave the scene to justify the agents’ actions. The government’s new version of events is contradicted by previous descriptions and video taken by his wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, who was eight months pregnant at the time. Said Marc Van Der Hout of Van Der Hout, LLP, who is representing Mr. Khalil along with his partner Johnny Sinodis, “In DHS' filing in immigration court this week, we learned for the first time that the DHS agents who arrested Mahmoud lied to him: they wrote in their arrest report that the agents told him that they had an arrest warrant, but DHS has now admitted in their filing that that was a lie and that there was no warrant at all at the time of the arrest. The government's admission is astounding, and it is completely outrageous that they tried to assert to the immigration judge – and the world – in their initial filing of the arrest report that there was an arrest warrant when there was none. This is egregious conduct by DHS that should require under the law termination of these proceedings, and we hope that the immigration court will so rule.”The filings were made in response to an April 23rd deadline set by the judge in Mr. Khalil’s immigration case in Jena, Louisiana. The judge in his federal case in New Jersey asked for copies of the filings to be submitted to him today. Mr. Khalil also submitted an application for asylum that is sealed due to the sensitive nature of the information that could affect his safety in the future.In the federal court, Mr. Khalil’s legal team is continuing to seek bail, an order compelling the government to return him to New Jersey, and a preliminary injunction (PI) that would immediately release him from custody and allow him to reunite with his family in New York while his immigration case proceeds. If granted, the PI would also block President Trump’s policy of arresting and detaining noncitizens who have engaged in First Amendment protected activity in support of Palestinian rights.On March 8, the Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) illegally arrested and detained Mr. Khalil in direct retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian rights at Columbia University. Shortly after, DHS transferred him 1,400 miles away to a Louisiana detention facility — ripping him away from his wife and legal counsel. His legal team is arguing that his arrest and continued detention violate his constitutional rights, including rights to free speech and due process, and that they go beyond the government’s legal authority.ICE denied Mr. Khalil’s request to be at his wife’s side as she went into labor this past weekend, causing him to miss the birth of their son on Monday, April 21. Mr. Khalil is represented by Dratel & Lewis, the Center for Constitutional Rights, CLEAR, Van Der Hout LLP, Washington Square Legal Services, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the ACLU of New Jersey.The following are quotes from the rest of Mr. Khalil’s legal team: Ramzi Kassem, Co-Director of CLEAR:“The government now finally admits what the whole world already saw and knows: that ICE had no warrant to apprehend Mahmoud Khalil. No one should take seriously the government's patent lie, which it offers for the first time many weeks after the fact, that somehow Mahmoud was anything other than compliant when ICE agents unlawfully abducted him under cover of darkness.”Samah Sisay, staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights:“ICE has admitted it detained Mahmoud illegally and without a warrant– to justify it, they are now flat out lying with an absurd claim that he tried to flee. At every step of the way, the Trump administration has flouted the law.”Veronica Salama, staff attorney at the NYCLU: “The Trump administration's latest motion shows that they are steadfast in smearing Mahmound Khalil to justify his horrific and unconstitutional abduction. We have the receipts: Mr. Khalil was taken from his family with no warrant and in clear retaliation for his protected speech. We will continue to fight for Mr. Khalil's freedom, and defend the right to speak freely about Palestinian rights without fear of detention and deportation.”Sidra Mahfooz, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project: “We now know why ICE could not show Mahmoud the warrant he repeatedly requested upon his arrest. They did not obtain a warrant. In its efforts to unlawfully arrest, detain, and target Mahmoud and others for exercising their First Amendment rights, this administration has shown an utter disregard for the most basic principles of legal authority.”Amy Greer, associate attorney at Dratel & Lewis:“That night, I was on the phone with Mahmoud, Noor, and even the arresting agent. In the face of multiple agents in plain clothes who clearly intended to abduct him, and despite the fact that those agents repeatedly failed to show us a warrant, Mahmoud remained calm and complied with their orders. Today we now know why they never showed Mahmoud that warrant - they didn’t have one. This is clearly yet another desperate attempt by the Trump administration to justify its unlawful arrest and detention of human rights defender Mahmoud Khalil, who is now, by the government’s own tacit admission, a political prisoner of the United States. Our team, and indeed everyone in this nation, should be fighting for Mahmoud’s freedom, and defending our collective rights to advocate for Palestinian human rights, and express opinions generally that do not conform with government policy.”Amol Sinha, Executive Director of the ACLU-NJ:“This latest motion from the government further shows it is determined to persecute Mahmoud Khalil by any means necessary. We know the truth: Mr. Khalil remains unlawfully detained in direct retaliation for his advocacy in support of Palestinian rights. We will continue to defend Mr. Khalil’s freedom in the face of these baseless attacks, and we are confident he will ultimately prevail.”More information about the case can be found here: https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/our-cases/khalil-v-trump

— Federal Court Grants Preliminary Injunction Against Department of Education’s Unlawful Directive

 

at 4/24/25 3:19pm

In a victory for students, parents, and educators, a federal judge has granted a request for a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) February 14, 2025, “Dear Colleague” letter against the plaintiffs, their members, and any entity that employs, contracts with, or works with one or more of Plaintiffs or Plaintiffs’ member. The court’s ruling blocks ED’s unprecedented and unlawful attempt to restrict discussions and programs on diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational institutions, and its threat to withhold federal funding for engaging in such efforts.The Dear Colleague Letter’s directive contradicts long-standing legal protections for academic freedom and violates the constitutional rights of students and educators by imposing vague and coercive restrictions on curriculums and programs. The preliminary injunction prevents ED from enforcing the directive while litigation continues, ensuring that schools can continue their educational mission without fear of federal retaliation.“Across the country educators do everything in their power to support every student, ensuring each feels safe, seen, and is prepared for the future. Today’s ruling allows educators and schools to continue to be guided by what’s best for students, not by the threat of illegal restrictions and punishment. The fact is that Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Linda McMahon are using politically motivated attacks and harmful and vague directives to stifle speech and erase critical lessons to attack public education, as they work to dismantle public schools. This is why educators, parents, and community leaders are organizing, mobilizing, and using every tool available to protect our students and their futures,” said National Education Association President Becky Pringle.“While this interim agreement does not confirm the Department's motives, we believe it should mark the beginning of a permanent withdrawal from the assault on teaching and learning. The Department’s attempt to punish schools for acknowledging diversity, equity and inclusion is not only unconstitutional, but it’s also extremely dangerous -- and functions as a direct misalignment with what we know to be just and future forward. Today’s decision is a critical step toward protecting the freedom to teach, and the freedom to learn,” said Sharif El-Mekki, Center for Black Educator Development CEO & founder.“Today’s ruling is a victory for students, educators, and the fundamental principles of academic freedom. Every student deserves an education that reflects the full diversity of our society, free from political interference,” said Sarah Hinger, deputy director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program. “The federal government has no authority to dictate what schools can and cannot teach to serve its own agenda, and this ruling is an important step in reaffirming that.”Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, said, “The court's ruling today is a victory for academic freedom, the free speech rights of educators, and for New Hampshire students who have a right to an inclusive education free from censorship. Every student, both in the Granite State and across the country, deserves to feel seen, heard, and connected in school - and that can't happen when classroom censorship laws and policies are allowed to stand."On March 5, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of New Hampshire, the ACLU of Massachusetts, the National Education Association (NEA), and the National Education Association–New Hampshire, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire, against ED. Also joining the case as plaintiff is the Center for Black Educator Development.Plaintiffs represented in the lawsuit against ED have said they’ve felt like the “Dear Colleague Letter” instigated a “witch hunt” against them. Teachers who have dedicated their lives to helping every student grow to their full potential have been in fear of losing their jobs and teaching licenses if they do not severely restrict what they and their students say and do in their classrooms.The lawsuit challenges ED’s directive on multiple legal grounds. Specifically, the lawsuit argues that ED has overstepped its authority by imposing unfounded and vague legal restrictions that violate due process and the First Amendment; limiting academic freedom and restricting educators’ ability to teach and students’ right to learn; and unlawfully dictating curriculum and educational programs, exceeding its legal mandate.The case will now proceed as the court considers whether to permanently block the Department’s directive.The court’s decision can be found here.A copy of the lawsuit can be found here.

— Groups Sue Secretary Noem, DHS for Shuttering of Civil Rights Offices

 

at 4/24/25 3:17pm

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Southern Border Communities Coalition, and Urban Justice Center – represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group and Democracy Forward – filed a lawsuit today against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to challenge the Trump administration’s decision last month to close DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Office, and Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. The lawsuit is demanding the restoration of these key DHS oversight offices.In March, the Trump administration directed employees to immediately cease doing their jobs, including any efforts to wind down operations or transfer any complaints or ongoing investigations to other departments. According to a DHS spokesperson at the time, the offices were closed because they “obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission.”Congress created the three offices to protect the privacy interests and civil rights of individuals, and to report to Congress and the public about the complaints that the offices received and resolved. The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Office was established by Congress to investigate complaints involving constitutional rights, such as privacy invasions or excessive force used by Border Patrol agents, or facial recognition technology used at airports. The CIS Ombudsman’s Office helps immigrants who have problems obtaining work permits or applying for green cards. And the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman monitors conditions in detention facilities and handles complaints involving excessive force, sexual abuse, and inadequate medical care, among other issues.“Eliminating these three offices both undermines the ability of individuals to rein in the overreach of DHS, and violates the constitutional principle of separation of powers, flouting Congress’s express determination that these offices must exist,” said Karla Gilbride, deputy director of Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead counsel on the case. “The Department of Homeland Security is required by law to review and assess information alleging abuses of civil rights and civil liberties. The decision to shutter these offices is an illegal attempt to undermine key civil rights protections and remove vital accountability mechanisms within DHS at a time when they are sorely needed.” “The decimation of these offices does not make anyone’s lives better or safer – what it does is target the innocent and those who have been placed in vulnerable circumstances. The closure of these offices is part of the Trump administration’s targeting of immigrants in this country and weakening of protections and resources afforded to them,” said Skye Perryman, President & CEO of Democracy Forward. “We will continue to use every legal tool we have to protect people and our democracy.”"RFK Human Rights has filed complaints with CRCL and OIDO for hundreds of people abused in immigration detention centers across the country, urging investigations into systemic sexual abuse, medical neglect, and deliberate infliction of severe pain amounting to torture,” said Anthony Enriquez, VP of U.S. Advocacy and Litigation, RFK Human Rights. “Congress created and funded oversight agencies to prevent these abuses and no president has the power to single-handedly rewrite those laws."“Border communities have been calling for real accountability as we endure racial profiling, excessive use of force, arbitrary searches and other abuses by border agents, and the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties was one of the few paths for us to seek justice for these gross violations of human rights,” said Lilian Serrano, Director of Southern Border Communities Coalition. “Shutting down these oversight offices within DHS is a blatant attempt by the Trump Administration to shield the department, including CBP—the nation’s largest law enforcement agency—from accountability. The administration cannot erase accountability by dismantling an office Congress created to protect our rights.”"By gutting and closing these offices, the administration has effectively placed survivors of domestic violence in an untenably dangerous position,” said Alessandra Rosales, supervising attorney of immigration law at Urban Justice Center. “The humanitarian remedies created by Congress for immigrant survivors are a crucial tool in their healing and rebuilding. Removing the mechanism for oversight and enforcement of these legal protections will permit agencies to violate with impunity the civil rights of vulnerable people who have already endured unspeakable trauma and tragedy."The full complaint can be found here. For additional information on the case, or to request an interview with the litigation team or our plaintiffs, contact Patrick Davis, pdavis@citizen.org.

— New Survey:  Overwhelming Majority of Progressives Back Primary Challenges to Status Quo Democrats

 

at 4/23/25 10:18am

As Donald Trump and far-right forces escalate their attacks on working families, civil rights, and the rule of law, a new survey conducted by Our Revolution, the nation’s largest progressive political organizing group, reveals a deep crisis of confidence in the Democratic Party establishment, and overwhelming support for primary challenges to incumbents who are failing to meet the moment. Grassroots Democrats are demanding bold action, saying many current leaders have failed to inspire confidence, mobilize energy, or confront Trumpism with the urgency it demands.Fielded from April 18–20, the poll surveyed more than 4,100 politically active progressive and Democratic-leaning voters. The results show deep frustration with Democratic Party leadership and growing momentum to transform the party from within—by electing bold, grassroots challengers who reject corporate PAC money and are ready to take the fight directly to Trump and his enablers. “The voters we organize with are sounding the alarm: they want fighters, not placeholders,” said Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution. “If the party establishment continues to sleepwalk through this crisis, they’ll be replaced by a new generation of leaders who aren’t afraid to take on the fight of our lives.” Key Findings:92% support primarying establishment Democrats who lack grassroots energy or urgency87% say the Democratic Party has lost its way—up from 76% just months ago88% say the DSCC and DCCC should stop automatically protecting incumbents96% support Our Revolution’s efforts to transform the party by electing progressives at every level82% want the Democratic Party to stop accepting Big Money from billionaires and corporations70% say they are not confident Democratic leaders will do what’s necessary to stop Trump 72% support abandoning a cautious, centrist approach in confronting Trump and the far right The results come days after DNC Vice Chair David Hogg announced a $20 million effort to support younger progressive candidates, including primary challengers to incumbents, through his PAC, Leaders We Deserve. While the announcement sparked fierce backlash from party insiders, Our Revolution polling shows Hogg’s sentiment is shared by a large majority of engaged progressive voters. Geevarghese added, “This is not about division—it’s about transformation. The time to protect the status quo has long passed. Our response to Trump’s assault on our democracy and billionaire takeout of our government is to make the party reflect the people it claims to serve.

— Look Ma I'm A Warfighter Leading the Warfighters

 

at 4/23/25 1:13am

Less than astonishingly, grossly unqualified, historically untrustworthy, sexually assaulting, manic Secretary of Drunkenness and Defense Pete Hegseth evidently screwed up again, this time giddily spewing war plans in real time on his phone to his besties just minutes after a general sent them. Meanwhile, as insiders describe "total chaos" at the Pentagon - screaming, infighting, distrust - "G.I. Joke" says blame the media, deep state, "leakers" (pot/kettle) 'cause look he's so good at his job there's no trans folks in sight.In the latest revelations, reported by NBC News, within 10 minutes of receiving detailed plans about last month's U.S. strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on a secure channel from Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command, the former loose-lipped weekend Fox News host Hegseth spewed his cool intel on an unsecured Signal group chat to about a dozen people - his for-now-third-wife, his brother, his attorney, and for all we know his fave bartender, his Nazi buddies and the loser who makes his gunky hair gel. The piss-drunk guy with the white nationalist tattoos and history of leaking shared those plans about two hours before the airstrikes hit, even though an aide had specifically warned him not to use Signal to share sensitive information, which he'd already done with an Atlantic editor mistakenly included on another chat. Nothing to see here.Confronted for his carelessness and stupidity by Dems calling for his ouster, Whiskey Pete did what was right, acknowledged his egregious error in judgment, and humbly resigned. Just kidding. Like any good MAGA, he defiantly lied, oh-yeahed?, deflected and whined that nothing is ever his fault. Online, he sputtered to critics, "Your agenda is illegals, trans & DEI - no longer allowed at the Defense Department." Totally relevant. Then he went to the White House Easter Egg Roll, where his kids cringed behind him as he loudly trashed Fake News "hoaxsters": "This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources, disgruntled former employees and they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations....It’s not going to work with me, because we’re changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of war fighters." (And my relatives).Then he went on Fox News, his safe place, where he used to work and show up drunk but they still feel for him and suggest his gross incompetence is just part of a "learning curve." Brian Kilmeade, bending low in deference - "Mr. Secretary, you take this job, you come in with war experience and all your great background" - asked if "deep state forces" are working against him. "They've come after me from day one," Pete whined, though he added it's nothing compared to his master the anti-Christ: "What he has endured is superhuman." "It's not hard for me to do this job. I know exactly why I am here," he said. "To bring war fighting and the war fighting ethos back to the Pentagon." Eagerly, Kilmeade chimed in, "I know the warfighters are happy to have a warfighter up top." A little intel-dropping is no biggie, boasted Hegseth: "I look at war plans every day," and besides, leakers gonna leak. — (@) The new national insecurity scandal comes amidst oustings of multiple Hegseth advisers who question his judgment, cite his failures, warn there are "more shoes to drop" and say "the Pentagon focus is no longer on warfighting (but) endless drama.” After he fired press secretary John Ullyot and three others, Ullyot has charged "unnamed" officials "have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door." "We have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks,"’ he said. "The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon." On "a month of hell," the New York Times likewise describes "a run of chaos that is unmatched" in the DoD's recent history, with sustained infighting, "screaming matches," paranoia about leaks and blame-games over the questionable success of the Houthi campaign.Outside the Pentagon, military officials blast an unprecedented Defense Secretary "willfully divulging operational plans against a hostile military force in real time," especially bafflingly, to his wife and bro. It's more than what's called the occasional "spill," says one long-timer "Here he's knowingly using an insecure communication device and he's knowingly giving classified information to people who are not security clearance holders. It really gets more to the sort of willfulness that is typically prosecuted by the Department of Justice." Which is why Air National Gruardsman Jack Teixeira was sentenced to 15 years in prison for disclosing sensitive military information to impress his friends on Discord, unlike Secretary Pete "flag hankie" Hegseth who did pretty much the same thing to impresses his peeps on SIGNAL like it was a super-cool-lookit-me Happy Birthday greeting.Pentagon spox Sean Parnell claims, "No classified material was ever shared via Signal," charging the hoopla is just "an attempt to sabotage" Trump and Hegseth, but try telling that to the families of guys in the air possibly put in danger. Hegseth himself lamely called the leak "informal, unclassified coordinations for media coordination, other things." Harumph, says retired Marine Lt. Col. Mick Wagoner, a longtime military lawyer who deployed to four war zones. "There is just no-way, no-how, an American military operation starting off is going to not be classified," he retorts. "For Lord's sake." Just lookit this frantic, strung-out, high-on-something guy: Do the "warfighters" in the Pentagon really see/hear him and think, yup, that's a guy we wanna follow into battle 'cause wow he sure knows his stuff. He has, however, put a shiny (but manly) new make-up studio in the Pentagon. “Do you think ... there's some type of deep state forces that want to make sure you don't stay there?" www.mediamatters.org To date, GOP Rep. Don Bacon, a retired Air Force General.on the House Armed Services Committee, is the only Republican member of Congress to say out loud, albeit mildly, that Hegseth should resign. "I had concerns from the get-go because (he) didn’t have a lot of experience," he said. "I liked him on Fox, but does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern." (You think?) Otherwise, MAGA officially still stands with him, with several suspects saying there's "no talk right now" of removing him. At least until the big fat guy sings: At the Easter Egg Roll, Trump insisted, as usual with zero evidence, "Pete's doing a great job, everybody's happy with him." Then he laughably added, because he's definitely the one to know this sort of thing, "There's no dysfunction.” And nothing's ever your fault.Other MAGA-ites have been fiery in their support. "This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change you are trying to implement," seethed Barbie Press Secretary. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin outdid her. "I will lead the breach. I will lay down cover fire. I will take the high ground. I’ll expose myself to enemy fire," he screeched. "We must bring back integrity, focus, and put the Warfighter first...I stand with Pete Hegseth." Sighed Josh Marshall: "They're just thirsty as fuck." Many noted in response that Mullin is a plumber. "YOU'RE A FUCKING PLUMBER. YOU'VE NEVER SERVED," wrote one. "You could have but you didn't. We had the longest war in US history and you sat that shit out (but) now you want to be a big tough guy for the idiot who can't keep a secret. Go clear a drain of your own bullshit." So it went after WaPo ran a story, Hegseth Amps Up Criticism of 'Leakers' After More Scrutiny of Signal Usage. Responses ranged from skepticism to fury, with many ripping the notion that the problem isn't Hegseth being an inept, unstable disaster of a leaker but that a "leaker" is telling us about it. "Hegseth is a true Trumpist: never take responsibility," said one. "His whining is getting really old, like a kid telling a teacher for the 20th time, 'My dog ate my homework.'" Also: "Teenage girls are more reliable with secrets than Hegseth," "He's embarrassing on a global level," "Tough guy auditioning for a role," "He's posting war plans on Signal, doesn't that make him a leaker? What an utterly ridiculous man," "Clearly, Trump thinks 'diversity' means we need more clowns," "Whiskey Pete will be gone in the Friday news dump," and, "Leaker loses his shirt over leakers. Film at eleven." Bring popcorn. Protester at recent anti-Trump rallyBlueSky

— Trump Administration Lays Off EPA Environmental Justice Workers

 

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Employees in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) and regional environmental justice divisions were notified last night that they will be laid off or reorganized effective July 31, in a move that will all but ensure the most polluted communities remain disproportionately harmed, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Below is a statement by Chitra Kumar, the managing director of the Climate and Energy Program at UCS and a former official with EPA’s OEJECR.“The layoff notice sent to employees claimed their dismissal would ‘better advance the Agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment,’ which is the height of hypocrisy given that these staffers are working to reduce pollution and toxins in the communities suffering the most harm. Scientific data shows that, due to historic and ongoing injustices, communities overburdened by polluting industries, smog-forming traffic, and contaminated waterways and soil are predominantly low-income, Black, Brown and Indigenous. Exposure to consistently higher levels of pollution increases the risk of asthma, heart and lung ailments, cancer and even death.“Yet Zeldin and the Trump administration continue to focus on propping up the profits of coal, oil and gas companies and other big polluters who take advantage of every loophole available at the expense of public health. This is about all of us, our children, and grandchildren.“If Administrator Zeldin goes forward with this destructive move, he will be responsible for ending decades of work intended to help set right the harmful legacy of pollution in overburdened communities in a handout to big polluters. This is also part of the Trump administration’s larger ongoing strategy to dismantle EPA and its core functions and undermine its very mission, which is to help keep all people in America safe. In the time ahead, Zeldin is expected to launch a repeal, or ‘no enforce’ order, for a host of science-backed environmental regulations and engage in a wholesale ‘reorganization’ of the agency, including gutting the Research and Development Office that produces science undergirding EPA decisions.“Happy Earth Day, from the Trump administration.”

— Pending Trump Trade Agreement with India Likely Another Corporate Deal at Expense of Working People

 

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Vice President JD Vance and US Trade Representative Jameieson Greer announced reaching agreed-upon terms of reference for a roadmap toward a Bilateral Trade Agreement between the United States and India. These terms have not been made public. The Trump administration continues to claim that other deals with Japan, South Korea, and other countries are advancing rapidly.In response, Melinda St. Louis, Global Trade Watch director at Public Citizen, issued the following statement:“Trump continues to con American workers, claiming that he’s upending our unfair trading system, while actually doubling down on secretive and rushed ‘negotiations’ that will only lead to more of the same corporate-dominated trade deals at the expense of working people.“He’s not using trade and tariff policy to protect workers – he’s wielding reckless and unstrategic tariff threats as a cudgel to push more antidemocratic deals that benefit his corporate cronies. Look no further than Big Tech’s hit list of other countries’ privacy, anti-monopoly and online safety laws that he waved around when he announced so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’.“Without transparency and public and Congressional participation in the content of these trade negotiations, it is virtually certain that these ‘deals’ will be nothing more than another authoritarian power grab, as other countries and corporations bend the knee to Trump, benefiting billionaires at the expense of the rest of us.”

— “A Bright Spot Amidst the Chaos” - From New York to Minnesota, the Rights of Nature are Growing

 

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About half of all waters in the United States are too polluted for swimming, fishing, or drinking. That, according to advocates, is why we need the Great Lakes and State Waters Bill of Rights, a new law which was introduced into the New York legislature by Assemblyman Patrick Burke (District 142) on March 19th.The bill, AO5156A, if passed, would be the first ever state-level “rights of nature” law in the United States. It would recognize “unalienable and fundamental rights to exist, persist, flourish, naturally evolve, regenerate and be restored” for the Great Lakes and other watersheds and ecosystems throughout the state.Under the current system of law in almost every country, nature is considered to be property. Thus, those who “own” wetlands, forestland, and other ecosystems and natural communities, are largely permitted to use them however they wish, even if that includes destroying or polluting them..According to the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, which kickstarted the rights of nature movement in the United States, rights of nature means recognizing that ecosystems and natural communities are not merely property that can be owned. Rather, they are entities that have an inherent and inalienable right to exist and flourish.“We must be bold”Today, April 22nd (Earth Day), advocates for the New York bill have been invited to the United Nations to address a high-level meeting on harmony with nature. Alongside New York State Assemblyman Patrick Burke, who introduced the bill last month, and other rights of nature supporters and advocates such as Movement Rights, Ben Price, Education Director for the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), which drafted the bill, has also been invited to speak. The invitation was extended by the Plurinational State of Bolivia, which includes some protections for nature in its national constitution.Besides playing a key role in drafting the New York bill, Price was instrumental to a 2006 rights of nature law passed in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, which was the first time rights of nature were recognized in any western legal system. “Tamaqua didn’t even get statewide media attention, let alone national or international press,” Price says. “Yet it lit a fire and helped to inform Ecuador’s constitutional amendment of the rights of Pachamama (Mother Earth).”Since 2006, more than 400 rights of nature initiatives have been introduced around the globe, with Latin America accounting for more than any other region.Here in the United States, rights of nature has been an uphill battle, as courts have ruled previous laws illegal and even pursued financial penalties against communities and lawyers for pursuing it. According to CELDF Executive Director Kai Huschke, the political moment we find ourselves in calls for a willingness to be bold and challenge systems of law and power that aren’t working.“Rights of nature would not be where it is today had people and communities followed unjust rules,” Huschke says. “We’ve made progress because of people taking risks, being disobedient, and taking action. That’s what we’re trying to facilitate with our current rights of nature work.”“Making sure future generations inherit more than just our mistakes”It’s hard to swim against the current inside institutions — like government — that reward sticking with the status quo. But Assemblyman Patrick Burke, who represents South Buffalo, the City of Lackawanna, and the towns of West Seneca, Ellicott, and Orchard Park, is willing to push these boundaries — especially given the dire state of our waterways.“When I passed one of the nation’s first microplastic bans as an Erie County legislator, it was because our communities demanded more than environmental regulation, they demanded accountability,” Burke says. “I carry that same responsibility into my role as Chair of the Great Lakes Taskforce [in the New York State Assembly]. The Great Lakes & State Waters Bill of Rights is about restoring balance between people and the ecosystems we depend on, making sure future generations inherit more than just our mistakes.”Communities lift their voices in support of rights of natureAcross the region, support is growing for the New York bill.“It’s a paradigm shift,” says Paul Winnie, a member of Tonawanda Seneca Nation who has been active in issues relating to tribal sovereignty, food, and environmental protection for many years. Winnie says that the bill represents an attempt to create a different way of relating to the natural world beyond extraction and exploitation. It’s something “that could combat the existing system to balance out corporate rights,” he says. “It’s trying to reignite that connection to nature.”Anna Castonguay, Chair of the Western New York Environmental Alliance, also says that this bill would help bring some balance.“We give legal personhood to corporations,” Castonguay says, “but have limited protections for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land where we grow our food and live our lives on. The Great Lakes Bill of Rights would make it so that the health and vitality of the Earth and our communities is not an afterthought.”“Allowing communities to keep polluters out”Dr. Kirk Scirto, a primary care physician and public health specialist based in Buffalo, says that the bill is really about self-protection.“Since we depend entirely on Nature for our survival, by destroying it throughout New York, we’re actually hurting ourselves,” Dr. Scirto says. “Striking at Nature is self-injury. This bill would allow communities to protect their rivers, creeks, lakes, and other ecosystems. It would allow each community to protect its water in its own way, without being overridden by state and federal government. Whether it’s a chemical company or a loud crypto mining center, it could allow communities to keep these polluters out if they choose. And it could be used to make corporations restore waters they’ve already polluted! So, it expands both community rights and Nature’s.”Talking Rivers, an organization based in the St. Lawrence River / Kaniatarowanénhne and Adirondack Watersheds, wrote a memorandum of support for the bill, stating:“At this critical juncture as it becomes apparent that the federal government is going to scale back, if not outright abandon, efforts to protect our environment, in particular our waters, it is vitally important that state and local governments step up in a major way. The Great Lakes and State Waters Bill of Rights is that major step forward.”Pope Francis: “Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves”Carol De Angelo, the Director of the Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation at the Sisters of Charity New York, a Catholic religious organization, is another supporter of the bill.“I am grateful that Representative Burke has introduced this bill,” De Angelo says. “Over the years as a Sister of Charity of New York and a longtime member of ROAR (Religious Organizations Along the River), my awareness and advocacy of the Hudson River and all God’s Creation have strengthened as I become more aware of the interconnectedness of all life.”De Angelo’s belief in the importance of protecting the environment was reinforced by the late Pope Francis, who was the first Pope to address rights of nature and who passed away on April 20th.“The 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’ confirmed my belief and commitment,” De Angelo says. “In Laudato Si’ #139, Pope Francis says, ‘When we speak of the environment, what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it.’ This Bill, in recognizing the rights of nature, calls us to accountability and responsibility in creating a flourishing Earth Community for today’s children and future generations.”Rights of Manoomin (Wild Rice) in MinnesotaMeanwhile, in Minnesota, an effort to protect a sacred and ecologically important plant — manoomin, more commonly known as wild rice — using a rights-based approach is underway. The Wild Rice Act was introduced by Senator Mary Kunesh, the first Indigenous woman to serve in the state senate, in February.Leanna Goose, an enrolled member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and co-author of the bill, says it is an attempt to recognize the inherent rights of non-human life forms.“The issue at the core of the bill is the need to recognize and honor the living beings we share this Earth with,” Goose says. “They have an inherent right — separate from any right ‘assigned’ by humans — to exist and thrive, just as we do. In Anishinaabe culture, we understand that without all living beings we will cease to exist; our survival would not be possible. We show respect to our plant and animal kin, along with gratitude for this. This is what it means to recognize the inherent right of a living being. It is an invitation into a generational relationship of mutuality and whether we acknowledge it or not, that right exists. Recognizing it is a powerful first step toward fostering a deep respect for the Earth and all the living beings that call it home.”Next StepsThe New York bill, like the Wild Rice Act in Minnesota, faces serious challenges going forward. In other rights of nature campaigns, even laws that have passed have faced legal challenges arguing they are unconstitutional. Ben Price, who says he was invited to the United Nations after Bolivian officials saw the New York bill and recognized it as a counterweight to anti-environmental federal policies, says that these efforts are all part of a larger process of culture change.“Good things come in small packages,” he says. “Like Tamaqua, the likelihood of this bill having national or global effect may not be obvious. But given the current political atmosphere, people are looking for answers. Climate funding has been canceled. References to environmental harm removed from government websites. Under these circumstances, people rising up and passing laws like this at the local and state level is essential. These efforts are a voice in the wilderness and a bright spot amidst the chaos.”How to supportWith growing threats to water nationwide — including rapid growth in data centers, power plants, nuclear energy, industrial agriculture, and beyond — communities are looking for ways to protect the rivers, lakes, streams, and aquifers. Tish O’Dell, one of the CELDF organizers behind this bill, encourages people to reach out to her. She says that with the growing media coverage of this effort, people in several states have already expressed interest in bringing rights of nature to their areas. O’Dell also said that individuals, organizations, and businesses can sign on to a list of supporters to make their voice heard and start making connections to form coalitions.Huschke, the CELDF Executive Director, also reminds supporters that they can donate to support the organization’s rights of nature work, including in New York.

— Oceana Celebrates Historic Bills to Permanently Protect U.S. Coastlines from New Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling

 

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A set of bills introduced in April would codify permanent coastal protections for millions of acres of U.S. oceans. These laws would prevent future offshore oil and gas exploration, development, and drilling off coastlines across the United States. The package of legislation, proposed in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, includes: The COAST Anti-Drilling Act, introduced by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), which would permanently protect the entire East Coast, from Maine to Florida, from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production; The West Coast Ocean Protection Act, introduced by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), which would permanently protect the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production; The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act, introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), which would permanently protect the Arctic Ocean from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production; The Florida Coastal Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL), which would permanently protect the coast of Florida and eastern Gulf of Mexico from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production; The Defend Our Coast Act, introduced by Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC), which would permanently protect the Mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production; The New England Coastal Protection Act, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI), which would permanently protect the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, along with portions of the North Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production; and Multiple bills to protect California’s coastline from offshore drilling. The bills would exclude all noted areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf from future offshore oil and gas drilling by preventing their inclusion in the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. Also called the Five-Year Plan, this program determines where the federal government will sell leases for offshore drilling over the next half-decade. The legislation would also prevent these areas from being included in new lease sales mandated by Congress. These bills would also prevent seismic airgun blasting, the harmful precursor to drilling. Seismic airguns, when used to search for oil and gas, create one of the loudest human-caused sounds in the ocean, and these blasts can injure and kill marine mammals. “It's time to end the threat of expanded drilling off America’s coasts forever,” said Oceana Campaign Director Joseph Gordon. “Oceana applauds these Congressional leaders for reintroducing pivotal legislation that would establish permanent protections from offshore oil and gas drilling for millions of acres of ocean. Earth Day is an important reminder that every coastal community deserves healthy oceans and oil-free beaches. This legislation is part of a national movement to safeguard our multi-billion-dollar coastal economies from dirty and dangerous offshore drilling. Congress must swiftly pass these bills into law and reject any expansion of drilling to protect our coasts." Presidents of both parties have used their authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to withdraw vast areas of the coast from offshore drilling. These bills would permanently codify protections spanning the entire Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska. Over the past decade, more than 390 municipalities, 60,000 businesses and 500,000 fishing families – as well as 2,200 elected officials from both parties – have opposed offshore drilling activities off their waters. For more information on Oceana’s campaign to prevent the expansion of offshore drilling, please click here. Background A poll released by Oceana in July 2024 revealed that two-thirds of American voters (64%) support their elected officials protecting U.S. coastlines from new offshore drilling, with similar support among registered voters in coastal states (66%). The poll also found this support grew among youth voters 18 to 29 years of age (70%). A 2021 analysis by Oceana found that ending new leasing could prevent more than $720 billion in damage to people, property, and the environment. The oil industry currently holds more than 2,000 leases, according to a 2023 Oceana report, with 75% of that ocean acreage currently unused.

— Sunrise on Earth Day: Earth Day Is a Legacy of Resistance, And We’re Carrying It Forward

 

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In recognition of Earth Day, Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay released the following statement: “Earth Day is a legacy of resistance, and our generation is carrying it forward. We are ready to fight for our future with everything we’ve got. Our generation will not sit back while Trump and fossil fuel billionaires destroy our home. Earth Day began as a generation of young people who flooded the streets demanding that the government finally stand up to powerful corporations and tell them they could not poison the future for profit. And they won. Today, that progress is under full attack as Donald Trump, backed by fossil fuel billionaires, is waging a full-scale assault on the very life-saving protections that Earth Day was created to demand, blatant corruption that puts millions of lives at risk just to line the pockets of oil and gas billionaires. This Earth Day, we aren’t just commemorating a moment in history; we’re continuing the fight. Like in 1970, when millions of people took to the streets, we are building a movement to meet the scale of the crisis. We will not cooperate with the destruction of our world. Since Trump’s inauguration, Sunrise has trained over 5,000 young people to organize their communities, take bold action, and lead the fight for a Green New Deal. Donald Trump can only carry out his agenda if people, agencies, and workers go along with it. So instead, we will disrupt business as usual. We will resist at every level: in the streets, in our schools, and in the halls of power. We are powerful. We are united. And we are just getting started.”

— Trump’s Inauguration Donor Pool Includes $50 Million in Contributions from Corporations Under Investigation or Facing Federal Enforcement

 

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Corporations facing federal investigations or enforcement lawsuits collectively gave $50 million to Trump’s inauguration – a third of the corporate inauguration donations. Public Citizen cross-referenced new inauguration donor data (as shown below) with corporations listed in our Corporate Enforcement Tracker database, and found 58 corporations which include crypto companies, oil and auto industries, Big Pharma, tech companies, Wall Street hedge funds and more, faced at least 88 federal enforcement actions when Trump took office. Cases against 11 of these corporations have already been dismissed or withdrawn, and six have been halted.Public Citizen Researcher Rick Claypool says these corporation donations may serve as down payments for pardons or decisions to drop enforcement actions.“Corporations facing federal lawsuits and investigations aren’t giving millions to Trump’s inauguration out of the kindness of their hearts,” said Claypool. “They are trying to buy good will. And when you’re a corporation under investigation or facing prosecution, that means the government dropping enforcement actions against you. In some cases, it may even mean receiving pardons in cases in which guilty pleas have already been entered, or retractions of settlements already entered into."

— Public Citizen Leads the Fight Against Trump’s Dangerous Deregulation

 

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As President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office approaches, Public Citizen is leading the fight against his administration’s deregulatory efforts in the courtroom, in the media, and on Capitol Hill.“Make no mistake: Trump’s deregulatory blitz from DOGE’s mass firings to dismantle entire agencies to gutting enforcement against corporate criminals will mean more preventable injuries and illnesses, more needless deaths, more consumer scams and ripoffs, more industrial disasters,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen. “These moves are about as inefficient as you could get. On the other hand, they will help boost CEOs’ compensation packages and further skyrocket corporations’ record profits.”Here are some of the major ways the Trump administration has waged an assault on regulations – and how Public Citizen is fighting back.Executive OrdersPresident Trump’s executive orders on deregulation have made clear his intent: to undertake one of the most radical and extreme attacks on public protections that our country has ever seen, all to the benefit of the wealthiest corporations. On Day One of his administration, Trump rescinded President Biden’s EO 14094 on “Modernizing Regulatory Review,” which reformed the rulemaking process to work in the public interest instead of for corporate special interests. Trump also issued a one-in-ten-out order on regulation. And most recently, he issued an order that directs agencies to repeal rules that are purportedly out of compliance with various Supreme Court decisions, without using the notice-and-comment rulemaking that is required by law.Right from the start, Public Citizen opposed Trump’s dangerous deregulatory blitz, calling the one-in-ten-out EO a stupid, corrupt, illegal Big Business giveaway, and blasted the early EO on rolling back regulations. Meanwhile, Public Citizen is leading the pushback against the EO on Supreme Court decisions.OMB and OIRA LeadershipTrump’s picks to implement his deregulatory agenda are mostly partisan ideologues who will stop at nothing to impose their extreme anti-government agenda, even if it means running roughshod over constitutional limits and checks and balances Trump nominated Russell Vought, staunch deregulation advocate and one of the architects of Project 2025, to head the Office of Management and Budget and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Vought’s Project 2025 blueprint included policy recommendations that were so extreme and toxic that even President Trump disavowed them on the campaign trail.Public Citizen lobbied against and called on the Senate to reject Vought’s nomination. As co-chair of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, Public Citizen helped build the case against him. And as a result, no Democrats voted to confirm him.In addition, Public Citizen spoke out against Trump’s nominee to lead the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Jeffrey Clark – a central figure in the conspiracy to deny and overturn the 2020 election, which resulted in him being formally disbarred. Public Citizen will monitor and hold OIRA accountable if Clark uses his position to further undermine regulations.Congressional Review ActMost everyday Americans have never heard of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). But you can be sure every well-connected corporate lobbyist knows what it is and exactly how it works. That’s because the point of the law is to give Congress a special shortcut to repeal regulations that protect the public, all to benefit specific corporations and industries that are lobbying against the rules.The CRA allows Congress by a simple majority vote in both chambers with limited debate, no possibility of a filibuster, and the president’s signature to overturn recently issued regulations. The CRA includes a carryover period allowing a new Congress to strike down rules issued in the final months of the previous administration. But now Republicans in Congress have started using the CRA in unprecedented ways, targeting policies that are far beyond the law’s reach.Public Citizen was the first organization to publicly confirm the August 16, 2024 start date for the CRA’s lookback period and first to project that the CRA’s carryover period would likely end in May. Public Citizen also produced one of the first trackers identifying likely CRA targets in the new Congress shortly after the election.The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, co-chaired by Public Citizen, has been spearheading the effort to stop Congress from abusing the CRA to target rules that are beyond its reach. Both the Coalition and Public Citizen are tracking CRA resolutions as they are introduced – helping the public understand the harms of striking down these rules and which industries benefit.Gutting EnforcementThe Trump administration isn’t just rolling back regulations; in many cases they’ve stopped enforcing the law against corporate wrongdoers. In other words, Trump has given corporate America the green light to break the law with impunity by taking agency cops off the beat. The Trump administration has already halted or moved to dismiss enforcement investigations and cases against more than 100 corporations, with more cases against accused corporate criminals being abandoned every week. Public Citizen’s tracker and reports have documented the massive dropoff in enforcement and connected the dots to which corporations, CEOs, and industries have benefited.Attacks on Independent AgenciesTrump has come up with a new way to assault the regulatory system. For the first time in almost a century, the president has fired commissioners at multiple independent agencies, denying them quorums and the ability to perform core agency functions. This breathtaking power grab is a slap in the face to Congress, which deliberately designed these agencies to be independent of the president. Public Citizen is helping the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards track firings and the quorum status at independent agencies, and was part of a coalition letter condemning Trump’s attacks on these agencies. In addition, Public Citizen argued that Trump unlawfully fired the Federal Trade Commission’s two Democratic commissioners. DOGE Dismantling Federal AgenciesRight-wing ideologues and activists have long dreamed of shutting down government agencies wholesale and firing government employees en masse. But this has always been a pipe dream, since Congress has never had the votes to shut down protective agencies that are popular with the public. Now, with the Trump Administration ignoring checks and balances and constitutional limits left and right, the moment has come. The Trump administration has gutted essential federal agencies like USAID, the CFPB, the Departments of Education and Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency in the name of so-called “government efficiency.”Public Citizen sued to stop the dismantling of both USAID and the CFPB, and called on the Office of Government Ethics to direct Elon Musk and his agents to desist from any activity related to the CFPB because of his spectacular conflicts of interest. Public Citizen also led the call for a congressional investigation into DOGE’s lawless takeover and sued to ensure DOGE complies with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.More broadly, Public Citizen put forth an alternative vision for what a government committed to “efficiency” would prioritize instead of deregulation, dismantling agencies, and firing regulators en masse. The report examined the broad record of regulation and showed that major regulations generate overwhelmingly positive economic returns – disproving the notion that DOGE can find social savings through regulatory rollbacks.Anti-Regulatory LegislationNot to be outdone, Republicans in Congress have joined Trump’s deregulatory push by introducing and advancing a wide range of anti-regulatory bills. Public Citizen, as co-chair of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, helped analyze and lobby against these bills, which include the REINS Act, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, the GOOD Act, and the Reorganizing Government Act, among others. Public Citizen remains committed to ensuring these dangerous bills never become law.

— Civil Rights Organizations Launch Coalition Unity Pact in Response to Government Attacks

 

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Today, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights announced “The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment,” a mutual support agreement among America’s leading civil rights organizations in response to escalating threats and actions taken by the White House and federal agencies that target nonprofit organizations that are doing important public service work and that represent millions of people in America. The Pact is the next step in a series of coordinated actions by the coalition, including an open letter to the American people and pledge to take action, in addition to chronicling civil rights mobilizations.“The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment” states clearly why this commitment is necessary. “Today we face a campaign by the government to interrupt and intimidate the ability of those who represent the vulnerable, ensure people know their rights, have a voice to make demands of their government, organize unions and speak freely and have their rights protected. We will not be silent, divided or stop serving the public or allow the people we serve to be harmed. The administration has made clear it will attack organizations that speak truth to power, defend the vulnerable, petition and sue the government, preserve and share knowledge, and fight for our freedoms. They want us to fight alone, hoping we’ll stay silent as others are targeted. Not us.”For 75 years, The Leadership Conference coalition has fought for passage of every major piece of federal civil rights legislation signed into law. The coalition has created this pact because of its deep and long-standing relationships and its commitment to ensuring that the laws it’s spent 75 years passing, strengthening, and defending are not misused as tools of authoritarianism.The Pact outlines specific commitments the signatories have made, including: “When any of our organizations are unjustly targeted, we will stand as a unified coalition. An attack on one is an attack on all.”“We will share knowledge, resources, and support with any organization threatened by abuses of power.”“We will not abandon our missions or self-censor out of fear. The people we serve depend on us now more than ever.” As it affirms: “We will not be silenced. We will continue to do the work that puts people over power.”The full text of “The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment” is available here.

— Sierra Club Statement on Passing of Pope Francis

 

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Today, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has died at the age of 88. Francis, who led the Catholic Church for 12 years, was an outspoken advocate for addressing climate change. His 2015 encyclical, entitled “Laudato Si’,” called on world leaders to address our planet’s worsening environment with the urgency it deserves and requires, including the replacement of fossil fuels “without delay.” He addressed oil and gas executives at the Vatican in 2018, reminding them that “energy use must not destroy civilization.” Noting the world’s failure to address the climate crisis rapidly enough, Francis updated his 2015 encyclical with 2023’s “Laudate Deum.”In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous released the following statement:“Pope Francis used his role to advance not only the tenets of social and economic justice, but also climate justice. Pope Francis spoke plainly and with clarity about the climate crisis, correctly naming that the burning of fossil fuels only further exacerbates our peril and that the United States has a moral obligation to lead by example as the world’s leading historical emitter. His passing as the world prepares to recognize Earth Day tomorrow leaves us with a fitting reminder of the ways we can best serve our fellow humans—by doing everything in our power to ensure a livable planet for all people.”

As of 4/30/25 1:26am. Last new 4/29/25 4:56pm.