There is no arguing that things aren’t bad. They are.
But I actually saw some very exciting things this week that lead me to believe that things are turning in our direction and will continue to. We have the momentum.
Here are 14 of them:
1. This affects everyone
In the last week, I had two different people bring this shit up to me randomly — a nurse and an administrator. Both of them said to me “I never talk politics. but...” and then told me stories about their mom’s social security check or their husband’s job for the VA. That is part of the stupidity of trump and buddies — they are so out of touch and care so little about people that they don’t realize that they are fucking over people who are actually going to do something about it.
Angry Voters Yell at ‘Empty Chair’ Town Halls as Republicans Chicken Out
Angry voters flocked to “empty chair” town halls around the country this weekend to vent their frustration with Republican lawmakers who are refusing to face their constituents.
Facing a growing public backlash over President Donald Trump’s policies—particularly his megadonor and adviser Elon Musk’s efforts to dismantle federal agencies and purge the civil service—Republican leaders have advised their caucuses to ditch town halls.
In their absence, local activists held packed events in red states and districts during the congressional recess that ended Sunday. Lawmakers were invited but didn’t attend, leaving participants to rage in absentia against their representatives for their unflinching support of the Trump administration.
2. Special Elections have been AMAZING
One special election doesn’t mean anything. But you can look at patterns of them and see what you see and these have been mind-blowing.
Democrat wins special state Senate election in Pennsylvania in major upset
Democrat James Malone has won an open Pennsylvania state Senate seat in a major upset in a district that comfortably voted for President Trump in November, according to a Decision Desk HQ projection.
“In a district that went to Trump by 15 in 2024 and has a 23-point Republican voter registration advantage, Malone’s victory is a loud and clear rebuke to Republicans’ threats to the programs Pennsylvania families rely on – from Social Security and Medicaid to our public schools,” Martin said.
Dan Goughnour wins special election in Pennsylvania, keeping Democrats in control of state House
Democrat Dan Goughnour handily won a special election in western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, keeping majority control of the state House in his party's hands by a single seat.
Goughnour beat Republican Chuck Davis in a district in the Mon Valley region southeast of Pittsburgh, winning a seat that became vacant in January with the death of Democratic state Rep. Matthew Gergely.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that the majority means state House Democrats "can stand up to Trump's mayhem in Washington," prevent efforts to weaken Shapiro's authority and "continue to expand job opportunities, strengthen schools and create safe communities in Pennsylvania."
Poll shows CD 6 Special Election within margin of error
Republican Randy Fine holds the edge ahead of a Special Election for Congress. But his lead over Democrat Josh Weil falls within the poll’s margin of error despite the heavy GOP tilt of Florida’s 6th Congressional District.
That’s according to a survey done for Florida Politics by St. Pete Polls ahead of the Tuesday Special Election to succeed former U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz.
The results show Fine winning just over 48% of the vote, while Weil received just over 44%.
Stefanik’s withdrawal suggests Republicans are sweating their thin margins
President Donald Trump’s decision to keep Rep. Elise Stefanik in Congress is the clearest sign yet that the political environment has become so challenging for Republicans that they don’t want to risk a special election even in safe, red seats.
A pair of April elections in deep-red swaths of Florida next week was supposed to improve the GOP’s cushion in the House and clear the path for Stefanik’s departure, until Trump said he didn’t “want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat.”
The decision to pull Stefanik’s nomination came as Republicans grew increasingly anxious about the race to fill the seat of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on April 1. Polling in the district, which Trump carried by 30 points, had tightened, and the president himself is hosting a tele-town hall there to try and bail out Republican Randy Fine.
An internal GOP poll from late March showed Democrat Josh Weil up 3 points over Fine, 44 to 41 percent, with 10 percent undecided, according to a person familiar with the poll and granted anonymity to discuss it.
In Florida, Weil, the Democratic candidate, has raised $10 million, which has led to Elon Musk’s America PAC putting forward some last-minute cash for Fine, as well as Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis.
But that hasn’t stopped Democrats from saying Republicans are panicking, not just playing it safe.
Zac McCrary, a Democratic pollster who was working for Blake Gendebien in the now-canceled special election in Stefanik’s seat, said “this is a Jamaal Bowman-style five alarm fire bell.”
“Again, you don’t have to take anyone’s word for it, just see how Republicans are acting,” McCrary said. “They were very blasé about opening up the seat and now on a full retreat.”
Fallout coming for House GOP over Trump's rug pull on Stefanik
President Trump's dramatic rug pull of Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R-N.Y.) UN ambassador nomination has given House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) a new series of headaches.
Why it matters: Johnson has to reassure GOP lawmakers after their president said he's nervous about a Trump +20 district.
- He also must reintegrate Stefanik, who was planning to bolt town next week, into a leadership lineup that's full.
- Stefanik was crushed and scrambled to reverse Trump's decision before he announced it on Truth Social, according to people familiar with the matter.
Driving the news: In explaining his decision, Trump undercut the NRCC line that there was no risk of the GOP losing any special elections this year.
- "With a very tight Majority, I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat," Trump said on Truth Social.
- Republicans are "afraid they will lose the special election to replace her," Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday.
In a first, Democrats were tripping over themselves to agree with Trump.
- "Republicans and Donald Trump knew they were on track to lose the special election because of their deeply unpopular, disastrous agenda," said DCCC spokesperson Courtney Rice.
- "A few weeks ago, they were too scared to face voters at town halls. Now, they are so scared they can't even face voters at the polls."
3. They are failing
they look like losers all over the place (see many of the other points) that is bad for any politician but when your entire and only brand is being a “strong man” it is disastrous.
Trump is stumbling, making mistakes, and his “strong man” image has taken a hit.
He is now atop what could be one of the most consequential fuck ups and scandals in American history; the economy is slowing; his tariffs are wildly unpopular and are raising prices; he keeps losing in court, badly, every day; Musk has become a huge political liability; his polling decline is real, as is the collapse in consumer confidence; and the withdrawal of the Stefanik nomination shows the Rs are not confident or happy with where they are now, particularly after unexpectedly losing a PA state Senate seat they’ve held since the 19th century.
4. Signalgate is a lasting story that has lasting effects
This story has legs and is disastrous for them (as it should be)
Trump’s Most Outrageous Scandal Yet Is Actually Going Viral
We have turned down this road countless times before. Trump does something outrageous, illegal, or stunningly incompetent. Washington works itself into a lather, the cable news networks air wall-to-wall coverage, the usual suspects tweet up a storm (often with siren emojis), and the political newsletters and podcasts go crazy while the rest of America yawns. It’s not that people don’t care; it’s that they seldom hear about it. The Trumpian crisis du jour rarely escapes the political news bubble for the vast majority of Americans who don’t follow politics closely.
However, early evidence predicts that the Yemen group chat story is a blockbuster. More than any other story since Trump was inaugurated, this one is breaking through to the broader public.
“The Story of the Year”
Data compiled by Axios from the company Newswhip found that the revelations in The Atlantic are set to become the story of the year.
I receive several internal reports on the social media landscape from groups allied with the Democratic Party; and they all confirm the Axios data. This story is a big deal. People are paying attention and reacting on social media. The virality of the story is apparent through the engagement numbers of the posts talking about the leak. This video from Pete Buttigieg has 3.7 million views on TikTok and a half a million likes on Instagram.
This is good news for democracy and bad news for Trump.
Trump allies are starting to notice Hegseth’s growing pile of mistakes
The White House is publicly defending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he texted sensitive military information in a Signal chat. But behind the scenes, administration insiders are starting to express doubts about the Pentagon chief’s judgment.
Judge who ruled against Trump deportation flights will oversee Signal lawsuit
The federal judge Republicans want to impeach for blocking deportation flights to El Salvador will handle a new lawsuit alleging Trump officials violated federal law by discussing an attack on Yemen in a Signal chat.
Driving the news: U.S. District Judge James Boasberg was assigned to the lawsuit brought by watchdog group American Oversight alleging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials violated the Federal Records Act.
- The new lawsuit alleges that Trump officials' use of a platform that allows messages about government business to be erased is a violation of record retention laws.
Judge orders Trump administration to preserve Signal chats
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to preserve chats that senior officials conducted on the Signal messaging app, including a now infamous exchange accidentally shared with a reporter earlier this month about an imminent military operation in Yemen.
Hillary Clinton: How Much Dumber Will This Get?
It’s not the hypocrisy that bothers me; it’s the stupidity. We’re all shocked — shocked! — that President Trump and his team don’t actually care about protecting classified information or federal record retention laws. But we knew that already. What’s much worse is that top Trump administration officials put our troops in jeopardy by sharing military plans on a commercial messaging app and unwittingly invited a journalist into the chat. That’s dangerous. And it’s just dumb.
5. They are backtracking on much of the worst stuff
We hear a lot of about all the awful things that they do but we hear much less about all the times that they backtrack because our pushback WORKS. It is happening more and more and gives me life.
Social Security postpones and partially rolls back ID changes
The Social Security Administration on Wednesday said it would postpone controversial changes to phone service and partially relax new rules on identity verification.
Why it matters: Advocates and current and former officials have said the changes could break an already strained system and leave the most vulnerable populations without their benefits.
Social Security Administration Walks Back Service Cuts After Furious Pushback
The Social Security Administration has delayed controversial plans to cut phone services for retirees by two weeks and ditched a proposal that would have forced some disabled and elderly people to visit a physical location to claim benefits.
“We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates, and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations,” Leland Dudek, the acting SSA commissioner, said in a statement announcing the abrupt policy turnaround on Wednesday.
His about-face came after the agency was blasted by retirees, advocates and Democratic politicians for its sudden and chaotic rollout of the new policies.
Trump’s Border Czar Backs Off His Bold Broadside Against Judges
President Donald Trump’s border security czar has whopped an important caveat on top of his earlier claim he couldn’t care less what the nation’s judges think of the new administration’s deportation drive.
“No,” as Tom Homan, after several seconds of sullen silence, so succinctly put after being asked whether he had any imminent plans to defy court orders during an interview on ABC.
His comments follow after James Boasberg, Chief Judge at Washington, D.C.’s District Court, issued a temporary order banning the Trump administration from deporting any more migrants under the Alien Enemies Act, an obscure law dating back to 1798.
6. The Renditions are getting the awful attention they deserve
These are perhaps the most distressing to me. So I am hearted to see that I am not the only one upset and that things are getting better.
The Renditions Are Backfiring
The White House is facing growing resistance and outrage from all quarters for its summary deportations of migrants and defiance of court orders.
, there have been some notable developments exposing the administration’s entire operation as a sham from the get-go. Reports on the ground of non-gang members being swept up in this nightmare are now circulating widely. And the administration and its spokespersons are looking increasingly unhinged—and lately entirely on their own as Trump himself backs off from the mess and begins to throw others under the bus.
Judge Boasberg appears ready to smack heads together
Judge Boasberg held a hearing on Friday, March 21, and it did not go well for the government. Per a summary by CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane, who attended the hearing live, the day began with the judge noting the “disrespectful language” in the Department of Justice’s filings, which was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Not the way you want the day to start if you’re the government attorney.
Public anger mounts over non-gang member renditions
Since the apparently illegal and obviously rushed renditions occurred, the media has dug into who was swept up in the operation. While the government continues to insist that it was only criminal gang members, the weight of evidence so far contradicts this.
The administration is floundering before the press
I try to remain objective in assessing the performance of Trump White House officials and spokespersons. But by any objective, non-MAGA cult measure, they have been digging quite the hole.
Trump is backpedaling and undermining his own proclamation
Apart from the judge’s scathing takedowns, the public backlash and the absurd posturing of administration officials, there’s another clear sign that the rendition is backfiring: Trump himself is trying to back away from it and claim no responsibility.
When asked by Fox reporter James Doocy about Judge Boasberg’s question, i.e., why the Alien Enemies Act proclamation was signed in the dark and why people were rushed on to planes, Trump gave away the game.
After saying that they want to get criminals out of the country, Trump said of the proclamation, “I don’t know when it was signed. I didn’t sign it. Other people handled it.”
This was an astonishing statement. If he didn’t sign it, was it even in effect? Why was he backtracking so quickly? And who was he tossing under the bus now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio?
Judge releases detained Venezuelan couple with temporary protected status
A federal judge on Friday ordered the release of a Venezuelan couple who were detained by immigration authorities this month despite having legal authorization to live and work in the United States, calling their apprehensions baseless and unlawful.
Brinkema rebuked government officials for claiming in court that the couple posed a public threat and ordered both of them released straight from the courthouse.
“There is no reason why they’re being held,” the judge said. Addressing a government lawyer, Brinkema said, “If this was a criminal case … I’d throw you out of my chambers.”
7. Even Republicans are showing some signs of life
Look, we can never count on this Republican party to do the right thing. So when we see any signs of action from them, it means that cracks are forming.
We saw two meaningful signs of Republican Senators more aggressively challenging Trump in recent days
First, Senator Roger Wicker, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote a letter with his Democratic counterpart, Jack Reed, asking for the Pentagon to answer a serious of questions about the enormous Signalgate security breach. Next, last night, Senator Susan Collins along with her Democratic counterpart Patty Murray wrote what I think is a pretty serious letter to the White House indicating that they believe that in seizing certain Congressional funds - as he has been doing for months - the Administration was acting outside the law, “Illegally” the NYT calls it.
Even Traditional GOP Allies Are Urging The FCC To End Its Baseless Attack On CBS, 60 Minutes
Last October, Trump sued CBS claiming (falsely) that a 60 Minutes interview of Kamala Harris had been “deceitfully edited” to her benefit (they simply shortened some of her answers for brevity, as news outlets often do). As Mike explored, the lawsuit was utterly baseless, and tramples the First Amendment, editorial discretion, and common sense.
even Conservative groups have come out against Carr’s weaponization of government. Several groups traditionally allied with the GOP (and GOP loyal sectors like big telecom) including The Center for Individual Freedom, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance have collectively urged Carr to drop his sham inquiry, calling it “regulatory overreach”
Senior Republican joins Dems in raising alarm over White House’s flouting of funding bill
Top congressional appropriators — including a Republican — sent letters Thursday challenging the Trump administration’s decision to implement only a portion of the emergency money included in the recent stopgap funding bill.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Patty Murray of Washington — the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, respectively — sent a letter Thursday to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought raising alarm that the administration is not adhering to the funding measure’s spending directives.
Collins’ comments were particularly striking given her past remarks that the Trump administration could find itself subject to lawsuits if it sought to disregard the will of Congress is deciding how federal dollars should and should not be spent.
8. Hollywood is waking up
The first few big Hollywood things that happened since the inauguration felt chilling to me because the fire we saw from Hollywood in the first term seemed out. It made me worried that his bluster had people scared and thus silent.
Well that no longer is the cas.
Savage Trump Jokes Dominate Conan O’Brien’s Kennedy Center Ceremony
Despite comedian Conan O’Brien being the headline act at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night, there was another famous “orange a--hole” on everyone’s lips.
Comedians took to the stage to honor O’Brien, 61, as he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor—which, according to its website, honors “one of the world’s greatest humorists.”
And while there was initial doubt as to whether the name of the man trying to reshape the prestigious arts center in his own image would be named, it soon immediately became clear. President Donald Trump was fair game.
Kennedy Center Production of ‘Legally Blonde’ Postponed Amid Artist Boycott
The Kennedy Center postponed its Broadway Center Stage production of Legally Blonde Wednesday. The new dates for the production, which was originally set to be performed in June, have not yet been specified. Artistic Director and Executive Director of Broadway Center Stage, Jeffrey Finn, expressed his regret at the postponement but made sure to clarify that “this is not a Kennedy Center cancellation, and this is not due to any one person or persons involved with the show.” He added: “I sincerely look forward to bringing this vibrant show to life in the near future.” The Kennedy Center has been losing artists and productions ever since President Donald Trump decided to make himself chairman of the institution in Feb. after purging the board and inserting his own supporters as members
9. We have amazing Democrats on our side
I would really like if Schumer would hand the mantle of majority leader over. This isn’t the right time for him. However, we can’t let that distract us from all the other amazing people we have working on our side
Jasmine Crockett Hits Back at Attorney General’s Musk Warning
“I have never promoted violence whatsoever, yet I’ve also never made excuse for those violent actors such as the ones on January 6,” Crockett said, noting President Donald Trump’s pardons for the violent rioters who sacked the U.S. Capitol in support of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
“So Pam Bondi, if you have an issue with terrorism, maybe you should talk to your boss about locking back up those guys that he let out that participated in January 6.”
Last week, Crockett spoke at a virtual event organized by the group #TeslaTakedown, which has organized nonviolent picketing of Tesla dealerships.
Americans won't let Trump 'establish an oligarchic form of government': Bernie Sanders
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour is an attempt to stand up to President Donald Trump's agenda.
"I'm trying to make it clear to the people throughout the world and throughout our own country, that the American people are not going to sit idly by and allow Trump [to] establish an oligarchic form of government where Musk and other billionaires are running our government," Sanders said in an exclusive interview with "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl during the tour's Denver stop.
"We're not going to sit back and allow him to form an authoritarian form of society, undermining the Constitution, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and undoing what the, you know, what the Founding Fathers of this country did in the 1790s, separation of powers, making sure that no one person had an extraordinary amount of power, and that is precisely what Trump is trying to do," he added.
10. Law firms fighting back
Tons of press to that law firm that capitulated to Trump. But since then, they have been great. That suggests to me that they are suffering because of what they did and other firms are learning and doing the right thing. Great!!
Media Report on Firm Statement Pushing Back Against Trump's Law Firm Memo
Keker, Van Nest & Peters was featured in several news stories about the White House memo “Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and Federal Court.” The memo was issued March 22 and directs the Attorney General and Department of Homeland Security to consider seeking sanctions against lawyers or law firms that handle cases involving immigration, election integrity, or litigation against the federal government.
The coverage focused on the firm’s statement in response
“If the tough, well-educated, smart, financially secure lawyers aren’t going to stand up for the most basic principles of what lawyers do, then I think we’re kind of lost,” Elliot Peters of law firm Keker Van Nest & Peters told Reuters.
“I am concerned about a government where one person is an authoritarian figure and Congress is silent and the courts are marginalized or threatened with impeachment when they rule on the lawfulness of government action,” Peters told Law.com.
Two more law firms targeted by Trump sue to block punishing executive orders
Jenner & Block and WilmerHale are now the second and third firms to fight Trump in court
Two law firms targeted by President Donald Trump sued Friday to bar enforcement of his executive orders seeking to shut them out of government business and strip key lawyers of their security clearances.
In separate suits, Big Law firms Jenner & Block and WilmerHale say Trump’s effort to target them amounts to an unprecedented attack on the legal profession in retaliation for their work for past clients he doesn’t like and for past causes with which he disagrees. If carried out, they say, the orders would devastate their practices and have already begun to cause anxiety among their hundreds clients with government business.
Jenner & Block’s lawsuit contends Trump’s order is an unconstitutional threat to the firm and the legal system itself, seeking to “punish citizens and lawyers based on the clients they represent, the positions they advocate, the opinions they voice, and the people with whom they associate.” The lawsuit was filed on the firm’s behalf by California-based law firm Cooley LLP.
Big Law Fights Back
Some of the firms have or are in the process of negotiating a way back into Trump’s good graces. But Wilmer, Hale, shortly after the EO against it became public put out this statement, “Our firm has a long-standing tradition of representing a wide range of clients, including in matters against administrations of both parties,” they said. As for Mueller, they applauded his “long, distinguished career in public service, from his time as a Marine Corps officer in Vietnam to his leadership of the FBI in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks.” No backing down.
Early Friday morning, Jenner and Block sued a comprehensive list of defendants including the United States, agencies implementing the EO against it, and individual officials including Cabinet secretaries, explaining in their complaint that: “The Order threatens not only Jenner, but also its clients and the legal system itself. Our Constitution, top to bottom, forbids attempts by the government to punish citizens and lawyers based on the clients they represent, the positions they advocate, the opinions they voice, and the people with whom they associate.”
My podcast co-host Jill Wine-Banks, a former Jenner and Block partner, told me this morning, “This is who Jenner and Block is. Leaders in the true meaning of the legal profession. Proud to have been a partner. All law firms should join to fight the attempt to end the rule of law by destroying law firms and courts.”
Wilmer Hale filed a lawsuit moments later. They are represented by conservative icon and former George W. Bush solicitor general Paul Clement.
The two firms join Perkins, Coie, which filed a lawsuit against Trump in mid-March despite reports that they had some difficulty finding a firm willing to take them on as a client, in the moment of shock following Trump’s first order targeting a law firm.
Trump understands his vulnerability: The rule of law can still hold him accountable. That’s why he’s attacking it on all fronts. That’s why it’s so important that the lawyers are pushing back.
Expect more from the law firms. The increasing swiftness of the responses show that they now anticipate and understand that they are under attack from a previously unthinkable place, the White House. The Wilmer Hale firm filed their lawsuit less than a full day after Trump took action against them. These firms are prepared to fight it out in the one place where Trump can be forced to listen: The courts.
So, there is good news amidst the bad. The lawyers are going on the attack against Trump’s efforts to damage the legal system. More will follow.
11. The Legal system is working
The legal system is AMAZING. And despite what we all feared, Trump is obeying it. There are times where he tries to find loopholes, but despite his bluster, he is not just ignoring court orders (see last two items in this for why).
I have never been more proud of our legal system!
U.S. Judge Orders Halt to Trump’s Effort to Dismantle Voice of America
A federal judge on Friday temporarily halted the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle Voice of America, the government-funded international broadcaster whose prospective demise has alarmed advocates for press freedoms.
The judge, J. Paul Oetken of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, ruled from the bench during a hearing on a lawsuit filed by Voice of America journalists and their unions. The suit argues that the administration’s actions, like placing hundreds of journalists at the organization on paid leave, violated the journalists’ First Amendment rights.
The temporary restraining order is in effect for up to 21 days. A separate lawsuit, brought by the director of Voice of America, Michael Abramowitz, is also pending.
“This is a decisive victory for press freedom and the First Amendment, and a sharp rebuke to an administration that has shown utter disregard for the principles that define our democracy,” Andrew G. Celli Jr., a lawyer for the journalists who brought the suit, said in a statement.
The National Park Service can now rehire 1,000 employees who were terminated, following court rulings that found Trump’s firings to be illegal
And to support their cause, The Resistance Rangers—park staff working to save public lands—held protests at national parks all across America this weekend, with thousands joining in.
Appeals court sides with judge who blocked deportations under wartime authority
A three-judge panel from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the White House's push to restart deportations under a rarely used wartime authority.
By a vote of 2 to 1, the judges on Wednesday left in place a lower court order that temporarily blocked the Trump administration from quickly deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to landmark press freedom case
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case seeking to challenge the 1964 precedent that protects news outlets from litigation for publishing critical information about public figures.
Why it matters: Conservative justices have called for the Supreme Court to revisit New York Times v. Sullivan, which determined that a plaintiff must demonstrate "actual malice" in defamation lawsuits against the press.
In rare move, all 50 states’ top lawyers, including Oregon AG Dan Rayfield, band together to seek legal justice for veterans
In an extremely rare development, all 50 states’ attorneys general have banded together in a legal quest: In this case for two military veterans to get full GI education bill benefits.
In both of Donald Trump’s two terms as president, Democratic AGs have banded together to sue and sue and sue, often with some success, to block Republican initiatives that Democrats despise.
But this week, all 50 top state lawyers, both Democrats and Republicans, joined together to tell the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims they think the two would-be college students were unlawfully denied GI benefits.
Another judge blocks Trump effort to ban transgender troops from the military
A second federal judge has barred Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth from enforcing a ban on transgender troops serving in the military.
U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle said the ban, ordered by President Donald Trump, was blatantly discriminatory, relied on a distortion of outdated data and ignored more recent evidence about transgender service members.
Appeals court won't pause ruling that forced US to reinstate federal workers
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday refused to pause a judge's ruling requiring the administration of President Donald Trump to reinstate more than 17,000 workers at six agencies who lost their jobs as part of Trump's purge of the federal workforce.
Federal judge pushes back on acting Social Security head over threat to close agency
Acting Social Security commissioner Leland Dudek threatened Thursday evening to bar Social Security Administration employees from accessing its computer systems in response to a judge’s order blocking the U.S. DOGE Service from accessing sensitive taxpayer data.
Less than 24 hours later — after the judge rejected his argument and the White House intervened — Dudek is saying he was “out of line.”
US court won't pause ruling requiring Trump administration to reinstate 25,000 workers
A U.S. appeals court on Friday refused to pause a judge's ruling requiring the Trump administration to reinstate 25,000 workers at 18 federal agencies who lost their jobs as part of the Republican president's purge of the federal workforce.
Supreme Court allows federal regulation of ‘ghost gun’ kits
The Supreme Court sided with the federal government’s effort to regulate so-called ghost gun kits for making untraceable weapons.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion for seven justices upholding federal regulation, over dissent from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Members of Signal War Group Chat Are Being Sued Over Bombshell Leak
Several top Trump administration officials were sued by a watchdog group Tuesday following a shocking leak from The Atlantic revealing its editor-in-chief was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat discussing U.S. military operations.
The suit, filed by nonpartisan and nonprofit organization American Oversight, lists Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the National Archives and Records Administration as defendants.
If Trump Defies the Courts, It Will Backfire Badly
Does the Trump administration plan to ignore or defy future court orders that it disagrees with — perhaps even an order from the Supreme Court?
That would mark the sort of unambiguous constitutional crisis that has worried Democrats and other Trump critics since the president began his series of stunning moves to upend the federal government. It’s not an idle notion; Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and conservative activists have floated the prospect of defying the courts. Trump, however, has told reporters on multiple occasions — including just last week — that his administration will comply with the courts despite their disagreements.
Trump’s position may seem surprising given his typically combative posture, but it’s not that he’s doing the country a favor. Instead, it suggests he is acutely aware of his own self-interests.
The question should not be a live one in the first place, but the reasons that Trump will probably abide by the courts — or would be foolish to explicitly disobey them — have nothing to do with his commitment to the country’s traditional constitutional order (which is questionable at best). They concern his own political standing and his broader ability to enact his and his allies’ agenda.
For starters, there is extraordinarily little support for the idea that the president could simply disregard orders from the courts. That is true across the public, according to recent polls, with more than 80 percent of Americans rejecting the idea.
Even more personal to Trump is his attempted expansion of presidential power under the unitary executive theory, including the push to fire members of independent agencies despite legal constraints imposed by Congress. That is one area in particular where Trump may get some traction at the court, and where a victory would advance a longstanding effort by conservative lawyers to centralize executive power at the White House and limit the power of the administrative state.
None of this works particularly well if Trump ends up antagonizing potential swing-vote justices like Roberts or Amy Coney Barrett. As former Gov. Chris Christie recently noted to ABC News, “He’s going to tick off the Supreme Court so much that they may not give him everything he wants.”
To top it all off, the long-term effects — particularly in a head-to-head clash with the Supreme Court — would be unpredictable and bad for everyone, including Trump.
Homan, Trump's border czar, says administration won't defy judge's order on deportation flights
Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's border czar, vowed Sunday that the Trump administration would not defy court orders stemming from legal challenges over its invocation of the wartime Alien Enemies Act to deport undocumented migrants from the United States.
12. The Vance Greenland Trip is a Disastor
Honestly, this is another huge embarrassment for them that shows that they confuse lots of power for total power and will pay the price for that idiocy.
Trump Sends Vance to Greenland After Shocking Group Chat Fiasco
Vice President JD Vance announced in a video Tuesday that he’ll be joining his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, on her trip to Greenland this week—a change of scenery that comes just as he fends off the headline-grabbing aftermath of an embarrassing incident in which a well-known journalist was added to a group chat with some of the Trump administration’s top national security officials, including Vance.
“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now,” Vance wrote. “I think we are making a mistake.”
A Vance spokesperson did not deny the exchange in a statement to The Atlantic and said, “Vice President Vance unequivocally supports this administration’s foreign policy.”
“The President and the Vice President have had subsequent conversations about this matter and are in complete agreement.”
Greenland forms new government hours before US VP Vance’s visit
One that won BECAUSE it wants to fight this
Greenland presented a new government coalition agreement on Friday, just hours before a visit by US Vice-President J.D. Vance to the Arctic island that President Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring.
The new majority government will be headed by Democrats leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who had urged parties to set aside disagreements and form a broad coalition to show unity amid Trump’s campaign to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The pro-business Democrats, who favour gradual independence from Denmark, emerged as the biggest party, tripling their representation to 10 seats in a March 11 general election.
Flying to Greenland, Vance Is Visiting a Place That Doesn’t Want Him
Vice President JD Vance’s trip to an island that President Trump wants to “get” is a scaled-back version of the original White House plan. “He’s not welcome,” one Greenlander said.
But the government of Greenland never invited him and after all that President Trump has said about his desire to “get” the island, many Greenlanders don’t want Mr. Vance coming at all. Mr. Vance is scheduled to visit a remote American military base on the northern coast, far from any town.
The White House’s original plan was more ambitious. Usha Vance, the second lady, had announced that she was going to attend a famous dog sled race this weekend and see other cultural sites, in an effort to bring the United States and Greenland closer.
But the plan backfired. Protesters were gearing up to line the road from the airport in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. The island’s government blasted the visit as unwanted and “highly aggressive.” And the organizers of the dog sled race released a pointed statement saying they had never asked Ms. Vance to attend in the first place.
U.S. officials went door-to-door in Greenland to find anyone who wanted to be visited by the Vances. They found no one
No one wants to talk to Usha Vance—at least no one in Greenland.
US officials have reportedly been traveling around the Danish-controlled territory looking for locals who wanted to receive a visit from the Second Lady, according to a report from Danish TV 2.
Greenlanders' response? No thanks.
Residents aren't the only ones snubbing the Second Lady ahead of her high-profile visit to the island; Tupilak Travel, which is based in Greenland's capital city, Nuuk, initially said it would host Usha Vance, but pulled out on Thursday.
J.D. Vance Is the Most Disliked New Vice President in History
Vance’s favorability is worse than Harris’s at the same two-month mark and perhaps worse than any new vice president in the history of polling. His Real Clear Politics favorable-unfavorable rating is 41.7 percent-44.8 percent, a slightly worse net favorable rating (-3.1 percentage points) than Donald Trump’s (-0.9). When looking only at March polling—sampled after his infamous Oval Office hectoring of Ukraine’s president—he’s even more underwater: 42.4 percent-48.0 percent.
13. The Tesla protests are working
These give me so much life! We have so much economic power and we are using it for good!!!
Tesla sales fall by 49% in Europe even as the electric vehicle market grows
Tesla sales for January and February slumped to 19,046 from 37,311 in the same period in 2024. That comes against the background of a 28.4% increase in sales of all battery-electric cars in Europe.
Tesla Values Are Tanking Three Times Faster Than Any Other Brand
Elon Musk once argued in 2019 that Teslas were an "appreciating asset." Today, with the brand's stock and used car values in absolute freefall, some owners are offloading their cars as quickly as possible to get out before the brand hits rock bottom.
Remember last week when we warned you that used Tesla values were plummeting? Well, the bloodbath isn't over yet, and owners looking to separate themselves from Tesla—whether it be the toxic image of its CEO or the value of their cars sinking like the Titanic—are offloading their cars at a rather alarming rate.
A new look at the value of used Teslas by buying website CarGurus (and cited by Electrek) shows that the whole lineup is currently undergoing massive depreciation. And when we say massive, we're not just talking about a few extra tenths of a percent.
Used Teslas are depreciating at three times the rate of other automakers. The data shows that used Teslas have fallen an average of -7.26% year-over-year, which is significantly greater depreciation than the average in CarGurus' used vehicle index.
14. Destroying the economy will destroy him
No one wants the economy to recede, but the (big) silver lining is it will destroy any popularity he has and any inclining of what people used to see as his big strength (it never was).
Is President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" Going to Cause a Stock Market Crash? History Provides a Clear Answer.
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite have struggled mightily over the previous five weeks because of tariff-related uncertainty.
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President Trump's Liberation Day aims to impose broad-reaching tariffs -- and select stocks have historically slumped on tariff announcement days.
Stocks Plunge on Hot Inflation Reading, Weak Consumer Sentiment; Amazon, Alphabet Lead Big-Tech Selloff
Stocks were sharply lower in midday trading Friday, putting major indexes on track for their third straight day of declines, as investors digested closely watched reports on inflation and consumer sentiment that heightened concerns about the health of the U.S. economy.
The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite were down 1.5% and 2%, respectively, in recent trading, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.3%. Stocks have retreated in recent days on fresh concerns about tariffs as President Trump announced levies on all imports of cars and auto parts. Nonetheless, the major indexes came into Friday's session in positive territory for the week, putting them in position to post gains for the second straight week, as the market slowly rebounds from a month-long selloff.
Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq see worst day in almost three weeks after inflation, consumer-sentiment reports; stocks post weekly drop to deepen March losses ahead of reciprocal tariffs
U.S. stocks ended sharply lower Friday, as investors weighed the latest inflation data and braced for reciprocal tariffs amid concerns over a slowing economy.
On the lighter side
What can you do to save democracy?
You can sign up for Chop wood, carry water. She’ll send you emails a few times a week that are inspirational, honest, and give you super easy action items so you can be involved without letting it ruin your life.
Go here → chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com
Consider joining some peaceful protests! They are making a big difference!
Here are some ideas.
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If you can, I strongly recommend going to an in person meeting in your area. One way to find a local group is through indivisible: indivisibleproject.formstack.com/…
- Join the truth brigade! Grassroots-powered lie-stopping. Person by person; mind by opened mind
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Election Response Center is a project hosted by Working Families Party, MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible, and Public Citizen. They are organizing lots of events to get people fighting. Join one at this link
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The ACLU plays a key role in filing lawsuits that often stop voter suppression. Get involved with them at this link.
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Get involved with the Democratic party. We aren’t perfect, but they are fucking evil.
- Get involved with the States Project They are working on turning state legislatures blue
- Get involved with Swing Left. They are working on races right now!
- People For the American Way is a national progressive advocacy organization that inspires and mobilizes Americans to defend freedom, justice, and democracy from those who threaten to take them away. Get involved with them here
- Center for American Progress Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan policy institute and advocacy organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Get involved with them here
Also, continue to find joy in your life! Don’t let that fuckface live rent free in your mind! This is your life!!!!!
Looking for something more specific?
Want to focus on the ENVIRONMENT:
Want to focus on CIVIL RIGHTS:
HUMAN RIGHTS - GENERALLY:
LGBTQ+:
WOMEN:
Huge thanks to DKos user dabug for help with this list.
Don’t let the options overwhelm you! Try to pick one thing and see if it calls to you. If it doesn’t find something else.
There are so many ways to get involved and help!
Some inspiration before I say goodbye
“Whatever happens, stay alive.
Don't die before you're dead.
Don't lose yourself, don't lose hope, don't lose direction.
Stay alive, with yourself, with every cell of your body, with every fiber of your skin.
Stay alive, learn, study, think, read, build, invent, create, speak, write, dream, design.
Stay alive, stay alive inside you, stay alive also outside, fill yourself with colors of the world, fill yourself with peace, fill yourself with hope.
Stay alive with joy.
There is only one thing you should not waste in life,
and that's life itself..."
I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with all of you. ✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 💙❤️💛💚✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
