Divorce
Week of May 30-June 5, 2025
Welcome to TRACKING THE CRISIS, a weekly round-up from The Democracy Collaborative tracking the administrative, legislative, and other actions of the new Trump Administration as well as the many forms of legal and movement response from across a broad range of social, political, and economic actors. TDC is providing this service for collective informational purposes, as a tool for understanding the times during a period of disorientingly rapid flux and change in the U.S. political economy. TDC should not be understood as endorsing or otherwise any of the specific content of the information round-up.
TRUMP TRACKER: Administration actions
Trump-Musk alliance implodes on social media row over ‘big, beautiful’ bill. Elon Musk’s exit from the White House this week is, in the eyes of some commentators, beginning to resemble a messy divorce as Trump and Musk traded barbs over social media. Musk officially left his role as ‘special government employee’ last Friday as he appeared in an Oval Office briefing with a black eye. The billionaire claimed the injury was inflicted by his five-year-old son X. Musk had previously criticized Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ budget bill for swelling the federal deficit, as well as for ending the EV tax credit which, according to JPMorgan, entails a $1.2 billion per year hit for Tesla. Axios reports that additionally, Musk had been seeking to stay in his government role beyond the 130-day term limit, but had been rebuffed by White House officials; the FAA is not warming to his plan to use Starlink to replace the current federal air traffic control system; and apparently, the final straw came Saturday night as Trump withdrew his nomination of Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally, for NASA administrator. On Tuesday, June 3, Musk began slamming the Trump Administration on social media, calling the budget bill a ‘disgusting abomination,’ and on Wednesday called for the GOP to do a ‘do-over’ of the entire bill. On Thursday, the feud escalated further as Trump commented that he was ‘very disappointed’ with Musk over his criticism, and threatened to cut all of Musk’s government contracts. Musk, who spent over $300 million to support Trump and Republicans in the 2024 election, blasted Trump’s ‘ingratitude’ and claimed that without him, Trump would have lost the election. Musk also called for Trump’s impeachment and referenced Trump’s involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. He also briefly threatened to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft that supplies the International Space Station, but walked back the threat hours later. Trump posted that he had asked Musk to leave the White House, and claimed Musk ‘WENT CRAZY’ after Trump cut his EV mandate. Shares of Tesla and Trump Media Group both took a nosedive as the public feud unfolded. CNN has published a timeline of the feud as it happened. Despite Musk’s acrimonious exit, DOGE continues its dubious legacy in the Trump Administration as the White House requested $45 million for DOGE funding from the budget bill.
Medicare now on the line as Senate Republicans weigh more spending cuts in budget bill. The Congressional Budget Office released data this week showing that the proposed GOP budget bill will add $2.4 trillion to the federal debt and imperil healthcare coverage for at least 11 million Americans. Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill,’ which mandates tax cuts of at least $3.75 trillion, disproportionately benefiting the rich, is facing a number of math issues as Senate Republicans seek greater spending cuts to balance Trump’s tax cut request. The CBO report details how the additional debt incurred by the GOP’s bill would force at least $500 billion in cuts to Medicare starting in 2026. Senate Republicans officially broached the Medicare issue on Thursday as they admitted to ‘exploring ideas’ to cut ‘fraud, waste and abuse’ in Medicare through the budget bill. MSNBC details how the new budget would also modify certain provisions in the Affordable Care Act that would disqualify some and raise premiums for other ACA recipients. Republican lawmakers are struggling to sell the bill’s Medicaid cuts to the public, with gaffes from Sens. Joni Ernst and James Lankford eliciting criticism of the GOP ‘lies’ on healthcare spending as Republicans scramble to spin Medicaid cuts as benign. The Economic Policy Institute details the far-reaching consequences of the proposed Medicaid cuts on local economies and rural hospitals across the country. The White House attempted to attack the CBO after the report was released, claiming staffers within the agency have ‘political leanings’ despite the agency’s non-partisan mission. A team of health experts from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania sent a letter to Senate leaders this week detailing how cuts to Medicaid would result in 51,000 preventable deaths each year. The Trump Administration also released plans to cut funding for the Administration for Community Living, an oversight agency responsible for investigating abuse and neglect of disabled and elderly people. Among the White House’s other budget requests include a $9 billion cut to NPR, PBS and foreign aid, as well as a request to disregard a ruling by the General Accounting Office that found Trump’s freeze to EV funding to be illegal. Senate Republicans continue to be divided over the budget bill’s provisions, with some House Republicans expressing regret over passing the package. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was blasted this week for admitting she did not read the full bill and retroactively objected to its AI provisions. Without access to the filibuster, Senate Democrats are reportedly preparing procedural challenges to the bill; Axios reports on at least 5 provisions in the bill that may not pass Senate rules. Sen. Mike Lee announced his intention to attempt once again to insert a sell-off of public land into the Senate version, while a last-minute provision grants mining rights on federal land to a Chilean conglomerate owned by a former landlord to Jared Kushner and Ivana Trump. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Thursday the Senate is still ‘on track’ with its ambitious timeline to present an approved bill to the White House by July 4, having not yet secured a majority with a handful of Republicans holding out against the bill.
Trump issues travel bans and restrictions affecting 19 countries. On Wednesday, June 4, Trump signed an executive order ‘fully’ banning travel from 12 countries and restricting travel from seven others. Foreign nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be banned from entering the US, while entry for nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted. Speaking at the White House during his meeting with German Chancellor Fredrich Merz on Thursday, June 5, Trump claimed that the travel ban applied to countries that ‘don’t have things under control’ and that he wanted nationals from those countries ‘out quickly’. The ban is set to go into effect on Monday, June 9. The Washington Post has published a map of the affected countries, NBC News compares the current bans to those of his first term, and the New York Times reports that up to 170,000 migrants may be impacted, making these bans more far-reaching than the ‘Muslim ban’ during Trump’s first term. The Trump Administration made a few exceptions to the ban, including World Cup athletes, dual citizens and migrants with existing visas. Civil rights and humanitarian groups blasted the order, calling it ‘beyond shameful’ and ‘ideologically motivated’, while other commentators found it unsurprising given the xenophobic rhetoric that has become a cornerstone of the Trump agenda. The announcement sparked fear and confusion among asylum seekers in the affected countries as well as family members in the U.S., especially those from Haiti and Afghanistan, where thousands of asylum seekers have been waiting for U.S. resettlement. The executive order appears to have included provisions that shield the Administration from judicial interference. The New York Times ponders the criteria that have led to the selection of countries under the ban, including seven African nations which do not appear to share many common characteristics relevant to Trump’s ban. CNN profiles the 19 countries affected by the executive order.
Scores killed in Gaza as US-Israel backed aid scheme collapses. The UN Commissioner on Human Rights has called for an investigation into a U.S.-backed aid operation in Gaza after 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured as Israeli military forces opened fire on a crowd of people receiving supplies. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-funded private nonprofit approved by Israel to distribute aid, has been beset by problems and criticism since well before it began operations last week. On May 25, the organization’s director, Jake Wood, resigned over concerns of impartiality, saying it was “not possible to implement [the] plan while also strictly adhering to humanitarian principles.” Humanitarian aid experts and the UN have heavily criticized the aid scheme, calling it yet another form of “military control over aid operations” and a “distraction” from what is really needed, specifically the reopening of entry points into the Gaza Strip. The aid provided by GHF, which New York Times reports was planned by U.S. and Israeli officials in a bid to circumvent traditional aid overseen by the UN, devolved into chaos on its first day of operations last Tuesday, May 27, when Israeli soldiers fired into the starving crowd that had rushed the aid site, killing one. At least three more Palestinians were killed at a distribution site on Sunday, June 1, though GHF denied any casualties. U.S. firm Boston Consulting Group, which helped design the aid plan, withdrew its team from the project on June 3, which, according to sources speaking to the Washington Post, would make it ‘difficult for the operation to continue.’ This week, the U.S. vetoed a near-unanimous UN Security Council resolution calling for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. In an interview on Wednesday, the head of the International Red Cross called the situation in Gaza ‘hell on earth’, as an international food security group projects acute malnutrition in most of the Gaza Strip to reach critical levels over the next few months.
Steel and aluminum tariffs double to 50% as imports plummet and prices rise. On Friday, May 30, Trump announced to a rally of steelworkers in Pennsylvania that he would double the current tariff on steel and aluminum to 50%, to “further secure the steel industry in the United States.” While Trump’s punitive ‘reciprocal tariffs’ face court challenges, steel and aluminum levies were not affected by the recent rulings. Businesses braced for the new tariffs, which went into effect on Wednesday, June 4. While the tariffs are intended to boost domestic industrial production, many U.S. businesses still rely on imported components from other countries and will be forced to raise prices; the New Republic examines the power tool industry as a signature example of how tariffs alone are not enough to revive domestic production. With five weeks to go until the end of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff pause, the White House announced this week that it is pushing countries to approach the Trump Administration with proposals for trade deals by Wednesday, June 4 and announced that a trade deal with the UK was coming in a ‘couple weeks’; though White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt admitted in a press conference that the Administration has resorted to pleading with countries to negotiate. The Commerce Department reported this week that U.S. imports plunged in April as the tariffs took effect, reducing the trade deficit to levels last seen during the global pandemic. The OECD reduced its global growth forecast to 2.9% in 2025 and 2026, citing the impact of Trump tariffs on the U.S. and global economy. The Washington Post reports that the heaviest impacts to consumers are still to come, as businesses raise prices on all goods, even those unaffected by tariffs; and Walmart and Target workers have been sharing photos of price increases on social media. The New York Times details the everyday imported goods that Americans rely on from 140 countries. Nations facing tariffs are looking more and more to China, whose ‘hardball’ tactics in the trade war appear to be styming Trump, who expressed frustration at his inability to make a deal with the 5,000-year-old global trade power. China’s restrictions on rare earth minerals hit global manufacturers this week, and CNN reports on how the tariff war has highlighted the critical hold China holds on raw materials for pharmaceuticals. Lili Yan Ing, Secretary General of the International Economic Association, addressed the ASEAN this week and recommended a stance of ‘strategic defiance’ in ‘refusing to be drawn into asymmetrical negotiations’ with the Trump Administration. Late Thursday, Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to hold an in-person meeting after speaking on the phone, amid accusations from both sides of violating the tentative ‘truce’ agreement that was made last month between the two nations.
Immigration updates: ICE accelerates detention dragnet; Congressional aide arrested after confronting DHS; conditions worsen as detention centers hit capacity. Following orders from Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem to accelerate migrant detentions, ICE arrested a record 2,200 people in a single day on Tuesday, June 3; many of which had previously been released under the Alternatives to Detention program after being deemed not to be a threat to public safety. NBC News digs into the details of “Operation At Large,” the Trump Administration’s multi-agency plan for a sweeping immigration dragnet. This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized civilian DOD staffers to aid in ICE operations. In New York City this week, ICE arrested several migrants who turned up for “sudden” scheduled check-in appointments, prompting protests and tearful pleas from family members. DHS officers also entered the district offices of Rep. Jerry Nadler and arrested a Congressional aide for “harboring migrants” shortly after the aide witnessed ICE detaining migrants outside an immigration courtroom, which is in the same building as Nadler’s office. The Trump Administration also began taking migrant children from their homes after rescinding protections for unaccompanied minors last month. A Massachusetts high school student was taken by ICE on his way to volleyball practice, prompting large protests in his hometown. The Intercept has sued for information on wire transfers from Arizona which has been collected by ICE as part of a financial surveillance dragnet. Mother Jones reports on how thousands of asylum seekers in Florida are living in fear after their ‘humanitarian parole’ was rescinded by the Trump Administration. After last Sunday’s firebombing of a Boulder, Colorado event encouraging the release of Israeli hostages, ICE arrested the wife and five children of alleged bomber Mohammed Soliman on Tuesday, June 3; although a federal judge blocked their deportation on Wednesday. In Milwaukee, authorities charged a man for faking a Trump assassination threat in order to frame a migrant man he had previously assaulted. Also this week, Kristi Noem took down a list of sanctuary cities from the DHS website after pressure from local law enforcement officials. The Economist reports that ICE immigration detention centers are at capacity, as NPR received phone reports of worsening conditions including lack of food and rapidly spreading infectious diseases in overcrowded detention centers. The Intercept reports on the multiple allegations of misconduct surrounding a large detention center in Houston. The Trump Administration obeyed court orders to bring back a Guatemalan man who was wrongly deported to Mexico this week, while those deported to El Salvador remain in custody, even as reports confirm that the Trump Administration knew that the majority of those deported to the CECOT prison had not committed any crimes in the United States.
Hurricane season arrives as NOAA cuts are felt, FEMA chief blasted, disaster funding uncertain. June 1 marked the start of hurricane season amid growing concerns that federal government agencies are unprepared for potential disaster situations after sweeping DOGE cuts to NOAA, FEMA and the National Weather Service. Florida weatherman John Morales illustrated the dangers of NOAA/NWS cuts to hurricane forecast capacity in a recent weather report. Acting FEMA chief David Richardson caused alarm early this week as he told staff he was unaware that the U.S. had a ‘hurricane season’; a DHS spokesperson later explained the gaffe saying the administrator was joking. Meanwhile, FEMA has abandoned current plans for this year’s hurricane season, relying on last year’s guidance despite program and staffing cuts and despite forecasts of a 60% chance of above-normal activity and three to five major hurricanes expected. The New York Times reports on how the Trump Administration has transformed the agency since taking office. St. Louis is still waiting for FEMA aid after deadly tornadoes struck the city in May; it had previously waited 49 days for Trump to approve a federal disaster declaration for flooding, the slowest response to a disaster in 15 years. In a recent interview, Minnesota governor Tim Walz revealed that communication between states and the federal government in relation to disasters is now ‘nonexistent’, a fact somewhat confirmed by Sen. Josh Hawley, who said FEMA is ‘slow-walking’ disaster declaration requests in an interview this week with St. Louis Public Radio. CNN reports that the Trump Administration is approving disaster funds on an arbitrary basis, sometimes without notifying FEMA, adding to delays and confusion around disaster management. As Kansas City experienced its heaviest single-day rainfall this week, which caused major flooding and tornado risks, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a House panel that Kansas City could rely on AI-generated tornado warnings after staff cuts at NWS.
Health and Science Updates: Trump rescinds Biden policy on hospitals and emergency abortions; VA scientists barred from publishing in journals without permission; MAHA report contains fake citations. This week, the Trump Administration rescinded a Biden-era policy requiring hospitals to perform emergency abortions in cases where the mother’s health is in jeopardy. Experts and advocates say that the order may create critical delays and confusion that could jeopardize women’s lives and discourage doctors from providing emergency care in states with abortion bans. After dramatic cuts to scientific agencies and more cuts to research planned in the budget bill, the Trump Administration affirmed its commitment to what it calls ‘gold-standard science’ by putting political appointees in charge of vetting scientific research, prompting massive backlash from thousands of scientists across the country and the world. This week, the Veterans Administration ordered its scientists not to publish in academic or medical journals without first seeking clearance from the Trump Administration, a move blasted by veterans advocates as a ‘pattern of censorship’. Last week, HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. released his landmark ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report, which was found to contain several errors and citations to nonexistent studies. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained the bogus citations as ‘formatting issues’, and the citations were quietly removed this week. The CDC’s top vaccine adviser has quit the agency after RFK Jr. overrode her conclusions and ended COVID vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women. In addition to sweeping cuts to public health, HHS’ budget proposal includes eliminating the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention, alarming public health officials across the country.
Tracking the Money: Crypto, clemency, corruption, and the privatized infrastructure of repression. The Economist published an analysis last week regarding the Trump Administration’s embrace of cryptocurrency and its connections to Trump’s self-dealing, echoing concerns raised even amongst crypto insiders on the ethics of the government’s increased role in an asset that was designed to evade government oversight. As Trump’s Truth Social company raised $2.5 billion from undisclosed sources to buy Bitcoin, the SEC dismissed its civil lawsuit against Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, which had been charged with market manipulation and diverting customer funds. The Trump Administration also rescinded Biden-era guidance that discouraged 401(k) funds from investing in crypto, increasing risk exposure for millions of workers dependent on 401(k) accounts for retirement. The GENIUS Act, currently making its way through the Senate, includes provisions that require banks to bail out stablecoin investors before regular depositors in the case of financial collapse, further weakening protections for working people. Trump also issued a slew of presidential pardons over the last two weeks, including: ex-gang leader Larry Hoover; former New York congressman Michael Grimm, who pled guilty to tax fraud in 2015; a reality TV show couple with a $36 million fraud conviction; former nursing home executive and tax cheat Paul Walczak, whose mother attended a $1 million per plate fundraising dinner at Mar-A-Lago; and Lawrence Duran, a healthcare executive who was convicted in 2011 for leading a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme. Journalist Marisa Kabas opines on how the Trump norm has come to mean clemency for rich criminals and repression and deportation for the poor. The Wall Street Journal reports on how Trump’s biggest inaugural donors are being rewarded through Trump administration policies and actions; as Boeing, which donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, made a deal to avoid prosecution this week for the disastrous crashes of its 737 Max aircraft which killed over 300 people last year. Senator Elizabeth Warren released a report this week detailing over 100 examples of how Elon Musk used his position in the Trump Administration to secure favorable deals for his companies or for his personal gain. As Trump IRS pick Billy Long’s nomination advances in the Senate, questions were raised regarding his ties to companies hawking fraudulent tax credits, as well as internal revelations that he has barely shown up to his interim job at the Office of Personnel Management since his appointment in March. Fascism scholar Alberto Toscano writes for In These Times about Peter Thiel-backed firm Palantir and its aims to provide the Trump Administration with cutting-edge technological tools of government repression.
MOVEMENT TRACKER
As Pride month begins, LGBTQIA+ communities celebrate recent wins, history of resistance. June 1 kicked off a particularly momentous Pride Month for LGBTQ+ communities in the United States under the shadow of the Trump Administration’s anti-trans and anti-DEI policies. As corporations withdraw their support for Pride events in the wake of Trump’s DEI rollback, Pride organizers and activists are returning to Pride’s historical roots in protest and resistance. As Trump refused this week to acknowledge Pride month, calling it ‘Title IX Month’ instead, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth moved to rename the Navy ship named after Harvey Milk, organizers are preparing for the World Pride event in Washington D.C., defying travel fears to assert visibility and validity on Trump’s doorstep. The ACLU, in collaboration with several organizations and businesses, launched the “Freedom to Be” art monument on the National Mall. D.C. officials went back and forth this week on the decision to close off Dupont Circle to World Pride attendees, finally deciding to close the park ahead of the event’s commencement this weekend. The Washington Post features voices from movement elders and veterans who are pushing forward despite federal threats. Advocates celebrated this week’s federal court ruling blocking the Trump Administration from cutting off gender-affirming care for transgender prison inmates, as Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth led the charge within the Senate against implementing the DOD’s planned purge of transgender servicemembers. On Monday, June 2, the Trevor Project released a letter signed by over 100 Hollywood celebrities supporting the restoration of federal funding for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention. Advocacy organization GLAAD has released a campaign entitled “Pride 2025: One Story, One Future” with community resources for LGBTQ+ people facing discrimination in their home communities, as they also released a report detailing over 900 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in the USA this year.
Community mobilization turns back ICE, recovers detained migrants in several cities. Community mobilization is gaining strength against ICE raids as residents successfully turned ICE away from their neighborhoods in several cities this week. In San Diego’s South Park neighborhood, ICE agents carrying out a raid on a popular restaurant were confronted by community members, who continued to stand firm and eventually forced ICE to retreat even as flash-bang grenades were used against the crowd. In Minneapolis, hundreds of people turned out to protest an ICE raid on a popular taco stand, calling out Minneapolis police for standing with ICE agents despite the city’s non-cooperation policy. According to the mayor, no arrests were made. High school students in Massachusetts staged walkouts across the state in protest of ICE’s detention of Milford High School student Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who was detained by ICE on his way to volleyball practice. A federal judge later ordered da Silva’s release on bond. Da Silva’s volleyball team dedicated a match to the student on Tuesday, and students wore white in support of their classmate. In Chicago, activists staged a sit-down protest outside an ICE facility; and activists are raising funds to free longtime community leader Gladis Yolanda Chavez Pineda from detention. New York’s City Council urged a federal judge to block DHS from opening an immigration enforcement facility at Rikers Island, citing former mayor Eric Adams’ corruption in making a deal with the Trump Administration to host the facility.
Crockett vies for oversight role, progressive Dems back blocking aid to Israel while centrist Dems hold conference, eye Elon Musk after fallout. As senior Democratic leaders continue to face criticism for their apparent failure to rise to the Trump challenge, Rep. Jasmine Crockett announced her bid for the Ranking Member seat on the House Oversight Committee this week claiming that she would take steps to explore the possibility of impeachment, which touched off an internal furor amongst Democratic colleagues. Two dozen progressive House Democrats also co-sponsored the ‘Block the Bombs’ bill, which would withhold offensive military aid to Israel after 600 days of the war in Gaza. Bernie Sanders spoke to the Guardian this week about building a movement within the party amid the failures of the Democrats in 2024 and now. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin is renewing an effort to assert the Congressional right of approval over the Defense Department’s acceptance of the $400 million Qatari plane offered to Trump for use as Air Force One. Among the centrists, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries faced criticism after failing to take decisive action after an aide to Rep. Jerry Nadler was arrested for witnessing an ICE detention at the NYC Federal building. The resignation of Sen. John Fetterman’s chief of staff after a string of staff departures is raising questions about the conservative Democrat’s mental health and job performance. After Elon Musk’s falling out with Trump this week, some Democrats are considering recruiting Musk to the party, causing dismay among progressives given the strong anti-Tesla movement among constituents. Labor journalist Hamilton Nolan attended the centrist Democrat conference ‘Welcomefest’ this week and pondered the contradictions of the mainstream Dems’ approach to politics in the time of Trump.
Federal workers and labor unions celebrate recent wins, prepare for the road ahead as scientists fight back against Trump Administration policies. The labor movement celebrated a federal judge’s decision this week to block the dissolution of the TSA federal union’s collective bargaining rights. AFGE President Everett Kelley called the ruling a “crucial victory for federal workers and the rule of law.” In Seattle, the labor movement rallied around Filipino workers detained by ICE, and celebrated the return of immigrant worker Llewelyn Dixon after three months in detention. Robert Reich cited new poll data showing that Americans are now more likely to support labor unions over big business than at any time over the past 60 years. Derek Seidman reports on how militant graduate student workers are building union power to fight the Trump Administration’s attacks on higher education. Labor scholars Kelley Hayes and Eric Blanc discuss the future of the labor movement after Musk’s ‘chainsaw’ cuts to federal government systems. After the Trump Administration’s announcement of Trump’s ‘gold standard’ executive order asserting political control over government science and research, over 6,000 scientists signed an open letter denouncing the order and urging the public to stand up in support of science. Scientists also released an open letter decrying the dissolution of the National Science Foundation’s scientific advisory committees. The Union of Concerned Scientists rallied on Wednesday, June 4 in support of NOAA’s lifesaving work and to encourage the Senate to restore full funding to the agency before disaster strikes.
Final Fantasy Tactics producer issues impassioned plea for resistance to gamers and the world. As the gaming world welcomed the announcement of a remastered update to the 1997 game Final Fantasy Tactics, widely considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, producer Yasumi Matsuno took to social media to release a political statement, reflecting on the state of the Japanese economy at the time of the original game’s production, and stating that he designed the class conflict-themed game as a story of working-class resistance to inequality and corruption. “In 2025,” he said, “a time when inequality and division are deeply rooted in society - I offer this story once again. The will to resist is in your hands.”
Upcoming protests and actions.
Friday, June 6: Veterans rally across the country on the anniversary of D-Day to protest cuts to the VA and reaffirm servicemembers’ commitment to the Constitution, not Trump. More information on local actions and a livestream of the event in Washington DC is available at Unite4Veterans.org. PBS chronicles the 250-year history of grassroots action from veterans to secure rights and services.
Friday, June 6: Protest of ICE recruitment at the DHS Career Expo in Chantilly, VA from 9am-7pm.
Saturday, June 7: #AltGov social media accounts are encouraging the public to submit public comments online protesting OPM’s proposed rule gutting civil service protections for federal workers. The OPM’s comment portal is open until 11:59 PM on June 7.
Saturday, June 7: Protest of Matt Gaetz is planned at his speaking appearance to the Reagan Society in Lebanon, Tennessee starting at 2:30pm. More information can be found on the protest flyer.
Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9: WeAreTheFlood.net is calling for protests at the Heritage Foundation headquarters in Washington, DC. More information can be found here.
Tuesday, June 10: NorCal Resist is holding an in-person and online ‘Migra Watch’ training starting at 7pm Pacific Time to organize a rapid response network to ICE raids throughout Northern California. Online training is available via Zoom at this link.
Saturday, June 14: Nationwide ‘No Kings’ Day of Action planned in Washington DC and over 1000 locations across the country. Information on local protests can be found at NoKings.org.
Lawsuit Updates.
Judge James Boasberg granted class action status to a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s detention of migrants at the CECOT prison in El Salvador. Boasberg set a deadline of one week for the Trump Administration to present a plan for giving due process for all 240+ detainees remanded to the prison under the Alien Enemies Act.
A federal judge ordered the government to reinstate AmeriCorps programs in 24 states and Washington DC after cuts affected more than 20,000 young civil service workers.
The ACLU, Center for Constitutional Rights, and the International Refugee Assistance Project filed a class-action lawsuit this week against the Trump Administration for its detention of migrants at Guantanamo Bay, denouncing the ‘disturbing’ conditions at the site, and asserting that “immigration detention outside the United States is straightforwardly illegal” under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The State of Pennsylvania is suing the USDA over $1 billion of cuts to food aid to states for schools, child care centers, and food banks. The lawsuit asks the court to reverse the USDA’s decision to end the program.
Researchers and faculty at UC Berkeley have filed a first-of-its-kind class action lawsuit against the Trump Administration challenging its sweeping cuts to research grant funding. The suit is filed without institutional backing and represents an effort by faculty to “stand up for itself,” according to environmental law professor Claudia Polsky.
A federal judge granted a motion by news outlets to unseal records in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia detention case, including the transcript of a previously non-public hearing.
Data4Democracy breaks down the numbers on judicial resistance by district courts against the Trump Administration, citing a 96% loss rate for the Trump Administration at the district level, including with judges appointed by Trump in his first term.
