Epstein
Week of July 11-17, 2025
Welcome to TRACKING THE CRISIS, a weekly round-up from The Democracy Collaborative tracking the administrative, legislative, and other actions of the 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
Furor over Epstein case files blows open major rift between Trump and his MAGA base. Last week’s announcement from the Justice Department that no more files would be released from the Jeffrey Epstein case has precipitated a revolt amongst Trump’s MAGA supporters, posing a major problem for the Trump Administration this week as it scrambled to contain the political fallout from the DOJ memo. Trump, who gained much of his following by promoting conspiracy theories such as the supposed cover-up of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring and his ‘client list’ full of prominent figures, found himself in the position of being the victim of his own hype as many within the MAGA movement turned on him for refusing to release the full case file as he had previously promised. Although Trump urged his supporters to ‘move on’ from the controversy, the furor has only grown; at a conservative conference over the weekend, top MAGA leaders criticized the White House for being ‘out of step’ with its grassroots base on one of their key issues, and Fox News pundits urged Trump to ‘defuse this ticking time bomb’ by releasing the evidence and continuing to pursue prominent figures who allegedly participated in Epstein’s crimes. At the weekend conference, Steve Bannon explained the high political stakes of disaffecting a portion of the MAGA movement, saying an erosion of the grassroots movement could cost the Republicans up to 40 seats in Congress. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna seized on the issue over the weekend, saying he would attempt to force a vote in Congress to release the rest of the Epstein files; and on Tuesday, July 15, House Speaker Mike Johnson made a notable break with the Trump Administration by calling for the Justice Department to release the files, a call echoed later in the week by former vice president Mike Pence. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie joined Khanna’s resolution, saying they would spearhead a bipartisan effort to force a vote as early as next week. Trump defended Bondi, saying she did a ‘good job’ and hit back at detractors on Wednesday with a lengthy rant on Truth Social, calling the Epstein controversy a ‘hoax’ perpetrated by Democrats, and chiding MAGA critics as ‘weaklings’ who ‘bought into this bulls**t’, saying “I don’t want their support anymore”. On Wednesday, the Justice Department fired Maurene Comey, lead prosecutor on the Epstein case and daughter of former FBI director James Comey, for unknown reasons, as angry rank-and-file Republicans burned MAGA hats in protest of Trump’s dismissal. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal added fuel to the fire with an article on Epstein’s 50th birthday album, which reportedly included a lewd letter from Trump with a drawing of a naked woman, furthering speculation that Trump himself was deeply involved in Epstein’s predatory venture. NBC News discusses how the Epstein furor is indicative of a larger problem of the Trump Administration’s lack of transparency, eroding trust even among his supporters; and the Bulwark explores how the MAGA movement may potentially end up splitting into five distinct factions as a result of the internal strife. Mother Jones claims Trump has reached a ‘breaking point’ with his supporters over this issue; a GOP strategist has called the debacle a ‘knife in the back’ to the MAGA movement and a ‘major problem’ that could cost Republicans dearly in the midterms.
Supreme Court clears the way for the Trump Administration to dismantle the Department of Education, as the right targets more universities and the NEA. On Monday, July 14, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration may proceed with mass layoffs at the Department of Education, lifting a lower-court stay while the legal challenge plays out. Within two hours of the ruling, the Administration proceeded with its plans to fire 1,300 workers, approximately half the department, sending out termination notices to employees effective August 1st. The ruling, like other recent decisions affecting the Trump Administration, was made on its ‘emergency’ docket, meaning the Court did not have to provide an explanation for the ruling. However, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a scathing 19-page dissenting opinion, calling the decision ‘indefensible’ as an expansion of presidential power over institutions created by Congress and pointing out the dangers of handing the president “the power to repeal statutes by firing all those necessary to carry them out.” While Trump cannot formally dissolve the department unilaterally, observers note that the deep layoffs may threaten the ability of the department to fulfill its statutory functions. The Administration has already announced plans to outsource much of the department’s training and service programs to the Labor Department, while concentrating most of its remaining resources on restructuring student loan programs. CNN notes how the cuts will disproportionately impact low-income, rural and disabled students. The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses three possible scenarios departments may face as a result of the dramatic reduction in staff; the layoffs hit ‘nearly every corner of the department’, including the Office of Civil Rights, which was reduced to just 3 offices this year. Fired workers responded by saying ‘the fight isn’t over’. The Trump Administration is also under fire for withholding at least $6.8 billion from local school districts around the country; a lawsuit filed by 24 states against the Trump Administration’s impoundment of funds is currently pending. Ten GOP Senators have urged the Trump Administration to allow the money to be disbursed. Republicans have also targeted education this week by introducing a bill to revoke the federal charter of the National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers’ union, citing the union’s activist character in mobilizing against the Trump agenda and, more recently, its decision to cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League over Israel. The Department of Education is also pursuing investigations at universities, including a probe of foreign donations to the University of Michigan and an ‘orchestrated’ campaign to investigate ‘antisemitism’ against George Mason University. The Verge discusses how the evangelical Right will be the biggest beneficiaries of a wholesale dismantling of the Department.
Congress passes $9 billion recission bill cutting funds for foreign aid, NPR and PBS. In the early hours of Thursday, July 17, Senate Republicans passed the Senate’s first ‘recission’ bill in decades, voting 51-43 to ‘claw back’ $9 billion in previously appropriated funds for public media and foreign aid. The package was requested by OMB head Russ Vought as part of drastic cuts to the federal government spearheaded by DOGE. Democrats voting against the bill were joined by GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, who both expressed concerns regarding giving the White House power to push through spending decisions without deliberating with Congress. Murkowski also passionately defended public media, citing its key role in rural weather warning systems. Sen. Thom Tillis, another detractor who ultimately voted for the bill, warned that “If we find out in the coming weeks that they’re canceling out projects that they knew damn well members would have a problem with, that’ll change my posture… they’ll destroy credibility here.” PBS president Paula Kerger expressed concerns with the cuts to public media, which in many rural markets will pose an ‘existential threat’ to local stations. CNN outlines how the loss of funding will affect NPR and PBS stations nationwide, including many rural areas to which the cuts will be ‘devastating’; and The Economist shows in five charts how and where the impacts of this $8 billion cut will be felt. Vought has indicated that this bill is just the first of many other recission packages planned for the next few months; indicating the Trump Administration’s desire to assert control of government spending cuts and “not cowing to a legislative branch’s understanding of its own authorities and powers.” The bill was sent back to the House, which passed it in the early hours of Friday, July 18.
Markets rattled by renewed Trump threat to fire Fed chair Jerome Powell; June inflation numbers indicate tariffs’ emerging impact on consumers. As the trade war rages on, with new tariffs announced on Indonesia and the EU weighing retaliatory measures this week, Trump renewed his attacks on Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, sending markets into a brief nosedive on Wednesday, July 16 after news emerged that Trump had drafted a letter to fire Powell and discussed it at a meeting of a dozen Republican lawmakers on Tuesday night. Later on Wednesday, Trump denied that he was planning to fire Powell, although he held open the possibility of an early exit from the Fed in the case of ‘fraud’. Trump has been pressuring the Fed to lower interest rates to boost domestic spending and investment amidst the uncertainties of the trade war, while Powell has maintained a ‘wait and see’ approach to the markets before deciding to intervene. While the Supreme Court asserted in a ruling last month that the chair of the Federal Reserve could not be fired for having policy differences with the president, Trump and OMB head Russ Vought have made public their ‘investigation’ into Powell’s use of government funds for a renovation of the Federal Reserve building, implying that a potential misuse or misreporting of funds from that project could enable Trump to fire Powell for ‘cause’ and install one of his own loyalists. Economic policymakers and market watchers around the world appear to have a consensus of opinion that if Trump were to fire Powell – and in the course, undermine the ‘sacrosanct’ supposed political independence of the central bank – it would be ‘significantly negative for markets,’ sending shockwaves throughout the global economy and very likely triggering a dangerous inflationary spike as uncertainty crept into the foundations of the U.S. economy. According to reports, Trump was counseled by lawyers as well as several GOP senators to back off his latest attempt to fire Powell given the unpredictable political and economic consequences. This week, data released by the Department of Labor showed that inflation had accelerated to 2.7% in June, in the first signs of how Trump’s tariff war has begun to impact consumer prices. CNN details more of what consumers can expect in terms of higher prices for everyday goods.
Immigration updates: Farmworker dies fleeing ICE raid; National Guard pulled out of Los Angeles. Over the weekend, farmworker Jaime Alanis Garcia succumbed to injuries he sustained while fleeing an ICE raid at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, CA. He is the first known person to die as a direct result of an immigration raid. Over 300 workers were also detained during the raid, including a disabled U.S. veteran who was ‘disappeared’ from his car. The Guardian spoke to several farmworkers who feel like they’re being ‘hunted like animals’ as ICE ramps up its highly militarized raids in California. On Friday, July 11, a federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to halt indiscriminate raids and arrests in seven California counties after several U.S. citizens had been caught up by ‘racial profiling’ on the part of ICE. DHS head Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan denied the allegations of racial profiling, and said they would appeal the ruling. L.A. mayor Karen Bass denounced the raids as an ‘unlawful and chaotic’ show of force, and signed an executive order requiring city workers to take steps to protect immigrants from federal agents. Bass also announced a plan to provide direct cash assistance to immigrant workers who have lost income due to fear of ICE raids. On Tuesday, July 15, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles, which they had been occupying since June. The New York Times spoke to National Guardsmen who reported questioning their mission in Los Angeles amid low morale; the Intercept notes that the military spent 40 days in the city doing practically nothing. Reports also emerged this week of ‘miserable’ morale within ICE, as agents struggle with burnout and moral conflict in trying to fulfill Trump Administration quotas. The Trump Administration also moved to bar millions of undocumented immigrants from bond hearings, while ICE lawyers are permitted to obscure their identities in court. ICE has also gotten ‘unprecedented’ access to people’s private federal data from Medicaid and the IRS in order to expand its dragnet. Kristi Noem came under scrutiny from several Senators this week over a DHS database shared with states that uses Social Security data to verify voters’ citizenship.
‘Chaotic’ conditions reported in new Alligator Alcatraz facility, as Trump Administration officials consider reopening the original Alcatraz. In Florida, reports from inside the new ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ are beginning to emerge, as detainees report ‘chaotic’ conditions at the hastily constructed facility; including lack of adequate food and hygiene, leaky roofs, detainees falling ill due to swampy conditions, and growing tensions amid a ‘lack of information, recreation and access to medication.’ The Atlantic reports that in the much-touted facility for the ‘worst of the worst’ criminals, over 250 detainees have no criminal record or pending charge. The New Republic profiles Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the MAGA adherent who conceived of the prison and is now making money selling merchandise related to the prison. With ICE’s vastly increased budget thanks to the ‘big, beautiful’ bill passed last week, the Trump Administration has set its sights on re-opening the original Alcatraz, the notorious prison in San Francisco Bay, as an ICE facility. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum toured Alcatraz on Thursday, July 17 to assess whether the current tourist site would work again as a federal prison. Critics called the tour a ‘publicity stunt’ designed to portray Trump as tough on crime and provide a diversion from the Epstein scandal. Rep. Nancy Pelosi slammed the Trump Administration’s plan to reopen the prison as its ‘stupidest initiative yet.’ Park rangers in charge of the tourist facility note that the site is ‘totally inoperable’ as a prison, due to lack of running water, sewage, and other basic infrastructure. ICE is also stepping up plans to deport migrants to ‘third’ countries not their own. Five men were sent this week to the tiny African country of Eswatini, prompting outrage across the continent as the Trump Administration has been quietly ‘pressuring’ African countries to accept deals to hold migrants. Border czar Tom Homan said he does not know the fate of eight men that were sent to war-torn South Sudan after the Supreme Court lifted a judicial stay on their deportation. 404 Media reports on the ‘dozens’ of people found on flight manifests to El Salvador who were previously unaccounted for; many of whose families still do not know their exact whereabouts or physical condition.
Trump pledges military support to Ukraine as he turns on Putin, threatening tariffs and sanctions on Russia. In an abrupt U-turn on foreign policy, Trump this week snubbed Putin and decisively threw his backing behind Ukraine. Trump hosted NATO leader Mark Rutte at the White House on Monday, July 14, and shortly thereafter announced a major arms deal with NATO members to purchase ‘billions and billions’ of dollars’ worth of U.S. weaponry to send to Ukraine. Trump also said that he was ‘very unhappy’ with Russia, warning of ‘very severe tariffs’ to be placed on the country if Putin does not make a deal to end the war within 50 days. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who drew criticism last week for canceling military aid to Ukraine without informing the White House or Congress, met with his German counterpart this week to discuss transfers of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine. Trump’s new pressure campaign on Russia quickly gained the backing of Republican lawmakers, who touted bipartisan legislation to impose sanctions on Russia. Trump cited his frustration with Putin’s hypocrisy around ending the war as a reason for his U-turn, noting that Putin would have a ‘pleasant phone call’ with him during the day, but continued to bomb Ukraine at night; at this point, Trump said, “talk doesn’t mean anything.” While some analysts credited Trump’s wife Melania for his decision to back Ukraine, other commentators at the Atlantic and Wall Street Journal note the efforts of European leaders in mounting a ‘charm offensive’ of flattery and other strategies to ‘manage’ Trump during international meetings.
Tracking the Money: Crypto Week nets stablecoin legislation, $90 million windfall for Trump family. On Thursday, the House passed the GENIUS Act, a historic first major regulation bill for the crypto industry written by the crypto industry. Earlier, Congress’ much-touted ‘Crypto Week’ appeared headed for failure as a revolt of ultraconservative GOP lawmakers threw up procedural roadblocks to the three bills under consideration. Speaker Mike Johnson met with Trump and party leaders, deciding to move the GENIUS Act forward. Democrats were divided at the leadership level over support for the bill, and ultimately 102 House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, voted to send the bill to Trump’s desk. Wired explains the details behind the historic bill, as well as its controversially ‘light touch’ on a frontier financial industry that could potentially destabilize the wider economy if not properly regulated. Critics of the GENIUS Act also note that the legislation does nothing to address the potentially massive conflicts of interest arising from the Trump family’s extensive investments in crypto. The Trump family’s crypto venture World Liberty Financial has been notably entangled with wealthy foreign nationals and firms such as Binance, who helped write code for the Trumps’ stablecoin and whose founder, a convicted felon, is currently seeking a presidential pardon. A new report from Accountable US outlines the ways in which the current crypto legislation would personally benefit the Trump family; and this week, just as the House voted on the Genius Act, a new batch of Trump memecoins was released, netting the Trump family nearly $100 million. A Washington Post analysis found that one in five high-level Trump appointees hold crypto assets, some worth millions; and the American Prospect reports on the ‘Blockchain Eight,’ a bipartisan group of Congressmembers who have been attempting to block the SEC’s investigations into cryptocurrency and blockchain companies.
MOVEMENT TRACKER
‘Good Trouble’ protests take place in 1,600 cities nationwide. Thousands of people rallied across the country on Thursday, July 17, in a day of action honoring the late civil rights leader John Lewis on the fifth anniversary of his death. Protesters rallied against Trump policies, the gutting of social safety nets, the rollback of civil rights and rising authoritarianism. A ‘flagship demonstration’ was held in Chicago, featuring the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who reiterated the city’s ‘sanctuary city’ pledge to not cooperate with ICE. Photos of rallies around the country were posted by SEIU, the 50501 Movement and local news outlets.
Stories of everyday resistance and community defense. As ICE raids proliferate throughout the country, so have stories of everyday community members coming together in diverse forms of resistance and in defense of targeted migrants. Teen Vogue ran a feature story this week on NorCal Resist, an organization in California’s Central Valley that has been organizing in a region with up to 900,000 undocumented migrants to protect their neighbors through mutual aid, know-your-rights trainings, and direct support through a volunteer accompaniment program that escorts migrants to government appointments such as court dates. It’s Going Down features a wide-ranging interview with an organizer from the People’s City Council in Los Angeles, who gives a comprehensive account of the extensive volunteer ICE patrol and community defense networks that have grown in response to the ICE raids and military occupation of the city over the last 40 days. Businesses in California have also begun to display window stickers declaring their properties an “ICE Free Zone”, and tow truck drivers have become popular local champions of the resistance by finding and towing ICE vehicles that have been parked illegally at raid sites. In Vermont, community activists successfully turned back three women being held in ICE custody from being flown out of the area, hopefully setting a precedent to prevent further use of commercial airports to fly ICE detainees in the area. Mother Jones covers the story of Marcelo Gomes da Silva, the 18-year-old volleyball player whose arrest by ICE mobilized his entire Massachusetts town in response, resulting in his eventual release. At Soldier Field in Chicago, fans of the Chicago Fire MLS soccer team turned their backs to the field in solidarity after three members of the fan group Sector Latino were banned from the stadium for holding anti-ICE signs. On Substack, K. Starling shares three stories of hope from the picket lines in Chicago. Prism reports on a new helpline established by the organization Freedom for Immigrants, which is helping incarcerated people to avoid falling into ICE custody upon their release, and hopes to break the “prison-to-ICE pipeline” that often snares undocumented migrants. In New York City, an incident in which a baseball coach confronted masked ICE agents that were questioning his middle- and high-school students has become the impetus for a new city measure that would ban ICE agents from wearing masks to hide their identity.
Other forms of anti-ICE resistance. In Florida, the Miccosukee Tribe has joined a coalition of environmental groups in a lawsuit hoping to stop the further development of Alligator Alcatraz on Miccosukee traditional land in the Everglades. The filing alleges that the location of the facility, which FL Attorney General James Uthmeier described as a ‘wasteland,’ is in close proximity to Miccosukee ceremonial, village and hunting grounds and “raises significant concerns about environmental degradation and potential impacts” on cultural sites. Big Cypress National Preserve, where the facility is located, is home to at least 15 Miccosukee and Seminole traditional villages. ICE attorney Adam Boyd publicly resigned from his position in protest of Trump’s deportation policies, which he called “morally indefensible” for targeting families, asylum seekers, and longtime residents. In Portland, demonstrators are rallying and calling on Portland City Council to revoke a permit for an ICE facility within the city limits. In Northern California, the Eureka City Council voted to cut ties with Avelo Airlines, an ICE flight contractor, forcing the airline to cease operations in Humboldt County; and in Southern California, Avelo also closed its base at Burbank Airport over successful calls for a boycott of the airline. In Spokane, nine anti-ICE protestors were arrested at their homes following a confrontation with federal agents; one of them was arrested separately, days after the arrest, in the first known instance of the U.S. government pursuing federal charges against a protestor where no local charges were made. L.A. Taco reports on the 24/7 protest that has begun in downtown Los Angeles at the federal building; protestors are rotating in shifts to maintain a constant presence in the face of federal agents.
Faith leaders, military, and international actions against the Trump agenda. Faith leaders are using their pulpits in diverse ways to help migrant communities facing ICE’s mass deportation raids. This week, delegates at the United Church of Christ’s (UCC) 35th General Synod overwhelmingly passed an emergency resolution condemning ICE raids as “domestic terrorism” and accusing President Donald Trump's administration of “weaponizing the Constitution.” The resolution also urges the church to divest from for-profit private prison firms and other companies involved in ICE operations. In San Diego, Pope Leo XIV’s first bishop appointee, Bishop Michael Pham, is showing up at immigration courts and using the power of his position to deter ICE from taking asylum seekers. Also in Southern California, San Bernadino Bishop Alberto Rojas has issued an official dispensation decree excusing Catholic migrants from attending Mass if they feel they are in danger of being abducted by ICE. In Detroit, Catholic Archbishop Edward Weisenburger led an interfaith silent march from the Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church to the local ICE headquarters in support of immigrants. Mother Jones reports on the emergent surge of conscientious objectors within the military as active servicemembers refuse to be deployed on U.S. soil, or be deployed to support Israeli operations. On social media, reports have emerged of National Guard members stationed in Los Angeles who protested their deployment by defecating in Humvees. Protestors in the UK are preparing for Trump’s September state visit by putting up photos of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein together at bus stop ad windows. And in Brazil, tens of thousands of people turned out into the streets this week to protest Trump’s tariffs and billionaire greed.
Labor actions. Farmworkers are walking off the job this week for a three-day national strike from July 16-18 to protest ICE persecution of farmworkers, such as the raid in Ventura County, CA that resulted in the death of Jaime Alanis Garcia this past weekend. Strikers demand an end to ICE raids and a path to citizenship for farmworkers and all immigrants living in the United States. The AFL-CIO released a statement this week urging all members of Congress to support the Protect America’s Workforce Act, a bipartisan legislation reversing Trump’s executive order that strips collective bargaining rights from federal workers. The American Federation of Government Workers has called for the reinstatement of the ‘EPA 139’, the EPA employees who were put on administrative leave for signing the ‘Declaration of Dissent’ against Lee Zeldin’s partisan communications and directives in the workplace. A coalition of labor and progressive groups have launched a new political action committee, the Battleground Alliance PAC, that hopes to raise a $50 million war chest to flip 35+ House seats in the 2026 midterms by mobilizing working-class voters who have been hit hardest by the Republican agenda.
Current Polls.
Trump’s Approval Rating: The Economist reports that Trump’s net approval rating is down -14%, slipping at least two points from last week. Approval is now at a low of 41%, approximately where he was during his first term at this time. Broken out by issue, the Economist poll finds Trump’s net approval rating to be at least 10 points underwater on nearly every issue, including immigration. A new CNN poll finds the percentage that ‘approve strongly’ of Trump to be down to just 21 percent. The CNN Poll of Polls finds Trump’s approval rating in June to be 42 percent.
‘Rarely have Americans been so united’ on Trump’s handling of the Epstein files: Only 3% of Americans – 3% of Democrats and 4% of Republicans – feel ‘satisfied’ with the amount of information that has been released in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Roughly half of Americans feel ‘dissatisfied’ by the government’s handling of the Epstein case; and of that 50%, roughly 43% ‘lean GOP’ (among Republicans and Independents). According to data guru Harry Enten, the numbers are remarkable in that ‘suspicion is coming at the president from all directions’, not only Democrats; he notes that “you rarely see that kind of agreement” on any political issue.
Immigration: A new poll from Gallup shows that despite the Trump Administration’s mass deportation efforts, support for immigration among Americans is at an all-time high; 79% of Americans think that immigration is a good thing for the country, the highest number ever recorded by Gallup in 24 years of opinion polling on immigration. 85% of Americans support a path to citizenship for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children; and only 35 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of immigration enforcement, down 11 points from February.
Federal Budget: A new CNN poll shows that 6 in 10 Americans oppose the ‘Big, Beautiful’ megabill passed by the GOP-dominated Congress two weeks ago. Trump’s rating for handling the budget has slumped 11 points since March, with a rising majority also saying he’s gone too far in cutting government programs.
Upcoming Protests and actions.
Monday, July 21: Texas Moms Rising will be gathering at the White House’s Ellipse Lawn starting at 11:00 AM to hold a memorial for the 27 girls at Camp Mystic and over 100 others who died in the recent flash floods; and to protest Trump policies and cuts to vital government agencies that put their lives at risk. They also encourage flood survivors to post any needs on the event webpage.
Thursday, July 24: Protest against ICE and CECOT in Seattle will be held at the El Salvador consulate in Seattle, WA from 12-1pm. More information can be found at the event webpage.
Saturday, July 26th: Indivisible Boca Raton will be protesting against the Geo Group, the largest private contractor for ICE. Protest will be at the Geo Group headquarters in Boca Raton, FL from 9:30-11:30am. More information and updates can be found on the event webpage.
Wednesday, September 17: Activists in the UK are planning a large national demonstration around Trump’s state visit in September. A protest pledge and more information can be found on the new Stop Trump Coalition webpage.
Lawsuit Updates.
A coalition of 20 states sued the Trump Administration this week over its cancellation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, a FEMA fund that helped localities prepare for disasters such as this month’s flash floods in Texas, New York and New Jersey. The lawsuit alleges that the Trump Administration unlawfully terminated the program without the approval of Congress.
A federal judge in Los Angeles ordered the Trump Administration to stop carrying out indiscriminate raids in the city and seven other California counties, citing the ‘mountain of evidence’ that ICE is using ‘unconstitutional tactics’ to carry out arrests, including racial profiling and denying the right to an attorney.
Planned Parenthood won a temporary injunction this week against a new Trump Administration policy that barred Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding for services unrelated to abortion. Planned Parenthood’s attorneys called the new provision “a naked attempt to leverage the government’s spending power to attack and penalize Planned Parenthood and impermissibly single it out for unfavorable treatment.”
24 states sued the Trump Administration over the withholding of $8.6 billion in federal funding to schools – about 14 percent of all federal funding to primary and secondary schools around the country. The funding has generally been used to support afterschool programs, teacher training, and ESL programs. The suit was brought by 22 state Attorneys General as well as the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
