Category Archives: government

US inflation rises to 3% in September — paving way for fed to cut rates next week

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US Inflation Ticks Up to 3% in September, Paving the Way for Federal Reserve Rate Cuts

US inflation edged up in September to 3%, a slightly lower-than-expected figure that clears the path for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at its policy meeting next week.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 3% over the past 12 months ending September. This marks the fastest inflation rate since the start of the year and a small rise from August’s 2.9%. Despite this increase, economists polled by Bloomberg had anticipated a slightly higher year-over-year inflation rate of 3.1%.

On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 0.3%. Core inflation, which excludes the more volatile food and energy prices, also grew by 3% over the last 12 months. This was a slight decline from the previous month’s 3.1%, while economists expected it to remain steady at 3.1%.

The release of September’s CPI report was delayed by more than a week due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, now the second-longest in US history at 23 days with no clear end in sight. The report, originally scheduled for October 15, finally provided insight into inflation trends amid significant economic uncertainty.

“Inflation coming in weaker-than-expected further solidifies a continuation of the Federal Reserve’s rate cutting cycle, at least for the next two meetings,” said Skyler Weinand, Chief Investment Officer at Regan Capital. He added, “Once the government reopens and if we start to see weak unemployment data and the unemployment rate rises precipitously towards 5%, we could expect either a 50 basis point cut for December or the Fed to communicate a string of cuts in 2026.”

Wall Street welcomed the data with cautious optimism. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 66 points, or 0.1%, in premarket trading. However, concerns remain about the accuracy of the consumer inflation report, given the disruption caused by the government shutdown.

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest rates at its policy meeting next Wednesday, following its first quarter-point reduction since December, which was implemented last month. However, there remains some disagreement among Fed officials on the pace of easing. For instance, Fed Governor Stephen Muir, recently appointed by President Trump, has advocated for a half-point cut, while others, including Christopher Waller, favor a more gradual quarter-point reduction.

Economists are also monitoring any indications that President Trump’s tariffs are beginning to impact consumer prices. As inflation and economic signals evolve, all eyes will remain on the Fed’s upcoming decision and the broader effects of ongoing fiscal policies.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/24/business/us-inflation-rises-to-3-in-september-paving-way-for-fed-to-cut-rates-next-week/

Virginia Democrats Call Legislature Into Special Session To Redraw Congressional Maps

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Democrats in the Virginia legislature will reconvene next week to consider redrawing the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms, House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott announced Thursday.

The initiative has the full backing of Minority Leader Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who has been pushing blue states to redraw maps in response to red states’ redistricting efforts.

In a letter to lawmakers on Thursday, Speaker Scott notified them that they will need to return to Richmond for a special session beginning Monday afternoon. During this session, Democrats are expected to introduce a bill that would allow them to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps. The House of Delegates is the lower chamber of Virginia’s bicameral General Assembly.

Scott’s decision to call the special session was first reported by Virginia Scope.

If Democrats move forward with the plan, they would likely target two or three congressional seats currently held by Republicans. For instance, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, who narrowly won re-election last year, could see her district redrawn to include the more Democratic parts of Norfolk and its surrounding suburbs.

Similarly, Congressman John McGuire, who currently represents Charlottesville and the more rural southern part of Virginia, might have his district reshaped to include more of Richmond. Congressman Rob Wittman may also see his district shift leftward if Democrats redraw it to incorporate parts of Richmond or Fredericksburg.

Prior to Speaker Scott’s special session announcement, the majority leader of the state Senate, Scott Surovell, confirmed to the New York Times that the legislature would be returning to “address” the redistricting issue.

The process Democrats are pursuing in Virginia mirrors similar efforts in other states, such as California. Over the summer, Governor Gavin Newsom asked California’s legislature to disempower the state’s non-partisan redistricting commission, enabling lawmakers to set up a statewide ballot initiative scheduled for this November. If approved by voters — which polling indicates is likely — Democrats there would regain control over redistricting and could gain five congressional seats.

Virginia’s redistricting requirements are slightly different but comparable. Two sessions of the state legislature must independently approve legislation to suspend the state’s redistricting commission. Speaker Scott, Senator Surovell, and other Democratic leaders would need to pass one bill in the upcoming special session, and then another after the new legislative session begins in January.

While the state Senate’s next election isn’t until 2027, Virginians will vote for new members of the House of Delegates next month. Democrats are expected to pick up seats in the chamber and flip the governor’s mansion from red to blue.

After the legislature approves suspending the redistricting commission in two separate sessions, voters must approve the move via a statewide ballot initiative.

National Democrats have been actively seeking blue states where they can redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. Maryland Governor Wes Moore has indicated he may collaborate with legislators to eliminate his state’s lone Republican district.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul also expressed readiness to “go to war” with the GOP over redistricting, though such efforts there won’t be possible until at least 2027. Colorado and New Jersey are other states Democrats believe could redraw maps either by next year or in time for the 2028 elections.

On Thursday, Congressman Jeffries confirmed his support for Illinois Democrats’ efforts to redraw their maps. However, redistricting in Illinois has faced concerns among Black lawmakers seeking to protect majority-minority districts. Jeffries assured reporters that those districts would be safeguarded.

Earlier this week, Punchbowl News reported that Jeffries is slated to headline a fundraiser in Ohio, where Republicans may redraw their congressional maps. He told reporters on Thursday that he supports ballot initiatives in Missouri and Ohio aimed at blocking gerrymandered maps from being used in the 2026 elections.

As redistricting battles continue to unfold across the country, Democrats are focused on leveraging legal and legislative avenues to create more favorable electoral districts ahead of upcoming midterms.
https://www.nysun.com/article/virginia-democrats-call-legislature-into-special-session-to-redraw-congressional-maps

An open, transparent, accessible government protects everyone.

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Though we needed no reminders, the latest outrages out of Washington have proven that would-be dictators and their empowered henchmen will seek to shut down free speech and hide their misdeeds whenever they can.

Fortunately, in Connecticut, government by and for the people has remained much healthier. This is thanks to heroes ensuring that our state and municipal meetings, records, and officials remain open and accessible, and that the freedom to speak—to critique and criticize—remains robust.

I am on the board of the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, which for more than three decades has sought to educate the public about the vital need for freedom of information. As part of that effort, we honor its champions. We are journalists, lawyers, professors, state and local officials, and others dedicated to the notion, as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously asserted, that “If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.”

We know—and we want the public to know—that open government benefits liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, and everyone in between. All parties and people should be able to see what their public officials are doing and both take part in decisions or comment on them. If they could, they would understand government better and stop believing the wild conspiracy theories, myths, and misinformation that bad actors peddle.

Open, transparent, accessible government is bipartisan—call it what you will. It is for everyone. It protects everyone.

Sadly and dangerously, President Trump doesn’t agree.

In just the last month, he’s had his FCC chairman threaten TV networks unless they stifle Jimmy Kimmel and other critics. His Attorney General has threatened to prosecute people for “hate” speech. His Vice President has encouraged people to report critiques of Charlie Kirk and other matters to their employers, hoping those uttering criticism will be fired.

Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans and the Justice Department refuse to release the Epstein files. The FBI refuses to release the tape of immigration czar Tom Homan allegedly accepting cash in a paper bag from those seeking border security contracts. The administration refuses to produce documents, tapes, or other evidence that the Venezuelan boats it has blown out of the water were actually smuggling drugs.

Information is not free in this administration. Government is not transparent.

But here in Connecticut, the Freedom of Information Act is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

There are those, to be sure, who want to limit access to public records and keep government meetings closed to the public. But the overwhelming majority of state and local officials—led by the Freedom of Information Commission, leadership in the General Assembly, and hundreds of sterling mayors, first selectmen, town clerks, and town councilors—are keeping records available and meetings open.

Last week, more than 100 guardians of those rights gathered at the Mark Twain House & Museum to honor some of those heroes. Among them were the Republican and Democratic leaders of the state House of Representatives, Vincent Candelora and Jason Rojas, who have distinguished themselves in recent years—and particularly this year—by defending government transparency in the face of determined efforts to shield government actions from the public.

As leaders admired by their respective caucuses, they are both uncommonly influential when they take a stand on issues, and have proven their philosophical opposition to government secrecy when reviewing proposed legislation.

This year, in contrast to Washington—where compromise and bipartisan agreement are almost nonexistent—they were instrumental in promoting sincere caucus-to-caucus discussions that ultimately defeated bills that would have:

– Kept hidden higher education records pertaining to teaching or research

– Restricted access to voter records

– Permitted public review of complaints against police and corrections officers only after they had been “investigated and adjudicated by the proper legal authority”

– Allowed school superintendents to attend closed executive sessions of boards of education without limitation, creating a slippery slope that might have unleashed unlimited closed sessions by councils, boards of selectmen, and other public bodies in future years

Other honorees included The Housing Collective, which works to create affordable homes across Connecticut. Each week, it publishes a comprehensive listing of land-use commission meetings’ times, locations, and agendas—where housing creation decisions are made—so residents can attend and voice concerns. It also provides a list of vacancies on land-use boards so residents can seek appointment or election, along with explanations of what land-use boards are empowered to decide and information on how to understand their actions and offer input.

If every policy organization in Connecticut—environmental, public health, education—did the same, government would be more visible and less mysterious. Connecticut residents would be less inclined to believe the misinformation and conspiracy theories fed to them by those trying to mislead them.

Journalist Katherine Revello, of CT Inside Investigator, was also honored for writing more than 150 pieces in the last year explaining the Freedom of Information Act and open meetings law.

Colleen M. Murphy, the current executive director and general counsel of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, received a special award for her steadfast advocacy of open government. With 35 years as an FOI attorney and 20 years as the commission’s leader, she is widely respected as a fair, objective, and brilliant attorney, and is a sought-after speaker nationally on government transparency, privacy, and FOI issues.

The honor they all received—the Mitchell W. Pearlman Freedom of Information Award—is named after the first executive director of the state FOI Commission and the father of the state’s FOI Act. He attended the ceremony, standing to the side, smiling.

We will all have a reason to keep smiling if government records, officials, and meetings remain open and accessible.

But “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln understood, will perish from the earth if the abuses out of Washington continue and spread. Democracy will only remain alive if we ensure that “We the People”—all the people—can see, petition, and shape their government.

The heroes honored last week were richly deserving. But they can’t do it alone. We have to be heroes, too.

*David Fink is a Board Member of the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government.*
https://ctmirror.org/2025/10/24/an-open-transparent-accessible-government-protects-everyone/

Here’s who’s paying for Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom

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The Trump administration has demolished the White House East Wing.

Work began earlier this week as the crew started preparations to make room for a new 90,000 square foot ballroom.

This expansion marks a significant change to the historic White House structure, aiming to enhance its event-hosting capabilities.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/whos-paying-trumps-300-million-white-house-ballroom/

PeeWee Goebbels Unhappy Robert De Niro Called Him A Nazi

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Stephen Miller Rants on Sean Hannity’s Show After Robert De Niro Calls Him a “Nazi”

Stephen Miller, known as President Donald Trump’s top aide, went on an unhinged rant during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s show this Wednesday. The outburst came in response to actor Robert De Niro labeling Miller a “Nazi” during a heated exchange on MSNBC over the weekend.

Here’s what set Miller off: While appearing on MSNBC’s “The Weekend” on Sunday, the Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, 82, launched into a sweeping critique of the Trump administration. At one point, De Niro singled out Miller, comparing him to Joseph Goebbels—the chief propagandist for the Nazi Party.

De Niro stated, “We see it, we see it, we see it… all the time he will not want to leave. He set it up with… I guess he’s the Goebbels of the cabinet, Stephen Miller. He’s a Nazi.”

The “Goodfellas” star didn’t stop there. He added, “Yes, he is and [Miller’s] Jewish, and he should be ashamed of himself.”

When Sean Hannity invited Miller to respond to De Niro’s comments, Miller eagerly launched into a fierce attack. Notably, Miller completely ignored the Goebbels comparison and instead directed his ire at those he described as tracking what he called “their ICE Gestapo.”

The exchange highlights the ongoing tensions and heated rhetoric surrounding key figures in the Trump administration, with Miller defending his role amid increasingly personal attacks from public figures like De Niro.
https://crooksandliars.com/2025/10/peewee-goebbels-very-unhappy-robert-de

Gov. JB Pritzker and GOP House leader bickered in texts after conservative influencer filmed Pritzker’s home

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When a right-wing provocateur last month posted a video outside Gov. JB Pritzker’s Chicago home encouraging viewers to “take action” after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the governor reached out to both Republican leaders of the Illinois legislature.

“I’m dealing with vastly increased threats on my family and myself in the wake of this week and this Republican Trumper went to my house, suggested that I’m taking God out of public life and encouraged people to ‘take action,’” the governor texted separately to Illinois Senate Leader John Curran and House Leader Tony McCombie. “I’d like to see condemnation of this from GOP leaders today.”

What followed was not exactly what Pritzker sought. Instead, he and McCombie, who are typically cordial in texts to each other, exchanged heated messages as McCombie rebuffed the governor’s request and called out Pritzker for some of his previous comments about Republicans. The governor shot back, sometimes in all capital letters, that her response was “absurd” and that she was playing politics.

“So you won’t condemn this guy coming to MY HOME (where my wife and children live) and calling me evil while encouraging people to ‘take action?’ GOT IT,” Pritzker wrote to McCombie.

While Senate GOP Leader Curran later issued a joint statement with Democratic Senate President Don Harmon condemning political violence more broadly, the testy back-and-forth between Pritzker and McCombie occurred just two days after Kirk’s death. Republicans and Democrats across the nation debated, discussed, and denounced political violence, while at the same time accusing the other side of perpetuating it.

President Donald Trump himself escalated the situation in the hours and days after Kirk’s death, saying publicly that rhetoric from “the radical left” was “directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today.”

It also came at an especially tense time in Chicago between Pritzker and the Trump administration, as the president was just days into his sometimes-violent crackdown on illegal immigration in and around the city.

In Illinois, the debate about political violence among top leaders was more behind the scenes, according to text messages the Tribune received through the Freedom of Information Act. While the governor and state Republican leaders, such as McCombie, often engage in public sparring, their one-on-one texts—which the Tribune regularly obtains—are typically breezy and brief. But the tone was different on Sept. 12 when Pritzker texted both Curran, of Downers Grove, and McCombie, of Savanna.

The governor sent each a link to a social media video from right-wing influencer Ben Bergquam, in which Bergquam criticized Pritzker for blaming Trump for fomenting political violence. As Bergquam spoke, the influencer pointed behind him at the governor’s home in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, including the house address number.

“If you love America and the assassination of Charlie Kirk doesn’t inspire you to take action, I don’t know what will!” the video caption said.

After decrying legal protections for transgender people, abortion rights, and immigrants in the U.S. without legal permission, Bergquam, who hosts the show “Law & Border” and had been accompanying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents around Chicago, said, “Godless leftist policies are the problem, evil is the problem and it’s politicians like Gov. Pritzker.”

When Pritzker sent the link of Bergquam’s post and requested that Illinois GOP leaders condemn it, McCombie sent a three-paragraph response. She said she prayed for the safety of Pritzker and his family daily and has condemned political violence against Democrats before, including the shootings of Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota.

But she then turned the issue back on the governor, asking him to apologize for his own past statements. These included likening the actions of Trump’s administration in the early days of his second term to the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s and saying Republicans should never “know a moment of peace.” Pritzker has repeatedly said he was talking about the public expressing their opposition to the GOP through protests, not violence.

“I would like for you to publicly apologize for your rhetoric,” she said after citing the examples.

That’s when Pritzker responded with “GOT IT” before adding: “I think you know how absurd your response is. But I suppose you have a primary to run.”

Pritzker brought up the texts publicly weeks later, at an Oct. 7 appearance in Minneapolis.

“Neither one of them—I asked them to simply post something publicly or put a statement out, anything. It seems like just common decency to just say, ‘This is wrong,’ and they wouldn’t do it,” Pritzker said onstage at a summit hosted by the Minnesota Star Tribune.

In a statement after those remarks, McCombie said she condemned violence and added of Pritzker: “If he is serious about lowering the temperature, he should stop pointing fingers and take responsibility for his own words.”

Curran did issue a statement on Sept. 12 condemning political violence, a joint release with Harmon, of Oak Park. The statement did not mention the video at Pritzker’s house or any other specific incident. When Curran responded to Pritzker’s request with a text mentioning the joint statement, the governor didn’t respond, records show.

Neither Curran’s office nor Pritzker’s office provided a comment Wednesday on the text message exchanges.

After the June shooting of the Minnesota lawmakers, Robert Pape, a University of Chicago expert on political violence, wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times that joint statements—such as the one from Harmon and Curran—are an effective tool for tamping down political violence.

“My research suggests that to de-escalate the political environment and reduce the risk of violence, America’s political leaders need to cross their political divides and make joint statements (and ideally joint appearances) that denounce all political violence, welcome all peaceful protest and call for respecting the rules, process and results of free and fair elections in the country,” Pape wrote.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/23/jb-pritzker-texts-gop-house-leader-influencer/

President Trump Hosts a Rose Garden Lunch with Senate Republicans – 12:00pm ET Livestream

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Today, President Donald Trump will host a Rose Garden Club lunch with Senate Republicans at the White House in Washington, D.C.

The event is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM ET.

Livestream links are provided below for those who wish to watch the event live.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/10/21/president-trump-hosts-a-rose-garden-lunch-with-senate-republicans-1200pm-et-livestream/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=president-trump-hosts-a-rose-garden-lunch-with-senate-republicans-1200pm-et-livestream

Cierre de gobierno llega a su día 21, el segundo más largo de la historia de EE.UU.

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Sin un acuerdo a la vista, ha llegado el día 21 del cierre federal del gobierno y el Congreso sigue en un punto muerto. El Partido Republicano y el Partido Demócrata no han logrado un consenso sobre los subsidios a la atención médica, y la votación sobre la legislación de financiación de los republicanos fracasó de nuevo la noche del lunes.

Las consecuencias del impasse continúan sintiéndose en toda la fuerza laboral federal. Los republicanos dijeron anoche que no habrá cambios de estrategia y se comprometieron a bloquear los esfuerzos demócratas para pagarles a todos los empleados suspendidos. Asimismo, los demócratas del Senado bloquearon otra vez la propuesta de financiación republicana para reabrir el gobierno, con una votación de 50 a 43; esta fue la undécima vez que el plan fracasa.

Chip Roy, republicano de la Cámara de Representantes, cree que su partido debería considerar eliminar el umbral de 60 votos en el Senado. Los senadores republicanos dejaron claro que creen que la responsabilidad de detener el estancamiento y reabrir el gobierno recae en sus opositores, incluso cuando los dos partidos enfrentan presión porque los trabajadores federales no han cobrado sus cheques de pago.

John Thune, líder de la mayoría republicana, quiere que el Senado vote sobre un proyecto de ley para pagar a los empleados federales que siguen laborando durante el cierre. Por su lado, Hakeem Jeffries, líder de la minoría de la Cámara de Representantes, indicó que no apoya la legislación porque “parece más bien una estratagema política”.

**Impactos del cierre de gobierno**

Roger Wicker, presidente de la Comisión de las Fuerzas Armadas del Senado, criticó la decisión de suspender temporalmente a gran parte del personal de la Administración Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear (NSA), que supervisa el arsenal nuclear de EE. UU. La mencionada agencia aseguró que mantendrá a los contratistas empleados hasta finales de octubre.

El lunes, se informó a los empleados del Senado que ya no recibirán su pago durante el resto del cierre. Por su parte, la Oficina de Administración y Presupuesto defendió la decisión de congelar más de $11 mil millones en proyectos con el Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército, alegando que el gobierno busca “reorientar” los fondos federales.

En este sentido, la escasez de personal de la Administración de Seguridad en el Transporte (TSA) causó el lunes retrasos más largos de lo habitual en el Aeropuerto Internacional Hartsfield-Jackson de Atlanta. Además, se anunció la escasez de personal en al menos ocho instalaciones de control de tráfico aéreo, que se ha extendido hasta las primeras horas de la mañana del martes, ya que los controladores laboran sin goce de sueldo en medio del cierre de gobierno.

Desde el comienzo del cierre federal, se han reportado 188 faltas de personal, en comparación con las 45 reportadas en las mismas fechas del año pasado, según un análisis sobre planes operativos previos.
https://eldiariony.com/2025/10/21/cierre-de-gobierno-llega-a-su-dia-21-el-segundo-mas-largo-de-la-historia-de-ee-uu/

Jon Stewart Gives Basic Economics Lesson To Socialist Bernie Sanders

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Comedy Central host Jon Stewart explained the impact subsidies have on prices to independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont during a Monday appearance on “The Daily Show” while discussing the government shutdown.

The federal government entered a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Oct. 1 after the Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution, falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster. This came after the House of Representatives passed the short-term funding bill on Sept. 19.

During the discussion, Stewart talked about Democrats’ demands for over $1 trillion in funding for various priorities, including continuing enhanced payouts for Obamacare, with Sanders. He explained how subsidies can increase prices for consumers.

“What happens is, when the government promises endless funds to insurance companies or private universities without any cost controls — and Trump seems to understand this — prices rise far beyond the rate of inflation. We have seen this in tuition, pharmaceuticals, and health care. So my question is, will Democrats recognize the poison pill that they have often placed into well-intentioned policy?” Stewart asked Sanders.

Sanders responded, “Right, right. What they end up doing is coming up with very complicated proposals. You make $48,964, you will get this thing, make a dollar more, blah, blah, blah.”

He continued, “Listen, we have to make it simple. In the wealthiest country in the history of the world, should health care be a human right? Yes, it should be. Should we have the best quality education in the world, from childcare to graduate school? Yes, we should.”

A 2017 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that for every dollar of financial aid provided through federal programs, college tuitions increased by 60 cents. Former Sallie Mae CEO Al Lord admitted in a 2021 Wall Street Journal interview that student-loan programs enabled the steep increases in college tuition since the 1980s.

In a related development, the University of Santa Clara announced it would increase financial aid after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act limited loans for professional education like law and medical school to $50,000. The university plans to provide each new student a $16,000 scholarship, effectively reducing tuition from $63,280 to $47,280, according to Reuters.

After pausing due to audience applause, Sanders launched into a critique targeting so-called “oligarchs.”

“You know, what we need is a very simple, straightforward agenda, which says, by the way, this is really the sticking point: you’ve got to finally say to the oligarchs, who have never ever had it so good — they are making hand over fist — all right, you got to say to them, ‘Sorry, guys, a billion dollars is enough. You ain’t going to have $200 billion or $300 billion. Try to survive on a mere billion. You will start paying your fair share of taxes!’” Sanders said as the audience applauded and cheered.

According to the Tax Foundation, the top 1% of income earners in the United States — those making $682,577 a year or more in 2024 — accounted for 26.3% of adjusted gross income and paid 45.8% of all federal income taxes.

—

*All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline, and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.*
https://dailycaller.com/2025/10/21/jon-stewart-basic-economics-lesson-bernie-sanders/

‘No Kings’ protests against Trump

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WASHINGTON — Large crowds of protesters marched and rallied in cities across the U.S. Saturday for “No Kings” demonstrations, decrying what participants see as the government’s swift drift into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump.

People carrying signs with slogans such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism” packed into New York City’s Times Square and rallied by the thousands in parks in Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago. Demonstrators marched through Washington and downtown Los Angeles and picketed outside capitols in several Republican-led states, a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and at hundreds of smaller public spaces.

Trump’s Republican Party disparaged the demonstrations as “Hate America” rallies, but in many places the events looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, huge banners with the U.S. Constitution’s “We The People” preamble that people could sign, and demonstrators wearing inflatable costumes, particularly frogs, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.

It was the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and came against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services but is testing the core balance of power, as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that protest organizers warn are a slide toward authoritarianism.

In Washington, Iraq War Marine veteran Shawn Howard said he had never participated in a protest before but was motivated to show up because of what he sees as the Trump administration’s “disregard for the law.” He said immigration detentions without due process and deployments of troops in U.S. cities are “un-American” and alarming signs of eroding democracy.

“I fought for freedom and against this kind of extremism abroad,” said Howard, who added that he also worked at the CIA for 20 years on counter-extremism operations. “And now I see a moment in America where we have extremists everywhere who are, in my opinion, pushing us to some kind of civil conflict.”

Trump, meanwhile, was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. “They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” the president said in a Fox News interview that aired early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club. A Trump campaign social media account mocked the protests by posting a computer-generated video of the president clothed like a monarch, wearing a crown and waving from a balcony.

**Nationwide demonstrations**

In San Francisco, hundreds of people spelled out “No King!” and other phrases with their bodies on Ocean Beach. Hayley Wingard, who was dressed as the Statue of Liberty, said she too had never been to a protest before. Only recently she began to view Trump as a “dictator.”

“I was actually OK with everything until I found that the military invasion in Los Angeles and Chicago and Portland — Portland bothered me the most, because I’m from Portland, and I don’t want the military in my cities. That’s scary,” Wingard said.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Portland for a peaceful demonstration downtown. Later in the day, tensions grew as a few hundred protesters and counterprotesters showed up at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, with federal agents at times firing tear gas to disperse the crowd and city police threatening to make arrests if demonstrators blocked streets.

The building has been the site of mostly small nightly protests since June — the reason the Trump administration has cited for trying to deploy National Guard troops in Portland, which a federal judge has at least temporarily blocked.

About 3,500 people gathered in Salt Lake City outside the Utah State Capitol to share messages of hope and healing after a protester was fatally shot during the city’s first “No Kings” march in June. More than 1,500 people gathered in Birmingham, Alabama, evoking the city’s history of protests and the critical role it played in the Civil Rights Movement two generations ago.

“It just feels like we’re living in an America that I don’t recognize,” said Jessica Yother, a mother of four. She and other protesters said they felt camaraderie by gathering in a state where Trump won nearly 65% of the vote last November. “It was so encouraging,” Yother said. “I walked in and thought, ‘Here are my people.’”

**Organizers hope to build opposition movement**

“Big rallies like this give confidence to people who have been sitting on the sidelines but are ready to speak up,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in an interview with The Associated Press.

While protests earlier this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts and Trump’s military parade — drew crowds, organizers say this one is uniting the opposition. Top Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.

More than 2,600 rallies were planned Saturday, organizers said. The national march against Trump and Musk this spring had 1,300 registered locations, while the first “No Kings” day in June registered 2,100.

“We’re here because we love America,” Sanders said, addressing the crowd from a stage in Washington. He said the American experiment is “in danger” under Trump but insisted, “We the people will rule.”

**Republican critics denounce the demonstrations**

Republicans sought to portray protesters as far outside the mainstream and a prime reason for the government shutdown, now in its 18th day. From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders called them “communists” and “Marxists.” They said Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut to appease those liberal forces.

“I encourage you to watch — we call it the Hate America rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana. “Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, listing groups including “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism,” and “Marxists in full display.”

Many demonstrators, in response, said they were meeting such hyperbole with humor, noting that Trump often leans heavily on theatrics such as claiming that cities he sends troops to are war zones.

“So much of what we’ve seen from this administration has been so unserious and silly that we have to respond with the same energy,” said Glen Kalbaugh, a Washington protester who wore a wizard hat and held a sign with a frog on it.

New York police reported no arrests during the protests.

**Democrats try to regain their footing amid shutdown**

Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for health care. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.

The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, a key organizing group. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”

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Associated Press journalists Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking in Washington, Jill Colvin and Joseph Frederick in New York, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Terry Chea in San Francisco, Chris Megerian in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Bill Barrow in Birmingham, Alabama, contributed.
https://www.phillytrib.com/no-kings-protests-against-trump/article_0e012434-cac9-47ad-bf8c-9a2f7ab226eb.html