MORE News this week
Journalists Shot with Nonlethal Rounds While Covering LA Deportation Protests
What Happened: Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi and British photojournalist Nick Stern were both struck by nonlethal munitions fired by law enforcement during protests in Los Angeles. Tomasi was hit live on air, with video clearly showing an officer firing at her despite visible press markings. Stern suffered a serious leg injury requiring surgery.
Why It Matters: Firing on clearly identified foreign journalists signals that no one reporting on Trump’s crackdowns is safe, as it becomes increasingly more dangerous to be a journalist in the U.S.
Source: News.com.au and The GuardianWe are learning about authoritarian tactics, and fighting back in this fascinating webinar. PLEASE JOIN US. PAID required.
Authoritarianism 101: How It Happens — And How We Fight Back with Zev and Olga Session #2
Google Meet: June 10, 2025 @8:00 PM EST
Join Zev Shalev and me for a relaxed, interactive session breaking down the basics of authoritarian rule—how it works, how it spreads, and what we can do to fight back. This is the 2nd in a summer series of Google Meet conversations for our paid subscribers. Bring your questions and insights.
Paid subscribers to either Zev’s or my newsletter are invited.
Registration Link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ize2tO9wo7BCGqa0AGeK82sK_6DFVny5TRM4SQiRAD8/edit
Trump charts new territory in bypassing Newsom to deploy National Guard
What Happened: Trump sent 2,000 National Guard troops to LA without the governor’s consent, calling immigration protests a “rebellion.” He bypassed the Insurrection Act by claiming the troops are protecting federal property. Newsom is demanding that they be pulled out and plans to sue.
Why It Matters: Trump is testing how far he can go using the military against Americans. It’s a dangerous power grab that erodes civilian control and sets the stage for political crackdowns—especially in blue states. His executive order doesn’t even mention California, effectively giving him a blank check to deploy the National Guard anywhere he wants. Trump set the fire in California—and this is just the test run for what he plans to unleash nationwide.
Source: The Washington PostSupreme Court Grants DOGE Access to Confidential Social Security Records
What Happened: In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court granted Musk’s operatives temporary access to unredacted Social Security records, overturning lower court rulings that had blocked the move. The data includes medical, mental health, and family court records. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented sharply, warning of “grave privacy risks for millions.”
Why It Matters: This ruling hands Trump and Musk’s operatives sweeping access to personal data, while court challenges are still underway. It guts privacy protections and sets the stage for weaponizing government data against all Americans.
Source: NPRAfter His Trump Blowup, Musk May Be Out. But DOGE Is Just Getting Started.
What Happened: Musk’s feud with Trump may have temporarily paused their alliance, but unauthorized DOGE remains active across federal agencies. Despite Musk’s exit, his operatives still hold key roles at the EPA, Interior, Energy, and Social Security.
Why It Matters: Musk’s surveillance-driven, anti-oversight agenda is now baked into the system. Even without Musk, the machinery he built is advancing authoritarian control, stealing data, and eroding agency independence.
Source: New York TimesAt 10:19 last night, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted on social media: “Stand with ICE. Pass the B[ig] B[eautiful] B[ill].”
And there it is. The Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” is the MAGA regime’s attempt to replace the American government we’ve had since the 1930s with one that reflects the antidemocratic values of Project 2025.
The measure is unpopular. According to a new CBS News/YouGov poll, 60% of Americans think the bill will help wealthy people, while 54% think it will hurt poor people. Forty-seven percent think it will hurt the middle class, while only 31% think it will help the middle class. As Simon Rosenberg of Hopium Chronicles noted, it’s “[s]tunning how badly Trump and the Rs have lost the debate on what their reconciliation bill will do.”
snip At the same time that it moves money upward and into the white nationalist project of expelling immigrants, the measure guts federal policies and agencies that serve the American people, apparently with the goal of pushing such policies and agencies to the states. The CBO estimates that as many as 13.7 million Americans will lose healthcare coverage if the measure passes, and cuts of nearly $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will mean cuts of about 30% to the programs on which millions of Americans depend.
Racial profiling and violent ATTACKS on non-criminal immigrant families IN LA ARE A COORDINATED and deliberate DISTRACTION FROM THEIR EVIL BILL to destroy democratic values and enrich the richest at the expense of the 99.5%
There are SOOOO Many bad aspects of TRUMP+MAGA budget Bill that it is hard to summarize them all.
1) Budget Bills are not allowed to be PACKED with policy changes. If they are, then normal sneate rules apply and 60 votes are required to move the bill forward.
2) It is deliberatively killing and sickening Americans by undoing, one by one, all critical provisions of Obamacare. UNDOING OBAMACARE IS JUST ONE PART OF THE PLAN TO SICKE N AND KILL US.
3) Regulations are not a THING anymore. White Gan of thugs wants the corporations and the rich to be able to rape our lands, pollute our air, and foul our water AS MUCH AS THEY WANT.
4) Who needs the rule of law? Justice? Not the GOP or this White House. THe Ugly Bill neutralizes the Cpourt's power like this
- An Attack on the Judicial Branch
- The first of these outrageous policies — buried in Section 70302 of the legislation— would severely restrict federal courts’ authority to hold government officials in contempt if they violate judicial orders.
- A court’s ability to hold bad actors in contempt is a vital enforcement power that judges can use to compel compliance with their rulings.
- The second problematic provision — found within Section 43201(c) of the House reconciliation bill — would impose a 10-year ban on the enforcement of all state and local laws that regulate artificial intelligence (AI), including rules for AI’s use in political campaigns and elections.
- Many other reports of this are available. PLEASE READ AND PROTEST TO YOUR LAWMAKERS.
Trump’s Police State
It endangers all of us
Cards in Deck: Trump Keeps Stack of Orders Ready to Play as Needed
What Happened: Trump has kept a stockpile of prewritten executive orders—some drafted before his presidency—that he releases based on political headlines. His latest travel ban was planned long ago, like many of the 157 orders already signed this term.
Why It Matters: Trump’s stockpiled orders let him bypass Congress and hijack the news cycle—timing major announcements to bury scandals, distract from backlash, or dominate headlines. It’s a classic authoritarian tactic: flood the zone, control the narrative, and keep the public reactive.
Source: Washington Post
📢 In Media Suppression and Authoritarian Tactics News
From 1,300 to 81 workers: Trump official plans to cut Voice of America to the bone
What Happened: Kari Lake, Trump’s senior adviser, is purging Voice of America’s workforce from 1,300 to just 81, citing compliance with Trump’s executive order to meet only “statutory minimums.” Purges have begun despite ongoing legal challenges, and major international news partnerships have been severed.
Why It Matters: This dismantles a pillar of independent journalism and clears the path for authoritarian state media. Replacing VOA with pro-Trump outlet OAN marks a shift from credible reporting to regime propaganda—echoing moves by authoritarian regimes worldwide.
Source: NPR
Chief of DOJ criminal division in Nashville resigned over the case
What Happened: Kilmar Ábrego García’s prosecution sparked internal conflict, prompting the resignation of Ben Schrader, chief of the DOJ's criminal division in Nashville, who had served nearly 15 years.
Why It Matters: Schrader’s resignation highlights internal dissent over Trump’s lawless tactics and further exposes a politicized Justice Department where prosecutors are pressured to push cases that ignore due process and weaponize the law for political ends.
Source: CNN
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