Cops Are Already Unleashed. #Trump Is Telling Them to Run Wild.
By Radley Balko, May 2, 2025
https://theintercept.com/2025/05/02/trump-police-executive-order/
#TrumpIsAFascist #ACAB #Gestapo #CopsGoneWild #Unleashed #USPol #BorderPatrol #MurderPatrol #CharacteristicsOfFascism
Just further proving that #TrumpHatesChildren! He certainly hates #SesameStreet! Boo, hiss! (Not to mention #History, #Art, #Culture, etc.)
#MainePublic reacts to #Trump's order to end funding for #NPR, #PBS
by WGME Staff Fri, May 2nd 2025
#TrumpIsABully #TrumpIsAFascist #CorporationForPublicBroadcasting #PublicRadio #PublicTelevision #CharacteristicsOfFascism
I said this exact same thing to someone today! "Yes. I read #Project2025." (And, I thought to myself, the #IndefiniteDetentionClause, and lots of other warning signs...)
(Stolen from @georgetakei )
#WarningFascismAhead #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
Only one thing is going to stand in Trump's way — and he knows it | Opinion
by Thom Hartmann, April 28, 2025
"It didn’t happen in some shadowy back alley or under the cover of night.
"It happened in broad daylight — in the heart of an American courthouse.
"Federal agents, acting without even the decency of a signed warrant, stormed into Judge #HannahDugan’s courtroom on Friday morning and dragged her away like a common criminal. No warning. No legal process. No respect for the law she had spent a lifetime upholding.
"But they made sure the cameras were there, so America could see what they were doing. Because this was not about justice. This was about terror.
"This was a warning shot aimed directly at the beating heart of America’s judiciary: 'Fall in line — or you’re next.'
"In that moment, the world’s oldest democracy lurched closer to the edge of #AuthoritarianRule. In that moment, America became a little less free — and a lot more like the nightmare #VladimirPutin always hoped we’d become.
"The FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan last Friday without even having a legal arrest #warrant; this is as outrageous and #PoliceState illegal as an administration can get.
"And #PamBondi’s performance Friday — after her federal agents swarm-raided this county judge — wasn’t staged for the general public.
"The real audience was a very small, select group: America’s judges.
"Their message is very simple: 'P--- us off, judges, and you could end up in prison, too.'
"Trump has already pacified the Article I branch of government — Congress — and now he’s in the process of pacifying the Article III branch, the Judiciary.
"There are only 3 branches to our government: cowing both Congress and the nation’s Judiciary will leave only the president in charge of the entire country under all circumstances in all ways.
"Nothing and nobody else will be able to stop him, short of a military coup (and he’s already decapitated the senior leadership of the military) or unending demonstrations in the streets (demonstrators who may soon face live ammunition).
"That is called dictatorship. Real dictatorship. Vladimir Putin-style dictatorship where you are punished for the smallest deviation from orthodoxy and can find yourself in #prison or sued into #bankruptcy if you dare speak out in public.
"It appears more and more every day that #Putin is Trump’s mentor, if not his handler. Trump is doing everything he can, with help from a South African billionaire, to destroy the historic American infrastructure (which has been an example for the world for 250 years) and turn us into the newest member of the #dictators club, joining Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Hungary, North Korea, and the rest of the #fascist and #authoritarian world.
"To get there, now that they’ve pacified every single Republican member of Congress (most recently, Don Bacon criticized Trump’s schizophrenic tariffs; a day later he started talking about retiring), they only have to seize control of the Judiciary, and then nothing except We The People will stand in their way.
"Nothing. Will. Stand. In. Trump’s. Way. Except We The People. And he knows it.
"Look at the striking parallels between Putin’s strategies and Trump’s actions:
"From installing Trump’s loyalists in the military and the federal police agencies of the Department of Justice and FBI, to his open threats against freedom of the press, to the GOP’s efforts to rig elections and purge voters, Trump’s subversion of US democracy looks eerily familiar.
"He’s taking pages directly from the autocrat’s handbook.
"Trump has openly quoted and praised autocrats like Putin and Hungarian strongman #ViktorOrbán, who has presented his leadership in speeches to the GOP and CPAC as a model of an '#illiberal' state.
"Trump’s not hiding his admiration for dictators; he’s flaunting it. And now he’s putting the final stages of their script into action.
"Trump’s movement toward authoritarianism follows 'a known playbook. It’s unfolded in many other countries,' as journalist Anne Applebaum notes. 'These are democratically elected leaders who characterize themselves or describe themselves as deserving of no opposition. So I am the true Hungarian, or I am the only real American.'
"In a mere matter of weeks into his presidency, Applebaum says, Trump and his allies “have managed to push America into that space somewhere between (no longer) democracy and full-scale autocracy.”
"The speed is shocking, but it shouldn’t be surprising. It only took #Hitler #53Days to completely end democracy in Germany. Others, like Lukashenko, Orbán, Putin, Mussolini, Duterte, El-Sisi, and Erdoğan took longer (none longer than two years), but you could argue that Trump has been working at this project for 9 years now."
#Fascism #TrumpIsABully #USPol #TrumpIsPutinsPuppet #CharacteristicsOfFascism
#ResistAuthoritarianism
#SanctuaryCities List
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Illinois
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Cities and Counties
District of Columbia:
Washington
Georgia:
Athens-Clarke County
Atlanta
Columbia County
DeKalb County
Douglas County
Idaho:
Power County
Indiana:
Lake County
Monroe County
St. Joseph County
Kansas:
Douglas County
Kentucky:
Campbell County
Franklin County
Jefferson County
Louisville
Louisiana:
New Orleans
Maine:
Cumberland County
Hancock County
Maryland:
Baltimore
Baltimore County
Charles County
Howard County
Hyattsville
Montgomery County
Prince George's County
Queen Anne's County
Rockville
St. Mary's County
Michigan:
Kalamazoo County
Lansing
Leelanau County
Muskegon County
Oakland County
Washtenaw County
Wayne County
Minnesota:
Anoka County
Cottonwood County
Dakota County
Hennepin County
Jackson County
Kandiyohi County
Lincoln County
Lyon County
Nobles County
Pipestone County
Ramsey County
Watonwan County
Nebraska:
Banner County
Blaine County
Douglas County
Gosper County
Greeley County
Howard County
McPherson County
Platte County
Sioux County
New Hampshire:
Hillsborough County
New Mexico:
Bernalillo County
Chaves County
Colfax County
De Baca County
Dona Ana County
Eddy County
Grant County
Hidalgo County
Las Cruces
Lincoln County
Los Alamos County
Luna County
McKinley County
Otero County
Quay County
Rio Arriba County
Roosevelt County
San Juan County
San Miguel County
Sandoval County
Santa Fe
Santa Fe County
Sierra County
Socorro County
Taos County
New York:
Albany
Albany County
Dutchess County
Monroe County
Nassau County
New York City
Orange County
Putnam County
Rockland County
Saratoga County
Suffolk County
Sullivan County
Tompkins County
Ulster County
Warren County
Westchester County
Yates County
North Carolina:
Buncombe County
Chatham County
Durham County
Forsyth County
Guilford County
Mecklenburg County
Orange County
Wake County
Watauga County
Ohio:
Franklin County
Hamilton County
Lorain County
Mahoning County
Pennsylvania:
Allegheny County
Bucks County
Chester County
Delaware County
Lancaster
Lehigh County
Montgomery County
Northampton County
Philadelphia
Washington County
York
Tennessee:
Shelby County
Virginia:
Albemarle County *
Alexandria
Alleghany County *
Amherst County *
Appomattox County *
Ashland *
Arlington County
Augusta County *
Bath County *
Bedford *
Bedford County *
Brunswick County *
Buchanan County *
Campbell County *
Caroline County
Charles City County *
Charlotte County
Charlottesville *
Chesapeake *
Chesterfield County *
Colonial Heights *
Covington *
Dickenson County *
Dinwiddie County *
Dumfries *
Emporia *
Essex County *
Fairfax County
Franklin *
Gloucester County
Greensville County *
Halifax County *
Hampton *
Hanover County *
Harrisonburg *
Haymarket *
Hopewell *
Isle of Wight County *
James City County *
King and Queen County *
King William County *
Lee County *
Loudoun County
Lynchburg *
Manassas *
Manassas Park *
Martinsville
Mathews County *
Mecklenburg County *
Middlesex County *
Nelson County *
Newport News
Norfolk *
Northumberland County *
Norton *
Occoquan *
Petersburg *
Poquoson *
Portsmouth City *
Prince George County *
Prince William County *
Quantico *
Rappahannock County *
Richmond
Richmond County *
Rockingham County *
Russell County *
Scott County *
Shenandoah County *
Smyth County *
Staunton *
Suffolk *
Surry County *
Tazewell County *
Virginia Beach *
Warren County *
Warsaw *
Washington County *
Waynesborough *
Westmoreland County *
Williamsburg *
Wise County *
York County *
* Denotes the jurisdiction is part of a regional jail system. Please click on map point for further information.
Wisconsin:
Dane County
Milwaukee County
Winnebago Correctional Center (state facility)
Source (includes map):
https://cis.org/Map-Sanctuary-Cities-Counties-and-States
#ResistICE #Fascism #TrumpIsABully #USPol #SanctuaryStates #SanctuaryCities #CharacteristicsOfFascism
#ResistAuthoritarianism
#Trump Signs Order Requiring Nationwide List of #Sanctuary Cities and States
Story by Michelle Hackman, Tarini Parti, April 28, 2025
WASHINGTON — "President Trump signed an executive order on Monday escalating his battle against Democratic-led states and cities that don’t fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities, a key barrier to the mass deportations he has promised.
"The order directs the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security to identify within a month cities and states that aren’t complying with federal immigration laws, designating them as 'sanctuary jurisdictions.'
"The cities and states on the list could face a cutoff in federal funding and possible criminal and civil suits if they refuse to change their laws or practices.
" 'It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law [sez the lawless #FascistRegime], and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law-enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday at a briefing alongside Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar.
"Trump also directs the Justice Department to pursue civil-rights cases against cities or states that, in its view, favor immigrants in the country illegally over U.S. citizens. The order cites policies that treat immigrants more leniently in criminal cases or sentencing and state laws that provide immigrants in-state tuition rates at public universities but deny the lower rates to out-of-state U.S. citizens. At least 25 states have adopted such laws in some fashion.
"Sanctuary cities and states have become a major obstacle for Trump as he has sought to drive up deportations in line with his campaign pledge. Most immigrants in the country tend to cluster in large cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and the administration has a tougher time arresting those here illegally if local police refuse to assist."
#ResistICE #Fascism #USPol #SanctuaryStates #SanctuaryCities #CharacteristicsOfFascism #ResistAuthoritarianism
#ICE Admits They Didn't Have a Warrant When They Arrested #MahmoudKhalil
"ICE has admitted it detained Mahmoud illegally and without a warrant—to justify it, they are now flat out lying with an absurd claim that he tried to flee," said a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights.
by Eloise Goldsmith
Apr 25, 2025
Read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/ice-warrant-mahmoud-khalil
#FreeMahmoudKhalil #CommonDreams #ReaderSupportedNews #FreePalestine #FreeRumeysaOzturk #FreeKilmarAbregoGarcia #FreeMoshenMahdawi #Fascism #StopDeportations #USPol #TurdReich #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
#PortlandME #ChildrensMuseum loses federal grant intended for #WabanakiHistory programs
by Gillian Graham, Portland Press Herald, Maine
Sat, April 12, 2025 at 4:06 AM EDT
"The Trump administration has terminated a nearly $250,000 grant the Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine was using for programs about #Wabanaki culture and history.
"The Portland museum was awarded the money last year from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and was already deep in the process of developing a project that includes programs for schoolchildren and other visitors, curriculum support for teachers and a play adapted from a children's book.
"Then an email arrived late Wednesday night notifying Executive Director Julie Butcher Pezzino that the grant has been terminated, casting uncertainty on how the nonprofit organization will pay for the project.
" 'It sort of feels like the rug was pulled out from under us in the middle of an important project,' she said. 'It's pretty brutal. It's a big loss in promised funds for an organization like ours.'
"The children's museum is among the many #museums, #libraries and other organizations across the country that are now scrambling to deal with the loss of funding they depended on to operate.
"President Donald #Trump signed an executive order declaring the Institute of Museum and Library Services [#IMLS], the primary federal support for U.S. libraries and museums, 'unnecessary' and vowing to eliminate or nearly eliminate it. Weeks later, he placed the federal agency's entire staff on a 90-day leave.
"This week, the #MaineStateLibrary laid off 13 staff members — nearly one-third of its staff — and closed for two weeks to restructure its operations because its funding from #IMLS is indefinitely suspended, according to State Librarian #LoriFisher.
"Maine is among more than 20 states suing the federal government over its attempt to shutter IMLS. That suit also challenges Trump's targeting of the Minority Business Development Agency and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
"The IMLS last year awarded $266.7 million in grants, research and policy development to museums, libraries and related organizations.
"The children's museum was awarded the $224,143 Museums for America grant in August, the first time in two decades it had received a grant from the IMLS.
"The museum had already received a $40,000 reimbursement from the grant funding and had requested another $15,000 reimbursement. But that second reimbursement never came and with Trump's comments about eliminating the agency, the museum staff and board were worried about the funding even before it was canceled.
" 'We had some concerns and suspicions, given the news and the termination of all the staff members at IMLS,' Butcher Pezzino said. 'That didn't feel like it would bode well.'"
Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/childrens-museum-loses-federal-grant-080600799.html
#CulturalErasure #TrumpIsABully #USPol #NativeAmericanCulture #WabanakiConfederacy #MaineFirstNations #History #ErasingHistory
#CharacteristicsOfFascism
#Trump upends #DOJ's #CivilRightsDivision, sparking 'bloodbath' in senior ranks
Trump's hand-picked head of the division has outlined priorities that are dramatically at odds with the way past administrations have enforced #CivilRights law.
April 23, 2025, 7:29 PM EDT
By Ken Dilanian
Excerpt: "Founded in 1957 after the passage of the 20th century’s first major civil rights legislation, the Civil Rights Division has always been subject to the policy preferences of the president, and enforcement priorities tend to differ in Republican and Democratic administrations. But there is no precedent for the changes that have been made over the last three months, which are far more consequential than anything that occurred in Trump’s first term, current and former officials say.
" 'I was there almost 18 years, and what’s happening now is basically the opposite of what we’ve been doing,' said a veteran lawyer who recently left the department. 'In the first Trump administration, they engaged with us as attorneys. The political appointees were normal lawyers. Sometimes we persuaded them and sometimes they disagreed, but there was always a conversation about why and what the law required. That is not happening.'
"In the Biden administration, the Civil Rights Division convicted 180 police officers of violating people’s civil rights, according to Justice Department records. It also prosecuted a variety of high-profile hate crimes cases, including one against the Texas man who targeted Mexicans when he killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso and the Pennsylvania man who killed 11 congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
"Among the many settlements over racial discrimination, the division secured reforms at Hawkins County Schools in Tennessee, where an investigation found that incidents of harassment — including a mock 'slave auction' to sell Black students to their white counterparts and a 'monkey of the month' campaign to ridicule Black students — created a racially hostile environment. On voting rights, the division successfully challenged an Arizona law requiring people registering to vote to list their birthplaces and provide proof of citizenship.
"Current and former employees say many of those enforcement actions are unimaginable under the new regime.
" 'They are withdrawing everything we’ve done and taking the opposite side on voting rights, for example,' said a recently departed Civil Division lawyer. 'This is not ‘Oh, we want to do more religion cases’ or ‘We don’t want to do creative redlining cases.’ This is abandoning everything that we have done in the past. They are actively anti-civil rights. This didn’t happen in Trump 1.'
"Dhillon took office April 7, but the changes had already been underway. So far the Civil Rights Division has suspended investigations of police abuse and launched probes into whether Los Angeles is violating people’s gun rights and whether American #universities are tolerating antisemitism. The division was also involved in the lawsuit filed last week accusing the state of #Maine of violating the law by allowing #TransgenderAthletes to participate on women’s sports teams."
#TrumpIsABully #TrumpIsARacist #Fascism #AmeriKKKa #USPol
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #TrumpIsAWhiteSupremacist #BlackLivesMatter
Federal authorities arrest two #judges, escalating #Trump #immigration #crackdown
"This is a drastic escalation and dangerous new front in Trump’s #authoritarian campaign of trying to bully, intimidate, and impeach judges who won’t follow his dictates. We must do whatever we can to defend the independent judiciary in America." - #JamieRaskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.
by Kevin Breuninger, Dan Mangan, Fri, Apr 25 2025
"Federal authorities have arrested a former #NewMexico judge and a #Wisconsin judge in two separate cases, accusing them of interfering with Trump administration immigration enforcement efforts."
#ResistICE #Immigrants #TrumpIsABully #TrumpIsAFascist #Fascism #ICE #USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism
F*CK YEAH! #Resist!!! #Maine Department of #Education refuses to sign letter saying #DEI programs have been removed
by Stephanie Grindley, WGMEThu, April 24th 2025 at 5:12 PM
PORTLAND (WGME) -- "Maine's Department of Education says it will not sign a letter saying all #DEI programs have been removed from Maine classrooms.
"This is a response to a directive sent out on April 3 by the U.S. Department of Education. It said all state education agencies and local school districts needed to sign off on new Title VI certifications.
"The Maine Department of Education responded Thursday in a notice sent to all Maine schools, saying the Maine Department of Education and schools already comply with #TitleVI of the #CivilRights Act.
"The notice says Maine already submits regular certifications in return for federal funds.
"The notice goes on to say in part, 'After consultation with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, it was determined that signing the new certification would bind the Maine DOE to language of executive orders or other federal guidance without the force of law, and that lacked clarity regarding what was, or was not, prohibited. These were critical considerations, given the potential consequence of a loss of federal funding.'
"The Maine Department of Education says it's not signing the certification and is not collecting signed copies from schools. It went a step further and asked Maine school districts not to sign off on their own behalf.
"The Department of Education adds that it remains committed to faithfully implementing education programs in accordance with all federal laws."
#MaineResists #ResistFascism #USPol #TrumpIsABully #CharacteristicsOfFascism
#Resist! Judge halts enforcement of Trump administration’s anti-DEI orders in education
The ruling bars the administration from proceeding with its plans for a so-called “End DEI” portal and a certification requirement. It applies to any entity with ties to the plaintiff organizations.
By Steven Porter Globe Staff,Updated April 24, 2025, 1:03 p.m.
CONCORD, N.H. — "A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday blocking the Trump administration from following through on threats to #defund #schools that defy its directives on #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion.
"In an 82-page order, Chief Judge Landya B. McCafferty said the administration’s #AntiDEI interpretation of federal law, as expressed in a letter the US Department of Education distributed in February, fails to give teachers clarity about what exactly the government requires of them.
" 'When a law fails to provide ‘minimal guidelines’ governing its enforcement, it may sweep in so much conduct that enforcement decisions become based on the ‘personal predilections’ of the person or entity bringing the enforcement action,' she wrote, ruling that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in proving the directives are unconstitutionally vague.
"McCafferty wrote that the February letter, in combination with the #EducationDepartment’s public statements about it and the launch of an '#EndDEI' portal, 'raise the specter of a public ‘witch hunt’ that will sow fear and doubt among #teachers lest they be publicly branded as peddlers of ‘divisive ideologies’ based on the Department’s — or even private parties’ — subjective assessments.'
"What’s more, teachers would face the risk of professional consequences whether they comply with the federal government’s anti-DEI directives or not, she added. The certification requirements for English teachers in New Hampshire, for example, require educators to consider #literature 'through various #CriticalLenses,' such as #gender, #ethnicity, #religion, or #SocioEconomic conditions, she noted.
"This lawsuit was first filed by attorneys with the National Education Association [#NEA] and the American Civil Liberties Union [#ACLU], who allege the administration is violating the #DueProcess and #FreeSpeech rights of teachers.
"Sarah Hinger, deputy director of the ACLU’s racial justice program, hailed Thursday’s ruling as a win for academic freedom.
" 'Every student deserves an education that reflects the full diversity of our society, free from political interference,' Hinger said in a statement. 'The federal government has no authority to dictate what schools can and cannot teach to serve its own agenda, and this ruling is an important step in reaffirming that.'
"The Center for Black Educator Development and six public school districts in #NewHampshire and #Vermont have since agreed to sign on as plaintiffs as well.
"State education commissioners were given until Thursday to submit certifications that their schools are complying with the federal government’s interpretation of the law, but McCafferty’s ruling bars the administration from proceeding with that certification requirement. It also bars the government from using its 'End DEI' portal as planned.
"The New Hampshire Department of Education required school districts and public charter schools to submit their certifications by last week, and most have done so, according to a list published on the state’s website.
"Rather than issue a nationwide injunction, McCafferty said the protections in her order apply to the plaintiffs in this case, their members, and 'any entity that employs, contracts with, or works with' at least one member of the plaintiff organizations.
"The NEA alone reports having 3 million members employed in a wide variety of educational settings, so McCafferty’s order could apply to a broad swath of entities.
"A federal judge in Maryland presiding over a similar lawsuit from another major labor union, the American Federation of Teachers, issued a similar order on Thursday.
"Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher wrote that she takes no position on whether the disputed policies are 'prudent or foolish,' but she must scrutinize the way the policies were made and has concluded the government didn’t follow the law.
"McCafferty was appointed by former president Barack Obama. [Gallagher?] was appointed by Trump.
"The government is expected to pursue an appeal."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/l9iEl
#NewHampshireResists #VermontResists #TrumpIsABully #USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism
#Resist! Four Maine college presidents sign national letter decrying Trump education 'overreach'
Riley Board, Portland Press Herald, Maine
Tue, April 22, 2025
"Four Maine higher education leaders have signed on to a letter accusing the Trump administration of 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference.'
"Safa Zaki of #BowdoinCollege, Garry Jenkins of #BatesCollege, David Greene of #ColbyCollege and James Herbert of the #UniversityOfNewEngland all added their names to the letter, published Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. More than 230 presidents of colleges, universities and scholarly societies throughout the country have signed so far.
" 'We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,' the letter reads. 'However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live and work on our campuses. We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding.'
"Though the letter primarily represents private institutions, leaders from a handful of state colleges and universities signed on, including University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes and Eastern Connecticut State University President Karim Ismaili. A spokesperson for the University of Maine system declined to comment.
"In recent months, the Trump administration has pulled or threatened to pull federal funding from higher education institutions that don't comply with his agenda on #StudentProtesters, admissions practices and #TransgenderAthlete policies.
"The administration has also revoked the visas of hundreds of international students. On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union [#ACLU] of Maine filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security [#DHS] and other agencies behind the visa revocations, asking that a judge restore the visas of any New England students who have had them wrongfully removed, and protecting future students from the same actions."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/four-maine-college-presidents-sign-224700038.html
#MaineResists #TrumpIsABully #HigherEducation #USPol #ResistAuthoritarianism #ResistFascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
#RESIST! #NAACP Sues #DepartmentOfEducation Over #DEI Rollbacks: Here's What To Know
The nation's oldest #CivilRights group says the Trump administration’s rollback of diversity and inclusion programs is unconstitutional and disproportionately harms #BlackStudents.
April 19, 2025
"The NAACP is suing the U.S. Department of Education over recent efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools. In a federal complaint filed in Washington, D.C., the organization alleges that the Department of Education’s recent directives are unconstitutional and discriminatory—particularly for Black students.
"The complaint faults the administration for targeting programs that offer '#truthful, #inclusive curricula,' as well as policies that expand access to selective educational opportunities for #BlackAmericans and foster belonging while addressing #racism in schools.
"The NAACP argues that the Department’s recent actions 'advance a misinterpretation' of federal civil rights laws and Supreme Court precedent—actions that, according to the group, violate its members’ rights to equal protection and to be free from viewpoint discrimination under the #USConstitution.
"NAACP President Derrick Johnson criticized the move, stating that the administration is 'effectively sanctioning' the very discrimination that U.S. civil rights laws were designed to prevent
" 'The Department of Education, tasked with a responsibility to protect the civil rights of all children, has instead claimed #SystemicRacism doesn’t exist — effectively sanctioning the very discrimination that our civil rights laws were designed to prevent while children of color consistently attend #segregated, chronically underfunded schools where they receive less educational opportunities and more discipline,' said Johnson."
#BlackLivesMatter #USPol #Resistance #TrumpIsARacist #CharacteristicsOfFascism
Sez the #Authoritarian wannabe #dictator!
Trump Attacks the Supreme Court, Says America ‘Cannot Give Everyone a Trial’
The president slammed the justices for halting his latest deportations while dismissing immigrants’ due process rights as an inconvenience
by Andrew Perez, April 21, 2025
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/8W8eW
States defying #Trump anti-#DEI deadline risk losing education federal funding
The #NAACP and the Legal Defense Fund have filed "a federal lawsuit blasting the Trump administration for a 'legally flawed' interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."
Story by Mabinty Quarshie, Washington Examiner, April 22, 2025
Excerpt: "In total, at least 16 states and Puerto Rico intend to sign the certification, according to Education Weekly, while 16 states have declined to sign.
"Many of the states that have flat out refused to sign the order by citing their commitment to DEI policies are led by Democratic governors.
"Among those states are New York, the first state to publicly thumb its nose at the certification request, Colorado, Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Utah, with the latter two states having Republican governors.
[...]
"In Fiscal Year 2022, federal funding accounted for 14% of K-12 education funding. State and local funding provided 87% of K-12 funding.
"In fiscal 2024, the Department of Education spent $18.8 billion for schools with large numbers of #poor, neglected, delinquent, and other '#EducationallyDisadvantaged' students, as well as $55 billion in COVID-19 grants to #PreK programs, elementary, and secondary schools, according to Pew Research Center.
"Should the Department of Education strip states of federal funding, it could force cuts during the 2025-2026 school year."
Full article:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/states-defying-trump-anti-dei-deadline-risk-losing-education-federal-funding/ar-AA1Dn3PH
#Resistance #ResistFascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism #TrumpIsABully #TrumpHatesChildren #ProtectTransKids #USPol
$3 billion yanked from #schools to help pay for #Trump’s tax cuts
Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims
Apr 22, 2025
"The Trump administration’s decision to claw back pandemic relief funds from schools is part of the administration’s attempt to find savings in the federal budget to offset the extension of Trump’s 2017 #TaxCuts, which would 'add an estimated $4.6 trillion to the debt over the next decade...."
https://popular.info/p/3-billion-yanked-from-schools-to
#TaxTheRich #NoTaxCutsForBillionaires #FundSchoolsNotSpaceX #TrickDown #USPol #TrumpSucks #TrumpIsABully #CharacteristicsOfFascism
We all know what happened to the #RomanEmpire when they started to f*ck over veterans...!
Who Will Pay for The Damage That #DOGE Has Done to Our #Veterans?
Reports are starting to show that DOGE has cost the federal government far more than it has saved. Will anyone ever be held accountable?
by Michael Embrich, April 21, 2025
"Lives ruined. #GIBill #mortgages heading into default, mass firings of #veterans across the government, and 80,000 job cuts coming to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, all in the name of supposed cost savings sought by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. But a new U.S. Treasury Department report shows that the Trump administration has spent $155 billion more than Joe Biden at the same point in his presidency.
"DOGE claims to have saved the government $150 billion, which most experts doubt. Even if you accept their own dubious accounting, the grand total of savings to the federal government under Donald Trump amounts to negative $5 billion.
"As the MAGA faithful make their plans for the $5,000 DOGE refund checks that will never come, the reality is that Trump and Musk have ruined the lives of countless veterans and will destroy the lives of countless more — all for the sake of throwing red meat to their Truth Social and X internet flunkies.
"When all is said and done — when the veteran suicide rate spikes, and when American taxpayers are burdened with billions in defaulted VA loans from fired veteran and disabled veteran federal employees — will anyone from the Trump administration or Musk be held accountable? I’m not counting on it. But if no one is held accountable for this absolute crime committed on the backs of our nation’s veterans, why would any American ever raise their hand to serve their government again, knowing they could be treated so poorly and so callously?
"As Musk gets trolled in his video game chat rooms for being the epic loser that he is, Musk can always just rage quit, shut the game off, and go spend his vast fortune alone. But for the many veterans he has destroyed and the other federal employees who support veterans, whom he mocked by quoting the movie Office Space, it won’t be so easy. They will need to start over. They will need to find new jobs. They will lose it all, further hurting the American economy that Musk’s boss is currently destroying.
"Democrat or Republican, you should go to jail if you break campaign finance laws. Make the Supreme Court jump through hoops. If they bring down another Citizens United ruling, Congress can just draft new legislation with different wording. Show them all that we will not stand for billionaires hijacking democracy.
"Elected leaders, if you really care about America and you really care about veterans, now is the time to risk it all, even your office, for democracy. If you can’t see that, then we don’t deserve democracy, and no one will ever be held accountable for the heinous crimes they have committed against our most esteemed citizens, our veterans."
Original article:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/trump-musk-veterans-doge-damage-health-jobs-1235321600/
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/6tQTx
#RomanEmpire #BadDOGE #CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #RespectOurVets
#StudentLoans in default to be referred to #DebtCollection, #EducationDepartment says
By ANNIE MA, April 21, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — "The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday.
"Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans.
"The Trump administration ’s announcement marks an end to a period of leniency that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. No federal student loans have been referred for collection since March 2020, including those in default. Under President Joe Biden, the Education Department tried multiple times to give broad forgiveness of student loans, only to be stopped by courts.
" 'American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,' #EducationSecretary #LindaMcMahon said.
"Beginning May 5, the department will begin involuntary collection through the Treasury Department’s offset program, which withholds government payments — including tax refunds, federal salaries and other benefits — from people with past-due debts to the government. After a 30-day notice, the department also will begin garnishing wages for borrowers in default.
"The decision to send debt to collections drew criticism from advocates, who said borrowers had experienced whiplash and confusion with the changing student loan policies between the Biden and Trump administrations."
Source:
https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-debt-default-collection-fa6498bf519e0d50f2cd80166faef32a
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #Education #DumbingUsDown #Debt #LoanForgiveness for #TheRich, but not #Students!
@textfiles Ugh. The same grant money also went to the #MaineHistoricFilmArchive.
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #DestroyingHistory #DestroyingCulture
