download this and other No Kings imagery on Into Action’s site here.
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.
Yikes. Feels like a Friday again. These days are exhausting, aren’t they?
Look. It’s OK to feel tired—what we’re living through isn’t normal, and no one should pretend that it is. I can only hope that coming here and being in community with the rest of us—if only virtually—helps you feel a bit more grounded and restored. That’s the goal, anyway!
I know Trump and Miller seem relentless. Vought, too. The whole administration seems bent on working 24/7 to bring misery and fear wherever they can. I wonder sometimes if they sleep.
And for now they’re succeeding at their goals. Mostly.
But remember, every awful act this administration takes sows more seeds of resistance and defiance. They can spew vitriol, send troops, and lie until they’re blue in the face. But they cannot have America’s heart; in fact they are losing more of it every day with their cruelty, lawlessness, and corruption. And remember, every person who once stood with them and now does not is another brick in the edifice of strength we’re constructing.
Are we building that edifice too slowly? No, we’re building it as quickly as we can. As a wise person once said: “Time takes time.” We cannot force America to a tipping point overnight, as much as we might like to. We can only lay the groundwork, spread good information, lead by example, and wait for the final coin to drop.
And drop it will. Trump’s egomania, greed, and venality guarantee it.
So we know that we will win eventually. How, though, do we survive the anxiety, rage and grief triggered today by the unlawful and cruel actions of this administration?
Well, as Heather Booth said in her wonderful talk yesterday, we can start by utilizing the “4 Ms:” We can recruit more members to our fight, carry the pro-democracy message, give and/or raise money (I’ve got a great place to do that below), and keep building our movement. It sounds simplistic, but if we keep doing those four things we’ll rediscover our inner strength, grow our communities, and, well, prevail. Watch Heather’s talk if you haven’t yet, by the way. It was inspiring on so many levels.
This is tough. We’re tougher. One day at a time we will get through this.
One last thing before I go: I want to acknowledge that today is the two-year anniversary of October 7, and that this will be a difficult day for many, many people. I think it’s safe to say that it brings up awful memories for all of us. Everything that’s transpired since has been, well, horrible. I have no fix for it, nor wise words, even—I simply wanted to acknowledge the day and send love to everyone feeling traumatized by it. Hopefully we can all be especially kind to each other today, as kindness is one thing that’s been in short supply in the overall discussion. So let’s do that.
Having said that, let’s get to work.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲 and your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I am deeply upset about Trump’s deploying the National Guard in our cities. Deploying military forces to American cities absent a real emergency is a gross misuse of power. It undermines civilian control, weakens democracy, and places both communities and service members in harm’s way. The Guard is meant to serve neighbors in times of disaster, not to patrol streets for political theater. Why is Congress not doing more to stop him?
Second, I understand that Trump is threatening to not provide back pay to federal employees who are furloughed during the shutdown. How dare he? First of all, they are guaranteed pay because of a law he himself signed in 2019. Second, this shutdown isn’t their fault—it’s on the Republicans for refusing to extend our healthcare subsidies. Punishing federal workers—or anyone, for that matter—because Republicans want to take healthcare away from Americans and give that money to rich people is a really, really bad look. Don’t do it.
Extra Credit ✅
Are you an alum at any of the following institutions: University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas, Vanderbilt University or the University of Virginia? If so, please help us fight back against Trump’s latest attack on academic freedom.The Trump admin has sent a proposed: “Compact for Excellence in Higher Education“ to nine major universities who are considered “reasonable” by the administration. According to the New York Times, the Compact calls for universities to limit international students, protect conservative speech, generally require standardized testing for admissions and to adopt policies recognizing “that academic freedom is not absolute,” among other conditions. An accompanying cover letter dangles “substantial and meaningful federal grants” for schools that sign up, though those universities could also have their funding jeopardized if the Justice Department decides they had violated the agreement.
Stand for Campus Freedom has teed up a convenient one-stop petition for alums for all nine schools here. But you should contact your school yourself, too. If you do, you can use an Indivisible Montgomery member’s excellent example letter here. Cut and paste and make it your own! Send it to your university president and your alumni office.
Bonus – add that your future donations hinge on whether your school caves to Trump, or not. And remind them that you are in touch with other alums you can activate (if this is true).
Get Smart! 📚
Navigator Research: Weekly Shutdown Briefing
With the federal government shut down, Navigator Research is holding weekly surveys on public perception of the shutdown and the potential impacts on the American people and their families. If polling interests you, please join them for a weekly briefing on Wednesdays from 3-3:20 PM ET until the end of the shutdown.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
To help us all respond consistently to the deployment of National Guard troops to our cities, The Chamberlain Network has developed a new national-level talking points guide on the domestic use of the military. The document includes core messaging, legal distinctions between National Guard, active-duty, and civilian law enforcement, and framing guidance for veterans and community leaders. I found it really helpful and hope you will, too.
Give 💰!
Lots of you have written to me to flag that the Trump administration has announced plans to obliterate the Roadless Rule, a landmark land-conservation policy that has protected many of the most pristine backcountry areas and intact ecosystems within our National Forest System against costly and harmful road building and logging. This rule has been around since 2001, but if Trump has his way it may not see its 25th anniversary. Since this would be really, really bad, and because it seems these days like our main avenue of defense against Trump is in the courts, I am going to remind you again about the importance of supporting Earthjustice.
Earthjustice is the nation’s leading environmental law organization, and has been since 1971. Wielding the power of law and some of America’s smartest legal minds, they take on the most critical environmental fights of our time—including this one. In 25 years, Earthjustice attorneys have never once lost on the Roadless Rule, and they don’t intend to break that streak anytime soon!
If you have any money to give and you care about the environment, our forests, and climate, please give what you can. I love this organization—they’re the ones who sued over “Alligator Alcatraz” and won! As a nonprofit that represents all of its clients free of charge, they can win again, but they need our help.
Win Races—Prop 50! 🗳
Help the fight for YES on Prop 50 with super-easy-to-do postcards that only require 3 words of handwriting (” Dear Sally” and your signature) and come with pre-printed address labels!
Cards come in packs of 250, and can be completed by most people in less than 3 hours per pack. Volunteers provide postage of 78 cents per card. Cards are free and the organizers will mail them, at no charge, anywhere in US.Contact geraldine.alpert@gmail.com to order.
Please note these cards do require a 1st class postage stamp—not a postcard stamp!
Win Races—NJ!
Y’all, we have an incredibly important gubernatorial election in New Jersey in November. Legislative races, too. I’ve been struggling a bit to find phonebanks, etc., to share with you, but I’ve finally tracked down a few ways we can help.
This race is polling EXTREMELY close, and we absolutely must not lose it. Please help if you can.
Mikie Sherrill’s Mobilize page has canvassing and other opportunities here.
Activate America has addresses for NJ if you already have postcards.
Make phone calls to boost Democratic voter turnout with NJ Victory 2025 on Saturdays and Sundays. Sign up here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T ] [Text SIGN POWMAS to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
Last week’s midnight raid in Chicago—where heavily armed federal agents stormed an apartment building, zip-tied citizens, and separated children from their parents—marks a turning point in the erosion of American liberty. What happened there is not policing, and it’s not patriotism. It is state terror on U.S. soil.
Reports confirm that citizens were detained without warrants, homes were ransacked, and families terrorized under the pretext of targeting a foreign gang. This same pattern has been repeated nationwide—Americans detained, assaulted, and even hospitalized by ICE and Border Patrol despite clear proof of citizenship. Now, with the Supreme Court allowing agents to detain people based solely on their appearance or language, the constitutional guarantees of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments hang by a thread.
The same Department now circulating white-supremacist memes in official recruitment videos is the one breaking down citizens’ doors in the middle of the night. DHS’s own social media has embraced imagery tied to racist extremism—mocking the people it targets and feeding an ideology that glorifies persecution. When federal agencies echo the symbols and language of hate, they are no longer protecting the homeland—they are redefining it.
These actions betray every conservative principle of limited government and individual liberty. No federal agency should ever have the power to break into a citizen’s home without cause, deny access to counsel, or operate above the law. If we truly stand for freedom, then our government must be bound by the Constitution—not by fear or ideology.
I urge Congress to launch immediate oversight hearings into DHS and ICE operations, demand full public accounting for the Chicago raid and others like it, and suspend funding for any agency that refuses to abide by due process. Defending America means defending Americans.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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