Okay y’all, I know it’s been a while and a lot has happened, so let’s dive into what’s gone down in the last week (aside from Tesla stock).
The Bad News
- The editor in chief of The Atlantic broke the news story this week that he was accidentally added to a group chat on Signal where several national leaders were making war plans. In addition to Jeffrey Goldberg from The Atlantic, the chat included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Vice President JD Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, White House Envoy Steve Witkoff (who was actually in Russia at the time of the chat), and Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong. There’s also strong evidence that the chat included Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Rubio’s Chief of Staff Mike Needham, and Gabbard’s Acting Chief of Staff Joe Kent. Others were also included in the chat, but only their initials were used, and their identities have not been released. Notably absent from the chat was the current acting chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Christopher Grady. And not only was 47 not on the chat, he’s claimed to know nothing about it. Others have discussed in far more detail and with much more authority than I can (see the links below) exactly why and how this is such a dangerous breach of security. But it’s hard to overstate the incompetence, flagrant disregard for the law, and utter contempt both for our allies and for basic security procedures this demonstrates.
- The economy took several more hits this week. In the latest move in his on-again, off-again trade war, 47 announced a 25 percent tariff on foreign-made cars and car parts. The stock market experienced another drop as a result, and CNN reported that consumer confidence in the current state of the economy is the lowest it’s been in four years, while confidence in the future of the economy is at its lowest point in twelve years.
- More people are being abducted by unidentified men supposedly acting on behalf of the government. Mahmoud Khalil was arrested on March 8, Badar Khan Suri was arrested on March 17, Rasha Alawieh was deported on March 15 or 16, Alireza Doroudi was arrested March 25, and Rumeysa Ozturk was arrested n March 25. Ozturk has not been charged with any crimes to the best of our knowledge. All of these people had valid visas and work or study within higher education systems. This comes on the heels of 47’s administration deporting over 200 Venezuelan men to El Salvador on March 15. This deportation was conducted in direct defiance of a court order, and the Department of Justice has refused to cooperate with court orders dealing with the case since then. The administration also announced that they also plan to strip 500,000 legal immigrants of their visas. They’re also dismantling watchdog organizations within the Department of Homeland Security that work to prevent injustice and abuse. These arrests are frighteningly reminiscent of the early stages of the Holocaust, when Jews, along with Hitler’s political opponents, were rounded up without cause or due process and sent to concentration camps. This sort of action is an incredibly effective tool for dictators to silence dissent and intimidate people into keeping their mouths shut and their heads down.
- The administration is also launching an attack on voting rights. 47 signed an executive order this week that would require voters to prove citizenship before they can register to vote. While this sounds reasonable on the surface, the truth is that this would prevent millions of eligible Americans from voting. For one thing, the order calls for sweeping purges of voter rolls, which would leave millions of citizens who have already registered to vote unable to exercise this basic right. In addition, the order only outlines four options for proof of citizenship when registering to vote: a US passport (only about half of Americans have a valid passport), a driver’s license that meets REAL ID standards and show citizenship (only five states currently offer these), a military ID that shows citizenship, or a valid US government photo ID that shows citizenship. The order doesn’t discuss if a United States birth certificate would be considered a valid option, and even if it is, anyone who has legally changed their name for any reason wouldn’t be able to use this form of identification. And finally the order would invalidate any mail-in ballot received after election day. Postal service delays could deprive millions of voters of their basic right to have a voice in their government.
- And let’s not forget everyone’s favorite oligarch. This week, Elon visited the Pentagon to be briefed on potential hostilities with China, according to a report from the New York Times. He has also been attacking Social Security, closing offices and removing specific phone services that make Social Security accessible to the people who rely on it. While the administration has walked back its proposed policy of refusing to allow anyone to file disability or retirement claims over the phone, it is still removing the option to change bank information over the phone. Beneficiaries would instead have to visit an office or create an account on the SSA website. Unfortunately, the website has crashed four times in the last ten days, phone wait times are often two hours or more, and offices are slammed. Musk has also been sticking his fingers into Wisconsin judicial elections, trying to offer voters there $1 million checks in exchange for voting against Judge Susan Crawford. This sort of bribery is wildly illegal.
Additional reading
- Signal scandal
- The economy
- Deportations and arrests
- Voting rights attacks
- Social Security
The Good News
- The courts are continuing to prove one of the most effective counters to 47’s dictatorial ambitions. Judges have temporarily blocked actions aimed at ending federal support for gender-affirming care, banning transgender people from serving in the military, freezing foreign aid, and suspending refugee programs. They’ve also refused to allow 47 to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants (including Mahmoud Khalil) without due process, blocked him firing journalists at Voice of America, and ordered him to reinstate fired employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as well as across several other government agencies.
- People are angry. Gallup shows a 10-point increase in disapproval ratings for 47 and his administration, with 53 percent of Americans disapproving of their actions. 60 percent of Republicans said the Signal SANFU is a very or somewhat serious problem. And even before that scandal, 52 percent of Americans were unhappy with 47’s department head picks. Thousands of people are taking to the streets to protest government cuts and detainment of immigrants. There is also a large-scale protest planned on April 5.
- Boycotts are starting to show an impact. Tesla stock is continuing to plummet (if you need a pick-me-up, I recommend going and taking a look at the company’s YTD stock chart). Tesla also experienced a hit this week when they were forced to recall nearly all Cybertrucks. Target is also feeling the heat, and organizers have their sights set on Amazon and Walmart. Since 2020, consumer spending at farmer’s markets has risen 20 percent, and we’re seeing a slow shift away from massive online spending and back to more considered, slower spending habits.
Additional reading
- Court orders
- Protests
What You Can Do
- Call your representatives. This continues to be one of the best ways you can engage with what’s happening and support positive change. Call your federal, state, and local representatives. Talk to them about the actions and issues you care about. Tell them you do not support the attacks on immigrants. Tell them to take action against Musk and his continuing efforts to dismantle democracy. Tell them to demand accountability and consequences for the officials involved in the Signal chat. Tell them in no uncertain terms that every American citizen has the right to vote and that those rights must be protected. 5Calls makes this process really easy, or you can check out the Helpful Resources page for tools to help you find and contact your representatives.
- Make conscious spending choices. Your spending choices represent one of your most direct lines of influence on this political system. Companies like Amazon and Walmart are personally providing the funding 47 and his cronies need to influence elections, buy political support, and solidify the power of the oligarchy. When we take our money away from them, it weakens their political influence and supports the very people they’re trying to crush. Where possible, shop with small businesses instead of major corporate retailers. Look for CSAs and farmer’s markets in your area. Look for women-, minority-, and queer-owned businesses to support. Remember, they rely on our money, and we have power in deciding where we send those dollars.
- Foster community. For the last several decades, the United States has worked to create social systems to support the most vulnerable in our community – people who are elderly, poor, or disabled. And while those federal support structures are being destroyed, they aren’t our only option for social aid. People supporting people is the basis of civilization, and that far predates the US government. As those structures collapse, we can turn back to grassroots support efforts to pick up some of the slack. Look for mutual aid networks to get involved with. Host a potluck in your local park. Start a book club. (Bonus points if it focuses on reading banned books.) Plant a garden and share the produce with your neighbors. The more connected we are, the less reliant we become on the current power structure.
- Get a valid passport. Whether you’re considering leaving or just want to be sure you can vote in the next election, it’s a smart idea right now to have a US passport. If you’ve gotten a passport in the past, check the expiration date, and if it’s coming up in the next four years, maybe go ahead and renew it now. If you’ve never gotten a passport before, try to get an application in as soon as you reasonably can. (Note: If you’re transgender or gender nonbinary and have an appropriate gender marker on your current passport, this may not be good advice for you. The issue of passports for transgender and nonbinary Americans is still making its way through the court system, so holding onto your valid passport until that gets resolved may be safer.)
- Support Judge Susan Crawford (the Democrat-backed candidate in the Wisconsin judicial race). The Wisconsin judicial race is the most prominent current battleground over the issue of gerrymandering and voter rights. Wisconsin currently swings Republican, with the state’s 10 electoral votes going to 47 by a narrow margin in the 2024 election. Six of their eight House of Representatives seats are held by Republicans, and their single Democratic senator won her seat by a very narrow margin. The problem is that most of this supposed Republican support is the result of gerrymandering. Judge Crawford’s opponent has publicly supported 47 and his agenda, as well as endorsing his baseless conspiracy theories about election fraud. He can be expected to uphold policies that impede free and fair elections in the interest of keeping Republicans in power. This is why Musk is throwing so much money at this race. We can fight back. If you can afford to, donate to Judge Crawford’s campaign. Consider volunteering to work a phone bank for her campaign, or just talk to your loved ones in Wisconsin about this election. Musk thinks he can buy a judgeship, so let’s prove him wrong!
It’s rough out there, y’all, but we aren’t helpless. Love, ferocity, and resistance. Let’s take on the next week.
Good, Bad, Action 