Glad to hear this! I’m 64 and also on Saturday went to my first demonstration here in Hillsboro, Oregon (about 15 miles west of Portland). Hands Off our democracy!
Good for you Woody, and welcome to our world. I'm 92 and started protesting and resisting in the 1960's - Civil Rights, Anti Vietnam War, Pro LGBTQ (I'm straight but feel strongly that every human on earth is worthy of respect - except child molesters, con men, serial murderers, mass shooters) Anti Iraqi war as well as rallyjng and working on campaigns for Liberal Progressive Democrats. Keep at it Woody, it gets more envigorating every time
Bingo. Big corporate media, if we get out of this mess, has a lot to answer for and bears much of the blame for greasing the skids of a fascist takeover. They’re all tacitly complicit, so fearful of poking the orange cancerous tumor and what it will do to their bottom line.. 24/7 coverage of the dictator and his insanity is generally covered as if it’s perfectly normal. The worst offender is television, stupid inane questions, too many “what do you think”, “what do you feel” when it’s perfectly obvious that whatever the question is about, it’s a 5-alarm fire. Stunning and disgusting when you add up all of the institutions and foundations of our society which have folded like cheap suits in the face of tyranny. We are truly on our own in stopping this. No courts, no Congress, nothing. It’s just us.
I may scan their articles from time to time, but otherwise pay no attention whatsoever to what either Bret Stephens or Ross Douthat has to say in the New York Times.
I have a NYT subscription, but will never read a Stephens article ever again. His piece calling anyone who criticized Israel an antisemite was the final straw for me.
Don’t watch. Don’t listen. Don’t read. They are businesses and need the numbers. Go on a national news blackout. FOCUS on a “target” (no not physically) and ignore their baloney. BOYCOTT the NATIONAL NEWS (yes - even the sports section - find another source to lead. The scores!).
Good idea! They provide nothing relevant to our govt today. Missing major political news events that affect all lives Favoring snippets of attention getting bits - fire at a house, flooding, sports moment repeated indefinitely plus news channel self promotion. Abc, nbc, cbs all complicit. I watch foreign news to get my details checked and criss checked. And the major printed news isn’t much better. They can do better. A boycott is a good idea.
The Associated Press covered rallies across the country. In the DC market, the media was too busy celebrating a sports milestone to be bothered with much else.
I have stopped watching most of what's called "legacy media." Even those I've appreciated are wallowing in, as you said, in the "what do you think" and "how does that make you feel" scenarios. Who cares? We know what we think and how we feel! Talk about that!
I saw articles in the papers I read and saw video reports from around the world on national media outlets. I’m not clear on expectations. I was happy with what I saw. I attended and don’t feel admonished.
I live in New England and the Globe had just a little coverage, tiny coverage in NYT or WaPo--I feel as though it was a big deal, and I don't know that the expectation is that the people who came out should or would do it every other week.
I cancelled my NYT and WaPo subscriptions — unreliable news and a lack of objectivity due to fear from the Trump Regime. I now subscribe to The Guardian, they don’t answer to dictators nor fear retribution from them.
We have not cancelled the NYT and are letting our subscription to WAPO run out because of Bezos. They are still good papers and have important voices and reporting, good informative articles. Everyone has to do what they feel is right, but don't forget that a lot of what you read here is sourced by reporters all around the globe that write for this so called legacy media. They are established and still respected but not without fault. They are obsessive about not losing readership. But they do take a stand as well in opinion articles. They are not the resistance. You cannot expect that, not yet. It would not be good to lose them.
I do not understand where I went wrong in conveying my message but was responding to Jeanne above who I disagree with about the NYT and WAPO being unreliable. Generally they are reliable and have been and have some great reporting. One could complain about some of the analysis and opinion but not all. I think these papers are still a source of news for many and not a bad source though they may not be as strong as we (I) like in terms of making judgements. I think they are too afraid for one reason or another to actually be labeled part of the resistance.. so are neutral when there should be no neutrality on certain things ( especially headlines) and therefore vulnerable to criticism.
That is not what you asked but I was surprised that what I wrote could be taken as the Contrarian not being part of the resistance. They certainly are... thankfully.
Personally, I was very disappointed in the Times. Essentially below the fold coverage, one picture, I think on the front page, briefly. I also canceled WaPo because of Bezos. i’m keeping my Times subscription but I am very disappointed in them.
The best expectation that I can think of for now is that it convinces some Republican Congress members that they will have support from their voters if they make common cause with the Democrats to stop this nonsense. IMHO, this is the only scenario I can think of that might put out this dumpster fire without severely damaging the Republic even more than it already is.
That's what I'm thinking. At some point, you would think they'd worry about their voters more than be afraid of Trump. I don't know when that turning point is. In my red state of KY, amendments that would have hurt education and teachers, as well as an abortion amendment, all failed, even when Republicans won statewide races. Again, though, when is that turning point (if at all).
I think the Republicans in Congress are fairly certain that there either won't be midterms, or that there's a likelihood of gross gerrymandering and election tampering in favour of the GOP. I suspect free and fair elections are over in the USA.
Not so much an admonishment to “do more” as a reminder to “keep doing.” Find time to write or call legislators. Sign up to receive action alerts from the League of Women Voters (the US League and your state League) or visit the “take action” pages on their websites - you’ll find sample scripts so you can email/call lawmakers; some Leagues even have templates that can help you write an email to your local media outlets.
I think this is an acknowledgement that we are all that's left. I don't take it as an admonishment but a reality check that we've only just begun this fight and it Is up to We the People.
Thank you for attending. I am immunocompromised, ill and couldn't go. I have a few questions, which are making me feel worse. I wonder if anyone can answer them.
1. I thought protests were considered a long-term investment. But, Indivisible is suggesting another protest on April 19. I wonder what the strategy is. There are issues that Democratic politicians must resolve that protests can't. Am I wrong?
3. At 2:30 a.m. on April 5, Republicans passed their blueprint for a new budget. I researched this, but still don't understand why they were allowed to present another budget. Could someone explain it?
4. Congress has been warned by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Bipartisan Policy Center, that we will possibly run out of money as early as mid-July and as late as October. Trump said in January that he wants to get rid of the debt ceiling. I wonder if he can do that, and how Democrats can stop him.
5. Before, Democrats leave for vacation on Thursday (They won't return until April 28), I wonder what can be done if Musk fires more people, and Trump signs more executive orders.
I apologize for all the questions, but I'm ill, and can't leave home right now, and I sure would appreciate answers.
I've seen coverage in foreign print and broadcast media in France (BFM), Germany (ARD and ZDF) and the UK (BBC and Sky News) as well as Al Jazeera English. A German weekly newspaper, Die Zeit, had an article titled "Der Widerstand erwacht" (The Resistance Awakes)
The story behind the story, Sat. was a tremendous success in any manner of determination or description: size, geography, enthusiasm, sign cleverness, age range, etc. How did it happen? How did it come about? Of course, there were Indivisible and "Hands Off" doing great work, but there was more. [Here is a quote from the Guardian about the"Hands Off" rallies around the world. "Protesters rallied in Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, London and Lisbon, all in a united show of opposition against Trump’s policies." ]Much more. Who were some of the people that have been working, fighting, in one manner or another, to bring about this national day of protest--and all the days to follow--needed to win this war against Trump/Musk et al and save our democracy. With the millions of heroic protestors out with signs (or just standing in solidarity) , this April 5th (actually any and all days of protesting Trump/Musk, Tesla or any other issue), here's an updated partial list of those fighting back, foreign and domestic, every day [as of 4-6--25] I'm also adding courageous law firms who haven't caved. Besides upstanding lawyers (e.g. Brenna Trout Frey, and law-abiding honorable (present and former) judges (including James Boasberg, chief judge, D.C. District Ct.), here's a growing list of Profiles in Courage men, women, and advocacy groups who refuse to be cowed or kneel to the force of Trump/Musk/MAGA/Fox "News" intimidation:
I'll begin (again) with Missouri's own indomitable Jess[ica] (à la John Lewis's "get in good trouble") Piper/"The View from Rural Missouri," then, in no particular order, Francie Garber Pepper (1940-2025), Heather Cox Richardson/"Letters from an American," Joyce Vance/"Civil Discourse," Bernie Sanders, AOC, Rep. Maxwell Frost,, Gov. Tim walz, Sarah Inama, Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Rev. William J. Barber II, Jasmine Crockett, Adam Smith, Jamie Raskin, Ken Harbaugh. Ruth Ben-Ghait, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Hayes, Ali Velshi, Prof. Lawrence Tribe, Stephanie Miller, Gov. Janet Mills, Gov. Beshear, Gov. JB.Pritzker, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Amb. Susan Rice, Mayor Michelle Wu, Jim Acosta, Jen Rubin And the Contrarians, Dan Rather, Robert Reich, Jay Kou, Steve Brodner, Rachel Cohen, Brian TylerCohen, Jessica Craven, Scott Dworkin, Brett Meiselas, Joy Reid, D. Earl Stevens, Melvin Gurai, Dan Pfeiffer, Anand Giridharadas Anne Applebaum, Lucian Truscott IV, Chris Murphy, Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley, Michael Bennett, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Sheldon Whitehouse, Adam Schiff, Jon Ossoff, Elyssa Slotkin, Tristan Snell, Delia Ramirez,Tim Snyder, Robert B. Hubbell, Ben Meiseilas, Rich wilson, Ron Filpkowski, Jeremy Seahill, Thom Hartmann, Jonathan Bernstein, Simon Rosenberg, Marianne Williamson, Mark Fiore, Jamie Raskin, Rebecca Solnit, Steve Schmidt, Josh Marshall, Paul Krugman, Andy Borowitz, Jeff Danziger, Ann Telnaes,͏ ͏Will Bunch, Jim Hightower, Dan Pfeifer, Dean Obeidallah, Michel Zeitgeist, Liz Cheney, Adam Kimzinger, Cassidy Hutchinson, John Cusack, Judd Legum (Popular Information) Qasim Rachid, Sue Nethercott, Mary L. trump, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Jjonathan V Last, Sarah Longwell, Andrew Egger, Aaron Parnas, Rep.Don Beyer, Greg Olear
American Bar Association, 23 blue state Attorney Generals, Indivisible. FiftyFifty one, MoveOn, DemCast, Blue Missouri, Third Act, Democracy Forward, Public Citizen, Democracy Index, Protect Democracy, DemocracyLabs, Fred Wellman/On Democracy, Hands Off, Marc Elias/Democracy Docket, Public Citizen, League of Women Voters, Lambda Legal, CREW, CODEPINK, ACLU, The 19th/Errin Haines, Working Families Party, American Oversight, Every State Blue, Run for Something, Jessica Valenti/Abortion Everyday, The American Manifesto, The Dr. Martin Luther King Center, Bulwark Media, Bill Kristol/all NeverTrumpers, The States Project, Field Team 6, The Union,AICN ( last 4 all from North Carolina) The Lincoln Project,Blue Wave, Blue Future, The Civic Center, Olivia Troy,The Politics Girl, The Dean's List/ Dean Obeidallah,
And, as Joyce Vance says, "We're in this together"--or via Jess Piper, from rural Missouri: "Solidarity." FIGHT BACK! WE ARE NOT ALONE! (Latest addition h/t , Robert B. Hubbell: Law firms, see below). All suggestions are welcome.
* Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling have resisted Trump, fighting back with the help of other courageous firms like Williams & Connolly. Per The ABA Journal, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, representing fired inspectors general. (Law.com)
Hogan Lovells, seeking to block executive orders to end federal funding for gender-affirming medical care. (Law.com)
Jenner & Block, also seeking to block the orders on cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com, Reuters)
Ropes & Gray, also seeking to block cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com)
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, representing the Amica Center for Immigrants Rights and others seeking to block funding cuts for immigrant legal services. (Law.com)
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.
Wilmer Hale
Keker, Van Nest & Peters
Southern Poverty Law Center
500 law firms joined a court brief supporting Perkins Coie lawsuit against the Trump Administration.
Perhaps I should add our nation's motto--and on our Great Seal--the phrase "E pluribus unum" (out of many, One ). Ii's 13 letters makes its use symbolic of the original 13 Colonies which rebelled against the rule of the Kingdom of George III . . .And now we protest together against King Donald. As my rural MO. indomitable Jess Piper always says: "Solidarity."
P.S. I have misplaced several suggested additions. Pls provide names again if you don't see them listed. My bad. Thanks
“88 yrs old, Korean War disabled vet, BA from U of MO in PolSci/law, minor in History, following closely what happens in WDC and Trump/Jan 6 hearing. Politics.”
Did you all see an age range elsewhere? Where I live (KY) it was mostly white, boomers, and GenX-ers. Turn out was awesome in the few blue areas, and I was very heartened to see a good turn-out in an Appalachian town (thought it is a college town). There was a single 80-year-old man with a sign in a town that's always been deeply conservative, which I thought was amazing in terms of his dedication, but I didn't see coverage from any other rural area. A lot of people don't know that KY hasn't always been this red. We've only had three Republican governors, and Democrats controlled both legislative chambers most of my life (I'm 63), and the House until only about 20 years ago. All thanks to McConnell and the Kochs long-term strategy. Clinton even won here.
Speaking of unworthy senators up for re-election, I think "Coach" Tuberville, R-AL, fits snugly into that category. He's up for re-election in 2026. I hope and pray that Alabamians send this guy back to the football pitch.
When the time comes, we will do what we did to get Judge Susan Crawford on WI’s Supreme Court. We will write letters and postcards for his opponent. We will make phone calls. We will protest. We will do what we have to do to ensure our democracy remains a democracy. And we will do this together.
The momentum WITHOUT newspaper coverage. The p.o.s. Times had this below the fold, no picture. Assholes. I am cancelling my crossword subscription, which is all I had left now that Krugman is out.
And Meghan Markle, of course, because she is so "newsworthy," and the NYT believes (falsely) that many of its subscribers care or have any interest whatsoever to read about her.
Had this been a BLM kind of rally, there would have been a lot of terrible coverage. That is why, from what I am hearing, many stayed home and fought in other ways.
Just reading an article this morning in Bulwark by Laren Egan about the big democratic law firms bending the knee to The Trump Regime. It’s disturbing to say the least and second gentleman is mentioned in it.
Disturbing is so polite..I feel it is frightening, deplorable and an affront the on very values of the Rule of Law....and shameful !!!!!!!!!! Money rules and again shameful to thier core. I hope they bare that shame for years when we the people fight without them to get our freedom and Country back !
Has anyone produced a count of the total number of concerned citizens who turned out to demonstrate on Saturday, April 5? I have read "thousands," "hundreds of thousands" and "millions." It would be good to have a reliable estimate.
More importantly, unlike so many previous mass demonstrations, these were dispersed across the country -- from state capitals, tiny hamlets (I saw one from Alaska like that), regional cities, small towns in red states, rural areas and the like. Ultimately, that counts for more than a million people descending on the Mall in DC. Dumb, obsequious, Republican Congresscritters pay much more attention to Omaha (which had a robust turnout) than to Washington, which they ignore anyway.
OK all you youngsters who are 77 or younger, attending your first protest? I’m glad you were out there but I was doing this in the late 60s. And I’ll tell you I am damn sick of having to protest at this age of 78. I’d like to see multiples of young people taking over, but like I said, I am tired of doing this but I’ll keep doing it anyway.
It's utterly shocking to me seeing people in their late 70s saying it's their first protest. I come from a long line of agitators on both sides of my family. I've been going to protests since before I have a memory and I'm 55!
This week would be a good time to put forward a date for the next large protest. Keep everyone engaged while they are inspired by the energy of April 5th.
Fantastic! 🌸 May 1st is May Day, which in many countries commemorates the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labor movement. May 1st is also the Celtic cross-quarter holiday of Beltane (“bright fire”) which marks the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It’s the perfect day to kick off our 2025 Summer of Protest! 🌸
It might be hard to pass up. It’s a historically significant day. The American Revolutionary War started in 1775 on April 19th with the battles of Lexington and Concorde. Paul Revere’s ride and all that. 250th anniversary this year.
Wondering if PINO Trump’s staff kept the details of the successful April 5 “Hands Off” protests from him so he doesn’t realize how disliked he is by those who oppose his numerous illegal actions. No one should have the power he believes he has to turn the country and the global economies upside down.
Never heard about the #IdesofTrump postcards mailed last month. I know a lot of individuals who participated, but not one word on how many pieces of correspondence were received at the White House post office. Like many other details, probably swept under the rug.
I contacted a popular female broadcaster through email days before the postcards were to be mailed as a “heads up;” no response was received.
What did they do with all those mailings, some even in envelopes, which had to be opened? Burn them like Hitler burned books to keep everyone ignorant?
They are already eliminating parts of our history from libraries across the country!
This is an unbelievable tragedy by an administration who lacks the education to know anything different.
Don’t send letters in envelopes to the White House. The Post Office has been sidetracking and discarding those ever since the anthrax scare 24 years ago. Send postcards only.
This is Gestapo type of carnage. This administration and all of his appointees don't have enough brain power together to manage a restaurant, let alone a country and its constitutional form of government. Slash, trash, and burn is all they know how to do and even that is left to their minions to do for them. This is all so totally illegal and they are all so totally insane!!!
I'm glad you mentioned the postcards. I, too, have been looking in vain for any mention (let alone numbers) of the effort. I plan to send more on April 15 and again include Vance, Johnson, and Thune as I did on March 15. Can someone find any reporting about this?
PS I am 77. I went Saturday in Boston to my first-ever demonstration.
I won't be my last!
More power to you!
Glad to hear this! I’m 64 and also on Saturday went to my first demonstration here in Hillsboro, Oregon (about 15 miles west of Portland). Hands Off our democracy!
Good for you Woody, and welcome to our world. I'm 92 and started protesting and resisting in the 1960's - Civil Rights, Anti Vietnam War, Pro LGBTQ (I'm straight but feel strongly that every human on earth is worthy of respect - except child molesters, con men, serial murderers, mass shooters) Anti Iraqi war as well as rallyjng and working on campaigns for Liberal Progressive Democrats. Keep at it Woody, it gets more envigorating every time
5.2 million of us turned out to crickets from main stream media--so it's not a right wing media bubble, it's a wide spread bubble.
I turned out and it's important to me, so the blatant and widespread lack of acknowledgement in the media is disheartening.
I'm not sure that those of us who turned out need to be admonished that it's up to us to do more.
Bingo. Big corporate media, if we get out of this mess, has a lot to answer for and bears much of the blame for greasing the skids of a fascist takeover. They’re all tacitly complicit, so fearful of poking the orange cancerous tumor and what it will do to their bottom line.. 24/7 coverage of the dictator and his insanity is generally covered as if it’s perfectly normal. The worst offender is television, stupid inane questions, too many “what do you think”, “what do you feel” when it’s perfectly obvious that whatever the question is about, it’s a 5-alarm fire. Stunning and disgusting when you add up all of the institutions and foundations of our society which have folded like cheap suits in the face of tyranny. We are truly on our own in stopping this. No courts, no Congress, nothing. It’s just us.
In today's NYT Bret Stephens referred to thr April 5th demonstrations as virtual signaling. He's a contemptible POS.
I may scan their articles from time to time, but otherwise pay no attention whatsoever to what either Bret Stephens or Ross Douthat has to say in the New York Times.
I have a NYT subscription, but will never read a Stephens article ever again. His piece calling anyone who criticized Israel an antisemite was the final straw for me.
Don't read him.
What does that even mean, "virtual signaling"?
Don’t watch. Don’t listen. Don’t read. They are businesses and need the numbers. Go on a national news blackout. FOCUS on a “target” (no not physically) and ignore their baloney. BOYCOTT the NATIONAL NEWS (yes - even the sports section - find another source to lead. The scores!).
Coverage in The Guardian was good for those who want to read a newspaper. Or consider subscribing to The Atlantic.
Good idea! They provide nothing relevant to our govt today. Missing major political news events that affect all lives Favoring snippets of attention getting bits - fire at a house, flooding, sports moment repeated indefinitely plus news channel self promotion. Abc, nbc, cbs all complicit. I watch foreign news to get my details checked and criss checked. And the major printed news isn’t much better. They can do better. A boycott is a good idea.
The Associated Press covered rallies across the country. In the DC market, the media was too busy celebrating a sports milestone to be bothered with much else.
Yes, the Associated Press is a pretty reliable source of news.
I have stopped watching most of what's called "legacy media." Even those I've appreciated are wallowing in, as you said, in the "what do you think" and "how does that make you feel" scenarios. Who cares? We know what we think and how we feel! Talk about that!
What about PBS & listening to NPR? They carried news about the rallies and they are on the chopping block for this administration.
Even MSNBC may be on the chopping block as Comcast separated them from NBCNews.
Rachel Maddow on MSNBC gave tons of coverage to the April 5 Protest. Support Rachel. @
I saw articles in the papers I read and saw video reports from around the world on national media outlets. I’m not clear on expectations. I was happy with what I saw. I attended and don’t feel admonished.
I live in New England and the Globe had just a little coverage, tiny coverage in NYT or WaPo--I feel as though it was a big deal, and I don't know that the expectation is that the people who came out should or would do it every other week.
I cancelled my NYT and WaPo subscriptions — unreliable news and a lack of objectivity due to fear from the Trump Regime. I now subscribe to The Guardian, they don’t answer to dictators nor fear retribution from them.
We have not cancelled the NYT and are letting our subscription to WAPO run out because of Bezos. They are still good papers and have important voices and reporting, good informative articles. Everyone has to do what they feel is right, but don't forget that a lot of what you read here is sourced by reporters all around the globe that write for this so called legacy media. They are established and still respected but not without fault. They are obsessive about not losing readership. But they do take a stand as well in opinion articles. They are not the resistance. You cannot expect that, not yet. It would not be good to lose them.
I got a little lost in the antecedents to your pronouns. Are you saying that the writers of the Contrarian are not part of the resistance?
I do not understand where I went wrong in conveying my message but was responding to Jeanne above who I disagree with about the NYT and WAPO being unreliable. Generally they are reliable and have been and have some great reporting. One could complain about some of the analysis and opinion but not all. I think these papers are still a source of news for many and not a bad source though they may not be as strong as we (I) like in terms of making judgements. I think they are too afraid for one reason or another to actually be labeled part of the resistance.. so are neutral when there should be no neutrality on certain things ( especially headlines) and therefore vulnerable to criticism.
That is not what you asked but I was surprised that what I wrote could be taken as the Contrarian not being part of the resistance. They certainly are... thankfully.
Personally, I was very disappointed in the Times. Essentially below the fold coverage, one picture, I think on the front page, briefly. I also canceled WaPo because of Bezos. i’m keeping my Times subscription but I am very disappointed in them.
Yes they should have had live coverage.
I saw significant coverage in the NYT and decent coverage in the WAPO.
The best expectation that I can think of for now is that it convinces some Republican Congress members that they will have support from their voters if they make common cause with the Democrats to stop this nonsense. IMHO, this is the only scenario I can think of that might put out this dumpster fire without severely damaging the Republic even more than it already is.
That's what I'm thinking. At some point, you would think they'd worry about their voters more than be afraid of Trump. I don't know when that turning point is. In my red state of KY, amendments that would have hurt education and teachers, as well as an abortion amendment, all failed, even when Republicans won statewide races. Again, though, when is that turning point (if at all).
We should keep protesting until we reach that turning point.
I think the Republicans in Congress are fairly certain that there either won't be midterms, or that there's a likelihood of gross gerrymandering and election tampering in favour of the GOP. I suspect free and fair elections are over in the USA.
Not so much an admonishment to “do more” as a reminder to “keep doing.” Find time to write or call legislators. Sign up to receive action alerts from the League of Women Voters (the US League and your state League) or visit the “take action” pages on their websites - you’ll find sample scripts so you can email/call lawmakers; some Leagues even have templates that can help you write an email to your local media outlets.
I think this is an acknowledgement that we are all that's left. I don't take it as an admonishment but a reality check that we've only just begun this fight and it Is up to We the People.
Hi Jan, Is the 5.2 million a verified number?
It comes from Alt National Park who had 25,000 people out there gathering stats from law enforcement on the numbers. I trust them.
Thank you for attending. I am immunocompromised, ill and couldn't go. I have a few questions, which are making me feel worse. I wonder if anyone can answer them.
1. I thought protests were considered a long-term investment. But, Indivisible is suggesting another protest on April 19. I wonder what the strategy is. There are issues that Democratic politicians must resolve that protests can't. Am I wrong?
3. At 2:30 a.m. on April 5, Republicans passed their blueprint for a new budget. I researched this, but still don't understand why they were allowed to present another budget. Could someone explain it?
4. Congress has been warned by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Bipartisan Policy Center, that we will possibly run out of money as early as mid-July and as late as October. Trump said in January that he wants to get rid of the debt ceiling. I wonder if he can do that, and how Democrats can stop him.
5. Before, Democrats leave for vacation on Thursday (They won't return until April 28), I wonder what can be done if Musk fires more people, and Trump signs more executive orders.
I apologize for all the questions, but I'm ill, and can't leave home right now, and I sure would appreciate answers.
I've seen coverage in foreign print and broadcast media in France (BFM), Germany (ARD and ZDF) and the UK (BBC and Sky News) as well as Al Jazeera English. A German weekly newspaper, Die Zeit, had an article titled "Der Widerstand erwacht" (The Resistance Awakes)
https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/zeitgeschehen/2025-04/demonstrationen-usa-anfang-demokraten-bewegung-veteranen#cid-75168897
"Admonish" is to warn or reprimand. This was neither of those.
I take it as ENCOURAGEMENT; always a good thing.
The story behind the story, Sat. was a tremendous success in any manner of determination or description: size, geography, enthusiasm, sign cleverness, age range, etc. How did it happen? How did it come about? Of course, there were Indivisible and "Hands Off" doing great work, but there was more. [Here is a quote from the Guardian about the"Hands Off" rallies around the world. "Protesters rallied in Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, London and Lisbon, all in a united show of opposition against Trump’s policies." ]Much more. Who were some of the people that have been working, fighting, in one manner or another, to bring about this national day of protest--and all the days to follow--needed to win this war against Trump/Musk et al and save our democracy. With the millions of heroic protestors out with signs (or just standing in solidarity) , this April 5th (actually any and all days of protesting Trump/Musk, Tesla or any other issue), here's an updated partial list of those fighting back, foreign and domestic, every day [as of 4-6--25] I'm also adding courageous law firms who haven't caved. Besides upstanding lawyers (e.g. Brenna Trout Frey, and law-abiding honorable (present and former) judges (including James Boasberg, chief judge, D.C. District Ct.), here's a growing list of Profiles in Courage men, women, and advocacy groups who refuse to be cowed or kneel to the force of Trump/Musk/MAGA/Fox "News" intimidation:
I'll begin (again) with Missouri's own indomitable Jess[ica] (à la John Lewis's "get in good trouble") Piper/"The View from Rural Missouri," then, in no particular order, Francie Garber Pepper (1940-2025), Heather Cox Richardson/"Letters from an American," Joyce Vance/"Civil Discourse," Bernie Sanders, AOC, Rep. Maxwell Frost,, Gov. Tim walz, Sarah Inama, Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Rev. William J. Barber II, Jasmine Crockett, Adam Smith, Jamie Raskin, Ken Harbaugh. Ruth Ben-Ghait, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Hayes, Ali Velshi, Prof. Lawrence Tribe, Stephanie Miller, Gov. Janet Mills, Gov. Beshear, Gov. JB.Pritzker, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Amb. Susan Rice, Mayor Michelle Wu, Jim Acosta, Jen Rubin And the Contrarians, Dan Rather, Robert Reich, Jay Kou, Steve Brodner, Rachel Cohen, Brian TylerCohen, Jessica Craven, Scott Dworkin, Brett Meiselas, Joy Reid, D. Earl Stevens, Melvin Gurai, Dan Pfeiffer, Anand Giridharadas Anne Applebaum, Lucian Truscott IV, Chris Murphy, Cory Booker, Jeff Merkley, Michael Bennett, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Sheldon Whitehouse, Adam Schiff, Jon Ossoff, Elyssa Slotkin, Tristan Snell, Delia Ramirez,Tim Snyder, Robert B. Hubbell, Ben Meiseilas, Rich wilson, Ron Filpkowski, Jeremy Seahill, Thom Hartmann, Jonathan Bernstein, Simon Rosenberg, Marianne Williamson, Mark Fiore, Jamie Raskin, Rebecca Solnit, Steve Schmidt, Josh Marshall, Paul Krugman, Andy Borowitz, Jeff Danziger, Ann Telnaes,͏ ͏Will Bunch, Jim Hightower, Dan Pfeifer, Dean Obeidallah, Michel Zeitgeist, Liz Cheney, Adam Kimzinger, Cassidy Hutchinson, John Cusack, Judd Legum (Popular Information) Qasim Rachid, Sue Nethercott, Mary L. trump, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Jjonathan V Last, Sarah Longwell, Andrew Egger, Aaron Parnas, Rep.Don Beyer, Greg Olear
American Bar Association, 23 blue state Attorney Generals, Indivisible. FiftyFifty one, MoveOn, DemCast, Blue Missouri, Third Act, Democracy Forward, Public Citizen, Democracy Index, Protect Democracy, DemocracyLabs, Fred Wellman/On Democracy, Hands Off, Marc Elias/Democracy Docket, Public Citizen, League of Women Voters, Lambda Legal, CREW, CODEPINK, ACLU, The 19th/Errin Haines, Working Families Party, American Oversight, Every State Blue, Run for Something, Jessica Valenti/Abortion Everyday, The American Manifesto, The Dr. Martin Luther King Center, Bulwark Media, Bill Kristol/all NeverTrumpers, The States Project, Field Team 6, The Union,AICN ( last 4 all from North Carolina) The Lincoln Project,Blue Wave, Blue Future, The Civic Center, Olivia Troy,The Politics Girl, The Dean's List/ Dean Obeidallah,
And, as Joyce Vance says, "We're in this together"--or via Jess Piper, from rural Missouri: "Solidarity." FIGHT BACK! WE ARE NOT ALONE! (Latest addition h/t , Robert B. Hubbell: Law firms, see below). All suggestions are welcome.
* Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling have resisted Trump, fighting back with the help of other courageous firms like Williams & Connolly. Per The ABA Journal, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, representing fired inspectors general. (Law.com)
Hogan Lovells, seeking to block executive orders to end federal funding for gender-affirming medical care. (Law.com)
Jenner & Block, also seeking to block the orders on cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com, Reuters)
Ropes & Gray, also seeking to block cuts to medical research funding. (Law.com)
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, representing the Amica Center for Immigrants Rights and others seeking to block funding cuts for immigrant legal services. (Law.com)
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.
Wilmer Hale
Keker, Van Nest & Peters
Southern Poverty Law Center
500 law firms joined a court brief supporting Perkins Coie lawsuit against the Trump Administration.
Perhaps I should add our nation's motto--and on our Great Seal--the phrase "E pluribus unum" (out of many, One ). Ii's 13 letters makes its use symbolic of the original 13 Colonies which rebelled against the rule of the Kingdom of George III . . .And now we protest together against King Donald. As my rural MO. indomitable Jess Piper always says: "Solidarity."
P.S. I have misplaced several suggested additions. Pls provide names again if you don't see them listed. My bad. Thanks
Well done. Please do consider adding Mayor/Secretary/Lieutenant Pete Buttigieg to your terrific list.
Did you leave out Norm Eisen???
Wow Larry! BTW, this is who Larry McGinnity is!!
“88 yrs old, Korean War disabled vet, BA from U of MO in PolSci/law, minor in History, following closely what happens in WDC and Trump/Jan 6 hearing. Politics.”
Thank you!!!! And Bravo!
Wow. I should frame this list. Well done.
Did you all see an age range elsewhere? Where I live (KY) it was mostly white, boomers, and GenX-ers. Turn out was awesome in the few blue areas, and I was very heartened to see a good turn-out in an Appalachian town (thought it is a college town). There was a single 80-year-old man with a sign in a town that's always been deeply conservative, which I thought was amazing in terms of his dedication, but I didn't see coverage from any other rural area. A lot of people don't know that KY hasn't always been this red. We've only had three Republican governors, and Democrats controlled both legislative chambers most of my life (I'm 63), and the House until only about 20 years ago. All thanks to McConnell and the Kochs long-term strategy. Clinton even won here.
So glad to see Arnold & Porter on this list. They’ve done much good litigation work for the ACLU and the League of Women Voters.
Thank you for doing this list. One must look in the right places(s) to see the coverage. It is out there...
April 5 Hands Off was a resounding success, and here is one very important note, reported by Robert Hubbell:
DESPITE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS IN THE STREETS PROTESTING THE GOVERNMENT, THERE WERE NO ARRESTS, NO VIOLENCE, NO VANDALISM.
I just had to shout that out loud! Amazing job, everyone! 😁💙👏🏼💙👏🏼💙
Speaking of unworthy senators up for re-election, I think "Coach" Tuberville, R-AL, fits snugly into that category. He's up for re-election in 2026. I hope and pray that Alabamians send this guy back to the football pitch.
He was not a particularly good coach. He left Texas Tech because he was going to be fired.
He's not likely to join the Mensa Society either.
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/tommy-tuberville-white-nationalism-stupid/
Talk about useless carbon occupying dead space.
When the time comes, we will do what we did to get Judge Susan Crawford on WI’s Supreme Court. We will write letters and postcards for his opponent. We will make phone calls. We will protest. We will do what we have to do to ensure our democracy remains a democracy. And we will do this together.
The momentum WITHOUT newspaper coverage. The p.o.s. Times had this below the fold, no picture. Assholes. I am cancelling my crossword subscription, which is all I had left now that Krugman is out.
And what was the top story? Baseball. Really?
And Meghan Markle, of course, because she is so "newsworthy," and the NYT believes (falsely) that many of its subscribers care or have any interest whatsoever to read about her.
Had this been a BLM kind of rally, there would have been a lot of terrible coverage. That is why, from what I am hearing, many stayed home and fought in other ways.
Just reading an article this morning in Bulwark by Laren Egan about the big democratic law firms bending the knee to The Trump Regime. It’s disturbing to say the least and second gentleman is mentioned in it.
Disturbing is so polite..I feel it is frightening, deplorable and an affront the on very values of the Rule of Law....and shameful !!!!!!!!!! Money rules and again shameful to thier core. I hope they bare that shame for years when we the people fight without them to get our freedom and Country back !
Im very much in shock.
Did they not mention the outpouring of law firms (504) standing against it?
I demonstrated in Vero Beach, Florida where over 500 people turned out in this small coastal town one hour North of where he lives.
My first time too, at 75! I wasn’t the youngest or oldest, will gladly do it as many times as I need to! Dump trump!!
UPDATE!! Final count for those demonstrating were over 2,000.
Protests in Canada too ! :)
All over the world!
Has anyone produced a count of the total number of concerned citizens who turned out to demonstrate on Saturday, April 5? I have read "thousands," "hundreds of thousands" and "millions." It would be good to have a reliable estimate.
50501 says 5.1 million. Alt National Park says 5.2 million.
AND this is JUST the beginning of a long road...baby steps and we will get to the top of the mountain again - TOGETHER ...'We are the People'
Thank you! Its comforting to have this number. Let's get it to 11 million - then we're cooking!
More importantly, unlike so many previous mass demonstrations, these were dispersed across the country -- from state capitals, tiny hamlets (I saw one from Alaska like that), regional cities, small towns in red states, rural areas and the like. Ultimately, that counts for more than a million people descending on the Mall in DC. Dumb, obsequious, Republican Congresscritters pay much more attention to Omaha (which had a robust turnout) than to Washington, which they ignore anyway.
Thanks! Is that 5.2 worldwide, or just in the US?
US--I think. I believe Harvard has a crowd counting consortium--not sure if and when they will release a number
Or if Trump will let them before taking another $500 billion away from them.
What’s next?
That’s easy: MAY 1st
Fill the streets! Fight back!
Yes, we must not stop the protests and making good trouble until we have succeeded! We the people are in this for the long haul!
OK all you youngsters who are 77 or younger, attending your first protest? I’m glad you were out there but I was doing this in the late 60s. And I’ll tell you I am damn sick of having to protest at this age of 78. I’d like to see multiples of young people taking over, but like I said, I am tired of doing this but I’ll keep doing it anyway.
It's utterly shocking to me seeing people in their late 70s saying it's their first protest. I come from a long line of agitators on both sides of my family. I've been going to protests since before I have a memory and I'm 55!
Time for the National Bar Association to file a lawsuit against the Trump “administration?”
Who do you think is angling to take over the ABA?
Nothing would surprise me. Based on his current administration, I’d have to say… another incompetent and unqualified lackey.
This week would be a good time to put forward a date for the next large protest. Keep everyone engaged while they are inspired by the energy of April 5th.
I believe it’s already set for May 1st.
Fantastic! 🌸 May 1st is May Day, which in many countries commemorates the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labor movement. May 1st is also the Celtic cross-quarter holiday of Beltane (“bright fire”) which marks the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It’s the perfect day to kick off our 2025 Summer of Protest! 🌸
"Mayday, Mayday, Country in peril! Mayday!"
Yes yes YES!!! 👍🏼
Count on Trump claiming the protesters are Marxists because of that date.
Lol, you know he will! 🙄
Good! I'm writing it in ink. The weather will be better by then, too!
I totally agree! We need to know all about it now.
I just saw so something posted on FB for April 19. I’m not sure that having one in another 10 days will be a good idea. What do you all think?
It might be hard to pass up. It’s a historically significant day. The American Revolutionary War started in 1775 on April 19th with the battles of Lexington and Concorde. Paul Revere’s ride and all that. 250th anniversary this year.
Wondering if PINO Trump’s staff kept the details of the successful April 5 “Hands Off” protests from him so he doesn’t realize how disliked he is by those who oppose his numerous illegal actions. No one should have the power he believes he has to turn the country and the global economies upside down.
Never heard about the #IdesofTrump postcards mailed last month. I know a lot of individuals who participated, but not one word on how many pieces of correspondence were received at the White House post office. Like many other details, probably swept under the rug.
I've been wondering the same thing! Is there no reporter available to take up the subject of "what kind of mail is Drumpf receiving"?
I contacted a popular female broadcaster through email days before the postcards were to be mailed as a “heads up;” no response was received.
What did they do with all those mailings, some even in envelopes, which had to be opened? Burn them like Hitler burned books to keep everyone ignorant?
They are already eliminating parts of our history from libraries across the country!
This is an unbelievable tragedy by an administration who lacks the education to know anything different.
Don’t send letters in envelopes to the White House. The Post Office has been sidetracking and discarding those ever since the anthrax scare 24 years ago. Send postcards only.
Great to know! Thank you.
This is Gestapo type of carnage. This administration and all of his appointees don't have enough brain power together to manage a restaurant, let alone a country and its constitutional form of government. Slash, trash, and burn is all they know how to do and even that is left to their minions to do for them. This is all so totally illegal and they are all so totally insane!!!
I'm glad you mentioned the postcards. I, too, have been looking in vain for any mention (let alone numbers) of the effort. I plan to send more on April 15 and again include Vance, Johnson, and Thune as I did on March 15. Can someone find any reporting about this?
Trump and apparently Musk oppose each other on tariffs.
Trump and many Congressional Republicans oppose each other on Ukraine/Putin.
Trump and a few Republicans oppose each other on deportations.
Trump and some Congressional Republicans oppose each other Musk/DOGE.
With help of some Republican constituents and donors who now realize that all are compromised, we might get shared government.
https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
The GOP should now be in JAIL for their enabling - THEY do not have immunity from the Law
Take advantage of the situation. Some of them are compromised. Protests should be targeted.