An Era of Contrasts
Plus, SCOTUS loves dark money cases, 5th Circuit rules against DACA, Minnesota GOP wins and loses, Florida Rep. challenges "pro-family" party, Trump meme coins, and more.
An Era of Contrasts
It’s not a good sign when a former President who is infamous for violating people’s rights and for overseeing policies that reverse the civil rights movement returns to power on a federal holiday created for the express purpose of commemorating a man who gave his life fighting for civil rights.
It’s also not a good sign when a man who directed a violent coup against the United States is swearing an oath to protect the country on the day celebrating a man synonymous with non-violent activism.
And while I’m on contrasts, it’s not a sign of a healthy, thriving democracy when the American electorate has a choice between a prosecutor who has built her career in protecting the public and a con man who sells everyone and everything out for his financial benefit… and they choose the latter.
Not to forget the fact that the people initially faced a choice between an old career public servant actively working for the American people and an old career criminal actively working against the American people. Spoiler alert: They pushed the old career public servant out of the race instead of the old career criminal.
As far as contrasting choices go, the American people are 0-4 in just the last 6 months. And I’m not convinced we, as a collective, have hit rock bottom on our piss poor decision-making skills yet.
The evidence has been playing out in real-time over the past 4 days with the TikTok ban. The American people continue to fall for propaganda that causes them to cast blame on the wrong people and act against their interests.
And yet Americans wonder why the Republican Party has a trifecta over the U.S. Government beginning today.
I’m not sure what to write at the moment. I’m still attempting to comprehend the fact the American electorate chose Donald Trump and the GOP after, well, everything.
The fact that his second inauguration falls on MLK Day may appear like a rebuke of Civil Rights, but I would argue it’s that Americans weren’t even thinking about them in the first place. It’s more like U.S. voters (mostly white) took their rights, as well as what Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights activists before him fought for, for granted. And they still are.
The only question that is left unanswered is: When will the majority of Americans decide enough is enough and fight back?
That’s all for now! See below for news highlights from the weekend.
-Stephanie
Headlines
This Week: Donald Trump re-occupies the White House as co-president with a new vice president; TikTok’s return?; Senate confirmation hearings continue; the GOP’s ongoing legal battle over a North Carolina Supreme Court seat and control over Minnesota’s state Legislature
The Courts
What to Watch: Judge Cannon blocks Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Volume 2 report
Given her history of making decisions that expressly benefit Donald Trump, Judge Cannon will most definitely block the DOJ’s report detailing its findings on the Classified Documents case. What’s uncertain is if outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland will leak the report to the press or members of Congress.
SCOTUS accepts dark money-backed parents’ rights case with ties to Samuel Alito
On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to consider a dark money-backed Parents’ rights case against a Maryland public school district. The case, known as Mahmoud v. Taylor, seeks to allow parents to opt their children out of class participation that involves books with LGBTQ content. The plaintiffs are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a religious fundamentalist legal group funded by Leonard Leo’s dark money network, and that has connections to Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
5th Circuit affirms Texas judge ruling that federal protections for DACA unlawful
On Friday, a 3-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously sided with the state of Texas and upheld a 2023 ruling by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in the Southern District of Texas that found federal protections for DACA recipients are unlawful. In a 38-page decision, the court affirmed that the Obama-era immigration policy violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, but said that the lower court judge erred in pausing the program nationwide and narrowed its ruling to the state of Texas as the appeals process plays out. In a twist, one of the panelists, Judge Stephen Higginson, is an Obama appointee. The other two are Federalist Society members—Circuit Judge Jerry Smith (appointed by Reagan) and Judge Edith Brown Clement (appointed by Bush).
This case stems from the Biden administration’s final rule in 2022 that codified DACA, which was immediately challenged by GOP-controlled states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia. Judge Hanen, another Bush-appointed FedSoc judge who has consistently ruled against DACA dating back to 2015, ruled against the program again in 2023.
On The Hill
Florida Republican calls House Speaker a hypocrite for blocking pro-family rule
Now that a floor rule personally affects her, GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has reversed her position on remote voting and is speaking out against House Speaker Mike Johnson’s prohibition on it. Since she became a mother in August 2023, Luna has been advocating for a pro-family floor voting rule that would allow new mothers in Congress to vote remotely up to 6 weeks as they recover from childbirth. But the “pro-family” House Speaker is not changing his position, claiming that allowing new mothers to remotely vote on behalf of their constituents is “unconstitutional.”
This led the House Freedom Caucus member to back a broader measure by House Democrats that would allow new mothers and fathers to remotely vote on bills for 12 weeks. Note that, for some reason, House Republicans are against the measure because it includes fathers. Luna told CNN, “I don’t think that it’s right for the leadership, especially Republican leadership, that prides itself on being pro-family, to be so anti-family.” She added, “it’s a slap in the face to every single constituent that we’ve had that sent us to Washington DC.” Go on, new to the resistance Queen.
In State Housekeeping
Minnesota Supreme Court gifts GOP a canceled Jan. 28 Special Election
On Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court voided the scheduled January 28th Special Election for state House District 40B, which would have ended the Republican Party’s hostile takeover of the state legislature. The court agreed with the Republican Party that Gov. Tim Walz prematurely scheduled the special election and that state law stipulates one can only be called after a legislative session begins and a vacancy is clear. Gov. Walz has yet to set the new date, but it will likely be held in March.
Minnesota District Court Judge declares Rep. Brad Tabke won re-election
Last Tuesday, District Court Judge Tracy Perzel upheld the November 2024 election results for Minnesota House District 54A in which voters narrowly re-elected Democratic Rep. Brad Tabke. In a 47-page order, Judge Perzel found that the alleged missing 20 absentee ballots would not have changed the outcome of the race and rejected GOP candidate Aaron Paul’s request to invalidate the results and call a special election. To combat the election denialism claims, she wrote that she found no “deliberate, serious or material” violations of state election law.
Even though they legally do not have a majority in the state House, Republicans are behaving as if they have a legislative majority and are refusing to seat Tabke. The state is suing the Republican Party over its legislative coup, a case that is being considered by the state Supreme Court. Republicans have also suggested they will appeal the District Court’s ruling affirming Tabke’s win.
The Commander in Grifts
Trump and incoming First Lady launch new meme coin grift ahead of inauguration
On Friday, the incoming occupant of the White House dropped his latest scam to grift off his MAGA base. Instead of tangible items such as branded Bibles and gold-colored sneakers, the new collectible is the latest digital crypto scheme—a meme coin (cryptocurrency tokens based on Internet memes) that features Trump raising his fist after one of his stans attempted to assassinate him and “Fight Fight Fight.” This kicked off the crypto bros’ inaugural “Crypto Ball” on Friday night, which was hosted by Elon Musk ally and Trump’s incoming AI and crypto czar, David Sacks. The grift was so successful Melania Trump launched her own meme coin on Sunday called $MELANIA.
Dictator on Day 1
State Department diplomats comply with Trump’s directive to immediately resign
Late Sunday, a large number of veteran diplomats tendered their resignations from the State Department after receiving instructions from the incoming regime to do so. The forced departures will be effective as Trump re-occupies the White House at noon.
IRS Commissioner bows down to pressure to hand agency to Trump
On Friday, IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel informed his staff that he is resigning midway through his term. His resignation is effective beginning today, as Trump reoccupies the White House, and enables the incoming regime to immediately install a loyalist — former Missouri Rep. Billy Long, a longtime tax advisor and corporate lobbyist.
Trump’s Gestapo chief orders mass arrests of immigrants in metropolitan cities
On Friday, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan stated on Fox News that the Trump administration plans to violate states and human rights by sending ICE agents to the nation’s most populous cities to conduct mass arrests of immigrants. The modern-day SS sergeant Adolf Eichmann promised that “no one is off the table” and that “we're going to take the handcuffs off ICE” beginning Tuesday. After facing media scrutiny, Homan told the Washington Post on Saturday that the incoming regime was “reconsidering” because their plans leaked. But no one cancels plans just because the press catches wind of it or after they’ve confirmed plans on the regime’s preferred broadcast station.
Trump sets Project 2025 into motion with Executive Orders
On Sunday, Trump’s domestic policy advisor Stephen Miller briefed House and Senate GOP leadership about the executive orders Trump will sign after he’s sworn in. All of the actions will formally set the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 agenda into motion with government reforms (incl. reinstating Schedule F, rescinding DEI, creating DOGE), energy deregulation (incl. declaring a national emergency, reversing drilling bans and accelerating new permits, repealing EV rules), and immigration and border policy (incl. declaring a national emergency, classifying drug cartels as terrorist groups, deploying the military at the U.S.-Mexico border).
Just before U.S. Democracy fell
Biden cancels final round of student loan debt on his way out of office
On Thursday, President Biden issued his administration’s final student loan debt cancellations, forgiving over $600M for 4,550 borrowers in the Income-Based Repayment plan and 4,100 former students of the for-profit chain, DeVry University. This brings the total relief to $188.8B for 5.3M student loan borrowers.
Biden designates 2 national monuments, bans new offshore drilling projects
Earlier this month, President Biden was scheduled to announce that his administration established 2 new national monuments in California honoring Native American tribes. Due to the natural disaster that set fire to Los Angeles County, the news was overlooked and the announcement was scrapped. As part of his administration’s “America the Beautiful” initiative to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, President Biden created the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park and the Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California near the Oregon border.
President Biden also banned new offshore drilling projects off both U.S. Pacific and Atlantic coastlines, the eastern Gulf of
AmericaMexico, and new portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska. Biden used his authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect more than 625M acres of federal waters from future oil and gas leases. There is no expiration date on these withdrawals and only Congress has the authority to repeal Biden’s climate action.