We need leadership in this country, which will improve the lives of working families, the children, the elderly, the sick and the poor. We need leadership which brings our people together and makes us stronger.

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Debra29

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

The Democratic Midterm Election Primaries 2026

New York State Primary: June 23, 2026
Early voting June 13 – 21
Early or Absentee Ballots

The Future of the Democratic Party

The progressive and centrist wings of the Democratic Party are at the forefront of the upcoming primaries. Two top campaign managers (Maya Handa /Mamdani and Jen O’Malley Dillon/Biden) came to Dartmouth College in April to address their similarities and differences. They both agreed that the candidates should focus on the economy, affordability and what the party can do for working- and middle-class families. Messages should focus on what the candidate will be doing for them. They both agreed that multiple social media and news sources have made connecting with voters a challenge. The Party has lost voters through “elite speak” also known as “coastal,” “liberal,” or “academic” elite, suggesting they are out of touch with the common people. The other challenges the Democratic Party faces is the role of superPACs and dark-money groups in influencing election results; and the role of social media in appealing to a broader swath of younger voters. Consequently there is a belief that the Party should be recruiting candidates who are generationally talented communicators who can talk to the young and the old.

New York City’s Most Competitive Primary Races

6th Congressional District: Queens

Incumbent US. Representative Grace Meng has represented the district since 2013. This is only the second time Meng has ever been challenged in a primary. Chuck Park, a Queens native and former U.S. diplomat, is positioning himself as a progressive alternative to Meng, campaigning on affordability and pledging not to accept donations from corporate donors. Yan Xiong, Christian pastor, U.S. Army veteran, and Chinese pro-democracy dissident is also running.

Cook Political Report Race Summary. Amid a massive collapse with Asian American voters, the 6th District – anchored in Queens’ Flushing neighborhood – swung a staggering 24 points toward President Trump in 2024.

7th Congressional District: Brooklyn and Queens

U.S. House Representative Nydia Velázquez announced she is retiring from her seat representing a district which runs from Astoria, Sunnyside and Ridgewood in Queens into Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick in Brooklyn. Candidates for her position include Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. He has since accrued additional endorsements. A second leading candidate is Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist who has represented Queens in the New York State Assembly for just over a year. Her endorsements include Mayor Mamdani and US Senator Bernie Sanders. Also in the race is Council Member Julie Won. She is seeking to become the first Korean-American ever elected to Congress in New York State and has multiple endorsements.
Other contenders have entered the race to represent the district that encompasses what’s known as the left-leaning “commie corridor” — including civil servant Edwin Osorio, former press manager for Al Gore Steven Carbajal, and Brooklyn-born Sydney Martinez,

Cook Political Report Race Summary : US Representative Velazquez is retiring, opening up one of the most progressive districts in the country. Mayor Zorhan Mamdani carried this district with 65% of the vote.

The 8th Congressional District in Brooklyn encompasses Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, Canarsie, East Flatbush, Coney Island, Mill Basin and Brighton Beach.The district is currently represented by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The district race drew attention as a potential fight between establishment Democrats and a new guard aiming for more progressive representation in Congress when City Council Member Chi Ossé filed paperwork to challenge Jeffries in mid-November. The 27-year-old Ossé has since ended his campaign bid after fellow democratic socialists Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chose not to support the City Council member.

9th Congressional District: Brooklyn

This district has been represented by incumbent U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke since 2013. The largely Caribbean district includes neighborhoods such as Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Black residents make up the largest group in this central Brooklyn district, in addition to a sizable Jewish population. She kicked off her re-election campaign with economic and safety concerns including tax breaks for the wealthy, while cutting healthcare, food assistance, housing, and more; tariffs driving up everyday costs; we’re seeing fear in our communities. Families targeted, neighbors worried about their safety.”

She is being challenged by Michael Goldfarb, a businessman, Harvard graduate and former analyst at Blackstone. He is a grandson of Holocaust survivors. Michael Goldfarb raised almost as much money in two days as Rep. Yvette Clarke had in her campaign account in June.Despite a strong start, Goldfarb faces an uphill battle in taking on Clarke, who has held a version of her seat for almost two decades. She enjoys strong institutional support from Democrats including longtime ally and fellow Central Brooklynite Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader. Clarke has also bested primary challengers in the past, though she has largely avoided reelection fights. Joshua Bristol is also running .

Cook Political Report Race Summary: A near upset in 2018 seems to have jolted Rep Yvette Clarke, 60, into taking her primary challenges more seriously.

10th Congressional District: Manhattan and Brooklyn

New York’s 10th Congressional District spans Lower Manhattan from 14th Street to western Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Park Slope, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge.

It is presently represented by U.S. Representative Dan Goldman. a moderate Democrat and an attorney who previously served as lead counsel in Trump’s first impeachment trial. He is a strong supporter of Israel and a top recipient of support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group. His personal and political connections to Israel have not stopped him from speaking out on the crisis in Gaza and calling for Israel and the United States to “immediately put an end to this humanitarian catastrophe”. An heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, Goldman has also been accused by his sharpest critics of “buying” his seat through a campaign that is mostly funded from personal wealth. Goldman has emerged as an immigration rights advocate since ICE agents began seizing the hallways of immigration court in 2025, and in the aftermath, he has proposed no less than five new bills to halt what he cites as an un-American attack on New Yorkers.

New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander is the leading candidate running against Goldman. The left wing of the party quickly fell in line behind Lander in an attempt to unify against incumbent Goldman. Brad has the endorsement of Mayor Mamdani, the Working Families Party, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Indivisible Brooklyn. Mr. Lander said in an interview that voters wanted an even stronger voice to oppose President Trump, to fight for immigrant rights and to help Mr. Mamdani in Washington. “The challenges we face can’t be solved with strongly worded letters or high dollar fundraisers, and not by doing AIPAC’s bidding. While the oligarchy drives an affordability crisis, they shouldn’t be able to buy a seat in Congress.” Following AOC’s lead recently , Lander says he now seeks to end Iron Dome defense funding, citing Israel’s war conduct. Brooklyn’s influential political clubs are lining up behind each candidate in this heated race for the 10th Congressional District. Nickie Kane is also running.

Cook Political Report Race Summary On one hand, Rep Dan Goldman, – a multimillionaire heir to the Levi Strauss and Co fortune – seems like a perfect fit to represent New York’s Financial District. But this seat is also home to some of the most iconically left-wing neighborhoods in the entire country, including the East Village in Manhattan and Park Slope in Brooklyn.

12th Congressional District: Manhattan

The Manhattan district that includes the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Morningside Heights, Roosevelt Island, Midtown, Chelsea, and Union Square, has been represented by Jerrold Nadler, 78, for more than 30 years.He is now retiring. The district is heavily Democratic, the wealthiest congressional district in New York State, the third-wealthiest in the entire country and the best-educated district nationally. Leading candidates include East Side Assemblyman Alex Bores; social media influencer and Kennedy clan member Jack Schlossberg; Micah Lasher, a West Side first time assemblyman; Laura Dunn, a civil rights attorney, Nina Schwalbe, vaccine scientist and public health researcher and George Conway, an attorney and anti-Trump TV pundit.

Alex Bores, 35, a former software engineer and second-term state assemblyman’s message underlines the need for leadership that is equipped to respond to challenges posed by President Trump and the wealthy tech executives in his political orbit.Meanwhile, Bores is getting big-dollar opposition because of his push to regulate artificial intelligence.”New Yorkers want a say in the development of this technology and [to] make sure it’s working for all of us,” Bores told NY1. Mailers from a tech-funded Super PAC hit the mailboxes of Democrats reminding them that Bores used to work with Palantir, which provided tech to ICE.

Jack Schlossberg, 32, has never held or run for office. He is best known as an internet political commentator. He has opined on all matter of subjects to his nearly 2 million followers across social media platforms and has been especially critical of his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services under Mr. Trump. He said he is running to respond to the constitutional and cost-of-living crises brought on by the president’s policies and to lend his voice to Democrats struggling to outline a compelling message.

A longtime confidant of Mr. Nadler, Micah Lasher, 43, has been widely considered the favorite in the primary.”One of the things I want to bring to Congress is an aggressive approach to fighting this administration,” Lasher said on NY1’s “Inside City Hall” Friday. Lasher just got the support of Mayor Bloomberg, who’s planning to spend roughly $5million to support him. He has close ties to top Democratic power brokers, including Attorney General Letitia James.

Laura Dunn, 40, has centered her campaign around support for national Democratic causes. She has marched against Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdowns, condemned Republican leadership for loss of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown and called for more environmental protections for the city’s green spaces.

Nina Schwalbe, 59, felt drawn to run to fight Trump’s public health policy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she advised Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office on keeping the city’s schools open. In 2021, Mr. Biden appointed her to help design a program that delivered Covid-19 vaccines to low-income countries. She has frequently weighed in on public health matters in the national press.

A former staunch Republican who quickly became one of Mr. Trump’s sharpest critics, George Conway, 62, registered as a Democrat for the first time and moved from Bethesda, Md., to Manhattan to launch his campaign. Though he has earned a national following through his criticism of Mr. Trump, Mr. Conway boasts a number of Republican bona fides, including membership in the Federalist Society, the conservative legal group. He was also married to Kellyanne Conway, a senior Trump aide.

On April 8 four leading candidates outlined competing visions for New York’s 12th congressional district at a forum hosted by Fordham Law School: Assemblymember Alex Bores, Attorney George Conway, Assemblymember Micah Lasher and public health expert Nina Schwalbe attended.

13th Congressional District: Manhattan and The Bronx

District 13 represents parts of the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan, and parts of Fordham, Morris Heights, University Heights, Norwood, Bedford Park and Jerome Park.

Incumbent U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat has represented the district in the House since 2017. He was the first Dominican -American and formerly undocumented person to be elected to Congress. Espaillat has fought for protections for immigrants, efforts to abate gun violence, and recently called for the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for the Second Avenue Subway.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, PhD candidate and community organizer, is vying for his seat. She is charging that he is beholden to corporate and lobbyist funding and overly sympathetic to Israel. Avila has worked to get New Yorkers out of ICE detention. She said that Representative Espaillat ” takes money from the very institutions that are making life harder for New Yorkers — institutions like landlords, AIPAC and corporate PACs — and turns the other way when our rents are being raised, when we’re being priced out of our communities. ” Chevalier is backed by the progressive group Justice Democrats, the same PAC that helped jumpstart Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional campaign in 2018. She is endorsed by The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Progressives have long had their eyes on the 13th district, which spans all of Upper Manhattan and a pocket of the northwest Bronx.

Oscar Romero, chief information officer of the city’s Civic Engagement Commission, lives in East Harlem and is running as a Democratic Socialist. He’s running to make healthcare, housing and education a right for all, and has promised to not take any money from corporations, wealthy individuals, foreign lobbyists or AIPAC.

Matt Miller is running to renew government and the economy to restore dignity, meaning, and hope to daily life.

15th Congressional District: The Bronx

District 15 covers parts of The Bronx, including Mott Haven, Allerton, Morrisania, Fordham, Melrose and Riverdale, as well as the areas around Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo.

Incumbent U.S. Representative Richie Torres has represented the district in the House since 2021. He was the youngest elected official in New York City history, as well as the first openly LGBTQ person elected for City Council where he championed funding and fixing failures in NYCHA.In Congress, Torres has advocated for public housing, helped launch the Congressional Crypto Caucus and pushed for legislation that would allocate federal funds for bodegas to buy security equipment. He is a staunch supporter of Israel leading some more progressive candidates to eye his seat.

Dalourny Nemorin is a public defender, a member of Bronx Community Board 1 and DSA. She wants to improve access to medical care, prioritize environmental justice and create more affordable rentals and homeownership opportunities.Nemorin says that Rep. Ritchie Torres is focused more on his donors than serving his constituents.

Michael Blake, a Bronx native and ordained minister, worked for Barack Obama while he was a senator and later in the White House. He’s running on supporting the rent freeze, repairing NYCHA housing, lowering grocery and energy bills, making The Bronx safer and supporting local businesses. Blake has been endorsed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

South Bronx native Jose Vega has also thrown his hat in the race, running to support Medicare for all, immigration reform, ending the two-party political system and bringing industrialization back to The Bronx.

Amanda Septimo is a state assemblymember whose district encompasses the South Bronx and Hunts Point. She is a lifelong Bronx resident and has spent five years in her state government seat. Septimo says she will fight back against attacks by the federal government, work to expand affordable housing and advocate for pathways to citizenship.

Andre Easton he is running for office for housing, fair wages, and a “future that belongs to us — not the billionaires, not the landlords, but the workers who make society run.”

Competitive Races Outside of New York City

Congressional District 17

New York’s 17th Congressional District covers all of Rockland and Putnam counties, along with parts of Westchester and Dutchess counties in the Hudson Valley. Key towns and villages include Ossining, Peekskill, Carmel, Pawling, New Castle, Yorktown, Stony Point, and Tarrytown

Six primary candidates are running to defeat incumbent U.S .Republican Representative Mike Lawler , The seat is easily one of the most competitive in the entire nation with a crowded and contentious Democratic primary to determine who will take on the Republican incumbent. Then end of this post explains how many groups are focused on this race .

John Cappello, a former defense attaché in his more than 25-year career as an Air Force officer. He qualified as a B-1 Bomber pilot and later served key assignments in Ukraine and at the U.S. Embassies in Israel and Serbia.

Peter Chatzky, former Mayor of Briarcliff Manor. He runs a small tech company providing software to the world’s largest banks. He’s a life-long Westchester Democrat who has run a business for decades and has been elected to public office five times.

Cait Conley, former counterterrorism director for the National Security Council. s a fourth-generation Hudson Valley native. Her mother, born in Peekskill, has been a postal worker for 48 years. Her father was a construction worker, and her grandfather and great-grandfather worked in the Montrose brickyard. She graduated in the top 2% of her West Point class and earned master’s degrees from Harvard and MIT.

Beth Davidson, Rockland County legislator who served two terms on the Nyack Board of Education. She was elected to the Rockland County Legislature, where she chairs the Environment Committee and Task Force on Water Resources Management, and serves as vice chair of the Housing and Economic Development committee.

Effie Phillips-Staley, nonprofit executive and current Tarrytown trustee is a community leader with decades of experience in education, culture, disaster relief, and social justice. She graduated with honors from UC Berkeley .

Mike Sacks, attorney and former TV journalist spent 15 years covering political and legal affairs across every branch of the federal government. He won an Emmy for his coverage of the George Floyd protests and is a nationally recognized expert on the Supreme Court. He holds a J.D. from Georgetown Law and a B.A. from Duke.

The six participated in a civic education forum, sponsored by CCoHOPE (Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Ossining, Peekskill) Indivisible and moderated by Jhefres Reyes of Make the Road Action, was designed to inform CD17 voters about the current immigration crisis and how the candidates planned to address it if elected to Congress.

Congressional District 1

District 1 covers the eastern portion of Suffolk County on Long Island. It includes all of the towns of East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton, and Southold, along with the majority of the Town of Brookhaven and parts of the Town of Smithtown.
Two Democratic candidates are vying to appear on the ballot in November to represent New York’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives — a position currently held by Republican U.S. Representative Nick LaLota.

Lukas Ventouras , 25, of Northport has a background in politics, having worked on past political campaigns, including that of Nancy Goroff during the last election cycle. Ventouras also worked in U.S. Representative Grace Meng’s office for a summer. He has sat on the Huntington Town Democratic Committee for the past five or so years.

Christopher Gallant, 36, has had a career in the military. He’s now a Black Hawk pilot. He is a chief warrant officer 2 and flies with the Army National Guard. He deployed in 2012 and 2022. Gallant also worked with the U.S. Secret Service. Gallant touted the endorsements he has received so far, including that of former State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski and John Avlon, who ran for the same 1st District seat in 2024.

On the issues, both Ventouras and Gallant spoke, first and foremost, about corruption. Ventouras said many go into politics to become lobbyists or go on corporate boards, which he thinks should be banned. Ventouras has also spoken in favor of Medicare for All, banning private equity from buying housing stock and how best to combat the climate crisis.

Congressional District 2

New York’s 2nd Congressional District, located on the South Shore of Long Island (Suffolk County) and a small part of Nassau County, primarily includes the towns of Babylon, Islip, and portions of Brookhaven. It also covers several communities, including Massapequa, Lindenhurst, Babylon, Bay Shore, Brentwood, Central Islip, Islip, and Sayville. Presently represented by Republican Andrew Garbarino

Patrick Halpin As County Executive, he created the Long Island Housing Partnership to expand housing options and launched community-based policing and anti-domestic violence programs. As Suffolk Water Authority Chairman, he set the standard for the best drinking water in the nation.

Jess Murphy Murphy began her career in Washington, D.C., working across nonprofit and public service roles supporting financial operations, national training programs, and leadership development initiatives that reached tens of thousands of young women.She later returned home to Long Island to focus on housing, a defining issue for working families. For the past seven years, Murphy has led operations in New York’s housing sector and currently serves as a Portfolio Manager overseeing multi-site residential properties across Long Island City and Brooklyn

Garrett Pettersen Educator and a clinician from the Developmental Disabilities Institute that oversees group homes for adults with disabilities. Developed smart home technology and job training programs.

Cook Political Report Race Summary: Long Island’s working class South Shore has been particularly fertile territory of late, with the 2nd District darting nearly 12 points rightward between the 2020 and 2024 presidential contests.

The Influence of Outside Money On Local Elections

Citizens United

The Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is a controversial decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited money on elections. This tilted political influence toward wealthy donors and corporations Secret spending in our elections by wealthy special interests is also known as “dark money.” Dark money enters our elections primarily via secret donations routed through 501(c)(4) social welfare groups or 501(c)(6) trade associations,

Super PACs are committees that can raise and spend unlimited amounts influencing elections, such as by running television or digital advertisements explicitly urging voters to support or oppose specific candidates.

An example of one is Battleground New York. It’s a labor-backed Super PAC and coalition designed to flip and defend Democratic House seats in New York. Led by organizations like the Working Families Party, 1199SEIU, and Planned Parenthood, this group operates a massive, coordinated field and organizing campaign to sway voters in competitive districts across the state. Among Battleground’s “offensive plays” this year is the 1st Congressional District on the east end of Long Island. Battleground New York isn’t the only group ready to target NY-1. Emily’s List, a group dedicated to electing women, recently added the district to its nationwide Mission Majority initiative. (So far, no women appear to be running for the seat.) In addition to NY-1, Battleground New York is also targeting the 17th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley to unseat Rep. Mike Lawler.

They are not alone is becoming involved in the 17th Congressional District race. Three of the most high-profile outside national groups supplying funding and organizing opposing Republican candidates are the Indivisible Project, Empire State Voices and Unrig Our Economy.

What you can do

Focus on the primary races where you live. Donate to individual campaigns(no amount is too small) Volunteer. Become involved. Make this your Democratic Party by supporting candidates who represent your views. Become informed. Sign petitions. Attend town halls and rallies. Ask questions. Listen and support. Volunteer on a campaign and be willing to support by canvassing, phone banking, writing letters to the editor, setting up lawn signs and setting up rallies or town halls.

NY Congressional District 17 offers a great model of how many ways you can become involved by joining groups involved in this race including Indivisible Westchester, Food and Water Watch New York, Citizen Action of New York, Local Action Fund, Cortlandt Croton-on-Hudson Ossining Peekskill Indivisible, Indivisible Yorktown, Indivisible Rockland, Putnam Progressives, Peekskill Progressives, Empire State Voices, and Make The Road Happen. Find groups in your area that you can join.

Next Post:

The Competitive New Jersey Democratic Primaries

Posted in 2026 Midterm Elections, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on We need leadership in this country, which will improve the lives of working families, the children, the elderly, the sick and the poor. We need leadership which brings our people together and makes us stronger.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Debra29

President Barack Obama

Voter Suppression

The strict voter identification measure that Republicans have pushed through the House is just their opening salvo in a broader legislative effort aimed at keeping control of Congress this fall.

Under the Constitution, states are given the primary authority to administer elections, while Congress is given a limited role in shaping rules on federal contests. The SAVE Act, SAVE America Act, and Make America Great Again Act, backed by the President and most members of the Republican Party, would move well beyond those traditional guardrails. They would impose new nationwide mandates on voter registration documentation, mandate ongoing federal voter-eligibility checks and purges, dictate confusing mail-in voting procedures, and condition federal funding on compliance.

The Republican SAVE America Act

This act is presently being debated in the Senate. Its stated aim is to crack down on fraud which is exceedingly rare. Mr. Trump and right-wing activists have escalated their efforts to force through the bill as the president continues to falsely claim voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

It would stiffen voter identification requirements nationwide. The legislation would significantly tighten requirements presently in place. Voters would have to prove their citizenship in person upon registering to vote. That would limit mail or online registration, and direct voters to local election offices instead. There, they would have to produce documentary proof of U.S. citizenship such as an enhanced form of REAL ID — a state identification card compliant with federal regulations — that indicates American citizenship, birth certificate, passport or military identification card.

The bill would also mandate that all voters present a government-issued photo ID at polling places. Those seeking to vote by mail would have to enclose a copy of photo identification both when requesting a ballot and when returning it.

States would be required to submit their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security, to be cross-referenced with citizenship data and purged of those deemed ineligible to vote. And election workers who fail to properly verify an applicant’s eligibility to vote could face criminal penalties.

Many eligible voters would not meet the requirements. An estimated 9 percent of eligible voters, or 21.3 million Americans, either do not have documents that prove their citizenship, such as passports and birth certificates, or cannot retrieve them in a day or less. And 45 states do not issue the kind of enhanced driver’s license indicating citizenship status that would be needed to verify voting eligibility.

Citing those limitations, Democrats and election experts say that many voters would be disenfranchised by the measure. They have also raised concerns that women who change their name upon marriage and lack documents reflecting their current surnames could find it more difficult to register to vote.

States have raised concerns about their ability to comply with the measure. The bill would mandate that states comply with new requirements within days of enactment without providing any extra funding for them. For instance, many local election offices are currently unequipped to verify citizenship status.

Critics also warn that many states lack the procedures or materials to properly collect copies of photo identification to accompany mail-in ballots or requests for them, which would effectively leave them with no legal way to allow mail-in voting should the legislation become law.

Who will be hurt by this Act?
Every American, including people who have been registered for decades, would need to appear in person at an election office with qualifying documents. Online voter registration, which 42 states currently rely on, would be upended or eliminated. Mail registration would end entirely. Voter registration drives would become functionally ineffective, since they depend on reaching people at events and public spaces where no one carries a passport or birth certificate.

Married women – 69 million married women do not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name.
Rural Americans -In the 30 largest counties by area in the Western United States, voters would need to drive an average of 260 miles to reach an election office. One analysis found rural voters facing a 4.5-hour round trip on average.
Young and first time voters – About 24% of Americans under 30 do not have ready access to qualifying documents. Voter registration drives at college campuses and community events would largely end since they depend on mail-in forms.
Low Income Americans The financial barriers above fall hardest on working-class Americans across all political backgrounds. They are simply the least likely to have a passport or the flexibility to visit an election office during business hours.
People of Color 21 million Americans lack ready access to documentary proof of citizenship, with people of color disproportionately represented in that group.Nearly half of Black Americans under 30 do not have ID with their current name and address. Many older Black Americans, born during the pre-civil rights era, were never issued a birth certificate at all.
Military members and Americans Abroad – the bill’s in-person requirement would create significant barriers for service members stationed overseas and American citizens living abroad.
Transgender Americans Before this bill, an estimated 210,800 transgender Americans in states with existing voter ID laws already lacked IDs correctly reflecting their name or gender. The SAVE Act adds another documentation layer on top of barriers that already exist.

The Senate is weighing ‘nuclear option’ to pass voter restriction bill. It’s facing long odds, but numerous GOP states are taking up legislation requiring proof of citizenship.

What you can do

The League of Women Voters advises you tell Congress to oppose the SAVE Act suite of bills. They provide links to your members of Congress. I recommend saving their phone numbers in your contact list so you won’t need the links. A phone call is more effective than an email.

Vote.org is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to voter registration and access for all eligible Americans.

Check your own registration. Use Vote.org’s Check Your Registration Tool to confirm your registration status today.

Help people get their documents. Passports, birth certificates, and Real IDs are the documents this bill would require. Helping people in your community secure them now protects their ability to vote no matter what happens next.

Contact your senators. The Senate is debating this right now. Find your senators at senate.gov.

Stay informed. Sign up for the Vote.org newsletter for updates as this legislation continues to move.

The Trump Administration Attempts to Seize Voter Data

The U.S. Department of Justice sued New Jersey and four other states for failing to hand over voter rolls. Critics say the litigation is a step toward potential manipulation of midterm elections in President Donald Trump’s favor. Groups including the ACLU, the NAACP and the Brennan Center for Justice have condemned Trump’s attempts to seize voter data, calling it a move to maintain Republican control of government. Judges have dismissed similar lawsuits against California, Oregon and Michigan.

It’s up to states to maintain voter rolls, or registrations of those who are eligible to participate in elections. Trump claims the rolls contain the names of millions of people who are ineligible to vote and should be purged. The states say that’s not true, and that voters’ personal information would be compromised if they comply with the administration’s data requests.

The 2026 Midterm Elections Begin

The Fight For Congress

Democrats need a net gain of four seats in order to win control of the Senate in 2026. That means the party has to defend every seat it currently holds, and flip four more on highly competitive and even outright Republican terrain.

Democrats need to flip a net of just three House seats in the fall to take back the House, where Republicans have a narrow majority.

Governorships

There will be 36 gubernatorial elections in November, with each party defending 18 governorships. The overall partisan balance is currently close, with Republicans holding 26 governorships and Democrats 24. Each party has a clear and achievable goal. Democrats are seeking their first national majority of governorships since their catastrophic losses in 2010.

Primaries

U.S. Senate primaries have taken place in Arkansas, Illinois, and Mississippi. U.S. House primaries have also taken place in these three , in addition to New Jersey (CD 11 Runoff), North Carolina and Texas . Primaries for governorship have run in Arkansas, Illinois and Texas.

Get the latest election results for the biggest contests on the ballot — Senate, U.S. House and Governor — in all 50 states this year. Note that not every state will have a race for every office.

2026 State Races

The National Conference of State Legislatures states that legislative races in 46 states will be conducted in November 2026. These include races in 88 of the nation’s 99 legislative chambers. They provide a table that indicates which states and chambers are holding legislative elections, and how many seats are up for reelection this year.

New York – Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General, State Senators, State Assembly Members and Supreme Court Justice.

New Jersey – None

What you can do

Now is the time to make a change in the Democratic Party . Get involved in the primary races in your county, township, or city. Find out who is running to represent you on the local, state and federal levels. Go to their websites and read their statements on issues important to you. Find out which organizations are endorsing them and why. Attend their town halls, community events and outreach. Ask questions. Donate to their campaigns.

Get involved in voter registration drives in your community. Vote.org, Rock the Vote and League of Women Voters take the lead in many communities. Turn up focuses on youth led voter registration drives. Get involved with postcard drives reminding registered Democrats to vote. Indivisible, Progressive Turnout Project, and Postcard to Voters are just a few.

Registration Deadlines for the Primaries ahead.

NPR has provided an excellent resource of information for primary dates and registration deadlines for all 50 states. It also provides links for online registration.

The Metropolitan area
New York’s Primary is June 23. The deadline for registration is June 13.
New Jersey’s Primary is June 2. The deadline for registration is May 12.
Note: Military and overseas citizen voters may have different registration deadlines.

The War in Iran

Democrats have tried to limit Trumps power to use American military force without congressional approval. Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked the measure for a second time. Since the United States and Israel began joint airstrikes against Iran late last month, Democrats have demanded that the Trump administration share more information on the objectives, timeline and costs associated with the military campaign.

The Pentagon then asked for $200 billion in funding for the war. The sum — nearly a quarter of the country’s entire annual defense budget — is already raising eyebrows among some moderate Republicans who would be key to approving the funds.

Rift widens among Republicans over war in Iran. Conservatism’s most famous figures are in a rhetorical brawl over America’s role. Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings at a perilous political moment for President Donald Trump and with open division on the right over the war he launched in Iran.

Wall Street hit hard as Iran war rattles stock market. The emerging view from oil industry executives and analysts is that the economic and market fallout from the war could escalate sharply if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened within roughly the next one to three weeks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said European and Asian allies of the United States should help with securing the Strait of Hormuz for the shipping of global oil and gas supplies. Leaders have ignored him or said no.

Back in the U.S., the war with Iran is pushing up oil and gas prices, creating widespread financial strain on U.S. motorists, food delivery drivers, farmers as well as the U.S. Postal Service. Americans broadly disapprove of U.S. military action in Iran.

What You Can Do

Now is the time to add your national, state and local officials phone numbers and email addresses to your contact list. A phone call is more effective than an email but both are powerful. Join them at events and town halls and let your opinion be known.

Contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. House Representative.

Participate in actions across the country including rallies, marches and demonstrations. Join your local Indivisible chapter as it organizes and coordinates actions in your community or close by.

Thousands of demonstrations against the Trump administration unfolded across the country on Saturday March 28. The five takeaways of the event: 1. The war seemed to galvanize younger voters. 2. Trump’s immigration crackdown remains a focus. 3. Dueling protests unfolded near Mar-a-Lago 4. Midterm candidates came out in force and 5. Democrats found fresh fuel for their ‘No Kings’ slogan as the Treasury is printing money with T’s name on it.

Next Post

The Midterm Primary Races of 2026

The Races for Governor

Posted in 2026 Midterm Elections, save act, The Iran War, Uncategorized, Voter Suppression, Voting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Debra29

Frederick Douglass

Actions

Demonstrations

Specific organizations have consistently organized responses on a local, state, and national level. Join and keep track of what is happening where. You can find a demonstration close by to attend. If you are unable to attend, please consider a donation . These organizations also coordinate rallies, phone calls, text banking, emails, petitions, candidate debates, trainings, campaigns and events. Local community groups are also coordinating responses at a neighborhood by neighborhood level.

Indivisible a national organization with local chapters has taken the lead in organizing all of the above. local chapters that can use your support.

League of Women Voters – a national organization with local chapters that has taken the lead in protecting elections in our country

Swing Left – a national organization that focuses on training volunteers to register voters, phone bank, fundraise, and engage in door-to-door campaigning for Democratic candidates.

MoveOn – a national organization with extensive outreach and strategies for affecting change

50501 – a national organization with a focus on organizing and training local and state level responses.

No Kings – a coalition that organizes and supports peaceful mobilizations across the nation.

ACLU – a national organization with local chapters who are fighting in the courts , in addition to training, organizing and coordinating actions.

Radical Elders – a national organization with local chapters mobilizing adults over the age of 55 joining rallies, demonstrations and events

Calls, Emails and Letters

The organizations above and below offer a multitude of other ways to affect change if you can’t attend a demonstration.

5 Calls – an organization that makes it easy for your to contact your representatives.

Vote Forward – volunteers send handwritten letters to unregistered and low-propensity voters encouraging them to participate in our democracy.

Litigation

Numerous organizations, led by coalitions of state attorneys general, the ACLU, and groups like Democracy Forward and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), are actively suing the 2025-2026 Trump administration. Key challenges target executive orders on birthright citizenship, DEI, immigration, environmental policies, and funding, with major litigation filed by unions and civil rights groups. Donate to the groups above in addition to becoming more involved in elections at the state level. Governors and state attorney generals are often leading the charge against this administration.

Follow the continuous litigation through sites like Just Security in addition to Law Fare . Here is a snapshot from the New York Times of where multiple lawsuits against President Trump stand, highlighting district court cases where a judge has entered a final order for or against the administration. Many of those cases have been appealed.

Immigration and ICE

Across New York City––and across the country––immigrant communities are living through a moment of deep fear and uncertainty. Federal immigration enforcement has escalated in both scope and brutality, with devastating consequences.

ICE agents brutally killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an ICU nurse, when he intervened to protect a woman who was being pepper-sprayed. His killing, and the earlier killing of Renée Nicole Good, are horrifying reminders of what advocates have long warned: ICE operates with excessive force, minimal accountability, and profound disregard for human life.

What are your Local Officials doing about Immigrants & ICE?

The quote above was from my local City Council Member Shahana Hanif’s newsletter She goes on to link ways to respond in New York City. Afterwards more than two-thirds of the New York City Council signed on to a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer imploring him to continue blocking any funding package that includes resources for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

What are your State Officials doing about Immigrants & ICE?

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced a bill that would prohibit what are known as 287(g) agreements. These are signed deals between local law enforcement agencies and ICE that permit sheriffs’ offices and other agencies to hold detainees for ICE, serve warrants and generally allow local and state resources to be used in non-criminal federal immigration raids. It’s a beginning but it may not go far enough.

New Jersey limits immigration enforcement actions on state property. There is an executive order prohibiting agents from staging operations or making arrests on nonpublic areas of state property without a judicial warrant. Additionally, a NJ state-run website is promoting broad immigration information, with details on the rights of individuals, businesses and schools during ICE enforcement actions.

Andrew Gounardes, my NY State Senator, introduced the New York For All Act which would prevent state + local government agencies from colluding with ICE’s cruelty.

A New Jersey State Assembly committee cleared a pair of immigration bills. One would put the force of law behind the Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits New Jersey law enforcement interaction with federal immigration agents. The other bill would restrict the collection and sharing of individuals’ immigration status

What are your House Representatives & U.S. Senators doing about this?

On February 3, Congress funded all the agencies except Homeland Security for the whole fiscal year and gave itself until February 13 to negotiate details of that appropriations bill. No deal was made so a partial government shutdown began Feb 14. The Senate returned Feb. 26, but without a Senate vote to end the partial government shutdown scheduled, a DHS funding lapse continues amid a bitter bipartisan battle over Trump’s ICE crackdowns.

Democrats have pushed for a range of new restrictions on immigration agents, including requiring them to obtain warrants from judges to make arrests in homes, mandating that they show visible identification, and prohibiting face coverings while they are engaged in immigration enforcement operations. Democrats have also pushed for a stricter use-of-force policy and new training standards, as well as an end to roving patrols. Additionally Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries want language barring agents from entering sensitive locations, like schools, houses of worship and polling places; and a legal bar against racially profiling people to detain.

Republicans have criticized proposed restrictions as overreach, while immigrant advocates and some former ICE officials question if such changes would be effective.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, who are supposed to be able to conduct unannounced inspections of any place ICE detainees are being held, had been repeatedly denied entry. A court order last December reaffirmed the law requiring ICE to let members of Congress inspect its detention facilities. Immigrants are being held in correctional facilities and warehouses. Just recently, a judge nixed the latest policy requiring 7 days’ notice for Congress members to visit ICE facilities

My Congressman Dan Goldman visited  previously secretive holding cells used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. ICE has detained more than 120 kids in ‘inhumane’ hold rooms in this facility.

He also visited the Metropolitan Detention Center, a hulking federal jail in Sunset Park, Brooklyn in his district. Federal habeas corpus lawsuits and interviews with immigrants locked up there in recent months described frequent lock downs, inedible food, and difficulty accessing medical care.

Communities Respond

Now that ICE plans to use $38.3 billion turning warehouses into detention centers, we must turn our protests to meetings on the local level. Such a plan affected Roxbury New Jersey, where the Trump administration finalized the purchase over the objections of Roxbury Mayor Shawn Potillo and the town council, all Republicans. “Despite repeated outreach, our federal representative, Congressman Tom Kean Jr., did not engage to the level we had hoped to provide the advocacy our residents deserved,” they said in a letter, adding that the council was considering its legal options to challenge the purchase. More than 1000 people showed up in Roxbury to protest the administrations decision to use their warehouse. This is a Republican district. Amid residents’ mounting anger, elected leaders say no to detention plan — and yes to immigration agency’s broader mission
NJ Congressman Menendez and U.S. Senator Kim joined other representatives to fight the Roxbury and Newark warehouse facilities.

NJ pension pressed to ditch tech firm Palantir over ICE enforcement. A longtime government contractor, Palantir’s technology allows clients to comb through digital data, personal information

The National Education Association (NEA), the largest labor union in the U.S, filed an Emergency Motion to stop ICE enforcement near schools.

Residents seek to end contracts between ICE and local governments. People in communities are objecting to long-standing contracts for services ranging from the use of training facilities at local gun ranges to parking spaces.

The Trump administration wants to green light mass deportations and get rid of judges that stand in the way. The U.S. has a quarter fewer immigration judges than it did a year ago. The continued drain of personnel and resources from the already strained immigration court system has contributed to depleted staff morale, mounting case backlogs — and a floundering due process system.

Volunteer or donate to national and local immigrant advocacy groups who defend and support immigrants in our communities including:

New York Immigration Coalition – represents 200 groups
Immigration Defense Project
Legal Aid Society Immigration Law Unit
Make The Road NY – local chapter of a larger national organization Make The Road States

Local advocacy groups in Long Island, NY. (See if you can join your own community’s advocacy groups.)

Islip Forward – Islip, NY
Sisters of St Joseph Brentwood, NY
Long Island Latino Association, Inc. Osman Canales | President and Founder
Sepa Mujer

Next Post : The Midterm Elections, The Iran War and More

Posted in Immigration, Resistance, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Debra29

Martin Luther King Jr.

Democrats sweep key elections in NYC, New Jersey & Virginia

Updated November 28, 2025

Mamdani wins historic New York City mayoral race

Zohran Mamdani won Tuesday’s election for mayor of New York City, leading former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by nearly 9 percentage points so far. See how Mamdani did in precincts across the city:

More than 2 million New Yorkers cast a ballot in a high-stakes election that smashed recent turnout levels. Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani culminated a meteoric political rise Tuesday by scoring a decisive victory in a polarizing mayoral election. At just 34 years old, he will become the youngest mayor in over a century, the first Muslim to lead New York City and one of the most prominent democratic socialists holding elected office in the country.

The races for Comptroller, Public Advocate, Borough Presidents, Judges and City Council Races and Proposals had a few surprises.

Democrat Mikie Sherrill wins governor’s race

A former Navy pilot, first elected to Congress in 2018, will be New Jersey’s next governor.The tight race has surprised some in the traditionally blue state, which has had a Democratic governor for the past eight years and a legislature controlled by Democrats for even longer.

But the possibility that the governorship could flip to a Republican — along with the statewide contest being seen as an indicator of public opinion on Trump’s second term — put the election in the national spotlight and drew nearly $200 million in spending.

Sherrill’s win is a boon for Democrats, who lost ground in the state last year despite the party’s large voter registration advantage. President Donald Trump came 6 points shy of winning New Jersey in 2024 — compared to his 16-point loss in 2020 — due in part to gains he made among Black and Hispanic voters. Those gains seemed to dissolve, with Democrats flipping several counties that Trump won last year, according to the Associated Press.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger wins Virginia governors race.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to give Democrats a key victory heading into the 2026 midterm elections and make history as the first-ever woman to lead the commonwealth.

Throughout her campaign, Spanberger zeroed in on affordability and lowering costs for Virginians amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history as well as President Donald Trump’s attempts to remake the federal government. Spanberger, who was elected to the House in 2018 as part of a Democratic wave fueled by backlash to Trump, also capitalized on outrage over the administration among the Democratic base.

The History of the Historic New York City Mayor’s Race

New York City is looking at a general mayoral election unlike any other in its history. As most know, the race at this point is between Zohran Mamdani , Andrew Cuomo running as an Independent and Curtis Sliwa, Republican. Policy positions can be found on their websites and in the City and State New York article linked above.


The Democratic Primary results shocked most as polls mistakenly predicted that Andrew Cuomo would be the winner. Mamdani ran on a platform that emphasized affordability. He proposed freezing rents for rent-stabilized tenants, making city buses and childcare free and creating publicly owned grocery stores with low prices.

Polls continue to place Mamdani in the lead. Many people believe Mamdani’s rise in NYC reflects a generational fight within the Democratic Party. On October 24th, Hakeem Jeffries, US House Minority Leader, endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Jeffries’ counterpart in Congress and a fellow New York Democrat, has so far declined to endorse anyone in the mayoral race.

With the New York City mayor’s race now in the homestretch, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa is facing mounting pressure to drop out to pave the way for a showdown between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner for months.

A new poll released this past Monday puts Cuomo within the margin of error against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in a head-to-head contest.

Here a key takeaways from the first General Election Debate that aired Oct 16.

Seven takeaways from the final debate , Oct 22, include a more energized Cuomo came ready to fight, Mamdani mostly played it safe, all three candidates would keep Ms. Tisch as police commissioner, Cuomo and Sliwa ganged up on Mamdani, Sliwa was sharper on policy, all three criticized the ICE raid on Canal Street, and there were quick-witted one liners from all three candidates.

Comptroller
Comptroller Democrat candidate is Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine With a complicated $112 billion dollar budget, New York City needs someone to keep a keen eye on its wallet. There’s a lot to handle: union contracts, a giant pension fund, agency audits and more.

Public Advocate
The Public Advocate Democrat candidate is incumbent Jumaane D. Williams. The Public Advocate is a non-voting member of the New York City Council. They introduce and co-sponsor bills in the City Council, provide oversight for city agencies, and investigate citizens’ complaints about city services.

Borough Presidents
A borough president reviews land use proposals and gives an advisory opinion that can influence City Council decisions. Democrats who won the Primary include: Manhattan Brad Hoylman Sigal, Brooklyn Antonio Reynoso, Bronx, Vanessa Gibson and Incumbent Donovan J. Richards for Queens and Michael Colombo for Staten Island.

City Council Members
All 51 seats on the City Council are up for grabs in November, Eight races are for open seats, and the themes of many of these contests mirror the battles playing out at the mayoral level, with affordability a key issue. These are the Democratic Primary winners for each City Council District.

District Attorneys
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was the only incumbent to face and win a primary challenge. The additional Democrat district attorneys include Eric Gonzalez, Brooklyn, Melinda Katz, Queens, Michael McMahon, Staten Island and Darcel Clark, the Bronx

Judges
Judges of the Supreme Court and of the Civil Court are on the ballot under the Democratic Party column.

Proposals
There are six proposals on the ballot in November. The League of Women Voters explains the proposal in plain language and explains what each proposal would do. The NYC Council Leadership called on Board of Elections to reject Ballot Proposals Two, Three and Four. They state that they use language that seeks to deceive voters by concealing their effect. Here is another breakdown of the proposals.

Important Dates
NYC Mayoral General Election
November 4, 2025

Early Voting Dates and Deadlines are here.
Last day to apply online or by mail is October 25, 2025
Last day to apply in person at your county board of elections is November 3, 2025
Put your ballot in the mail ensuring it receives a postmark no later than November 4, 2025
Drop off your ballot to your county Board of Elections Office no later than November 4, 2025 by 9pm.
Drop off your ballot to an early voting poll site in your county between October 25 and November 2, 2025.
Drop off your ballot to an election day poll site on November 4, 2025 no later than 9pm.

New Jersey Governor’s Race
November 4, 2025

Blue New Jersey is expecting a very close race . Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy pilot first elected to Congress in 2018, is facing off against pro-Trump Republican Jack Ciattarelli, a longtime New Jersey politician and small business owner. In the closing weeks, both candidates have hurled increasingly personal attacks against one another and received endorsements from some of the biggest names in their parties. Former President Barack Obama will campaign with Sherrill in gov race’s closing stretch.

Mikie Sherill says her three top priorities as governor will be affordability, protecting kids and making state government more accountable. Some Democrats believe that Sherill’s campaign is playing it too safe. NJEA supports Sherill and her commitment to protecting educator pensions, strong public schools for every student, keeping NJ affordable and supporting working families and labor.

Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill is narrowly in the lead in the New Jersey gubernatorial race but her Republican rival Jack Ciattarelli is catching up, according to a poll. Republicans have not won a gubernatorial election in New Jersey since 2013 and have voted for a Democrat in every presidential election since 1988. But the GOP has seen success in the state in recent years. President Donald Trump increased his vote share by 10 points in 2024. This was the best showing by a GOP presidential nominee in two decades.

Along with Virginia’s, New Jersey’s governor’s race will be the first major barometer of voters’ reaction to the first nine months of Mr. Trump’s leadership in his second term. The New York Times convened a panel of 11 local leaders to assess the candidates for the Nov. 4 election.

The first New Jersey governor’s debate The crowd was loud, engaged and at times, disruptive.The candidates, though, not so much. Meeting Sunday night for their first debate, Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli each got in a few zingers, but as debates go, this one was rather tame.

Ciattarelli and Sherrill had a more contentious meeting at the second NJ Governor’s Debate . This one focused as much on Trump and personal controversies as it did local concerns about affordability. The heated attacks presaged a contentious last month of campaigning heading into the November 4 election.

Important Dates
New Jersey Governors Race
November 4, 2025

October 22
Mailing of Sample Ballots for General Election
October 25 – November 2
Early Voting Period
October 28
Deadline to apply for a Mail-In Ballot by Mail for General Election
November 3 – by 3:00 p.m.
Deadline for In-Person Mail-In Ballot Applications for General Election
November 4
Deadline for Post Office Receipt of Mail-In Ballots from the General Election
November 4 – by 8:00 p.m
Deadline for In-Person Submission of General Election Mail-In Ballots to County Boards of Election and to Authorized Ballot Drop Boxes
For more information.

What You Can Do

Donate. Fundraise. Volunteer in a local campaign . This includes, but not limited to, canvassing, phone banking, and text banking. Get involved even in the final stretch.

Posted in NYC Races, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

“Unlimited power in the hands of limited people always leads to cruelty,”

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Debra29

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian author and dissident .

Cuts to Medicaid

The administration’s signature legislative achievement, a new budget law, OBBBA (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) cuts more than $1 trillion from Medicaid, the national health insurance program for the poor and disabled, and $285 billion from the country’s largest food program.

The health care cuts will be implemented over several years and primarily target Medicaid – the joint federal-state program that provides health coverage to low-income individuals and families.

The cuts are enacted through several mechanisms that will reduce the number of people enrolled in Medicaid: Work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, immigration restrictions, reduced state funding options, restrictions on lawfully present immigrants and major changes in the Affordable Care Act,

Thousands of legal immigrants in NJ could be thrown off Medicaid including refugees and domestic violence victims. The changes to Medicaid include adding work requirements and restrictions on hospital aid. These are expected to cost the state $3.3 billion annually in the years to come and could force some 350,000 people out of the plan, according to the department’s calculations.

The cuts to Medicaid, however, will not stop New Jersey from continuing to use state taxpayer dollars to fund its “cover all kids” initiative, which provides health care to undocumented children whose families meet the NJ Family Care program’s regular income-eligibility requirements.New Jersey is one of 14 states, plus Washington D.C., to commit state or local dollars to covering undocumented children, according to KFF, a nonprofit health policy analyst.

Medicaid cuts will devastate nursing home residents. . Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing home care. It pays directly for residents’ careand provides financial support that enables many residents to use their Medicare benefit as well. Medicaid is critical for nursing home residents because the United States does not have acomprehensive program to pay for long-term care services.

Democratic-leaning states will feel more of the impact of Medicaid cuts in an analysis by Oxford Economics. The report says that millions of Americans – regardless of where they live – will lose access to health insurance because of the tighter eligibility rules and new work requirements. Undocumented immigrants will be disproportionately affected, with many losing coverage under Medicaid, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. States such as California and New York – which have both expanded Medicaid and have large immigrant populations – are expected to be hit hardest. Other vulnerable states with large immigrant populations include Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and Washington, D.C.

Cuts to SNAP

As many as 144,000 Pennsylvania residents, and as many as 45,000 Philadelphians, could lose their food stamps, according to state officials.The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps pay for groceries. New work requirements for SNAP recipients take effect. People who receive food stamps have to work 20 hours a week, or prove they have a medical or caretaker exemption.

Once you leave the New York Metropolitan Area, how many families are in need of support? This map shows the share of households in each state that reported receiving cash public assistance (also known as TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) or food assistance (also known as SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in 2023. Trump’s recent megabill has slashed federal funding for safety net programs and pushes food aid costs to the states.Draft proposals would require states to cover between 5% and 25% of benefit costs starting in 2028 and pick up 75% of administrative expenses.This marks a major change from today, where the federal government funds SNAP benefits entirely.

Red states brace for SNAP fallout. Republican state officials are still assessing how their budgets will be impacted by the GOP’s recently passed megabill, which dramatically slashes federal funding for safety net programs and pushes food aid costs onto states for the first time. Several officials report that they’re mainly focused on decreasing their payment error rates, which measures over and under-payments of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits — the metric that will determine how much of the program states will need to pay for starting fiscal year 2028.

N.J.’s hunger crisis intensifies amid cuts from ‘Big Beautiful Bill”. Food Banks like Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Human Needs Food Bank, 40 Food Banks of South Jersey have seen demand increase significantly . 1 in 9 New Jerseyans are considered food insecure.

This map shows the share of households in each state that reported receiving cash public assistance (also known as TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) or food assistance (also known as SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in 2023

Cuts to Medicare

The OBBB will cut $1 trillion from health programs – the largest rollback of federal support for health care in American history. These cuts will result in an estimated 10 million people losing their health insurance coverage. It is projected to add at least $3.4 trillion to the national debt. It speeds up the timeline for when Medicare’s trust fund (which pays for hospital care) will become insolvent. While these broad health care cuts will affect many Medicare beneficiaries indirectly, including those who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, several provisions of the OBBB directly target Medicare beneficiaries.

The OBBB limits Medicare coverage for immigrants. Restricts premium-free Medicare Part A to citizens or lawful residents. Prohibits most asylum recipients from receiving Medicare coverage. It includes only a modest increase for physician reimbursements: It eliminates Medicare for refugees, survivors of human trafficking or domestic violence, and people with temporary protected status. In addition, it blocks improvements to Medicare savings programs and nursing home staffing standards.

American citizens with a Low Income Subsidy, a cost sharing program with Medicare Part D was cut so the LIS recipients will have to pay more for prescriptions. Another cost sharing program called Medicare Savings Program was blocked and it will impact low income individuals who used it to afford things like prescription drugs, medical supplies, hospital stays and nursing facility care.

Impacts on the Affordable Care Act

The law is going to make it more difficult to enroll in coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as Obamacare, and then harder to keep coverage, due to a few changes:

Enrollees will need to update information around their income, immigration status, and other details every year, or risk losing coverage.

Plans are no longer automatically renewed. Individuals will have to manually reenroll every year during open enrollment. Last year, 10 million people were automatically reenrolled.

The open enrollment period has been shortened by a month—now ending December 15, rather than January 15. For the current plan year, 40% of people signed up after December 15.

New enrollees—including those who enroll outside of open enrollment due to a life event or income change—will need to prove eligibility before they can receive subsidies that help offset the cost of their monthly premium. This is a change from the current policy, which allows applicants to get up to 90 days of premium assistance during the application process.

It’s also likely to drive up the cost of ACA plans, due to what’s not in the law: The law does not extend the ACA premium tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Without those, premiums are predicted to increase for 2026 by an average of 75%. This is the issue at the center of the deadlock in the shutdown fight in Washington DC between the Democrats and the Republicans.

Legal Responses

Twenty-one Democratic attorneys general, including New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, sued in federal court to block the new policies of HHS and the labor and education departments. “By altering a “decades-old understanding” of federal law, the administration has “wreaked havoc, affecting dozens of vital community programs, millions of people, and billions of dollars in funding” to the states, the attorneys general said in an updated complaint.

New York sues to stop Medicaid cuts for Planned Parenthood. New York has filed a lawsuit against the federal government to stop a law that would cut Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. The lawsuit alleges that the new federal law targets the organization illegally and violates the First Amendment, the Spending Clause, and the ban on bills of attainder in the U.S. Constitution.

A U.S. appeals court panel on September 11 allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to block Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood while legal challenges continue. Nearly half of Planned Parenthood’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Lawsuit seeks to halt Medicaid terminations in Florida The Florida Health Justice Project and the National Health Law Program filed the lawsuit on behalf of three Floridians in US District Court in Jacksonville against the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and Families. The residents are a 25-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter, who has cystic fibrosis, as well as a 1-year-old girl.

Lawsuit challenges USDA demand for food stamp data as some states prepare to comply. In new guidance issued earlier this month, the USDA told states they must turn over data to the agency, through their third-party payment processors, “including but not limited to” names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and addresses of all applicants and recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, going back more than five years. More than 40 million people rely on the assistance each month. New York’s Attorney General Letitia James leads nationwide lawsuit against Trump admin over SNAP food benefit data demands.

States Win Order Blocking USDA Demand for SNAP Recipients’ Data A group of 21 states and the District of Columbia won a court order temporarily blocking the US Department of Agriculture from requiring states to turn over the sensitive data of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients.

What You Can Do

Visit the Actions Page and join organizations across the United States . Their actions include letter writing, canvassing, phone banking, demonstrations, texting and more.

Contact your Federal and State representatives and let your voice be heard. Did your US Senator or House Member support these cuts? What will your state do to support citizens who will be cut out of health care and food support?

DONATE to organizations that are working with the communities impacted by these cruel and malicious cuts.

NJ Citizen Action

Center For Medicare Advocacy

National Immigration Law Center

Modern Medicaid Alliance

Protecting Immigrant Families

AARP

Find your local Food Bank Donate donate donate and volunteer

Next Post The NYC Mayor and NJ Governor Races

Posted in Health Care, One Big Beautiful Bill, SNAP, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “Unlimited power in the hands of limited people always leads to cruelty,”

Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Debra29

Joseph Stalin

Targeting higher education is an essential tool in the autocratic playbook. Across the world, authoritarian leaders are targeting universities and professors to silence critical thinking and crush academic freedom.Threats to higher education in the U.S. resemble free speech and academic freedom challenges faced by universities in autocracies globally.

We are witnessing an unprecedented effort to target, intimidate, and exert greater control over U.S. higher education institutions. The Republican Trump administration has been using federal money as leverage to force its agenda on colleges. Project 2025 and a growing number of conservatives believe they must use the government to rein in the radicalization and corruption of the “woke elites” distributed in civil society, and all levels of government. American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Frederick Hess’s suggestion in National Review: “Institutions that apply ideological litmus tests—such as mandatory DEI statements for admission, hiring, or academic promotion—should be stripped of state subsidies and rendered ineligible for taxpayer-funded financial aid or student loans.”

The Republican Trump administration is using the government’s power to compel compliance with its views. Can a president determine what universities teach, whom they employ, how they admit people and what government largess they deserve as a result?

Harvard University

President Donald Trump acted to strip billions of dollars in government funding for Harvard’s education programs .The White House says it wants to send a message. It cites concerns from Jews on campus who said they were harassed during protests over the Gaza war. It says Harvard’s hiring and admissions discriminate against conservatives, especially white men with traditional views about gender. It says it wants to protect civil rights and free speech. The administration demanded extensive information about international students, staff payroll and protests. Then it tried to block nearly all foreign students from entering the country to attend Harvard. The Justice Department opened an investigation into the student-run Harvard Law Review.

Funding cuts and freezes
The administration cut $2.2 billion in multiyear research grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard, mostly from the National Institutes of Health.
It froze roughly 500 N.I.H. grants for Harvard-affiliated institutions, such as Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
It disqualified Harvard from future federal grants.
The administration terminated grants worth $450 million from eight federal agencies, saying the school was a “breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination.” It did not identify the agencies involved.

Columbia University

The Republican Trump Administration canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University, HHS alleged that Columbia violated Title VI, which prohibits those receiving federal financial assistance from discriminating in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, or national origin — including discrimination against individuals based on their actual or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or ancestry. It comes after recent executive orders barring diversity, equity and inclusion programs at all educational institutions that receive federal funds.

University of California

The Justice Dept. opened an inquiry into University of California hiring practices. The Trump administration has targeted the state system as part of its broad effort to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programs.

Duke University

The Republican Trump administration froze $108 million dollars in funds to Duke University. The university was accused of racial discrimination in its health care system, the latest high-profile school targeted and stripped of federal funding. Duke University is the latest high-profile school, from Columbia University to Harvard, that the Trump administration has targeted and stripped of a large amount of federal funding, based on vague accusations that the university abets antisemitism or supports diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The move comes amid a wider pressure campaign from the Trump administration to shift the ideological tilt of American higher education.

University of California LA

The Republican Trump Administration is freezing over $300 Million for UCLA. They accuse the university of adhering to “illegal affirmative action” policies, failing to do enough to combat antisemitism on campus and discriminating against women by allowing the participation of transgender athletes.

University of Virginia

The president of the University of Virginia, James E. Ryan, resigned in June, chased out by the Trump administration and a conservative alumni group known as the Jefferson Council, which has board connections.

George Mason University

The president of George Mason University, Gregory N. Washington, is facing an attack from the Trump administration and the university’s highly partisan board, appointed by the Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin.

Other Targeted Universities

The government suspended about $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania over a transgender swimmer who previously competed for the school. The Education Department investigated University of Pennsylvania as part of the administration’s broader attempt to remove transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports.

It halted dozens of research grants at Princeton. It froze more than $1 billion of Cornell University’s federal funding as it investigated allegations of civil rights violations. Northwestern University saw a halt of $790 million.

Trump has said colleges that don’t get in line with his administration’s priorities, like eliminating research related to being transgender or having diversity and inclusion programs may also lose federal funding. On Friday, his administration announced investigations into 50 universities as part of this DEI crackdown. The majority of those colleges, which include schools like the University of Kansas and the University of Utah – they partnered with a small nonprofit called The PhD Project that helps students from underrepresented groups earn doctoral degrees in business. The Education Department alleges the program limits eligibility based on race, and so colleges involved are engaging in, quote, “race-exclusionary practices.”

The Small Print of the Recent Settlements

Both Columbia and Brown promised to pay tens of millions of dollars to settle claims of violations of federal anti-discrimination laws, including accusations that they had tolerated antisemitism. As part of the settlements struck with two Ivy League universities in recent weeks, the Trump administration will gain access to the standardized test scores and grade point averages of all applicants, including information about their race, a measure that could profoundly alter competitive college admissions.

The release of such data has been on the wish list of conservatives who are searching for evidence that universities are dodging a 2023 Supreme Court decision barring the consideration of race in college admissions, and will probably be sought in the future from many more of them.

But college officials and experts who support using factors beyond test scores worry that the government — or private groups or individuals — will use the data to file new discrimination charges against universities and threaten their federal funding. The additional scrutiny is likely to resonate in admissions offices nationwide. It could cause some universities to reconsider techniques like recruitment efforts focused on high schools whose students are predominantly people of color, or accepting students who have outstanding qualifications in some areas but subpar test scores, even if they believe such actions are legal. Lastly, Trumps deals with top colleges may give rich applicants a bigger edge.

The Effect of The Cuts

Despite huge endowments Northwestern, Stanford, Columbia, Boston University, USC, Harvard and Brown are anticipating cuts this fall.

The Trump administration’s cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development hit Johns Hopkins University with $800 million in canceled funding, prompting the Baltimore-based institution to shut down numerous international programs and lay off 2,222 employees earlier this year.

There were hundreds of buyouts at Duke University. Duke officials announced the buyouts before the Trump administration froze $108 million in federal grants and contracts and opened investigations into alleged racial discrimination, accusing the university of emphasizing diversity over merit in hiring, admissions and other practices.

Legal Responses to date

Judge Blocks Trump Proclamation Barring Harvard’s International Students

Harvard files lawsuit against Trump Administration.

Eighteen research colleges are seeking to formally support Harvard University’s legal challenge against the Trump administration for cutting or freezing roughly $2.8 billion of the institution’s grants and contracts.

The American Association of University Professors and others argue in a new lawsuit that the executive orders violate the Constitution.

Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda

The Trump administration’s sweeping policy changes have been resisted with a wave of lawsuits. Hundreds have been filed by state attorneys and media organizations, physicians and nonprofits, migrants, international students, law firms and unions. Read about them here.

What You Can Do

My original post Determined to be free will link you to the various organizations you can join or support, in addition to contacting your Congressional and Senate representatives. Register for your college alumni association to see what your university is facing and what you can do to help.

Join Blue Sky, a social media platform designed as an alternative to X . You can follow your representatives and numerous organizations including Indivisible. They just posted a letter you can send to Harvard as an alumni, employee or public citizen.

Next Post: The Republican OBBA Act and its cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP

Posted in Higher Education, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?

Discrimination is alive and soaring.

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Debra29

Jonathan Kozol

The Republican Party has embraced the Heritage Foundation’s handbook, Project 2025. The Project’s handbook’s DEI recommendations fit into four main categories: (1) Abolishing DEI offices and personnel; (2) Ending the government’s participation in DEI initiatives; (3) Amending laws to align with a conservative vision of nondiscrimination; (4) Taking enforcement action against organizations that engage in DEI.

These goals have also seeped their way into state and local legislation. Since the Supreme Court’s blow to affirmative action in higher education admissions in 2023, state lawmakers have introduced more than 106 anti-DEIA bills. Now, President Donald Trump’s administration is working to eradicate DEIA initiatives and civil rights protections with executive orders that would reverse decades of federal anti-discrimination policies.

What is Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Accessibility?

Diversity ensures representation among qualified persons across race, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, military status, shared ancestry, parental status, persons who live in rural communities, and more so that institutions reflect the communities they serve.

Equity recognizes that inequalities exist and works to dismantle the barriers that disproportionately harm marginalized communities, ensuring fairness in access to resources and opportunities.

Inclusion ensures that institutions are not just diverse, but that all individuals, especially those historically excluded, can fully participate and contribute without fear of discrimination or bias

Accessibility expands opportunities for individuals of all abilities by removing physical, technological, and systemic barriers that may prevent full participation in society through reasonable accommodations, inclusive work and public spaces, and more.

On the one hand, DEI is a broad-brush term that refers to the policies and measures that organizations use to prevent discrimination, comply with civil rights laws and create environments more welcoming to people from marginalized backgrounds. The scope of DEI programs goes far beyond leveling the playing field for black and brown people. Other groups benefitting from DEI: White women, LGBTQ+ people, families who need IVF, disabled people and veterans.

Supporters of these diversity programs say they help companies hire and retain top talent and boost innovation and profits.”Talk to any CEO of a major Fortune 500 company. They’ll tell you that their bottom line, dollar wise, does better when there’s more diversity in the room,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a former civil rights lawyer and a Democrat, recently told the New York Times.

In 2023, the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious college admissions. The ruling didn’t have direct implications for companies but it energized conservative groups led by Stephen Miller, now White House deputy chief of staff for policy, and anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, who have targeted corporate “wokeism” at nearly four dozen companies from Apple to Pizza Hut-owner Yum! Brands.They took aim at controversial measures such as setting hiring targets, which they say are illegal racial quotas, for women and people of color.

The organization that Miller co-founded, America First Legal, recently called on the Labor Department to investigate federal contractors, like Meta and Lyft, with DEI policies that it says may violate federal law and Trump’s executive order. Another activist, Robby Starbuck, wrung concessions from corporations like Walmart and Target through pressure campaigns on social media.

A growing number of prominent companies have scaled back or set aside the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that much of corporate America endorsed following the protests that accompanied the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in 2020.Facebook and Instagram owner Meta canceled DEI programs altogether to align themselves with the Trump administration. The Companies Rolling Back DEI Programs as of April 11, 2025 – IBM, Gannet (nation’s largest paper publisher), United Health Group, MLB, Victoria Secret, Warner Bros, Goldman Sachs, Paramount, Bank of America, Black Rock, Citigroup, Pepsi, Coca -Cola, Disney and more. Several U.S. retailers that publicly scrapped diversity, equity and inclusion programs — including Target, Amazon and Tractor Supply — are maintaining certain efforts behind the scenes.

The Republican Administrations Anti-DEI Actions

Since Trump took office, the National Park Service —- an agency charged with preserving American history —- has changed how its website describes key moments from slavery to Jim Crow.

Earlier administrations investigated whether Native American school mascots were discriminatory. The Trump administration defends them, reflecting a broader shift.

K-12 schools must sign certification against DEI to receive federal money, administration says. “Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right,” Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement. He said many schools have flouted their legal obligations, “including by using DEI programs to discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another.“The use of certain DEI practices can violate federal law,” the administration wrote in the certification, adding that it is illegal for programs to advantage one race over another.

Trump executive order on Smithsonian targets funding to programs with ‘improper ideology’. “Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,”

Frustrations, fear of erasing history voiced after artifacts returned from African American history museum. The removals come after the Trump administration issued an executive order to remove certain pieces of history from the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., one of which is the NMAAHC..

Colleges Must Eliminate DEI Programs to Receive Research Funding, NIH Says The N.I.H. has terminated hundreds of diversity grants awarded to young researchers, many of whom come from the very places that supported Trump. The push to end D.E.I. has been a blunt instrument, eliminating highly competitive grant programs that defined diversity well beyond race and gender. Those who have lost grants include not only Black and Latino scientists, but also many like Mr. Dillard, who are white and from rural areas, which are solidly Trump country. The administration has denounced universities as hotbeds of liberal elitism, inhospitable to viewpoint diversity. The canceled diversity grant programs were intended to make science less elite, by developing a pipeline from poorer areas of the country that tend to be more conservative.

Legal Responses

A lawsuit was filed that challenges constitutionality of Anti-DEI orders. The plaintiffs are the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, and Baltimore’s mayor and city council. They argue that the executive orders undermine efforts to correct historical discrimination against women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ individuals.

A coalition of civil rights organizations, including the National Urban League, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Lambda Legal, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging recent executive orders aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives within federally funded institutions.

The Trump Administration’s Department of Education recently issued a “Dear Colleague” letter, which threatens federal funding cuts for education institutions for engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.The NEA and ACLU have filed a lawsuit challenging the letter, arguing it imposes unfounded and vague legal restrictions and limits academic freedom.

Judge issues temporary injunction against Trump administration cancellation of humanities grants. In reaching her decision, the judge said the “defendants terminated the grants based on the recipients’ perceived viewpoint, in an effort to drive such views out of the marketplace of ideas. This is most evident by the citation in the Termination Notices to executive orders purporting to combat ‘Radical Indoctrination’ and ‘Radical … DEI Programs,’ and to further ‘Biological Truth.’”

Federal judge strikes down NIH directives against DEI research. A federal judge on Monday vacated the National Institutes of Health’s directives to eliminate research funding for diversity, equity and inclusion-related projects.

Community Responses

Boycotting large corporations over DEI rollbacks. Consumers across the country are trying to hit large corporations where they hurt: their bottom line. The group People’s Union USA is urging buyers to stop shopping at major companies like Walmart, Target and Amazon in protest of corporate control and following the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The National Urban League backed last month’s economic blackout by urging consumers to be intelligent about how they spend their money.

Fast-food giant, Mc Donald’s is facing a weeklong boycott over corporate DEI rollbacks. The boycott is a show of economic resistance against McDonald’s abandonment of DEI goals, including leadership diversity targets and supplier inclusion programs. McDonald’s Responds to Nationwide Boycott

A coalition of civil rights groups have launched a weeklong initiative to condemn Donald Trump’s attacks on Black history, including recent executive orders targeting the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington DC.

State & Local Government Responses

In New Jersey, a bill was introduced that would require diversity, equity, and inclusion offices in all state agencies
New York Warns Trump It Will Not Comply With Public School D.E.I. Order
Mass. schools boss defies Trump DEI edict: State will ‘continue to promote diversity’
Democratic-led cities and states push back on threats to cut US school funding over DEI

What Else You Can Do

The League of Women Voters created an excellent resource on How DEI Impacts Us – And Democracy.
Join your local League to get involved in advocacy within your community.

Call or email your federal, state and local representatives , and insist they remain committed to DEI .

Far-Right Candidates Are Trying To Take Over Public Schools Across The Country. Consider serving your community as a volunteer member of your local board of education. Each state has a school board association which will guide you through the steps. Or attend your local school board meetings to confirm curriculum decisions do not reflect the anti-DEI initiatives.

Become involved with your local library. Book banning is not new to this country. It’s just on a whole other level Local libraries are generally controlled by a local government entity, often with oversight from a library board or commission. Across the South over the last decade, control of what happens on bookshelves has turned into a pitched battle, with white supremacist and Christian nationalist groups on one side facing off against an unlikely coalition of progressives, educators, Black leaders and drag queens on the other.

Donate and/or volunteer with organizations committed to fighting the Republican’s anti-DEI goals:

ACLU

National Urban League

Legal Defense Fund – NAACP

Lambda Legal

Southern Poverty Law Center

Next Post: The Assault on Colleges

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There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Debra29

Elie Wiesel

The Trump Administration has militarized our own government against immigrant communities, fueling a lawless crackdown on people who came to this country seeking peace, safety, and the American dream. And the New York GOP rubber-stamped it, giving Trump a green light to wage war on immigrants. ……..U.S. Representative Dan Goldman

Enforced disappearance is the secret abduction or detention of a person by a state or political organization, or their proxies, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person’s whereabouts and condition. This practice is recognized as a serious violation of human rights and is frequently used as a strategy to spread terror within society.

Our Voices

Federal, State and Local Responses

Here is a skeleton profile of a one coordinated response from New York representatives. The same should be happening with your congressional, state and local representatives.

Legislation
My U.S. Representative Dan Goldman introduced the No Secret Police Act – which would ban ICE agents from wearing masks while engaging in civil immigration enforcement.

He coordinated with local representatives;
ICE and DHS have been detaining law-abiding, nonviolent immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza, New York in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. Last week, he joined NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander outside 26 Federal Plaza to protest ICE’s conduct.

Demanding ICE Stop Housing Immigration Detainees at the Notoriously Violent Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center
The Trump Administration has been sending non-criminal, non-charged, and nonviolent immigrants, many of whom have ongoing asylum cases, to be detained in federal prisons across the country. Currently, over 100 immigrant detainees are being housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, many lacking any criminal record. Last week (he)  I sent an oversight letter to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) demanding answers on their new interagency agreement with ICE and for the BOP to immediately suspend all transfers to MDC and any other facility with a documented history of unsafe conditions. 

My state senator joined, “ICE is disappearing immigrants, many of whom have no criminal records, into a jail that a judge called ‘contemptuous of human life and dignity.’ That should appall all of us,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “This isn’t about public safety—it’s a show of force meant to instill fear in our communities and keep immigrants in the shadows. It’s incredibly dangerous, disturbing and un-American. It must end now.”

What has your federal, state and local representatives done? Your phone calls, texts and emails with your electeds make a difference. Receive their newsletters. Hold them accountable for decisions made regarding mass deportations, ICE raids and detention centers. Meet them during open hours. Attend town halls .

Community Responses

Flemington Residents Band Together as ‘Beloved’ Member of Community Apprehended by ICE The council unanimously condemned the actions of ICE in town.

Adirondack communities respond to ICE enforcement.

How Chicago communities are resisting ICE raids.

What has your town council done in response to ICE raids?

Faith Leaders Respond

Catholic Bishops Try to Rally Opposition to Trump’s Immigration Agenda – As the Trump administration escalates its aggressive deportation campaign, Roman Catholic bishops across the United States are raising objections to the treatment of migrants and challenging the president’s policy.

US faith leaders opposed to ICE raids counsel nonviolent resistance and lead by example.

What Can Congregations Do To Prepare For Immigration Raids?

Dozens of Jewish groups protest Trump’s plans for mass deportation.

Council of American Islamic Relations Condemns Violent ICE Raids on Farms in Ventura County, Demands Full Accountability

Industry Responses

After early reprieve from immigration enforcement, farming industry reckons with raids. This administrations broad immigration crackdown was hurting industries and constituencies he does not want to lose – farms, hotels and eateries. Immigration Raids Are Threatening Businesses that Supply America’s Food, Farm Bureaus Say.

A U.S. crackdown on foreign-born workers could spell trouble for the hotel and hospitality industry, which has lobbied for years to expand the pathways for immigration to the United States to help fill over 1 million job vacancies. The National Restaurant Association, along with state hospitality associations, has urged President Trump to provide “targeted relief” from his immigration crackdown. They advocate for policies like deferred action with work authorization for long-serving employees who meet certain criteria, such as passing background checks and paying taxes. Some restaurants and industry groups are taking steps to support immigrant workers directly, such as establishing emergency relief funds and offering guidance on legal rights.

How President Trump’s immigration crackdown is impacting construction

Legal Actions

20 States Sue Over Federal Effort to Deny Migrants Access to Safety Net

27 religious groups sue Trump administration to protect houses of worship from immigration arrests

Groups Take Legal Action to Halt Trump Fast-Track Deportation Policy

Massachusetts Sanctuary Cities Sue To Stop Trump From Entangling Them In Federal Immigration Enforcement

‘Brazen, midday kidnappings:’ LA immigration sweeps violate Constitution, lawsuit says

What Else You Can Do

Indivisible has excellent suggestions on How You Can Be An Immigrant Ally Locally.

Join and support the groups on the Actions 2025 post. Their coordination led to the The “Good Trouble Lives On” national day of action this past July 17. Protests and events against President Donald Trump’s controversial policies that include mass deportations and cuts to Medicaid and other safety nets for poor people occurred at more than 1,600 locations around the country.

Donate and/or volunteer with the following organizations. They work against immigration raids by providing legal defense, advocacy, and community organizing:

Immigrant Rights American Civil Liberties Union

The Immigration Defense Project IDP

The National Immigration Law Center

RAICES

Next Post: Assault #2

Posted in Immigration, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.

Actions 2025

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Debra29

“You do have to steel yourself. You do have to prepare yourself for the next turn of the news cycle, the next development. Every day you see another attack on the rule of law. You see another attack on the constitutional order, and it does require you to toughen up and, for lack of a better phrase, to prepare yourself for what’s coming. And what I hear you say — that is very, very powerful and so very true — you also have to find a community. It’s hard to do this isolated and on your own.”

To Save Democracy, Here’s A Playbook That Works

The Heritage Foundation is the conservative Washington-based think tank that’s best known for spearheading Project 2025, This is the blueprint for President Trump’s second term that called for reshaping the federal government and an extreme expansion of presidential power. The Republican Party supports President Trump in every way possible, including reaching the follow Project 2025 objectives:


1. It proposes that the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies such as the Department of Justice, be placed under direct presidential control – a controversial idea known as “unitary executive theory”.
2. The proposals also call for eliminating job protections for thousands of government employees, who could then be replaced by political appointees.
3. The document labels the FBI a “bloated, arrogant, increasingly lawless organization”. It calls for drastic overhauls of the agency and several others, as well as the complete elimination of the Department of Education.
4. Abortion and Family – it proposes withdrawing the abortion pill mifepristone from the market, and using existing but little-enforced laws to stop the drug being sent through the post.
5. Immigration – Project 2025 authors suggest dismantling the Department of Homeland Security and combining it with other immigration enforcement units in other agencies, creating a much larger and more powerful border policing operation. On this issue, his administration promises to go in a slightly different direction – and potentially much further – than the Project 2025 proposals

Read on to realize that most policy decisions being made come straight from this conservative think tank including Energy, climate and trade and Education, tech and DEI. In addition, even before President Trump was re-elected, the Heritage Foundation set out to destroy pro-Palestinian activism in the United States.

The Trump Republican decisions are also influenced by The Federalist Society. It focuses on the legal field, promoting conservative and libertarian interpretations of law and influencing judicial appointments.The Federalist Society played a major role in selecting and steering 234 Trump-nominated judges, including three Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. These appointments significantly shifted the federal judiciary to the right.

Despite the successful partnership in stacking the courts with conservative judges, tensions have emerged more recently. Trump has publicly criticized the Federalist Society and Leonard Leo, expressing disappointment that some of his appointed judges did not rule in his favor regarding the 2020 election. This has led to speculation that Trump may now view Federalist Society ties as detrimental to potential nominees. In fact some say the next Conservative Civil War is upon us.

Follow the Project 2025 Tracker to see how the authoritarian blueprint’s executive action proposals are on track.

Action Planning

As in the past, actions can take several forms: demonstrations, rallies, donations, petitions, town halls, letters, emails, phone banking, text banking, social media posts, community building, local, state, and federal actions. Join an organization below that has the infrastructure and expertise to fight for our democracy.

Organizations

50501 Movement (50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement)

American Civil Liberties Union – each state has a local division

American Federation of Teachers

Community Workers of America

Declaration for American Democracy

Good Trouble Lives On

Indivisible Has local chapters

League of Women Voters Has local chapters

Move On

Public Citizen

Third Act

Service Employees International Union

Social Security Works

Many, many choices

Join one of the over 200 organizations who supported and organized the No Kings Demonstrations across the United State on June 14, 2025.

Contact your Federal, State and Local Representatives who are in the process of creating legislation in response to each assault.

Join a neighborhood group. Our neighborhood started a FaceBook page for a well loved, law abiding resident who was arrested by ICE when he went to renew his work papers. The neighborhood set up a Go Fund Me for the family, and showed up at each local and county meeting that dealt with supporting ICE . They also involved our Senators (both Democrats). The man was consequently kept in a jail in this state and not deported as of yet. Be present. Be vocal. Be brave.

Next Post: An executive branch assault, legal challenges to date, and organizations that can use your support in the fight

Assaults to Date

Academic Institutions, Climate , DEI, DOGE cuts, Food Banks, Immigration & ICE, Journalism, Justices, OBBA (one big beautiful bill), Medicare, Medicaid, Public Media, Science, Social Security, Tarriffs, Transgender, Voting, War

Posted in Resistance, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Actions 2025

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being.

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Debra29

Eleanor Roosevelt

Governor’s Race below Updated June 11

Mikie Sherrill wins the Democratic primary
Jack Ciattarelli wins the Republican primary.

Sherrill beat out five other Democrats for her party’s nod, pitching herself as the most electable candidate — after her party struggled in the state last year compared with other recent presidential elections — and as a Democrat willing to stand up to Trump. She also leaned heavily on her background as a former Navy helicopter pilot and on criticism of Trump.

“It’s going to take a strong voice to cut through the noise from Washington and deliver for the people. So I stand here tonight doing just that. And as a mom of four teenagers, you guys know I’m not going to put up with the incompetent, whiny nonsense coming from aggrieved MAGA Republicans,” Sherrill told her supporters Tuesday at a victory rally.You probably can’t do better than to quote George Washington at this moment: Fix the bayonets, I’m resolved to take Trenton,” Sherrill added.”

The New Jersey Primary election results including Governor and State Assembly relied on a redesigned ballot intended to give all candidates a fair shot, it is the first race in decades that was not largely predetermined by local party leaders.

This is also the first year for a governor’s race under a 2023 campaign finance law that appears to have opened the door to this year’s record spending by independent groups backing candidates.

NJ primary 2025: What the numbers reveal

Record turnout, record spending, and history made as Dems nominate a woman for governor for first time. The results of New Jersey’s primary were both predictable and surprising: The frontrunners won the gubernatorial nominations, but few predicted the speed and decisiveness of the wins by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th) and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

New Jersey Primary
Tuesday June 10, 2025
6am – 8pm

New Jersey has a closed primary system, meaning only Democrats and Republicans can vote for their party’s nominees to run in the general election.

Unaffiliated voters, who are not registered as either a Democrat or a Republican, may choose to vote in the state’s primary, but they must declare a party to do so. If you’re interested WHYY explains how to do so.along with other NJ Primary information.

New Jersey Voter Registration
Deadline: Tuesday May 20

Anyone can register to vote, so long as they are a U.S. citizen, have been a resident of their New Jersey county for at least 30 days before the election and will be at least 18 on or before Election Day.

You can register to vote online. You will need your date of birth and either a current and valid Driver’s License, a non-driver Identification Card (ID card) issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) or a Social Security card.

New Jerseyans can find out whether they are already registered to vote.

Early Voting Period
Tuesday June 3 – Sunday June 8

This new option enables all registered voters to cast their ballot in person, using a voting machine, during in-person early voting period prior to Election Day. You can now choose to vote, in person, when it’s most convenient for your schedule.

No matter where you live in the county, you can vote your specific ballot at any of your county’s designated in-person early voting locations. Find your county’s locations here.

In-Person Early Voting for both the Primary Election and the General Election. Early voting locations will be open from at least 10 am to 8 pm on Mondays through Saturdays, and from at least 10 am to 6 pm on Sundays. No appointment is necessary. Accommodations will be made for voters with disabilities.

Vote By Mail

Any voter may apply for vote-by-mail by completing the Application for Vote-By-Mail Ballot and returning the application to their County Clerk.

After you complete your Vote-By-Mail Ballot, return your ballot by one of three ways, mail it back, place it in one of your county’s Secure Ballot Drop Box Locations or return it to your County Board of Elections Office.

The New Jersey Department of State, Division of Elections, provides a video to help you through the steps.

Voters can check the status of their mail ballots online.

Return your ballot. How you return it is up to you.
Select one of the following three ways:
Mail: It must be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. Election Day and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before 6 days after Election Day.
Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place it in one of your county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Secure Ballot Drop Box locations
Board of Elections Office: Deliver it in person to your county’s Board of Elections Office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. County Election Officials

WHYY provides further information regarding if you received a mail ballot, but want to vote in person.

The Race for New Jersey Governor
(updated June 3)

The Democrats include Ras Baraka, Steven Fulop, Josh Gottheimer, Mikie Sherrill, Sean Spiller and Stephen Sweeney. The Republicans include Jon Bramnick, Jack Ciattarelli, and Bill Spadea.

The New York Times sent a wide-ranging survey to candidates for governor of New Jersey about housing, immigration, abortion, transit, affordability, schools and climate.

The race for governor of New Jersey includes a large field of Democratic primary candidates competing against each other — and trying not to be drowned out by the drama in Washington. That’s a particular challenge for the Democratic contenders, who include two members of Congress, two big-city mayors and two union leaders.Each Democrat is trying to carve a path to victory.

New Jersey is set to hold its gubernatorial elections this year, with hotly contested primaries set for next month — and many experts are saying the high-stakes race could be a harbinger for the mood of the country ahead of 2026’s critical midterm elections.

As of May 27, Rep. Mikie Sherrill is the frontrunner and getting knocked by opponents and watchers of Garden State politics. But Sherrill is running just the type of campaign that made Murphy governor while embracing the Democratic establishment, opponents and close observers of Garden State politics say. “But where I sit, I think the voters are looking for a candidate who is not going to say ‘I’m part of the institution, promote me’ — but someone who says ‘I’m going to remake the institution.’

In new television ads and mailers in June, Sherrill’s rivals have bashed her wealth, her establishment ties, and past campaign contributions she accepted from a PAC associated with SpaceX, the spaceflight company helmed by Elon Musk. The grievances aren’t new, but they’re escalating as the primary approaches. And they’re coming from candidates like Steve Fulop and Ras Baraka, who are running as anti-establishment insurgents, as well as party darlings like Steve Sweeney as they look to erode Sherrill’s support among voters, many of whom remain undecided.

NJ PBS and NYNC radio covered the May 7 debate between Republicans Bramnick, Ciattarelli (recently supported by Trump) and Spadea. You can watch the full conversation here. They sparred for an hour on issues ranging from affordability and housing to education and federal funding cuts in one of two required debates.

The USA TODAY Network New Jersey surveyed nine of the candidates on topics ranging from transit to taxes, affordability, housing and justice reform to give residents a frame of reference on where the potential nominees from each party stand.

Will GOP gains in the wake of Trump’s victory shake up the Garden State governor’s race? The conservative think tank, the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research’s City Journal seems to think so.

Still undecided by June 3?

The second debates of the 2025 governor’s race, sponsored by NJ PBS, was on Monday, May 12, for the Democrats. You can view it through the link.

That was followed by the third and final gubernatorial debates, sponsored by the New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey and Rider University: Sunday, May 18 for the Democrats and Tuesday, May 20 for the Republicans.

The debates linked above were 2.5 hours and be centered around three specific issue topics: Democrats debated on Taxes and Affordability, Education, and Public Transportation and Development; and Republicans debated on Taxes and Affordability, Education, and Crime.

Politico has created an interactive face -off between a Republican and Democrat to help you decide whom to vote for.

Here’s how the Democrats running to be governor say they’ll make New Jersey more affordable.

Finally, CBS has provided in depth interviews on the issues with each candidate for New Jersey Governor.

The Races for New Jersey General Assembly

New Jersey has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature

New Jersey has 40 legislative districts, and each one is represented by one senator and two members of the Assembly (senators are not on the ballot this year). Legislative elections are held in November of each odd-numbered year. .Members of the New Jersey General Assembly serve two-year terms. All 80 seats in the New Jersey General Assembly are up for election in 2025.

More candidates are running for seats in the New Jersey Assembly this year than they have at any point since Jimmy Carter was president.This year, 209 Assembly candidates — 123 Democrats and 86 Republicans — will vie for their parties’ nomination on June 10, up from the 170 that ran for the lower chamber when it was last on the ballot in 2023. Just two sitting legislators are seeking reelection unopposed. Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Mercer) and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli (D-Mercer) have no primary challengers, and no Republicans filed to run in their 15th Legislative District.

“New Jersey LCV is proud to endorse our largest ever slate of candidates in legislative primaries, because the stakes for our environment and democracy have never been higher,” said Allison McLeod, Deputy Director of New Jersey LCV. “As we face unprecedented rollbacks in environmental protections at the federal level, it’s critical New Jersey has bold champions here at home who will fight for clean energy, environmental justice, and our democratic institutions.

Find your elected officials and district number.

Then use your district number to determine who the Primary candidates are in your New Jersey General Assembly district. Find their campaign websites and see how they stand on the issues facing New Jersey.

The Virginia Governor’s Race

In what could be a key 2025 bellwether, Virginia’s race for governor will also make history, all but guaranteeing the Commonwealth’s first female governor. Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA officer, will face Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran, after both state parties confirmed their nominees in recent days.One of the only competitive races of the year, the Virginia gubernatorial contest will be closely watched by both parties — and is often treated as a referendum on the president’s party.

The conventional wisdom in New Jersey politics is that the party that wins the presidency is given a disadvantage in the next year’s gubernatorial race. New Jersey and Virginia are the only states that hold gubernatorial elections the year after presidential years, making them national bellwethers for the political environment headed into the midterms.

Local and State Actions

Become informed, Vote, Donate, Volunteer for candidates in this year’s city and state elections. Attend town halls, fund raising events, zoom meetings, community gatherings. Let your voice be heard.

Federal Actions

In response to any and all actions by the present federal administration.

  1. Call, email and show up at your local representative’s office. Daily. . Hold House and Senate Republicans responsible for each and every Executive action taken by this administration.

2. Join National Networks:

Indivisible

Move On

Vote Forward

Vote Riders

League of Women Voters New Jersey

3. Hold your Democratic elected officials responsible for showing up and responding to what this administration is doing. . Attend their town halls, offices, and demand that they lead rallies and marches that you participate in. Demand that they stand in for Republican town halls when the Republicans fail to hold one.

4. Join any community actions that are in support of Americans who are affected by the recent decisions made by this administration.

Next Post: Federal Cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, The Assaults on the Judicial Branch

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