The Trump administration has constructed a remote detention camp in the Everglades, known as “Alligator Alcatraz”, where immigrants are subjected to inhumane conditions, including lack of sleep, information, and medical care, and is pushing a federal megabill to expand state and local power to arrest, detain, and deport migrants.
Former FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Feinberg resigned after being accused of political unreliability and forced retirements of senior executives, and he intends to continue serving the country by critiquing the administration’s shift in priorities.
Matthew Kozma, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis, has raised concerns by promoting illegal conduct and undermining privacy rights, as Just Security argues that the agency’s oversight has collapsed and the civil rights office may be eliminated.
CEQA reforms are a necessary step in streamlining housing development, but they will not solve the entire housing crisis in California, which is a national problem requiring political courage, financial tools, and federal leadership.
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari in two federal cases involving transgender youth challenging laws that ban their participation in school and college sports, and the ACLU is fighting to protect the freedom of all students to participate in sports and end discriminatory laws.
The Republican Party is supporting President Trump’s second-term agenda, which includes attempts to dismantle birthright citizenship and pass legislation impacting healthcare, immigration, and the social safety net, while legal challenges and opposition from the ACLU and other organizations are underway.
As Americans celebrate Independence Day, they must confront the reality of a deepening crisis of freedom and democracy, with elected officials being arrested and targeted by ICE and Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship and build mass repression infrastructure.
ICE is excluding transgender population statistics from its public reports, in violation of congressional mandate, and is also excluding data on people who may be susceptible to harm in the general population due to how others interpret or assume their sexual orientation or presentation.
The Trump administration is implementing an authoritarian agenda that targets political dissent, erodes democratic institutions, and reshapes U.S. governance around Christian nationalism and ethno-nationalist policy goals.
The Defender Association of Philadelphia has issued a statement vowing to defend immigrants from fear, detention and deportation, regardless of their immigration status, in response to a memorandum from President Trump threatening to sanction lawyers who sue him over “baseless partisan” attacks.
Crime rates have declined in 2024, with violent crime returning to pre-pandemic levels, and Trump is finally acknowledging the trend, but it’s important to recognize that the decline was driven by government investment in evidence-based strategies and not by Trump’s policies.
Labor law scholar Matthew W. Finkin has compared former President Donald Trump’s actions to those of Adolf Hitler in his opinion piece, warning of the erosion of democratic governance and the rule of law in the United States.
Mass incarceration is a public health crisis that harms the health and well-being of incarcerated people, corrections staff, families, and communities, and is disproportionately detrimental to Black people, with the impact of immigration detention only exacerbating the problem.
Political violence in the United States is increasing and becoming normalized, with elected officials from both parties reporting death threats and swatting incidents, and the Federal Election Commission changing the rules to allow campaign funds to be used for security.
Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ claims of California’s governance problems by pointing out that the highest murder rates in the country are in red states, and that California’s homicide rate is lower than Arkansas’ and other red states.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a strong rebuke to President Trump’s unauthorized use of federal military power in Los Angeles, calling it authoritarianism and warning of the dangers of a country sliding into tyranny.
An Oklahoma judge has stayed the execution of John Fitzgerald Hanson, who was convicted of killing a woman in 1999, after his attorneys argued he was denied a fair clemency hearing due to bias among board members.
Demagogues such as Father Charles Coughlin, Huey Long, and Charles Lindbergh failed to reach the presidency, but Donald Trump succeeded due to the systemic decay and erosion of democratic norms, and if we want to prevent another collapse, we must rebuild those foundations.
Congressman Mike Thompson, who voted for HR 224 to deliver food to Gaza, believes that a negotiated ceasefire and stepped-up efforts for a peaceful two-state solution are necessary to end the Israeli-Gaza conflict, but has yet to show his own willingness to defy norms and stand up for democracy.
Trump’s pardons are being used to reward his friends and allies, undermine the rule of law, and erode public faith in institutions, while his opponents are threatened with prosecution or surveillance.