Desi Weekly News Digest
Your weekly roundup of major news stories affecting our community
Progressive Wins Edition
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Stay informed and engaged with your community. Share your thoughts on these stories with your social media accounts, friends and family on WhatsApp. Have news tips or community stories? Email us at tsbmarcomm@gmail.com
The speed at which the Trump administration has been breaking the fundamental pillars of the American Dream is designed to shock and awe and has made all of us despair.
BUT…
Democratic representatives at the federal and local levels, volunteers, and activists like you have been pushing back. The Tesla Takedown has been a massive success, and companies that publicly went back on DEI initiatives and law firms that buckled to the administration’s illegal demands have been feeling the pain of public protest. Judges appointed by Republican presidents, even some Trump appointees, have been pointing out the unconstitutionality of Trump’s Executive Orders.
Here is a partial list of progressive wins over the last few months:
Judge Allison Burroughs granted a Temporary Restraining Order for Harvard after the university sued the administration for barring international students.
Judge John Bates struck down Trump’s EO targeting the law firm Jenner and Block.
Judge Myong John blocked the EO shutting down the Department of Education.
John Ewing Jr. was elected as the first Black Democratic mayor of Omaha, NE, a seat that went for the incumbent republican by 30 points in 2021.
Dr. Badal Suri, a Georgetown student who was abducted illegally by ICE in March, has been released on bond.
Justice Allison Riggs has been sworn in to the North Carolina Supreme Court after a six-month legal battle in which her opponent tried to throw out votes.
A judge in Montana ruled that a local law banning trans healthcare services is unconstitutional.
The Library of Congress refused to let Trump’s acting Librarian of Congress into the building until Congress confirmed him. Trump had previously fired the current Black librarian for “DEI” reasons.
Rumeysa Ozturk, the student ICE arrested for exercising her free speech rights, was released on bail.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed an executive order protecting autistic Illinoisians from having their data shared without their consent.
City of Orlando, FL, Commissioner Tony Ortiz switched from Republican to Democrat because of the GOP’s harsh stance on immigration and LGBTQ people.
NY AG Letitia James is leading a group of 19 attorneys general in suing the Trump administration for attempting to dismantle the Department of Health and Human Services.
Two wins occurred in Pennsylvania voting rights cases: mail-in ballots without a date or the wrong date must be counted, and the Republican effort to remove 277,000 voters from the rolls was rejected.
Every single anti-LGBTQ bill introduced in this session of the Florida Congress failed.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill to protect contraception and IVF.
Democratic Angela Ramirez massively overperformed to win an Iowa state House seat.
Former Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed more than 120 lawsuits against the Trump administration, successfully defending DACA and the ACA.
Democratic leaders in states like California and Illinois have convened special legislative sessions to counteract Trump administration policies.
The House Democratic caucus has a litigation task force to challenge federal job cuts and other policies.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders’ Broligarchy Tour has received tremendous response in red states.
All our voices are making a difference! The arc of the moral universe can and will bend towards justice if we keep fighting!
You can help! Our next effort at TSB is working on the elections in Virginia. This year, we have a gubernatorial race with Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and US representative, as the Democratic candidate. Democrats are contesting every seat in the Virginia House of Delegates this year. Such control would protect Virginia's reproductive rights, civil rights, and worker rights. A Democratic win would signal to Trump that the American people do not endorse his policies.
Join us in our effort. Reach out at tsbmarcomm@gmail.com with the subject line “Virginia Election Task Force” to get details on how to volunteer. We have every opportunity — from simply donating to the effort to writing postcards, to phone and text banking, and more. This is your opportunity to signal your anger and frustration against daily actions that damage the country.