Washington, D.C. – On March 14, Filipino and other community activists gathered outside of the Embassy of the Philippines to celebrate the arrest of the dictator Rodrigo Duterte, while also mourning the victims of his brutal regime.

The action began with organizers from Anakbayan DC leading the crowd in chants in both English and Tagalog, shouting, “Stop the killings in the Philippines!” and “Makibaka, huwag matakot!” The protesters then attempted to take the street, but the police present at the action verbally warned the crowd and began a kettling process, pushing protesters back onto the sidewalk.

Speakers from Malaya DC, Anakbayan DC, and the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), celebrated Duterte’s arrest and denounced the crimes he committed while in office. Connections were also drawn between repression seen locally and what is seen in the Philippines.

“Let’s be clear, today is a huge victory for the people’s movement,” said the speaker from DCAARPR, “The Duterte regime will try their best to sidestep the ICC ruling, but it is our job to be unrelenting and ensure that he is put away for his crimes against humanity”

The protest continued with calls for future mobilization against Trump, citing comparisons between his repressive regime and the Duterte era in the Philippines.

“The rollbacks against federal workers, the imminent ICE raids, and political kidnapping of Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil, are all reminiscent of martial law in the Philippines,” continued the speaker for DCAARPR, “Our enemy knows it is in their best interests to be united around a common goal, now is time for us to unite the strands of the people’s struggles so that we become an impenetrable united front!”

#WashingtonDC #DCAARPR #International #Philippines #Trump

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, March 11, the local Palestine solidarity movement sprang into action to demand the release of student activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian illegally detained by ICE last week for his role in the Palestine-solidarity encampment at Columbia University. Although Khalil is a resident of New York, he was transported to a detention facility four hours away from the city of New Orleans, Jena, Louisiana for holding.

Activists rapidly mobilized a press conference, phone zap, and demonstrations, making it clear to the Trump administration and ICE that the movement in Louisiana will fight for Khalil’s release.

Press conference and phone zap calls on Representative Troy Carter to take action

At noon, six organizations spoke at an emergency press conference in front of Louisiana Representative Troy Carter’s downtown office demanding that he pushes for the release of Khalil and the reinstatement of his green card. The New Orleans for Palestine Coalition organized a day-long phone zap to ring his office.

Majdi Jaber of the New Orleans chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement reiterated the Coalition’s demand for Troy Carter to “align his actions with his words and meet with the Palestinian Youth, our elders, and our coalition partners, and also to join [Congresswoman] Rashida Tlaib and 13 other colleagues in the House in signing a letter that formally calls for the release of Mahmoud Khalil.”

Rory MacDonald, a Tulane student suspended for participationin a university encampment for Gaza, spoke on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). MacDonald said that Trump and his administration “are under the impression that they can get away with things in Louisiana that they cannot get away with in New York. We are here to tell them that they are dead wrong. The people and the students in New Orleans and Louisiana are watching, and we are going to raise hell in this city until Mahmoud Khalil is free!”

Troy Carter’s office has since released a statement condemning Trump’s attacks on students, stating, “I stand firmly against the misuse of federal power to suppress free speech. I am committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and will continue to push back against any effort that undermines the Constitution.”

Students take the streets in solidarity, demand sanctuary policies for immigrants

Later in the day at 4:30 p.m., over 100 people rallied and took to the streets demanding Khalil’s release and that Tulane and Loyola Universities declare themselves sanctuary campuses and refuse to comply with ICE. The rally began with chants like “Don’t give in to racist fears, immigrants are welcome here!” and “We want justice, you say how: free Mahmoud Khalil now!”

Student speeches called out their universities’ failures to protect immigrant students and explained why their demands must be met.

“In 2016 when students first organized to fight for this very struggle, the Tulane Undergraduate Assembly passed a resolution in favor of sanctuary. However, Tulane ignored them,” ​said Navya Prakash, a member of Together United SDS. Prakash elaborated that sanctuary policies would make it so that universities would not disclose information about students’immigration statuses to ICE, and not permit ICE on campus without a warrant.

Protesters then marched down to Saint Charles Avenue, a major roadway and home to both Tulane and Loyola University. The action halted traffic and occupied the street as Nadir Benslimane, a member of Liberate and Unite New Orleans SDS, spoke out against the purpose of political repression against activists.

Benslimane stated, “The goal of the Trump administration right now is to ensure that no one can use their free speech to speak out against the injustices that Trump and his cronies are committing here or supporting abroad.” The Trump administration has particularly targeted universities with threats to end federal funding for those that maintain their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Students then relocated to the sidewalk in front of Loyola University, chanting “Loyola, don’t comply, we are keeping DEI!” The protest concluded with calls to join one of the many organizations present to continue struggling for their demands to be met.

#NewOrleansLA #NOLA #LoyolaUniversity #LOYNO #Trump #PYM #FreePalestine #FreeMahmoudKhalil #MahmoudKhalil #SDS #ICE #TulaneUniversity #Loyola #Tulane

Colorado Springs, CO – On March 8, International Women's Day, the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition (CSPC) organized a demonstration at the Pioneer's Museum to protest Trump's reactionary agenda that attacks women and LGBTQ people and their rights. About 300 people gathered, many chanted, “Women are unstoppable, a better world is possible!”

By the early afternoon, the front of Pioneers Museum was full of signs supporting women and LGBTQ people. Palestinian flags were flown for the martyrs and survivors in Gaza, where women have had to use tent scraps and other scavenged materials as tampons. The protest emphasized justice for mothers of victims of police crimes.

Rhiannon Moon from Voces Unidas talked about how the mass incarceration system takes money from much-needed social services, stating, “The police budget has doubled over ten years, and what are the results? We wait 17 minutes for emergency vehicles and police kill our neighbors.” The march was led by a banner calling for community control of the police.

The group then marched to Jeff Crank's office. Crank is a Republican senator who has called for attacks on any group thatdoesn’t support Trump's massive ICE raids. A speaker from No Small Act gave a speech on the generational fight for women's liberation, stating, “Our grandmothers fought for our reproductive health as a constitutional right. Roe was overturned in 2022 and since then maternal mortality rates have risen in states that have anti-choice litigation.”

The group marched back to the Pioneers Museum where speeches and chants resumed into the early evening.

#ColoradoSpringsCO #IWD #ICE #Trump #WomensRights #LGBTQ

Minneapolis, MN – On March 11, over 300 people protested in front of the Federal Building downtown Minneapolis to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil and an end to the Trump administration’s criminalization of the pro-Palestine student movement at U.S. The protest was a part of Student for a Democratic Society’s call for a National Day of Action in solidarity with Khalil.

On the evening of March 8, the Department of Homeland Security detained Palestinian Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil. This was the first detention after Trump ordered the State Department to deport students for pro-Palestine activism. Khalil is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a green card holder, and his arrest is an unlawful violation of freedom of speech and immigration laws.

Trump’s Executive Order 13899 requires “the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with each other […] report activities by alien students and staff relevant to those grounds and for ensuring that such reports about aliens lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.”

On February 28, The Department of Justice announced that a federal task force to “Combat Antisemitism” would visit ten college campuses that “experienced incidents of antisemitism.” Trump’s administration conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism and criminalizes students, staff and faculty who have protested a deadly genocide that has killed over 48,000 people in Gaza. This is a discrimination against Muslim, Palestinian and Middle Eastern students, faculty and staff. Columbia University and University of Minnesota are among campuses under investigation.

Crista Ocampo, an organizer with the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, spoke to the crowd, “We condemn this egregious case of political repression at the hands of ICE. ICE officers have terrorized communities across the country for far too long and now they are being used as a tool by Trump to further repress the Palestine movement. Shame! We won’t let them get away with this. Just look at the hard fought battle SDS put up and won against their administration to get the suspensions dropped for the Halimy Hall students. When our oppressors’ attacks become more blatant, it only makes it easier for us to unite with each other on the path to justice. We will never stop fighting because we know that that’s how we win.”

Lina Jebara, an organizer with the MN Anti-War Committee, closed out the protest, “These acts of political repression – of plucking community leaders from movements, of threatening organizers with unconstitutional deportations or with phony felony charges, as we’ve seen here in our community – are not new for this country. These are deliberate actions taken to make us fear retaliation for standing up against depraved injustices, to push us towards acquiescence. We’re out here today, after witnessing months of harrowing genocide in Palestine carried out by Israel on our dime, to say that these tactics do not and will not work on us.”

The protest was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee, UMN Educators for Justice in Palestine, UMN Students for a Democratic Society, and endorsed by UMN Students for Justice in Palestine, Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, and American Muslims for Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #Trump #SDS #MNAWC #SJP #MIRAC #JVP #AMP

Chicago, IL – Health care workers and veterans have been protesting at VA Hospitals across the country as President Donald Trump and his multibillionaire sidekick Elon Musk attempt to gut healthcare for veterans. Union members who work at VA Hospitals have been in the forefront of the fight to save veteran benefits.

VA hospitals were amongst the hardest hit by the firing of tens of thousands of federal workers. “We love our veterans,” Aimee Potter of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) told a February 26 rally outside the Jesse Brown VA Hospital in Chicago. “We are here to support them.”

U.S. military veterans have historically been given preference in hiring at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Despite this, Trump has already fired an estimated 6000 veterans in his first weeks in office. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced plans to cut 80,000 more jobs. Many of these jobs are held by veterans.

Pat Kearns is a registered nurse at the Iowa City VA and president of AFGE Local 2547. Appearing on the Fight Back! Radio podcast, Kearns noted, “Our patients are pretty fiercely loyal to us. Everybody at least has to give lip service, even in the Republican Party, to the fact that veterans deserve healthcare. And so I think it's death by a thousand cuts rather than one firing of half the employees in one fell swoop. The VA's been underfunded for a number of years. You don't have to kick it very hard to tip it.”

Workers and unions are not taking this lying down. Unions, including AFGE, have taken the Trump administration to court to block these illegal terminations. So far, many of the unions’ efforts have been successful.

Encouraged by the AFL-CIO, workers, including veterans, have been holding hearings to tell their stories. The Chicago Federation of Labor and the Jobs with Justice Workers Rights Board held such a hearing in Chicago, March 10, where VA social worker Denise Mercherson testified, ”The VA is the biggest employer of social workers in the country. We have 9.1 million veterans in the VA system. Are you aware of the number of homeless veterans? But we have closed the gap due not only to the social workers, but the VA healthcare system.”

The DOGE attack on the federal work force puts veterans, who make up 30% of the federal workforce serving in every department, directly in the crosshairs. But it is more than an attack on veterans, it is an attack on the working class.

Business and government’s all-out attack on unions over the last 50 years has reduced union membership in the private sector to 6.7% of the workforce. This is compared to a total union membership of 35% of the workforce in 1954. Currently half of all union members are in the public sector. Rather than rebuild worker power, Trump seeks to destroy it through attacks on the public sector workers and unions.

This was evident to Aimee Potter at the rally as she told the crowd, “We need solidarity and collective action. Democracy as we once knew it is no longer!”

Workers across the country will be joining immigrants and others under attack to march for justice on May Day, International Workers Day.

Richard Berg is the host of the Fight Back! Radio podcast. The current episode features President Pat Kearns of AFGE Local 2547

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #FederalWorkers #AFGE #Trump #Layoffs #Veterans #VA

Behind the drop in the stock markets was the growing realization of the economic costs of Trump’s trade wars and the growing possibility of a recession. The worry is that Trump’s tariffs will lift import prices, causing inflation to go up and production to go down because of higher costs. This so-called “supply-shock” would be a (hopefully) milder version of the COVID-19 pandemic impact in 2020.

On Monday, the Canadian province of Ontario imposed a 25% surcharge on the electricity it exports to the United States in response to Trump’s tariffs. About 1.5 million households and businesses in the states of Michigan, Minnesota and New York use Canadian electricity. The Premier of Ontario also said that they could shut off electricity exports altogether if Trump escalated his trade war on Canada.

The same day, China’s previously announced response to Trump’s tariffs also went into effect. It consisted of 15% tariffs on chicken, wheat and corn and 10% tariffs on soybeans, pork, beer and fruit. China also limited purchases of Chinese goods by 15 U.S. companies and banned ten from doing business in China. These agricultural tariffs are both an attempt to hit back at U.S. farmers, which is one of Trump’s bases of support, and reflect the progress China has made in applying technology including AI, global positioning (what we call GPS, but China has its own system by Baidu), and drones to agriculture.

Further, Trump’s 25% tariffs on aluminum and steel for all countries are scheduled to go into effect on Wednesday. The tariffs on aluminum will hit Canada the hardest, as they are the single largest country exporting aluminum to the United States. In fact, Canada’s exports are about the same as total U.S. production of aluminum. While steel imports are only less than a quarter of total U.S. steel consumption, Canada is still the largest exporter of steel to the United States, with Mexico as number two.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Trump #Tariffs #StockMarket

Tucson, AZ – On March 4, more than 50 K-12 educators and union members rallied outside the federal building to protest the Trump administration’s plans to destroy the federal Department of Education. The National Day of Action – “Protect our Kids” – was supported by the American Federal of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) and targeted March 4 to reject the confirmation of Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon.

 The national unions and their locals vowed to defend immigrant and LGBTQ students from the Trump administration’s reactionary attacks. Destroying the Department of Education would also gut funding to support students with disabilities and limit protections offered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

 Local affiliates of NEA from Tucson, Sunnyside, Flowing Wells, Amphi and Marana school districts united with teachers at BASIS Tucson North, Arizona’s first unionized charter school. A Latino and indigenous-led community organization, LUCHA, joined the rally to make it clear that Arizonan educators are willing to fight back against education cuts, privatization and profiteering so that every student gets the education they deserve.

 Speakers at the rally emphasized the need to fight back at both the state and the federal level.

 Jim Byrne, president of the Tucson Education Association, reminded the crowd that “during Trump’s first term, West Virginia, then Oklahoma, and then Arizona saw historic educator strikes that pushed the needle toward more funding to schools. We did it before and we can do it again!”

 American Federation of Teachers Local 8002 Vice President Duncan Sohn Hasman shared the sentiment, saying, “Charter school teachers at this particular moment have found ourselves a new voice and a new way to fight back. We are ready to fight, we are ready to work with our public co-educators within Arizona to make sure that we are ready to fight back.”

#TucsonAZ #AZ #Labor #Education #Techers #AFT #NEA #McMahon #Trump

Canada immediately hit back, with tariffs on $30 billion (Canadian) or about $20 billion U.S., with tariffs on another $125 billion (Canadian) or about $80 billion U.S. of U.S. goods, to go into effect in three weeks. China also hit back, putting 10-15% tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports, to go into effect March 10. Mexico’s response was more subdued, with the Mexican president saying that she would announce their response on Sunday, March 9.

While the immediate counter-tariffs were somewhat restrained, as both Canada and China would like further talks, the Canadian Prime Minister and the Chinese representative from the Foreign Ministry used very strong language.

Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada described Trump’s tariffs as an existential threat to the country, saying the tariffs are designed to cause “a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us” referring to Trump’s repeated desire to make Canada a 51st state. Public sentiment in Canada has turned anti-American, with Canadian hockey fans booing The Star-Spangled Banner when it played at a professional hockey game in Canada. China’s foreign ministry representative also used strong language, saying “if war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.” 

The immediate impact of the tariffs will be to cause a logjam of imports and exports at the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico. While many Chinese goods have been placed under tariffs since Trump’s first term, most goods crossing to and from Mexico and Canada largely had no tariffs and imposing them will be a logistical nightmare. This will lead to shortages, somewhat like the early days of the COVID pandemic, which also disrupted trade.

The second impact will be higher prices. Some of these price increases have already started. Others will show up in days. The amount that consumers will have to pay will vary by product. If there is a lot of competition in terms of other countries making the item, as in the case of shoes, the 20% tariffs on China will mean about an 8% increase in prices. More expensive products sold to people willing to pay more will see a larger pass-through to the consumer, such as iPhones, which could rise 15% in price. Finally, where there are almost no alternatives, such as avocados from Mexico, the 25% tariff could mean a 20% jump in prices.

One of the most expensive goods to be hit with tariffs will be automobiles, where U.S, Japanese and German corporations have factories. Here prices could rise by 15% or more, with the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Over the last 30 years these car corporations have built integrated supply chains spanning all three countries in the wake of the NAFTA free trade agreement. Many auto parts cross the border many times, meaning that the 25% tariff might be applied not once, but multiple times.

Not only will the tariffs raise prices, they threaten economic recessions in Canada, Mexico and even in the United States. While the United States is less dependent on trade than Canada and Mexico, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta revised their estimate for U.S. Gross Domestic Product for the first three months of the year down to a negative 3.5% growth. This sharp drop in production, while not officially a recession, would typically be seen in a recession. 

To make matters worse, Trump is planning for even more tariffs. On March 12, Trump will put 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Trump has said that, on April 2, he will start tariffs on cars, medical drugs and semiconductors. Trump also plans to announce matching tariffs for every country, as his team is searching for foreign taxes that they could label as tariffs.

 #SanJoseCA #NAFTA #TradeWar #Trump #Tariffs

Richfield, MN – Hundreds gathered in Richfield, March 1, for a protest and march to demand an end to the attacks on immigrants and to stand in solidarity with Minnesota immigrant and refugee communities. People showed their strong support through loud chants and a march to city hall. 

Speakers denounced Trump’s attacks on immigrants and promises that deportations will increase. The Department of Homeland Security reports that they have arrested over 20,000 undocumented immigrants since Trump took office, nearly half of who are reported to have no criminal record. Trump is using mass detention and deportation to terrorize immigrants, families and communities. 

The protest was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) with endorsements from many local immigrant rights groups including Minnesota Immigrant Movement (MIM), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) MN, and Asamblea de Derechos Civiles. 

MIRAC member Miguel Hernandez, who grew up in Richfield, thanked the local immigrant community, stating that immigrants “built up Richfield when businesses were closing 20 years ago. You can’t go one mile without running into some type of immigrant business.”

The group ended in front of several immigrant-owned businesses. Organizers spoke to the negative impact the administration has had on local businesses, encouraging protesters to buy from immigrant-owned restaurants and shops to keep the community thriving even under the racist threats of the Trump administration. 

MIRAC will continue mobilizing in the streets to fight against attacks on immigrants in Minnesota, including on May 1, to celebrate International Workers Day. More information to come on that protest and more will be on all social media platforms under the username MIRACMN.

#RichfieldMN #MIRACMN #MIRAC #Immigration #NoMoreDeportations #NiUnaMas #CAIR #Refugee #Trump #ImmigrantRights

Atlanta, GA – On Saturday, February 22, over 40 organizations and vendors came together for Community Connect Fest in the West End. Hundreds of community members kept the venue full throughout the time of the event. Attendees got to meet and learn about dozens of the organizations working to make a difference around Atlanta. 

The event, organized by the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, aimed to connect fighting organizations to people who want to get involved. 

“Our movements are important in giving the people a voice. We’re expecting more attacks on working and oppressed people in the coming years. We have to be organized to fight back against these attacks and the Trump agenda,” said emcee David Jones. 

Participants had the opportunity to learn about various organizations focused on mass incarceration, reproductive rights, immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ rights, and other important struggles in Atlanta. Local vendors showcased crafts, food and plants while local artists performed on stage.

In addition to the entertainment, leading organizations gave speeches introducing the work they do to the attendees. David Jones, a member of the Atlanta Alliance, spoke about the campaign to shut down Fulton County Jail and how people can get involved. Community Connect Fest strengthened ties between the community and important local organizations fighting for change.

#AtlantaGA #AtlantaAlliance #AARPR #CommunityConnectFest #Trump #WestEnd

New York, NY – On February 27, the New York University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally and picket outside the NYU Kimmel center to demand that the university senate refuse to comply with Donald Trump’s executive orders, and to commit to protecting its students from any attacks that may come in the future. 

Approximately 50 students marched outside the front entrance to the Kimmel center, where the U senate was meeting, and chanted “No compliance! With Trump’s violence!” and “When students are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

“NYU might promise to ‘comply with the law,’ but we will not comply with anyone, NYU-affiliated or otherwise, who seeks to threaten our rights, safety, or solidarity,” said an NYU student and speaker at the event. 

In the four weeks since Trump’s inauguration, he has enacted executive orders threatening the funding of institutions that welcome and protect trans, Black, brown, and immigrant students. Already, NYU has demonstrated a dangerous willingness to comply with these policies, preemptively canceling lifesaving gender affirming care at its institutional hospital and committing to “follow the law” when asked about allowing ICE on campus. 

The university administration has also attacked its students' rights to speech and protest, having suspended 13 activists and placed over 20 students on probation at the end of the winter term. This willingness to bend the knee to dangerous and discriminatory federal actions presents an ongoing threat to the safety of NYU’s student community.

NYU SDS commits to continued action to protect and serve our community. To quote the ending speech of the rally, “If the NYU administration refuses to defend its students against the Trump regime, we will defend ourselves.”

#NewYorkCityNY #NewYorkNY #NYC #ICE #SanctuaryCampus #NYU #SDS #NYUSDS #Trump

The Labor Commission of Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns Trump and his accomplice Elon Musk for the callous attacks on federal workers.

As it stands, tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired or laid off. The terminations have been carried out in the most callous way possible. The exact number is unclear because of the chaos that has accompanied the process. Unexpected late-night emails. Text messages telling workers to take their things and go home. And President Trump taking to social media to mock those facing hardship. None of this is reasonable or okay or acceptable.

For those of us active in the labor movement, this is a ‘canary in the coal mine’ kind of time. It’s a test that we cannot fail. It is vital that all organized labor rally in the support of the federal workers unions, like the American Federation of Government Employees, and insist contracts are honored and the layoffs are rolled back. To that end, we must insist our unions stand with the federal workers. Unions leaders like Teamsters President Sean O'Brien are mistaken when they say we should wait and see what happens.

In 1981, President Reagan upended the course of U.S. labor relations when he fired 11,000 striking aircraft controllers. Today is that kind of moment. Trump is threatening to privatize postal workers. There are attacks on the National Labor Relations Board. And of course, there are tens of thousands of federal workers who will not be getting a paycheck this week. Complacency cannot be the order of the day.

Many of us who are active trade unionists have friends and acquaintances who are members or leaders of federal worker unions. We should urge them to hold protests and take other actions. This is a concern of every union member, and we should join any resistance to these attacks. An injury to one is an injury to all. The attack on federal workers can, must, and will be defeated!

#Labor #Statement #FRSO #AFGE #FederalEmployees #Trump #Layoffs

The day after Trump announced tariffs on Canada and Mexico, on February 1, a Canadian utility with U.S. customers announced that their rates would be rising with the new tariffs. Outdoing this was Nucor, the largest producer of steel in the United States, which has raised the price of its steel four times since January. The company plans to get ahead of Trump’s planned 25% tariffs on aluminum and steel, which are to take affect March 12, even though their steel in made in the United States and not subject to tariffs. They are using the same playbook as in 2018, during the first Trump administration. When Trump put 25% tariffs on imports of steel, domestic steel producers raised their prices an average of 22%, boosting profits but not production.

Last but not least, the price of gasoline is about to begin its seasonal rise. On average, the price of gas hits a low in February, and then starts to rise during the spring and summer. While this is not the fault of any of Trump’s policies, it certainly goes against his pledge to bring down the price of gasoline.

Candidate Trump pledged to bring down prices as president. This was a big part of his victory last November, as voters turned away from the Democratic Party candidates, who were deaf to working people’s complaints about inflation. But like a true politician, Trump is turning away from this goal and actually acting to make it worse with reciprocal tariffs on all countries to go into effect in April.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, one of some 13 billionaires helping billionaire Trump to manage the federal government, recently said, with a smiling face, that Trump’s actions were “disinflationary.” What he meant by this is that Trump’s DOGE chief, Elon Musk was taking an axe to federal payrolls, cutting or putting on leave some 30,000 and threatening 2 million others with layoffs.

The spreading uncertainty and pain is already reducing spending, which will tend to limit price rises at the cost of disrupting the lives of tens of thousands of civil servants. Trump is stripping away the mask from the time when two-faced politicians used to assure the people while carrying out the wishes of billionaires. But now with the billionaires in charge, there is no more pretense, so they smile while wielding a chainsaw to our jobs and pocketbook.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Inflation #Trump

Seattle, WA – On Monday, February 17, members of Seattle Against War, University of Washington Students for a Democratic Society, and Resist US-Led War, with support from Raging Grannies, held a rally at Othello Light Rail Station to protest Trump's plan to occupy Gaza. The protest was called by Seattle Against War as an emergency action. After Trump's comments claiming the U.S. has authority to occupy Gaza, local organizations rallied to show Seattle that they will not sit by and watch Trump's plan unfold.

Rae Lee, a member of Seattle Against War, stated, “I really think a supposed progressive Democrat like Representative Adam Smith, who says they are opposed to Trump, should be stopping our tax dollars from funding genocide.”

Members from Resist US-Led War promoted the message that Gaza is not up for sale, and that fighting back against Israel’s and Trump's plans was the way forward. Chants of “Free Palestine” and “Adam Smith, we charge you with genocide” were heard between speeches.

“Adam Smith claimed that people in his district don’t care about Palestinians. He is wrong. We care and we see how he is a puppet of AIPAC and weapons companies. He claimed he gave us what we care about: affordable housing, safety and health care. We could have community control of the police instead of an evil, racist collaboration between the IDF and Seattle Police Department,” said Dre Say, a member of SAW.

The rally drew many honks and signs of encouragement from the local community. Towards the end of the rally, a local group, Raging Grannies, sang songs against war and in support of the children in Gaza.

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Gaza #Trump

Los Angeles, CA – On February 17, over 1000 Chicanos gathered at Placita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles to protest against ICE deportations and to fight back against Trump's racist, right-wing agenda.

The rally and march were called for by Chicana activists who used social media to get the word out. Recent protests in Los Angeles have brought out large crowds of Chicanos ready to stand up and fight, with the last one, on February 2, drawing tens of thousands who took to the streets. That afternoon protesters even took over the 101 Freeway, shutting it down for hours and completely overwhelming LAPD, LASD and CHP, which were completely unprepared and caught off guard by Raza fighting back.

The rally and march on Presidents’ Day was officially endorsed and supported by the Community Self-Defense Coalition, which is a new coalition recently announced in Los Angeles, consisting of over 60 organizations and unions. Growing every day, the Community Self-Defense Coalition is determined to defend Raza out in the streets in the face of attacks by migra. The program featured speakers from different members of the coalition like Centro CSO, Union Del Barrio, Black Alliance for Peace SoCal and many more. The spirited march made stops at the Metropolitan Detention Center and City Hall before circling back to Placita Olvera.

During the march, the large protest had a soundtrack and that played music, and ledchants like “Raza si, migra no! ” “La que no salta es migra” (Whoever doesn’t jump is migra) and “El Pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (The people united will never be defeated). The march had multiple banners of the different organizations as well dozens of flags representing countries in South America, Central America, Palestine, and Lebanon.

The leading truck flew a large Aztlán flag through the sunny spring morning in Los Angeles. When the march passed through historic Little Tokyo, the organizers shouted out and gave their respects to the Japanese people who themselves were forcefully displaced and put into concentration camps by the United States during World War II.

Veria Topete, a member of Centro CSO, said at the rally, “It felt very beautiful and empowering being with our community, standing in unity to let our brothers and sisters know that it’s not just their fight it’s our fight and they are not alone. That we are here to stand up and defend them.”

Karina Lopez, who represented Centro CSO on the program, said, “Don’t let this be the last action you take. This is only the beginning of the struggle that we have ahead of us when we organize and connect our struggles, we build power. Trump is also saying he will take over Gaza, we say hands off Palestine! Our fight against repression is connected with the fight to liberate Palestine!”

Centro CSO is a grassroots organization focused on fighting for oppressed Chicanos in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. They uplift the demands of Legalization for All, Community Control of the Police and Protect Public Education. They are proud members of the Legalization 4 All Network and affiliates of the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook under the username @CentroCSO

#LosAngelesCA #NAARPR #Legalization4All #LegalizationforAll #ELA #BoyleHeights #Chicano #VivaLaRaza #NoDeportations #ICE #ImmigrantRights #Immigration #FreePalestine #Aztlan #Trump #PresidentsDay #LAPD #LASD #CHP

Minneapolis, MN – On February 19, approximately 100 protesters rallied at Senator Amy Klobuchar's office to demand an end to U.S. militarization of the southern border. Despite the frigid temperatures, protesters energetically chanted, waved signs and cheered as passersby honked their car horns in support. The action was organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) and Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

The Trump administration has unleashed a barrage of attacks against immigrants, including highly publicized ICE raids which have terrorized communities around the country. Highlighted at the protest was the recent announcement that 5000 active duty U.S. soldiers are now patrolling the U.S./Mexico border – a number that may increase. Speakers at the event were clear in connecting Trump's inhumane attacks against immigrant communities with the United States' long-standing exploitation of Latin America and Global South countries more generally.

“They steal the resources from the homelands of immigrants, they exploit the labor of immigrants and then have the audacity to claim that immigrants are the problem,” said Crista Ocampo, an organizer with MIRAC and the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC). Ocampo then specifically spoke about U.S. economic sanctions, a key driver of immigration as people are forced to leave their home countries due to deteriorating conditions imposed by the U.S.

Simon Elliot, an organizer with MPAC, elaborated on this connection between U.S. foreign and immigration policy, which he called the pattern of “destabilization and criminalization.” Elliot identified the injustices facing Haiti, a country brought into the public limelight recently due to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance's racist vitriol against Haitian immigrants in the leadup to the 2024 election.

Elliot stated, “After the 1991 coup against Haiti’s democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, around 40,000 Haitians attempted to flee to the United States. Many were detained at Guantánamo Bay for at least six months under deplorable conditions.”

The current militarization of the border and worrying calls by some U.S. officials for a military operation against Mexico to “target the cartels” comes to mind when we think of the “destabilization and criminalization” pattern.

Another common theme during the event was the connection to the issue of Palestine. Multiple speakers specifically called out the role of Elbit Systems, an Israeli weapons manufacturer which creates bombs and surveillance technologies that play a key role in Israel's genocidal aggression against Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank.

“Elbit has also been contracted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to build similar militarized surveillance equipment as part of the U.S./Mexico border wall,” explained Meredith Aby, a founding member of the AWC. Aby then pointed out that the Minnesota State Board of Investments has $1.4 million invested in that very same Elbit Systems, making U.S. public pensioners unwillingly invested in a company that helps to slaughter Palestinians and militarize the U.S. border.

Ocampo, who also spoke about Elbit, called the weapons company “a perfect example of why we have to stand in solidarity with all oppressed people. We are all being oppressed by the same people and systems who are making a profit off of our oppression.”

Far from the chaotic atmosphere of panic and fear whipped up by the Trump administration, this action showed the clarity and focus of a movement that will only become more determined to organize, fight and win. The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee’s next protest will be on Saturday, March 1 starting at noon at the Hub parking lot, 36 W 66th Street in Richfield.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #Trump #MIRAC

Tallahassee, FL – Over 150 Tallahasseans assembled at the Florida State Capitol, February 17, to rally against Donald Trump and the outsized role of billionaire union-buster Elon Musk. Responding to an online call for nationwide protests known as “50501,” it was the second such rally, following an all-day action two weeks prior.

The event was organized by a coalition of local groups, and featured speakers from Students for a Democratic Society, Food Not Bombs, Equality Florida, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, the Industrial Workers of the World, Dream Defenders, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Most of the crowd faced the intersection of Apalachee Parkway and Monroe Street with signs, drawing supportive honking from drivers. Some had gotten there five hours early to protest and stayed there until the event ended. Even at the home of the most far-right state governments in the country, Trump and Musk’s unprecedented attacks on millions of Americans have brought out hundreds since the inauguration to stand up and fight back.

“Trump played on the real fears of working people in America, promising peace and prosperity, but we know that he’s only intensifying the war on oppressed people worldwide,” said Joelle Nuñez from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Protesters paid special attention to the power and influence held by Elon Musk, condemning the Trump administration for empowering an unelected billionaire to slash federal spending and lay off thousands of employees.

“Despite the fact that Elon Musk has never been a public official, he was appointed to an office that Trump created which now has more control over our government than any one man should,” said Kingsley Early from Tallahassee SDS.

Robert Lee from Food Not Bombs Tallahassee, a local mutual aid organization, stated, “Mutual aid work like this is small, and is never enough to tackle the enormous social problems that are the inevitable byproduct of a capitalist free market system, but they are absolutely necessary, even essential. Every time your hands do the work – good, kind work – you are making the world a materially better place, even for just one person. That’s not only a kindness to others, it’s a gift to yourself.”

#TallahasseeFL #FL #PeopleStruggles #Trump #Musk

Portland, OR – On Sunday afternoon, February 16, pro-Palestine group Portland for Palestine held a rally outside the Pioneer Courthouse in downtown Portland. The rally’s goal was to “Tell Trump that Gaza is not for sale,” referencing his threats since February 4 to have the United States buy Gaza, occupy it, then ethnically cleanse it of all Palestinians.

Despite heavy rain at the beginning and a last-minute shifting of the location due to construction work in neighboring Pioneer Courthouse Square, 40 people showed up to the event and gave their support.

Portland for Palestine member Omar Gil, stated, “While genocide Joe tried to cover up his war crimes, Trump speaks bluntly of the true intentions of the imperialist United States. But his callousness is only representative of one thing, and that is the heightened social consciousness regarding Palestine. There is no longer a need to hide the facts because more and more people have awakened to the true purpose of the United States and all its exploitation and oppression.”

One of the attendees, Elijah Thahir stated, “I just want to be active in some way or any way in protesting what [the United States] has done and what it’s doing to the Palestinian people. Overall, it kind of just feels like, especially as an American, that I have to do something, you know?”

Cars passing through the city streets honked their horns and people raised their fists in approval of the rally, to the cheers from the crowd.

The rally ended with many gathering around the table set up by the organizers to become more involved with Portland for Palestine’s future events. The people of Portland have made it clear that they will continue to stand up to Trump, even as the Democratic Party refuses to.

#PortlandOR #OR #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #Palestine #AntiWarMovement

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) views the recent 90-day suspension of funding for programs of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) by the Trump government as a manifestation of the deepening political crisis in the United States, in which the new regime aims to take control of the entire bureaucracy and realign the budget to service its own oligarchic interests and ultra-conservative agenda.

The USAID programs around the world have long been used as a tool for soft power projection, aimed at maintaining US global hegemony. Behind the veil of humanitarian or economic assistance, USAID has been instrumental in promoting neoliberal economic policies, strengthening US cultural influence, exploiting natural resources of its semi-colonies, pushing infrastructure projects that benefit US corporations and advance US security and military interests.

The US government spent around $30 billion for USAID in 2024, a puny amount (around 3%) compared to $886 billion in overall defense spending. The USAID programs in the Philippines amount to around $300 million annually since 2001. These are, as US officials declare, “strategic investments” to maintain US dominance and control of the Philippines. The economic, political and military returns are much greater than the investment, from access to the country’s natural resources as well as being granted extra-territorial rights to maintain US military forces and weapons stockpile in the country.

The US government uses these programs to portray it as a “friend, partner and ally” of the Filipino people and cover up the truth that US imperialism is the enemy of Philippine freedom and democracy. Funding for USAID has gone to programs that promote US investments in the country, covering-up the role of US imperialism in perpetuating poverty and underdevelopment. The USAID portrays the US as a benevolent donor of aid and assistance. In reality, the US has long perpetuated economic backwardness in the Philippines, through unequal trade and economic agreements and neoliberal economic policies that hinder the country’s industrial development, prevent it from achieving self-reliance, and keep it dependent on foreign debt and capital.

The programs of the USAID hypocritically claims to promote “freedom,” “democracy”, “human rights,” “gender rights” and other “causes” in the Philippines. In reality, the US has been instrumental in promoting state terrorism through military aid, training, and indoctrination of the armed forces along its counterinsurgency ideology. The US has provided the Philippine military with funding and equipment used to suppress people’s resistance, targeting progressive and patriotic groups and individuals critical of US imperialist domination and its local stooges.

It buttresses the US imperialist objective of reinforcing its military domination of the country, especially in the face of its efforts to strengthen its military bases and facilities in the country. The suspension of the USAID program will merely serve the broader effort to reconfigure US foreign policy in line with the Trump regime’s aggressive push to seize control of sources of raw materials, wider markets and spheres of investments.

With the 90-day suspension of the USAID, the Party calls on all patriotic forces to expose the machinations of US imperialism and to strengthen the people’s resistance against US economic and military domination and against the Marcos reactionary puppet regime.

The Party calls on the Filipino people to be critical and expose US imperialism’s tactics, whether through USAID or other means. We urge the people to intensify their struggle against US economic, political, cultural and military domination, and to struggle for genuine independence and self-determination.

#International #Philippines #USAID #Trump #CPP

The United States does have an overall low tariff rate, of 1.5%. This rate was calculated by the World Bank using the actual amount of trade. But the fact is, many countries have equal or lower tariffs than the United States, such as major trading partners such as the European Union (1.3%), and Canada (1.3%). Japan does have slightly higher tariffs (1.6%) and even China’s rate of 3.1%, while double the United States, is still an overall low rate.

So, what the Trump administration will try to do is label non-tariff policies like the VAT, or Value Added Tax, as tariffs. All of the major trading partners with the United States have a form of VATS, including Canada, China, the European Union, Japan and Mexico.

A Value Added Tax, or VAT, is a type of consumption tax somewhat like a sales tax. In the United States neither the state nor the federal government uses a VAT. Instead, states use sales taxes, where the U.S. businesses are exempt from sales taxes on their purchases, and the government is just paid once when the final sale is made to the consumer. Most countries use a VAT instead, where businesses pay a percentage based on their “value added” or difference between their business sales and cost of goods bought for production. But since imported goods don’t pay a VAT to the government, a VAT charge is added to them to level the playing field between domestic and foreign producers.

Another difference between a tariff and a VAT is who pays. With a tariff, the import business pays the tax to their own government. With VAT, the exporting business pays tax to the foreign government. However, it is true that in the end, most of this is passed on to the consumer.

If carried out, this would undermine the worldwide trade system, which is based on the “most favored nation” or MFN concept. MFN means that any agreement to lower tariffs with one country would be shared with all countries agreeing to MFN. This MFN was embodied in the principles of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade or GATT in 1947 and later the World Trade Organization or WTO in 1995. This process has lowered U.S. tariffs from a high of 20% in 1932 down to the current 1.5% rate.

Many will wonder why Trump is trying to tear apart the very system based around the GATT and the WTO that the U.S. designed. This is Trump’s reaction to the fact that U.S. trade power has declined from its 1950 peak. After World War II, all the other major capitalist economies were devastated, and China was the poorest big country in the world, after 100 years of foreign invasion and civil war. By 1990, the United States was still the main trading partner for the most countries, Europe was second, and China was a distant third, with only ten smaller countries as its main trade partner.

But the relative decline of the United States economically meant that by 2020 China had taken over as the main trading partner of most countries, with Europe, in particular Germany, coming in ahead of the third-place United States. Trump hopes that tearing up the world trading system, in which Europe and China are doing better, will give the United States an advantage. More likely Trump’s policies will end up strengthening the economic competitors of the United States, as more and more developing nations turn to China – and there is even talk of Canada joining the European Union!

Trump and other MAGA leaders try to paint the United States as the victim, implying that other countries are causing the U.S.’s large trade deficit. But in fact, U.S. corporations seeking to maximize their profits have outsourced many consumer goods such as clothing, shoes, cell phones, computers, consumer electronics, appliances and furniture to other countries. In other industries, the U.S. has or is falling behind. In automobiles, Japan took the car crown from the U.S. and now China has become the world’s largest exporter of cars. In commercial airlines, Boeing has stumbled and now European Airbus leads, and China is rolling out their first commercial passenger jet. Intel has lost its lead in producing computer chips to Taiwan SMC and Samsung in Korea. In the green energy industries, China has taken the lead in solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles.

If we look at China’s rise, first they laid the foundation with education, infrastructure and expanding opportunities for women. But the Trump administration is doing the exact opposite, aiming to dismantle the Department of Education, not even paying lip service to our crumbling infrastructure, and trying to restrict opportunities for women. In fact, the Trump administration will not “Make America Great (or Affordable) Again,” it is doing the exact opposite, further diminishing the United States and raising prices to boot.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Tariffs #Trump