Yes, I wrote and called my Senators about Mahmoud Khalil. This morning I was glad to hear that a judge has stayed the deportation, pending a hearing later this week. Also, the ACLU has joined his defense team, so I sent them some more money. I urge everyone to take every action they can, because, who will they come for next?
I have not forgotten about the students who were shot and killed at Kent State many years ago, and that was without a fascist as POTUS. I also have not forgotten about FFOTUS asking Gen. Miley not that long ago about shooting protesters.
We must stand united against losing our most basic freedoms and in support of those being persecuted for peacefully expressing their opinions. Indeed, who will they come for next?
I haven’t forgotten either, that was part of my time in college when we were protesting the Vietnam war, women’s rights and many other important issues. A shock that was.
Thank you Jessica. Please spread the word about what is happening in Maine since Gov. Janet Mills stood up to bullying by the President with her statement of "see you in court":
1) *The only state* suddenly targeted for no apparent reason to eliminate a program that allowed parents to fill out a form at the hospital to secure a Social Security number for their children. They had to make an appointment at a Social Security office in person (good luck). Retracted, also for unknown reasons, but not after causing some chaos for new parents. Reported in Portland Press Herald and here at AP appears free access: https://apnews.com/article/maine-trump-doge-social-security-newborns-70840b39658b8702e6eb9b66f0f920db.
2) *The only state* (out of 34 coastal and Great Lakes states) suddenly targeted for no apparent reason to have NOAA terminate funding for the Sea Grant which supported research, planning, education and outreach. State Rep. Kristi Mathieson reported in email to constituents she has signed on, with 70 other in the Maine House, a formal letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging for the Maine Sea Grant’s full and immediate restoration.
These are just 2 items in the news yesterday, I wonder if there are or will be more. This seem more like political punishment than a coincidence.
Angus King has had quite a few well-stated speeches on the floor these past weeks. I feel he's doing a good job saying the right things. I wish our other Senator, Susan Collins, who is chair of the Appropriations Committee would subpoena Musk and hold public hearings to call him out on his illegal activities. I've signed Resistbot petition for this last week, and wrote her several times about it since, but I'm not entirely sure how realistic it is to ask. If anyone with more knowledge than me knows if this is a worthy path to pursue we should spread the news about a national pressure campaign on her....does anyone know? (Jessica Craven??) Thank you all.
When I heard about the imposed SS number process for parents of newborns, I wondered how these conditions were in response to the governor's courageous response to T. And I also wonder about his acts of retribution upon those served by Senator Agnus King. The Maine Independent Senator, who recently spoke eloquently on the Senate floor calling upon colleagues, and us, when he said, “What’s it gonna take for us to wake up …”
And I wasn't aware of the apparent NOAA termination of funding to the state, until now. Thank you for this post, David.
Angus King has had quite a few well-stated speeches on the floor these past weeks. I feel he's doing a good job saying the right things. I wish our other Senator, Susan Collins, who is chair of the Appropriations Committee would subpoena Musk and hold public hearings to call him out on his illegal activities. I've signed Resistbot petition for this last week, and wrote her several times about it since, but I'm not entirely sure how realistic it is to ask. If anyone with more knowledge than me knows if this is a worthy path to pursue we should spread the news about a national pressure campaign on her....does anyone know? (Jessica Craven??) Thank you all.
Thank you for all this information. Fo be clear, Mahmoud Khalil did NOT protest. He was concerned about his status as a grad student. Instead, according to BBC and other news sources, he was lead negotiator for Columbia University Apartheid Divest when its protesters set up an encampment on campus protesting the war in Gaza.
I think the fact that he was not protesting but helping to broker peace makes this case even more chilling.
I love this newsletter and read it (and act on it!) almost every day. I think, though, that is important to point out that whether or not Khalil said anything you might consider "hate speech" is irrelevant. The first amendment prevents the government from punishing you for anything you say, unless it is an imminent incitement to violence. Period. Full stop. This is why the ACLU consistently defends the KKK's right to protest, because everyone needs to have the freedom to express themselves without fear of the government, or else none of us are truly free.
Thank you for making that point so clearly. That’s what I wrote in my email to Rubio, that I may disagree with him but it is a right he has to say what he did and he wasn’t violent or destructive. And I reminded Rubio that his people came from Cuba and what would he have thought if they were targeted like that.
The 700,000 of us fellow American that live in DC and have no voting representation are facing an egregious intervention by Congress in our budget. DC even though it has homerule has to submit all our laws through Congress including our budget. DC has a balanced budget but the current CR is demanding that we cut more than 900,000 million dollars mid year via the CR. We need our fellow Americans to reach out to their members and say hands off DC's budget. These are not federal funds they are our local tax dollars.
I can send you articles if you want more information cbensaada@gmail.com. Would love to see if you could put that in a future newletter.
A friend formerly in fed govt has given me the urgent message that we all need to save our earnings records! Musk and DOGE have been scrubbing data off gov websites, and we all need to have our earnings records if they start withholding checks. Here's how: go to SSA.gov, sign in or create account if you don't have one, go to mySocialSecurity -->Home (scroll to bottom) ---> Earnings Record and print out your earnings record and medicare records or save as .pdf. Even if you're not on SS yet, print out your earnings record. I did it in two minutes.
I called House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to challenge his statement on the ICE arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. Jeffries claimed that Khalil 'created an unacceptable hostile academic environment for Jewish students,' but Khalil has no criminal record—he was simply exercising his First Amendment rights. I also questioned whether AIPAC influenced Jeffries’ critique. Additionally, I brought up Katherine Franke, a tenured professor at Columbia University who has been barred from teaching due to her support for Palestine. Franke has stated that Columbia has become an extension of our current authoritarian administration, creating an unsettling environment. She was recently interviewed by journalist Prem Thakker on Zeteo.
I don’t like the way Jeffries tried to voice the differing perspectives on the Palestinian protests at Columbia. It should have been a full-throated outright condemnation of the fascist kidnapping of an American (I include green card holders in that). The actions are designed to stifle free speech and further protests that are Constitutionally protected. Jeffries would not be my choice of Speaker when we take the House.
Re: live Substacks. Yes! Do more. If your time allows, pick a regular time or give us a couple hrs heads-up before it starts. I hate to miss any of them! Your work and voice are important.
I already called my representative (a Republican) to let him know how angry and alarmed I am about the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. I wish I had waited for your letter as you said much more coherently than I did.
One thing I did think you might suggest adding to any communication to a Republican senator or representative is to ask when he or she is going to hold a town meeting.
Did all the things. Folks, please, don't come at me for this, but I am struggling with the protests this weekend focusing on veterans. I've been attending every event in my area that I can find, but the fact that a whole lot of these vets now being targeted voted for Trump is a hard pill for me to swallow. If anyone has thoughts that might make protesting in this Saturday's event more appealing to me I would love to hear them!
I think the 14th is a Friday, if I'm not mistaken. Also, if they are attending the march then they have come around and deserve support. And tens of millions of veterans, I have to assume, didn't vote for this. We must support the good ones and welcome the ones who have realized their mistake. My two cents.
Agreed. I have vets in my family who ABSOLUTELY DID NOT vote for Trump and are appalled at what is happening. It's important that we not paint with broad brushes. That's what the other side does.
My senators and house representative allow for very short messages by phone and email. You need to provide appropriately short messages along with longer explanations.
Hi ... your link to Rubio's website took me to the home page. It took me a while to find the contact page ... you might want to use this direct link to the contact page: https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform
Yes, I wrote and called my Senators about Mahmoud Khalil. This morning I was glad to hear that a judge has stayed the deportation, pending a hearing later this week. Also, the ACLU has joined his defense team, so I sent them some more money. I urge everyone to take every action they can, because, who will they come for next?
Agree and I meant to ask people to donate to the ACLU! Will do it tomorrow!
I have not forgotten about the students who were shot and killed at Kent State many years ago, and that was without a fascist as POTUS. I also have not forgotten about FFOTUS asking Gen. Miley not that long ago about shooting protesters.
We must stand united against losing our most basic freedoms and in support of those being persecuted for peacefully expressing their opinions. Indeed, who will they come for next?
I haven’t forgotten either, that was part of my time in college when we were protesting the Vietnam war, women’s rights and many other important issues. A shock that was.
Thank you Jessica. Please spread the word about what is happening in Maine since Gov. Janet Mills stood up to bullying by the President with her statement of "see you in court":
1) *The only state* suddenly targeted for no apparent reason to eliminate a program that allowed parents to fill out a form at the hospital to secure a Social Security number for their children. They had to make an appointment at a Social Security office in person (good luck). Retracted, also for unknown reasons, but not after causing some chaos for new parents. Reported in Portland Press Herald and here at AP appears free access: https://apnews.com/article/maine-trump-doge-social-security-newborns-70840b39658b8702e6eb9b66f0f920db.
2) *The only state* (out of 34 coastal and Great Lakes states) suddenly targeted for no apparent reason to have NOAA terminate funding for the Sea Grant which supported research, planning, education and outreach. State Rep. Kristi Mathieson reported in email to constituents she has signed on, with 70 other in the Maine House, a formal letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging for the Maine Sea Grant’s full and immediate restoration.
These are just 2 items in the news yesterday, I wonder if there are or will be more. This seem more like political punishment than a coincidence.
I'm sure it's not a coincidence. Unfortunately meting out punishment is the only pleasure he seems to take in life.
Angus King has had quite a few well-stated speeches on the floor these past weeks. I feel he's doing a good job saying the right things. I wish our other Senator, Susan Collins, who is chair of the Appropriations Committee would subpoena Musk and hold public hearings to call him out on his illegal activities. I've signed Resistbot petition for this last week, and wrote her several times about it since, but I'm not entirely sure how realistic it is to ask. If anyone with more knowledge than me knows if this is a worthy path to pursue we should spread the news about a national pressure campaign on her....does anyone know? (Jessica Craven??) Thank you all.
When I heard about the imposed SS number process for parents of newborns, I wondered how these conditions were in response to the governor's courageous response to T. And I also wonder about his acts of retribution upon those served by Senator Agnus King. The Maine Independent Senator, who recently spoke eloquently on the Senate floor calling upon colleagues, and us, when he said, “What’s it gonna take for us to wake up …”
And I wasn't aware of the apparent NOAA termination of funding to the state, until now. Thank you for this post, David.
Angus King has had quite a few well-stated speeches on the floor these past weeks. I feel he's doing a good job saying the right things. I wish our other Senator, Susan Collins, who is chair of the Appropriations Committee would subpoena Musk and hold public hearings to call him out on his illegal activities. I've signed Resistbot petition for this last week, and wrote her several times about it since, but I'm not entirely sure how realistic it is to ask. If anyone with more knowledge than me knows if this is a worthy path to pursue we should spread the news about a national pressure campaign on her....does anyone know? (Jessica Craven??) Thank you all.
Thank you for all this information. Fo be clear, Mahmoud Khalil did NOT protest. He was concerned about his status as a grad student. Instead, according to BBC and other news sources, he was lead negotiator for Columbia University Apartheid Divest when its protesters set up an encampment on campus protesting the war in Gaza.
I think the fact that he was not protesting but helping to broker peace makes this case even more chilling.
God I didn't realize that. I thought he did both. CRAZY!
I love this newsletter and read it (and act on it!) almost every day. I think, though, that is important to point out that whether or not Khalil said anything you might consider "hate speech" is irrelevant. The first amendment prevents the government from punishing you for anything you say, unless it is an imminent incitement to violence. Period. Full stop. This is why the ACLU consistently defends the KKK's right to protest, because everyone needs to have the freedom to express themselves without fear of the government, or else none of us are truly free.
Thanks. I'm not a lawyer so wasn't clear on the niceties (I should be). Great clarification!
Thank you for making that point so clearly. That’s what I wrote in my email to Rubio, that I may disagree with him but it is a right he has to say what he did and he wasn’t violent or destructive. And I reminded Rubio that his people came from Cuba and what would he have thought if they were targeted like that.
Hi Jessica
The 700,000 of us fellow American that live in DC and have no voting representation are facing an egregious intervention by Congress in our budget. DC even though it has homerule has to submit all our laws through Congress including our budget. DC has a balanced budget but the current CR is demanding that we cut more than 900,000 million dollars mid year via the CR. We need our fellow Americans to reach out to their members and say hands off DC's budget. These are not federal funds they are our local tax dollars.
I can send you articles if you want more information cbensaada@gmail.com. Would love to see if you could put that in a future newletter.
I'd be happy to! Please email me a draft script? hijesscraven101@gmail,com
I have sent it and thank you.
A friend formerly in fed govt has given me the urgent message that we all need to save our earnings records! Musk and DOGE have been scrubbing data off gov websites, and we all need to have our earnings records if they start withholding checks. Here's how: go to SSA.gov, sign in or create account if you don't have one, go to mySocialSecurity -->Home (scroll to bottom) ---> Earnings Record and print out your earnings record and medicare records or save as .pdf. Even if you're not on SS yet, print out your earnings record. I did it in two minutes.
Great suggestion. Thanks.
I wrote to Rubio, and I’m proud of the ACLU getting into this fight. That’s what they designed for and they’re good at it.
Agree. I'm making a big donation today.
Done and done, how do we show support to the judges upholding the law?
Good question. Call their offices, maybe? if you create a list of them with contact info I'll run it in the newsletter. (:
I know someone who used to work for the DOJ, give me a day and I’ll get back to you!
I called House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to challenge his statement on the ICE arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. Jeffries claimed that Khalil 'created an unacceptable hostile academic environment for Jewish students,' but Khalil has no criminal record—he was simply exercising his First Amendment rights. I also questioned whether AIPAC influenced Jeffries’ critique. Additionally, I brought up Katherine Franke, a tenured professor at Columbia University who has been barred from teaching due to her support for Palestine. Franke has stated that Columbia has become an extension of our current authoritarian administration, creating an unsettling environment. She was recently interviewed by journalist Prem Thakker on Zeteo.
here is Mr Jeffries statement.
https://jeffries.house.gov/2025/03/10/leader-jeffries-statement-on-ice-arrest-at-columbia-university/
I don’t like the way Jeffries tried to voice the differing perspectives on the Palestinian protests at Columbia. It should have been a full-throated outright condemnation of the fascist kidnapping of an American (I include green card holders in that). The actions are designed to stifle free speech and further protests that are Constitutionally protected. Jeffries would not be my choice of Speaker when we take the House.
I am so disappointed in Jefferies. I thought he was great during the impeachment hearings. He seems to have lost his voice
Totally.
Well said Bev. Not my choice either. He doesn’t speak up enough, and is too controlled by AIPAC.
Thank you!
I got to Rubio. And wrote to my two CA senators.
The arrest and abduction of Khalili should not have happened in our country. Or, is this still our "freedom of speech" country?
Apparently only if you do Republican speak
Re: live Substacks. Yes! Do more. If your time allows, pick a regular time or give us a couple hrs heads-up before it starts. I hate to miss any of them! Your work and voice are important.
I think Monday at 5PM PT will be the time.
I already called my representative (a Republican) to let him know how angry and alarmed I am about the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. I wish I had waited for your letter as you said much more coherently than I did.
One thing I did think you might suggest adding to any communication to a Republican senator or representative is to ask when he or she is going to hold a town meeting.
Always. Yes!
Did all the things. Folks, please, don't come at me for this, but I am struggling with the protests this weekend focusing on veterans. I've been attending every event in my area that I can find, but the fact that a whole lot of these vets now being targeted voted for Trump is a hard pill for me to swallow. If anyone has thoughts that might make protesting in this Saturday's event more appealing to me I would love to hear them!
I think the 14th is a Friday, if I'm not mistaken. Also, if they are attending the march then they have come around and deserve support. And tens of millions of veterans, I have to assume, didn't vote for this. We must support the good ones and welcome the ones who have realized their mistake. My two cents.
Agreed. I have vets in my family who ABSOLUTELY DID NOT vote for Trump and are appalled at what is happening. It's important that we not paint with broad brushes. That's what the other side does.
My senators and house representative allow for very short messages by phone and email. You need to provide appropriately short messages along with longer explanations.
Alex Padilla does that also, but only on his DC line. The local offices are longer. HAve you tried a different office?
Thanks for the suggestion. I will try a California office.
Hi ... your link to Rubio's website took me to the home page. It took me a while to find the contact page ... you might want to use this direct link to the contact page: https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform
Thanks for all you do.
Ooops sorry i thought I had linked to that page. I'll fix it in the online version. Thanks!
does anyone have contact info for CEO or whomever at NETFLIX?
I couldn't find it so I just tagged him on Threads.