Politics

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be the avatars of the anti-Trump resistance over the next few days as they cohost major rallies in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado.

Capping a number of solo appearances by each of them around the country, these two prominent voices in the fight back against the Trump regime will appear together in Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon, in Tempe, Ariz., on Thursday evening; in Greeley, Colo., early Friday afternoon; in Denver late Friday afternoon; and in Tucson on Saturday morning.

“Why are we doing that?” Sanders asked in a video announcing the tour. He answered:

We’re doing that because I believe that all over this country people are profoundly disgusted with what is going on here in Washington, D.C. They see our great nation moving toward an oligarchy, where Elon Musk and other billionaires are running the government. They’re seeing the Trump administration moving us toward an authoritarian form of society, usurping the constitutional responsibilities of the Congress, challenging the courts. They’re seeing Republicans in Congress proposing to give massive, massive tax breaks to billionaires, cut back on the needs of our veterans, cut back on Social Security, cut back on Medicaid, cut back on education, so that the rich can become even richer.

Sanders and AOC represent the fighting alternative to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who last week helped pass a GOP-led stopgap funding bill -- embodying the Democratic failure to stop Trump’s ravaging of the government and constitutional restraints.

To friends of democracy around the world: we need your help.

You know that the Trump regime is brutally attacking US democracy. Most of us did not vote for Donald Trump (half of us didn’t even vote in the 2024 election). But he feels he has a mandate to take a wrecking ball to the constitution.

Like most bullies, the regime can be constrained only if everyone stands up to the bullying – including you.

This was always the endgame, I just didn't expect to be around for it.

Hmm ... majority of Americans worried about higher prices and looming recession. I guess that's at least something that unifies the country.

Hitler famously dismantled the German democracy in 53 days. We're now 54 days into Trump's presidency, and while he's very close to achieving the same thing with the US republic, he hasn't quite done it yet.

Hitler 1, Trump 0.

Preemption measures against municipal governments have also targeted movements to raise the minimum wage, improve public health, and enact sanctuary policies to protect immigrants. Indeed, state preemption efforts have become so numerous and expansive that movement organizers and others have described the tactic of state governments preempting in response to local government action as “abusive state preemption,” or “aggressive preemption/post-emption.” Such descriptions, while not inaccurate, risk obscuring the fact that state preemption of local municipalities has long been utilized by right-wing and neoliberal legislators to control, oppress, and subjugate local communities fighting to enact racial and economic justice policies. Put simply, the rampant wielding of state preemption power during times of political radicalization is a feature, not a bug, of the American system, and one with which local officials must learn to contend.

Adopting a movement-centric ethos as a local elected official means challenging what is deemed “legal” or preempted by municipal attorneys and creating a popular inside-outside movement that pushes forward a transformational vision and policies for our communities. When local elected officials hear that an issue is likely preempted by the state, their first response shouldn’t be to pull a Hakeem Jeffries and say, “What leverage do we have?” Instead, local elected leaders should enlist the power of the community to demand that local municipalities enact the most transformative legislation that is politically possible—even if its legality may later be challenged by the state.

The Missouri House passed legislation Thursday to repeal the paid sick leave that voters approved in November.

Members of the House voted 96-51 to pass the measure. It now goes to the Senate.

Proposition A passed in November with 57% of the vote. The statute raises the minimum wage to an eventual $15 an hour in 2026. It also mandates paid sick leave for employees with some exceptions.

The legislation passed on Thursday entirely repeals the mandated sick leave portion. It also removes any minimum wage increase slated to go in effect in January 2027 and beyond.

"The provisions make it difficult to run a business efficiently and provide adequate customer service," said the sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Sherri Gallick, R-Belton. "The unpredictability threatens the stability of businesses, large and small."