The Reality Check: BLOCKADES SHUT DOWN MEXICAN HIGHWAYS

The Reality Check: BLOCKADES SHUT DOWN MEXICAN HIGHWAYS: BLOCKADES SHUT DOWN MEXICAN HIGHWAYS Farmworkers send a message to Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum By David Bacon The Nation - 2-21...

The Trump Putin Alliance on Ukraine

 

The Trump-Putin Alliance

The Trump administration policy has allied with Russia against Ukraine in its actions and negotiation posture. Since the Trump administration came into office, military aid to Ukraine has been cut by 99%. It cut all humanitarian aid to Ukraine shortly after taking office for education, healthcare, shelter, heat and power, war-displaced persons, HIV drugs, mental health services for war-distressed children, families, and veterans, and other services. In December, the US restored a token $2 billion of the former $63 billion USAID budget for humanitarian aid programs that is now being spent through UN programs trying to aid Ukraine and other war-torn countries like Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Also immediately upon taking office, the Trump administration closed US Justice Department programs to monitor and enforce sanctions against Russian frozen assets, influence operations in the US, and other sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Trump defunded US programs to document Russian war crimes, including cooperation with the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine and the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which had identified and documented some 35,000 Ukrainian children forcibly abducted by Russia.

After repeatedly voting for UN General Assembly resolutions since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022 that affirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty and demanded that Russia halt its military operations and withdraw back to Russia, in February 2025, the US reversed course under the Trump administration on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine. The US, and its satellites including Israel, voted with Russia against a similar resolution condemning Russia’s invasion and demanding that Russian troops withdraw.

While Trump still allows Europeans to buy weapons they can send on to Ukraine, US shipment delays have left crucial Ukrainian air defense missile launchers without missiles to fire against incoming Russian missiles in recent weeks.

Trump’s alliance with Putin is rooted in their far-right ideological affinity for a world of imperial spheres of influence, authoritarian rule, and racist, misogynistic, and homophobic “traditional values.” Grifters on both sides have been bargaining to partition Ukraine between them like a piece of real estate. The Russian side has been led by Kirill Dmitriev, a Stanford and Harvard trained veteran of McKinsey and Goldman Sachs who runs Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and 15 years ago scammed purchasers of apartments in a building development in Kyiv out of their investments. On the US side are Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump, all long engaged in money laundering the real estate investments of Russian oligarchs and other Russia business ties.

Russia is now pitching Trump’s team on a $14 trillion business deal that is contingent on the US forcing Ukraine to accept Russia’s negotiation demands. It would involve lifting Western sanctions on Russia, joint arctic oil and gas exploitation, Russia returning to the dollar-based payments system, preferential US access to the Russian market, compensation for US corporate assets lost in Russia during the war, US aid for Russian aircraft modernization, joint mining of lithium, copper, nickel, and platinum, and cooperation on nuclear power plants to power AI data centers. All of this scheming is being conducted behind the backs of the Ukrainians.

https://www.ukrainesolidaritynetwork.us/ukraine-still-stands/

 

 

The Election Crises that AI has Created

 https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/election-year-risks-ai

2024.

We owe a lot to Jesse Jackson

 We owe a lot to Jesse Jackson

https://jacobin.com/2026/02/jesse-jackson-progressive-rights-obituary

Peter Drier 

Latino Community Action Forum

 

Lessons from Minneapolis: Barack Obama

 Barack Obama. Skip the ads. Start at the beginning. 

https://youtu.be/uI-hgSE5QIw?si=yigxYGaslNidzXpH

Lessons from Minneapolis : Sanders

Sisters and brothers - 

The national TV cameras are largely gone from Minneapolis now. 

If the Department of Homeland Security keeps its word (maybe they will, maybe they won’t) the ICE army will soon be withdrawn from the city. 

But one thing remains certain. The pain and psychic trauma for that community continues.

Earlier this week, I met with a number of Minnesotans from different immigration activist groups in the state including teachers, union members and faith leaders.

They told me about the fear instilled in the children. Car windows being smashed by lawless ICE agents. Helicopters flying above creating a war zone environment. Hard-working parents being dragged off. Two innocent people murdered in cold blood.

I heard stories about masked federal agents kicking down doors without court orders and sending 5-year-old children to detention centers. 

I heard stories about people being picked out of their homes, their workplaces and their schools while people who tried to help were being stalked and threatened. 

I heard stories about children afraid to leave their houses and a school teacher who told me that kids are not showing up at school for fear of being detained. In fact, there are countless kids who went hungry as a result of missing school lunch programs. 

I learned that more than 3,000 people have been detained in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and many of their own families do not even know where they are.

That’s the very bad news created by Trump’s so-called “immigration policy” and implemented by his domestic ICE army.

The good news is that grassroots organizations in Minnesota came together with an extraordinary sense of solidarity, fought back and inspired the nation. They created a political reality which forced Trump (for the moment at least) to tone down his policies and his rhetoric.

Now, the brave people in the Minneapolis area are beginning to rebuild their lives and their communities. And these grassroots organizations, who have been on the front line fighting against Trump’s authoritarianism and brutality, need our help. 

So I am asking you to make a contribution to Friends of Bernie Sanders today. Every single dollar we raise from this fundraiser will be distributed to grassroots organizations in Minnesota who are fighting for justice and are helping the families impacted by Trump's raids - the hungry kids, the scared parents, and all those who are struggling at this difficult time.

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What Trump has done in Minnesota is repellent to the American people in every single way. People in this country want democracy and justice, not authoritarianism.

People want investments in schools, education, and affordable housing -- not a domestic army invading and occupying cities across our nation. 

Now is the time to stand together with those in need and provide a helping hand. 

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

 

Defend the Constitution

 Bishop Soto Offers Public Witness Opportunity-Ash Wednesday

In response to federal actions in Minnesota, our California Catholic Bishops have issued a Statement on Recent Violence, Public Trust, and the Call for Peace and Accountability, expressing their concern that what is unfolding in American cities "may unravel the essential social covenants that protect us all from violence and abuse." Parishioners may read the full statement on the diocesan website.

You are invited to join Bishop Soto and other local faith leaders at the Moss Federal Building, 650 Capitol Mall, for an Ecumenical Ash Wednesday Service, on February 18 from 5:00 to 6:00 PM.  According to the diocese, "these liturgies are opportunities for us to publicly witness to our faith and the need for conversion to the Gospel of Life and Dignity, both personally and socially." 

ICE Grows and Grows

A parallel fascist army is created. 

ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next Leah Feiger February 10, 2026 Wired Federal records obtained by WIRED show that over the past several months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have carried out a secret campaign to expand ICE’s physical presence across the US. Photo-illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images,    Documents show that more than 150 leases and office expansions have or would place new facilities in nearly every state, many of them in or just outside of the country’s largest metropolitan areas. In many cases, these facilities, which are to be used by street-level agents and ICE attorneys, are located near elementary schools, medical offices, places of worship, and other sensitive locations. In El Paso, Texas, for example, the agency is moving into a large campus of buildings right off of Interstate 10 near multiple local health providers and other businesses. In Irvine, California, ICE is moving into offices located next to a childcare agency. In New York, ICE is moving into offices on Long Island near a passport center. In a wealthy community near Houston, Texas, ICE appears poised to move into an office building blocks away from a preschool. The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages federal buildings and functions as the government’s internal IT department, is playing a critical role in this aggressive expansion. In numerous emails and memorandums viewed by WIRED, DHS asked GSA explicitly to disregard usual government lease procurement procedures and even hide lease listings due to “national security concerns” in an effort to support ICE’s immigration enforcement activities across the US. “GSA is committed to working with all of our partner agencies, including our patriotic law enforcement partners such as ICE, to meet their workspace needs. GSA remains focused on supporting this administration’s goal of optimizing the federal footprint, and providing the best workplaces for our federal agencies to meet their mission,” Marianne Copenhaver, GSA associate administrator for communications, tells WIRED. “GSA is following all lease procurement procedures in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.”

Trump Wants to Make Voting More Difficult

View as web page Here we go again. Some in Congress are trying to make it harder for Americans to vote, and they’re calling it “election integrity.” The SAVE America Act would force people to produce extra citizenship documents just to register and vote in federal elections. Let’s be clear: only citizens can vote now. That’s already the law. This bill isn’t fixing a real problem; it’s creating new ones for eligible voters. The SAVE America Act would: Disenfranchise voters by creating huge new burdens on registering and voting, causing confusion, delays, and discrimination at the polls. Paperwork becomes a paywall. Not everyone has a passport or a perfect birth certificate sitting in a drawer. Replacing documents costs time and money. When voting starts to feel like a trip to the DMV that never ends, regular people get pushed out. Disproportionately impact communities of color, seniors, women, young people, rural voters, and low-income families, making disparities in accessing the ballot even worse, It hits Latinos first and hardest. Hyphenated names, two last names, accent marks; our names tell our stories, but in databases they trigger “mismatches.” Intimidate and suppress voters — particularly naturalized citizens and communities of color — from participating in elections. It scares mixed-status families. When voter rolls start talking to immigration databases, people worry. Even citizens think twice if it could bring heat to their household. That’s not integrity; that’s intimidation. This is how voter suppression looks in 2026; not with literacy tests, but with red tape. Voting is how we fight for better schools, safer neighborhoods, fair wages, and real opportunity. When politicians make voting harder, they’re not protecting democracy; they’re protecting their own power. This is a moment when your voice actually counts. Offices track calls. Staff log every message. When the lines light up, lawmakers pay attention. Call Congress and Be Heard Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 Ask to be connected to your U.S. House Representative. Find your representative here. If you hit voicemail, leave a message. It still gets counted. How to do it in 60 seconds Dial: 202-224-3121 Say: “Please connect me to Representative [Last Name].” When connected, give your name and city (ZIP if asked). Deliver your message; short, clear, firm. What to Say “My name is ___, I’m a constituent from ___, and I urge you to oppose the SAVE America Act. It creates new barriers for eligible citizens and makes voting harder for working families, seniors, and naturalized citizens. We should protect voting rights, not put paperwork between citizens and the ballot. Thank you.” Optional add-on (10 more seconds) “Will the office commit to voting NO on the SAVE America Act?” “Please record my position and let me know the member’s stance.” After You Call Forward this to five friends or family members and ask them to call Share the number (202) 224-3121 in a group chat Remind people to identify themselves as constituents and to call both of their elected officials

 

Trump's Occupying army retreats

 

The occupying army retreats The announcement of ICE’s withdrawal from Minnesota, like that of the British from Boston 250 years ago, marks a victory for people power. Today’s announcement by Trump border czar Tom Homan that the administration was ending its deployment of ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minnesota encountered two distinct but ultimately complementary reactions from Minnesotans. Skepticism: “I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Elliott Payne, president of the Minneapolis City Council. And celebration of Minnesotans’ tenacious resistance: “They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. By now, the persistence of Twin City residents to demonstrate against the occupation, to line the city’s sidewalks with people recording ICE’s every move with their phones, to patrol neighborhoods warning of the approach of ICE and Border Patrol thugs, and to bring food to their neighbors who fear to leave their homes, all amid weather that was at times subzero, has earned them a page in history books. I daresay it will become the stuff of American legend, inasmuch as our legends generally celebrate American citizens defending democratic values against autocrats, fascists, and totalitarians. We don’t have a lot of legends about the triumph of such Americans over forces that occupied our cities, however, because we don’t have a lot of cities that have been occupied by such forces. As events would have it, however, the standout example of Americans outlasting and defeating such an occupation is about to have its 250th anniversary. It came in March of 1776, when patriot militias drove British troops out of Boston, who’d occupied that city since 1768 to quell Bostonians’ efforts to establish a modicum of control over their own affairs.

Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, patriot militias—in advance of the formation of an American army—besieged British forces within Boston and neighboring Charlestown, both of which connected to the Massachusetts mainland by narrow necks of land that were easily blockaded. As in Minneapolis, the forces hemming in the British were infuriated civilians, the Massachusetts militia having been joined by militia forces from the other New England colonies. (Only after several months did the Continental Congress establish and enroll them in an American army, which George Washington then arrived to command.) In late 1775 and 1776, the patriot forces managed to bring artillery to the hills surrounding the city from faraway Fort Ticonderoga, in upstate New York, which had the capacity not only to bombard the British forces, but their ships in the harbor as well. With that, the British were compelled to withdraw. It took seven more years, of course, for all British forces to withdraw from the new nation, and it will likely take today’s patriots at least three more years to end the rule of Mad King Donald and his successors, which has thus far been defined not just by its war on immigrants and people whose skin color makes them look like some immigrants, but also on American cities and suburbs, where immigrants and liberals and Democrats reside. But as was the case during our Revolution, interim victories will hasten that day. On the heels of today’s announced Minnesota withdrawal, congressional Democrats appear poised to block funding for the Homeland Security Department, which is set to run out tomorrow. That could be, and surely should be, an interim victory, too, but many more (and more decisive) victories are required to end the rush to authoritarianism that Trump has engineered. Taking Congress in November’s election, of course, is by far the most important looming battle. As the siege of Boston continued through 1775 and 1776, the New England militias were joined by militias even from the Southern colonies. I suspect we’ll see a kindred rise in urban and blue-state solidarity today. Yesterday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ordered L.A.’s police to record the actions of ICE and the Border Patrol, since we can’t rely on the feds recording their own savagery. And in the wake of today’s announced retreat of ICE from Minnesota, Minneapolis Mayor Frey and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that they’d be meeting to discuss lessons learned—resistance lessons learned—from the experience of Frey’s city, and how they can be applied to New York. That might be the topic for a conclave of America’s mayors should someone have the smarts and credibility to call one. As Trump is plainly determined to commemorate the 250th anniversary of our Revolution by having an alien force of louts and thugs occupy America’s cities, so those cities should commemorate that anniversary by demonstrating the same kind of patriot resolve that created those American cities—as distinct from subservient colonial cities—250 years ago. Now as then, mad kings and their mercenaries have no place in our democratic republic. Harold Meyerson Editor-at-Large