#FreeAmerica Walkouts Coming Next Tuesday - January 12, 2026
Plus Federal Reserve targeted with political prosecutions, defunding ICE, undoing voter suppression in North Carolina and more
✊🏻 We hit the streets in force this weekend for #ICEOutForGood and #NoICENoWar - please submit protest and sign photos to roganslisttips@gmail.com and we’ll run them in upcoming issues! ✊🏿
THIS WEEKEND, WE HIT THE STREETS. NEXT TUESDAY, WE’RE WALKING OUT.
Less than 72 hours after ICE murdered Renee Nicole Good, Americans held coordinated national mass protests demanding justice for her family and ICE out in hundreds of cities. (Please send us your photos at roganslisttips@gmail.com!) And as long as this administration’s violence at home and abroad continue, we are going to keep making our voices heard and our presence felt. This weekend, that meant showing up. Next Tuesday, it means walking out - making it clear that we are ready to disrupt business as usual if this is what it looks like.
The Women’s March is organizing holding Free America walkouts from school, work and commerce to mourn the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration at 2:00PM local time on January 20th. This is a stepped up commitment for a moment that demands more of us. And local organizers are being asked to schedule mutual aid planning meetings, public service, and protests for folks to join. We can find actions near us here or schedule our own here, and help spread the word with this social media toolkit.
There will also be a mass call discussing this effort TOMORROW at 8:00PM ET. We can sign up to attend here.
TRUMP WANTS TO PUT THE FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR IN PRISON FOR DISAGREEING WITH HIM
The first year of Trump’s second term has been chock full of economic sabotage and retaliatory prosecution against those Trump deems enemies or who dare to not toe the line. Maybe it was inevitable he’d try both at the same time.
Yesterday evening, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell told us the Department of Justice served the central bank with subpoenas and threatened him with a criminal indictment over his testimony to Congress about renovations at Fed headquarters. As Powell made plain in this remarkable statement, it’s nonsense, an obvious pretext for Trump to punish him for refusing to set interest rates as low as the White House would prefer or blackmail him into doing so now.
Trump had already been warning about firing Powell, who he nominated for the job, in what would have already been a massive and illegal power grab. This is an unprecedented escalation, and one that could have severe consequences.
It should go without saying that disagreeing with a president on policy matters is not a crime in a democracy, and if a public official doing so risks investigation and imprisonment we’ve taken a giant step towards functional dictatorship. And for those who don’t give a damn about freedom or the rule of law, undermining the independence of the Federal Reserve Board could also crater our economy in both the short and long term. The markets openly panicked when Trump was just suggesting termination, and their reaction to the Fed being under the White House’s thumb for good is likely to be far worse.
Our leaders must act now. Everyone who claims to represent us should be demanding the probe be dropped and an investigation into it by both the Department of Justice’s Inspector General and Congress. We need public hearings where Attorney General Pam Bondi and everyone who below her testify under oath about how this case came about and whether Trump is lying about his involvement. More broadly, our elected officials must be using every available lever to protect our economy and stop this weaponization of the justice system to pressure and punish those who dare disagree with the White House – including holding up Fed confirmations, the power of appropriations and impeachment. We can find call scripts and talking points we can use to push our members of Congress on this here, or send this email by texting SIGN PQTOHR to 50409.
CONGRESS IS TRYING TO GIVE ICE MORE MONEY TO KIDNAP AND KILL
Renee Nicole Good was not the first or the last person to lose their life at the hands of the deportation machine during Trump 2.0. At least 40 people are dead because of Trump’s military and federal deployments targeting immigrants. Thousands are missing. More than 68,000 are currently being held in detention - a record number, 73% of whom have no criminal convictions and only 5% of whom have been convicted of a violent crime. These numbers will only grow as ICE continues to put new resources to work, Republicans having tripled its budget.
Before the end of this month, Congress will need to vote on Homeland Security appropriations for the next fiscal year. Migrant Insider is reporting that Republicans are actively trying to increase ICE funding again, and Democratic leadership has thus far refused to make it a red line. This is moral cowardice and political malpractice at a moment when Americans are screaming for accountability from Trump’s thugs. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and demand a) they oppose any new funding, b) roll back the increases from the MAGA Murder Budget and c) use this appropriations deadline to rein in an out-of-control agency, starting with Senator Chris Murphy’s demands for agents to be required to have warrants for arrests, ban them from wearing masks during enforcement operations, limit the use of guns by ICE during civil actions, and restrict the Border Patrol to the border. We can find language we can use from Detention Watch Network here. This is the moment.
HELP NORTH CAROLINA DEMS “REPAIR” REGISTRATION FOR 71,000 VOTERS
The North Carolina GOP continues to push boundaries in their efforts to tilt the electoral playing field. Having changed the rules to seize control of the State Board of Elections, they promptly used their power to deem tens of thousands of voters “inactive” for having incomplete registration records. While these folks would be able to vote, they would have to cast a provisional ballot, necessitating additional steps to get their votes counted. The list is disproportionately Black and significantly younger than the electorate.
The state Democratic Party is trying to reach out to everyone on this list, currently at 71,415 names, to get them to update their information and ensure they can cast a regular ballot in November. Let’s sign up here to phone bank TOMORROW from 5:30PM-8:00PM ET and assist with registration repair efforts. We can also help spread the word about the state’s search tool, which lets North Carolinians see if they’re among those being targeted, and the steps they can take to clear up their records.
THANK THE JUDGES WHO ARE HOLDING THE LINE
Facing physical threats, political pressure and a Supreme Court that has frequently not had their backs, lower court judges are still doing vitally important work to keep this administration’s power within the bounds of the law. Let’s acknowledge their work and send encouragement to keep fighting.
District court judge Arun Subramanian ruled that the administration cannot block funding for child care subsidies to five Democratic states. The ruling means that the government will have to prove their claims about the funding being misused in court in order before hurting working families. Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Subramanian for preventing this targeted punishment against blue states.
Judge Arun Subramanian
Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse
500 Pearl Street
New York, NY 10007
District court judge John H. Chun blocked the administration’s latest attempt to interfere with the electoral process, an effort to require proof of citizenship to vote and void any mail-in ballots received after Election Day rather than the current law of going by postmark. Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Chun for preventing this effort at election interference.
The Honorable John H. Chun
United States Courthouse
700 Stewart Street, Suite 14134
Seattle, WA 98101-9906
District court judge Indira Talwani announced she will be issuing a temporary restraining order to block the administration’s efforts to end the family reunification parole program, which allows family members of citizens and green card holders temporary residence while they seek legal status on the basis of their family relationship. Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Talwani for standing in the way of another attack on established legal immigration programs and the people relying on them.
Judge Indira Talwani
John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse
1 Courthouse Way, Suite 2300
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
District court judge Lorna G. Schofield disqualified John Sarcone from serving as acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York. Sarcone is one of a number of Republican prosecutors put in place by the administration without obtaining Senate confirmation. Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Schofield for standing up for checks and balances and the rule of law.
Judge Lorna G. Schofield
Southern District of New York
40 Foley Square
New York, NY 10007
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTION
SC - CRIMINALIZING WOMEN FOR CONTROLLING THEIR BODIES
South Carolina's legislative session begins tomorrow, and forced birthers have hearings scheduled on two dangerous bills the very next day. On the docket are H. 4760, a bill which would criminalize abortion medications by reclassifying them as controlled substances which Jessica Valenti has flagged for having the support of GOP leaders, and H. 3537, a renewed effort to treat abortion as homicide and make anyone who has one eligible for the death penalty. The Palmetto State Abortion Fund and other reproductive rights advocates are rallying supporters to stop this legislation. If we’re in state, we can attend and testify at the hearing on WEDNESDAY at 12:00 pm in the Blatt Building, Room 110 behind the State House. We can also find a petition to sign and language to use for contacting our legislators in opposition to H. 4760 here. The rest of us can consider a donation to PSAF while they continue the fight.
CORRECTIONS
In Friday’s issue, the action promoting tomorrow’s kick-off call for Pennsylvania Stands Up’s Tax Billionaires, Fund PA campaign initially ran with an incorrect header. We apologize for this error and thank our readers for keeping us honest!
👀 KEEPING AN EYE ON… 👀
UPDATE: GOP victory in South Carolina House special election confirmed, with Dem losing by just 21 votes
DEADLINE: Final day to comment in opposition to proposed deep-sea mining off Northern Marianas, Guam - language here
We beat Avelo Airlines - join Defend & Recruit for organizing call THURSDAY to discuss what’s next
Senate set to pass Venezuela war powers resolution this week - let’s start pressing the House to do the same and demand Congress respond to threatened strikes against Mexico, Iran
#CutTheFuel #StrikeThePump consumer wildcat gas strikes to oppose oil wars are continuing, next announced for Sunday, January 19th - learn more here, spread the word with this social media toolkit
I oppose this walkout nonsense. It wont make a ripple and will just hurt your job or your schooling. Focus on contacting congress and protesting specific issues.