July 8, 2025 - Want to Know What's Going On With Tariffs? Us Too
Plus the importance of FEMA, conditions in ICE detention, librarian fired for displaying trans-inclusive book, and more
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TRUMP TARIFFS DELAYED UNTIL AUGUST 1ST, BUT ALSO GET WORSE, BUT ALSO UP FOR NEGOTIATION
Economic growth benefits from certainty, allowing entrepreneurs, consumers and employees alike to make plans for the future. Donald Trump loves chaos. Right now, his chaos is winning at the rest of our expense.
With many of the Trump tariffs announced in April set to kick in tomorrow, Trump has decided to delay them again, this time until August 1st – leaving room for the trade deals he assures us are coming any day now. To distract from what certainly looks like another example of him chickening out, he is sending out letters to 14 nations letting them know what the tariff rates will be without more negotiation (most of which are similar to the April 2nd levels) and is promising an additional 10% in tariffs on the coalition of emerging economies known as the BRICS nations.
The Dow Jones fell more than 400 points yesterday, and no wonder. Beyond the extensive damage of the tariffs themselves, the global economy is burdened by the fact that it’s being shuffled week to week based on one man’s whim.
Congress could make this stop tomorrow, if they chose. Democrats have repeatedly tried to force votes on halting the Trump tariffs and taking this weapon out of the hands of a president who clearly cannot be trusted with it, with minimal cooperation with the other side of the aisle. Let’s take this day and encourage Democrats to keep trying and remind Republicans we will hold them responsible for not reining in the Trump trade war. We can find scripts and language here, or send this message via Resistbot by texting SIGN PBSFBM to 50409.
FEMA IS COMING TO THE RESCUE IN TEXAS – LET’S KEEP IT THAT WAY
Less than a month ago, Texas Governor Greg Abbott was asked about the impact of Trump’s plans to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and require states to take on more responsibility for responding and preparing for extreme weather. His office insisted Texas is well-prepared to handle emergency management with or without FEMA. (Texas is likely to face the third highest financial burden in the country by percentage of state spending if FEMA “goes away.”)
Folks who work in emergency management have argued time and again states and localities simply do not have the capacity or resources to do this vital work without the federal government. And with flash floods taking 104 lives and counting in central Texas over the weekend, Governor Abbott has asked for and received FEMA’s help for rescue, recovery and rebuilding.
The last few days have been a clear example of why no one should be asked to weather the storms on their own and the importance of preserving rather than destroying this crucial agency. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and tell them they must act to save FEMA. We can find scripts and language we can use here, or send this message via Resistbot by texting SIGN PFGHTI to 50409.
And let’s continue to do our part to support all those impacted by this catastrophe. We can contribute to Ausin Mutual Aid here or find more ways to help in yesterday’s list.
APPALLING CONDITIONS IN ICE DETENTION
Trump’s administration’s push for mass immigrant arrests, without the infrastructure, resources or facilities to handle so much traffic, has led to a situation where a record 59,000 immigrants are estimated to be currently held in facilities with only about 41,500 beds, making them 140% over capacity. Reports are abounding of over-crowding, insufficient food, insufficient water, inadequate or non-existent healthcare, and human rights abuses including sexual abuse. From January through May 15th, nine people are known to have died in custody, and we recently recorded the 13th death of Fiscal Year 2025 as compared to just 12 for all of Fiscal Year 2024.
The administration’s response is of course not to try and improve conditions but to block oversight, trying to prevent members from Congress from visiting without 72 hours notice even though federal law prohibits limitations on such visits. Reps who have visited confirm the appalling conditions.
The National Immigrant Justice Center urges members of Congress to visit to conduct oversight visits and has put together a toolkit for them to do so. Let’s reach out to our reps and share this toolkit with them and urge them to visit the detention facilities in their own states and demand that the standards outlined in the kit be met. We can find language on Resistbot we can use on protest deaths in ICE custody here and insisting immigration enforcement comply with the law and allow congressional oversight here.
INCREASE THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT ELECTORATE
The Environmental Voter Project has a clear, simple mission: to “identify inactive environmentalists and transform them into consistent voters to build the power of the environmental movement.” One of EVP’s approaches is to increase voter turnout among citizens who care about the climate and the environment in hyper-local, primary, and special elections—to get them in the habit of voting. For example: right now, EVP is running phone banks for Georgia’s Public Service Commission Primary Runoff Election, and for a special election in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District. Let’s make politicians make the environment their priority by helping EVP’s efforts. Let’s sign up to help.
LIBRARIAN FIRED FOR FEATURING TRANS-INCLUSIVE BOOK
After 15 years of working at the Pierce County Library in Blackshear, Georgia, where she advanced from part-time clerk to branch manager, LaVonnia Moore was unexpectedly and abruptly fired due to a display featuring a trans-inclusive children’s book. Anti-LGBTQ+ activists with the Alliance for Faith and Family, who had previously targeted this library system, organized calls to county commissioners and the library system in response to her decision, and she was let go with “with allegedly no investigation, warning, or prior communication.” LaVonnia was living paycheck to paycheck even prior to her termination, and is now faced with additional expenses as she pursues legal action. We can donate to her GoFundMe here.
KEEPING AN EYE ON…
One Million Rising training in strategic non-cooperation launches July 16th
John Lewis Good Trouble Lives On National Day of Action July 17th, find events near us here, host info session Thursday
Tesla Takedowns this weekend and every weekend; join the divestment movement here and here, petition for T-Mobile to cancel Starlink contracts here
Find protests near us daily via
’s We The People DissentJoin the federal workers #SaveOurServices rapid response network here
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We are being played for fools, the only country in the world where heathcare is not a human right. You are scammed day-in and day-out by insurance companies and big pharma. Insurance premiums paid monthly only for you to see Claim Denied. Drug costs that are 2-3 times the cost for the same drug in the next country. It is carnage on the American stage. You accept all that. ??????
https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/claim-denied?r=3m1bs
Thanks for the tools and mention.