Unfortunately, It's Time to Seriously Consider The Chances of Another Trump War (5/19/26)

No, they're really making a lot of noise about Cuba just now. Plus phonebanks launch against a congressional creep, another ICE officer charged in Minnesota and more

May 19, 2026

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🗣️ We are anticipating a vote this week on a national “don’t say trans” and forced outing law in the House - we can find scripts and language here to let our reps know we want them to oppose this attack on our kids! 🗣️

TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ
Red flags keep piling up on Trump’s threats against Cuba, tell Congress we want them to put an end to the saber-rattling here
Help turn out voters for the Georgia supreme court and Alabama primaries today, phonebank to help unseat another Republican under investigation for sexual misconduct tonight
Another indictment of an ICE agent in Minnesota, tell your local prosecutors to follow suit
Join America’s science community in pushing Congress to reinstate the National Science Board
Join SURJ for a conversation on exhaustion, burnout and how to continue the long fight against authoritarianism and white supremacy TOMORROW at 8PM ET

If you have questions, comments, and especially submissions for actions, please email us at roganslisttips@gmail.com!

Tell the U.S. Congress Act Now to Stop Another Trump War, No Strikes on Cuba. Text SIGN PYLQOZ to 50409. — This all might be just another “madman theory” ploy, but unfortunately we can’t count on the President of the United States not being very, very stupid.

NO, SERIOUSLY, TRUMP IS TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER WAR 🤷🏻

The situation in the Middle East remains at a stalemate, with Iran shutting down major global trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Navy preventing anything else from reaching them. Naturally, with one war stalled, the Trump Administration is beginning to saber-rattle about another one.

The U.S. began a blockade of Cuba in early January, accompanied by Trump bluster about “taking” the country, and the island is now out of fuel. This has already caused a humanitarian crisis, with blackouts, school closures, preventable deaths at hospitals, and more completely unnecessary suffering, and their leadership has been negotiating with Trump over aid and relief in exchange for economic reforms. But the dictatorship running Havana has yet to collapse, and Trump has reportedly been growing frustrated with how long it’s taking. Developments in recent days have led to renewed fears that Trump might attempt to repeat his Venezuela strikes or worse, such as:

At the very least, the Trump Administration sure wants us to believe they’re serious about a possible war on Cuba, and given the potential consequences we should give it due consideration.

It should be noted that aside from some reheated Cold War fear-mongering, Trump and his team have not made a case for why any of this is necessary or useful. His real motives are up for speculation, but his own desire to put his stamp on the history books, the ambitions of his Secretary of State and the ability of American companies to do business there come up in a lot in the speculation.

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) forced a vote on a Cuba war powers resolution in late April, which fell 51-47 (Fetterman voting to block, Collins and Paul joining the Democrats in favor). It is unlikely there has been much movement since then, but the GOP has not shown enthusiasm about the new threats, and given the practical obstacles to launching a second regional war we may be able to gain ground if we make some noise. 🗣️ Let’s start with urging our members of Congress to take action now, supporting another vote on a war powers resolution and making it publicly clear they will not back authorizing or funding another Trump war. We can find scripts and language to use here, or send this message by texting SIGN PYLQOZ to 50409. 🗣️

SERIOUSLY. ENOUGH OF THIS.

DECISION DAY IN GEORGIA AND TAKING ON A CAROLINA CREEPER

Today we’ll see primaries in six states, but here at Rogan’s List HQ (my dining room table) we’ll be focused on the results of the general election for two seats on the Georgia Supreme Court. Victories for pro-democracy progressives Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin would be a significant step forward for the Democratic Party in the state and the first time we’ve unseated justices in Georgia in more than 100 years. ☎️ Let’s keep pushing through the finish line and get those last few supporters to the polls! We can sign up for phonebank shifts any time between 10AM and 6PM ET here. ☎️

MAKE HISTORY IN GEORGIA

There will also be a primary in Alabama, and Black Voters Matter is doing the work to turn out the voters the GOP is trying to suppress and make sure they have the info they need to make their ballots count. ☎️ We can sign up to join them on a phonebank any time between 1:00 and 6:00 PM ET here and get on the list for more volunteer opportunities with these top-notch organizers here. ☎️

FIGHT SUPPRESSION IN ALABAMA

And today we can also start looking forward to November. Jamie Ager, a fourth-generation West North Carolina farmer and the Democratic nominee for the Eleventh Congressional District, is kicking off weekly Tuesday evening phonebanks tonight at 5PM! Ager is running hard on addressing the federal government’s shortfalls in Hurricane Helene recovery, the affordability crisis and taking on corruption.

Ager is running in an R+5 district that was already on the radar before we learned incumbent Republican Chuck Edwards was under Ethics Committee investigation over accusations of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. There have been allegations that the congressman had an affair with a then-staffer, in direct violation of House rules, and that he singled out two young, female staffers for inappropriate attention. ☎️ Let’s help take down this creep. We can sign up for phonebanks tonight and on Tuesdays to come here. ☎️

MAKE CALLS FOR JAMIE AGER TUESDAYS

MINNESOTA PROSECUTORS LEAD ON INDICTING ICE, WE WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO FOLLOW

The deportation forces are not above the law in Hennepin County, Minnesota if nowhere else. Yesterday their lead prosecutor Mary Moriarty announced charges against an ICE agent for the second time, this time against Christian Castro for four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.

Castro shot a man named Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the thigh, firing through a front door while in the process of chasing Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, who lived in his apartment complex. Homeland Security then accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of beating officers with a broom handle and snow shovel, calling it “attempted murder” by “violent criminal illegal aliens” and blaming Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey for encouraging assault against law enforcement. Both were charged with crimes. Those charges were dropped, and video eventually publicly released proved this story was a lie. (Both Sosa-Celis and Aljorna are also, incidentally, in the country legally.)

That prosecutors are attempting to hold officers accountable for this flagrant violence and misconduct is positive, and they indicated they were still investigating the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. The bad news is no one appears to be following Hennepin County’s lead. Prosecutors in Durango, Colorado are charging a CBP officer with misdemeanor assault for attacking a demonstrator, but these are the only deportation agents facing legal consequences so far. While state and local governments face serious challenges indicting federal officials for crimes on the job, it’s not impossible, and we need frontline agents carrying out Trump’s agenda to go forward knowing they are not immune.

🗣️ If we’re in areas that have been terrorized by the deportation machine, let’s reach out to our own local prosecutors and state attorneys general and tell them it’s time to step up like Hennepin County did and commit to prosecuting any crimes by ICE and CBP agents to the fullest extent of the law. We can find scripts and language here. 🗣️

PROSECUTE ICE CRIMES

STAND UP FOR NONPARTISAN SCIENCE

The Trump/MAGA attack on policy steeped in fact, knowledge, and science continues. They have rid the EPA, CDC, and FDA of expert advisors, and now they have fired every member of the National Science Board, which overseas the National Science Foundation, which, since 1950, is a major funder of science, math, and engineering research at US universities. Trump/MAGA is also seeking to cut the NSF’s budget by more than half, and has rescinded thousands of grants that the NSF has already approved. Experts fear that the NSB will be repopulated with partisans loyal not to basic, independent research, but to the MAGA agenda.

📬 Thousands of members of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has signed a letter to Congress demanding that the 22 members of the NSB be reinstated. Let’s join them—we can read and sign their letter here and use Stand Up for Science (aka Science Fight Club)’s email tool to let our members of Congress know we want them to act here. 📬

SIGN THE OPEN LETTER

E-MAIL CONGRESS

HOW NOT TO GIVE UP

In our collective fight against authoritarianism, exhaustion, burnout, and overwhelm are common experiences. (Heaven knows your humble author has experienced them.) And achieving lasting change requires a lifelong commitment – meaning we’re going to have to figure out how to overcome these setbacks.

Tomorrow night at 8PM ET, Showing Up for Racial Justice will be holding a conversation featuring political strategist Scot Nakagawa nd movement leader Ash-Lee Woodard-Henderson for white people particular to discuss the rhetoric of giving up, talk about our particular responsibility to build strategies to sustain and stay in this work, and to connect with movement leaders of color who have been in this fight for decades. 🏫 If we could use some grounding and inspiration in this fight, let’s sign up to join them here. 🏫

A MASS CALL ON ENDURANCE

👀 KEEPING AN EYE ON… 👀

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