Newsletter The siege at home

We begin again like a broken record. Both meanings fit: this crisis feels repetitive, and once again the regime has broken a new record in its assault on democracy. This week brought another alarming escalation of authoritarianism. I had prepared a broader review of national and international events, but given what just unfolded, the focus must stay closer to home.

The New “Enemy Within”

For years Trump labeled immigrants as the internal threat. Now he has added a new target: Antifa.

He announced a new category of “domestic terrorist groups,” placing Antifa on the list (The White House, BBC,), despite the FBI’s own past assessments showing no evidence of an organized, nationwide terror enterprise. Trump calls Antifa “a militarist, anarchist enterprise” and vows to prosecute anyone who “financially supports them.” (Politico),  This is not policy. It is McCarthyism on steroids -an open license to criminalize dissent.

Federal Troops in Portland

Calling Portland a “war-ravaged city,” Trump declared he was sending federal troops there, as well as to detention centers nationwide. He authorized “full force, if necessary,” ,” (The Washington Post).escalating his campaign to use the U.S. military against Americans. Such deployments against a state’s will are extraordinarily rare in modern times.

Oregon officials responded with a united front. Senator Jeff Merkley, Rep. Maxine Dexter, Mayor Keith Wilson, Portland’s police chief, and other leaders stated clearly: federal troops were neither requested, nor needed, nor welcome. (The Chronicle) Mayor Wilson was blunt: “The number of necessary troops in Portland is zero.” (KATU). Officials urged residents to resist peacefully and not take the bait. (recording on YouTube)

A coalition of more than a dozen Oregon mayors issued a joint letter rejecting militarization of the metro area. State Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed an emergency motion to block the deployment, warning Trump was escalating tensions and undermining public safety. (The Oregonian) (Independent) Governor Tina Kotek called the action illegal.(Reuters).,

Yet yesterday, federalized Guard troops entered Portland . (OPB) reports 166 Guard members, mostly from the I-5 corridor, volunteered for service, drawn from a pool trained as military police. This marks one of the first times Oregon’s National Guard has been deployed inside the state over the governor’s objections. (Reuters).

Meanwhile, Chicago saw Border Patrol on the streets and rivers, ICE raids downtown, and masked agents patrolling neighborhoods. (ABC). Trump boasted online that DHS “will not rest” until every so-called “thug” is arrested. Fear is replacing daily life in Chicago. Portland may be next.

Children in Subhuman Conditions

At the same time, ICE detention centers keep children in conditions described as prison-like—sleep deprived, denied clean water, and referred to as “inmates.” (The Guardian). These are not criminals. They are children!

Government Shutdown Looms

Congress remains locked in a fiscal standoff. Democrats are holding the line, demanding protection of health care coverage, (Politico), (read Chuck Scummer’s statement here). while Trump retaliates with threats of mass firings. Estimates suggest that up to 100,000 federal workers may resign before being dismissed. The largest federal firing in modern history is now on the table.  (The Guardian). This Reuters’ article is a good overview of the standoff. Read Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters From an American.

Hegseth’s new military order starts with a loyalty Test

Behind closed doors, Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gathered generals and admirals for what insiders described as a “show of force.” (CNN). The message: get in line or end your career. The Trump administration is actively reshaping the military into a loyalist machine, even as senior officers raise alarm about strategy. (WP).

Democracy Under Siege – Russia-style elections draw closer.

Gerrymandering advances in Missouri where the new congressional map was signed into law (AP). Lawsuits were immediately filed and support for a referendum petition has quickly grown, but hit a block with dismissal by the Secretary of State (Missouri Independent) The outcome will shape whether fair elections can survive in the state.

State Pushback: California Acts

Not all momentum belongs to the regime. California this week enacted SB 627 “ (Call Maters), the “No Secret Police Act”, forbidding most law-enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces to conceal identity while interacting with the public. Governor Newsom signed it as part of a package curbing ICE presence in schools and hospitals. (PBS) In another display of lawlessness with impunity, Federal officials have already signaled they may refuse to comply. …And another legal battle looms.