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From Diplomat to Dissenter: Why I Protest Trump’s America

From Diplomat to Dissenter: Why I Protest Trump’s America

Ending taxes on home sales would benefit the wealthiest households most – part of a larger pattern in Trump tax plans

Ending taxes on home sales would benefit the wealthiest households most – part of a larger pattern in Trump tax plans

Protestors holding signs that read "protect trans kids."

Trump's Orders Threaten Transgender Americans’ Rights

Millions Could Lose Housing Aid Under Trump Plan

Millions Could Lose Housing Aid Under Trump Plan

Is Pritzker Right? Is It Time To Invoke the 25th Amendment Against Trump?

Is Pritzker Right? Is It Time To Invoke the 25th Amendment Against Trump?

The 35 Republicans who support the insurrection commission​

Capitol insurrection

Nearly three dozen Republicans joined with Democrats to approve an investigation into the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol.

Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Sara Swann
By Sara SwannMay 20, 2021
Sara Swann

As a staff writer, Sara covers a variety of democracy reform issues, including voting rights, money in politics, gerrymandering and civic education. Prior to joining The Fulcrum in May 2019, Sara reported on local government on Maryland's Eastern Shore for the USA Today network. She is a native West Virginian and a graduate of Syracuse University.

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The House voted Wednesday to establish an independent commission investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Thirty-five Republicans broke from the GOP leadership to join the Democratic majority in supporting the bill.

Some of these Republicans had previously broken with the party on major votes that defined their stance on democratic institutions, including two votes on the impeachment of Donald Trump as well as certification of the 2020 election results.

Use the chart below to see how each GOP member voted on these critical issues.

The legislation's chances of passing in the evenly split Senate remain slim.



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We Are Chicago

Thousands of protesters packed Daley Plaza and marched through the streets of Chicago, April 05, 2025.

Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images for Community Change Action

We Are Chicago

Just after 1 a.m. on Chicago’s South Side, residents woke to pounding on doors, smoke in the hallways, and armed federal agents flooding their building. The raid was part of a broader immigration crackdown that has brought Border Patrol and ICE teams into the city using SWAT-style tactics. Journalists documented door breaches and dozens detained; federal officials confirmed at least 37 arrests on immigration charges. Residents described chaos, kids in shock, and damaged apartments. As of this writing, none of the 37 arrested have been charged with violent crimes or proven ties to the Tren de Aragua gang—the stated target. (Reuters, Chicago Sun-Times)

City and state leaders are pushing back. Chicago’s mayor created “ICE-free zones” on city property, limiting access without a warrant. Illinois and Chicago then sued to block the administration’s plan to add National Guard troops to “protect federal assets” and support federal operations, calling the move unlawful and escalatory. The legal fight is active; the state has asked courts to stop what it calls an “invasion.” (AP News, TIME)

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Laredo at the Crossroads of Border Policy

Laredo police car

Credit: Ashley Soriano

Laredo at the Crossroads of Border Policy

LAREDO, Texas — The United States Border Patrol has deployed military Stryker combat tanks along the Rio Grande River in Laredo, Texas. The Laredo Police Department reports that human stash houses — once a common sight during the Biden administration — have largely disappeared. And the Webb County medical examiner reports fewer migrant deaths.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data show illegal crossings have dropped to a five-year low under President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies. What’s happening on the ground at the border supports the numbers, and the decline is palpable at Dr. Corinne Stern’s office, as migrant deaths are also falling.

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Why free speech rights got left out of the Constitution – and added in later via the First Amendment

Supporters of free speech gather in September 2025 to protest the suspension of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', across the street from the theater where the show is produced in Hollywood.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Why free speech rights got left out of the Constitution – and added in later via the First Amendment

Bipartisan agreement is rare in these politically polarized days.

But that’s just what happened in response to ABC’s suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The suspension followed the Federal Communications Commission chairman’s threat to punish the network for Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer.

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Pam Bondi Made a Mockery of Congressional Oversight
President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Attorney ...
www.whitehouse.gov

Pam Bondi Made a Mockery of Congressional Oversight

Checks and balances can only work if government officials are willing to use their authority to check abuses of power by others. Without that, our Constitution is an empty promise.

And without the will to stand up to such abuses, freedom and democracy also become empty promises. As James Madison wrote in Federalist 51, the Constitution was designed to ensure that “the interior structure of the government as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.”

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