#Resist! Four Maine college presidents sign national letter decrying Trump education 'overreach'

Riley Board, Portland Press Herald, Maine
Tue, April 22, 2025

"Four Maine higher education leaders have signed on to a letter accusing the Trump administration of 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference.'

"Safa Zaki of #BowdoinCollege, Garry Jenkins of #BatesCollege, David Greene of #ColbyCollege and James Herbert of the #UniversityOfNewEngland all added their names to the letter, published Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. More than 230 presidents of colleges, universities and scholarly societies throughout the country have signed so far.

" 'We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,' the letter reads. 'However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live and work on our campuses. We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding.'

"Though the letter primarily represents private institutions, leaders from a handful of state colleges and universities signed on, including University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes and Eastern Connecticut State University President Karim Ismaili. A spokesperson for the University of Maine system declined to comment.

"In recent months, the Trump administration has pulled or threatened to pull federal funding from higher education institutions that don't comply with his agenda on #StudentProtesters, admissions practices and #TransgenderAthlete policies.

"The administration has also revoked the visas of hundreds of international students. On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union [#ACLU] of Maine filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security [#DHS] and other agencies behind the visa revocations, asking that a judge restore the visas of any New England students who have had them wrongfully removed, and protecting future students from the same actions."

Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/four-maine-college-presidents-sign-224700038.html

States defying #Trump anti-#DEI deadline risk losing education federal funding

The #NAACP and the Legal Defense Fund have filed "a federal lawsuit blasting the Trump administration for a 'legally flawed' interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

Story by Mabinty Quarshie, Washington Examiner, April 22, 2025

Excerpt: "In total, at least 16 states and Puerto Rico intend to sign the certification, according to Education Weekly, while 16 states have declined to sign.

"Many of the states that have flat out refused to sign the order by citing their commitment to DEI policies are led by Democratic governors.

"Among those states are New York, the first state to publicly thumb its nose at the certification request, Colorado, Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Utah, with the latter two states having Republican governors.

[...]

"In Fiscal Year 2022, federal funding accounted for 14% of K-12 education funding. State and local funding provided 87% of K-12 funding.

"In fiscal 2024, the Department of Education spent $18.8 billion for schools with large numbers of #poor, neglected, delinquent, and other '#EducationallyDisadvantaged' students, as well as $55 billion in COVID-19 grants to #PreK programs, elementary, and secondary schools, according to Pew Research Center.

"Should the Department of Education strip states of federal funding, it could force cuts during the 2025-2026 school year."

Full article:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/states-defying-trump-anti-dei-deadline-risk-losing-education-federal-funding/ar-AA1Dn3PH

Anti-Trump resistance sees another leader in Van Hollen as Democrats’ leadership carousel turns

"Ezra Levin, co-founder of the #resistance group #Indivisible, said the growing protest movement is directed both at #Trump and 'the Schumers of the world, those who want us to roll over and play dead.' "

By STEVE PEOPLES, April 20, 2025

"Now, it’s Chris Van Hollen’s turn.

"The mild-mannered Maryland senator has suddenly emerged as a leading figure in the resistance to Donald Trump’s norm-busting presidency, becoming the latest in a small but growing collection of Democratic officials testing the strength of their political power in a weakened party with no clear leader.

"Van Hollen’s rise follows his decision to travel 2,000 miles to El Salvador last week to meet with #KilmarAbregoGarcia, who was wrongly deported and federal courts have said should be returned.

"Van Hollen did not secure the release of the Salvadoran citizen who had been living in Maryland. But simply by meeting with him, in defiance of Trump and his ally El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Van Hollen created a new sense of hope and momentum for Abrego Garcia’s family and the anti-Trump resistance.

" 'Sen. Van Hollen’s leadership in this moment is exactly how Democrats should be pushing back against a wannabe dictator like Donald Trump — calling for law and order over chaos and adhering to the Constitution instead of a tyrant,' Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin told The Associated Press."

https://apnews.com/article/van-hollen-democrats-trump-resistance-abrego-garcia-084ab2c9691accd1e79b3c956f68d058

#WeThePeople - #AntiTrump Protesters Mobilize for Hundreds of Events via #50501Movement

#Activists joined forces on a wide variety of issues on Saturday

by Naomi LaChance, April 19, 2025

Excerpt: "Protesters gathered near the White House to demand that #KilmarAbregoGarcia be brought back to the U.S. The Maryland man was illegally deported to El Salvador and remains there despite a Supreme Court order to bring him back.

"A search for affiliated events yields more than 750 results. #50501Michigan is planning a “#MarchForMotherNature” where attendees hold #CleanUps in local areas. In #LafayetteLouisiana, organizers are holding a '#GoodTrouble March.' In #TampaFlorida, activists gathered to protest the deportation of two #Venezuelan #immigrants to a #MegaPrison in #ElSalvador.

"In #NewYorkCity, people organized in front of the New York Public Library. Someone had drawn 'WE THE PEOPLE' in chalk in the street.

"Other areas are holding #NoKings protests to mark the 250th anniversary of the #AmericanRevolution. In #Concord,Massachusetts, Conan Walter held a sign that said, 'Stop #fascism now.' "

Read more:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/anti-trump-protests-50501-movement-1235321442/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/LAj9W

#SupremeCourt temporarily blocks #deportations of #Venezuelans held in northern #Texas

By Nicholas Riccardi, April 19, 2025

"The Supreme Court on Saturday blocked, for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th-century wartime law.

"In a brief order, the court directed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the #BluebonnetDetentionCenter 'until further order of this court.'

"Justices #ClarenceThomas and #SamuelAlito dissented.

"The high court acted in an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union contending that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart removals under the #AlienEnemiesAct of 1798. The Supreme Court had said earlier in April that deportations could proceed only if those about to be removed had a chance to argue their case in court and were given 'a reasonable time' to contest their pending removals.

" 'We are deeply relieved that the Court has temporarily blocked the removals. These individuals were in imminent danger of spending the rest of their lives in a brutal Salvadoran prison without ever having had any due process,' ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said in an email."

https://apnews.com/article/aclu-trump-deport-venezuelans-supreme-court-5d85ffec44fca7c267315b34cec9ddb2

Signs from today’s rally. There were lots of good ones, but I was too shy to go around asking for pictures, or trying to be covert about it.

Very cool! Hubby's photos were linked in The Guardian! (He had posted them to Bluesky and tagged #50501Movement)

Protesters fill the streets in cities across the US to denounce Trump agenda

Organizers call for 11 million people to march and rally in this weekend’s effort to ‘#ProtectDemocracy’

by Robert Tait and Edward Helmore, April 19, 2025

"Opponents of Donald Trump’s administration mobilized from the east coast to the west, including at rallies in #PortlandMaine, and #PortlandOregon, decrying what they see as threats to the nation’s democratic ideals."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/19/anti-trump-rallies-protests

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/hoXQe

#HarvardUniversity knew they could afford to make a stand. I hope they stick to their guns! #Capitulation by any university WILL be considered weakness (yeah, I'm looking at you, #ColumbiaUniversity, who still haven't received their funding, despite caving)...

#Trump adds new threat after #Harvard rejects demands

Story by Matthew Atungwu, April 16, 2025

"US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status, demanding an apology from the university, a day after it rejected what it called unlawful demands to overhaul academic programs or lose federal grants."

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-adds-new-threat-after-harvard-rejects-demands/ar-AA1D0DQK?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhoverent&cvid=24ece36629fc42fab69841d01024e6f4&ei=13

Read it on your way to a protest - or after - or because you've decided not to go. Especially now.

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

https://www.regulatorbookshop.com/book/9780593804148

#FreePalestine #humanrights #apartheid #palestine #gaza #westbank #endtheoccupation #sanctionisrael #genocide #antizionist #antifacist #resistance #liberal #resistfascism #DNC #VBNMW #TuckFrump #fromtherivertothesea
@palestine @israel @bookstodon

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/130-jewish-georgetown-members-trump-weaponizing-faith-badar-khan-rcna200871

Very proud of these Jewish students, faculty, staff, and alumni at #Georgetown who are taking this stand for #HumanRights.

This feels especially important as we are coming into the #Passover season, to speak out for all who have been unjustly incarcerated by the #Fascist administration.

US Law Firms Commit Suicide.

US law firms, ceding to Trump, quietly scrub DEI references from websites
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/11/law-firms-dei

#MayDay Means #Resistance
A Call to Take Action on #May1st

This May Day, gather in defiance of tyranny and oppression. Gather to create communities based in solidarity and mutual aid. Gather with everyone who wants a better life. Gather to honor those who fought before us. Gather to show that another world is possible.

#CrimethInc, 2025-04-08

"As May Day 2025 approaches, we face an increasingly grim situation. Donald Trump and his lackeys are restructuring the state, redirecting even more resources towards repression and filling their pockets along the way. They are already deporting students on the basis of their political views and they have made it clear that they intend to escalate to deporting US citizens as well. All the while, the ecological damage, climate disasters, wars, and genocides that were already in progress are only intensifying.

"While some are laying low, hoping that the tide will turn, that is a terrible mistake. How far this nightmare can go will be determined by what people do now to build movements of resistance. The more time passes, the firmer #Trump’s grip on the institutions will be, and the better positioned he will be to expand and intensify repression. Even if Trump’s ill-thought-out policies alone suffice to turn the majority of the population against him, that will not answer the question of how to push him out of power—he has already shown that he will not leave office willingly. It also will not ensure that what comes after will be any better. Remember, we ended up in this situation because of the catastrophic reign of the #Biden administration.

There’s no way around it: we have to build powerful grassroots movements through which to defend each other and popularize a radical analysis of what we are up against.

"May Day offers a perfect occasion for this. For nearly a century and a half, anarchists and other revolutionaries have observed it as a day of celebration and resistance. Tapping into this longstanding tradition offers many reference points for what we can do right now.

"Wherever you are, you can do something for May Day. Better yet, organize a week of events, including education, mutual aid, arts and entertainment, and a march or demonstration."

Read more:
https://crimethinc.com/2025/04/08/may-day-means-resistance-a-call-to-take-action-on-may-first
#MayFirst #GeneralStrike #InternationalWorkersDay #Resistance #ResistFascism #ResistAuthoritarianism

The Gender Police -- Targeting Maine yet again!

#PamBondi: #JusticeDepartment cut funding for #Maine corrections department over #transgender inmate

by Brooke Migdon - 04/08/25 4:51 PM ET

"The Justice Department revoked funding for the Maine Department of Corrections over the state’s placement of a transgender woman in a women’s prison, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday.

"Bondi made the announcement during an interview with Fox News, saying the department pulled all 'nonessential' funding from the state corrections department on Monday after federal officials learned 'a guy' was serving time in one of the state’s two women’s facilities. Bondi said the inmate was convicted of murder.

"The loss in funding for the department totaled upward of $1.5 million, according to Fox News. The Justice Department did not return a request for comment.

"In a news release, Maine’s corrections department said it received formal notice from the Department of Justice on Monday that certain federal grants 'are being terminated because they ‘no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities.' The cuts will impact state-run initiatives related to #SubstanceAbuseTreatment and support for #children with incarcerated parents, the corrections department said.

"The notice from the Justice Department, a copy of which was obtained by The Hill, does not mention transgender inmates. 'While the Department is aware of related public statements by the United States Attorney General, the notice is the only communication that has been received by the Department,' Maine’s corrections department said.

"The move by the Justice Department is the latest development in a monthlong battle between the Trump administration and Maine over the state’s refusal to ban transgender student-athletes from girls’ and women’s sports as ordered by the president."

Read more:
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5238890-maine-corrections-funding-justice-department/
#TransgenderRights #Fascism #ResistFascism #TrumpIsABully #MaineResists

#MassiveProtests Against #Trump are Just The Beginning

A co-founder of #Indivisible lays out a vision for harnessing millions of protesters into an unstoppable pro-democracy movement

by Tim Dickerson, April 8, 2025

Excerpts: "The demonstrations were organized by a broad coalition — including groups that rose to prominence in the first Trump administration, like Indivisible, upstarts like the #50501Movement, as well as established grassroots groups like #MoveOn. The upswell of resistance surprised even seasoned organizers. Indivisible cofounder #EzraLevin texted Rolling Stone on Friday to predict 'one of the largest single-day protests in years' adding that the public response was “kind of shocking."

[...]

"This was a Big Tent — everybody from like #DSA to #MattYglesias and #NeverTrump Republicans were endorsing it. I had briefly gotten excited about calling this the 'Normal March.'

"Like the wacko, MAGA, right-wing crazies are not gonna be part of this. But if you’re a normal person, you would want to take part. Because obviously you oppose #Project2025, you oppose #DOGE and the richest man in the world coming after your #SocialSecurity.

"But I’m happy we went with '#HandsOff.' It served as a good rallying cry, because we all come to this for different reasons. Maybe we’re concerned about the #tariffs, maybe we’re concerned about #TransKids in our community being targeted, or the #immigrants being disappeared, or maybe we’re concerned about Social Security. We’ve all got something to fight back on."

Read more:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-musk-protests-democracy-hands-off-indivisible-1235312482/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/eohLD
#Resistance #Resist #ResistAuthoritarianism #ResistFascism #BadDOGE

COMING SOON: The Bully - From Boardroom to War Room
50 brutal “laws” Trump used to dominate, divide, and deceive - exposed through the eyes of the Arab world.
This isn’t just a book. It’s a warning.
Stay awake: amazon.com/author/mohameddosou

So apparently we are at war now? And the regime gets to decide who the enemy is! Watching those "emergency" powers stack up.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/07/politics/supreme-court-deportation-flights-trump/index.html

‘Listen to the people’: Thousands demonstrate across #Maine for national day of action against #Trump

#Mainers rallied in over 20 towns against mass firings and cuts to federal programs

By: Lauren McCauley - April 5, 2025

"'The power of the people is more important and stronger than the people in power.'

"That was what U.S. Sen. Angus King told the thousands of people who gathered on Congress Street in Portland on Saturday to protest the administration of President Donald Trump. [#UselessSusanCollins wasn't there. Nothing new...]

"According to organizers, 3,000 people attended the #PortlandME rally, which was just one of more than 20 events held across Maine as part of national '#HandsOff!' actions to demonstrate widespread opposition to the gutting of the federal government spearheaded by billionaire advisor #ElonMusk.

"The town mall in #BrunswickME, where over 500 people rallied, was a sea of homemade signs. Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry, who represents the district, was among the crowd and noted it was one of the few times in her life she’s seen 'this many people gathered for something like this.'

"The message, she said, is 'to listen to the people.'

"'A lot of the signs that I saw were about ‘Hands off our Social Security,’ ‘Hands off our libraries,’ ‘Hands off our health care,’ I think what we’re saying is, you can’t completely unravel the fabric of our society without people noticing.'"

Read more (includes photo gallery):
https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/04/05/listen-to-the-people-thousands-demonstrate-across-maine-for-national-day-of-action-against-trump/
#MaineResists #HandsOff2025 #April5th #BadDOGE #ResistFascism