Ignoring the Constitution: Trump’s Shortcut to Control

⚔️The Latest Battle: Trump vs. Democracy⚔️

📌Trump Announces Plans For 100% Tariffs on All Foreign Movies

What Happened: Trump plans to implement a 100% tariff on movies made in other countries and imported into the United States. Emphasizing the financial incentives that make producing movies abroad cheaper, Trump wants to force filmmakers back to Hollywood. This announcement comes after the movie industry recently started showing signs of recovery after the pandemic and writers/actors strikes.

Why It Matters: Trump’s latest tariff target is movies, but it misses the point entirely. The real issue is the high cost of filmmaking in the United States which drives studios to look elsewhere for more affordable options. This move makes the industry even less accessible for independent artists and risks damaging crucial international trade relationships. But beyond the economics, this starts laying the groundwork for something more dangerous: government control over what content gets made and who gets to make it. This is the kind of policy you see in countries like Russia and North Korea—where restricting outside media is the first step in controlling the narrative altogether. As the film world tries to recover post-strikes and post-COVID, Trump’s move isn’t about revitalization—it’s about domination. And it should scare the hell out of anyone who still believes in creative freedom.

📌Trump Says 'I Don't Know' When Asked If He Must Uphold the Constitution

What Happened: Trump has said he doesn’t know whether he is required to uphold the Constitution as President of the United States. In this same interview, Trump explained he wasn’t sure if everyone deserves due process under the 5th Amendment. These comments follow Trump’s refusal to save Kilmar Abrego Garcia (a man he wrongly deported to an El Salvadorian gang prison) and his defiance of Supreme Court orders.

Why It Matters: Trump’s latest confession? He doesn’t know if he’s actually required to uphold the Constitution. Funny, because that’s literally the job description. The oath of office he took says he’s supposed to “protect and defend” the Constitution, but apparently that’s too complicated for him. Meanwhile, Republicans are mindlessly playing along, completely ignoring the fact that Trump is clearly unfit for office. If this is what passes for leadership, we’re in serious trouble.

📌 Trump is Swiftly Undoing Transgender Protections in HUD’s Housing Policies

What Happened: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has rolled back long-established fair housing protections for transgender people. Pausing all investigations of gender identity discrimination cases, the HUD has halted the enforcement of the Equal Access Rule which has protected LGBTQ+ buyers for over a decade. Homeless shelters that run on federal funding are being forced to remove statements indicating support for LGBTQ+ patrons, and when combined with the HUD’s actions, this poses great dangers for the already marginalized community.

Why It Matters: Trump's rollback of housing protections is more than red tape—it’s targeted cruelty dressed up as policy. By gutting anti-discrimination rules and punishing shelters for serving trans people, his administration is making homelessness a death sentence for those already living on society’s edge. Queer and trans youth, many of whom are kicked out or run away from unsafe homes, will now have even fewer places to turn for help. The Equal Access Rule existed to ensure everyone could find shelter, but under Trump, even that basic right is up for debate. Republicans claim to champion freedom, yet they stand silently as the government strips basic protections from one of the most vulnerable groups in America.

📌 Supreme Court Clears Way for Trump Administration to Enforce Transgender Military Ban for Now

What Happened: The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can continue barring transgender people from the military while legal proceedings move forward, pausing a lower court’s order that blocked the policy. The Trump Administration claims its policy restores military readiness by getting rid of “DEI or woke gender ideology.” Under Trump’s order, the Department of Defense has halted gender-affirming care for service members and has ended the careers of dedicated soldiers.

Why It Matters: This policy is blatant discrimination that targets transgender Americans who volunteered to serve their country. It ends careers and strips away essential medical care—not based on performance, but on identity. The Supreme Court’s decision to let it stand, even temporarily, sets a chilling precedent for how far Trump can sideline civil rights. Republican silence in the face of this injustice reveals how deeply they’re invested in supporting Trump’s culture war, regardless of the harm it causes. As the government embraces policies that undermine inclusivity, it’s the rights of vulnerable groups that are being sacrificed for political gain.

📌 Columbia University Lays Off Nearly 180 After Trump Pulled $400M Over His Antisemitism Concerns

What Happened: Columbia University, as a direct result of Trump cancelling $400 million in funding, has laid off nearly 180 staffers and rollbacked upcoming research projects. This cancellation comes after Columbia University failed to change its definition of anti-Semitism and bar demonstrations from academic buildings. The Trump Administration has targeted other Ivy League schools, namely Harvard, over their allowance of pro-Palestinian protests.

Why It Matters: Trump’s action is a direct attack on the principles of free speech and academic independence. By leveraging financial power to punish institutions for supporting certain viewpoints, he’s effectively threatening universities that encourage open debate and critical thought. The ripple effect of these cuts goes beyond Columbia, as other schools may fear the same repercussions for protecting student rights to express dissenting opinions. This move not only harms students and faculty but also undermines the role of universities in fostering diverse perspectives and innovation.

📌HHS Plan to Use Medicare and Medicaid Data to Study Autism Alarms Experts

What Happened: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to create a database of Medicare and Medicaid patients, tracking their medical records and wearable technology, to identify the root causes of autism. Though scientists have expressed that RFK Jr.’s plan ignores the genetic links to the disorder, the Secretary is choosing to invade the privacy of an entire community of Americans. RFK Jr. has a history of disregarding scientific conclusions by repeatedly blaming autism on vaccines, characterizing the community as burdens, and searching for environmental exposures that trigger the disorder. 

Why It Matters: RFK Jr.’s proposal is a dangerous mix of pseudoscience and surveillance, made worse by the fact that he holds one of the most powerful public health positions in the country. His plan fuels harmful stereotypes about autistic people by treating them as problems to be solved rather than individuals with rights and voices. Instead of listening to experts or engaging with the autistic community, he’s pushing invasive data collection that threatens medical privacy on a massive scale. This is what happens when Trump fills his cabinet with loyalists instead of qualified leaders—facts take a backseat as stupidity governs the country.

🎭 Meme of the Week

See you next week—stay informed, stay engaged, and don’t let the BS fool you.

✨Your movement bestie – Shae

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