Tracking the Cost of Political Fouls

 🏈The Long Game of Republican Politics🏈

📌Trump Signs Executive Order Establishing ‘Specialized’ National Guard Units to Address Crime in Cities

What Happened: Trump has signed an executive order tasking Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with developing specialized national guard units to address crime in cities across the nation. Threatening to deploy the National Guard in only blue cities, Trump’s latest order, like his takeover of DC, is a performative effort meant to intimidate political opponents. Governors have control over their state’s national guard, but Trump has suggested that he can deploy troops without prior approval with this order.

Why It Matters: Trump’s order has nothing to do with crime, only control. By threatening to send National Guard troops into only blue cities, he’s weaponizing the military to punish political opponents. That’s not public safety—that’s dictatorship creeping into our democracy. Governors hold authority over their National Guard units for a reason, and Trump’s attempt to override that is an unconstitutional power grab. The National Guard already trains for urban response, so this order is nothing more than political theater dressed up as law and order. But the danger is real. If Trump can freely deploy troops into Democratic strongholds, the future of the country shifts toward a president who rules cities with force rather than respects them as part of a democracy.

📌'They're Going to be Brought Down': Trump Vows to go After Biden's Advisers

What Happened: Trump has indicated he will target Biden’s advisors, calling them “evil people” that “really hurt our country.” These proposed investigations into Trump' s political foes mimic the exact weaponization he falsely claims Democrats conducted against him. Trump has also threatened Republicans who speak out against him with baseless investigations, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former national security advisor John Bolton.

Why It Matters: Trump’s hypocrisy is impossible to miss. He rages against Democrats for supposedly weaponizing the government yet openly vows to unleash investigations on anyone who challenges him. This isn’t about justice—it’s about crushing dissent. Even his own party isn’t immune. Republicans like Christie and Bolton have already been threatened, serving as examples of what happens when you refuse to fall in line. Once fear replaces debate, democracy stops functioning. What Trump is creating isn’t accountability but a loyalty test where truth has no value. Every step in this direction normalizes political persecution and makes dictatorship an impending reality. If this path continues, America’s future will be decided not at the ballot box but under the shadow of intimidation.

📌President Trump Fires Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook

What Happened: Over claims of mortgage fraud impropriety, Trump took the unprecedented action of firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Biden appointed Cook to the position in 2022 and set forth a term that did not expire until 2038. Trump has failed to provide any evidence to support his reasoning, but he has expressed his anger at Cook for not aggressively lowering rates.

Why It Matters: Trump’s removal of Lisa Cook is a direct attack on the independence of the Federal Reserve and nonpartisan relations itself. Central banking only works when it’s protected from political weaponization, but Trump couldn’t care less. Firing Cook with no evidence of wrongdoing signals that expertise and long-term stability mean nothing to Trump compared to his demand for loyalty. This isn’t just a fight over interest rates—it’s a warning that no institution is safe from Trump’s political purges. If the Federal Reserve can be bullied into compliance, the economy itself becomes hostage to Trump’s short-term interests, and the guardrails meant to protect Americans from financial chaos begin to collapse.

📌FEMA Staff Argue Trump Administration's Cuts Risk Undoing Progress Since Hurricane Katrina

What Happened: In an open letter to Congress, FEMA officials have warned that the Trump administration’s cuts to disaster relief will reverse the decades of progress made after Hurricane Katrina. The letter calls out Trump for appointing unqualified personnel to run FEMA and terminating grants that help local communities prepare their infrastructure to withstand extreme weather. So far this year, FEMA has lost approximately one-third of its staff and is facing a $646 million cut to its non-disaster grants.

Why It Matters: Trump’s war against FEMA is more than bad budgeting as it is dismantling the very system meant to keep Americans alive when disaster strikes. Trump is undoing the lessons paid for in blood after Hurricane Katrina by gutting staff and stripping away local support. FEMA is being hollowed out and handed to political loyalists who lack experience to manage a crisis response, leaving communities exposed when hurricanes, floods, or wildfires hit. Under Trump’s cuts, the next disaster won’t just test local resilience, it will determine whether the country has any functional safety net left at all. It is crucial that Congress responds to FEMA’s letter with restrictions against these cuts and that every American demands their representatives do so.

📌Trump Moves to Ban Flag Burning Despite Supreme Court Ruling that Constitution Allows It

What Happened: Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute individuals who burn the American flag. The Supreme Court ruled in the 1989 case Texas v. Johnson that flag burning is protected speech, yet Trump wants anyone who commits the act to serve one year in prison. Attorney Pam Bondi has been directed to challenge legal pushback, pushing the Supreme Court to reverse its precedent.

Why It Matters: Trump’s attempt to criminalize flag burning tears straight through a core constitutional protection. The Supreme Court already made it clear that even the most controversial nonviolent acts of protest are protected, but Trump wants to turn that protection into a prison sentence. This executive order isn’t about respect for the flag—it’s about silencing dissent under the guise of patriotism. A nation that jails protestors for burning a flag can just as easily jail critics for their words, their votes, or their silence. Once political power decides which voices survive, democracy shrinks into performance and obedience replaces freedom.

📌Democrats Celebrate Special Election Victory in Iowa State Senate, Ending GOP Supermajority

What Happened: Democrat Catelin Drey won a special election in the Iowa State Senate for a district Trump carried by 11 points in the 2024 presidential election. The results indicate that Democrats and undecided voters may be more engaged in the coming election cycles. With 30,000 volunteers sent by the Democratic National Committee to support Drey, her victory shows that organizing and speaking directly to voters works.

Why It Matters: Drey’s upset win in Iowa proves Democrats can compete and even flip ground once dominated by Trump. Voters aren’t motivated through abstract messaging or simple TV ads, they are moved when organizers knock doors, listen, and make the case face-to-face. The future of the Democratic Party depends on taking this model national. That means showing up in places often written off as red and building trust with independent voters, treating every race as winnable instead of only chasing safe seats. Trump thrives on division, so Democrats need to focus on fostering real relationships with voters across the nation.

🎭 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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