No Kings Day, Part II
April 19, 2025
[Join me Saturday morning at 9 am PDT / Noon EDT for a Substack livestream]
On this day, two hundred fifty years ago, America began its long march toward independence at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The battles marked our nation’s first efforts to throw off the yoke of a foreign king. The battles marked “No Kings Day, Part I.”
On Saturday, millions of Americans will participate in “No Kings Day, Part II.” At root, the issues animating protests separated by two-and-a-half centuries are the same: The right to self-determination, liberty, democracy, and the rule of law—not subjugation to the ‘divine right of kings.”
Our ancestors risked everything in rising against the king, mutually pledging to each other “their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.”
We stand on their shoulders as inheritors of their revolutionary zeal and the steadfast efforts of every citizen, soldier, slave, civil rights marcher, organizer, and leader who redeemed democracy anew over the ensuing ten generations.
Our generation will not falter in passing the gift of “No Kings Day”—democracy—to the next generation. Democracy will endure so long as we do not give up. And in the words of Alexei Navalny, “You are not allowed to give up.”
We are not allowed to give up because the democracy we defend does not belong to us. It belongs to all people of America—past, present, and future. We are custodians of democracy until the next generation takes up the struggle as their own.
As we engage in mass resistance on “No Kings Day, Part II,” we should pause to reflect on our place in the long arc of a moral struggle that stretches behind and ahead of us.
America did not achieve independence when the battles of Lexington and Concord concluded. It would take eight years to defeat the British and yet another four years to adopt the Constitution. It would take seventy-five years and a civil war to expiate the sin of slavery embedded in the Constitution. It would take a century more to begin to deliver on the promises of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments.
In whatever way you choose to resist on “No Kings Day, Part II,” recognize that you, too, are pledging your sacred honor to the defense of democracy for however long it takes.
Like the Founders, our pledge is made to “each other”—a mutual endeavor for the common good. Take pride and comfort in knowing that the cause is bigger than any one of us and will outlast all of us because we will refuse to give up.
We will win. It is only a matter of time.
Godspeed to us all!
Two stories frame Friday’s developments
Momentum remains on our side even as we struggle to keep up with the regular “news dump” planned for Friday afternoons—a cynical ploy to avoid the mid-week “news cycle.”
Two stories help frame the challenges and depravity we face: A statement by the White House that mocked the Supreme Court and defied the rule of law, and a stunning admission that Trump’s “demand letter” to Harvard University was “sent in error.”
Let’s take a look.
The White House mocks the Supreme Court’s order in the Abrego Garcia case.
On Friday morning, the White House official communications account sent out a statement that included a “marked-up” version of the NY Times front page. The Times’ original front page read,
“Senator Meets With Wrongly Deported Maryland Man in El Salvador.”
The White House posted a photo of the front page with a note, “Fixed it.” The headline had been changed with a red pencil to read,
“Senator Meets With Deported MS-13 Illegal Alien in El Salvador Who Is Never Coming Back.”
The statement was crass, amateurish, and dripping with male insecurity and toxicity. (Read: Steven Miller.)
Worse, the statement flouted the Supreme Court’s order requiring the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States for further proceedings in accordance with due process.
The statement was the equivalent of Trump spitting in the faces of the six Supreme Court majority justices and saying, “I’m not afraid of you feckless cowards.” (Note: I am excluding the three justices in the liberal minority.)
To be fair to Trump, the reactionary majority invited the abuse and disdain by caving to Trump at every opportunity, culminating in their grant of criminal immunity to the president.
Still, the statement is a depraved and lawless declaration that Trump intends to disobey the Supreme Court’s order in Abrego Garcia v. Trump. The only question that remains is, “What is the Court going to do about Trump’s wilful disobedience?”
I have given up hoping the Court will do the right thing. If it does, I will be grateful and surprised. But we are long past waiting and hoping for the reactionary majority to learn whether there is any limit to the humiliation and abuse they will accept from Trump as they twist themselves into knots of judicial dishonesty.
My lack of faith in the Court should not be seen as defeatism. Instead, it is realism that acknowledges, “It is up to us.” If the Court ever stands up to Trump, it will not be because they have found their courage or reached the bottom of their tolerance for humiliation.
If the Court ever stands up to Trump, it will do so because it will follow our lead, drafting in the wake of our courage and resistance. The Court’s too-tardy effort at redemption will be seen for what it is: A vain effort driven by vanity to conceal their shame and infidelity to the rule of law.
On Friday, Trump mocked the Supreme Court’s reactionary majority. But the president’s mockery of the Court directs a challenge to us: “What are we going to do about it?”
Here’s my answer: See you on the streets on No Kings Day, Part II.
[LATE DEVELOPMENT: On Friday evening, the Trump administration attempted to remove more migrants from the US to El Salvador. The ACLU and others sought injunctions in several courts, including before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court.
The US Supreme Court blocked the removal of the immigrants, issuing an order that said, in part,
The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court.
Justices Alito and Thomas dissented.
The Supreme Court’s order will allow the parties and courts below sufficient time to brief the removal on the merits, especially the question of whether the migrants were given reasonable notice and due process to seek a writ of habeas corpus.
Thanks to Chris Geidner (chrisgeidner.bsky.social and Substack/Law Dork) for covering these developments late into the evening. I would not have caught this development but for his diligent efforts.]
The Trump administration claims that the demand letter to Harvard University was sent in error.
In an unbelievable twist, the Trump administration is claiming that its letter to Harvard University demanding surrender was “sent by mistake.” See New York Times, Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard. (This article is accessible to all.)
The claim of “mistake” is not credible. The letter was signed by three administration officials and was included on official government stationery. The claim of “mistake” appears to be a cover story for miscalculating the ferocity of the reaction from Harvard and other universities and colleges.
Also incredible is that the Trump administration is accusing Harvard of “malpractice” in responding publicly to the letter rather than “picking up the phone to see if the letter was a mistake. Per the Times, an administration spokesperson blamed Harvard as follows:
“It was malpractice on the side of Harvard’s lawyers not to pick up the phone and call the members of the antisemitism task force who they had been talking to for weeks,” said May Mailman, the White House senior policy strategist. “Instead, Harvard went on a victimhood campaign.”
If the letter was sent by mistake, the White House should have admitted so as soon as the “mistake” was discovered. Instead, Trump did the following:
Announced the withholding of $2.2 billion in grants previously awarded to Harvard;
Announced a retaliatory instigation of an IRS proceeding to revoke Harvard’s tax exempt status;
Announced an effort to prohibit many foreign students from applying to Harvard; and
Announced an investigation into major donors to Harvard from foreign countries.
None of those actions suggest that the initial letter was a “mistake.”
Harvard University MUST stick to its principles and not back down.
One aspect of this story that has concerned me from the outset is that Harvard was represented in the negotiations by Quinn Emanuel and King & Spalding.
Quinn Emanuel negotiated Paul Weiss’s capitulation to Trump, and the second firm is home to Robert Hur (who is on the negotiating team). Hur was the Republican special counsel who went out of his way to claim that Joe Biden was (allegedly) senile, frail, and forgetful during his interview with Hur.
If Harvard’s intent was to resist Trump’s unlawful demands, the combination of Quinn Emanuel and Robert Hur of King & Spalding is not an obvious choice.
But we are where we are. Harvard University has acted with integrity and courage. It has inspired others to do so. It occupies a unique place in America’s history that allows it to lead the institutional resistance against Trump.
Harvard should not back down at this point. Indeed, the claim that the confrontation was “a big misunderstanding” is most likely a cover story to allow Trump to retreat while denying that he is doing so.
A few other stories of note.
Judicial victories:
Federal judges continue to issue injunctions against Trump’s unlawful executive orders.
AP, Judge says detained Tufts student must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont. See Rumeysa Ozturk v. Trump | Order.
Bloomberg, Transgender Military Ban Still Paused, Ninth Circuit Denies Stay
Erin in the Morning, Judge Blocks Passport Ban For Plaintiffs, Citing Government Animus And Equal Protection. See Orr v. Trump | Order Granting Injunction.
Trump’s setbacks:
Trump is about to concede that he can’t impose a false “peace settlement” on Ukraine. Politico, Trump says US could walk away from Russia-Ukraine war deal.
Acting IRS Commissioner fired after Trump learns the temporary appointee was slipped into office by Elon Musk without the knowledge of the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent. See MSN, Trump’s pick for acting IRS commissioner is ousted days after his appointment.
More attacks on science:
New York Times, Trump-Allied Prosecutor Sends Letters to Medical Journals Alleging Bias.
The Guardian, Trump White House replaces Covid website with treatise on ‘lab leak’ theory
More attacks on children and education:
USA Today, Exclusive: Trump budget proposal would eliminate Head Start funding
Apologies to Canadians
In yesterday’s newsletter, I quoted the aphorism by Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” I referred to Gretzky by a sports moniker that has followed him for years. (“The Great One.” ) The nickname refers to his hockey skills, not his politics. As I learned from several Canadian readers, Gretzky is a close friend, ally, and supporter of Trump. Gretzky is quickly becoming the Elon Musk of Canada. See Hockey Feed, Wayne Gretzky finally comments on his ties to Donald Trump amid Canadian backlash.
Apologies for the cross-border insensitivity at a time when Trump is attacking America’s closest neighbor and ally.
Opportunity for Reader Engagement (in the Los Angeles region)
Swing Left San Gabriel Valley and Swing Left Inland Valley are co-hosting a fundraiser for the victims of the Eaton Fire. It's called "Help Our Neighbors Heal: A Teach-In and Fundraiser for Eaton Fire Survivors." The event will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm PDT.
We'll hear from survivors of the Eaton Fire and learn about the rich history of the Black Community in Altadena, a community formed despite a discriminatory federal policy called redlining. We'll also hear stories chronicling Altadena's beauty, diversity and inclusivity before the devastating Eaton Fire on January 7, 2025. Light refreshments will be served.
Whether you can attend or not, please consider donating to the YWCA San Gabriel Valley Disaster Relief Fund. The YWCA, serving San Gabriel Valley for 90 years, has strong and established ties with the residents of Altadena. They've been giving direct aid to fire victims from Day 1. The need is still great and ongoing. 100% of your donations will go to those in need. We hope to raise $5,000.
To donate and attend, click YWCA San Gabriel Valley Disaster Relief Fund, then use the back arrow on your browser to sign up for the event.
Concluding Thoughts.
Momentum is on our side, and the wind is at our back. We should take confidence and strength from those facts, but we should not indulge in false hopes of easy victory.
The battles to come will challenge us as never before. Indeed, the struggle will become more difficult. Everything worth fighting for demands effort, courage, and constancy. It has always been so. This battle is no different.
We will win. It is only a matter of time!
Godspeed to all of us!
Daily Dose of Perspective
Photo by reader Crystal Kofke, April 5, 2025.
My sign for today's No King protests is a tyrannosaurus rex with a red tie and a yellow hair wig with a gold crown. The header is "The SHOUT heard around the World" and the footer "NO T-REX in America". I particularly like the small hands of the t-rex! We, the People, in Solidarity.
Thanks for the article on Gretzky. Smearing feces all over his statue is really saying something. Go Canadians! I will be with everybody in spirit tomorrow as I have been ordered by my doctor to stay at home until I heal from 1st & 2nd burns on my legs. Accidentally spilled hot soup…ugh. When they say the most accidents occur at your home…no kidding!