Success!
July 18, 2025
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Success!
There were more than 1,600 Make Good Trouble pro-democracy rallies across the United States on July 17. Collectively, they were a smashing success! Everyone who participated in person or in spirit should pat themselves on the back for a job well done! I have posted below a handful of photos sent by readers. (Apologies that I could not post them all; I ran out of time.)
Some rallies were large (New York, pic below) while others were small (Franconia, NH, pic below) but all were impactful and important. Although it is risky to generalize from personal experience, the level of response from passing motorists at the rally Jill and I attended was at least as enthusiastic as on No Kings Day. Rally-goers addressed dozens of issues in their creative, humorous, and poignant signs. (See Jill’s photos and video of the rally we attended in Woodland Hills, CA, at Every Day with Jill, Good Trouble!)
Based on reader feedback, it appears that most of the rallies were smaller than those held on No Kings Day. That is understandable; the No Kings Day rallies were the largest single-day mass protests in American history. It is no cause for disappointment that every new protest is not the largest in history; indeed, it would be unrealistic to expect otherwise.
Rather, it is more important that we persist in our protests on a daily and weekly basis. The moment will come when an unexpected act of cruelty or corruption motivates millions of more Americans to take to the streets for the first time in their lives.
By standing on the roadside, in front of city halls, in senior recreation centers, and on college campuses, we are showing the path forward to others. Nothing is more important than that.
If you attended a rally on July 17, do not be shy about using social media to share your pro-democracy actions with friends, followers, and complete strangers! All objective evidence suggests that a substantial majority of Americans share your concerns about the threat to our democracy. Be the example that teaches them that it is acceptable, possible, and urgent to stand up for democracy.
The pro-democracy rallies on Make Good Trouble Day were a smashing success! Keep up the good work!
House passes $9 billion clawback bill, defunding public radio and foreign aid
The House passed the $9 billion rescission package submitted by Trump. That package sought to codify a small fraction of the $190 billion cuts unlawfully imposed by DOGE. See CNN, House passes Trump’s $9 billion DOGE cuts package in another legislative win for president.
The “clawbacks” of funds previously appropriated by Congress defunded public radio stations across the nation and foreign aid for food and vaccinations. See Minnesota Star Tribune, Congress slashes public media funding in ‘worst-case scenario’ for some Minnesota stations, and WSJ, Congress Approves Trump’s Plan Clawing Back Foreign Aid, Public Media Funding.
Although it is disappointing that Congress retroactively approved a portion of the unlawful cuts by DOGE, approximately $180 billion of additional cuts imposed by DOGE violate the appropriations clause of the Constitution and the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Congress is apparently going to ignore that massive usurpation of its constitutional authority to make appropriations. See, e.g., PBS, DOGE’s USAID dismantling likely violates the Constitution, judge rules.
Trump's lawless refusal to spend the funds appropriated by Congress in the 2024 budget is grounds for impeachment, conviction, and removal from office. It is both a congressional scandal and a gross journalistic lapse by the media that rampant unconstitutional conduct by Trump has simply been accepted as the new norm. That is why we protested today and why we will protest in the future. Someone must stand up for the Constitution!
Texas Republicans will attempt a mid-decade redistricting.
Congressional districts are typically redistricted once a decade based on data collected in the decennial census. But Republican leaders in Texas have realized that their prior redistricting efforts may not hold back the expected blue wave in 2026. Accordingly, they are attempting to do what Republicans always do when faced with bad news, they are attempting to change the rules in the middle of the game. See CNN, White House eyeing five-seat GOP pickup in Texas in midterms as part of redistricting push
The move is both outrageous and anti-democratic. But Texas Republicans are desperate. They realize that their ability to hold onto control through partisan gerrymandering is coming to an end. Demographic shifts in Texas are making it increasingly difficult for the Texas legislature to create enough “safe” districts to hold back the rising blue tide. See San Antonio Current, Texas redistricting key to Trump's crusade against potentially looming blue wave.
But the gambit of using five-year old census data may backfire on Texas Republicans in light of rapidly shifting demographics in Texas. Per the Current,
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes San Antonio and Austin, also expressed doubts about using five-year-old Census data for a state that's transformed dramatically in the past few years. Hispanic residents now represent the largest share of the Texas population — a new development not accounted for in the 2020 data.
Of course, we can never assume that demographics determines destiny. But the Republican Party believes that its control is threatened by changing demographics in Texas. Otherwise, there would be no need for Texas Republicans to seek a mid-decade redistricting of congressional seats.
Governor Gavin Newsom has threatened to engage in a similar process in California to increase the number of Democratic seats in the House. However, redistricting in Texas is controlled by the state legislature, while redistricting in California is controlled by an independent citizens’ commission. While Newsom is exploring ways to circumvent the citizens’ commission, he faces an uphill battle. See Intelligencer, Newsom’s Threat to Match Trump’s Texas Power Grab Is Risky Business
Texas Republicans are likewise facing significant risk in using old data to redraw congressional districts. In addition to the increased number of Latino voters in Texas, Trump's inhumane immigration policies are quickly shifting attitudes in the Latino electorate. Again, we cannot assume success, and we must work for every available vote, but we should also not assume that redistricting efforts by Texas Republicans will turn out as intended.
Senate Democrats stage walk-out during hearing on nomination of Emil Bove
Trump nominated his former criminal defense attorney, Emil Bove, to a position on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Bove’s nomination has been controversial because he helped structure the corrupt pardon of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, reportedly told associates that the DOJ might have to tell federal judges “to go **** themselves,” and purged January 6 prosecutors from the DOJ.
Because of the serious allegations of misconduct against Bove, Democrats expected that the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley, would provide sufficient time for investigation and examination of Bove. Instead, Senator Grassley rushed through the nominations of Bove and Jeanine Pirro on Thursday. As Grassley was calling for a vote, the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee walked out of the hearing. See The Hill, Democrats walk out of Bove, Pirro meeting as panel advances controversial Trump nominees.
The nominations of Bove and Pirro will now proceed to the Senate floor for a vote. Confirmation of their nominations is likely, but Senate Democrats are showing exactly the type of fighting spirit that is necessary to draw attention to the corrupt, incompetent nominees submitted by Trump to the Senate. We need more of the same! Go Democrats!
Wall Street Journal reveals new details of relationship between Trump and Epstein.
The Jeffrey Epstein scandal isn’t going away. If you are tired of hearing about it, skip to Concluding Thoughts. Otherwise, read on!
On Thursday, a report emerged that the Wall Street Journal was preparing to publish an article highlighting new details of the relationship between Trump and Epstein. Trump was frantically attempting to kill the article, calling both WSJ publisher Rupert Murdoch and editor in chief Emma Tucker. Trump's efforts to intervene failed, and the Wall Street Journal published its article on Thursday evening.
Among the disclosures in the article, the revelation that drew the most attention involved a birthday card sent to Epstein on his 50th birthday by Trump. See WSJ, Jeffrey Epstein’s Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump. (Accessible to all.)
Per the WSJ,
The letter bearing Trump's name, which was reviewed by the Journal, is bawdy—like others in the album. It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.
The letter concludes: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump claims the letter is fake and says he will sue Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal.
Shortly after threatening to sue, Trump posted on Truth Social that he has instructed AG Pam Bondi to release “relevant portions” of Epstein’s grand jury testimony, subject to court approval. See CNBC, Trump AG to seek release of Jeffrey Epstein grand jury transcripts
Trump appears to be desperate, making wild claims that no one believes. The WSJ would not have proceeded with the article unless it had solid backup for its story. Moreover, the birthday card is consistent with Trump's description of his own behavior on the Access Hollywood tapes and the civil finding that he sexually abused E. Jean Carroll.
Trump's last line of defense appears to be ordering his followers to disregard news reports regarding his involvement with Epstein. That is a weak defense that will work with a subset of his followers. But a strong majority of Americans believe that Trump has handled the Epstein files appropriately.
Where this scandal is heading is unclear. But Trump continues to compound his problems by lying, attacking his base, and switching his story. Some of his social media influencers have abandoned him, which may cause their followers to re-think Trump's other claims of “hoax,” such as the Russia investigation, the insurrection, and his deteriorating health. Speaking of his deteriorating health, read on!
White House issues unusual statement on Trump's health
Recent photos and videos of Trump have shown lesions on his hands and severely swollen ankles. After several days of speculation in the press, the White House issued a statement claiming that Trump was suffering from a benign condition called “chronic venous insufficiency.” See Fox News, White House explains Trump's bruising and swollen legs amid health concerns.
Based on Trump's past behavior regarding his health reporting, we have no reason to believe that anything in today’s White House press release is accurate. Stay tuned.
Concluding Thoughts
I received several emails from readers who were disappointed by the attendance at their Make Good Trouble rallies on Thursday. As noted above, it’s not reasonable to expect that every new rally will break the previous record for attendance at mass rallies across the nation.
As always, perspective helps. Consider relevant comparisons. On a workday, at 5 PM local time, Americans attended more than 1,600 protests across the nation. Whatever the final figure, it will exceed the number of people who attended Trump's first inauguration in 2017. Assuming a final attendance figure of about 1 million, the Make Good Trouble rallies are close to being in the top 10 protests in the history of the United States. See Wikipedia, List of protests and demonstrations in the United States by size.
In my view, that’s pretty darn impressive! We should be proud of what we accomplished and encouraged by what the rallies portend for the future of our resistance movement. So long as we do not quit, we can outlast them. If we do more than merely “not quitting,” we will hasten the day when we reclaim democracy and begin the long, arduous task of repairing the damage inflicted over the last eight years. It will be hard work, but it will be joyous work, as well!
Talk to you tomorrow! And remember, I will hold a Substack livestream on Saturday morning!
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The very large turnout in New York City was particularly striking on such a hot and humid day. The temperature was in the low nineties. According to one report, because of the humidity, it felt like 98 degrees. The elderly man walking beside me for a while, wearing a blue shirt with a blue yomulka, left the march early. My wife (79) and I (83) lasted less than a half hour longer. We have to stay healthy enough to march again another day.
Shelley and I got to the Abe Lincoln Park, Burbank, for the "Good Trouble" demonstration a bit late. It was scheduled to last from 3:30 to 5:30. We were concerned at first because there were only a few people there. But after we parked and joined the small crowd it continued to grow steadily, continuing to grow the entire time we were there, ending with what I would estimate to be at least two or maybe three hundred people on all four corners of the intersection, ringing bells and waving wonderful, home-made signs and having a great time, getting loud and long horn-honking from the cars passing by. It was a fabulous, happy, intent, uplifting afternoon. Mike Farrell