For daily news updates and analysis, be sure to follow us on Instagram. You can reach me with tips on the secure messaging app Signal at Sagecynthia.81.
And listen to the newest episode of the Calm News podcast here.
A coalition of blue state attorneys general is taking on the Trump administration and making headway. It’s no surprise that California, long known as a “resistance state,” is a leader among them.
Today I spoke with California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta about the lawsuits California has filed against Trump’s policies. These include challenges to DOGE, Musk, the federal spending freeze, the firing of probationary employees, the effort to dismantle the Department of Education, cuts to NIH grants, and the effort to end constitutionally protected birthright citizenship. Bonta has helped win injunctions, restraining orders, and more. We discuss many of these cases as well as Trump’s attack on law firms and the judiciary. He also reveals new efforts to deprive service members of reproductive rights — and what California is doing about it.
Bonta has a remarkable personal story as a Filipino immigrant whose parents were central to the Farm Workers Movement in the 1960s. In this conversation he shares that personal history and words of advice to anyone who wants to get engaged in civic action.
As he says clearly, wherever you are you have the right and power to contact your attorney general’s office and let them know of issues you think they should be taking on. Cast your eyes to the top of this newsletter to find the video of our interview and hit “watch now” to view.
We tackle the rest of the day’s news below.
Here Are Your Headlines:
Signs of a Spine: Today two major law firms sued the Trump administration, aiming to overturn what they call an “unconstitutional executive order” that attempts to undermine their ability to do business. The executive orders bar the firms’ lawyers from federal buildings, revoke security clearances, and order government employees not to meet with anyone working for the firms. Trump signed similar orders against other law firms; Paul Weiss caved last week, giving Trump $40 million in free legal work and trashing DEI policies in return for having an executive order targeting them rescinded. Today Skadden, Arps reportedly agreed to give Trump $100 million in pro-bono work, among other concessions. Another firm, Perkins Coie, is also fighting back. “If firms want to be trusted to fight the biggest fights,” a civil rights lawyer explained, “they must not cave to blatantly unconstitutional government actions.”
To the Top: Today Trump asked the Supreme Court to let him continue deporting immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act. The Justice Department argues that federal courts are inappropriately interfering with “delicate foreign negotiations” and that migrants should make their case in Texas.
List Growing: Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the State Department has revoked at least 300 student visas on the grounds the students’ activities pose “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” In each case we’re aware of, the targeted visa holder engaged in pro-Gaza activism. “Every time I find one of these lunatics,” Rubio said, “I take away their visas.” Over 1,000 people gathered outside Tufts to protest the snatching of a PhD student by plainclothed officers earlier this week.
Us v. Them: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the controversial mega prison in El Salvador on Wednesday and released a propaganda video on social media. Her $50,000 Rolex was a marked contrast to the shirtless, heavily tattooed prisoners crowded into a cell behind her. Human rights groups condemned the visit.
Shakeup or Shakedown? The Trump administration announced yesterday it will restructure the Health and Human Services Department, cutting 20,000 full time jobs and reducing the agency’s divisions from 28 to 15. The changes will also consolidate control of public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health, which traditionally have had some autonomy, under the health secretary — who, remember, is a political appointee.
Context: RFK claims the cuts will save $1.8 billion. That’s about 0.1% of the department’s budget.
Understaffed: Meanwhile, health regulators tell Reuters they are struggling to meet deadlines to review products for safety because of layoffs.
Man For the Job: David Geier (not a doctor) is reportedly the person who will lead a major HHS study into the widely disproven link between vaccines and autism. Geier is a vaccine skeptic who was disciplined by the Maryland State Board of Physicians for practicing without a medical license. The Board found he was diagnosing kids with autism and treating them, among other things, with a hormone suppressor used to chemically castrate sex offenders.
Dubious Past: 21 Senate Democrats joined their Republican colleagues to confirm Michael Kratsios this week to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Kratsios, a protege of infamous right-wing tech billionaire Peter Thiel, is the first OSTP director to not have a science Ph.D. or extensive research experience. He’s the managing director of Scale AI and is tasked with developing an AI “action plan.”
Unwanted Guest: JD and Usha Vance are in Greenland today on a dramatically scaled-back trip. Vance and co were initially meant to visit the island’s capital, but that was cancelled after locals planned to protest — and the Trump administration couldn’t find anyone willing to host or even welcome the Vances. Now they’re just visiting a US military base. “We have some interest in Greenland,” the VP said. “The President is really interested in Arctic security.” Note Greenland has vast amounts of rare earth elements, which Trump’s tech friends require to build out AI and more. Vance is the most senior US official to ever visit Greenland.
US Wants to Arm Up: In a speech at a Marine Corps Base this week, JD Vance promised the US will invest “over a trillion dollars … so that … when you do go to war … you’ve got the best weapons anywhere.” Vance also celebrated the end of “quotas” and “diversity trainings,” arguing “the real strength and the real diversity in the United States Marine Corps is that you all come from every walk of life.” Yes, that’s what diversity means.
Oopsie, I Did Election Interference: Today Elon Musk announced he would visit Wisconsin on Sunday to give a talk and hand out $1 million checks to voters. Then he deleted his post hours later. The state Democratic Party slammed Musk’s actions as a “blatantly illegal” scheme to “buy votes” for the conservative candidate in the state’s upcoming supreme court race. Musk has already spent $20 million trying to flip the court.
Coincidence? Musk’s Tesla just so happens to be battling to overturn a Wisconsin law that doesn’t let it open dealerships in the state. Over a dozen states, Wisconsin included, require dealerships be owned by third parties.
Coincidence 2? Tesla is the only auto company that’s seen its stock rise since Trump announced 25% tariffs on auto imports. Though Tesla has factories outside the US, and imports some parts from abroad, its US-based plants make cars sold here.
DOGE Show: Musk and several of his DOGE aides went on Fox yesterday to defend their slash and burn in the federal government. “Almost no one has gotten fired,” Musk claimed, using an expansive definition of “almost.” He also promised to improve the Social Security website, and that “legitimate recipients of social security will receive more money, not less money.” One of his aides claimed “the government can have an Apple Store-like experience.” We’ll circle back on those promises.
Ground Shaking: A major 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand today, collapsing entire buildings, and leaving at least 100 dead and many more injured. “We’ve already spoken with” Myanmar, Trump said. “We’re going to be helping.”
StockWatch: The stock market slumped again today in the wake of poor consumer sentiment and inflation reports. Investors are also bracing for further tariffs, which are meant to be imposed next week.
Please Come Back: Trump asked Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to stay in Congress instead of accepting her nomination as ambassador to the UN. The stunning move underlines how nervous Republicans are about their razor-thin majority in the House.
Big Shift: A Democrat won a special election to the Pennsylvania state Senate this week in a district that Trump won by a whopping 15 points last fall. And another Democrat won a state house election, giving the party control of the chamber. Though that victory was in a blue district, the candidate outperformed Harris by almost 14 points. It follows multiple other local elections where Democrats seriously outperformed expectations, leaving Republicans reportedly nervous ahead of further vital votes — including the one to decide control of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. This is an early indication that voter sentiment may be swinging hard against Trump.
Want more information?
Please share this newsletter with family, friends, and anyone who wants to get the news and turn down the noise. And if you’d like to sponsor our newsletter or our Instagram content, please reach out to us at community@newsnotnoise.com.
