new authoritarianism

Trump Says Chicago ‘Probably Next’ for National Guard Invasion

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Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

A protester holds a sign during a “No Kings” protest against President Donald Trump outside Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago on June 14, 2025.
 (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

“If Trump wants to take his ego trip on tour, he picked the wrong city,” said one senior Illinois official. “Chicago doesn’t bow down to kings or roll out the red carpet for dictators.”

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Chicago is the next city in his crosshairs for the kind of federal invasion and occupation currently underway in Washington, DC—a threat that sparked defiant pushback from officials in the Windy City and beyond.

“After we do this, we’ll go to another location, and we’ll make it safe also,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, referring to his federalization of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and deployment of National Guard troops from the district and five Republican-controlled states.

“We’re going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago’s a mess. You have an incompetent mayor. Grossly incompetent and we’ll straighten that one out probably next,” the president said, referring to progressive Brandon Johnson. “That will be our next one after this. And it won’t even be tough.”

On August 11, Trump dubiously declared a public safety emergency in Washington, DC, despite violent crime being down 26% from a year ago, when it was at its second-lowest level since 1966, according to official statistics. Critics have noted that Trump’s crackdown isn’t just targeting criminals, but also unhoused and mentally ill people, who have had their homes destroyed and property taken.

On Friday, Trump threatened to completely take over Washington and oust Mayor Muriel Bowser if she does not stop pointing out that crime has decreased in the city, which the president called a “crime-infested rat hole.”

In addition to Chicago, Trump has threatened to send federal forces into cities including Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, and San Francisco. Violent crime is trending downward in all of those cities—with some registering historically low levels.

Unlike in Washington, DC, where home rule laws allow the federal government to take control of local police, Trump would face greater obstacles to intervention in other cities.

“President Trump can’t seize control of the Chicago police or any other local department outside of DC,” Congressman Raja Krishnamoorth (D-Ill.) noted on social media Friday. “The military cannot and will not patrol the streets of Chicago, and I will work with state and local officials to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

Mayor Johnson said in a statement that “the problem with the president’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound.”

“If the Trump administration is serious about driving down violence in Chicago, or anywhere else in America, then he should not have taken over $800 million away from violence prevention,” he added.

Other elected officials in Illinois also expressed anger and alarm at the prospect of a Trump intervention in Chicago.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following statement in response to comments President Trump made today threatening to deploy federal law enforcement to perform civilian law enforcement duties in the city of Chicago: tinyurl.com/5n89nt86

— Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul (@ilattygeneral.bsky.social) 2025-08-23T00:00:59.609Z

“After using Los Angeles and Washington, DC as his testing ground for authoritarian overreach, Trump is now openly flirting with the idea of taking over other states and cities,” Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said on X.

“Trump’s goal is to incite fear in our communities and destabilize existing public safety efforts—all to create a justification to further abuse his power,” the governor continued. “He’s playing a game and creating a spectacle for the press to play along with.”

“We don’t play those games,” Pritzker added. “Our commitment to law and order is delivering results. Crime rates are improving. Homicides are down by more than 30% in Chicago in the last year alone. Our progress in lowering crime has been made possible with [community violence intervention] programs that they’re defunding.”

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a Democrat running for US Senate, said that “if Trump wants to take his ego trip on tour, he picked the wrong city.”

“Chicago doesn’t bow down to kings or roll out the red carpet for dictators,” she added. “As a Black woman from the South Side, I can assure you… your political circus isn’t welcome here.”

Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) wrote on social media, “President Trump: You are not welcome in Chicago.”

“Sending the National Guard endangers Black communities already overpoliced and under-invested in,” she added. “If you cared about saving lives, you’d pass gun safety laws and fund community violence intervention.”

Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Continue ReadingTrump Says Chicago ‘Probably Next’ for National Guard Invasion

Britain’s Fabricated Migrant Crisis

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https://jacobin.com/2025/08/britain-migrant-crisis-small-boats

The UK Labour Party is obsessively focusing on a tiny fraction of small boats carrying migrants arriving from France, which stands in stark contrast to its sluggish responses to other far more urgent crises. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)

Though small-boat crossings account for a tiny and shrinking share of UK immigration, the Labour Party has made them a central issue, all the while ignoring deeper crises like the slow erosion of the country’s National Health Service.

…

[B]ehind these political sound bites lies a profound human tragedy. These are desperate people fleeing war, persecution, and unimaginable hardship, seeking safety and dignity. Policies aimed solely at deterrence, and the toxic media narratives that sustain them, reduce human lives to nothing more than political bargaining chips. This relentless framing not only dehumanizes asylum seekers but also turns their suffering into political ammunition, eroding public sympathy.

Perhaps most disappointing of all is Labour’s obsessive focus on small boats, which stands in stark contrast to its sluggish, half-hearted responses to other far more urgent crises. The country’s National Health System’s waiting lists have hit record highs while Starmer has prioritized his anti-migrant campaign; over seven million people, 10 percent of the country’s total population, are stuck in long waits for vital treatment. Homelessness has surged by 20 percent in the past year alone, leaving thousands without shelter or hope. In this context, the government’s fixation on a relatively small migration issue is not just misguided — it’s a deliberate distraction from the nation’s real challenges.

Labour must break free from this cycle of fear-mongering. It’s time to lead with courage, compassion, and above all, truth. Only by rejecting division and embracing evidence-based, humane policies can the UK protect vulnerable lives and restore integrity to its immigration debate.

…

See the original article at https://jacobin.com/2025/08/britain-migrant-crisis-small-boats

Keir Starmer chases Nigel Farage's racist bigot vote.
Keir Starmer chases Nigel Farage’s racist bigot vote.
Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.

Continue ReadingBritain’s Fabricated Migrant Crisis

‘The protests are now unstoppable’

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/protests-are-now-unstoppable

 A woman is led away by police officers as supporters of Palestine Action take part in a mass action in Parliament Square, Westminster, central London, August 9, 2025

Thousands expected to attend next protest against Palestine Action ban, organiser say

THOUSANDS of people are expected to attend the next protest against the banning of Palestine Action under terror laws.

Announced today and planned for September 6, organisers Defend Our Juries (DOJ) are hopeful that the demonstration could lead to the ban on the direct action group being lifted, with Yvette Cooper losing her job as home secretary.

At least 532 people — half aged over 60 — were arrested for holding signs in support of Palestine Action, after an estimated 1,000 took part last weekend. 

…

Today, a spokesman for DOJ said: “With all the real challenges facing the country, it is absurd that the Labour government has generated a political crisis over people quietly holding cardboard signs against genocide in Parliament Square. This won’t be forgiven or forgotten.

“In a desperate attempt to justify their position, Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have resorted to lying to the public about Palestine Action, claiming it to be a violent organisation, which they know to be false.

“The political ineptitude is staggering. The only beneficiaries of this policy — the brain-child of Lord Walney, a paid lobbyist — are the Israeli government and Elbit Systems, the main manufacturer of the weapons of genocide, with factories across Britain.

…

See the original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/protests-are-now-unstoppable

Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical publication 'Private Eye'.
Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical publication ‘Private Eye’.
Keir "I support Zionism without Qualification" Starmer supporting genocide.
Keir “I support Zionism without Qualification” Starmer supporting genocide.
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Continue Reading‘The protests are now unstoppable’

Trump’s Military Occupation of DC Egged On by Corporate Lobbyists: Report

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Original article by Stephen Prager republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

National Guard troops are deployed to the Washington Monument as part of President Trump’s mobilization of law enforcement on August 12, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)

In some cases, corporate groups have posed as small business owners besieged by rising crime rates.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s military occupation of Washington, D.C. has been egged on for months by corporate lobbyists. In some cases, they have posed as small business owners besieged by rising crime rates.

According to a report Tuesday in The Lever:

Last February, the American Investment Council, private equity’s $24 million lobbying shop, penned a letter to D.C. city leaders demanding “immediate action” to address an “alarming increase” in crime.

That letter was published as an exclusive by Axios with the headline: “Downtown D.C. Business Leaders Demand Crime Solutions.”

But far from a group of beleaguered mom-and-pops, the letter’s signatories “included some of the biggest trade groups on K Street,” The Lever observed:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which boasts its status as the largest business organization in the world; the National Retail Federation, a powerful retail alliance representing giants like Walmart and Target; and Airlines for America, which represents the major U.S. airlines, among others. These lobbying juggernauts spend tens of millions of dollars every year lobbying federal lawmakers to get their way in Washington.”

It was one of many efforts by right-wing groups to agitate for a more fearsome police crackdown in the city and oppose criminal justice reforms.

On multiple occasions, business groups and police unions have helped to thwart efforts by the D.C. city council to rewrite the city’s criminal code, which has not been updated in over a century, to eliminate many mandatory minimum sentences and reduce sentences for some nonviolent offenses.

The reforms were vetoed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2023. After the veto was overridden by the city council, Democrats helped Republicans pass a law squashing the reforms, which was signed by then-President Joe Biden.

In 2024, groups like the Chamber of Commerce pushed the “Secure D.C.” bill in the city council, which expanded pre-trial detention, weakened restrictions on chokeholds, and limited public access to police disciplinary records.

At the time, business groups lauded these changes as necessary to fight the post-pandemic crime spike D.C. was experiencing.

But crime rates in D.C. have fallen precipitously, to a 30-year low over the course of 2024. As a press release from the U.S. attorney’s office released on January 3, 2025 stated: “homicides are down 32%; robberies are down 39%; armed carjackings are down 53%; assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 27% when compared with 2023 levels.”

Nevertheless, as Trump sends federal troops into D.C., many in the corporate world are still cheering.

In a statement Monday, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce described itself as a “strong supporter” of the Home Rule Act, which Trump used to enact his federal crackdown.

The Washington Business Journal quoted multiple consultancy executives—including Yaman Coskum, who exclaimed that “It is about time somebody did something to make D.C. great again,” and Kirk McLaren who said, “If local leaders won’t protect residents and businesses, let’s see if the federal government will step in and do what’s necessary to create a safe and prosperous city.”

Despite crime also being on the decline in every other city he has singled out—Los Angeles, Baltimore, Oakland, New York, and Chicago—Trump has said his deployment of federal troops “will go further.”

Original article by Stephen Prager republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Neo-Fascist Climate Science Denier Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Neo-Fascist Climate Science Denier Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an insane, xenophobic Fascist.

Continue ReadingTrump’s Military Occupation of DC Egged On by Corporate Lobbyists: Report

Government faces calls to investigate Faslane nuclear leak

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/government-faces-calls-investigate-faslane-nuclear-leak

Undated handout photo provided by the Ministry of Defence of vanguard class nuclear submarine HMS Vengeance in Gare Loch, after departing HM Naval Base Clyde in Faslane, Scotland, to go on sea trials

REVELATIONS of radioactive leaks from Trident’s base were branded “as shocking as they are unsurprising” today as the government faced calls to urgently investigate.

Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) documents obtained by The Ferret revealed that the watchdog was aware of the 2019 discharge of radioactive water from the home of Britain’s nuclear arsenal at Faslane and Coulport — just 30 miles from Glasgow, Scotland’s most populous city — into Loch Long, citing the cause as the Royal Navy’s failure to properly maintain a network of 1,500 pipes.

Scottish CND executive member David Kelly told the Star: “The failures in pipework at Coulport, and the subsequent release of nucleotides into Loch Long are as shocking as they are unsurprising.

“‘How cheaply can we run a nuclear arsenal’ seems to be the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) approach to this most deadly of facilities.  

“All mechanical components, as complex as a nuclear submarine, or as simple as a pipe, are designed for a specific life.

“At Scottish CND we make as much noise as we can about the four Vanguard class nuclear submarines which host the missiles we lease from America being well beyond their design life.

…

Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/government-faces-calls-investigate-faslane-nuclear-leak

Continue ReadingGovernment faces calls to investigate Faslane nuclear leak