The Common Ills: 2025-10-05

Saturday, October 11, 2025

Chump continues his war on immigrants

As federal agents swarm American cities on the orders of President Donald Trump, it’s getting harder and harder to tell “law enforcement” from the criminals they claim to protect us from. In just the past two weeks, in Chicago alone, it’s all too easy to find accounts and videos of federal immigration authorities committing wanton violence rather than serving the public.

On the city’s South Side, an apartment building was stormed in a late-night, military-style raid, with dozens of residents dragged indiscriminately from their beds and homes. Witnesses said they saw children separated from their parents and restrained by zip ties. (Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied this, calling it “a shameful and disgusting lie.”)

At Humboldt Park Hospital, Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes was manhandled and handcuffed by federal agents in civilian clothing for the “crime” of asking them to produce a judicial warrant. Video of the incident clearly shows that Fuentes remained calm, neither touching nor hampering the agents.

Throughout the US today, Americans protested against ICE because we see it for what it is, an illegal armed force attacking our Constitution, disappearing and kidnapping people and completely free of any and all consequences for its actions.

15-year-old Emanuel Gonzalez Garcia, who is autistic, was kept from his family thanks to ICE which didn't have facilities for him so handed him over to the Office of Refuge Resettlement. Why? Because it let ICE up their numbers by one more arrest and second ICE had no beds. He was a missing young man and instead of treating him as a missing child -- he was reported missing by his family and the local media had covered it. Now ICE is trying to spin it as some heartwarming act but as FIEL Houston's Cesar Espinosa notes, "We want to make it very clear that the office of refugee resettlement, ORR, will have people believe that these are shelters.. They are not. They are detention centers for unaccompanied minors." Or take Frank Miranda who, AP reports pn, "A U.S. citizen in Portland, Oregon, was detained by plainclothes officers and held at the city's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building for hours before being released, according to his attorney." ICE was refused to listen to him and arrested him wrongly and with no warrant and went on to hold him four hours. Thursday, US House Rep Janelle Bynum's office issued the following:

Oregon City, OR – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) released the following statement after ICE agents abducted Frank Miranda, an American citizen from Milwaukie, OR, and held him for hours, while refusing to provide a reason.

“I’m infuriated about the abduction of one of my constituents, Frank Miranda. These ICE raids are reminiscent of the Fugitive Slave Act, when the U.S. Marshalls would hunt down and kidnap Black Americans. That was a dark and shameful time in our nation’s history – we must not allow that to repeat.

“Masked federal agents aren’t welcome in our state and they can’t keep kidnapping Americans. Not only do these raids undermine the principles that our country was founded on, but they’re against the law and downright racist. I’m demanding an end to ICE’s reign of terror, a thorough investigation into the kidnapping of Mr. Miranda, and fundamental change to this Administration's approach to immigration.”

In a letter sent to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on October 6, 2025, Frank Miranda recounted how he was picked up outside of his place of employment by masked agents, handcuffed, and thrown into an unmarked van. He was then driven to an ICE facility in Portland, where he was held for hours before being driven back to his place of employment. At no point was he given a reason for his abduction.

###

This is what's happening across America. And that's why people are protesting. BOSTON 25 NEWS' Ryan Breslin notes

Protesters have gathered outside the ICE field office in Burlington for a day-long demonstration, expected to last 14 hours, to support and defend the Constitution.

The protest began early Saturday morning, despite the ICE office being closed today, and is organized as a response to recent events involving immigration enforcement.

“I am an immigrant myself. I am a citizen, but right now I don’t feel safe,” said Lorena Betts, one of the protesters.

[. . .]

“Me personally, I consider myself a right-of-center individual,” Bryan Winter, another protester, said. “I am out here with all of these progressive activists because they are fighting for the right cause.”

ICE is out of control and destroying lives. It will be remembered as a stain on our national character. Mel Leonor Barclay (THE 74) reports:

In the lead up to her son’s birth, Jacqueline made plans to call 911 for an ambulance to pick her up from her North Florida home and transport her to a hospital about an hour away.

The second-time mom and Guatemalan immigrant, who has lived in the country for a decade, would have relied on her husband to drive her to the hospital. But a few months ago he was deported, leaving Jacqueline and her daughter without the family’s primary source of income, transportation and support.

[. . .]

Medical care and support essential to a healthy pregnancy have become harder for people like Jacqueline to obtain following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Many patients — nervous about encountering immigration officials if they leave their homes, drive on public roads or visit a medical clinic — are skipping virtually all of their pregnancy-related health care. Some are opting to give birth at home with the help of midwives because of the possible presence of ICE at hospitals.

Across the country, medical providers who serve immigrant communities said fewer patients are coming in for prenatal or other pregnancy-related care. As a result, patients are experiencing dangerous complications, advocates and health care providers told The 19th.

[. . .]

In January, Trump rescinded a federal policy that protected designated areas including hospitals, health clinics and doctors’ offices from immigration raids. ICE has recently targeted patients in hospital maternity wards and on their way home from prenatal visits.

A majority of Americans believe ICE should not be carrying out immigration enforcement at health centers. A new poll from The 19th and SurveyMonkey conducted in mid-September found that most Americans don’t think ICE should be allowed to detain immigrants at hospitals, their workplace, domestic violence shelters, schools or churches.

Women are more likely to oppose enforcement in these spaces than men. More than two-thirds of women said ICE shouldn’t be allowed to detain immigrants in hospital settings.

ICE terrorizes the country. And it kidnaps people regardless of the law. Mary Sanchez (THE MISSOURI INDEPENDENT) notes:

The warrantless arrests of 11 immigrant restaurant workers in Liberty earlier this year violated a 2022 consent decree, a federal judge ruled.

The arrests of the workers at El Potro Mexican Café in February were among the first in the Kansas City area to draw widespread media attention.

The Liberty cases became part of a broader filing, challenging government tactics under the second Trump administration on behalf of 26 immigrant plaintiffs.

The case did not question the government’s right to make arrests on immigration violations. But it questioned whether it had violated the prior consent agreement by making warrantless arrests.

On Oct. 7, a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, ruled in favor of the immigrant workers.

Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to lift any conditions on the release of 22 immigrants, including 11 people who had been detained after the Liberty raid.

In Colorado, residents protested the construction of yet another ICE cage.

Seth Klamann (DENVER POST) notes:

Carrying signs that likened immigrant detention facilities to concentration camps, protesters organized mass phone calls to Gov. Jared Polis’ office and to elected officials in Hudson, urging them to oppose the reopening of the Hudson Correctional Facility. They chanted and voiced broader opposition to the mass arrest-and-deportation program undertaken by the Trump administration, the scale of which prompted federal officials this year to seek new detention options in Colorado.

Jessica Hernandez and her sister Michelle, both of Greeley, held a sign for their father, who they said was a military veteran deported in 2005. He still lives in Juarez, Mexico, they said. As protesters chanted and spoke into a microphone, tuba player Yehuda Serotta punctuated sentences and chants with the horn slung across his body.

“Excuse my language, it’s [expletive],” Michelle M., who provided only her last initial because of concerns about her job, said of the plans to reopen the Hudson prison. “We don’t need another detention center here.”

The Chump administration thinks they can get away with this. But they also think they can pose -- with crosses around their necks -- as good Christians and that's not working either. Good Christians don't cover up for Julian Epstein. Good Christians don't let a man work directly under Kristi Noem when the media has reported for years on the two's alleged affair -- both are married. Good Christians don't take $50,000 bribes and other good Christians don't cover up for them. Good Christians don't try to bully US senators in a committee hearing. We can down the list all day but no one serving in Chump's corrupt and illegal administration qualifies as a good Christian.

Pope Leo? He qualifies. VATICAN NEWS reported this week:

Pope Leo XIV encouraged leaders and volunteers of the Catholic Charities USA network to persevere in their work pointing out that they follow the Gospel mandate to recognise Christ in the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and all those in need.

His words of gratitude came in a message to the network is gathered in San Juan, Puerto Rico or its 115th Annual Meeting.

Agents of Hope

Quoting Pope Francis’ definition of hope as “the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring,” Pope Leo underlined the importance of Catholic Charities’ work across its 168 diocesan agencies.

He described them as “agents of hope” for millions of people in the United States, especially the most vulnerable, the migrants, refugees, and those unable to rely on their own resources.

“Through providing food, shelter, medical care, legal assistance, and many other gestures of kindness,” he wrote, “Catholic Charities affiliates across the United States show what Pope Francis often referred to as God’s ‘style’ of closeness, compassion, and tenderness.”

Witnesses of Hope

The Pope said that while poverty and forced migration bring immense challenges, migrants and refugees also serve as “witnesses to hope,” both by their resilience and through the faith they bring to the communities that welcome them, to find their new homes in your country.

He described them as “missionaries of hope,” strengthening parishes and building bridges across nations and cultures.

Chump never had a chance at heaven. He's going to hell and he'll spend eternity there. And if that is anyway different from what you think, you need to stop and reflect because one of three things has happened: You're deeply stupid, you're incredibly caring and overly optimistic or you are you confused and probably headed to hell yourself.

The faith community isn't confused. Illinois' SHAW LOCAL MEDIA notes:

Wesley United Methodist Church will offer an “Immigration 101: Welcoming the Stranger” workshop for community members to learn about current immigration issues.

The free workshop will be held from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Oct. 12 at the church, 14 N. May St., Aurora.

“Wesley UMC and our UMC Northern Illinois Conference advocacy partner present a workshop to help us understand the current issues facing our immigrant neighbors – and give us some ideas of how we can support and help provide for neighbors in need!” Wesley United Methodist Church’s lead pastor, the Rev. Tammy Scott, said in a news release.

INDEPENDENT CATHOLIC NEWS notes:

Some 50 peacemakers, including members of the Pax Christi USA National Council held a prayer service and vigil in support of immigrants outside of the headquarters of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in Washington, DC on Friday, 3 October. The service was sponsored by Pax Christi USA, Pax Christi Metro DC - Baltimore, the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Franciscan Action Network, Congregation Action Network, Sisters of Mercy, the Quixote Center and other groups.

The service began with a welcome from Pax Christi USA Executive Director Charlene Howard. Sherry Simon, outgoing chair of the National Council, then read this message from Pax Christi USA Bishop President John Stowe, OFM Conv:

"I wish I could be there in person with Pax Christi USA and others for this witness on this eve of the Feast of Saint Francis. I hope that the words of Cardinal McElroy from the march on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees are still resounding in DC and beyond. He called out the assault on the most vulnerable that is taking place in DC and many places throughout the country.

"It is so vital that we who call ourselves Christians remind ourselves of the most fundamental Christian values, love of God and love of neighbour. As you bear witness in the nation's capital you are affirming the importance of human dignity, which is God-given and is more basic than our nationality or citizenship. You are also striving to uphold the common good, recognizing that we are one community in the US, brought together from all over the world and our immigrants have made us stronger and better and will continue to do so. Let us remember the biblical imperative that we welcome the stranger, and recognize that it is Christ himself whom we welcome. Let us insist on the respect for human dignity and the rights of all, for law-enforcement personnel to clearly identify themselves and their authority, and continue to work for the comprehensive immigration reform that can allow millions of our immigrant sisters and brothers to leave among us without fear."

The participants then sang Sweet Honey in the Rock's song, 'We who believe in freedom shall not rest,' which was followed by this reflection from Pax Christi USA 2016 Teacher of Peace Art Laffin:

Real Christians and real people with real faith-based values don't back on a war on immigrants. They don't kidnap people off the streets. They don't lie through their cosmetically enhanced teeth (was everyone in the administration required to undergo some form of cosmetic surgery) and claim that they're arresting violent criminals when the data says otherwise. They've been caught in a new lie now. Allison Sherry and Ben Markus (COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO) explain:

Immigration and Customs and Enforcement officials have claimed since June that assaults on their own officers have climbed sharply, with the White House insisting in a September executive order that attacks are up "more than 1,000 percent."

While the number of assaults on ICE agents have increased, there is no public evidence that they have spiked as dramatically as the federal government has claimed.

An analysis of court records shows about a 25% rise in charges for assault against federal officers through mid-September, compared with the same period a year ago.

[. . .]

Despite repeated requests for data to back up their eye-popping statistics, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly declined to provide any justification to CPR or NPR for continuing to make its assertions.

An administration built on lies that continues to spew lies. At WSWS, Jacob Crosse reports:

Encouraged by the silence of the Democratic Party, aspiring dictator Donald Trump escalated his war on the American people on Friday. In Memphis, Tennessee, armed National Guard soldiers began deploying on the streets with police. In Chicago, federal immigration Gestapo were filmed assaulting and kidnapping residents and journalists.

In Memphis, at least nine armed National Guard members, wearing body armor with the label “military police,” were recorded visibly patrolling near a tourist center near the Mississippi River, which flows alongside the second largest city in Tennessee. Republican Governor Bill Lee is cooperating with the Trump administration in deploying 150 members of the Tennessee National Guard alongside local and federal police agencies under the “Memphis Safe Task Force.”

In Chicago, Illinois, federal immigration agents with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were recorded violently assaulting residents, including a worker from news outlet WGN.

In a video taken by a bystander, Debbie Brockman is shown being handcuffed on the ground by masked CBP thugs. Near the end of the video, Brockman yells out in pain as the agents cuff her. Not only is Brockman a WGN employee, she is also a US citizen.

After Brockman was detained, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) propagandist Tricia McLaughlin claimed Brockman was “arrested for throwing objects at law enforcement.” McLaughlin refused to elaborate on what “objects” were allegedly thrown.

Nothing uttered by the immigration Gestapo or the Trump administration as a whole should ever be taken at face value. Shortly after McLaughlin posted her statement, WGN and other outlets reported that Brockman was released and had not been charged with a crime. If there was any evidence that Brockman actually assaulted police thugs in some way, she would have been charged with a crime.

Again, they lie. They lie over and over. They bear false witness. Stop accepting their big lie that they are men and women of God. They do not work for the betterment of the people, they could not walk with Jesus. They're trash. That's all they'll ever be.

And prepare yourself for the attacks that will be coming -- the ones on religious organizations objecting to the war on immigrants. SSBCRAK NEWS points out, "The current administration has begun to frame opposition to ICE’s operations as part of a conspiracy to undermine the agency, with House Republicans demanding financial disclosures from nonprofits and legal organizations. Reports indicate that the threat of legal repercussions now looms over lawyers representing immigrants, and organizations that have historically focused on advocacy are grappling with increased scrutiny from federal agencies."

The attacks have already begun. Clergy is being attacked by ICE non-stop. For example, last week, Tom Schuba, Cindy Hernandez, Selena Kuznikov, Michael Puente, Mary Norkol and Kade Heather (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES) reported:

Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef, a frequent attendee at protests, was among those detained. Video shows a few state troopers pinning him to the ground and detaining him about 7:30 p.m. near Lexington and 25th. He was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest.

Yosef said he was holding a microphone and leading chants on a sidewalk when an ISP trooper started pushing protesters out of the way and approached Yosef.

“It was like I had no time to react, and next thing I know I was grabbed, they locked my arms and the other [troopers] came with him and threw me to the ground, pinned me down,” Yosef said about two hours later after he was released.

“All I saw was just the ground, and I saw sideways. I couldn’t see nothing. It was like I was literally trapped,” he said, adding that he was on his stomach as three troopers knelt on his back.

“I couldn’t resist. I was like crushed,” he said.

And MSNBC did the following video report today.

We're all under attack. No one is safe. That's the reality of Chump's war on immigrants and it is why ICE needs to be out of US cities that don't want them in it, why the kidnapping needs to stop, why the attacks on citizens needs to stop, why ICE needs real oversight and why the masks need to come off.

The following sites updated:

You're All I Need To Get By

Diana Ross - I Still Believe

The Ronettes ~ Walking In The Rain (Stereo)

Barbra Streisand - "We're Not Makin Love Anymore" ALTERNATE Music video ...

Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night (from Live...At Last)

Debacle: 79-year-old Trump leaks ‘enemy’ plot meant as private DM to AG

You've Really Got A Hold On Me -- Laura Nyro and Labelle

‘Stone cold lie’: Hakeem Jeffries on Republicans’ healthcare deal excuse...

To The Other Woman (I'm The Other Woman) (2007 Remastered Version)

Dan Abrams Blasts Trump’s DOJ Over Letitia James Indictment - "It's tota...

What Can One Person Do

EPSTEIN DEATH EXPOSE: No fingerprints taken in Trump DOJ probe, Melber b...

Tracy Chapman - Sing For You (Official Music Video)

Chief Justice Roberts Gets EXPOSED in NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

Stevie Nicks - If Anyone Falls (Official Music Video)

‘Trump has taken control of DOJ’: Rep. Raskin condemns the targeting of ...

Aretha Franklin Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)

Why Pam Bondi's WEIRD Hearing Was Only The Beginning

Whitney Houston - All At Once (The 14th Annual American Music Awards, 1987)

Religious leaders speak out about being attacked while protesting ICE in...

The 5th Dimension - Paper Cup

I alwyas felt Jimmy Webb was heavily under the influence of The Free Design when he wrote "Paper Cup." Listen to "Kites Are Fun."

BREAKING: Trump dealt CRUSHING defeat in court

Ariana Grande - no tears left to cry (Official Video)

🚨MAJOR Red Flags SURFACE After Trump HOSPITAL REPORT Released

DIANA ROSS When You Tell Me That You Love Me

Newly Discovered Photos of Trump & Epstein ROCKS White House

Carly Simon - Jesse (Live On The Queen Mary 2)

MAGA backlashes after Hegseth announces Qatar Air Force site in Idaho

Ravyn Lenae - One Wish feat. Childish Gambino (Official Music Video)

🚨Melania’s TWISTED PLAN Surfaces after SHOCK ADMISSION

Jess Glynne - Friend Of Mine (Live Session)

FURIOUS Canada RESPONDS WITH FORCE after Trump THREAT

Building A Mystery | Sarah McLachlan | Kelly Clarkson | Duet Song Perfor...

trump drops the hammer on farmworkers

TRUMP DROPS THE HAMMER ON FARMWORKERS
By David Bacon
The Nation, 10/10/25
https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/trum-rural-voters-workers-bailout/
https://davidbaconrealitycheck.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-disaster-foretold.html

ROYAL CITY, WA- Jaime Solorio is an immigrant H-2A worker recruited in Mexico. He is digging post holes for wire supports for planting apple trees, in an field owned by Stemilt Growers.

On October 2 Trump finally dropped the hammer on farmworkers. At the end of the season, when most workers who might protest are no longer in the fields, he cut the wages of 400,000 people by as much as a third.

Trump's order, a Federal regulation published in Thursday's Federal Register and implemented immediately, alters the way wages are set for farmworkers brought to the U.S. by growers on H-2A visas. These workers are recruited mostly in Mexico, and sign contracts to work for a maximum of 10 months per year. After that, they have to return home.

H-2A workers are very vulnerable to pressure from their employers. They can only work for the growers who recruit them, who can legally impose production quotas and fire workers for not meeting them. Recruiters are legally allowed to refuse to hire women, and almost all H-2A workers are young men. They can be fired for protesting, organizing, or simply working too slowly. They then lose their visas and usually find themselves on a blacklist, unable to return to work in subsequent seasons.

Existing Federal regulations require growers to provide housing, and transportation from the border and to work every day. Every year the Department of Labor sets a minimum wage for each state, called the Adverse Effect Wage Rate. It is usually a little higher than the state minimum wage in those states that have them. The reg's original intent was to keep H-2A wages high enough that growers wouldn't use H-2A recruits to displace local farmworkers. The new regulation changes both the wage system, and the housing requirement.

The new rule, called the "Adverse Effect Wage Rate Methodology for the Temporary Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in Non-Range Occupations in the United States," says the wage in California for Skill Level One farmworkers will be $16.45 per hour. That's a nickel below the state's minimum wage this year. There is a higher, Skill Level Two wage, of $18.71, but Daniel Acosta, immigration director for the Economic Policy Institute, believes that "more than 90% of H-2A workers will get the lower wage."

Today the existing AEWR wage, received by the 37,511 H-2A workers who labored this year in California fields, was $19.94. The wage those workers will be paid when they return next year, if growers pay the state minimum wage, will be $16.90 per hour, or three dollars less than they were paid this year. In addition, the new regulation allows growers to charge H-2A workers for housing, which they previously had to provide for free. In California, the allowed charge will be $3.00 per hour. The total cut will therefore be from $19.94 to $13.90 - over six dollars.

The day after the regulation was issued I stopped to talk with two H-2A workers at an old motel in California's wine country. A half-dozen farm labor busses, all with Mc4F Solutions, LLC, painted on the side, were parked in front. The company is listed is an H-2A labor contractor, according to the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, an advocacy organization for H-2A workers. The two said they'd been coming to work in the same vineyards for several years, and joked that by now they knew each vine personally. Both depend on the work to support families back home. Being away for most of the year, for them, was the biggest downside.

When they return next year, however, the company will have to tell them about the new, lower wage. In addition, they'll be paying about $500 a month to sleep three to a room at the motel. The company may even save enough to buy the place. All over California H-2A labor contractors have taken over old motels, a process this regulation will accelerate. Other growers are building labor camps, now using this involuntary gift from their workers to pay off construction costs.

PORTERVILLE, CA - H-2A workers, working for Porterville Citrus, were housed by the labor contractor Fresh Harvest at the Palm Tree Inn in Porterville. During the pandemic some rooms had notices on the windows saying they'd been decontaminated and/or disinfected. Workers organized a protest when they weren't paid their full wages at the end of their work contract.

Savings by Napa's gentlemen farmers and wineries listed on the stock exchange is unlikely to produce good accommodations, however. Bad housing is one of the most common complaints among farmworkers. Nevertheless, regardless of its condition, workers will pay $3.00 an hour for it. The California Department of Housing and Community Development responsible for all employer-provided housing in the state, won't be much help. It only has three inspectors, and in 2022 it failed to issue a single citation for illegal conditions, while issuing permits without making inspections.

The text of the regulation acknowledges "negative impacts" in government-speak. "Certain current H-2A workers may experience reductions in wages as a result of lower prevailing wage rates," it warns. According to Marcos Lopez, a researcher for the University of California Davis Labor and Community Center, the total number of H-2A workers who worked in the U.S. this past year is close to 400,000. In simple language, they will get a wage cut. "This effect will be mitigated by an increase in the number of certified H-2A job opportunities, which will create additional employment for new H-2A workers." In other words, new workers will be recruited if the old ones don't like it.

Wage cuts for H-2A workers will affect all workers - bitter news for the people who were called essential during the pandemic. But the wages of farmworkers have never corresponded to the difficulty of the job, the skill needed to perform it, or the cost to workers' families or their own bodies. Last year Juana, a strawberry picker in Santa Maria, told me, "Not many people can do this job," she said. She'd been working in the berry fields for 15 years. "I have permanent pain in my lower back, and when it rains it gets very intense. Still, I get up every morning at 4, make lunch for my family, and go to work. It's a sacrifice, but it's the only job I can get."

Juana was making $16, then the state minimum wage. The work season lasts for eight months, and produces an income of $21,760. But she and her husband pay $2000 a month rent, or $24,000 a year - more than her entire earnings. "We have to save to pay the rent during the winter when there's no work," she added. "If we don't, we don't have a place to live. And during those months there are always bills we can't pay, so by March there's no money at all, and we have to get loans to survive. Plus, I have to send money to my mama and papa in Mexico. There are many people depending on me."

This year another worker, Emma, described to me the toll farm work takes on her. "In the oranges I have to climb ladders with a 40 or 50 pound bag on my shoulders," she explained. "When I'm bunching carrots, I'm on my knees all day. Every season my body has to learn to adjust to the way my hands and back hurt. It can take an hour and a half to get to the field, and for all that the most I make is $700 a week. And last year 70 percent of the time I only got four hours of work a day because the company hired so many other people."

Emma's description of the cut in her hours is increasingly common. "A lot of workers come to us, saying they've been replaced in middle of season, or that they don't get the hours they did before," Sarait Martinez, director of the Binational Center for Oaxacan Community Development, told me. Martinez organizes Indigenous Mexican farm workers in California - people from towns in southern Mexico, speaking languages centuries old when Spanish colonizers arrived.

She explained that recruiters in Mexico target those communities. As a result, Indigenous farmworkers in California, both local and H-2A workers, sometimes find themselves at odds over displacement. "We do a lot of education," she says, "where we emphasize to workers that the system exploits both. It wants us to fight each other over who has the right to work in the fields."

To Martinez and other farmworker advocates, the new regulation was not a surprise. "Trump 1.0 used the exact same playbook in 2020," Daniel Costa recalls. "First he got rid of the Farm Worker Survey used to set the Average Effect Wage Rate, just as he just did again. Then he said he'd just freeze H-2A wages for two years." The United Farm Workers filed suit and blocked the move.

Discarding the Farm Worker Survey again this past August came after other moves to please growers. At the end of June Trump scrapped the Farmworker Protection Rule, regulations put in place by Julie Su, Biden's Secretary of Labor, that provided minimal protections for H-2A workers. By getting rid of it, growers can now bar outsiders (community groups or unions) from H-2A housing, give workers contracts in languages they can't read, retaliate against those who complain of bad conditions, and even stop using seat belts in the vehicles transporting them to the fields.

Trump's new Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, promised changes like these in her Congressional nomination hearing. She told Congress she'd modernize the H-2A program "to do everything we can to make sure that none of these farms or dairy producers are put out of business [by immigration enforcement]."

Last year the Department of Labor gave growers 384,000 certifications for H-2A visas, for workers who now make up about a fifth of the U.S. agricultural workforce. That's up from 98,813 in 2012, and from 48,000 twenty years ago. "Already H-2A workers make up a quarter of the crop workforce," Costa charges. "Now growers will have a massive incentive to replace more people. We could see 500,000 H-2A workers."

The new regulation, however, claims the wage cut is needed because of an emergency caused by the administration's own actions. "With the historic near total cessation of illegal border crossings-the Department must take immediate action to provide agricultural employers with a viable workforce alternative while concurrently averting imminent economic harm." It parrots grower claims that they face a severe labor shortage because "domestic applicants are not applying for agricultural positions in sufficient numbers."

Edgar Franks, political director of Familias Unidas por la Justicia, a farmworker union in Washington State, recalls that during Trump's first administration, Washington State's Employment Security Department and the US Department of Labor agreed to completely remove the guaranteed piece-rate wage for H-2A workers picking apples, the state's largest harvest. That effectively lowered their wages by a third, and undermined local workers too. "If wages drop even more, it won't be worth it to pick apples," he warned. "They manufacture a labor shortage to deincentivize the work for local workers. If they want to attract workers, they should pay higher wages. But the real intent is to lower wages."

In addition, Martinez says, "the deportations and kidnapping of immigrants are now an excuse for growers to bring more H-2A workers and cut our wages." The regulation acknowledges "that illegal aliens currently employed in agriculture may be adversely affected as growers shift toward reliance on the lawful H-2A program rather than illegal aliens." Martinez counters that "the lack of immigration status disproportionally affects Indigenous workers. But while we're forced to leave jobs and homes by raids and deportations, growers are still guaranteed workers."

The new regulation, and the politics behind it, make winning and enforcing workplace rights and decent wages for farmworkers more difficult. Enforcement of even the regulation's weak worker protections is already in trouble. In 2019, under Trump, only 26 of the 11,472 employers using the H-2A program were punished for labor violations. With Biden the DoL staff fell to only 810 investigators for the nation's 164.3 million workers, or one inspector per 202,824 workers. Then over 2,700 DoL employees, or 20 percent of its workforce, left the department in the wake of Trump executive orders and job cutting by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

For organizers like Franks, organizing farmworkers is still the answer, especially with a Federal government undermining wages and terrorizing workers with immigration raids. "Organizing farmworkers is always difficult, but not impossible," he says. "At Sakuma Farms we won our contract in 2017, and wages there are good and workers are protected. There's never been a shortage of workers there."

H-2A workers in Washington have protested in the past, including a strike after one worker died of heat and air contamination in 2018. "I think there will be anger over this new reg, especially by workers who are experienced, produce more, and expect to be rewarded for their work" Franks predicts. "And we've supported H-2A workers when they have protested. So as organizers we have to do a better job of supporting workers whenever they try to change things."

IN CAMPS, UNDER TREES AND EVICTED

Farmworkers and people living close to the line in Northern California

An exhibition of photographs by David Bacon

September 13 - December 15

Peter J. Shields Library, UC Davis
First Floor
100 North West Quad, Davis, CA 95616

Shield Library Parking: UCD Parking Lot 10

EN CAMPAMENTOS, BAJO LOS ÁRBOLES Y DESALOJADOS

Trabajadores agrícolas y personas que viven cerca de la línea en el norte de California

Una exposición de fotografías de David Bacon

13 de septiembre - 15 de diciembre

Biblioteca Peter J. Shields, UC Davis
Primer piso
100 North West Quad, Davis, CA 95616

Estacionamiento de la Biblioteca Shield: Estacionamiento UCD Lote 10

"The Military Response to Sanctuary Cities and Immigrants' Right to Work
Letters and Politics: Mitch Jeserich interviews David Bacon:
KPFA, June 10, 2025
https://kpfa.org/episode/letters-and-politics-june-10-2025/

Immigrant Workers and the Recent History of Immigration Raids
A presentation by David Bacon at the UCLA Latin American Institute, with photographs and transcript.
3/11/25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FlsyWTBWs

David Bacon @photos4justice on the daily lives and ongoing struggles (both personal and political) of farmworkers -

interview -Against the Grain with C.S. Soong

https://x.com/radioagainst/status/1848820503898710137

Pushing Forward: Organizing in a Post Trump Reelection US
November 22, 2024 by A Public Affair
https://www.wortfm.org/pushing-forward-organizing-in-a-post-trump-reelection-us/
On today’s two part show, Esty Dinur speaks with photojournalist David Bacon who has a long history of documenting and fighting for immigrant rights.

BOOKS - LIBROS

More Than a Wall / Mas que un muro
El Colegio de la Frontera Norte
https://david-bacon-photography.square.site/product/more-than-a-wall-mas-que-un-muro/1?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false

In the Fields of the North / En los campos del norte
University of California Press / Colegio de la Frontera Norte
ucpress.edu/9780520296077
En Mexico: https://www.colef.mx

The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration (Beacon Press, 2013)
http://www.beacon.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=2328

El Derecho a Quedarse en Casa (Critica - Planeta de Libros)
http://www.planetadelibros.com.mx/el-derecho-a-quedarse-en-casa-libro-205607.html

Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants (Beacon Press, 2008)
Recipient: C.L.R. James Award, best book of 2007-2008
http://www.beacon.org/Illegal-People-P780.aspx

Communities Without Borders (Cornell University/ILR Press, 2006)
https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801473074/communities-without-borders/#bookTabs=1

The Children of NAFTA, Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border (University of California, 2004)
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520244726/the-children-of-nafta

Hijos de Libre Comercio (El Viejo Topo)
http://www.tienda.elviejotopo.com/prestashop/capitalismo/1080-hijos-del-libre-comercio-deslocalizaciones-y-precariedad-9788496356368.html

WORK AND SOCIAL JUSTICE:
The David Bacon Archive exhibition at Stanford Libraries
https://exhibits.stanford.edu/bacon/browse
For a catalog: (https://web.stanford.edu/dept/spec_coll/NonVendorPubOrderform2017.pdf)

THE REALITY CHECK - David Bacon blog
http://davidbaconrealitycheck.blogspot.com

For more articles and images, see http://dbacon.igc.org and
https://www.flickr.com/photos/56646659@N05/albums

BROOKE ANDERSON PODCAST #8

That's How the Light Gets In

LISTEN: https://linktr.ee/thatshowthelightgetsinpodcast (or anywhere you get your podcasts)

MAS QUE UN MURO
Cinco Entrivistas sobre la exposicion en el Museo Nacional de las Culturas del Mundo, CDMX:

Part 1:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eix0HEStpc
Part 2:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO4IIBPs06U
Part 3:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHtY-fgtsjs
Part 4:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm_MNrEX2Mw
Part 5:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpwSuBbgAQs

Pacific Media Workers Guild, CWA Local 39521, adopted a resolution supporting the Labor Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza: https://mediaworkers.org/guild-joins-calls-for-immediate-ceasefire-in-gaza/

WHEN WE SPOKE OUT AGAINST WAR
Unearthing the history of protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Photographs © by David Bacon
https://www.flickr.com/photos/56646659@N05/52759801492/in/album-72177720306862427/


Copyright © 2025 David Bacon Photographs and Stories, All rights reserved. you're on this list because of your interest in david bacon's photographs and stories Our mailing address is: David Bacon Photographs and Stories address on request Oakland, Ca 94601 Add us to your address book
unsubscribe from this list

Copyright © 2025 David Bacon Photographs and Stories, All rights reserved.
you're on this list because of your interest in david bacon's photographs and stories
Our mailing address is:

David Bacon Photographs and Stories

address on request

Oakland, Ca 94601

RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! (Live on The Graham Norton show)

Trump’s FATAL DECISION today is Identical TO GREAT DEPRESSION

Diana Ross & the Supremes Lady Is a Tramp Day After Day & I'm Living in Shame

Supreme Court REVEALS ITS PLAN for Trump in FIRST DECISIONS

Sonny & Cher All I Ever Need Is You

Trump holds DISASTER PRESSER in OVAL as MARKETS TANKS

What a LIAR! Mike Johnson Is Congress's Eddie Haskell

Trump Prosecutor FACES SUDDEN COLLAPSE as Charges BACKFIRE

Inside the MOVEMENT to CRUSH TRUMP for Good

Trump AG has NO IMMUNITY after SETTING TRAP for HERSELF

RFK Jr. Just Hit a RECORD New LOW

ICE ICE LAMELY | Armageddon Update

Friday, October 10, 2025

OUT OF THE LOOP?: Report says Bondi was blindsided Letitia James indictment

Wicked Witch Of The West Wing | Lawless Pam Bondi explodes at Senate Hea...

Trump is Crossing Lines That We Can’t Ignore (w. Sen. Brian Schatz)

Trump, Tylenol, & Erika Kirk (From Michelle Wolf's Thought Box LIVE!)

Pam Bondi's Corruption Put On Display At Senate Hearing

The Unfinished Revolution with Atlantic EIC Jeffrey Goldberg

Carville: Democrats Finally Have Shutdown Upper Hand — If They Don’t Blo...

Pro-Trump & Pro-Israel Bari Weiss Will Try to Make CBS More Fox News… He...

RUMOR HAS IT RACIST MAGAs ARE BOYCOTTING THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW!

DHS Lied About a Veteran They Wrongfully Arrested (w/ George Retes)

🚨Newsom CALLS OUT Trump for SUSPICIOUS HOSPITAL VISIT

A Slap in the Face to Every HBCU in Florida: GOP Wants to Rename College...

Trump has NIGHTMARE FRIDAY AM as he IS REPUDIATED PUBLICLY

GET BACK TO WORK! GOP Leaders CANCEL VOTES for ALL NEXT WEEK as PANIC SETS IN

Stephen A Smith Came For Jasmine Crockett & Got Himself Benched

Democrats Are Winning The Big Arguments With Trump, And Need To Keep Fig...

The Cracks Are Emerging In MAGA's Circle | Inside Trump's Head Clip

Fox News COLLAPSES ON AIR as Trump’s PLANS IMPLODE

María Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

How Is Bad Bunny Too “Foreign” for the Super Bowl? He's More American Th...

Letitia James STRIKES BACK At Trump DOJ After Shady INDICTMENT

Schatz To House Republicans On Third Week Of Vacation: Get Back To Work

Trump CAUGHT ON TAPE as INVASION goes TERRIBLY WRONG

Cher - "I Am... I Said" Live Performance | The Cher Show (11/16/1975)

The Snapshot

Friday, October 10, 2025. As October 18th peaceful protests inch closer, remember that pressure on the system is the only thing that will stop Donald Chump.

Among the big news? As Stephanie Ruhle noted on THE LAST HOUR WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE (MSNBC), Letitia James has been indicted. Jonah E. Bromwich and Devlin Barrett (NEW YORK TIMES) note:

It has long been President Trump’s impulse to tar his enemies with the same accusations they have lobbed at him.

And his Justice Department’s criminal case against the New York attorney general, Letitia James, carries echoes of the civil fraud case she brought against him — albeit at a scale so small that most federal prosecutors would never deign to pursue it.

The indictment, less than a month after Mr. Trump publicly exhorted the Justice Department to pursue Ms. James, accuses her of violating a mortgage agreement on a Virginia house she purchased in 2020 by using it as a rental property.

The case is a fresh reminder of how the president has taken the Justice Department in hand and directed its prosecutorial powers toward his adversaries. Ms. James is the second of his enemies to be indicted in the past two weeks after he insisted that a case be pursued. Just five days before the charges against Ms. James were handed up, he called her “corrupt” and “scum” on his social media platform and said she should be removed from the New York attorney general’s office.

Read on but here's where they should have inserted a key detail -- he didn't know he was posting. He thought he was sending the order to Pam on private DM. Ron Dicker (HUFFINGTON POST) explained Wednesday:

President Donald Trump’s scolding command on Truth Social for Pam Bondi to prosecute James Comey and other political targets was supposed to be a DM, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Trump, who has been accused of having dementia by a few prominent Democrats recently, thought he had sent Bondi the message privately last month and expressed surprise that it was public, according to the unnamed officials. A distressed Bondi called White House aides and Trump, prompting the president to follow up with an entry of glowing praise about Bondi.

Many had already suspected the Sept. 20 note was supposed to be a 1-on-1 correspondence, given its personal nature:

“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.” Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That’s why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT”

Comey, the former FBI director, was indicted days later and pleaded innocent Wednesday to making false statements and obstruction in what is viewed by many to be a flimsy case.

Now on James Comey, I'm still confused. Not about the lies that the government is claiming. But about the grand jury. If I argue a case before a grand jury, I'm practicing law.

On Comey, Chump's newly installed Lindsey Halligan argued in front of the grand jury. And they weren't in Florida. She was just named to the post and immediately is arguing it before the grand jury. My understanding is she's only licensed to practice in Florida.

Now some might argue her even acting as a supervisor without the actual ability to prosecute was problematic. And that's fine. But the issue I'm raising is simple: Can she practice in Virginia? It's a yes or a no. Maybe it's yes. Maybe what takes weeks was somehow able to be done in days or maybe she thought, all those years in Florida, "I might (mis)practice law someday in Virginia so let me make sure I'm licensed to practice there too!" But if she's not licensed to practice in the state of Virginia -- if -- I would think Patrick Fitzgerald would move for charges to be dropped on that alone.

Edith Olmstead (THE NEW REPUBLIC) notes:

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday for alleged mortgage fraud, following President Donald Trump’s months-long campaign to remove his outspoken critic from office.

Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia reportedly personally presented the government’s flimsy case alleging that James committed mortgage fraud. Halligan, who was previously Trump’s personal attorney before becoming special assistant to the president, recently replaced Eric Siebert, who Trump officials had pressured to seek an indictment against James.

James was indicted on one count of bank fraud, according to MSNBC.

Multiple sources told ABC News last month that investigators had yet to produce a shred of evidence that James falsified bank documents to secure favorable terms on a mortgage for her Virginia home. Two Trump stooges, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, and Ed Martin, the head of the DOJ’s Working Weaponization Group, have staked their claim that James committed mortgage fraud on a single document claiming that the home she purchased in 2023 would be her primary residence.

But investigators haven’t been able to prove she knowingly lied, or that the document was even considered by loan officers. Lawyers that drafted the document said the error was the result of a template that wasn’t corrected, sources told ABC News. Every other document submitted for James’s mortgage accurately stated she would not reside at the home.

Pulte and Martin reportedly urged Siebert to seek an indictment against James at Trump’s direction. When Siebert declined, Pulte reportedly encouraged Trump to fire Siebert and have him replaced with someone else.

Again, arguing before a grand jury is practicing law. Is the little Chumpette licensed to practice in Virginia?

Last night on MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell noted Chump and his enemies list (illegal) versus Tricky Dick Nixon's list (also illegal).

Let's drop back to September 26th:

Let's do a story -- and I'm rushing this morning so my apologies to my friend taking my dictation and to anyone who struggles to follow the leaps as I rush through this -- Jane Fonda got arrested at an airport coming back into the United States from Canada while Tricky Dick was president

She was carrying vitamins. They tried to say it was drugs. She was held for hours and hours and she was having her period and they would not let her go to the restroom because they did not have a female police officer. Again, hours and hours. Jane was then accused of kicking the police officer. If she did, good for her. You try being on your period and waiting forever because some asshole won't call in to get a female police officer to show up at the airport so you can go to the bathroom.

But the thing about the Chumps is they're idiots. And worse, they are greedy idiots.

Jane was actually detained because she was on Nixon's enemies list. It was an actual list. Her mail was to be opened, she was to be harassed when going through customs, her calls were to be tapped, etc, etc. Supposedly, the only agency that refused to follow upon Nixon's illegal requests was the IRS.

The case against Jane was dropped. Nixon was a crook but he wasn't greed driven the way Chump is.

Or the way the police officer was. He wasn't on duty at the time, he was moonlighting as a security officer at the airport. And he was kicked!!! Kicked!!!

And he was greedy.

So he decided to profit from the incident. He sued.

That was wonderful because it meant that discovery would expose the list -- that Jane and her attorney Mark Lane felt existed (they were right but I'm not using "knew" here because they suspected it, no one outside Nixon's circle knew it existed).

Rather than reveal the existence of the enemies list in court proceedings (from the civil case the greedy officer brought), Nixon had the entire matter dropped. Because it's illegal.

And Chump doesn't care that it's illegal. He's quite open about the people he's targeting. Stupid and greedy.

And that further erodes trust Americans might have otherwise had in him.

Yes, Tricky Dick was smart enough to realize that you didn't flash an enemies list in public because when you're president of the United States no American citizen is supposed to be your enemy and you're also -- regardless of what the crooked Supreme Court says -- not allowed to abuse your powers by using them to target your political rivals.

Many people were on Nixon's official list. Barbra Streisand would be another on the list -- for campaigning for Bella Abzug, for speaking out on various issues, for her work to raise attention to and for Daniel Ellsberg.

On June 16, 2023's snapshot we noted:

Daniel Ellsberg was censored. Like Julian Assange, Daniel tried to bring the truth to the people. Richard Nixon persecuted Daniel Ellsberg. Tricky Dick is a dirty joke and a criminal and he's forever remembered for Watergate, for his enemies list and for what he did to his enemies like Daniel Ellsberg.

Daniel is, sadly, dying. He's lived a life to be proud of. Joe Biden should realize that he can end up the next Richard Nixon in history or he can do something heroic and stop the persecution of Julian Assange.

Daniel Ellsberg was on Nixon's enemies list. Plural.

Another person on that list was Barbra Streisand. In May of 1973, Barbra did a fundraiser for Daniel. It was held at the home of film producer Jennings Lang and those present could hear Barbra sing whatever requested song they pledged money for and she also sang over the phone at the benefit as well (also for donations). She did a lot of standards like "You're The Top" and "Someone To Watch Over Me." She even sang a duet with Carl Reiner. Barbra was signed to COLUMBIA RECORDS.

COLUMBIA needed Streisand product always. They were constantly churning it out. In 1971, for example, she released two best selling albums -- one platinum, one gold -- studio albums STONEY END and BARBRA JOAN STREISAND. That's 1971. 1972, it was LIVE CONCERT AT THE FORUM -- the concert she did for the George McGovern presidential campaign. It was now May 1973 and no product. Not even a greatest hits or compilation. COLUMBIA needed product.

Barbra had her performance at the benefit for Daniel recorded. COLUMBIA wanted product. Barbra singing torch songs live? They loved the idea. But Barbra also wanted the money the album raised to go to Daniel's defense fund.

Problem.

COLUMBIA was part of CBS. CBS was already facing 'issues' with the Nixon White House over their coverage of Watergate and over Walter Cronkite's THE SELLING OF THE PRESIDENT documentary that they had done. The corporate order came down that they didn't need any more pressure and the album was killed. It's still in the vaults by the way, it could be released now as a way to honor Daniel Ellsberg while he's still with us.

the album was killed. It's still in the vaults by the way, it could be released now as a way to honor Daniel Ellsberg while he's still with us.

Later that day, Daniel's family noted he had passed away and Barbra Tweeted:

So add Barbra and Jane to the list of people who survived Nixon and his illegal attacks. Jean Seberg wasn't so lucky but she wasn't actually on Nixon's list. (And the CIA and FBI's joint-work attacking and destroying Seberg may not have even been known by Nixon.)

Donald Chump is breaking the law. He will get away with it for a bit. The system is recoiling and it will stamp him out. He's a malignant force invading a system and it will fight and expel him.

Right now, however, certain parts of the system are more eager to wring every last drop they can get out of him. They will then show up appalled after his downfall. They will pretend to have been opposed. And they may have been opposed to, say, his attacks on rivals and that abuse of power.

But what they're interested in right now is how much money they can make and how much power they can grab. Chump is a buffoon in over his head. He's surrounded by lackeys who flatter him. But he's just a tool being used by the people who want to own even more media outlets, by the lawbreakers who want to destroy our checks and balances.

That was very clear at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing when certain Republicans didn't just refuse to call Pam da Bimbo Bondi out but actively worked to help her undermine oversight. (That's what Ruth was referring to last night at the end of her post.) Chump's not powerful at all. He's just the guy working late night behind the register, ringing up sales. He's making the same mistake Nixon did in assuming that the power he's exercising is personal power. It's not. He's being allowed to exercise it by a system that is using him and when it has gotten all it can from him or when the public is so outraged that the system has to act, it will. And he's going to be very surprised by how swift his fall is. And how deep.

Those who are able to should participate in the No Kings October 18th rallies. This is how we put pressure on the system to act.

We don't have a king.

Donald's destroying the country not because of any invested power but because he's being allowed to. Nixon thought he was unstoppable to. And the Heritage Foundation's project has always been nothing more than trying to give an occupant of the White House (that they liked) the powers Nixon sought but could not have. That's why The Federalist Society groomed prospective Supreme Court justices and coached them on how to lie in confirmation hearings -- which, by the way, is a criminal conspiracy and people can be charged for that -- even sitting judges -- even sitting Supreme Court judges.

But Chump is only tolerated for what people want from him and as his 'brand' suffers and sours, it becomes more necessary for people to step away and for the system to righten itself.

FDR's New Deal, LBJ's Great Society, those were positive examples of how pressure on the system forced it to change.

It can seem so very hopeless at times. And Chump is vile and disgusting and lawless and a bully. But he's only in the position he's in while the system can get something from him being in that position.

I could be wrong -- I pray I'm not -- but in calm moments I do not see him getting all that he wants and destroying our country. In calm moments, I realize that as bad as it is right now, our system has been set up with more than just the recognized guard rails and that Chump is no where near as powerful or important as he sees himself.

As they say in APOCOLYPSE NOW:

Are you an assassin?

I'm a soldier.

You're neither.

You're an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill.

Let's note this from THE BLACK COMMENTATOR:

The Black Commentator

Issue #1058

is now Online

October 9, 2025

Read issue 1058

Our email address is BlackCommentator@gmail.com

Our voicemail number is 856.823.1739

Take me off the email list

The Black Commentator | P.O. Box 2635, A weekly publication dedicated to economic justice, social justice and peace.,
Tarpon Springs, FL 34688-2635

Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

KFF: Most Republicans and MAGA Supporters Say Congress Should Extend the Enhanced ACA Tax Credits Set to Expire Next Year

ICYMI: Wall Street Journal – White House Senses Political Risk on Healthcare Despite Shutdown Bravado; Murray takes case directly to Idahoans as new signs indicate Republicans are feeling the heat over their refusal to take action to prevent people’s costs from spiking

Typical 60-year old couple in Idaho making $85,000 will face a $17,900 spike in annual premiums

Open enrollment in Idaho begins October 15^th; More than 100,000 Idahoans rely on ACA tax credits

***WATCH press conference HERE***

Washington, D.C. – Today, on the ninth day of the Republican shutdown, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a virtual press conference with Idaho State Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow and Idahoans who rely on Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits to afford health care: Bob McMichael, an author and retired teacher from Council, ID, and Susan Wood, a retiree from Boise.

Right now, Democrats are fighting to save the ACA tax credits, which expire at the end of the year. Without them, 22 million Americans—mostly in red states—will see their health care costs skyrocket. Premiums will more than double, on average, for Americans who buy health care through the ACA exchanges, and these higher costs will push 4.2 million people off their health coverage over the next decade. In Idaho, over 100,000 people rely on the ACA tax credits—and without them, the average increase in annual premiums is expected to be at least $975. If the ACA tax credits aren’t extended, a typical 60-year-old couple making $85,000 in Idaho will face a whopping $17,900 increase in their annual premium costs next year and 25,000 Idahoans are likely to forgo health insurance altogether.

More than 3 in 4 people who get their health care through the ACA marketplaces—18.7 million out of 24.3 million—live in states President Trump won in 2024. The vast majority of Americans want Congress to renew the ACA tax credits, according to recent polling from KFF—including six in ten Republicans and a majority of Republicans who identify as MAGA. At the press conference, Senator Murray made her case directly to Idahoans, explaining how inaction by their Republican members of Congress will force their health care premiums to explode next year. She implored Republican leaders to come to the table as new signs indicate that Republicans are feeling the heat on their deeply unpopular position. In recent days, reporting has indicated that the White House is privately fretting about the issue, and President Trump signaled openness to cutting a deal.

“Across the country, premiums are going to more than double for millions of families, unless Congress saves the tax credits that help people afford insurance on the ACA exchanges. In Idaho, that means pretty much everyone who buys health insurance through the Your Health Idaho online marketplace is about to see a huge spike in their health care costs. But Republicans don’t want to talk about it. And they have refused to do anything about it. In fact, Republicans have chosen to shut down the government rather than work with Democrats on a solution to stop this from happening. So here’s my feeling on this: if Republicans don’t want to level with their own constituents about what is at stake, I am happy to do it,” said Senator Murray. “If the tax credits expire, an estimated 25,000 people in Idaho will be forced off their health coverage because they won’t be able to afford it anymore. We are talking about families with kids. We are talking about seniors, retirees who aren’t old enough for Medicare but desperately need health coverage. We are talking about countless farmers, small business owners, and freelancers. If Republicans continue refusing to act, then next week, families across Idaho are going to come face to face with premiums they simply cannot afford.”

Senator Murray played a critical role in passing the enhanced premium tax credits in the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and extending them in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and she has been fighting for months to make sure these important health care tax credits don’t expire, including cosponsoring multiple pieces of legislation—the Health Care Affordability Act and theProtecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act—that would make them permanent.

“I am overwhelmed with calls every day, from Idahoans who are worried about their health care and frustrated by what they see coming out of Washington. Farmers in the Magic Valley, teachers in Sandpoint, small business owners in Boise. Their stories are remarkably similar. They are worried. They are frustrated. And more than anything, they are asking, “Why are the people we send to Washington making our lives harder? In less than a week, Idaho’s health insurance exchange opens for enrollment. But instead of certainty, families are facing the threat of skyrocketing premiums. That is because Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have shut down the government rather than working with Democrats to extend the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits,” said Idaho State Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow. “We are all hearing stories from Idahoans across the state. Parents who have delayed surgeries. Retirees who are counting pills to stretch their prescriptions. Young couples trying to decide whether they can even afford to start a family. And what is often overlooked is that more than one in four Idaho farmers and ranchers buy their health care through the ACA marketplace. They do not have employer plans. They depend on these credits to protect their families and keep their operations running. Times are already tough for farmers due to Trump tariffs, and they don’t need any more challenges as they try to put food on their tables and ours… Making these tax credits permanent would cost less than one-tenth of the price tag of the billionaire tax cut they passed earlier this year. Less than a tenth. If Congress can afford to hand out massive tax breaks to billionaires and corporations, it can certainly afford to help working families keep their health insurance.”

“So my wife and I are both retired… We are kind of not at all unique in that we are finally though one of those couples who are senior citizens on a fixed income. I never, ever thought I would say that, but that’s a fact for us now. Our annual income is about $42,000, that’s some pensions, and my wife elected to take Social Security early. With the Social Security that she elected to take, and at age 62 that put us over the threshold to receive Medicaid for our health care. And so we, last year, chose a health plan on the exchange under the Affordable Care Act and qualified for the tax credits. And our tax credit was about $1,865 and our health plan this year, the premium was $1,916, so that left us to have to pay $51 a month for our coverage,” said Bob McMichael, an author and retired teacher from Council, Idaho. “But last week, I received a letter from the healthcare plan informing us that in January 2026 our health plan premium would increase by $367 to $2,232. So, if the tax credit stayed the same our monthly premium would have gone from $51 to $367 and that is almost unaffordable for us. It’s going to really hurt. That’s assuming the tax credits don’t get taken away. If the tax credits do get taken away, the annual cost of the plan that we are on will be almost $27,000. So even if they keep the tax credits and they somehow get put back in, our increase in our premium is going to be almost 800% per month. 800% that’s eight times. And so, a lot of the reporting that I’ve seen saying that might double just seems confusing to me. So, I’m not an expert by any means, but it seems crazy that our congress people who are supposed to represent their constituents in Idaho, are completely tone deaf and ignoring this. Basically, our option is even if they reinstate the tax credits, or if they if they are still on the table for us in 2026, it’s going to be hard. But if they don’t reinstate them, then we simply won’t be able to afford any health care at all.”

“My premium is set to go up by 173% next year. While that’s a significant difference for someone at my retirement income level, for someone under age 65 who makes $65,000 or more, whether retired or self-employed, my same plan would be over $700 month, or an almost a 900% increase,” said Susan Wood, a Boise resident since 1992 who retired in July. “No one can afford a 900% increase on any one item, let alone the exponentially rising costs of groceries, rent, homeowner’s insurance, auto insurance, and it just goes on. And, here is the snowball effect: the healthy risk pool will elect to drop coverage, the insurance companies are left with a pool of individuals who have ongoing medical conditions, claims go up, premiums go up, insurance companies drop out of the market, and those who are healthy and dropped coverage risk a health crisis with no coverage. This is an impossible situation that needs to be fixed for the long term.”

###

The following sites updated: