THIS WEEK IN…
PEOPLE POWER
The Women’s March on Washington, held one day after Donald Trump was inaugurated for his first term in 2017, left many participants uplifted, instilled with a sense of community, and encouraged to continue their engagement in a wide range of political and civil issues. The day saw hundreds of sister marches all over the country, drawing some 4 million participants.
In June of this year, around 5 million Americans took to the streets in more than 2,000 locations to protest the Trump administration’s authoritarian policies.
Two of the largest demonstrations in the history of the United States happened during Trump’s presidency. Their numbers will likely be eclipsed by the second No Kings rallies on October 18. The Cavalry is Coming, predicts NATASHA KORECKI.
“ ‘The anger level is way higher’ than it was for June protests, which will drive turnout,” says Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert in an interview with SARAH D. WIRE for the USA Today article, ‘No Kings’ protests could draw historic turnout in pushback against Trump”.
History has shown that civil resistance works when a movement is large and relentless. In his article, America needs a mass movement – now for The Atlantic, DAVID BROOKS explores successful protest movements and argues that “without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.”
The reaction from the White House, Republican leaders and other Republican politicians to upcoming mass protests has been to label the No Kings rallies as “hate America” events, and to dismiss the demonstrators as “the rabid base” of the Democratic Party. ‘No Kings’ has Republicans in Disarray comments JOE PERTICONE for The Bulwark, exploring “why GOP lawmakers are spreading fear about the upcoming rally”.
As much as the critics of the No Kings rallies want to paint a picture of radicals and dangerous leftists, the people participating in Saturday’s rallies come from all walks of life: Doctor. Teacher. Mamaw. Meet some ‘No Kings’ protesters organizing in ‘deep-red’ Kentucky, as introduced by Kentucky Lantern reporters JAMIE LUCKE and LIAM NIEMEYER.
Millions of people protesting in all 50 states will send a powerful message against the argument that the Trump administration’s policies rest on a strong public mandate.
ROBERT REICH argues in his opinion piece for Raw Story, that “Trump’s power depends on maintaining the illusion that he’s all-powerful, and that most Americans (apart from those he and his lapdogs label “pro-Hamas,” “terrorists,” and “antifa”) adore him.”
…IN OTHER NEWS
Donald Trump has long had an odd fixation with the death penalty, dating back decades to 1989, when he demanded the execution of five young Black and Latino men wrongfully convicted of raping a woman in Central Park. During his first term, he ended a 17-year federal moratorium and oversaw 13 executions, the most in a single year in over a century. He pushed to expand capital punishment to crimes like drug trafficking and killing police officers, and authorized alternative execution methods such as firing squads, electrocution, and poison gas. At one point, he even mused about alternative methods like hangings and beheadings. On his first day back in office for his second term, he vowed to pick up where he left off and to pursue more executions.
His stance is now influencing a wave of state legislation aimed at expanding the death penalty. Surina Venkat examines how Trump’s death penalty push gains traction in statehouses
States have executed 30 people this year, already the highest annual total in more than a decade. Maurice Chammah analyzes What’s Behind the Execution Surge of 2025
Joe Biden halted federal executions and just before leaving office, commuted the death sentences of 37 death row inmates. Unable to kill them, Donald Trump has found a way to still make them suffer as much as possible, as Jess Bravin reports: Biden Spared 37 Killers From Execution. Trump Ordered Up a Lifetime of Torment.