They say they’ll help people in need, but how, and with what resources, remains unclear. As extreme weather events hit America, it’s ordinary Americans who will ultimately pay the price for government inaction.

Trump administration sued by 20 states for cutting disaster prevention grants Lawsuit claims Fema lacks power to cancel multibillion-dollar Bric program after it was approved by Congress

The administration has also blocked disaster prevention grants already approved by Congress, denying aid to states like Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Life-saving programs are being dismantled.

NOAA seeks 17% cut to workforce next year, after firing hundreds of probationary employees NOAA fired approximately 800 probationary employees in February. The agency briefly reinstated them, then re-fired them.

Peak hurricane season is here. Scientists warn that hurricanes are getting more intense, but instead of communicating a plan to prepare, the Trump administration is cutting staff and slashing funding from the very agencies meant to protect affected Americans.

This is a major win, but it’s not over. The full Senate still needs to vote. Tell your Senators that you want them to vote to ban Congressional stock trading. represent.us/bantrading25

RepresentUs supporters and outreach teams have sent 35,000 messages to representatives and senators about Congressional stock trading, and those messages helped move the needle. We are one step closer to passing this commonsense reform.

Basically, it would prevent our elected officials from enriching themselves off the stock market while in office, ensuring they're working for you and not their stock portfolios.

The bill would prevent federal officials from buying “securities, commodities, futures, options, trusts and other comparable holdings.”

🚨 BREAKING: The Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee just advanced a bill to ban members of Congress, the President, and VP from trading stocks. The vote was 8–7. All Democrats voted yes, Josh Hawley (R-MO) was the only Republican to join them.

Senate, Rejecting Whistle-Blower Alarms, Confirms Bove to Appeals Court

The Senate confirmed Emil Bove last night, Trump's former lawyer and now appointee to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals who, according to multiple whistleblowers, urged DOJ attorneys to defy court orders that didn't advance his agenda. Trump’s personal lawyer should not be above the law.

Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program has transformed local elections. Since it launched, small-donor participation has increased fivefold — especially among renters, young people, and communities of color. That’s real progress. Let’s keep it going. Vote YES on #Prop1Seattle by August 5.

We can turn the tide on rising corrupt autocracy in the US--I know that from years of experience. But we need to move a lot more people who are on the fence--both within the system and outside it. Check out my new Substack post and subscribe: open.substack.com/pub/mariamcf...

House advances crypto, defense spending bills following standoff Republican rebels cut a deal to attach a key crypto measure to a must-pass defense authorization bill.

BIG $ ALERT! Congress is about to pass a bill pushed by the crypto industry (armed with a $140M war chest) that critics say could put all of us at risk of a big financial crisis. www.politico.com/live-updates... 1/7

A majority of Americans across party lines support banning congressional stock trading. We don’t need more excuses, we need action. Help us ban congressional stock trading NOW!

This is a bipartisan problem. Our elected officials should be spending their time working for us, not growing their portfolios. Despite laws like the STOCK Act, nothing stops members of Congress from owning and trading stock in industries they regulate.

“Stock trading by members of Congress… creates an obvious risk of corruption and is devastating to public trust,” said Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, CEO of RepresentUs, adding that Americans deserve a system where decisions are “based on national interest, not bottom lines.”

All four lawmakers serve on committees that help decide where those defense dollars go. That’s a textbook conflict of interest—even if trades are made by third-party managers. The public deserves better.

Sen. Mullin, Rep. Cisneros, Sen. Boozman, and Rep. Johnson all bought shares in firms like Raytheon, L3Harris, and General Dynamics, right as Congress was increasing defense spending by $120 billion in the latest budget bill.

Members of Congress investing in defense revealed At least four members of Congress have bought shares in defense companies in the last two months.

Newsweek just reported that four members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats alike, bought stock in defense companies while sitting on committees that oversee military budgets. These companies receive billions in government contracts.

Billionaires may have more money, but Americans have a voice. And it matters. We may not win every battle, but we’re not powerless. This democracy belongs to all of us, and when we show up, we can protect it.

Thanks to public pressure, the final bill did not include provisions to weaken court authority and a decade-long ban on AI regulation at the state level. This is proof: when the public speaks out, it can influence what happens in Washington.

Over the holiday weekend, Trump signed a sweeping budget bill. It could have been worse, but Americans spoke up. Thousands of people took action, calling on Congress to reject provisions that threatened our system of checks and balances. And lawmakers listened.

It's a reminder that Americans who believe in freedom, rights, and the rule of law, need to speak up. We need to come together across our differences, regardless of partisanship, demand that our representatives--including Congress!--do their jobs, and hold power to account. 5/5

An independent judiciary is crucial to defend us from tyranny, and the courts in the US have been an important bulwark against abuse. But this week's rulings make clear that those of us who believe in democracy cannot just rely on the courts. 4/5

Supreme Court’s Birthright Citizenship Ruling Is ‘Enormous Win’ for Trump and ‘Death Blow to the Rule of Law,’ MSNBC Legal Analyst Says "The court has essentially kneecapped lower courts from stopping this administration when it engages in lawless and unconstitutional behavior," NYU professor Melissa Murray says The post Supreme Court...

Today, the Court gave the administration free rein to implement executive orders--such as its birthright citizenship order--even if blatantly illegal, except with respect to individual plaintiffs who win injunctions in lawsuits. www.yahoo.com/news/supreme... 3/5

On Monday, in a ruling on deportations without due process to third countries (in this case, South Sudan), the Court effectively turned a blind eye to the Trump administration's defiance of court rulings. www.politico.com/news/2025/06... 2/5

Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions in birthright citizenship order The decision issues some limits on the power of federal judges to universally block President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship, asking lower courts to reconsider their rulings.

The courts will not save us from rising corrupt autocracy. The Supreme Court made that clear this week, in rulings that weaken the judiciary's authority. As Justice Sotomayor said today, the court has "abdicate[d]" its role in defending the rule of law. www.npr.org/2025/06/27/n... 1/5

The reporting says there are safeguards against conflicts of interest—but how real are those when there's so much potential profit on the line?

Big Tech executives are being given special access to shape how the military uses technology, while still playing leadership roles in companies that stand to gain enormously from military contracts.

The U.S. Army Reserve just swore in four Big Tech executives as Lieutenant Colonels:

- Palantir's CTO Shyam Sankar
- Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth
- OpenAl's CPO Kevin Weil
- OpenAl's former CRO Bob McGrew

finance.yahoo.com/news/palanti...

Find A Good Trouble Event

We’re facing the most brazen rollback of civil rights in generations—and it doesn’t have to be this way.

On July 17, five years since the passing of Congressman John Lewis, communities are coming together to make sure #GoodTroubleLivesOn