Bernie and AOC make history

Plus: Things are bad, but there are things we can do ✊

Author

Andrew Springer
April 17, 2025

Good morning! It’s Thursday, April 17, 2025. In today’s newsletter:

⏱️ Estimated read time: 5 minutes, 35 seconds

GIVE ME LIBERTY

This is bad—but there are things we can do

Well—we have arrived. What leftists and progressives have been warning about for decades has finally come to pass: a fascist, authoritarian president is hell bent on destroying the rule of law so he can rule with an iron fist—and he’s getting away with it.

  • We try not to be so bleak here at NOTICE News, in fact, we try to give people as much hope as we can—but there’s no sugar coating this one. This is very bad.

But—there are things we can do. We can’t defeat Trump’s fascism alone—but we can do it together.

WHAT’S HAPPENING: Trump and his goons are flatly refusing to comply with court orders that guarantee everyone the right to due process.

  • Due process is the fundamental right to a fair hearing in court and the bedrock of any functioning legal system.

Without the protection of a fair legal system, no one is guaranteed any rights—except those given by an authoritarian leader.

DRIVING THE NEWS: It’s now been almost two full weeks since a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was mistakenly (and illegally) deported to a horrific prison in El Salvador.

  • Kilmar came here illegally in 2011 but was allowed by a court to stay in 2019 because it was feared Kilmar would be tortured if he were deported.

But ICE didn’t care. They stopped Kilmar on March 12 and deported him on March 15. The administration later called it an “administrative error.”

But since then, Trump has been flat-out refusing to facilitate Kilmar’s return, despite a Supreme Court order to do so.

Trump’s defiance has gotten so bad that the judge in the case said Tuesday she’s going to order sworn testimony to see if the administration is actually working on returning Kilmar.

THEIR SIDE: The Trump administration has claimed it can’t facilitate Kilmar’s return—despite the fact they’ve done so before and the fact we’re paying El Salvador millions of dollars to use their prison.

BUT WAIT, THERE‘S MORE: A different federal court also threatened to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt of court for defying an order to turn around deportation flights last month.

  • The issue in that case was again due process. The deportees were illegally denied the right to protest their deportation in court.

AND NOW: Trump is publicly saying that he doesn’t want to limit deportations to just people here illegally—he wants to deport American citizens.

  • Imagine a world where Trump can declare a U.S. citizen a terrorist and deport them to a horrific, foreign prison without any chance to have their case heard in court.

This was the nightmare scenario leftists and progressives warned America about after 9/11 and the Patriot Act—and sadly, that nightmare may soon be a reality.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: BUT—it’s not too late to stop Trump. There are still plenty of ways we can come together and stop the American republic from dying.

  • If you can, go to a protest. On Saturday, the 50501 Movement (one of the sponsors of the “Hands Off” protests a few weeks ago) will host more than 400 events nationwide, including rallies, protests, nature cleanups and food drives.

  • If you can’t get out, that’s ok. Call your members of congress, get involved with a mutual aid group, and post on social media (you never know who you might convince).

  • If you work, organize your workplace into a union. Unions are one of the best ways we can come together and fight fascism and oligarchy.

Most importantly, don’t go through this alone. Call someone you love and be honest about what you’re feeling.

It’s ok to be scared and fearful—but as Bernie Sanders says, know that ignoring this won’t make it go away. Only we can make it go away. ✊

One other thing you can do:

There is one other thing you can do to help fight Trump: become a paying subscriber to NOTICE News+.

Your support doesn’t just fund this newsletter—it powers our fiercely independent, progressive journalism across:

This work is only possible because of our subscribers.

NOTICE News+ members get full access to our weekly deep dives, a troll-free community, and most importantly, they make the reporting we do at NOTICE News possible.

📰 Most important stories

There’s a lot of BS out there. Here’s what’s actually important—and why.

Fed chair says Trump tariffs will make inflation worse, stocks slide further

Why it matters: If you needed further proof that Trump’s idiotic tariffs are bad for the economy, look no further. Research shows Trump’s 10% tariffs (once considered unthinkable) will cost the average American household between $1,700 and $2,350 more a year. Full story from The Guardian. 

Republicans are trying to steal a North Carolina Supreme Court seat

Why it matters: A court battle is playing out in North Carolina over the last unresolved election of 2024, and Republicans might succeed in stealing a Supreme Court seat. Full story from The New Republic.

No plans to allow any aid into Gaza, says Israeli minister

Why it matters: As one journalist said, "Israel's defense ministers can't stop publicly confessing to war crimes.” There are truly no words for the depravity of Israel’s far-right government. Full story from Common Dreams.

GIVING US HOPE

How Bernie and AOC are making history

While Trump is busy trying to destroy American democracy—Bernie Sanders and AOC are trying to save it—making history in the process.

  • At a time when Trump and the billionaire class are consolidating power, two of the most prominent progressives are building a people-powered movement to fight back.

DRIVING THE NEWS: The two are drawing record crowds in both red and blue states on their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, energizing a progressive movement and moving the Democratic party back towards the working class.

Thousands more turned out in Idaho and other red states, reflecting a hunger for economic justice even in GOP strongholds.

  • In Salt Lake City—in one of the most conservative states—20,000 people showed up, and 4,000 had to be put in overflow areas.

GATHERING MOMENTUM: All of this has turned into a fundraising bonanza for AOC.

  • The congresswoman raised a staggering $9.6 million in Q1 of 2025—shattering her own record—without a dime from corporate PACs or lobbyists.

Their blockbuster tour is also helping to push the Democratic party back to its working-class roots and needs of everyday people.

Their grassroots movement is inspiring other leaders to act: Parkland shooting survivor and now DNC vice chair David Hogg says he’s launching an unprecedented effort to primary “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats.

WHAT’S NEXT: AOC is being urged to primary Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2028, but is also rising in the polls for a presidential bid in 2028.

  • And with Bernie still actively pushing a progressive agenda, the movement they’re leading isn’t just resisting—it’s rising.

🗳️ Question of the day

On Tuesday we asked: Who do you think will be the GOP nominee in 2028?

READERS WRITE: Dragon voted J.D. and said, “I think, like Putin did, Trump will be the shadow president if he can't have a 3rd term & Vance wil be his puppet. (& Trump will continue to be Putins puppet).” Yes, this is what Putin did—and it does seem plausible here.

Audgen didn’t really disagree: “Donald Trump will run for a third term!”

Tom has more hope: “I fully expect the Republican party to be imploding by 2028.” Here’s hoping 🤞

But I think Larkin said it best: “Satan. It would be the obvious natural progression” 😂

TODAY’S QUESTION: How are you taking care of yourself? (In case you don’t know: What is self care and why is it important?) Tell us what you’re doing specifically in these trying times.

How do you practice self care?

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👀 Under the Radar

Here are some stories the algorithm may have kept out of your feed.

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We’ll be back Sunday morning with a Deep Dive. Questions or comments? Just reply to this e-mail.

Thank you for reading! - Andrew & Anthony

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