📢 Power to the People News | January 3, 2026
Power to the People News — January 3, 2026. Democracy is on the line. Get informed and take action today.
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🛂 Green card applicants married to U.S. citizens are being arrested, creating uncertainty for immigrant families
Immigrants married to U.S. citizens are increasingly being arrested during routine green card interviews, despite having no criminal records. Immigration attorneys report a sharp rise in detentions that leave families shocked and separated without warning. “The Trump administration says they were detained because they had overstayed their visas, but longtime attorneys say that has never been an issue previously for spouses of U.S. citizens.” The arrests have created widespread fear and confusion among mixed-status families who believed marriage provided stability and legal protection. Advocates warn the practice undermines trust in the immigration system and due process. — NBC News
💉 Calls to pull COVID vaccines get louder
Allies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. submitted a petition urging federal regulators to suspend COVID-19 vaccine approvals and distribution. The petition claims insufficient safety data despite extensive scientific evidence supporting vaccine effectiveness and safety. Public health experts warn the effort could erode trust in vaccines and fuel misinformation. The move reflects broader attempts to politicize public health policy. — Axios
💸 Senate Republicans Blocked Yet Another Chance to Save Obamacare Subsidies
Congressional Republicans are blocking extensions of Affordable Care Act premium subsidies that have helped millions afford health coverage. Without action, insurance costs are expected to spike sharply for middle- and working-class families. Health advocates warn the lapse could push millions off coverage entirely. “In a video recorded after the votes, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) expressed her anger towards Republican colleagues. “They voted to increase health care costs across the board, and now millions of Americans are left with the impossible decision of choosing between paying for health insurance or paying their rent,” Warren said. “They’ve all fallen in line behind Donald Trump and left American families in the dirt.” The standoff underscores ongoing partisan battles over health care access. — Mother Jones
🪖 Trump’s Military Occupations of U.S. Cities Cost $473 Million and Rising
An Intercept investigation details the financial and human costs of deploying National Guard and military forces for domestic operations under the Trump administration. It reveals millions in spending on logistics, equipment, and personnel, often without clear oversight or long-term planning. Communities affected by deployments reported heightened tensions and civil liberties concerns. “President Donald Trump’s military occupations of U.S. cities have cost nearly half a billion dollars, according to an expert estimate provided exclusively to The Intercept.” — The Intercept
✈️ The Questionable Case of Kristi Noem’s $50 Million Luxury Jet
The Department of Homeland Security approved the Coast Guard’s acquisition of a $50 million Gulfstream luxury jet for use by Kristi Noem. Coast Guard search and rescue planes need fixing, but DHS argues Noem suddenly requires a fancy new jet for safety reasons. The decision has drawn scrutiny amid broader debates over government accountability. — The Intercept
📜 Supreme Court weighs further loosening campaign finance limits
✨ The Supreme Court is considering a major campaign finance case that could further loosen limits on coordinated spending between political parties and their candidates, potentially allowing much larger financial influence by wealthy donors and party committees. Republicans argue that existing limits violate free-speech rights and put parties at a disadvantage compared with Super PACs and outside groups. Critics warn that removing these limits could deepen the influence of wealthy donors and weaken democratic accountability. Past decisions like Citizens United and McCutcheon have already reshaped fundraising, and this case could push that trend further. — The Washington Post
📚 SCOTUS Denies Petition to Hear Texas Book Banning Case
📍 The Supreme Court has declined to hear Little v. Llano County, a case challenging the removal of books from public libraries in Texas, leaving a lower-court ruling that permits local book bans in place. This refusal means that more public schools and libraries could continue removing books based on local decisions without Supreme Court review of First Amendment implications. Advocates for free speech and open libraries warn that this decision effectively sanctions censorship and ideological control over what materials are available. “This means that the en banc ruling of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will remain in effect for Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. This means that public library patrons have no First Amendment rights to access information. This means we now live in a censorship state.” The case would have been the first major Supreme Court review of book bans since 1982, raising concerns among librarians and civil liberties proponents. — Publishers Weekly
⚖️ Trump v. Slaughter: an explainer
🧑⚖️ In Trump v. Slaughter, the Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the president can remove members of independent federal agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) without cause, challenging decades-old statutory protections. The Trump administration argues that modern executive authority should allow at-will removal, while former FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter insists that existing law and precedent safeguard agency independence. The dispute centers on whether a nearly century-old precedent (Humphrey’s Executor) should be overruled, which could reshape presidential power and agency autonomy. Justices weighed historical practice, constitutional separation of powers, and the evolving nature of executive authority in their deliberations. — SCOTUSblog
💥 Calls to Action:
Click here to Tell Your Governor: Reject the Federal School Voucher Program
Click here to Tell Apple & Google CEOs: End your contracts with ICE NOW.
Click here to Tell Congress: An Oath to the Constitution Requires Saying No to Illegal Orders
Click here to Demand Congress Reject “Trump-Kennedy Center” Rename
Click here to Ban Members of Congress from Trading Stock While in Office
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