đ˘ Power to the People News | December 30, 2025
Power to the People News â December 30, 2025. Democracy is on the line. Get informed and take action today.
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Power to the People News
đşď¸ Where states stand on redistricting after critical blow to Trump agenda
Can political maps decide elections before a single vote is cast? Allies of Donald Trump are pushing aggressive redistricting efforts across several states to favor Republican candidates. Critics say the strategy weaponizes map-drawing to undermine fair representation. The push highlights how redistricting has become a powerful partisan tool. â Axios
đ° âTax the richâ may be reaching a boiling point in WA
Is Washington state nearing a wealth-tax reckoning? Growing inequality and budget pressures are fueling renewed calls to tax the stateâs wealthiest residents. Supporters argue new revenue is needed to fund public services and rebalance the economy. Opponents warn of impacts on investment and business climate. â The Seattle Times
đŤ Two Countries. Two Tragedies. One Huge Difference.
What does one tragedy reveal about public safety choices? The Bondi attack has renewed scrutiny of gun violence through comparisons with Australiaâs strict firearm laws. Experts argue policy decisions directly shape violence outcomes. The analysis by James West in a Mother Jones piece places the attack in a broader global debate over gun regulation. â Mother Jones
đŚ Romney calls for higher taxes on wealthy in New York Times op-ed
Is a wealth tax becoming bipartisan? Former Senator Mitt Romney is proposing a tax on large fortunes to address deficits and rising inequality. âToday, all of us, including our grandmas, truly are headed for a cliff: If, as projected, the Social Security Trust Fund runs out in the 2034 fiscal year, benefits will be cut by about 23 percent,â he warned. âThe government will need trillions of dollars to make up the shortfallâŚAnd on the tax front,â he later wrote, âitâs time for rich people like me to pay more.â Supporters see it as a notable shift in Republican economic thinking. Critics argue it could discourage investment and growth. â The Hill
⥠Energy Department inspector general to probe billions in canceled climate grants mostly impacting blue states
Were federal energy dollars used as political weapons? The Department of Energyâs inspector general is investigating whether Trump-era funding cuts unfairly targeted Democratic-led states. The probe focuses on clean energy and infrastructure programs disproportionately affected. âEarlier this year, the department canceled awards to 223 projects worth about $7.6 billion. Some of the largest cancellations affected funding for hydrogen energy âhubsâ in California and the Pacific Northwest â the Pacific Northwest hub included red Montana as well as blue Oregon and Washington.â Lawmakers warn political retaliation may have influenced federal spending decisions. â The Hill
đ° Drinking Water for Millions Is Threatened as Trump Targets National Monuments
Your drinking water may depend on public lands. âAbout 83 percent of water passing through public lands has no other protection besides the monument designations.â The Trump administration is now considering rolling back national monument protections and critics warn of the potential harms. âIf national monuments are downsized or eliminated, the areas surrounding a waterway will lose protections from extractive industries, including oil and gas drilling, mining and grazing. Contamination from those industries could seep into streams and, in turn, rivers. Those industries also use water, sometimes vast amounts in arid regions, further reducing the supply that flows to nearby communities.â â Truthout
âď¸ Federal judge blocks Whitmer from shutting down submerged Great Lakes pipeline
An aging pipeline beneath the Great Lakes remains in placeâfor now. A federal judge blocked Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmerâs effort to shut down the pipeline, citing jurisdiction and treaty obligations. âWhitmer, a Democrat, ordered regulators in 2020 to revoke an easement that allows Enbridge Inc. to operate a 4.5-mile (6.4) kilometer pipeline segment under the Straits of Mackinac, which link Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Whitmer made the move out of concern that the 72-year-old pipeline could rupture and cause a catastrophic spill.â Environmental groups warn the pipeline poses serious spill risks to drinking water and ecosystems. The ruling underscores the legal complexity surrounding energy infrastructure and state authority. â The Seattle Times
đ Democracy Forward Sues Justice and Treasury Departments for Stonewalling Records on President Trumpâs $230 Million Payout Scheme
What if hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars were quietly handed out without accountability? Democracy Forward has filed a federal FOIA complaint seeking records tied to $230 million in payments that may be improperly authorized during the Trump administration. The request aims to uncover whether public funds were used to benefit Trump, his political allies, or shield officials from scrutiny. âPeople in America deserve to know whether the Department of Justice is entertaining the presidentâs request to cut himself a taxpayer-funded $230 million check,â said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. âIf senior officials are processing this grift behind closed doors â including officials who used to represent him â that is not just bad optics, it is a direct threat to government integrity. President Trump may think he can invoice people for the consequences of his own actions, but this country still has laws, and we demand they be enforced.â Watchdogs warn that secrecy at this scale raises serious corruption and misuse-of-power concerns. â Democracy Forward
đ Trump Administration Aims to Strip More Foreign-Born Americans of Citizenship
Can citizenship really be taken away after decades of living in the U.S.? The Trump administration is pushing to dramatically expand the governmentâs power to revoke citizenship from naturalized Americans. âImposing arbitrary numerical targets on denaturalization cases risks politicizing citizenship revocation,â said Sarah Pierce, a former U.S.C.I.S. official. âAnd requiring monthly quotas that are 10 times higher than the total annual number of denaturalizations in recent years turns a serious and rare tool into a blunt instrument and fuels unnecessary fear and uncertainty for the millions of naturalized Americans.â Civil rights groups warn the proposal creates a dangerous two-tier system of citizenship and opens the door to political targeting. â The New York Times
đĽ Death Toll Hits 95 in US Militaryâs Horrific, Illegal Air Strike Campaign
How many lives does it take before accountability kicks in? New data shows at least 95 people have been killed in a U.S. air strike campaign that human rights advocates say violated international law. Civilian casualties continue to mount as evidence of unlawful targeting grows. Advocates are demanding independent investigations into military actions carried out with little public oversight. âThe latest killings, which bring the total to at least 95 since early September, amount to extrajudicial executions, a form of murder, in clear violation of both domestic and international law.â Advocates go on to warn âThis ramping up of the bombing campaign despite increased pressure from Congress signals the administrationâs total disregard for the law. Congress must do everything in its power to rein in this administrationâs lawless behavior. Congress must exercise its oversight power to ask how these decisions are made, what intelligence is being used, and what the legal justification the administration is claiming and push back forcefully on these illegal actions.â â Amnesty International
đ Same Cart, Different Price: Instacartâs Price Experiments Cost Families at Checkout
An analysis by the Groundwork Collective breaks down how Instacartâs business model is contributing to rising food costs. Researchers found that overall Instacart basket totals varied by an average of about 7% for the exact same items from the exact same locations, at the exact same time. âWhen prices are no longer transparent, shoppers canât comparison-shop. When prices are no longer predictable, shoppers canât properly budget. These increasingly opaque pricing practices arenât just blowing a hole in familiesâ wallets. Fair and honest markets are the bedrock of a healthy economy â and companies like Instacart are jeopardizing that trust.â â Groundwork Collaborative
đĽ Calls to Action:
Click here to Tell Congress: An Oath to the Constitution Requires Saying No to Illegal Orders
Click here to Demand Congress Reject âTrump-Kennedy Centerâ Rename
Click here to Tell Apple & Google CEOs: End your contracts with ICE NOW.
Click here to Ban Members of Congress from Trading Stock While in Office
Click here to Tell Your Governor: Reject the Federal School Voucher Program
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Power belongs to usânot billionaires or corrupt politicians. Subscribe to Power to the People News for free to stay informed â or go paid to help build grassroots change and fuel people-powered resistance.