Power to the People News — March 24, 2026
Power to the People News for March 24, 2026: dark money, surveillance, climate rollbacks, and corruption met with truth, accountability, and people power.
When Power Abuses, the People Respond
On March 24, 2026, the pattern is clear: those in power are bypassing Congress, bending democracy, and stripping away protections people rely on — from emergency weapons sales and a backroom Montana handoff to attacks on climate authority, frozen drought aid, dark money, and renewed surveillance.
But this is not the end of the story. States are suing. Judges are pushing back. Communities are learning, organizing, and refusing to look away.
Hope does not come from those abusing power. It comes from people who keep showing up, speaking out, defending one another, and turning truth into action. Power still belongs to the people — and together, we can protect our communities and each other.
📰 Stories Shaping Power to the People Right Now
⚔️ Trump used “emergency” powers to arm foreign nations. The administration pushed through more than $23 billion in weapons sales to the UAE, Kuwait, and Jordan without a congressional vote. Why it matters: when presidents can declare an emergency and bypass Congress, constitutional war powers are being ignored. New York Times
🗳️ Montana Republicans sidelined voters. A senator withdrew just after the filing deadline, clearing the path for a Trump-backed successor and shutting out real competition. Why it matters: democracy is hollowed out when insiders handpick power before voters cast a ballot. Seattle Times
✈️ Congress skipped the pain it created. While TSA officers worked unpaid and travelers faced huge airport lines, lawmakers kept using an expedited security perk. Why it matters: when leaders are insulated from the harm they cause, accountability collapses. The Hill
⚖️ States and cities are defending the EPA’s climate authority. Twenty-four states, ten cities, and five counties sued over repeal of the EPA endangerment finding. Why it matters: gutting it would cripple federal climate protections for years. Seattle Times
💸 The administration’s climate “savings” claim falls apart. Fact-checking found the touted $1.3 trillion ignores benefits, while EPA analysis points to major net costs. Why it matters: polluter math leaves working families paying more. Mother Jones
🌾 Farmers and tribal communities were left waiting for drought aid. Up to $400 million in promised USDA water-saving grants has been frozen without explanation. Why it matters: climate denial gets real fast when drought-hit communities lose promised help. Mother Jones
🦋 Monarch butterflies are rebounding — but still vulnerable. The eastern monarch population rose 64% this winter, though it remains far below historic levels. Why it matters: recovery is possible only if habitat and climate protections stay in place. The Guardian
🗳️ AIPAC poured $21 million into Illinois primaries. The spending targeted Democrats unwilling to offer unconditional support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Why it matters: when outside money floods primaries, donors can drown out voters. The New York Times
🕵️ Democrats drew a line on warrantless surveillance. House Democrats united against a clean Section 702 renewal without reforms. Why it matters: unchecked spying powers in authoritarian hands threaten democracy. The Hill
⚖️ Klobuchar moved to check monopoly-friendly deals. Her bill would require real court review of antitrust settlements and expose side deals. Why it matters: consumers lose when enforcement becomes a favor bank for corporate power. The Hill
💥 Your Power in Action: What You Can Do Today
💥 Take action: Tell Republicans: End the Shutdown by Reforming ICE and CBP
Take action: Find a NO KINGS Event near you
Take action: Sign up for How to have conversations about No Kings that move people
Take action: Host a NO KINGS event
Take action: Learn more about the NO KINGS Movement
Take action: Tell Congress to pass the War Powers Resolution and stop Trump’s illegal war in Iran
📢 Take action: Submit an official comment rejecting the criminalization of dissent
💸 Take action: This Tax Day, tell Congress to tax the rich and make life more affordable for working people and families
🗳️ Take action: Tell Congress to stop the SAVE America Act and defend the right to vote
🪖 Take action: Tell Congress to stop Trump from sending American troops into Iran and vote no on the draft
🛑 Take Action Now: Tell Congress: Block the $10 billion scam to fund Trump’s Orwellian Board of Peace
🗳️ Bonus action: Register to vote, vote in every election, and help your community do the same. Reproductive freedom is won and lost at the ballot box.
👑 Bonus action: Sign up for the next national No Kings Day of Action and show up in solidarity with everyone whose rights are under attack.
The movement for progress and power to the people starts here.
🔥 What Comes Next: The Work Is Ours
These are not random headlines. They are warning signs of a governing strategy built to sideline the public, reward insiders, weaken accountability, and force ordinary people to absorb the damage. Emergency weapons sales without a vote. Backroom political deals that lock voters out. Climate protections gutted while drought aid sits frozen. Dark money flooding elections. Surveillance powers expanded while corporate monopolies get a wink and a nod. This is what corruption looks like when it stops pretending to be normal.
But the story does not end with abuse. Across the country, people are rising. States and cities are going to court. Lawmakers are drawing hard lines against warrantless spying and corporate giveaways. Communities are refusing silence, refusing cynicism, and refusing to hand over democracy to donors, profiteers, and power-hungry elites. People power is not a slogan. It is the force that disrupts their plans.
Hope is not soft. Hope is organized. Hope is neighbors telling the truth out loud, communities protecting one another, and ordinary people showing up again and again until justice cannot be ignored. Accountability does not appear because the powerful grow a conscience. We build it. We demand it. We sustain it. The work is ours. The future is ours. And the power is still in the hands of the people.
Together, we can champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people’s will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.
Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests) Leader, People Power United
People Power United | In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry!
This is our moment to rise, resist, and reclaim our rights, freedoms, rule of law, and democracy. Millions of Americans are already refusing to back down — in the streets, at the ballot box, and in their communities.
Every movement that was ever won started with people who refused to quit. We are those people.
The future is not lost. It is being built — by us, right now.