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Trump Threatens $25 Million Lawsuit Over Campaign Urging Macy's To Dump Donald Trump
More Than 680,000 Sign Petition Urging the Retailer to Dump Trump
NEW YORK
Donald Trump has threatened online organizer Angelo Carusone, who started a petition on SignOn.org, the online petition platform of MoveOn.org, urging Macy's to Dump Trump, with a $25 million lawsuit if he continues to push for accountability by Macy's for the vitriolic TV personality's brand of bigoted bullying and pattern of racist, sexist and mean-spirited comments.
Donald Trump's attorney sent Angelo Carusone a cease-and-desist letter on December 27, 2012, after the Hollywood Reporter reported that mobile billboards circled Macy's Herald Square store and corporate headquarters in Cincinnati urging the company to restore the "Magic of Macy's." View a copy of the letter from Trump's attorney here.
In the letter, Trump's attorney, Alan Garten, threatened Carusone with "a major, multi-million dollar lawsuit" unless he immediately stops in his effort to "tortiously interfere with Mr. Trump's business and contractual relationships." In the letter, Mr. Garten accused Carusone of "mob-like bullying and coercion" and "intentionally disseminating misinformation."
In a January 23, 2013, response letter, Paul Alan Levy of Public Citizen, a long-standing advocate for free speech and Carusone's attorney, challenged Garten's claims.
"Your letter repeatedly asserts, without any factual basis, that Carusone has exaggerated the extent to which members of the public have endorsed his boycott effort; you also contend, again without being specific, that Carusone casts Trump in a false light," Levy wrote. "During your call, you said that Trump is itching to proceed with litigation, that Macy's wants him to file a lawsuit, and that you could identify several respects in which Carusone's statements are false. You said that you would send that listing to me, but I have not yet received it."
In the letter, Levy explained, "There is a well-established First Amendment right to advocate a boycott over policy-related objections ... I have no reason to believe that there is a tort of exaggerating the public support for a political campaign. If there were such a tort, I imagine that most candidates for public office, no doubt including your client, would be liable at one point or another."
View a copy of the response to Trump's attorney here.
"Donald Trump's attempt to silence me will not work. I've dealt with enough bullies and know better than to succumb to intimidation," said Angelo Carusone. "By threatening me, Trump is only reinforcing the point that we've been trying to get Macy's to recognize: that Trump's brand is consequence-free bullying and chicanery; it shouldn't be rewarded. I was also surprised to hear Trump's counsel claim that Macy's is supportive of Trump's legal action. Trump doesn't have credibility, so I don't put too much stock in the claim, but I really hope Macy's isn't encouraging these kinds of threats against its own customers."
"From the boycott of Missouri for blocking the Equal Rights Amendment to refusing to eat at Chick-fil-A for opposing gay rights, the ability to stimulate a mass "vote with your wallet" campaign has been a key weapon for activists that has long been recognized under the First Amendment," added Levy. "Free speech trumps business expectations; even Donald Trump should know better than to bring the suit that he threatens."
Stefanie Faucher, a spokesperson for MoveOn.org, which sponsors the petition platform SignOn.org where Carusone started his petition said, "MoveOn.org stands behind Angelo Carusone and the other individuals using SignOn.org to exercise their First Amendment rights. We deplore any and all attempts to bully and intimidate Americans who are simply exercising their constitutional right to freedom of speech and who are courageous enough to speak truth to power."
Since Angelo's petition was launched on SignOn.org last November, more than 680,000 people have signed, telling Macy's that Trump's brand of bigoted bullying is not in line with the magic of Macy's - or the company's corporate responsibility policy. Petition signers have taken to Facebook and Twitter by the tens of thousands to let Macy's know their dissatisfaction with Macy's decision. AdWeek reported in late November that Macy's had suffered significant brand damage as a result of its association with Donald Trump.
Sign the petition: https://signon.org/sign/urge-macys-to-dump-donald.
To learn more about Public Citizen's work on free speech, visit https://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=388.
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people - not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.
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'Maniacal Tyrant' Trump and Iran Trade Threats to Energy Infrastructure Over Strait of Hormuz
After Trump threatened to "obliterate" Iranian power plants, one Democratic congressman said that "his worsening instability is a clear and growing threat, not only to the American people but to the world."
Mar 22, 2026
Democrats in Congress sounded the alarm over President Donald Trump pledging to commit more war crimes in Iran after he traded threats to energy infrastructure with the Iranian government, with the Republican declaring Saturday that he would take out the country's power plants unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz to all traffic.
Just a day after Trump claimed that "we are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," in a post that remains pinned to the top of his Truth Social profile, the president took to the platform with a clear threat Saturday night.
"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump said at 7:44 pm Eastern time.
Trump's post came after Ali Mousavi, the Iranian representative to the International Maritime Organization, told the Chinese news agency Xinhua on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz—the waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that is a key shipping route, including for fossil fuels—remains open to all vessels not linked to "Iran's enemies."
It also followed the Israeli military—which is bombing Iran alongside the United States—suggesting that the US was responsible for a Saturday attack on Iran's uranium enrichment complex in Natanz. According to The Associated Press, with his new threat, Trump "may have meant the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran's biggest, which was already hit last week, or Damavand, a natural gas plant near Tehran, Iran's capital."
Responding to Trump's Saturday post, US Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said: "It's important not to shy away from candidly discussing the president's increasingly erratic behavior. His worsening instability is a clear and growing threat, not only to the American people but to the world."
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) was similarly critical: "From 'help is on the way' for Iranian protestors to threatening war crimes against an entire population. The United States is being run by a maniacal tyrant hell-bent on destroying this country and the world along with it."
Other critics also pointed out that Article 56 of the Geneva Convention states in part that "works or installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes, and nuclear electrical generating stations, shall not be made the object of attack, even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian population."
The AP reported that after that strike on the Natanz complex, "Iranian missiles struck two communities in southern Israel late Saturday, leaving buildings shattered and dozens injured in dual attacks not far from Israel's main nuclear research center."
"Israel's military said it was not able to intercept missiles that hit the southern cities of Dimona and Arad, the largest near the center in Israel’s sparsely populated Negev desert," according to the news agency. "It was the first time Iranian missiles penetrated Israel’s air defense systems in the area around the nuclear site."
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran's Parliament, said on X Saturday that "if the Israeli regime is unable to intercept missiles in the heavily protected Dimona area, it is, operationally, a sign of entering a new phase of the battle... Israel's skies are defenseless."
After Trump's threat, the speaker added Sunday that "immediately after the power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, the critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed, and the price of oil will remain high for a long time."
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Trump Threatens to Flood US Airports With ICE as Senate GOP Blocks Dem Bill to Pay TSA
"Trump's paramilitary army of ICE agents does not belong in our airports and is not properly trained to do this work," said one Democratic congresswoman.
Mar 22, 2026
As Senate Republicans on Saturday voted against advancing a Democratic bill to pay Transportation Security Administration workers during talks over Department of Homeland Security funding, GOP President Donald Trump tried to pin the blame for the partial DHS shutdown on Democrats and threatened to flood US airports with immigration agents.
The conduct of immigration agents under DHS—which oversees Customs and Border Protection as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement—in US communities, particularly Minnesota's Twin Cites, led to the partial shutdown last month, with Democrats demanding reforms after CBP and ICE agents killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
While CBP and ICE can use the extra money they got last year in Republicans' so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, other DHS agencies are more impacted by the shutdown, including TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Secret Service, and the Coast Guard. Some essential government employees have been working without pay for over a month.
Congress' April recess is rapidly approaching. The largest federal workers union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), warned Friday that "on March 27, about 47,000 TSA officers, 22,000 FEMA employees, 8,900 Coast Guard civilian staff, and hundreds of Border Patrol administrative personnel will miss another paycheck."
AFGE national president Everett Kelley said that the House of Representatives and Senate "have had weeks to fix this, and they have barely been in the same building."
"Members of Congress have walked past our TSA members at airport security checkpoints more often than they've met to negotiate an end to this stalemate," he continued. "Those officers deserve to be paid for the work they do to keep those members safe. The least Congress can do for these patriotic American workers is act before legislators leave town for the weekend, or, worse, head off on a weeks-long recess."
The Senate did meet on Saturday, when Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) argued that "it is unacceptable, unacceptable to say we will only pay TSA workers if it is attached to a bill that funds ICE with no reforms. But that's what Republicans have done. Democrats want to pay TSA workers ASAP, no strings attached. A yes vote on my motion would start doing that."
The vote was 41-49, with every GOP senator present voting "no." In response, Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) declared that "Senate Republicans voted against paying TSA agents because they insist on tying TSA funding to their push to give even more money to ICE—without basic reforms."
"That is not how this should work—and it is just plain wrong that Republicans are preventing TSA agents from getting paid while airport lines grow longer across the country," she said. "We could fund TSA and other important parts of DHS today—while we press ahead with negotiations on ICE and Border Patrol—if Republicans stopped standing in the way."
Meanwhile, as Americans at various airports contend with long lines due to TSA workers quitting or calling out, Trump said on his Truth Social platform Saturday that "the Radical Left Democrats have hurt so many people with their vicious and uncaring ways. What they have done to the Department of Homeland Security, our fantastic TSA Officers, and, most importantly, the great people of our Country, is an absolute disgrace. If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before!"
"The Fascist Democrats will never protect America, but the Republicans will," he added. "Just like the Radical Left allowed millions of Criminals to pour into our Country through their ridiculous and dangerous Open Border Policy, the Republicans closed it all down, and we now have the Strongest Border in American History. Likewise, I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to, 'GET READY.' NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!"
Responding in a statement, Congresswoman Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said: "Republicans, we need you to speak up now. This is a national security nightmare. Democrats have been trying for weeks to get TSA funded. The votes to get that done have been there since before the shutdown began. ICE has continued to have access to a massive slush fund throughout this entire shutdown, which is why they're so readily available. Stop trying to tie additional funding for ICE to funding the rest of DHS."
"Trump's paramilitary army of ICE agents does not belong in our airports and is not properly trained to do this work," added Balint. "I ask my Republican colleagues: Stop submitting to the whims of this out-of-control president. You are risking national security by your silence and complicity. YOU can put an end to this. Say something. Fund TSA. For the sake of our country, show some damn courage!"
Apparently undeterred, Trump added Sunday that "on Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered our Country illegally, are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to with signed and sealed contracts, and all. But watch, no matter how great a job ICE does, the Lunatics leading the incompetent Dems will be highly critical of their work. THEY WILL DO A FANTASTIC JOB. The great Tom Homan is in charge!!!"
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IAEA Chief Calls for 'Military Restraint' After Reported Strike on Iran's Natanz Nuclear Facility
After Israel's military suggested that the United States bombed the enrichment complex, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on an Israeli city that's home to a nuclear research center.
Mar 21, 2026
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog issued a fresh demand for restraint on Saturday after the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced that the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan uranium enrichment complex in Natanz "was subjected to a renewed attack" as the United States and Israel continue to bomb the Middle Eastern country.
The Iranian agency said that "technical assessments indicate that no radioactive material leakage has occurred and there is no danger to residents of the surrounding areas," but the attack was a "violation of international laws and commitments," including the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The International Atomic Energy Agency "has been informed by Iran that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked today," the UN watchdog confirmed on social media. "No increase in off-site radiation levels reported. IAEA is looking into the report."
"IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi reiterates call for military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident," the agency added.
The Times of Israel reported that "in response to a query... the Israel Defense Forces said that it did not conduct any strikes in the area and that it could not comment on American activities."
The Israeli newspaper also noted that "Israel’s Kan news reported that the US had indeed struck the facility, using 'bunker buster' bombs to target the site. It cited unspecified sources."
Later Saturday, The Times of Israel reported that at least 20 people were wounded in an Iranian ballistic missile attack on the Israeli city of Dimona, home to Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center.
The United States previously bombed Iran's Natanz facility last June. The Associated Press highlighted Saturday that satellite images also suggest the site was damaged during the first week of the current war, which President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched on February 28.
Condemning the Saturday strike on Iran's complex, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that "this is a brazen violation of international law, the charters of the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the agency's General Conference."
Russia has notably also generated fears of a nuclear accident with its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022.
Trump has sent mixed messages about the US-Israeli war on Iran, both sending thousands more troops to the region this week while also saying on his Truth Social platform Friday that "we are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran."
According to the AP: "Iran's capital saw heavy airstrikes overnight and into the morning, residents said, as thousands of worshippers converged on Tehran's grand mosque for prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said attacks would 'increase significantly' next week."
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