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Senate Vote Is Powerful Rejection of Trump's Illegal Use of Emergency Powers, Authoritarianism
Statement of Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen
WASHINGTON
Note: The U.S. Senate voted today to block President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. Public Citizen filed the first lawsuit challenging the declaration.
Today's vote is a major blow to President Donald Trump's autocratic ambitions.
If Trump is able to get away with his fake emergency to build a pointless and racist wall in contravention of Congress' explicit decision not to fund the project, then there's every reason to suspect he will cry "emergency" in the future, for even more nefarious ends.
Today's action hopefully will arrest, and certainly will slow, that slide to authoritarianism.
Trump is sure to veto the resolution of disapproval. Public Citizen will join with our allies in pressuring every member of Congress to vote to override that veto, and shame on any member who fails to do so, in light of the evident unconstitutionality of Trump's actions.
Whether or not Congress overrides the veto, passage of the resolution of disapproval is a powerful political rejection of Trump's illegal and improper use of emergency powers and more generally of his authoritarianism and disregard for the Constitution.
In a desperate bid to protect their party's president, Republican senators sought a deal to permit this constitutional infringement in exchange for commonsense reforms to the National Emergencies Act. That Trump rejected even that deal is yet more evidence of his belief that his powers should be unconstrained - and a disturbing sign that he wants to preserve maximum freedom to declare fake emergencies in the future.
The American people don't want a racist border wall, and by overwhelming numbers they oppose Trump's emergency declaration. They rose up and made their voices clear, and as a result the Senate today has responded to protect our constitutional values.
Public Citizen has sued to block implementation of the emergency declaration, as have other organizations and states and cities. We believe the courts should and will find the declaration illegal and unconstitutional.
But the ultimate guarantee of our constitutional democracy and a just society is not the courts, but the people. We the People will continue to mobilize to stop Trump's attacks on immigrants, his cruelty and his unconstitutional power grabs - whether Trump uses fake "emergency" claims or any other means.
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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Broadening Assault on the Left, Trump Designates EU Anti-Fascist Groups as ‘Foreign Terrorist Organizations’
Investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein warns that the designation opens up US citizens to government surveillance, asset seizure, and material support charges.
Nov 14, 2025
President Donald Trump's State Department on Thursday broadened his efforts to use "terrorism" to crush his enemies on the left, designating four European groups as "foreign terrorist organizations" based on their alleged connections to the vaguely defined network of leftist agitators known as "antifa," short for "anti-fascist."
Following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in September, Trump turned his attention toward waging a war on left-wing protest groups and liberal nonprofits, describing them as part of a vast, interconnected web that was fomenting "terrorism," primarily through First Amendment-protected speech.
As part of that effort, Trump formally designated "antifa" as a "domestic terrorist organization," even though it is not a formal group with any structure, but rather, a loose confederation of individuals all expressing an amorphous political belief. Civil rights advocates warned that the vague nature of the designation could be extended to bring terrorism charges against anyone who describes the Trump administration's actions as fascist or authoritarian.
Shortly after, Trump also signed a little-reported national security order, known as National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), which mandated a “national strategy to investigate and disrupt networks, entities, and organizations that foment political violence so that law enforcement can intervene in criminal conspiracies before they result in violent political acts.”
Some of the indicators of potential violence, the memo said, were “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity," "extremism on migration, race, and gender," and "hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.“
Referencing NSPM-7 explicitly, the State Department on Thursday spread that crusade against the left overseas, slapping four German, Greek, and Italian anarchist groups with the label of "foreign terrorist organization" (FTO). The same designation has been given to groups like al-Qaeda, ISIS, and al-Shabaab.
The groups targeted were Antifa Ost in Germany; the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI) in Italy; Armed Proletarian Justice in Greece; and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense, also in Greece.
The State Department said:
The designation of Antifa Ost and other violent Antifa groups supports President Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum-7, an initiative to disrupt self-described ‘anti-fascism’ networks, entities, and organizations that use political violence and terroristic acts to undermine democratic institutions, constitutional rights, and fundamental liberties.
Groups affiliated with this movement ascribe to revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, ‘anti-capitalism,’ and anti-Christianity, using these to incite and justify violent assaults domestically and overseas.
Each of the accused groups has had members charged with or convicted of violence, often against Neo-Nazis or adjacent far-right causes. But while they are more organized than America's anti-fascist movement, they are still broad-based and diffuse.
Mirroring what studies have shown in the US, the far-right is responsible for the overwhelming bulk of political violence in the European Union. A 2024 study by Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) found that across Europe, the far-right was responsible for 85% of the violent targeted incidents they tracked.
Though Greece was one exception, where far-left violence was more prevalent than far-right violence, Mary Bossis, an emeritus professor of international security at Piraeus University in Athens, told The Guardian that Greece's anti-fascist movement has little to do with it.
"It is highly exaggerated to say that the antifa movement in Greece employs terror tactics," she said. "They even run in elections and have never shown any sign of violence.”
While most social movements have some violent adherents, Bossis said, "that does not mean, as in the case of antifa, that the whole movement is either violent or supportive of terrorism. In fact, it is very much not the case… Standing against fascism does not make someone a terrorist.”
As Mark Bray, a Rutgers University professor who teaches a course on the history of antifascism, pointed out in The Guardian, Antifa Ost is the only one of the four groups designated by Trump that self-identifies as anti-fascist.
“The others are revolutionary groups,” he said. “This shows how the Trump administration is trying to lump all revolutionary and radical groups together under the label ‘antifa’. By establishing the (alleged) existence of foreign antifa groups, the Trump administration seems to be setting the stage for declaring American antifa groups (and all that they deem to be ‘antifa’) to be affiliated with these supposed foreign terrorist groups.”
Ken Klippenstein, an independent investigative journalist who has warned about NSPM-7 since its release, noted that this marks the first time that an entity in any of these three European countries has ever been slapped with the label of an FTO.
"The move seems an attempt to make people accustomed to white Westerners being treated as terrorists," he wrote Thursday. "That, after all, is the goal of Trump’s national security directive NSPM-7."
While there is no law on the books to back Trump's designation of antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, there is such a designation for foreign terrorist groups.
Being designated as a member of a foreign terrorist organization can subject one to significant sanctions, including having assets in American banks frozen, being unable to enter the country, or being prosecuted for "material support."
The government has used accusations of terrorism to go much farther, including carrying out extrajudicial assassinations of targets. Over the past two months, the Trump administration has bombed over a dozen boats in the Caribbean using the unsubstantiated justification that their passengers are "narco-terrorists" shipping drugs for cartels, which the administration has also designated as FTOs. The attacks have killed at least 76 people.
Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested last month that the Trump administration planned to use the "same approach" to antifa as it has with cartels, leading many to fear that might include assassinations.
Mehdi Hasan, the founder of the media outlet Zeteo, said the designation of these groups as terrorist organizations was "super bad for US citizens, especially on the left of the spectrum," because it "gives this authoritarian administration potentially the power to surveil and go after US citizens on spurious 'funding of FTO' grounds."
The State Department noted in a fact sheet on the designations that it is also seeking to target those in the US accused of supporting these groups.
"US persons are generally prohibited from conducting business with sanctioned persons. It is also a crime to knowingly provide material support or resources to those designated, or to attempt or conspire to do so," the memo said. "Persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with those designated today may expose themselves to sanctions risk. Notably, engaging in certain transactions with them entails risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to counterterrorism authorities."
Klippenstein said that while Trump's "domestic terrorist" designation was limited, "with an FTO designation, the gloves come off," opening Americans up to "FISA surveillance, seizure of financial assets, [and] material support charges."
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'Don't Cross the Picket Line': No Kings Alliance Backs Starbucks Boycott During Workers Strike
"Today’s strike isn’t just about Starbucks. It's about a broken system where billionaires and CEOs keep getting richer while the politicians they bankroll gut our wages, healthcare, and rights."
Nov 14, 2025
The No Kings Alliance on Friday announced that it was mobilizing in support of Starbucks workers who went on strike this week to demand a fair contract.
The alliance, which organized one of the largest demonstrations in US history last month with nationwide "No Kings" protests against the President Donald Trump's administration, pledged solidarity with the striking workers, while highlighting the massive disparity in pay for Starbucks baristas and the company's CEO.
"Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol was paid $96 million for just 120 days of work in 2024, paying himself 6,666 times what the average barista made—the worst CEO-to-worker pay inequity in the country," said the alliance. "At the same time, Trump and his billionaire backers are doing their best to scare people out of speaking up for their rights on the job and in their communities."
"Don't cross the picket line," the alliance urged its supporters, while also encouraging them to sign the "No Contract, No Coffee" pledge, an online petition demanding that the company negotiate with Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) on a just contract.
"I call on you to bargain a fair contract with Starbucks Workers United baristas!" the pledge reads. "I support Starbucks baristas in their fight for a union and a fair contract, and pledge not to cross the picket line. That means I will not patronize any Starbucks store when baristas are on [unfair labor practices] strike."
The striking Starbucks workers also got a pledge of solidarity from the AFL-CIO, which on Thursday urged the company to hammer out a deal with its workers to ensure fair pay and schedules.
"For four long years, SBWU members have fought tirelessly for better pay, fair hours, and adequate staffing for more than 12,000 workers and counting," said AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler. "Yet Starbucks has dug its heels in, engaging in shameless and persistent union busting... We urge Niccol and Starbucks corporate executives to finally do right by the workers who drive the company’s profit and negotiate a long-overdue fair contract."
SEIU pledged support for the Starbucks workers, while also placing the strike in the context of the broader fight between labor and capital.
"Today’s strike isn’t just about Starbucks," the union wrote in a social media post. "It’s about a broken system where billionaires and CEOs keep getting richer while the politicians they bankroll gut our wages, healthcare, and rights. Baristas are fighting for a fair contract and for a more just society."
Some progressive politicians also gave the striking workers a shoutout.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) vowed to keep out of Starbucks franchises until the workers' demands are met.
"When we strike, we win!" Tlaib exclaimed.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani joined the Starbucks boycott and encouraged all of his supporters to follow suit.
"Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee," the democratic socialist wrote.
Democratic socialist Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson—whose city is home to the coffee giant's headquarters—attended an SBWU rally where she joined them on the picket line and said, "I am not buying Starbucks, and you should not either."
Socialist Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson's first move after winning the election was to boycott Starbucks, a hometown company. pic.twitter.com/zPoNULxfuk
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) November 14, 2025
Starbucks workers began their strike on Thursday, and SBWU has warned the company that it is prepared to dig in for a long fight unless it returns to the negotiating table.
Negotiations between the union and Starbucks stalled out last spring, and more than 90% of unionized baristas last week voted to authorize a strike intended to hit the company during the busy holiday season.
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Mexico Leads 59 Nations Defending ICC Against 'Unacceptable' Trump Sanctions
One observer asserted that Washington's sanctions against the tribunal "have nothing to with US interest and everything to do with upholding Israeli impunity as it commits genocide."
Nov 14, 2025
Mexico this week led 59 United Nations member states in affirming their support for the International Criminal Court and—without mentioning US officials by name—decrying their sanctions against ICC judges in retaliation for efforts to prosecute Israeli leaders for alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The Mexican mission to the UN delivered a letter reaffirming the 59 nations' "continued and unwavering support for the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the ICC," the Hague-based tribunal that is the world's only permanent court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression.
"We express our deep concern over recent measures sanctioning ICC officials, staff, and those cooperating with the court," the letter continues. "Such measures erode the international rule of law, constitute an unacceptable interference with judicial independence, undermine ongoing investigations, and threaten the global fight against impunity."
In February, US President Donald Trump accused the ICC of engaging in "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel" and ordered "tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions, some of which may include the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, as well as their immediate family members."
This, after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—who in October 2023 ordered the "complete siege" of Gaza that has caused famine and illness to spread—and three Hamas members, since killed by Israel, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the case of Netanyahu and Gallant, these include murder and forced starvation.
Israel and the United States vehemently reject the ICC charges. The US—which, like Israel, is not party to the Rome Statute governing the ICC—has ignored the warrants. The White House and US lawmakers have welcomed the two fugitive Israelis as they traveled unimpeded to the United States.
In June, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions targeting the four ICC judges who authorized arrest warrants for Netanyahu and who green-lighted an investigation into torture allegations against American troops in Afghanistan. This, despite ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan's exclusion of US forces from the Afghanistan probe, which focused only on alleged Taliban and Islamic State crimes.
As Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft executive vice president Trita Parsi said Friday in response to the letter, "US sanction[s] against the ICC have nothing to with US interest and everything to do with upholding Israeli impunity as it commits genocide."
The 59 countries' letter denounces the sanctions, which "violate both the letter and the spirit of the Rome Statute and consequently place victims, witnesses, and court officials, many of whom are our nationals, at risk."
"All states must respect and protect the court's judicial functions and refrain from any coercive measures that would impede the court's work, impartiality, and independence," the letter stresses.
The Trump administration has also sanctioned other international officials who have condemned Israel's genocidal war on Gaza and US complicity, including Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories.
The administration has also taken aim at members of the International Court of Justice, also in The Hague, as they weigh a genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa in December 2023. The ICJ has issued several provisional orders for Israel to avoid genocidal acts, allow aid into Gaza, and end the assault on Rafah. Israel has been accused of ignoring all of these orders.
US disdain and animosity toward the ICC is nothing new. During the administration of George W. Bush, the US passed the American Service Members’ Protection Act—also known as the Hague Invasion Act—which authorizes the president to use “all means necessary and appropriate” including military intervention to secure the release of American or allied personnel held by or on behalf of the ICC.
The Mexico-led letter follows other affirmations of support for the ICC and its mission, including statements issued in June 2024 and February 2025 signed by 93 and 79 UN member states, respectively.
Speaking on the same day that Mexico delivered its letter, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock of Germany condemned sanctions against ICC members as “attacks against the very principles of international law."
“For more than two decades, the court has faced impunity and shown that, even in the darkest moments, accountability remains possible,” Baerbock said. “However, today, while we are witnessing atrocities that continue to shock the conscience of humanity, it is evident that the mission of the court is far from fulfilled.”
“Court officials have been sanctioned for upholding the rule of law and demanding accountability, and their systems have been targeted by cyberattacks aimed at undermining the credibility of the court,” she noted. "These are not isolated incidents, but deliberate attacks against the court with the aim of weakening the rule of law and eroding trust in international institutions.”
The new letter came as ICC President Tomoko Akane delivered the court's annual report to the General Assembly.
“We are only bound by the law and we do not change the course of our actions due to threats, be them political or of another nature,” Akane said Tuesday. “We will continue abiding by our mandate undeterred, with integrity, determination, impartiality, and independence at all times.”
“Let me be very clear on this," she added. "We cannot give up. We will not give up."
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