What’s Next? Ways to Opt In to Oppose the Oligarchy

Details on the April 19th Day of Action, Pushing Back Against Medicare Cuts, and 198 Ideas for Non Violent Action

The hand & torch are a graphic used by The Action Network Background photo of San Diego April 5 Protests by Doug Porter

On the heels of the successful April 5th Hands Off! Protests, there were lots of people asking “what’s next?” Generally speaking, the answers offered were along the lines of “keep on keepin’ on,” which didn’t offer much in the way of specifics for people whose lives don’t revolve around activist politics.

So with this column I’m bringing together announcements and battle plans from a variety of sources to give readers some actions they can do in the days and weeks to come.

We didn’t get to this point in the US overnight, and we’re not getting past it in the immediate future. The reactionary rightwing spent almost half a century laying the groundwork for the Project2025/MAGA agenda.

There are lots of parts to the reactionary agenda, and they aren’t going to magically disappear. It is the struggle for freedom, equity, and democracy that will provide people with the inspiration, and experiences leading to a better world for everybody. Change is hard, and we’ve been conditioned to expect immediate gratification, so let’s all get training for the marathon ahead.

Now that Republicans have passed the framework for Trump’s Big, Beautiful, Budget, the fight is just beginning as they try to hammer out the details of how they’re gonna take even more of what we have to make billionaires happy. They’re going to use the process of reconciliation, which allows Congress to pass laws with simple majorities.

The folks at Indivisible have come up with a plan to resist the destruction of most of our social safety net. I’ve taken the liberty of reposting it below

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The huge stakes of this fight: In short, the Republican plan is to enact trillions (ya, that’s with a T) of dollars in tax breaks for corporations and billionaires. And since letting rich guys like Trump and Musk dodge taxes means less to go around for the rest of us, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs will get cut to pay for it all.

What does that mean for everyday Americans like us?

• Millions of Americans could lose their healthcare or face medical debt when Medicaid is slashed by hundreds of billions of dollars

• Hospitals and healthcare facilities could close, particularly in rural areas, as federal funding drops sharply and fewer Medicaid patients can afford their services

• Tens of thousands of kids could go hungry due to planned cuts to SNAP and other nutritional assistance programs that help families keep food on the table

• Billionaires like Elon Musk will gain even more power as their massive slice of the pie gets even bigger -- leaving them extra billions to spend on lobbying, political donations, and, in Musk’s case, even shadier behavior

The good news: we can win. Republicans know their plan is unpopular, but when Donald Trump wants something, they scramble and grovel and fall in line. We need to make reconciliation so toxic, so painful, so slow and confusing and arduous, that even the most Trump-fearing MAGA puppets question whether it’s all worth it.

Here’s how we can do that:

• SOUND THE ALARM: We need to ensure this plan and its impacts are known by everyone, everywhere. We’ll do that by talking to neighbors about the harm to our own communities, sharing educational resources like this email, and hosting highly visible local events

• LEAD A LOUD DEM RESISTANCE: We need every Democratic lawmaker to speak out early, often, and loudly -- while party leaders use every possible tool to stall and divide Republicans. We’ll clearly define our expectations, celebrate Dems who fight boldly, and hold those who stay quiet accountable

• TURN THE HEAT UP ON REPUBLICANS: Vulnerable and so-called “moderates” on the Republican side will try hiding from constituents and distancing themselves from Trump’s plan -- even as they benefit from it. We can’t let them. We need to make them hear us, and we need to make them own this

• DELAY, DISRUPT, DIVIDE: We need Freedom Caucus Rs screaming at battleground Rs. We need votes that take days to schedule. We need lawyers and parliamentarians throwing sand in all the gears. We need this process to take months that feel like years

What you can do right now

• This Saturday, April 12, until Sunday, April 27, Members of Congress will return to their home turf for the April Congressional Recess. That’s our opportunity to take action. We show up. We remind them how toxic Trump’s plans are. We refuse to let them hide.

• From April 12-27, Indivisibles are hosting in-district events to make Republicans sweat and make sure Democrats stand firm. Please click here to sign up for a “Stop The Cuts” April Recess event near you.

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People are confused about what is happening on the upcoming April 19th Day of Action. My first thought was that the folks at 50501 were calling for another day of massive protests, and I had questions about the logistics of pulling it off.

Fortunately, 50501 has taken to BlueSky to clarify the situation.

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A lot of people are expressing confusion about April 19th (the next day of action) and I want to try and help clear it up a bit.

• We are calling it a "day of action".

Individual chapters/ states can choose to protest if they want! We just aren't doing a big national push since many states need more time to plan and coordinate.

We need to think a bit more long term and practical.

50501 is in a very good position to help Americans being impacted by the following things:

1. lots of people have lost their jobs

2. the stock market is crashing

3. people are losing their access to food (losing food stamps, food pantries are struggling to keep up)

4. the price of EVERYTHING is about to go up

So for April 19th, I'm encouraging you all to come together, and do community actions.

That can look like:

-Donating to a local organization that feeds/clothes/ helps local people, especially underserved areas.

-Hosting a picnic where everyone brings a few items that are in good condition to swap out for something they might need from someone else.

-Do a clothing drive during a park day or community cook out.

-Meet up at the library to discuss different actions or start a book club.

You don't have to reinvent the wheel, if there's an organization locally that has been doing the good work (ESPECIALLY if it is run by a minority group!) ask how you can help! Maybe they need extra hands, or maybe they need certain supplies or any number of things.

We need to think about the America we want to see, where we have empathy and help each other, and just become that.

That's just as important as protesting.

This administration is taking away our social support webs, it is actively hurting people and will harm even more people day by day.

It's time to become the social support web.

Big national protest pushes will come, no worries, but we need to do more than just protest if we're going to get through this.

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Finally, I’ve found an excellent and comprehensive list of ideas that YOU can consider adopting.

It’s Harvard professor Gene Sharp’s 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action. Each of the 198 methods can be used at any time, in any order, by anyone. Some actions require logistical support, others can be acted on by individuals.

Just remember that Actions are best when people become aware of them, and if you’re waiting for the mainstream media to help out, you’re likely wasting your time. Social media is a great way to announce and document; getting your network to echo your postings only happens if you ask. So, ask already.

A reminder: Every Thursday I’m publishing a Resist Calendar with upcoming activities throughout San Diego County. It’s become so popular that I’m now publishing it as a standalone post; it’s also appearing the The Jumping Off Place on Thursdays.

A Rant: What I really hate is when people make pronouncements on social media without thinking it thru. As if just saying something ought to happen will somehow make it happen. This struggle for freedom isn’t a movie or an adventure story; heroes don’t make change happen by themselves–it’s hard work and takes dedication over a period of time.

The above rant is dedicated to those who post stuff like “we need a general strike” without having ever considered the effort needed to actually shut down society. Just. Don’t. Do. it. Join a group protest (make new friends!) or read a book instead. Join a union. Find an Indivisible group. Sign up for the Action Network.

Predicting climate chaos, Morgan Stanley touts air conditioning profit potential by Emily Atkin at Heated

• It is true that banks are increasingly under pressure from the Trump administration and Republicans to abandon their climate commitments. Even before Trump took office, House Republicans had launched probes alleging that companies engaged in climate-conscious investing are violating U.S. antitrust and consumer protection laws.

• But if any institution on Earth had the power not to bow to oligarchs, it would be the massive private banks that hold everyone’s money. Morgan Stanley and its peers had a choice: They could either stop destroying the planet, or they could stay out of trouble with Trump. The companies chose the latter, and now Morgan Stanley is taking the next logical step under disaster capitalism: investing big in air conditioners.

• The future Morgan Stanley is predicting doesn’t have to be the case, Rees argues. “We certainly can still reach 2°C if we’re actually committed to it,” he said. But “committing to it” means that large private financial institutions like Morgan Stanley would have to actually stick to their commitments and stop funding new fossil fuel infrastructure. And that requires massive public pressure.

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Ten National Unions Call for Anti-Trump Resistance by Natascha Elena Uhlmann at Labor Notes

• “The next step in this fightback requires us talking to our co-workers and neighbors about how the employers and billionaires benefit when workers are divided and afraid,” said Stephanie Luce, labor studies and sociology professor at the City University of New York and a member of the Teachers (AFT).

• “We should look for spaces to have more conversations and get workers ready to take bigger actions,” she said, “because the attacks will keep coming.” She said unions are working together to build large actions on May 1 (find information at maydaystrong.org) and also recommended Labor Notes’ “Tactics to Build Power” training.

• Unless members get involved, a resolution is just a piece of paper. “The petition is a tool that we need to use to unify people, but it will do us no good if the only people that sign onto it are organizations,” said Guenther. “Workers need to be in these deep conversations about what kind of world they want to have and what kind of country they want to live in.”

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Pressed for evidence against Mahmoud Khalil, government cites its power to deport people for beliefs by Jake Offenhartz for the Associated Press

• Facing a deadline from an immigration judge to turn over evidence for its attempted deportation of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, the federal government has instead submitted a brief memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, citing the Trump administration’s authority to expel noncitizens whose presence in the country damages U.S. foreign policy interests.

• The two-page memo, which was obtained by The Associated Press, does not allege any criminal conduct by Khalil, a legal permanent U.S. resident and graduate student who served as spokesperson for campus activists last year during large demonstrations against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and the war in Gaza.

• Rather, Rubio wrote Khalil could be expelled for his beliefs.