Calls From All Over For People To Organize

After all, George Washington and all were just regular people before they became part of the government. It really is up to all of us. If you click the article title just below this, all the embeds are there. This is from The Root.

These Leaders Are Calling For Americans to Rebel Against Trump Administration

From an Army general to congressmen, these powerful voices are urging folks to rebel against the Trump administration.

By Phenix S Halley Published August 27, 2025

From where you stand, it may look like you’re just watching unimaginable stuff go down, and nobody’s stepping in to stop it. In only eight months of his second term, President Donald Trump has managed to undermine the Constitution, disrupt the economy, send military troops to cities without congressional approval and divide the country over immigration, civil rights and more. It seems like there’s nothing regular Americans can do to stop him as he continues to complete the missions of his 2024 campaign, but many political leaders are offering suggestions to fight back in ways never seen before.

From journalist Toure to former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, these powerful voices are urging folks to rebel against the Trump administration, and here’s exactly how they say it needs to be done.

Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke

(snip-Insta on the page linked above; text continues)

“If we’re not willing to play hardball right now, it is over,” former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said during an interview. The Democrat continued comparing the rise of German dictator Adolf Hitler to how American society is handling President Trump now. He urged the Press, opposing political parties and every American to pay attention to Trump’s attempt to rewrite the Constitution, defy the federal courts and attack U.S. citizens before something unredeemable happens. “I don’t know if I’m saying that is going to happen in America,” O’Rourke said referring to Nazi Germany. “But this moment sure as hell rhymes with the 1930s, and if we don’t pay attention, we’re going to lose it.”

Roland Martin

(snip-again, Insta embedded on the page linked above, text continues)

Journalist Roland Martin has told Americans to put down the Tiktoks and fight back. During one video clip, he says “What we are talking about is a battle that’s generational,” Martin passionately began. As Trump continues to suggest red states move to redistrict their congressional seats in Republicans’ favor, Martin called out exactly how this will erase Black voices. “They could wipe out with one Goddamn ruling more than 30 Black Congressional seats,” he said.

Former Vice President Al Gore

On the list of avid critics of Trump is former Vice President Al Gore. During an event in April, Gore didn’t hold back his critiques, and like some others on this list, he compared the Trump administration to Hitler’s regime. He said Trump’s team is “trying to create their own preferred version of reality” to achieve their objectives similar to the Nazi Party. “It was uniquely evil, full stop,” Gore continued. But there are important lessons from the history of that emergent evil.”

Director Marshall Herskovitz

(snip-Insta, etc.)

“We must have what they call a popular uprising,” American director Herskovitz said before adding that in order for this movement to be successful, it would have to be peaceful. “This is not a revolt,” he continued. The producer mapped out his proposed plan. According to him, it would only take 12 to 15 million Americans to protest in the streets “day after day after day,” he said. Step two of the plan includes a “general” strike. “I’m not going to work… My store’s not open; my resturant’s not open. I’m not paying my taxes.” Only then would the country see true change similar to the results of the Arab Spring in 2011– the series of pro-democracy and anti-government uprisings which spread across the Middle East.

Congressman Jerry Nadler

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 18: Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) arrives to view proceedings in immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on June 18, 2025 in New York City. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander and Council Member Alexa Avilés visited immigration courts to watch proceedings a day after NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents while accompanying a person out of a courtroom as people continue to be detained following immigration court hearings. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

N.Y. Rep. Jerry Nadler released a six-page letter to the American people urging them to take action against Trump. “We cannot wait four years to vote Mr. Trump out of office,” he said before adding, “To achieve this, we must keep our eyes on two important goals: depressing Trump’s public support and dividing the Congressional GOP from him and from each other.” Nadler’s plan focuses on holding the administration accountable for unconstitutional acts and “exposing his Republican enablers in Congress.”

Former U.S. AG Eric Holder

(snip-Insta, etc.)

During an interview with MSNBC, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Trump’s current actions are “remarkably similar” to that of Europe in the 1930s– when Hitler rose to power. Because of this, Holder said all Americans need to be on high alert. “There’s a treadmill that we’re potentially getting on here that could result in the erosion of rights for American citizens,” he told the network.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

N.Y. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stands strong as a controversial yet influential Democrat. Like many of her colleagues, she has remained steady in her criticism towards Trump, and during a rally in California, she said the key to defeating him rest in the hands of Americans. “Community is the most powerful building block we have to defeat authoritarianism and root out corruption,” she told the crowd.

NYT Columnist Charles M. Blow

(snip-TikTok embedded on page linked above, text continues)

Charles M. Blow of the New York Times referenced esteemed author Toni Morrison in his advice to fight back. “If you are taking a break from politics right now… good for you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he began on TikTok. “You’re actually going to need the energy that you’re storing now for the fight to come in the next four years.” He added, “You can’t always stay in the crisis,” quoting Morrison from a 1977 interview. The writer encouraged Americans to “recenter what you love” in order to “remember why you fight.”

Congresswoman Lois Frankel

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 12: Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) speaks during a news conference to celebrate the passage of legislation that will place statues of former Supreme Court associate justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’ Connor in the U.S. Capitol on May 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Democratic leaders were joined by Scott O’ Connor, son of Justice O’ Connor, and Professor Kelsi Corkran, former clerk for Justice Ginsburg. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fla. Rep. Lois Frankel has an entire page on her website dedicated to ways Americans can help rebel against Trump. “He promised to lower costs, instead, he’s unleashing chaos and cruelty while his rubber-stamp Republicans in Congress are pushing a draconian budget that slashes Medicaid and food assistance—programs millions rely on to get by,” she said. Frankel continued telling folks to call and email their local representatives to voice their complaints, attend town halls and even share their own personal stories.

Greed v. Young Americans

(snip-TikTok etc.)

@geiggfcg on TikTok told younger Americans (ages 45 and younger) to wake up and get to the streets to protest. Why? Because older generations like the baby boomers– including Trump– have ruined the county with their greed, according to the TikToker. “You have been screwed over royally,” he told his followers. From the lack of affordable colleges to the growing cost to buy a home, @geiggfcg said young Americans will deal with the consequences of their parent’s greed. He went on to reference Trump “Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which promised to make major cuts to medicaid, add trillions to the national debt and also cut food stamps for millions by 2027.

Local Resistance Movements

(snip-TikTok, etc.)

“Donald Trump’s unpopularity is growing, and this era is going to end,” declared @indivisibleguide on TikTok. In order to ensure this happens, the movement is urging folks to get involved in their local communities and to organize. “You should host a community resistance gathering,” the TikToker said.

FEMA Fights Back

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 8: The Federal Emergency Management Agency Headquarters, in Washington is photographed on October 8, 2024 in Washington, DC. FEMA is running low on personnel, with only 9% of staff available as Hurricane Milton, with 175 mph winds, approaches Tampa, FL; Compared to 25% availability in previous years. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Nearly 200 employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) signed a written letter expressing concerns that Trump’s “unqualified” government appointees could have long-lasting impact on Americans everywhere. NBC reported that 21 of those employees have been put on leave in response.

Peaceful March Against Trump

(snip-TikTok etc.)

ack in April, thousands of Americans across the nation flooded the streets in order to protest against Trump. In this video, a large group of demonstrators are gathered in Milwaukee all against the 47th president.

Army General Mark Milley

(snip-TikTok etc.)

Retired Army Gen. Mark Milley has been an avid critic of the Trump administration for years. In fact, his critiques of Trump even prompted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to pull Milley’s security clearance and protective detail back in January. Still, Milley has remained outspoken about why Americans need to stand strong against Trump. “We don’t take an oath to a tribe… We don’t take an oath to a king or queen or to a tyrant or a dictator,” Milley said. “And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”

Journalist Toure

(snip-TikTok etc.)

For journalist Toure, the key to fighting back against Trump and his administration is to hold those doing his bidding accountable. “The pathway out of this is accountability– Not for Trump but for everybody who holds up his order,” he said on TikTok. “‘I was just following orders’ is not sufficient.” Instead, he said the licensed lawyers and licensed pilots who carry out Trumps wishes– such as deporting migrants against court orders and defending the president’s alleged unconstitutional actions in court– need to lose their licenses.

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 21: California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill signing event related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025 in Sacramento, California. In a move to counter Texas House Republicans’ plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, California Democrats took up a proposed constitutional amendment to temporarily redraw their own congressional maps, potentially creating five additional U.S. House seats for their party. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

While many Democrats are conflicted about going as low as Trump, who is known for ripping into his enemies with low blows and jabs online– Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to have no mercy. The two men have gone back and forth for years, but ever since Trump returned to the White House, Newsom has been fighting the president’s fire with fire, we previously reported. Most recently, Trump has encouraged red states to rezone their voting districts in order to gain more Republican seats come the 2026 midterms. In direct response to that, Newsom promised to do the same in his state.

Israelis erupt in protest to demand a cease-fire after 6 more hostages die in Gaza

Snippets:

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Tens of thousands of grieving and angry Israelis surged into the streets Sunday night after six more hostages were found dead in Gaza, chanting “Now! Now!” as they demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a cease-fire with Hamas to bring the remaining captives home.

The mass outpouring appeared to be the largest such demonstration in 11 months of war and protesters said it felt like a possible turning point, although the country is deeply divided.

Israel’s largest trade union, the Histadrut, further pressured the government by calling a general strike for Monday, the first since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war. It aims to shut down or disrupt major sectors of the economy, including banking, health care and the country’s main airport. (snip-MORE)

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-hostages-hersh-netanyahu-29496f50a9b1740bd3905035ffd23052

(Meanwhile, democracy in Israel doesn’t seem to be the system anymore, US Republicans’s statements regardless-) (This narrative runs current to the top. There’s a good feature at the bottom here.)

07.58 EDT

Arnon Bar-David, the chair of Histadrut Labour Federation, Israel’s main trade union which launched the strike, said he respects the decision by the labour court to end the strike at 14:30 (local time) 12.30 BST, according to the Times of Israel.

It reports him saying in a statement:

It is important to emphasise that the solidarity strike was a significant measure and I stand behind it. Despite the attempts to paint solidarity as political, hundreds of thousands of citizens voted with their feet.

I thank every one of you – you proved that the fate of the hostages is not right-wing or left-wing, there is only life or death, and we won’t allow life to be abandoned.

Meanwhile, the newspaper reports that the Hostages and Missing Families Forum encourages the public to continue the demonstrations despite the ruling. “This is not about a strike, this is about rescuing the 101 hostages that were abandoned by [prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu with the cabinet decision last Thursday,” the forum says, referring to the vote by ministers backing the IDF’s continued presence on the Philadelphi Corridor.Share

Updated at 08.11 EDT

07.42 EDT

The labour court’s ruling that today’s strike must end was welcomed by Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.

In a post on X, Smotrich praised the decision to end what he called a “political and illegal strike.”

The Times of Israel reports he said in his statement that Israelis went to work today “in droves,” proving they are no longer slaves to “political needs.”

He added: “We won’t allow harm to the Israeli economy and thereby serve the interests of [Yahya] Sinwar and Hamas.”

06.41 EDT

‘Strike was not as powerful as people expected’ – dispatch from Tel Aviv

Julian Borger

Julian Borger is the Guardian’s world affairs editor

Tel Aviv this morning did not feel like a society about to bring its government down.

The debris had been removed from last night’s demonstration on the Ayalon Highway, the motorway which passes through the city centre, and traffic was moving normally.

Protesters stopped traffic at a couple of junctions around the city but for the most part, the traffic flowed. The national rail line was working, though some buses and light railway lines stopped.

Private companies gave their staff the day off, but it was more in the spirit of some sombre holiday rather than the start of an existential struggle with the government.

Ben Gurion airport only closed for a few hours, and it was announced that the whole general strike would end at 6pm. It is not government-ending stuff.

Travellers line up at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
Travellers line up at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. Photograph: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

The mood can best be described as bitterly realistic on Hostages Square, the name given to the plaza between the national library and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, where hostage families and their supporters gather every day.

“I’m not sure the strike was as powerful as people expected,” said Debbie Mason, a social worker for the Eshkol regional council, the area of southern Israel abutting Gaza.

She made a distinction between what she hoped would happen and what she believed would happen, the latter being that nothing would change for the hostages.

“Unfortunately, there are too many things that are going to obstruct a deal, whether it’s on our side, whether it’s on Hamas’ side, it just doesn’t seem to be in anyone’s interest, that something should happen,” Mason said.

Hostage Square, established in the plaza between the National Library, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Tel Aviv District Court. Buses arrive here daily with youth groups from the kibbutzes, moshavs and towns from the area of southern Israel invaded by Hamas on 7 October 2023.
Hostage Square, established in the plaza between the National Library, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Tel Aviv District Court. Buses arrive here daily with youth groups from the kibbutzes, moshavs and towns from the area of southern Israel invaded by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Photograph: Julian Borger/The Guardian

Rayah Karmin, who comes from Mabu’im, a village near Netivot, near the Gaza border, agreed that a one-day strike would change little.

“Only a longer strike will make the people in government understand that the economy of Israel is going to go down,” Karmin, a vitamin supplement salesperson, said.

She pointed out that all the demonstrations and strikes were up against an immovable political fact. If a ceasefire is agreed, the far-right members of the coalition, notably Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, will walk out and the government will fall.

“Smotrich and Ben-Gvir will leave Netanyahu, and then he will be without a coalition, and he will have to go home,” Karmin said. “And he knows that next time he won’t be elected, so he wants to stay as long as he can.”

“Bibi is a magician, a really big fucking magician,” Aaron, a 28-year-old legal adviser in a pharmaceutical corporation, said. He had been out on the streets for Sunday’s mass protests, but he had no illusions about who they were up against.

“If there’s a hostage deal, the government will fall, so they are not interested in a deal,” Aaron said. “What Ben-Gvir wants and what Smotrich wants, they get, because Bibi doesn’t want to go to jail. He doesn’t want to lose power, because Bibi will be voted out in the first election if the government falls.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/sep/02/israel-gaza-war-live-israel-faces-nationwide-general-strike-amid-public-anger-over-hostage-deaths-and-failed-ceasefire-talks