📢 TAKE ACTION» Tell your attorney general to investigate local law enforcement’s abuse of Flock surveillance cameras
Resist & Rising Together Weekly: Good News and Progress from the Resistance
Wins for Democracy
Student newspaper wins major First Amendment case against Trump administration. - A federal judge ruled that the government violated constitutional protections by using immigration law to target noncitizen students for protected political speech, handing The Stanford Daily a victory on six of its eight claims. This is a win for freedom over fascism because free speech means little if the government can threaten people with deportation for criticizing those in power, and a free press cannot do its job when journalists fear retaliation for reporting the truth. The Stanford Daily
California Legislature passes the No Kings Act - California lawmakers approved legislation that would make it easier for people to sue individual federal officers, including ICE agents, in state court for violations such as unlawful searches, racial profiling, infringements on free speech, and wrongful death. This is a win for freedom over fascism because badges and federal titles should never place government officials above accountability when they violate people’s constitutional rights; the bill now heads to the governor. San Francisco Chronicle
Reproductive Freedom for All
California sends stronger reproductive-health privacy protections to the governor. - California lawmakers approved AB 1930, which would strengthen the state’s shield protections by requiring certain entities to alert the attorney general before turning over information sought through subpoenas involving legally protected abortion or gender-affirming care. This is a win for reproductive freedom because patients and providers should be able to obtain lawful medical care without fearing that hostile governments will weaponize their private health information against them. CalMatters Digital Democracy
Wins for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Eighth federal appeals court rejects mandatory detention without bond. - The Third Circuit ruled that the administration cannot automatically lock up nearly all undocumented immigrants without giving them access to bond hearings, joining seven other federal appeals courts that have rejected the policy. This is a win for immigrant rights because due process requires individual decisions about detention, not a system where people who have lived in their communities for years can be imprisoned indefinitely without a neutral decision-maker hearing their case. WHYY
Court orders USCIS to restart applications frozen for people from dozens of countries. - A federal judge ordered immigration officials to resume normal processing of covered asylum and immigration-benefit applications that had been placed on hold, certifying a class that includes certain applicants from 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority. This is a win for immigrant and refugee rights because people who followed the legal process should not have their cases indefinitely frozen simply because of where they were born or came from. U.S. Immigration Brief
Wins for Protecting Our Planet
Renewables now generate more than 30% of U.S. electricity- New federal energy data show renewable electricity generation grew 10.9% during the first half of 2026 and supplied 30.2% of U.S. electricity, while wind and solar together generated 58% more electricity than coal. This is a win for our planet because despite political attacks on clean energy, Americans are continuing to build a power system increasingly driven by wind, solar, and other renewable sources. Windtech International
Hawai’i rejects effort to reopen commercial collection of native reef fish. - Hawai’i’s Board of Land and Natural Resources voted against a proposal that would have reopened commercial aquarium-fish collection. Instead, it directed officials to reconsider stronger protections, including a possible statewide prohibition. This is a win for our planet because native reef fish help keep fragile coral ecosystems resilient, support local food systems, and belong in thriving oceans rather than being stripped from reefs for commercial sale. Earthjustice
Wins for Labor Rights
Nearly 4,500 shipyard workers win major raises and stronger job protections. - Union workers at Bath Iron Works in Maine ratified a five-year agreement that includes a 17% wage increase in the first year, followed by 4% annual raises in each of the next four years, while holding health-care costs steady and strengthening protections around outsourcing and emerging technology. This is a win for labor rights because collective bargaining gave thousands of workers the power to secure better pay, greater economic security, and a stronger voice over the future of their jobs. WorkBoat
💥Your Power in Action: What You Can Do Today
The movement for freedom over fascism, progress, and power to the people starts here.
🚨 Take Action» Tell Congress to stop Trump and Hegseth from depleting our weapons and leaving troops exposed
🪖 Take Action» Demand accountability for Pete Hegseth
⚖️ Take Action» Tell Congress to impeach and convict Trump for launching an illegal war with Iran
🎭 Take Action» Keep Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center
🕊️ Take Action» Tell Congress to stop Pentagon funding for Trump’s unauthorized war with Iran
📢 TAKE ACTION» Tell your attorney general to investigate local law enforcement’s abuse of Flock surveillance cameras
Go Further
Volunteer to Help Protect Democracy
Support efforts to elect leaders who believe in safe, secure elections and who are committed to protecting democracy.Support Organizations Doing the Work
These groups are helping defend rights, freedoms, and democracy in communities across the country:
Why the Grassroots Resistance Can’t Wait
People Power United members believe change is possible because we have seen ordinary people rise, organize, and be a force for progress. Real change does not come from waiting politely, staying quiet, or hoping those in power suddenly grow a conscience. It comes when people speak out, show up, and demand action—because our communities and families cannot wait, and every moment we delay gives injustice more room to tighten its grip on our communities.
Thanks for taking action!
For years, we’ve used this GIF to say thank you for taking action and will continue to do so. Dolly reminded us what it looks like to lead with kindness, generosity, courage, and love. She used both her voice and her actions to make the world a little better for the people around her. May we honor that example by opening our hearts, showing up for one another, and choosing every day to leave this world better than we found it.
🗽 America at 250: Liberty, Justice, and Building Power to the People
People power grows when people choose to be part of it.
This movement belongs to all of us, and every person who joins, stays connected, and helps carry the work forward makes us stronger.
Whether you subscribe for free, become a paid supporter, or gift a subscription to someone else, you help People Power United keep informing, organizing, speaking truth to power, and holding leaders accountable to the people they serve.
Stay with us. Help us grow. Keep building power to the people.
Power to the People
Today, we celebrate something powerful: the refusal of ordinary people to give up on one another.
Across the country, neighbors are organizing, workers are standing together, families are protecting their communities, advocates are defending our rights, and everyday people are proving that courage is contagious.
Every week, Resist & Rising Together Weekly by People Power United brings you the stories that remind us what people power looks like in action. A voter protected. A worker winning dignity on the job. A community defending clean air and water. A court standing up for civil rights. People protecting reproductive freedom. Immigrant families finding solidarity. Organizers turning outrage into action.
These victories matter because those who seek power through fear want us isolated, exhausted, and convinced that nothing we do can make a difference. But everywhere we look, people are proving otherwise.
We are organizing in our communities. Showing up in courtrooms. Standing together on picket lines. Defending the ballot box. Protecting our neighbors. Building something stronger than fear.
The message is clear: America belongs to the people. Not kings. Not billionaires. Not extremists. Not authoritarians.
Resistance is more than saying no to what harms us. It is saying yes to democracy, dignity, justice, freedom, and a future worth building together.
And every victory, every act of courage, every person who chooses to show up moves us forward.
This is how we rise. Together.
Together, we can defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and democracy, hold leaders accountable to the people’s will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.
People Power United champions freedom over fascism, progress over fear, and power to the people. We believe change is possible, and we do the work to make it happen. Join us to build people power.
Laurie Woodward Garcia
(paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)
Leader, People Power United
🗽 America at 250: Liberty, Justice, and Building Power to the People
This moment belongs to all of us, and I’m asking you directly: please stay connected, join us, and help keep this work moving forward.
People Power United does not rely on corporate donors, wealthy special interests, or a large paid communications staff. In fact, we have no staff at all. This work continues because people like you read our updates, share them with others, leave comments, contact Congress, take action, invite friends, and refuse to look away when our rights and democracy are under threat.
Every kind of support makes a difference. You can subscribe for free, become a paid subscriber, gift a subscription to someone else, share our work, or take action in your own community. Each of these choices helps us continue telling the truth, providing people-powered news and actions, and holding our leaders accountable to the people they serve.
Power belongs to the people. When we stay informed, connected, and organized, we make it much harder for those in power to ignore us.
Fantastic news! TU!
I signed all the petitions and posted them to Facebook. Wonder how long it will take Facebook to put me in jail again.