Resistance Reports

Signs of Resistance

Voice, April 20, 2026

A federal judge has blocked the Pentagon’s latest bid to limit press access, tearing into the Department of Defense in a stinging ruling that warned “suppression of political speech is the mark of an autocracy, not a democracy.” (CNN, 4/9/26)

A Louisiana federal judge refused to block access to abortion pills by mail, in a setback to Louisiana’s effort to stifle groups that send mifepristone into states where abortion is banned. (CNN, 4/7/26)

A Florida federal court judge tossed out a $10 billion defamation lawsuit by Trump against The Wall Street Journal/Rupert Murdoch over a Journal article depicting a lewd drawing Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein in a birthday letter. Trump will be allowed to file an amended suit. (CNBC, 4/13/26)

Authorities in Minnesota are investigating the detention by federal immigration officers of a US citizen as a possible kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment after Scott Thao was dragged into the street in his underwear while he clutched a blanket in sub-freezing conditions. Agents apparently had no warrant and returned Thao to his home two hours later. (The Guardian, 4/14/26)

Several high-profile Trump allies are now questioning his policies and fitness as President: Tucker Carlson has harshly criticized Trump’s foreign policy and personal conduct. (USA, 4/12/26) Alex Jones is calling for the 25^th Amendment (Forbes, 4/1/26) Commentator Candice Owens says, “I feel embarrassed I told people to go vote for him.” (The Hill, 4/10/26) Megyn Kelly calls Trump’s Jesus image “blasphemous” and “completely inappropriate.” (New York Post, 4/14/26) These clips have gone viral.

House Democrats unveiled articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, making serious allegations about his handling of the war in Iran and his leadership more broadly. The resolution, led by Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, lists six impeachment articles. (CBS News, 4/15/26)

Pope Leo XIV denounced Trump’s threat to wipe out Iran’s civilization saying this is, “Truly unacceptable.” (Axios, 4/7/26)

Analilia Mejia, a progressive Democrat, defeated her Republican opponent in a race for the New Jersey House seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill who resigned after being elected governor in November. The results reflect a leftward shift by voters in a district that has historically favored moderates. (NYT, 4/16/26)

Virginia passed a bill to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), agreeing that once enough states join the compact to total 270 electoral votes it will award all of its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia had previously joined the Compact. With Viginia’s addition, the compact comprises 222 electoral votes, 82% of the 270 votes required for the agreement to go into effect. (theGuardian.org, 4/14/26)

Rear Admiral Nancy Lacore kicked off her campaign running for SC’s 1st Congressional District. Lacore served 35 years in the Navy before her dismissal without cause by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in 2025. (ABC News 4/7/26)

The Montana Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to a proposed ballot initiative aimed at dark money in politics. The initiative would prohibit businesses and nonprofits from donating to political campaigns and is pitched as a loophole to the Citizens United decision. (Montana Public Radio, 4/2/26)

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) called upon social media to pressure the Department of Homeland Security into releasing a 2-year-old boy, Kaleth, who had not eaten in 12 days. The family’s attorney called it a medical emergency. The government’s position remained that allegations of inadequate care at Dilley South Texas Family Residential Center were “false.” Kaleth and his mother were released on April 2. Roughly 400 children remain there. (migrantinsider.com, 4/2/26)

A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled the Trump administration had illegally demanded that groups seeking homelessness grants comply with its agenda on immigration enforcement, transgender rights and other related issues. She ordered the Department of Housing and Urban Development to hold a new competition for housing funds without the “arbitrary and capricious “criteria subject to “slapdash imposition of political whims.” (NYT, 3/31/26)

Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez was shielded from deportation under DACA status and has lived in the US for 27 years. In February she was arrested and deported to Mexico after showing up for an immigration hearing. A US district court judge ordered her returned to the US, saying her deportation was a “flagrant violation” of her DACA protections and infringed upon her due process rights. Estrada Juarez returned to the US and has been reunited with her family. (US News, 4/1/26)

Prepared by Patty Dorian for VOICE and available at VOICEnmb.org

Pattydorian203@gmail.com

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