Restoring Rule Of Law And Reining In ICE, Vance Brings Shame To America, Aiding The Opposition In Iran, "A New Birth Of Freedom"

Greg Sargent joins us today at Noon EST. Hopium paid subscribers gather tonight at 7pm.

Morning all. Greg Sargent joins us today at noon, live. Few have been writing as intelligently about Stephen Miller’s dark ICE vision as Greg. Click here to join us, and be sure to read his recent deep dive into Miller, Inside Stephen Miller’s Dark Plot To Build A MAGA Terror State. A recording and transcript will be shared here this afternoon for those who can’t make it live.

The video coming out of Minnesota continues to be shocking. ICE has turned itself into a lawless, marauding domestic terror force, acting with a level of impunity and aggression that is wildly illiberal and profoundly un-American. They are going to door to door now, in clear violation of the 4th Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

They are attacking peaceful protestors with tear gas and even just shoving them to the ground as they pass, for shits and giggles.

Watch this infamous video of a woman yesterday in Minneapolis just trying to get to her doctor’s appointment. Just another rowdy “Kavanaugh Stop.” Try to process the chaos and danger she encounters here. What are people supposed to do in moments like this with armed, masked, paramilitaries screaming in your face?

This video shows ICE smashing the car window of US citizen observer (what is up with all the breaking of car windows? It’s insane), ripping him out of his car, and putting a knee on his neck:

Here is what Google AI gave me about an ICE officer putting their knee on someone’s neck. Just rampant lawlessness:

Putting a knee on the neck of a detainee is generally not a legal or authorized police tactic, especially if the person is already subdued, handcuffed, and not actively resisting. This maneuver is widely condemned by law enforcement experts and often explicitly banned by police department policies and state laws because of the high risk of serious injury or death from asphyxiation.

None of what ICE is doing in Minnesota is with warrants and probable cause, as the Constitution requires.

Of course I agree with those calling for ICE reforms and a roll back of the money allocated in the big ugly bill in the ongoing budget negotiations. Hopium first came out for reform/rollback/reining in in the days after the passage of the big ugly this summer. It is something I’ve been advocating for here and in my private conversations with Members of Congress and their staff since July. Here is how point four in five part agenda reads today:

Defend our democracy, rule of law, and our liberties by blocking the expansion of ICE; restoring due process for immigrants across the country; vigorously defending the 1st Amendment; warring against his outrageous targeting of his domestic political opponents; ending the use of the military on our streets and the dangerous occupation of our cities; stopping the unprecedented regime corruption; and by forcing the Administration to finally comply with Congress end the rancid cover up of the Epstein crimes.

Yesterday I shared with you new polling that showed how much public opinion had swung against all this stuff in recent days, particularly after the murder of Renee Nicole Good, and why Democrats should be leaning hard into reforming and reining in ICE now. Here is some of that data again:

Public opinion about this ICE terror regime is moving as we come to understand the barbarism of their tactics. In YouGov’s poll, above, released on Monday, abolishing ICE was 42%-45%. In it’s poll released yesterday with one more day of interviews it was 46%-43%. Yes it could be data bouncing around inside margin of error or it could be real movement as the public recoils in horror in what they are seeing. Listen to the great Jessica Tarlov on Fox News last night talk powerfully about the impact of what we are seeing with our own eyes, and watch the b-roll video shown as she speaks:

I am still trying to process how Trump is encouraging the protestors in Iran while assaulting them - as the Iranian government is doing - here at home. Make this make sense please:

On Iran, here is Congresswoman Ansari (whose parents fled the Iranian regime) on CNN last night calling on Congress and the President to do more than Truth to support the opposition, particularly as reports come in that the regime has killed tens of thousands of protestors in recent days:

Here’s a statement for President Zelenskyy on the opportunity the world now has to weaken or end one of the most repressive governments in the world:

“Everything can be different” echos my Sunday essay to all of you, Imagine Imagine If This Moment Was Not About The Ascent of Authoritarians, But About A New Birth Of Global Freedom. Just Imagine…. where I wrote:

And I started thinking…. what if the Iranian regime were to fall? If Zelenskyy were to win in Ukraine, and Putin lose? If the end of Maduro brought democracy to Venezuela not dictatorship? If Orban’s government finally was voted out of power in Hungary later this year? If the Cuban dictatorship were to fall after 67 years in power? If the new Syrian government, having overthrown a family dictatorship that lasted 53 years, was able to successfully bring democracy to the Arab world?

If were we were here in America successful in reclaiming our government from the oligarchs and Trump’s escalating authoritarianism? What if this moment became a moment, as Lincoln called it - “a new birth of freedom” - around the world and here at home rather than one of autocratic and oligarchical consolidation? What if we could look back at this year, 2026, ten years from now, not as one where freedom was lost but where it was renewed, restored and regained momentum? Where governments “of the people, by the people, for the people” did not perish from the earth……

Imagine if we were to win and Elon, and Putin, and Trump, and Orban, were to lose? Imagine……

I think this is the future we want. And thus we must start imagining it, and begin building a politics that makes it far more likely.

Instead of focusing on this opportunity we now have to create this “new birth of freedom” Network Stater JD Vance and Secretary Rubio are heading to Europe today to try to rip Greenland away from NATO and Europe.

It’s just unbelievably shameful, among the most dangerous and destructive acts the regime has taken. Yes we are now at the point where Congress has to work to pass a bill that makes it impossible for Trump to invade Europe/Denmark/Greenland:

Bacon, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation Prohibiting a U.S. Invasion of a NATO Member State

Washington – Last night, Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Chairman Don Bacon (R-NE), Subcommittee on Europe Ranking Member Bill Keating (D-MA), Danish Caucus Co-Chair Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Lead Democrat for the U.S. Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA) introduced the No Funds for NATO Invasion Act to prohibit the use of federal funds for an invasion of any NATO member state or NATO-protected territory.

“The No Funds for NATO Invasion Act makes clear to our allies and partners, as well as those around the world, that it is unacceptable to invade the territory of an ally of the United States. It is important to remember that for almost 80 years, NATO has been the foundation for peace and cooperation between the United States and our European allies. Without question, it has led to greater economic opportunity, enhanced safety and security measures, and peace with our allies that has had a direct impact on every American’s life,” said the Members of Congress. “This bipartisan legislation, which prohibits the use of any funds to invade a NATO member state or NATO-protected territory, demonstrates the strong commitment in the House of Representatives to support our NATO allies. We must cease the inflammatory rhetoric, work together to take advantage of our shared opportunities, and, most importantly, to counter the real threats from those who do not share our values.”

The No Funds for NATO Invasion Act would:

• Prohibit any federal funds from being made available for the invasion of a NATO member state or any territory protected by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

• Prohibit any officer or employee of the United States from taking any action to execute an invasion of a NATO member state or any territory protected by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Hopium paid subscribers gather tonight at 7pm EST to discuss all this. Register here and look forward to seeing folks tonight!

Now, Let’s Get To Work People!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mary Peltola raised $1.5m in the first 24 hours of her campaign. Great work everyone! These resources will allow her to staff up and get going…..

Winning The Midterms - Support Our Candidates

• Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign (2026) - $70,000 raised, $250,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Donate to all four endorsed House challengers with one click | Learn More | Enjoy our new conversations with Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Mayor Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), and Janelle Stelson (PA-10)

• Mary Peltola For Alaska Senate - $14,200 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Volunteer and learn more. Amazing start everyone!

• Winning Ohio - $11,400 raised, $250,000 goal - Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party. Donate today and help us turn this critical 2026 battleground blue! | Watch my conversation with David Pepper, who does an overview of the opportunities we have in Ohio this year

• Roy Cooper for NC Senate (2026) - $66k raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my conversation with Gov. Cooper and a new, terrific one with NC Dem Party Chair Anderson Clayton

• Jon Ossoff GA Senate (2026) - $111k raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn More | Volunteer | Enjoy my inspiring conversation with Senator Ossoff

Expanding The Senate and Electoral College Maps, Winning In Red States and Red Places (2026-2032)

• Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $273,000 raised, $500,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Join our new campaign to expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas. Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $10,000 to each of our five state parties

This recent post recapped our our very productive year together in 2025. In three new essays (here, here, here) I discuss how one of the ways we win the 2026 midterms is by providing early support to our candidates and parties to allow them to staff up, be loud, define the terms of the debate now, before the inevitable onslaught on AI slop, Russian disinfo, and Trumpian lies funded through bribes and corruption wash across the land.

The midterms could be won or lost in these next few months - not in the fall of 2026 - and we need be fighting now with everything we got.

Winning The Big Arguments With Trump, Defend Our Democracy - We have two recommended actions today:

1 - Call Your Senators and Member Of The House And Demand They Act Upon Our Five-Part Agenda - We need to be loud people, very, very loud and make the case for our now five part agenda:

1. Stand with Ukraine and our European allies, and far more forcefully challenge Trump’s traitorous efforts to sell out the US and the West to Russia; demand Congress rebuke/issue a no confidence vote on his current efforts to force Ukraine to surrender

2. Congress must stand forcefully for rule of law in the Caribbean and the Pacific - these illegal strikes must end; no war can be waged without Congressional approval; there must accountability for those who have broken the law, and the US must withdraw from Venezuela and cease other threats to violate the UN Charter and the sovereignty of other nations

3. Roll back Trump’s terrible, illegal tariffs that are re-igniting inflation, driving up prices, shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to working people, hurting small businesses and farmers, reviving tyrannical “taxation without representation,” and alienating governments and people throughout the world. To put America on a sounder fiscal course due to the enormous deficits brought by Trump’s 2025 tax cuts we should reverse these cuts to the wealthy and corporations

4. Defend our democracy, rule of law, and our liberties by blocking the expansion of ICE; restoring due process for immigrants across the country; vigorously defending the 1st Amendment; warring against his outrageous targeting of his domestic political opponents; ending the use of the military on our streets and the dangerous occupation of our cities; stopping the unprecedented regime corruption; and by forcing the Administration to finally comply with Congress end the rancid cover up of the Epstein crimes.

5. Fight Trump’s war on science, higher education and our public health; reverse - not delay - the cuts to the ACA, Medicaid and our clean energy investments; support and co-sponsor the Stand Up For Science/Rep. Haley Stevens effort to remove Robert Kennedy from HHS.

2 - Celebrate America, Our Constitution, Our 250th Birthday By Bringing Our Resolutions Project To Your Community - This July 4th America celebrates it’s 250th birthday. We need to make this holiday, a celebration of our Declaration Of Independence from a mad king, our day, and not allow it to become his.

One way we can do this is by bringing our Resolutions Project to your community or state. Imagine if by July 4th of next year a large number of towns, counties and states had passed formal resolutions, in the spirit of our Declaration of Independence, defending our Constitution and condemning the “injuries,” “abuses,” and “usurpations” of our mad king. For as our Founders wrote in the Declaration:

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

So far Hopium members have introduced or passed resolutions in 85 communities in 23 states. In the coming days we will be convening to discuss how to bring this campaign to more places and start planning to Own The Fourth next year.

Finally, please self-report your activities to our daily paid subscriber chat. These reports help inspire all of us to do more and fight harder!

Keep working hard everyone, and I remain so incredibly proud to be in this righteous fight with all of you - Simon