Van Hollen Sees Abrego Garcia, Rallying State And Local Electeds Against Trump, Kasparov On Preventing US From "Becoming Russia"

315pm ET today - Anna Bower from Lawfare joins us live to discuss the momentous last few days in the courts

Morning all. It’s been another extraordinary week in our fight for our democracy and freedoms. Let’s start by grounding ourselves in our current understanding of where we are:

• We are stronger and Trump is weaker

• We have to keep working with great urgency as he is breaking things that will be very hard, if not impossible, to repair

• I’m incredibly grateful for how hard people in this community are working right now

Yesterday Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Despite a 9-0 Supreme Court order instructing Trump to facilitate his release Abrego Garcia remains in El Salvador. The fight continues. Keep contacting your Congressional offices and demand they keep working to have all legal residents of the US wrongly sent to our new Salvadoran gulag released.

To discuss the latest in what has been a momentous week in the courts, I am hosting legal expert Anna Bower at 3:15 ET this afternoon on our Hopium Live platform. You can join our live discussion by clicking here at 315pm ET. For those of you who have who have enabled “Live notifications” in your Hopium/Substack settings you will receive an email to join at 315pm ET. The event will also be accessible in Notes live at 315pm.

Anna has been covering the Abrego Garcia case and other related developments in the courts all week for Lawfare. She is one of those whom I follow to keep up with these consequential developments, and I am really pleased she will be spending some time with us today. A recording of our discussion will be shared later this afternoon for those who cannot join us live.

You can learn more about Anna here, follow her on Bluesky (as I do), and for those who are not familiar with Lawfare, here is how they describe themselves:

Lawfare is a non-profit multimedia publication dedicated to “Hard National Security Choices.” We provide non-partisan, timely analysis of thorny legal and policy issues through our written, audio, and other content—all of which you can find here. We strive to achieve academic-level depth with magazine-level readability at the pace of news. We aim to improve the discourse on the law and policy of national security with a relentless focus on substantive issues that matter—in a fashion that is useful to policymakers and practitioners, but also accessible to anyone who wants to access it. Our areas of coverage range from national security law, threats to democracy, cybersecurity, executive powers, content moderation, domestic extremism, and foreign policy, among many others.

Rallying State and Local Elected Officials and Governments Against Trump - In a must read Atlantic article (gift link) Russian dissident and emigre Gary Kasparov offers his advice on how we must fight now. Much of what he recommends will be familiar to the Hopium community. Here is a critical passage from the article, “How American Can Avoid Becoming Russia: Political pressure must be brought to bear—through the courts, the press, and the states, but also applied to legislators while they still have any power left” -

Americans, by contrast, have a well-stocked toolbox with which to defend their democratic institutions, if only they would use it. The press is still free; its only limitations are self-imposed. The economy is strong, even though Trump is working hard to put a stop to that. (People who feel economically insecure, or who depend on the government for their daily bread, don’t often rise up against it. Instilling a feeling of helplessness, a lack of control, is a key ingredient of authoritarianism. For example, the uncertainty created by Trump’s tariff flip-flops are anathema to consumer and business confidence, but uncertain citizens are more likely to follow a strongman.) American federalism and the separation of powers are not trivial for a would-be autocrat to overcome. Political pressure must be brought to bear—through the courts, the press, and the states, but also applied to legislators while they still have any power left.

The American opposition should spend less time criticizing the content of the administration’s executive actions—eliciting sympathy for a deported individual, say, or decrying the impact of Trump’s tariffs on 401(k) plans—than focusing on its suspect methods. The real crisis is the lack of due process in the deportations, to take the first example, and the president’s assumption of Congress’s power to levy taxes, to take the second. Sure, Trump loves tariffs, in other words—but he mostly loves exercising power, and his slate of arbitrary levies, unilaterally imposed by the executive, is a power grab.

Never lose sight of the fact that the Trump administration’s aim is to weaken and devalue the machinery of government, on one hand, and privatize the levers of power on the other. It is accomplishing all of this at a breakneck pace. Supporting a would-be autocrat because you like his policies (say, on DEI or transgender athletes) is a terrible trap, because soon enough, your opinions and support won’t matter at all. But making opposition to the policies the centerpiece of resistance also risks missing the point. America is hurtling toward the loss of its democratic institutions and the establishment of an authoritarian state where there will be no civil discussion of these issues at all: That’s what a principled opposition must fight with its full might.

Spelling out these stakes every day, like Senator Cory Booker did in his record-breaking 25-hour speech at the beginning of the month, is vital. Call hearings, press conferences, protests—everything that can be done to draw attention to the attacks on institutions. Explain due process, and contrast it with illegal or incorrect deportations, as families are torn apart. Don’t let Elon Musk and his vandals pretend that what they are doing is about efficiency when their actions are a rounding error at best in the budget.

I’m growing increasingly convinced that one of our most powerful tools against Trump is our own Federalism. Government in America is not only separated into three co-equal branches, it is also a shared activity at the Federal, state and local levels. State and local governments have equal levels of responsibility for the well-being of their citizens (and residents) as the Federal government does. Which is why I think our leaders in the states need to start coming to understand themselves as one of the most important bulwarks against Trump America has. We need the states and localities to rise up and fight. As the Dem state AGs have been doing so successfully. As Governor Newsom did in his new lawsuit against the the terrible Trump tariffs yesterday.

A part of my A Letter to America concept is a recommendation for state and localities to create a special legislative period to introduce, debate and pass formal condemnations of Trump’s “injuries,” “abuses,” and “usurpations.” The effects of Trump’s destructive economic agenda and abandonment of the Constitutional order are being felt by the residents now of every state and locality. Abrego Garcia is a resident of Maryland. The tariffs as Governor Newsom reminded us yesterday are going to hurt businesses in California and raise the prices on everything for all the residents of California. Every person in every state and locality is being harmed by Trump. And it is now the responsibility of every elected official in the country to explain these harms to their constituents as the country’s current leader in DC is making them less prosperous, less safe and less free on purpose, by choice, by design. Every resident of every jurisdiction needs to know this. And they also need to be asked to resist, defy and fight.

There will be many different ways state and local electeds can educate and organize now. One idea are these special sessions to essentially emulate the process outlined in the Declaration of Independence and articulate, clearly, how Trump is harming a state or local community. Then debate it for days. Force Rs to engage and defend. Get them on the record. And then put it up for a vote and put hundreds of proud and patriotic American governments - not just politicians or leaders of civil society - on record condemning Trump’s harms. Each of them can in their own way “let Facts be spoken to a candid world.”

This process if replicated across the country could become a very powerful form of both civic education and necessary, structural defiance. It makes Trump’s harms less abstract, more personal for every person, in every community. It also brings thousands of new and powerful actors into our opposition movement in a very compelling way - our state and local elected officials at every level of government in the United States of America - and will dramatically strengthen our movement itself. And whether it a special session, or regular townhalls, press conference, Zoom gatherings, hearings and shadow hearings, rallies/protests - all the tactics now being explored at the federal level - local electeds need to understand the critical opportunity they now have in taking our fight against Trump to the next level. We need three to four Cory Bookers to step up now in all 50 states.

As we plow forward let’s take a moment to note that four of the grievances our Founders cited in the Declaration of Independence sound very familiar to us in these United States 249 years later:

• For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

• For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

• For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

• For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

Let’s now review a letter Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington State released yesterday (h/t Hopium community member David E). This conversation about Trump’s harms is already happening everywhere:

“I thank legislators for their hard work as we balance a budget with a $16 billion shortfall. While our budget situation is currently challenging, it may soon become dire with additional cuts and chaos from the Trump Administration. We must defend Washington in the face of that.

“Federal funds make up 28 percent of our state budget. That includes billions of dollars for Medicaid, K-12 education, child welfare and early learning, disaster recovery and response, unemployment insurance and more. Every day, funding is canceled, frozen or denied by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk. Last week, FEMA denied our request for emergency relief funds for November’s bomb cyclone. We don’t know exactly why — they did not offer a reason — but we know we met the criteria set out for this funding. The administration is attempting to cut $160 million in public health funding.

“Significant federal cuts loom for Medicaid, early learning, K-12 education, scientific research, health care and emergency response.

“Families are also bearing the burden of the Trump Administration’s tariffs, making everything from groceries to car repairs more expensive. Tariffs will hit Washington — one of the most trade dependent states in the nation — especially hard. Nearly $120 billion in exports and imports flowed through Washington state ports last year. Approximately 40 percent of our jobs are tied to trade. Tariffs on our biggest trading partners will be damaging to our economy, and particularly hurt our farmers.

“We must ensure Washington is in the best possible financial position to weather more cuts and damaging economic policies from a Trump Administration that weaponizes funding to punish those it disagrees with and forces them into compromising their values.

“We need a balanced approach, using a reasonable amount of progressive revenue and adopting solutions to reduce our spending.

My concept that is state and local governments should not just act to mitigate the harms, they should explicitly enumerate them, debate them and condemn them, formally in a special dedicated period. For Trump is creating a fiscal, governing and democracy crisis in every government in every state in the country; and what is happening is so extraordinary, so destructive, so dangerous, so blatantly unconstitutional and illegal that we cannot treat the Trump Administration as a normal American Presidency or a normal American federal government any longer. For it isn’t. And we need to say so, loudly, everywhere, formally, aggressively. In an ideal world we would do it around July 4th, a day that we should make a very bad day for Trump, as it a national day of celebration of our independence from a mad, malevolent leader just like him.

Hopium paid subscribers should weigh in on today’s post. Interested in getting as much feedback as I can.

Now, let’s get to work people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recommended Hopium Actions and Campaigns - Let’s focus on four current actions to channel our love of country and our frustrations into even more progress today:

1 - Demand Congress Take Back Their Tariff Authority From Trump - Call/contact your Senators and House Members today and demand they override and roll back these incredibly dangerous and destructive tariffs. Insist they sign on to the new resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine and others. Watch my new interview with Senator Kaine to learn more.

2 - Fight The Trump-Musk Attack On Our Government, Our Privacy And Our Constitutional Order - Encourage your Senators and Representatives to follow Senator Booker’s lead and let Facts be be submitted to a candid world in a joint Senate-House Letter to America; to hold their own hearings; to file criminal referrals for Musk and his malicious posse to DOJ/FBI and amicus briefs in the court cases regarding the usurpation of their Constitutional authorities or file suits of their own (House Dems began doing this several weeks ago). Encourage them to hold a daily morning press conference to more aggressively challenge Musk’s wild ransacking of the US government that is making America less prosperous, less healthy, less safe and far less respected in the world. Call to demand the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Watch my new discussion with Stuart Stevens and Rick Wilson of Lincoln Square and/or my new video, We Are Stronger, He Is Weaker, to learn more about why Congress must craft A Letter To America.

3 - Loudly Protest Trump’s Embrace of Russia and Abandonment of NATO and Europe - Let your electeds know you are outraged by traitorous Trump’s selling out of Zelenskyy, abandonment of Europe and embrace of Putin; and that we cannot accept this level of appeasement of someone who is a clear enemy of America and the West, and certainly not an ally. Demand that Trump not let his Saudi meeting w/Putin become our Munich; demand that he not become our Neville Chamberlain; demand that we rejoin our European and NATO allies in support of Zelenskyy and democracy here and everywhere. The country is not with Trump’s embrace of Putin and we must be very loud, very, very loud now. See my new essay on the need to support our allies and not surrender to Putin, and my new interview with Rep. Adam Smith, the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, one of the most important foreign policy voices in our party.

4 - Our Work In The States, The Spring Offensive - I am going to rework this section as so much has happened since we called on our community members to organize in the 17 most vulnerable Republican House seats. Rallies and protests have exploded across the country and the “Hands Off” events and Bernie/AOC tour have drawn extraordinary crowds. The DNC/House Dems/State Parties have kicked off People’s Town Halls in all 50 states. I have come to believe that we should be leaning on our state and local electeds to pursue these organized “condemnations” of the Trump regime and their betrayal of America. Let’s start talking now about what we are going to do on July 4th, a day with all of a sudden much more importance.

Here are the current list of People’s Town Halls folks can attend and support during the coming Easter recess:

• Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District “Good Trouble Festival” on April 22nd, represented by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan

• Colorado’s 8th Congressional District on April 24th, represented by Republican Rep. Gabe Evans

• North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District on April 24th represented by Republican Rep. and NRCC Chair Richard Hudson

• Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District on April 25th, represented by Republican Rep. Ann Wagner

Paid subscribers should self-report their actions today in our daily chat. So inspired by how hard so many of you are working. I want to make a special plea to all Hopium readers in states with Republican Senators - please make your calls, every day. Even 50 to 100 people calling every day in every red state can make a difference. We have hundreds of Hopium subscribers in every state in the country and it’s critical that we all do our part now.

For those wanting to do more traditional political/campaign work, we have the following Hopium-backed efforts we're rallying behind:

Help Abigail Spanberger Win Virginia - Virginia will be one of the big battlegrounds of the November, 2025 elections and we have a great candidate for Governor, Abigail Spanberger. Watch my interview with Abigail, donate, volunteer, and learn more here. Given how many federal employees live in Virginia, this race is also now on the front lines of the Trump/Musk assault on the federal government.

We’ve raised more than $81,000 so far towards our June 30th goal of $250,000 - thank you all. Let’s keep working it for Abigail!

Help Allison Riggs, Anderson Clayton And The NC Dems Stop The GOP’s From Stealing A Supreme Court Seat - A few weeks ago we began a campaign to raise $50,000 for Justice Allison Riggs, Anderson Clayton and the NC Dems. These funds will help the NC Dems get off to a great start in 2025 and help cover the costs of their fight to prevent the Republicans from stealing a Supreme Court seat we won together in 2024.

If you want to go deeper into the GOP’s rancid effort to steal a Supreme Court seat watch my new interviews with Justice Riggs and Anderson Clayton, the inspiring Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.

We’ve raised $41,000 so far towards our June 30th goal of $50,000 - thank you everyone!

Support The Hopium House 7 - We’ve begun our work to help flip the House next year by supporting and shoring up the 7 newly-elected battleground House Dems we helped elect last year. Catch our interviews with Derek Tran and Janelle Bynum and give to all 7 through a single donation on our new ActBlue page. Learn more about this important effort here.

We’ve already raised over $64,000 towards our $250,000 June 30th goal - thank you all!

Thank Senator Booker For Standing Up For America - Senator Booker is up for re-election next year and many of you asked if they could channel their support and appreciation for him through Hopium. So I’ve set up an ActBlue fundraising page for him with a goal of raising $100,000 by June 30th. We’ve already raised $21,000 - thank you all. Let’s be there for Senator Booker as he been there for us at this critical time.

Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you. We made progress this week but have so, so much work to do - Simon