Blue states begin ICE out

Even as national Democrats begin to crumble

Welcome to a Wednesday evening edition of Progress Report.

It’s now been just over two months since I underwent my sixth (!) open-heart surgery, and though the pace and bleakness of the news has been less than helpful for my recovery, I am making decent progress. As I near a return to semi-regular life, I’ve been mulling over how I can better structure this newsletter, to make sure it’s not just informative but also consistent.

So far, I’ve landed on a few different things. On Wednesdays, I’ll be sending out midweek news roundups, and on Saturdays, I’m launching a special edition for paid subscribers called Wins and Losers that looks at the good news (and good news about bad people) from the week. And throughout the week, I’ll be running interviews with activists, lawmakers, experts, and candidates, often through Substack’s live stream and podcast mode.

Now would be a great time to becoming a paid subscriber!

Note: The far-right’s fascist takeover of this country is being aided by the media’s total capitulation to Trump’s extortion. It’s never been more critical to have a bold independent media willing to speak up against the powerful. That’s what I’m trying to do here at Progress Report.

For a limited time, you can help keep Progress Report afloat and build that network for just $5 $2.50 a month — every subscription helps!

---

---

Donald Trump’s panic over the “optics” of the murderous ICE occupation of Minneapolis has led to cosmetic changes — he’s an expert on those — but very few meaningful adjustments. As of this afternoon, that seems to be the direction of travel for Senate Democrats, their intrepid leader Chuck Schumer having just released a weak list of “demands” that would unlock his caucus’s votes to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Discouraging, depressing, but not altogether surprising: winning real change in this country isn’t quite Sisyphean, but it’s a long, hard slog.

For Democratic lawmakers at the state and local level, at least, the lawlessness and chaos of Operation Metro Surge has sparked or further encouraged a flurry of new bills aimed at protecting residents from federal immigration shock troops.

This week, Democrats in both Maryland and New Mexico advanced bills that would ban municipal governments from cooperating with ICE, including entering 287(g) cooperation agreements with ICE, which enable local cops to identify undocumented immigrants in their custody and transfer them to the feds. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the majority leader in New York’s state Senate, has signaled her support for additional sanctuary state laws, though Gov. Kathy Hochul has not indicated where she stands on the matter.

In Colorado, activists on both sides of the issue have been very busy: a day before Alex Pretti was murdered in cold blood, a conservative think tank qualified a ballot initiative that would repeal the state’s laws limiting cooperating with ICE.

Lawmakers in Maryland, California, Colorado, Georgia, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania, among other states, are considering legislation that would allow local residents to sue federal agents for civil rights violations; Democrats have majorities in CA, CO, NY, and OR. Illinois passed a similar law last year and is being sued by the Department of Justice.

Relatedly, district attorneys in a number of major and mid-sized cities said they plan to work together to prosecute violent federal immigration agents who violate people’s rights. Nine progressive prosecutors have banded together to form an organization called Project for the Fight Against Federal Overreach — or as they’re calling it, FAFO.

There are at least 15 states considering bills that would ban ICE agents from wearing face masks, a law first passed by California this past fall. Earlier this month, Arizona state Sen. Analise Ortiz told Progress Report that she hoped that the closely divided legislature would consider a similar bill.

Municipal lawmakers are also looking to get into the action, including in Philadelphia, where city council members introduced ICE OUT, a bill to ban non-undercover federal agents from wearing masks, using unmarked vehicles, utilizing city property as staging areas, and other impositions.

Those new rules would mark an escalation from current sanctuary city and state laws, which have led to the federal government to pull back funds from major cities. In Oregon, lawmakers are weighing a measure that withhold money from the federal government so long as the state refuses to openly cooperate with ICE.

Direct Democracy, Voting Rights, and Corporate Shenanigans

🗳️ Missouri: The state Supreme Court unanimously struck down a law that Republicans passed last year as part of their broader attempt to throttle the ballot initiative process.

The bill was initially intended to prevent courts from revising misleading ballot initiative summaries written by the state attorney general, but tricking voters wasn’t enough for Republicans in the General Assembly.

Instead, the legislature added in lots of other abuses of power that wound up “stretching the boundaries of logic,” as the state Supreme Court’s chief justice wrote in his opinion.

🗺️ Utah: Republican lawmakers who want to gerrymander the state’s Congressional map are fighting a losing battle on all fronts.

Last year, they had their rigged map tossed out by a state judge who ruled that it very clearly violated Proposition 4, a voter-approved constitutional amendment that created an independent redistricting commission and banned gerrymandering back in 2018. Republicans in the legislature tried to repeal the amendment themselves, but alas, the state Supreme Court told them that they had to respect the will of voters. In November, the judge who tossed the gerrymander implemented a map that is very likely to result in a Democrat joining the state’s Congressional delegation.

Determined to cheat, Republicans in December launched a campaign to repeal Prop 4 via a second constitutional amendment — and so far, that’s going over like a lead balloon. According to a new poll, two thirds of Utahns support Prop 4, while 57% of Utahns are opposed to repealing the ban on gerrymandering, including an astonishing 47% of Republican voters.

It’s no wonder that GOP-hired canvassers are struggling to get voters to sign petitions to qualify the amendment for the ballot on November; as of Monday, they had just 57,000 of the more than 140,000 signatures due on February 14th.

🥑 California: There’s a whole lot going on in the Golden State, where direct democracy has always thrived —and more recently been available for purchase, at the expense of workers and civic fairness.

On that note: Uber, a key backer of Prop 22, the scummy initiative that condemned gig workers in California to second class citizen status, is back at it, pushing another misleading initiative. This one would cap attorney fees and limit standard compensation for medical professionals who treat victims of car accidents, which would overwhelmingly benefit ride share companies like Uber as well as insurance companies. It would make life hell for underinsured and uninsured people in particular, because it would severely restrict who is willing (and can sustainably afford) to provide emergency services.

Speaking of ultra-rich tech megalomaniacs who think government exists to protect and enhance their bottomless bank accounts, the billionaires are coming out in full force against the 5% wealth tax that won’t have any actual impact on their personal finances. And consultants are making out like bandits on it!

Down in Los Angeles, the fight over the “controversial” mansion tax continues, as the city council debates proposed reforms that would exempt more properties from the levy, which charges 4% on real estate deals worth more than $5.3 million and 5.5% on deals above $10.6 million. Some studies have shown that the tax has slowed construction since its implementation, so there’s been a push to exempt apartment buildings fewer than 15 years old. The city council just punted on a vote over whether to put reforms on the ballot in June.

---

Wait, Before You Leave!

Progress Report has raised over $7 million dollars for progressive candidates and causes, breaks national stories about corrupt politicians, and delivers incisive analysis, and goes deep into the grassroots.

None of the money we’ve raised for candidates and causes goes to producing this newsletter or all of the related projects we put out. In fact, it costs me money to do this. So, I need your help.

For just $5 a month, you can buy a premium subscription that includes:

• Premium member-only newsletters with original reporting

• Financing new projects and paying new reporters

• Access to upcoming chats and live notes

You can also make a one-time donation to Progress Report’s GoFundMe campaign!