Hate Symbols, “Not-So-Professional” Degrees, and a President Throwing Tantrums at the Troops
1. Coast Guard hate-symbol rollback (and whiplash)
The Coast Guard under Trump quietly moved to stop classifying swastikas and nooses as explicit “hate symbols,” downgrading them to merely “potentially divisive” under a new policy set to take effect in December. After public outrage and congressional pressure, they scrambled to reverse course and re-classify swastikas and nooses as hate symbols again, with an updated directive banning their display. (The Washington Post)
2. Trump’s Department of Education demotes whole professions
The Trump administration’s OBBBA rulemaking is redefining “professional degree” so narrowly that graduate programs in nursing, social work, public health, and other service fields are losing their “professional” status. That means lower federal loan limits, loss of some forgiveness options, and a harder financial path into already understaffed professions that keep people alive. It also means insurance will no longer cover these professions and allied health private practice. Expect salaries in these professionals to drop significantly. Eventually the professionals will die in a generation. (Nurse.org)
The initial list of victims looks like this:
- Nursing (including Ph.D.s)
- Physician assistants
- Physical therapists
- Audiologists
- Architects
- Accountants
- Educators
- Social workers/ Counselors
- Cyber Security/ IT
3. Trump vs. lawmakers reminding the military not to follow illegal orders
Six Democratic veterans in Congress released a short video reminding service members that they must refuse unlawful orders and uphold the Constitution. Trump responded by calling them “traitors,” demanding their arrest, and amplifying posts saying their actions were “seditious behavior, punishable by DEATH.” Military law experts, meanwhile, quietly confirmed the obvious: troops have a duty to refuse illegal commands. (AP News)
4. Ukraine “peace” deal that looks a lot like surrender
Trump’s 28-point “peace plan” for Ukraine, drafted with heavy Russian input, would hand over chunks of Ukrainian territory, cap the size of Ukraine’s military, and lock in restrictions that mirror Kremlin wish-lists. Reporting says the U.S. is pressuring Kyiv to sign quickly or risk losing support; Zelensky and many European leaders are calling the proposal absurd and unacceptable. (Sky News)
5. Rights under quiet attack at home
While all this is happening, voter-suppression laws like New Hampshire’s proof-of-citizenship requirement are turning people away from the polls, and Trump’s DHS is ramping up immigration raids that terrorize communities in places like Charlotte, North Carolina. These don’t get the screaming headlines, but they are part of the same authoritarian playbook. (New Hampshire Bulletin)
Why this matters
This isn’t a pile of random news; it’s a pattern.
- Downgrading hate symbols inside the military sends a signal that extremism is negotiable until the backlash gets loud enough.
- Redefining professional degrees to exclude care work makes it harder for regular people to access higher education while protecting high-status, high-earning professions.
- Threatening lawmakers for telling troops to follow the law is straight-up authoritarian signaling: loyalty to the leader over the Constitution.
- Pushing Ukraine into a rigged “peace” deal tells every smaller nation that U.S. security guarantees are conditional on one man’s optics.
- At home, voter suppression and immigration raids do the quiet work of shrinking who gets to be fully human in this system.
Together, they show an administration testing how far it can move the line—on hate, on law, on war, on who gets to learn, vote, or even exist safely—before we push back.
What we’re watching
- The final text and implementation of the Coast Guard hate-symbol policy, and whether Congress codifies stronger anti-extremism protections across all branches. (The Washington Post)
- The Department of Education’s formal rule text on professional degrees, Grad PLUS elimination, and how many programs (nursing, social work, public health) are hit hardest. (ASPPH)
- Any move by DOJ, the Pentagon, or Congress to respond to Trump’s “seditious behavior, punishable by death” rhetoric toward elected officials. (AP News)
- Whether the Ukraine peace plan is forced on Kyiv by Thanksgiving or stalls under European and Ukrainian resistance. (Sky News)
- Escalation of immigration raids and voter suppression efforts that quietly reshape who actually has power inside the U.S. system. (New Hampshire Bulletin)
Featured Media
- awesome — we’ve now reached the ‘execute Democrats’ phase of Mad King Fuckwit’s reign
- Message from Meidas Founder: MAGA DEATH SPIRAL!!!
- Brace Yourself for … Full. Blown. Panic.
To-do list
- Contact your members of Congress
- Demand explicit statutory bans on hate symbols (swastikas, nooses, Confederate iconography) in all U.S. military and federal facilities—and real enforcement, not “potentially divisive” word salad.
- Tell them to restore full loan access and professional status for nursing, public health, social work, and other care professions under any OBBBA implementation.
- Ask where they stand on Trump’s threats against lawmakers and insist they publicly defend the duty to refuse illegal orders.
- Write to the Department of Education (what’s left of it)
Submit a public comment (or email your story) about how the professional-degree definition and Grad PLUS changes will hit you, your students, or your patients. Policy people love to pretend there are “no real-world impacts” until they get flooded with receipts. - Support Ukraine on your turf
Call and email the White House and your representatives: no “peace plan” that forces Ukraine to give up land, military capacity, or sovereignty in exchange for temporary quiet. Demand transparency about the 28-point proposal. - Local democracy defense
Check your state’s registration and proof-of-citizenship rules and share them in your networks. Help at least one person verify their registration status or make a vote-by-mail plan in the next 48 hours. - Signal boost military resistance resources
Share GI Hotline info with any service members, vets, or military families you know. Make it normal to say: “You never have to face illegal orders alone.” - Read today’s Resistance Survival Guide: #157 How to Push Back When They Downgrade Your Degree
Featured resister: GI Hotline
GI Hotline is an independent resource that helps service members understand their rights, get legal help, and resist unlawful orders and abuse inside the chain of command. They provide confidential support, know military law better than half the people barking orders, and stand firmly on the side of conscience over authoritarian loyalty.
Support them by:
- Donating if you can
- Sharing their hotline information and educational materials
- Inviting them (or similar orgs) to speak at local vets’ groups, campus events, or community spaces
When a president is threatening lawmakers for defending the Constitution, GI Hotline is exactly the kind of infrastructure we need.
Featured boycott: Tesla and the authoritarian fan club
Tesla’s CEO has spent years flirting with fascists, amplifying disinformation, and turning his platforms into safe spaces for extremists. Organizers are already targeting Tesla with protests like the “Tesla Takedown” actions outside Tesla locations. (Action Network)
Pick one action:
- Skip Tesla products and services and say why, publicly.
- If you’re near Los Angeles, plug into a local Tesla Takedown protest or create your own solidarity action outside a dealership or branded site.
- Use your social media to connect this boycott explicitly to authoritarian funding and platforming.
Featured events
A couple of options you can plug into or use as inspiration:
- Feminist Generation Info Session – Women’s March (online/West Coast-based)
A November 21 info session focused on building the next generation of feminist organizers. If the timing or location doesn’t work, steal the format: host your own local “Feminist Generation” call or meet-up. (Women’s March) - Why We Need a General Strike – online teach-in
An online event focused on organizing for mass economic disruption. If you can’t join that specific call, organize a local reading group or watch-party on labor power and strike tactics. (Trumba) - Vigil for Palestine – recurring actions at the White House and elsewhere
Recurring vigils continue to demand a ceasefire and justice for Palestinians. If you’re not near DC, connect with local Palestine solidarity groups and mirror the action in your town. (Trumba)
Featured Petitions
- Tell the DOJ: Stop Trump’s Witch Hunt Against Eric Swalwell
- SIGN: Demand Democrats invest in state Supreme Court elections
- Do not pardon Ghislaine Maxwell!
- Tell the SEC: Hold Meta accountable for Facebook scams
- Call on Congress to oppose U.S. military aggression against Venezuela.
- Tell the Supreme Court: Don’t gut mail-in voting
- Tell Congress: REJECT Trump’s Big Tech Giveaway
- Tell Congress: Stop Trump’s Illegal War With Nigeria
Featured Auto Send Letters
- The Republican “UNtaxed Act” Would Sabotage Global Climate Action.
- HELP STOP FLORIDA’S PARTISAN AND ILLEGAL RACIAL GERRYMANDERING EFFORTS
- Tell the Senate: Vote NO on William Crain, Trump’s Dangerous Judicial Nominee.
- Stop the administration’s secret tax breaks for the rich and corporations
- Demand Congress extend the ACA tax credits and reverse Medicaid cuts.
- Protect Permanent Supportive Housing for People with Mental Illness
- Tell Congress: Extend Temporary Protected Status and Keep Families Safe from Deportation
- Tell your governor: Don’t deploy. Don’t comply. Speak out now and stand strong against Trump’s occupation of American cities.
Final rallying call from Resistance Kitty
The through-line this week is simple: they’re trying to normalize the abnormal.
- Hate symbols? “Potentially divisive.”
- Care professions? “Not really professional.”
- Lawmakers defending the Constitution? “Traitors, punishable by death.”
- Ukraine’s survival? A bargaining chip.
- Your vote and your neighbors’ safety? Collateral damage.
They’re stress-testing how much authoritarianism we’ll swallow before we hiss.
So don’t swallow it. Sharpen your claws on the phone lines to Congress, the comment periods at Ed, the streets outside Tesla, and the sidewalks where vigils stand in the cold. Support the GI Hotline. Show service members, students, workers, immigrants, Ukrainians, Palestinians, and every targeted group that they are not alone.
They’re rewriting the rules. We’re rewriting the ending.
Sources
- Washington Post and AP reporting on the Coast Guard’s attempted downgrade and rapid reversal on classifying swastikas and nooses as hate symbols. (The Washington Post)
- Nurse.org, ASPPH, CSWE, and policy analysis on Trump’s OBBBA professional-degree definition and its impact on nursing, social work, and public health students. (Nurse.org)
- AP, ABC News, and other outlets documenting Trump’s “seditious behavior, punishable by death” attacks on Democratic veterans’ video to service members. (AP News)
- Sky News, Washington Post, Guardian, Axios, and others on the 28-point Ukraine “peace plan” and U.S. pressure on Kyiv. (Sky News)
- New Hampshire Bulletin and Reuters on voter suppression via proof-of-citizenship rules and Trump-era immigration raids. (New Hampshire Bulletin)
- Women’s March calendar, movement calendars, and event listings for current feminist, pro-Palestine, and anti-authoritarian actions. (Women’s March)