Democracy Is on Fire Again — Here’s What We’re Doing About It Today
The news cycle is sprinting toward authoritarianism, and once again the adults in charge are either complicit, asleep, or actively pouring gasoline on the Constitution. From attacks on civil rights to unchecked executive power and the slow erosion of accountability, today’s headlines make one thing clear: silence is surrender. Resistance Kitty is not here for doomscrolling — we’re here for action. Below is what’s happening, why it matters, and exactly what you can do today to push back.
World War III
Aaron Parnas reports that several NATO allies — including Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada, and France — are deploying troops to Greenland at Denmark’s request to bolster Arctic security amid rising tensions sparked by President Trump’s renewed push for U.S. control of the island. European partners are signaling unity and resistance to any forced annexation while the U.S. ramps up rhetoric and geopolitical pressure, even as talk of possible military action against Iran looms. This isn’t routine patrol — it’s NATO moving forces into one of the world’s most strategic flashpoints in response to what many see as an American escalation.
Broligarchy
Media Matters Says ‘Bye Bye, X’ After Musk’s TOS Turns Platform Into Legal Trap
Media Matters — the liberal media watchdog that spent nearly 20 years fact-checking right-wing content on Twitter — just announced it’s quitting posting on X after Elon Musk’s company rewrote its terms of service in ways that could weaponize lawsuits against critics. The new rules try to force all disputes into a pro-Musk Texas court, essentially giving one judge massive power over litigation and making it riskier to stay. Media Matters isn’t deleting its account, but it’s going dark, leaving X with a big hole where one of the few organized fact-checking voices used to be — and raising fresh questions about how “free speech” really works on the billionaire’s platform.
America’s Gestapo
Whistleblower Says ICE Is Being Weaponized Into a Paramilitary Force Against Americans
A whistleblower quoted on The Left Hook claims that ICE has built secret, paramilitary-style programs under the Trump administration — units allegedly with “absolute immunity” and primed to target dissenters, immigrants, and anyone deemed “anti-American.” The piece ties this escalation to the fatal shooting of Renée Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis and to leaked documents suggesting the government wants to brand broad swaths of protest as “terrorism,” all while the Department of Homeland Security spins narratives about self-defense. This report paints a picture not of routine immigration enforcement, but of an agency being reshaped into a domestic strike force with frightening freedom-crushing potential.
Chamber of Morons
House Sends the Wrong Obamacare Bill to the Senate — Classic Congressional SNAFU
In a textbook Washington goof, the House actually sent the wrong bill text to the Senate for the 3-year Affordable Care Act subsidies extension — ditching the updated version Democrats passed and instead transmitting an old placeholder instead. Lawmakers had to scramble to ask the Senate to send it back so they could fix the error, with one Democrat flat-out calling the whole thing “amateur hour.” This isn’t just clerical chaos — it’s symptomatic of a Congress that can’t even manage basic paperwork while millions depend on these subsidies.
Cheeto von Schitzenpantz
Trump Freezes Visas to 75 Countries — More Than a Third of the World Locked Out
A leaked State Department cable shows the Trump administration is indefinitely pausing immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries starting January 21 — including war-torn nations and long-standing U.S. partners like Brazil, Russia, Iran, Nigeria, and Somalia — under the guise of keeping out “public charge” immigrants. This isn’t a travel ban on tourists, it’s a sweeping suspension of legal immigration pathways that affects family unification, employment-based visas, and could leave spouses, kids, and workers stranded abroad while bolstering xenophobic policy claims. Immigrant rights advocates warn the reasoning is flimsy and racist, and that millions could be blocked from coming to the U.S. just because of where they were born.
Trump Threatens to Invoke Insurrection Act on U.S. Soil — Literal Military Law Against Protesters
In a shocking escalation, Donald Trump has openly threatened to use the Insurrection Act — a law that allows the president to deploy the military against domestic unrest — to crack down on protests in Minnesota. This follows a night of federal forces, including ICE agents, using militarized tactics on demonstrators after another person was shot and unrest grew in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as tensions skyrocket and federal labeling of protests as “insurrection” piles on.
The Resistance
Giraffe vs. ICE: When Protest Art Gets Tackled by Federal Agents
Robby Roadsteamer — the guy in the full-body giraffe suit singing parody songs about ICE and Trump — got yanked off the street by federal agents in Minneapolis during protests sparked by the killing of Renee Good. He’s not just clowning around; he turns absurdity into protest fuel, mocking ICE’s tactical theatrics and trying to make people laugh at the cruelty that’s creeping in. Whether you think it’s performance art or prophetic mockery, this arrest shows how unhinged federal policing has become when a costume gets treated like an enemy combatant.
OHIO Goes Full FBI Neighbor: Door-to-Door Panic Post Blows Up on IG
Some Instagram account is spreading a “knock knock, who’s there?” panic about door-to-door visitors sweeping through Ohio — and the feed wants you to share it everywhere. The vibe’s pure paranoid town meeting energy: “Know your rights!!” with no context on who’s knocking or why. This is how rumor vacuum cleaners spread fear faster than facts.
Not a Spy Tower, Just a Fancy Smoke-Alarm (But the Cops Sold It Like a Missile)
Some IG genius posted what looks like a rogue cell tower and the internet immediately lost its mind. Turns out the gadget doesn’t hack your phone or block your signal — think smoke detector, not a surveillance death ray. Still, the cops marketed it with all the subtlety of a laser-guided missile. So yes: it’s weird, kinda harmless, and absolutely worth calling out.
America’s Gestapo
Pam Bondi Takes the Hot Seat: AG Testifies Before Senate as DOJ Weaponization Fears Grow
Attorney General Pam Bondi was grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a high-stakes oversight hearing — her first major appearance since the Justice Department under her leadership secured the controversial indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Critics from both sides of the aisle are sounding alarms that the DOJ has been politicized and used to pursue President Trump’s perceived enemies, while Bondi defends her tenure and insists she’s ending “weaponization” of the department. Democrats pressed her on firings of career prosecutors, civil rights division departures, refusal to explain key decisions, and broader concerns about the rule of law.
Leaked Docs Show ICE Is Running 21 Covert Ops Against Immigrants and Us
Investigative reporter Ken Klippenstein just dropped a bombshell leak: a 15-page “law enforcement sensitive” document outlining 21 secret ICE operations — with names like Operation Abracadabra, Benchwarmer, Tidal Wave and more — that go far beyond border arrests and seem built for intelligence gathering on immigrants and Americans alike. These campaigns, which have already resulted in thousands of apprehensions since last June, reportedly embed agents in detention facilities, interrogate 100% of detainees to build future targets, and coordinate with local cops and other agencies in ways critics say reek of domestic surveillance. This isn’t routine enforcement — it’s a sweeping, hidden network of programs that have barely been acknowledged publicly.
Federal Agents Keep Shooting Protesters — One Loses an Eye, Minneapolis Erupts Again
Independent outlets are reporting that federal agents have again wounded demonstrators — including one man who was reportedly hit in the face with a projectile at close range and permanently lost vision in one eye during an anti-ICE protest in Santa Ana, Calif. — as part of a wave of federal enforcement that’s now sparked clashes across the country. In Minneapolis, a Venezuelan man was shot in the leg by an ICE officer during a traffic stop — the second controversial ICE-involved shooting in under two weeks — triggering fresh protests and denunciations from local leaders who call the deployments “unsustainable.” These incidents unfold amid broader unrest over the killing of protester Renée Nicole Good and national tensions over immigration enforcement and federal policing tactics.
Racist ICE Prosecutor Gets His Job Back — Yep, You Read That Right
James “Jim” Rodden — the ICE lawyer previously exposed for running a white-supremacist X account that spewed stuff like “America is a White nation” and anti-migrant racism — has quietly returned to the Dallas immigration courtroom where he prosecutes people’s lives. Congress pressed ICE for answers after the original exposé, but now Rodden’s back at his desk with no public accountability and zero real consequences. This is exactly why calls to defund and dismantle ICE aren’t fringe — they’re basic integrity checks on a system that’s supposed to administer justice, not amplify hate.
Epstein Trump Pedo”files”
Epstein Survivors Snap — Demand Federal Watchdog Step In as DOJ Fumbles Files
Epstein survivors aren’t waiting around anymore — they just officially asked the Department of Justice’s Inspector General to investigate how the DOJ has been releasing Epstein-related records, saying the whole process has been a trainwreck of bad redactions and exposed identities. Survivors argue the transparency effort has failed at basic survivor protection, left identifying info visible while hiding details about alleged facilitators, and has eroded trust in the system meant to hold powerful abusers to account. They want independent federal oversight, not sloppy releases that retraumatize victims and protect the powerful.
Mystery Epstein Audio Goes Viral — Who Actually Is Sasha Riley?
A Substack piece has launched a wave of wild claims linked to audio recordings from a man named Sasha (or Sascha) Riley, who says he’s an Iraq War vet and survivor of alleged Epstein-era trafficking. Those tapes — which allege abuse and name powerful figures — are spreading across social platforms, but none of the claims have been verified by courts, authorities, or reputable news outlets. What’s instantly grabbing eyes and igniting outrage might be headline-fuel, but it’s currently unconfirmed testimony, not established fact — and the journalist releasing the audio is a Canadian Substack author with no major media credentials, which has only added to the online noise and skepticism.
What We Are Watching
- House Session Live
- NSA Director Nominee Testifies at Confirmation Hearing Live
- Senate Session Live
- Lawmakers Hear Testimony on Impact of Technology on America’s Youth Live
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Reporters
- United Nations Security Council Emergency Meeting on Iran
- President Trump Hosts 2025 Stanley Cup Champions
Today’s Call to Action
- Email all the MN ICE Evidence you have HERE
- Read Today’s Survival Guide: How to Establish a Community Safe House (Without Putting Anyone at Risk)
- Read Today’s Epstein News Update
- Send these prewritten emails
- Demand Senate Republicans stop blocking affordable healthcare
- Sign and send a letter to your U.S. senators: Co-sponsor legislation that would block Donald Trump’s use of military force in Greenland
- Demand Congress stop funding the inhumane and lethal tactics of DHS and ICE amidst ongoing investigations.
- Sign these petitions
History doesn’t remember who stayed comfortable — it remembers who showed up. Every call placed, petition signed, boycott joined, and neighbor protected is a brick in the wall against authoritarianism. You don’t need permission to resist, and you don’t need to do everything — just do something. Resistance Kitty will be back tomorrow with claws out, receipts ready, and another to-do list for saving democracy one small, furious action at a time.