WMass adds its voice to ‘No Kings' Day protest at federal building on Saturday
The rally is expected to run from 12 to 2 p.m. in front of 300 State St.
The peaceful, nonpartisan event is one of about 1,800 such events planned across the country for Saturday.
Organizers are calling for 'accountability, democratic integrity, and a renewed commitment to constitutional values,' they said in a statement Wednesday.
The event is co-hosted by Rise Up Western Mass Indivisible; Indivisible Northampton/Swing Left Western Mass; Defending Democracy of Hampden County; and Northampton Resists.
Speakers will include: Massachusetts State Sen. Adam Gomez; John Bonifaz, a constitutional lawyer from Free Speech for People; John Paradis, retired U.S. Air Force officer and VoteVets member; Springfield City Councilor Zaida Govan; representatives from the Mass Senior Action Council, Young Feminist Party, Springfield No One Leaves, and others; plus statements from U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren.
'The Saturday rally — coinciding with Flag Day, the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, and the birthday of President Donald Trump — takes place as the president plans an unprecedented military parade in Washington, D.C.," organizers said. 'Critics note ... the display of tanks and troops reflects a push toward a more militarized form of leadership and personal image.'
Local organizers affirm that in the U.S., 'there are no kings — only the will of the people."
Attendees are encouraged to bring signs and to engage peacefully in the rally.
Read the original article on MassLive.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
15 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago's federal judges approve appointment of Andrew Boutros as US attorney
In a formerly rare move that's a sign of unusual times at the Justice Department, a panel of federal judges in Chicago has approved of Andrew Boutros' appointment by the Trump administration as U.S. attorney in Chicago. Boutros, 47, a former federal prosecutor, was selected by the Trump administration to serve in the powerful law enforcement post after a search process run by Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, of Peoria. He was appointed as an interim U.S. attorney — which means he was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate — for a 120-day term that began April 7. The order to approve the appointment beyond the 120-day term, which would have ended Aug. 5, was entered on Thursday by U.S. District Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall after the full court met in executive session on Monday. Boutros is the latest U.S. attorney nationally to go through a form of court-approval process as opposed to being nominated by the White House and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which is by far the more traditional path. Many of Trump's interim U.S. attorney appointments have been controversial, such as Alina Habba, the president's former defense lawyer, in New Jersey. Judges there recently declined to extend her 120-day term, prompting a political battle that is still ongoing. Judges in Chicago, however, are much more familiar with Boutros, a former assistant U.S. attorney and prominent lawyer in Chicago who is well-known in the city's legal circles. No time frame for Boutros' term was mentioned in Kendall's order and his appointment is believed to be open-ended. In a statement released Friday, Boutros called the vote of confidence 'the honor of a lifetime.' 'I am deeply grateful that two branches of our government have agreed upon my appointment,' Boutros said in a statement released Friday. 'I am thankful to Chief Judge Kendall and the U.S. District Court judges of the Northern District of Illinois for their confidence in me.' Boutros, the 42nd U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, leads an office of about 130 criminal and civil attorneys and dozens more support employees that has long been recognized as one of the busiest and most prominent in the country. He's a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Egypt. He attended Virginia Tech University and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2001. Boutros spent eight years as a federal prosecutor under then-U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, bringing a number of high-profile and complex prosecutions involving everything from international trade to dark web narcotics conspiracy. He'd most recently served as co-chair of the government investigations and white-collar group at Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP in Chicago. 'I didn't take this job because I thought it would be easy,' Boutros told a group of reporters who cover the federal courthouse shortly after taking over. 'I took this job knowing full well that there are tremendous pressures and expectations put on being U.S. attorney…But I believe and continue to believe that I am the right person for this job, and I will work tirelessly to carry out the mandate to the best of my ability.'
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Migrant sent to El Salvador prison by the Trump administration says he was beaten by guards
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Homeland Security said in an email that Rengel was a 'confirmed associate' of the Tren de Aragua gang — though it did not specify how it reached that conclusion — who had entered the country illegally. It called his claims a fake 'sob story.' Advertisement 'President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow foreign terrorist enemies to operate in our country and endanger Americans,' the email said. It added, 'We hear far too much about gang members and criminals' false sob stories and not enough about their victims.' Advertisement At El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, Rengel said guards hit him with fists and batons and, on one occasion, viciously beat him after taking him to an area of the prison without cameras. Rengel was sent to Venezuela earlier this month They are seeking compensation for emotional and psychological injuries. A federal judge ruled in June that the Trump administration must give some of the migrants sent to the prison in El Salvador a chance to challenge their deportations. U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg said the people hadn't been able to formally contest the removals or allegations that they were members of Tren de Aragua. He ordered the administration to work toward giving them a way to file those challenges. The judge wrote that 'significant evidence' had surfaced indicating that many of the migrants were not connected to the gang 'and thus were languishing in a foreign prison on flimsy, even frivolous, accusations.' At a hearing on Thursday, an attorney for the Trump administration told Boasberg it would not immediately bring the migrants sent from El Salvador to Venezuela as part of the prisoner exchange back to the U.S. Trump officials planned to await the outcome of other court cases before deciding whether to allow the migrants to return, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Tiberius Davis said. Boasberg had ordered the administration to turn planes carrying the accused gang members around, but the demand was ignored. Rengel's attorneys say he was on one of those planes. Advertisement The judge has found probable cause that the administration committed contempt of court. Boasberg said Thursday he planned to expand his contempt probe to include a recent whistleblower complaint that claims a top Justice Department official suggested the Trump administration might have to ignore court orders as it prepared to deport Venezuelan migrants it accused of being gang members.
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba to remain New Jersey prosecutor despite court decision
Her tenure thus far has been marked by partisan statements and bringing cases against Democrats. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, said on Thursday that she would seek to remain as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey despite a judicial decision this week not to extend her appointment. Habba's statement marked the latest challenge by the Trump administration to oversight by federal courts. Habba, who has no previous experience as a prosecutor, wrote on X that she was now the acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey. The Justice Department used a series of procedural maneuvers to attempt to circumvent the Tuesday decision by the U.S. District Court in New Jersey and keep her in the post, a department spokesperson told Reuters. "I don't cower to pressure," Habba wrote on X. "I don't answer to politics." Judges on the U.S. District Court in New Jersey declined to extend Habba's tenure as interim U.S. attorney, instead naming the second-highest ranking official in the office, Desiree Grace, as her replacement. But hours later Attorney General Pam Bondi said Grace had been removed, accusing the judges of having political motivations and seeking to thwart Trump's authority. U.S. law allows federal district courts to intervene if an interim U.S. attorney's 120-day term expires and courts have regularly invoked that authority. Grace, in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, said she was 'prepared to follow' the court's order and 'begin to serve in accordance with the law.' It was not immediately clear if either Grace or the District Court judges would attempt to challenge the maneuvers. Neither could immediately be reached for comment. Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, in Virginia, said the Trump administration appeared to have the legal authority for its moves, but they could further strain its relationship with federal courts. "It does undermine that authority from Congress," Tobias said, referring to courts' role in the process. "But that doesn't trouble this White House or this Justice Department." The judiciary has emerged as one of the few checks on Trump's aggressive use of presidential power in his second term. White House officials have accused judges who have blocked parts of Trump's agenda they have deemed unlawful of exceeding their authority and taking part in a 'judicial coup.' Habba has brought two criminal cases against Democratic officials during her time in office and drew criticism after saying she hoped to use her role to aid Republicans in New Jersey.
