The Dictatorship
Democrats have a secret weapon in the shutdown fight
This isn’t a normal government shutdownand past shutdowns shouldn’t be treated as models for how Democrats respond to their current crisis.
Trump lashing out over the shutdown is an opportunity for Democrats to get more Americans to confront the country’s slide into authoritarianism.
Refusing to help the Republican majority pass a budget and end the current shutdown is about more than energizing the Democratic base. Shutdowns inevitably harm federal workers and the millions of Americans who rely on their services, but the Trump administration is illegally removing federal employees and dismantling government programs already, part of its broader attack on constitutional checks and balances.
Painful as it may be, Democrats should refuse to play ball with the Trump administration.
Unfortunately, making things better for the American people coming out of this shutdown is probably not an option. Either Trump makes things worse with Democratic affirmation, or Trump makes things worse despite Democratic opposition. But in these unusual circumstances, things getting worse — and faster — could actually help pull America back from the brink of dictatorship.
Painful as it may be, Democrats should refuse to play ball with the Trump administration. This White House cannot credibly commit to following the law, and rather than enter budget negotiations in good faith, it threatens even more lawbreaking to force Democratic acquiescence. No matter what beneficial government programs a deal with Trump preserves on paper, making any deal with him signals acceptance of a situation Democrats should treat as untenable.
The United States government is not currently operating under the Constitution. The executive branch has usurped congressional authority, ignores numerous court orders and violates rights — transforming the country from a rule-of-law democracy into a deepening authoritarianism. The administration is consolidating institutional power at agencies that used to be professional and partially independent, most visibly at the Department of Justice. Broader regime consolidation is also happening outside government, as Trump-allied oligarchs take over more of the information ecosystem.
That requires a different counterstrategy than typical politics.
When the law required Trump to leave power after losing re-election in 2020, he attempted a self-coup — and that was before the Supreme Court majority helped him escape legal accountability for it — so there’s reason to fear he won’t step down as constitutionally required at the end of this term. In the meantime, the White House’s institutional control is likely to increase, even if it weakens the institutions in the process.
That means the best time for the opposition to take a stand, rather than settle for untrustworthy promises, is right now.
The administration’s desire for dominance is bottomless, but its capacity is not. The Trump White House is abusing power and hurting people but faces resistance from a deeply ingrained liberal and democratic American culture.
The main counterforce to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions is his deep and growing unpopularity. Trump’s approval rating is down to the high 30s, and he’s underwater on nearly every issueeven on supposed signatures like the economy and immigration.
The bigger the backlash to Trump’s overreach, the bigger a blue wave.
Growing societal opposition means more civil society leaders willing to say “no” — such as Disney/ABC reinstating Jimmy Kimmel after consumer pressure, or UC Berkeley law dean Erwin Chemerinsky calling Trump’s proposed deals with universities “extortion” and urging collective refusal.
Actions like these counteract Trump’s intimidation, making him seem smaller. By contrast, corporations, universities and other institutions surrendering without being forced makes him seem stronger, like the winds are blowing his way.
Societal opposition also has an institutional impact via state and congressional elections. Republicans are trying to corrupt them, such as with extreme red-state gerrymanders, some transparently aimed at disenfranchising Black voters.
But enough votes can overcome that, especially if retaliatory gerrymanders in California and other blue states help keep the playing field near even. However he might like to, Trump doesn’t currently hold enough power to rig independent elections in 50 states.
The bigger the backlash to Trump’s overreach, the bigger a blue wave. Democrats stand a decent chance of getting control of the House, which gives them powers of agenda setting, oversight and a piece of whatever remains of legislation. A big enough wave and they’ll capture the Senate too, but that’s a long shot given the seats up for election this year. Still, any gains in the Senate increase Democrats’ institutional leverage and their chance of taking control after the next election.
In normal politics, sustaining budget fights is hard for Democrats, because they’re the party more interested in government functioning. In 2011, a GOP-led House wrung big spending cuts out of the Obama administration by refusing to raise the debt ceiling, thereby holding America’s credit hostage. But Democratic opposition to Trump’s lawbreaking is a stronger principle and message, and so serious that taking a stand is worth whatever short-term pain it causes.
Ever the bully, Trump’s instinct is to threaten and escalate. Instead of cowing before that, pro-democracy forces should welcome it. The president acting like a repressive dictator now — instead of waiting for consolidated power — plays to the opposition’s advantage.
For example, Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced $8 billion in cuts to green energy funds from selected states, all of which have two Democratic senators and voted for Kamala Harris. That’s no less than taxation without representation. Those blue states — which include the biggest “donor states” that pay more in federal taxes than they get back, effectively subsidizing the rest — will have federal outlays unconstitutionally canceled, in violation of law duly passed by representatives from those states, among others.
Don’t buy the canard that this is retaliation for Democratic intransigence, or that shutdowns grant the executive branch vast new powers. Vought has advocated this sort of illegal rescission for years, including as the lead author of Project 2025.
Trump’s instinct is to threaten and escalate. Instead of cowing before that, pro-democracy forces should welcome it.
It’s hard in today’s information environment, but the more Americans see stuff like this, the better. In that sense, ICE reportedly planning to target Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show could yield something productive. While the actions themselves would be awful, seeing the cruelty and inhumanity play out during the year’s most watched event would force more Americans to reckon with the Trump administration’s attacks on rights.
“Win the shutdown” in the old sense does not apply. Trump and the Republicans control the White House, House and Senate, along with the Supreme Court. They can pass a budget on their own if they want. Yes, the filibuster sets a 60-vote threshold in the Senate, but a simple majority can easily change that, like Republicans recently did so they could confirm 48 judges at once.
Democrats should ignore hand-wringing pundits whose minds are stuck in the past, remember that the next national election is over a year away, and use that time to rally Americans against the forces destroying their democracy, strengthening the opposition’s hand for the even bigger fights to come.
Instead of rescuing Trump and Republicans from themselves, take an unwavering stand against their attack on constitutional democracy.
Nicholas Grossman is a political science professor at the University of Illinois, editor of Arc Digital and the author of “Drones and Terrorism.”
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrainand Kuwaiton Sunday following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the warif Washington continues its attacks.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuzwithout Iran’s oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Omanfor inbound and outbound traffic.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the claim that Tehran must govern the strait to the Persian Gulfthat once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas.
“Any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension,” Araghchi said.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite its location in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters. In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels going through a route near the Omani side.
A Pakistani official involved in the technical talks between the U.S. and Iran told MS NOW Sunday that talks between the sides are on hold given the ongoing fighting between the two sides. The source, who did not want to be named to discuss the sensitive matter, said the U.S., Iran, Pakistan and Qatar all have representatives currently in Switzerland to restart discussions when instructed to do so.
But the Trump administration said nothing has been canceled and technical talks are on track for the coming days.
Talks include arrangements around the strait, the removal of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran, and the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two sides have 60 days from their signing of the memorandum of understanding earlier this month to work out details.
Continued conflict in Lebanon threatens the agreement, which says fighting must end on all fronts before certain issues can be discussed.
Strikes target Gulf states hosting US military
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kuwait, which hosts a major U.S. military base, said air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the U.S. strikes in Iran. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Bahrain said the Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport and no one was killed. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The damaged building was not near its headquarters.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression.”
Later on Sunday, Qatar said a civilian had been killed, and another person was hurt, by shrapnel related to “military operations in the area” after a vessel didn’t return at its scheduled time on Saturday. It did not give details.
Trump accuses Iran of violating ceasefire
The U.S. military said it struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship on Saturday. The Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku carried crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar, another key mediator.
U.S. President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating the deal and warned of a point where the U.S. may “be forced to militarily complete the job.”
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote.
The exchanges of fire began when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vesseloff Oman on Thursday and the U.S. military retaliated.
Ship traffic on the strait had increased over the past 72 hours, “despite the elevated threat environment,” the multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, adding that “U.S.-assisted commercial transits continued uninterrupted.”
It said 89 such transits had been made, below the historical average of 138 vessels a day.
Iran calls for new ‘conflict control unit’ in Lebanon
Last week, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreementto end the latest fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, which began two days after the Iran war started when Hezbollah fired at Israel. Israel has responded with an invasion of southern Lebanon and it has said it will not withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed.
The agreement did not include Iran or Hezbollah, which has criticized itand rejected calls to disarm.
On Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister again said the U.S. must force Israel to halt attacks and withdraw. Israel occupies around 600 square kilometers (231 square miles) in southern Lebanon, which it says it needs as a security buffer.
Sporadic clashes have continued, and Hezbollah’s leader said Saturday that the group would continue fighting until Israel withdraws from Lebanon.
Key Iranian negotiator and parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday that a meeting of a new “conflict control unit” formed among Iran, the United States and Lebanon should meet as soon as possible, Iran’s state broadcaster reported.
Two strikes hit southern Lebanon on Sunday morning — one in Taybeh town and the other in the Nabatiyeh area, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Overnight, Hezbollah militants killed an Israeli soldier in Deir Siryan village in southern Lebanon, according to Israel’s military. Hezbollah did not comment.
Israel targets a village in Syria
Israel’s military targeted Abdin village in southern Syria’s Daraa province with artillery shelling Sunday evening, Syrian state media reported. There was no immediate report of casualties.
State news agency SANA earlier reported that residents had blocked the road into the village with stones to prevent Israeli forces from entering it again after they had entered and withdrawn.
Earlier Sunday, Israel’s military said it had killed several armed men in southern Syria but gave no details. There was no statement from Syrian officials.
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024 following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially called the move temporary, but more recently they have said they plan to occupy the zone indefinitely.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a message for political opponents using him as the new face of the Democratic Party: “Let them.”
Recent primary races in New York turned into a proxy war between progressives, including democratic socialists like Mamdani, and establishment Democratic politicians after candidates endorsed by Mamdani faced off against those endorsed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. After all three of Mamdani’s endorsements bore fruit, a national spotlight shone on the mayor as a growing influence in the Democratic Party.
Asked on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday how he felt about Republicans making him the “poster child” for the Democratic Party, Mamdani said, “Let them. We don’t have to ask ourselves what life looks like if a socialist wins. I won last November, and over the course of these last six months, what we’ve delivered for working people are the very things we were told were impossible.”
He touted recent campaign promises he delivered on, including freezing rents for nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments, expanding free child care and filling potholes across the city.
“I think we are seeing a hunger that is not just felt by New Yorkers, but frankly by Americans from coast to coast for a new politics, one that puts working people at the heart of it,” Mamdani told ABC.
Mamdani dismissed criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Jeffries, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, said last week that he and the mayor “agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements, and he’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward.” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said, “The effort to nationalize New York is going to fail.”
Mamdani said he’s focused on the three congressional candidates he has already endorsed: Brad LanderDarializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez. But he didn’t rule out future endorsements outside of New York.
“It’s not just New York City where working people are asking themselves ‘why can’t I afford my rent, why can’t I afford my groceries, why can’t I find enough money in my pocket for childcare no matter how hard I work?,’” Mamdani said.
When asked about a recent manifesto penned by a number of moderate House Democrats and Democratic candidates, promoting capitalism over socialism, Mamdani doubled down on his vision for the party.
“I’m not interested in writing a manifesto, or frankly, in reading one,” the mayor said. “I’m interested in delivering.”
Mamdani also criticized Democrats who continue to make antagonizing Trump the center of their politics rather than working people.
“You’ve got to have something that you are not just willing to stand up for, but that you’re also willing to explain how this is relevant to working people,” he said. “And I think this just comes back to the fact that I’m leading a city that’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. I could end the sentence there and say that life is great for 8.5 million people. But it’s also a city where one in four are living in poverty. And for far too many Americans, those contradictions have become their day to day life.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Despite remaining undefeated in the initial round of the World Cupthe Iran national team is going home after failing to secure enough points to advance. But they do not leave quietly.
Iran’s tumultuous journey in the World Cup has been the subject of widespread attention amid the U.S. war with Iran, with the United States being one of three countries hosting matches. The Iranian team captain, Mehdi Taremi, blamed FIFA, saying, “It’s a disaster World Cup. A disaster.”
“I mean, FIFA, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately they could not solve it since the beginning,” Taremi said at a press conference Friday after his team drew with Egypt, knocking Iran out of the tournament.
He pointed to the team’s biggest obstacle. “We don’t have our logistics people here. They don’t have a visa,” Taremi said, adding, “We always complain about these things but no one helps. No one.”
The Trump administration denied visas to key Iranian staff and severely restricted players’ travel. The team’s base camp was moved from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, where it was required to return immediately after each game.
“How is it possible we always have to travel from Tijuana? We love the people in Tijuana. We love Mexico,” the Iran team captain said, but added, “It’s not fair.”
Throughout the tournament, the Football Federation of Iran lamented the number of issues, threatening to lodge a formal complaint against FIFA. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team the “most oppressed” in the tournament. A few days before Iran’s final match against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, the U.S. loosened travel restrictions to allow players to enter the United States two days before the game.
“The Iran team will still be required to leave the day the match ends,” the Department of Homeland Security said ahead of the match. “The overall security measures and protocol are the same. We remain committed to providing the safest tournament possible for players, staff, and fans alike.”
Still, Iran finished Group G in third place with three points earned after drawing in its matches against Belgium, New Zealandand Egypt. Under FIFA’s new 48-team format, the top eight of third-place teams move on to the next round, but Iran narrowly fell short.
The team initially seemed poised to advance when it was tied with the same amount of points as Algeria, which scored a goal in stoppage-time against Austria Saturday night. But moments later, Austria tied the game, guaranteeing Iran’s elimination.
Off the field, tensions with Iran heightened Friday when the U.S. struck Iran despite signing a memorandum of understanding meant to halt hostilities in order to finalize a peace deal.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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- Iran soccer team leaves after narrow loss, denouncing ‘disaster World Cup’
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