The Smile: 10/16

 

Hi friend, Happy Thursday! A federal judge just delivered a major win for workers and the rule of law — blocking Donald Trump’s plan to lay off thousands of federal employees during the shutdown. Judge Susan Illston ruled that Trump’s attempt to fire public servants was illegal and arbitrary, reminding the country that “you can’t do this in a nation of laws.”  ✍️ Add your name to applaud this ruling, stand with federal workers, and defend the rule of law against Trump’s reckless shutdown tactics. SUBSCRIBE & JOIN CIVIC SHOUT TO SPEAK OUT WITH OTHERS! And in more good news: Democrats are turning up the pressure on Speaker Johnson to seat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, a judge extended the ban on Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland, and Chicago courts blocked ICE from making arrests at courthouses. Let’s dive into the good news! 💛 Judge blocks Trump's layoffs during shutdown, calling them illegal SUBSCRIBE TO JOIN CIVIC SHOUT TO SPEAK OUT WITH OTHERS! Democrats ramp up pressure on Speaker Johnson to seat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva Newsom asks House panel to probe Young Republicans group chat THIS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS GOP ROT ELSEWHERE!  "VILE TEXTS EXPOSE GOP ROT" The Young Republican Telegram chat wasn’t private chatter. It was a window into a party teaching cruelty as culture; mocking decency and betraying the voters who trusted it. Michael Cohen Oct 16 ALL WHO POSTED SHOULD BE CALLED TO RESIGN JUST  AS VERMONT IS DOING! (Also note that the article originated from our loacl PBS STATION: WBUR - that's why PBS & NPR funding is crucial.) Vt. Republican state senator faces calls to resign after posting racist messages in group chat October 15, 2025 Peter Hirschfeld, Vermont Public excerpt: A first-term Republican state senator from Orleans County is facing pressure from members of his own party to resign after a story published by Politico Tuesday detailed his involvement in a racist text chat between members of Young Republican chapters in four states, including Vermont. Samuel Douglass, 27, was part of a historic red wave last November that saw the GOP pick up six seats in the Vermont Senate and reconfigure the balance of power in the Legislature. Last week, Douglass was one of six Republican lawmakers nominated for “Legislator of the Year” at the Vermont GOP’s Awards Night in South Burlington. On Tuesday evening, Republican Gov. Phil Scott called on Douglass to resign after a leaked group chat showed Douglass and his wife using racist and antisemitic language with fellow young Republicans from across the country. “The hateful statements made in this group chat are disgusting and unacceptable,” Scott said in a written statement Tuesday. “The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. There is simply no excuse for it. Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican party — including Vermont State Senator Sam Douglass.” https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/10/15/vermont-republican-senator-racist-group-chat-politico?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WBURToday_Editorial_101625&utm_term=calling+on+a%26nbsp%3bfirst-term+GOP+state+senator+to+resign&utm_id=152275&sfmc_id=24374920 Newsom asks House panel  to probe Young Republicans group chat by Ryan Mancini - 10/15/25 https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5557421-newsom-calls-investigation-young-republicans-texts/?utm_source=www.readthesmile.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=the-smile-10-16&_bhlid=95b0bd398b9d31bc5eb485aba1b698c2a298174f County judge in Chicago area bars ICE from arresting people at court Brown University rejects Trump proposal to overhaul policies for preferential funding 'A BIG GIFT': Boca Raton man raises $4,000 to help homeless man find housing MUST READ! THE KINDNESS & CARING OF A STRANGER!  WE ARE AMERICANS! WE ARE COMMUNITY THAT CARES Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Dips With Republicans Man proposes with the help of newborn's onesie MAGA Rage at “No Kings” Boils Over—and It Quickly Backfires on Trump MAGA Rage at “No Kings” Boils Over—and It Quickly Backfires on Trump As Trump allies smear the coming protests, a good writer on MAGA skewers the absurdity of these attacks on large swaths of Americans—and explains why our best recourse will be to turn out in force.excerpt: President Trump’s allies are suddenly raging over the October 18 No Kings protests. MAGA Mike Johnson and MAGA-fied Representative Steve Scalise are angrily sliming expected attendees as America-haters, antifa, Marxists, and terrorists. MAGA influencers and other GOP figures have done the same, with one hinting that the National Guard should crack down on them. This unanimity of messaging about “terrorists” means it’s all almost certainly being coordinated by Stephen Miller. Yet it’s backfiring: Democrats and rally organizers are using it to galvanize attendance, which will likely succeed. Robert De Niro amplified the call to turn out, inspiring more anger on Fox News. Indeed, the GOP demonization of legitimate protests itself ratifies the “No Kings” message. We talked to Jill Lawrence, who writes well for The Bulwark on Trump’s hatred of blue America. We discuss why large legitimate protests infuriate Trump-MAGA, why the correct response to their smears is to turn out in force, and why that’s likely to happen. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here. Federal judge extends temporary orders barring Trump administration from deploying National Guard to Portland SUBSCRIBE TO JOIN CIVIC SHOUT TO SPEAK OUT WITH OTHERS! Today’s user-submitted photo comes from Maddie G., who shared the cutest photo of her dog, Louie! If you want the chance to have your photo featured, reply to this email 😄 Thank you for reading, and we hope these articles shine a light on your day. In solidarity, Emily from The Smile P.S. Know someone who could use a dose of good news? Forward this email and encourage them to subscribe to The Smile. Let’s spread the positivity together. 🌟

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