The Rule of Law is the Only King We Need

Today, from coast to coast, millions are expected to turn out for “No Kings” protests—demonstrations organizers say are about preserving the principles America was founded on and resisting what they see as an authoritarian regime, not unlike King George III’s rule over the colonies.

Conservatives are trying to discredit the movement, branding the events as “hate rallies” and claiming—without evidence—that participants are paid agitators. House Speaker Mike Johnson has called it a “Hate America” rally and even labeled supporters “pro-Hamas.”

Nothing is more American than fighting for freedom and against tyranny. And these demonstrations are expected to be even larger than the No Kings protests in June—a show of solidarity that poses a real threat to anyone clinging to power by a thread, like a cornered cat lashing out.

Organizers are stressing to participants to remain calm and avoid violence. Some are even expected to arrive in costumes. Imagine the optics of the National Guard teargassing and arresting giant frogs while Republican lawmakers label them terrorists.

To others, the protests may look performative. But protests are powerful symbols of collective strength—reminders that real power emerges when people stand together and a call to others to find the courage to fight for the country they love.

This week:

• On Monday morning, Hamas released the remaining living hostages—20 people, including two Israeli soldiers. Only after that did Israel release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and hostages from its prisons, including five children, most of whom were taken after October 7. Especially disturbing was Israel’s return of 135 Palestinian bodies that had been withheld from their families, in some cases for years. Health officials in Gaza say many of the bodies—some charred and unrecognizable—show signs of torture, including rope marks around their necks and tank tracks across their torsos, as if they had been run over. Others showed burns and wounds that indicate “severe physical torture,” evidence that human rights experts say could amount to war crimes. More in Gaza below.
• The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could gut one of the nation’s most important civil rights protections and reshape elections for decades. At issue is Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which bans racially discriminatory voting laws. In the case, Louisiana v. Callais, white plaintiffs argue that redrawing districts to give Black voters fair representation violates their constitutional rights. A ruling in their favor could open the door to widespread gerrymandering ahead of next year’s midterm elections. More in Top Story.
• In a rare act of collective protest over press freedom restrictions, the Pentagon press corps turned in their credentials and walked out Wednesday after refusing to agree to new rules that limited their ability to report, including a requirement that the Department of Defense approve stories in advance—even those involving unclassified information. Hegseth and Trump claimed the rules were necessary because the press is “disruptive,” while conservatives falsely claimed reporters were expelled. Even Fox News—Hegseth’s former network—walked out. Fox News analyst and retired Army Gen. Jack Keane said, “What they’re really doing, they want to spoon-feed information to the journalist, and that would be their story. That’s not journalism.”
• On Friday, John Bolton surrendered to authorities after being indicted on 18 counts of mishandling classified information. Prosecutors say Bolton—who served in Trump’s first administration as national security adviser before being fired—shared top secret documents with his wife and daughter that could have jeopardized national security if they were disclosed, according to the AP. In August, the FBI searched Bolton’s home and removed boxes of evidence. What makes this case different from the seemingly politically motivated prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James—both recently indicted—is that Bolton’s case is being handled by a team of career national security prosecutors and appears to have substantive evidence behind it. The Comey and James cases, by contrast, are led by Lindsay Halligan, a lawyer with no trial experience who replaced Erik Siebert after he declined to bring charges against Comey due to lack of evidence. Bolton’s lawyers say he is innocent and argue that the matter was “investigated and resolved years ago,”setting up a legal test for the Trump administration’s claims that it is not targeting political enemies.

In 2020, a group of Black voters sued the state of Louisiana, arguing that its congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act. Out of six districts, only one had a majority-Black population — even though about 30% of Louisiana’s residents are Black. A federal court agreed, ruling that the map diluted Black voting power and ordering lawmakers to draw a second majority-Black district. Lawmakers complied and approved new maps.

Soon after, a group of white voters filed their own lawsuit. They claimed the new maps violated their constitutional rights under the 14th and 15th Amendments, arguing that the state had relied too heavily on race when drawing the new districts. That case — Louisiana v. Callais — is now before the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments this week.

The stakes could not be higher. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 — a cornerstone of the civil rights movement — was designed to stop states from passing racist voting laws or gerrymandering districts to weaken minority political power. It also allowed the federal government to review proposed voting changes to ensure they weren’t discriminatory. But over the past decade, the Supreme Court has struck down or hollowed out major sections of the law, eroding those protections.

What remains is Section 2, which bans any voting law or practice that discriminates on the basis of race, color, or language. It is one of the last tools available to challenge racially biased maps — including Louisiana’s.

Now the Court is weighing a fundamental question: Is Section 2 itself constitutional if its enforcement affects white voters’ rights? The plaintiffs argue that using race to remedy racial discrimination is itself discriminatory. If a majority of justices agree, they could severely weaken — or even dismantle — what’s left of the Voting Rights Act.

The consequences would be sweeping. State legislatures would have far more freedom to redraw maps that entrench Republican power and dilute minority voting strength. Analysts say Democrats could lose about a dozen House seats in the South alone, potentially locking in Republican control and reshaping the balance of power in Washington for years.

A decision is expected sometime next year. If Section 2 is struck down, one looming question is whether Republicans would have enough time to redraw congressional maps before voters head vote in next year's midterm elections.

Palestinian Hostages

Israel still holds more than 11,000 Palestinians in its prisons, nearly one-third of whom have never been charged with a crime — a practice widely condemned by rights groups as “administrative detention” and a violation of international law. Only about a quarter of those detained are “classified as fighters.”

Among them is Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, abducted from Kamal Adwan Hospital last December and held without charge ever since. This week, an Israeli court extended his detention for another six months.

Israel also expelled more than 150 Palestinians released in the ceasefire from Gaza or the occupied West Bank to other countries — without notifying their families. The forced deportations mean they are now separated from their loved ones, who are barred from visiting them under Israel’s occupation policies.

Israeli Hostages

Before the ceasefire deal was signed, Hamas told negotiators that locating the bodies of 28 dead hostages would be nearly impossible without the heavy machinery needed to clear the 55 million tons of rubble blanketing Gaza — and certainly not possible within the 72-hour deadline set by the agreement. Hamas located and returned nine bodies, but Israel has accused it of violating the deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists Hamas knows where the other bodies are and warned that Israel will “act accordingly” if they are not returned. But knowing where they are and being able to extract them from under millions of tons of concrete are not the same thing — and Israel’s own actions are making recovery even harder.

Israel is itself violating the ceasefire by:

• killing dozens of Palestinians in the past week, including people attempting to return to their destroyed homes.
• blocking the Rafah crossing — a critical lifeline for food, medicine, and aid to reach the south.
• only permitting about 100 humanitarian aid trucks per day, far below the 600 it agreed to.
• and blocking the heavy machinery needed to clear rubble and recover bodies — both Palestinian and Israeli. Turkiye has deployed an 80-person search and rescue team, but Israeli authorities are preventing them from entering through Rafah.

Armed Gangs and Infighting

Reports emerged this week of armed Hamas members executing people accused of collaborating with Israel. Asked about it, Trump said he had given Hamas permission and “didn’t mind” if they targeted rival gangs — the same groups Israel has admitted to arming to destabilize Gaza.

“They did take out a couple of gangs that were very bad, very, very bad gangs,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “And they did take them out, and they killed a number of gang members. And that didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you. That’s OK,” he added.

He later reversed course and threatened Hamas: “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them.” He added, “Somebody will go in. It’s not going to be us.”

At least 27 people were killed in clashes between Hamas and armed gangs. Among them was 28-year-old journalist Saleh Aljafarawi, who just days earlier had been cheerfully announcing the ceasefire. He was shot by one of the armed gangs while still wearing his press vest. That same day, Israeli authorities released his brother from prison as part of the hostage exchange.

Meanwhile, activist Greta Thunberg — detained by Israel after they illegally intercepted the Sumud Flotilla — says she was tortured by Israeli guards.

• On Friday, Trump met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the White House. Zelenskyy requested Tomahawk missiles to counter Russia. Trump hasn’t committed and says Putin warned him it would be a “grave mistake.” Trump is planning a second meeting with Putin in Budapest after their August sit-down in Alaska ended without progress. (And yes, Zelenskyy wore a jacket this time).

Oh, the Hypocrisy

• SHOT: Republicans were caught using racist, homophobic, and Nazi-style slurs in a group chat. JD Vance excused it as “kids being kids” — though all participants were adults. In an interview, Vance said “edgy, offensive jokes” shouldn’t “ruin lives.”
• CHASER: Trump posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk, a figure condemned for racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic, and transphobic rhetoric. His widow accepted on his behalf.
• CHERRY ON TOP: The State Department revoked visas of six people accused of “celebrating” Kirk’s assassination online — though free speech protections apply to anyone inside the U.S.

Abuse of Power

• U.S. forces struck another vessel in the Caribbean, the sixth since September. Twenty-eight people have been killed. Trump says the U.S. is “at war” with Venezuelan cartels, a claim that expands his powers without Congress. Legal scholars warn it’s a dangerous overreach. In the latest strike, the US said there were survivors who have been detained.
  • Trump also says he’s considering land strikes in Venezuela. After one attack killed 27, he bragged about sending the CIA into the country. With no formal war declared, experts warn these actions may amount to war crimes.
  • Meanwhile, Venezuela continues accepting deportation flights from the U.S., even as experts note the country isn’t a major source of fentanyl and most cocaine trafficked through the Caribbean isn’t bound for North America.
• Semafor reports that U.S. banks are in talks with Treasury to loan $20 billion to Argentina — on top of Trump’s $20 billion pledge to ally Javier Milei before elections. Trump tied the aid to Milei’s reelection, though Treasury tried to walk it back.
  • In a rare split, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted Trump’s Argentina bailout as “antithetical” to America First. “Americans are getting decimated with high cost of living… Tell me how it’s America First to bail out a foreign country with $20 [billion] or even $40 BILLION taxpayer dollars,” she wrote on X.
  • Politico’s analysis: "Argentina stands in contrast to prior interventions in the Latin American economy, which has been the largest borrower from the International Monetary Fund in recent years, and underscores the lengths Trump is willing to go to support his political allies abroad.”
• Despite a judge’s ban on forceful tactics, federal agents used tear gas in Chicago after a car chase ended in a crash. Gas hit 13 police officers along with civilians. ICE raids under “Operation Midway Blitz” have triggered multiple clashes. A judge has now ordered ICE’s field director to testify and required agents to wear body cameras.
• Trump commuted the sentence of George Santos after serving fewer than three months in prison for fraud and money laundering. Weirdly, Trump said Santos’s crimes were “not as bad” as Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s false Vietnam claims — praising Santos for “ALWAYS VOT[ING] REPUBLICAN.”

Shutdown News

• A federal judge blocked Trump from firing federal workers during the shutdown, calling it “illegal and in excess of authority.” The administration had sent 4,000 termination notices — aiming for 10,000. Trump plans to appeal.
• As the shutdown enters week three, both parties remain dug in. The House has canceled all business for the coming week. House Speaker Mike Johnson still refuses to swear in Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ). Grijalva has said she'll be the 218th signataure on a discharge petition required for Democrats to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. Democrats say that's why Johnson won't swear her in and are threatening legal action.
• Major airports, including in New York and Atlanta, have refused to air a DHS video blaming Democrats. Nearly all TSA staff are working unpaid, and under the Hatch Act cannot distribute partisan messages.

Immigration & Human Rights

• ICE agents are using full-body restraints to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants — sometimes for hours. The practice dates back to at least 2020.
• Rep. Pramila Jayapal says 20 people have died in ICE custody since Trump took office.
• ProPublica reports ICE has detained at least 170 U.S. citizens — including 20 children. Many were abused; 130 were arrested for allegedly “interfering” with operations. Reports describe citizens being tackled, beaten, tased, and even shot by agents. At least 20 were held over a day without contacting families or lawyers.
• DHS has spent $51 million on ads thanking Trump for “securing the border” and warning immigrants to “leave now.” Officials claim it’s a public service campaign.

Promising News

• Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), now running for Senate, returned $42,000 in AIPAC donations and vowed to reject future contributions. “I’m a friend of Israel, but not of its current government, and AIPAC’s mission today is to back that government. I don’t support that direction,” he said.
• USC announced it will not sign Trump’s political “compact,” which threatened to strip federal benefits from universities unless they allowed the government to dictate policies from admissions to hiring. MIT has said the same.
• Oklahoma’s new superintendent rescinded his predecessor’s mandate requiring the Bible be incorporated into public school classrooms and lesson plans.

• Legendary rock band KISS guitarist Ace Frehley died this week. He was 74.
• Ahead of the posthumous release of Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre’s memoir — which offers new details of the abuse she says she suffered by Epstein and Prince Andrew when she was 17 — the Duke of York announced he is relinquishing his royal titles after discussions with his older brother, King Charles. Andrew denies the accusations.

Have suggestions, feedback, or questions? Email me at huma@fromthefifth.com.

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