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COMMENTARY: Right-wing disrupters

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Liberal and progressive individuals and institutions should expect disruptions to not only continue but to increase in scale. Given the signals that the Trump administration has conveyed to the political Right—as in suggesting that it is appropriate to beat up opponents—the rabid Right feels empowered.

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By Bill Fletcher, Jr., NNPA Newswire Contributor

Recently, I saw two separate stories about right-wing disrupters. In one case, a well-known bookstore in the Washington, DC area, “Politics & Prose,” was visited by right-wing disrupters during a book event focused on “whiteness.” In another case, a discussion of race and politics in the Dominican Republic was disrupted by alleged Dominican fascists who are allies of the grandson of the notorious Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo.

Liberal and progressive individuals and institutions should expect disruptions to not only continue but to increase in scale. Given the signals that the Trump administration has conveyed to the political Right—as in suggesting that it is appropriate to beat up opponents—the rabid Right feels empowered.

So, what does one do? Here are a few suggestions.

First, we should take personal and institutional security seriously. Disruption can be carried out through right-wingers simply chanting or it can take the extreme form of violent attacks, e.g., the bombings of mosques and synagogues; the assassination of progressives. This means ensuring that our institutions are protected and that there are security teams prepared to intervene when there is a threat of physical violence.

Second, be careful about provocations. The history of the COINTELPRO operation that disrupted progressive and radical groups in the 1960s and 1970s, demonstrates that agents and other disrupters can either carry out a provocation to encourage progressives to break the law, and/or they can infiltrate our organizations and institutions and covertly encourage us to carry out illegal activities. Many great activists found themselves incarcerated or killed as a result.

Third, establish clear rules for behavior at all events and meetings, and ensure that such rules are posted and/or circulated. It is not uncommon to have a provocateur(s) stand in a forum and speak beyond their time limit or to engage in forms of personal harassment. Under those circumstances it always needs to be made clear to the audience who is in the right and who is in the wrong before any actions are taken.

More than twenty years ago I saw an excellent example of the handling of a disrupter. Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, the iconic Irish leftist and nationalist, was delivering a presentation on the situation in Northern Ireland to an audience of hundreds. Well-known for her outspoken support of socialism, a united Ireland, and rights for the Catholic (nationalist) community in Northern Ireland, McAliskey was the subject of assassination attempts and various forms of harassment.

An opponent, who was obviously a supporter of Britain and the Protestant (Loyalist) community, surfaced in the audience during the question and answer. He started asking very provocative questions and clearly aimed to disrupt the event. Rather than evict the provocateur, McAliskey asked the provocateur questions and let him talk. Within a few minutes the provocateur demonstrated that he was an idiot and vanished.

We are not entering a new era. These sorts of disruptions have a long and ignominious history in the USA. Many people have forgotten this and act as if so-called civility is the normal state of affairs. The right-wing has little interest in civility but a great deal of interest in suppressing progressive thought.

So, get organized!

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the former president of TransAfrica Forum. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com. He is the author of the murder mystery The Man Who Fell From the Sky.

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#NNPA BlackPress

Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

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By Lauren Burke

By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.

The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.

“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.

“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable.  Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

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WATCH: NNPA Publishers Pivot To Survive

7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

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7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9oZc5Sz0jQQ&feature=oembed

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Congressional Black Caucus Challenges Target on Diversity

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted

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By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Target is grappling with worsening financial and reputational fallout as the national selective buying and public education program launched by the Black Press of America and other national and local leaders continues to erode the retailer’s sales and foot traffic. But a recent meeting that the retailer intended to keep quiet between CEO Brian Cornell and members of the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity Task Force was publicly reported after the Black Press discovered the session, and the CBC later put Target on blast.

“The Congressional Black Caucus met with the leadership of the Target Corporation on Capitol Hill to directly address deep concerns about the impact of the company’s unconscionable decision to end a number of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke stated. “Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted,” Congresswoman emphasized.  “Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and the Target Corporation’s bottom line. Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly.”

Lauren Burke, Capitol Hill correspondent for Black Press of America, was present when Target CEO Cornell and a contingent of Target officials arrived at the U.S. Capitol last month. “It’s always helpful to have meetings like this and get some candid feedback and continue to evolve our thinking,” Cornell told Burke as he exited the meeting. And walked down a long hallway in the Cannon House Office Building. “We look forward to follow-up conversations,” he stated. When asked if the issue of the ongoing boycott was discussed, Cornell’s response was, “That was not a big area of focus — we’re focused on running a great business each and every day. Take care of our teams. Take care of the guests who shop with us and do the right things in our communities.”

A national public education campaign on Target, spearheaded by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the NNPA’s board of directors, and with other national African American leaders, has combined consumer education efforts with a call for selective buying. The NNPA is a trade association that represents the more than 220 African American-owned newspapers and media companies known as the Black Press of America, the voice of 50 million African Americans across the nation. The coalition has requested that Target restore and expand its stated commitment to do business with local community-owned businesses inclusive of the Black Press of  America, and to significantly increase investment in Black-owned businesses and media, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU, Black-owned Banks, national Black Church denominations, and grassroots and local organizations committed to improving the quality of life of all Americans, and especially those from underserved communities. According to Target’s latest earnings report, net sales for the first quarter of 2025 fell 2.8 percent to $23.85 billion compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales dropped 3.8 percent, and in-store foot traffic slid 5.7 percent.

Shares of Target have also struggled under the pressure. The company’s stock traded around $103.85 early Wednesday afternoon, down significantly from roughly $145 before the controversy escalated. Analysts note that Target has lost more than $12 billion in market value since the beginning of the year. “We will continue to inform and to mobilize Black consumers in every state in the United States,” Chavis said. “Target today has a profound opportunity to respond with respect and restorative commitment.”

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