Progressives v President Pence?

Trump’s exceptionally turbulent week prompted even some Republicans to utter the word “impeachment”.

But Democrats – and progressives – are being warned to be careful what they wish for. If Mike Pence took over, could he actually do more damage to progressive causes than Trump, whose frequent clashes with his own party limit his effectiveness?



“We must focus on what is best for the American people, not on what is worst for our so-called president,” writes Jeff Alson at In These Times.

Leading a rallying cry for impeachment could be a strategic blunder for Democrats with long-term consequences. “Democratic ownership of impeachment would also cement the loyalty of working-class Trump voters to the Republican party,” writes Alson.

World to Trump: ‘Go back to your country!’

Trump’s first overseas trip – to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Belgium, Italy and the Vatican – is expected to be besieged by protesters.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend a “Trump not welcome” protest in Brussels on Wednesday 24 May. Protesters say they are “united in saying ‘No!’ to Trump”, who they say has spent his past months “dividing and excluding people, denying climate change, intimidating the media [and] phasing out solidarity”.



Trump is visiting the Belgian capital for the Nato summit; a day earlier he’ll be in Vatican City to meet the pope. Rome-based activists are planning a protest there too.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest People demonstrated against Trump in Brussels in February. Expect a repeat next week. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

PS One of the ring leaders works in your bank!

What is it with New Jersey’s Republican congressmen? Last week Tom MacArthur was the focus of the Garden State’s ire after the alleged moderate managed to get the Republican healthcare bill passed.

This week the 22-year incumbent Rodney Frelinghuysen, of New Jersey’s 11th district, has been criticized for a dastardly scheme of his own – “outing” a progressive (and anti-Frelinghuysen) activist to her employer.

Frelinghuysen, whose district was only narrowly won by Trump in 2016, sent a boilerplate fundraising letter to a board member of Lakeland Bank in March. Attached was a news report on the activist group NJ 11th for Change, which has been pestering Frelinghuysen to hold a town hall.

Frelinghuysen, who hasn’t held an in-person town hall for four years, wrote at the bottom of the article: “PS One of the ring leaders works in your bank!”

Saily Avelenda, the “ring leader” in question, told the Guardian she was subsequently confronted with the letter by her boss. She resigned four weeks later. A couple of positives for the group: an ethics complaint has been filed against Frelignhuysen, and NJ 11th for Change – a group which “was barely making any news”, according to Avelenda – has had its name spread far and wide.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Post-script enthusiast Rodney Frelinghuysen. Photograph: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Onward together! (With Hillary Clinton)

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton sprung back into the public consciousness to launch … a progressive activist organisation!

Onward together – not the most inspiring of rallying cries – “will encourage people to get involved, organize and even run for office”, Clinton said.

According to the organization’s website: “Onward Together will advance progressive values and work to build a brighter future for generations to come.”

There isn’t a huge amount of information about Onward Together yet – but part of the focus will be donating funds to other groups. Color of Change, Indivisible and Swing Left have already received donations in the “low six figures”, according to Elle.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Remember these two? Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

What we’re reading

The label “alt-left”, increasingly applied to progressives by Republicans and commentators, is both a slur and inaccurate, writes Bhaskar Sunkara. The Democratic party isn’t “left” itself, Sunkara says, so “who are we the ‘alt’ to?” In any case, the attention being paid to progressives by mainstream politicians shows that it looks “increasingly like modernity’s (and democracy’s) only hope”.



Health tip of the week



People marching, rallying and generally spending energy resisting the government’s agenda should be careful.

According to Donald Trump, exercise drains the human body’s “finite energy resources”.

“Other than golf, he considers exercise misguided, arguing that a person, like a battery, is born with a finite amount of energy,” the New Yorker wrote.



You’ve been warned.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Watch that battery! Photograph: Murdo Macleod/The Guardian

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