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Demonstrators across 50 states look to unify a disparate opposition to Trump

ATLANTA (AP) — As Donald Trump prepared Tuesday to address a joint session of Congress, protest groups gathered at parks, statehouses and other public grounds across the country to assail his presidency as dangerous and un-American.

The rallies and marches — set in motion by the fledgling 50501 Movement, a volunteer-driven group organized in the weeks after Trump’s inauguration — mark the latest attempt at national resistance to the hardened support of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” base and the success it has had in reshaping the Republican Party in the president’s populist image.

Yet some early scenes Tuesday vividly demonstrated the difficulty Democrats, progressives and everyday citizens face in marshaling a tangible response to Trump and the swift, sweeping actions of his second administration. Protesters have so many things to push back against — from tariffs to Trump’s reset on the war in Ukraine to the aggressive and sometimes legally dubious actions of the Department of Government Efficiency and its leader, billionaire Elon Musk, that it’s hard to know what to focus on.

“There are so many things to fight, but I hope by being here we are starting some conversations,” said Sara Grummer-Strawn, who held a sign declaring “So Much Wrong, So Little Space,” followed by a small-print litany of topics from Ukraine and tariffs to potential education cuts to the denial of climate and vaccine science.

Around her in Atlanta were hundreds of people marching and chanting about a range of Trump initiatives. There were Palestinian flags and Ukrainian flags, along with signs bemoaning Trump ending military aid to Ukraine as it fights off the invading Russian troops of Vladimir Putin.

Trump was called a fascist, a “Russian asset,” “Putin’s Puppet” and “Wannabe King,” among other, more profane monikers. One signed implored “Punch Nazis,” reflecting an increasingly common effort to compare Trump’s presidency to Nazi Germany. Musk was a frequent target of mockery and ire. But there were also appeals for transgender rights, abortion rights and diversity. One understated sign appealed simply, “Save Our Parks.”

Events were scheduled throughout the day in all 50 states, ending late Tuesday in Hawaii.

In Austin, Texas, those gathered at the statehouse leaned in to support Ukraine. Pops of yellow — a nod to the colors of Ukraine’s national flag — dotted the crowd as protesters affixed sunflowers to their hair, hats and clothing. The Texas crowd, which numbered in the hundreds, eventually made its way through downtown, chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.”

“I think protests can be impactful,” said Carol Goodwin, an Austin resident active in the local advocacy scene. “I think these smaller protests are valuable for the people who come to express their frustrations, and I think this movement will grow over time.”

For some participants, Tuesday recalled 50501’s first day of national action on Feb. 5 — or the many women’s marches in 2017, at the outset of Trump’s first term. But for many others, it was a new step in their engagement.

Goodwin cited Trump’s tariffs against Canada and Mexico and the Oval Office exchange between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week as her reasons for attending.

In San Francisco, Michael Gray also pointed to that White House exchange with the Ukrainian leader. “The meeting with Zelenskyy … just made us so disgusted to see an American president act that way on the world stage,” said the Santa Rosa, California, resident.

Grayson Taylor, a 33-year-old who came to the Atlanta event, had not protested until this year. He described the actions of Trump, his Cabinet and Musk as a “billionaire coup” leading a government that “will be serving the ultra-rich.”

At the same rally, Sherri Frias, 58, said her concerns about the extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans — in conjunction with GOP proposals to roll back Medicaid and other aid programs — drew her to her first protest. Trump has urged Congress to renew the tax cuts, which are set to expire.

Another Atlanta attendee, 67-year-old Phyllis Bedford, said she came to her first political protest because she felt overwhelmed by the breadth of Trump’s actions.

“I was thinking on my way here what I want to say about the situation,” said Bedford, who drove from Republican-leaning Snellville, on the outer edges of metro Atlanta. “All I could come up with is, ‘I’m sorry.’ I am sorry to Canada. I’m sorry, Mexico. I’m sorry, Greenland. I’m so, so sorry, Ukraine and President Zelensky. … We’re just so wrong. And we don’t all support this man.”

“For my own mental health, because it makes me feel like I’m doing something other than just the screaming inside of my head, right? That goes on every day, And I want to be heard.”

The protests come after some Republican members of Congress met angry town hall crowds during a recent congressional recess and as Democrats on Capitol Hill face pressure from voters on the left to be more outspoken.

Taylor wants Democrats to be “rude and aggressive” like Republicans “have been for years.”

“The Republican Party right now is so much more organized, and not divisive,” Smith said. “The Democratic Party, they have individual issues, but in my observation it’s hard for them to come together to deal with the real issues they want.”

Multiple demonstrators said they want to see Democrats relentlessly highlight the real-world impact of Trump’s executive orders, Musk’s commission and the pending Republican budget plan.

Bedford worked in the financial aid office at Georgia State University. “Most of the kids I dealt with would not have been enrolled without Pell Grants and the (federal) financial aid system,” she said. “And now there’s just a war on education, and higher education especially.”

Grummer-Strawn divides her time between Atlanta and Geneva, where her husband works for the World Health Organization after having spent 24 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from supporting WHO and clamped down on the CDC’s research and public health advocacy.

“We need to get people to stop and pause and see what each of his actions is leading to, connecting the dots,” Grummer-Strawn said, “even if people don’t think Ukraine and tariffs and public health policy affect them directly.”

Frias, meanwhile, thinks Democrats are doing everything they can given GOP control on Capitol Hill and in the White House. The ultimate responsibility for action, she said, rests with “the people of the U.S.”

Rep. Al Green shouts down Trump and may face censure by the House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas wasn’t the first lawmaker ever to blurt out a shout of protest during a presidential address to Congress.

But he’s perhaps the only one in recent memory to actually be ejected from the hall Tuesday night by the Speaker of the House.

Green said afterward it was worth it to make his point — even if he is punished by House leaders, who later called for the congressman to be censured.

“The president was saying he had a mandate, and I was making it clear that he has no mandate to cut Medicaid,” Green told reporters, referring to the health care program used by 80 million Americans.

“It’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president.”

Green’s outburst came at the start of President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress and immediately set the tone. The night was already uneasy. Stone-faced Democrats, now the minority party, had been sitting silently on one side of the chamber, rambunctious Republicans on the other.

As Green rose to speak, shaking his walking cane at the president, the Republicans drowned him out with muscular chants of “USA! USA!”

Johnson eyed the situation from his perch on the dais behind Trump, appearing hesitant to interrupt the president’s address. But the speaker was shaking his head and clearly desiring decorum in the chamber. Vice President JD Vance motioned with his thumb to throw Green out.

The speaker issued a warning for order, banging the gavel. “Take your seat, sir!” But the long-serving congressman remained standing. And then Johnson ordered the Sergeant at Arms to restore order by removing Green from the chamber.

Rarely has a lawmaker been so swiftly and severely disciplined for improper behavior.

Johnson said afterward that Green should be censured by the House — among the more severe reprimands his colleagues could mete out.

“He’s made history in a terrible way,” Johnson told reporters afterward.

“If they want to make a 77-year-old heckling congressman the face of their resistance, if that’s the Democrat Party, so be it,” Johnson said. “But we will not tolerate it on the House floor.”

In past years, several lawmakers have raised their voices to shout at presidents – from GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s shouts against President Joe Biden and the “You lie!” outburst from Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C. against President Barack Obama.

Of course, during Trump’s first term, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not raise her voice, but silently ripped up the president’s speech on the dais, once he had finished delivering it.

Green has been a pivotal lawmaker since he was first elected to Congress in 2004, often standing as he did Tuesday night, alone.

He introduced articles of impeachment against Trump in 2017, maneuvering around party leadership. And he did it again in 2019, shortly before the House led by Pelosi actually did move forward with separate impeachment proceedings over Trump withholding funding for Ukraine as it battled Russia.

Last year, Green stunned his own colleagues when he dashed from his hospital bed where he was recovering from surgery to vote against the Republican effort to impeach Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. With his arrival, the vote failed, though Republicans recouped and impeached Mayorkas days later.

Green warned Tuesday against Republican efforts in their budget proposal to change Medicaid, which is the program he said many people in his Houston-area district rely on for health care. He also warned against cuts to Medicare, the program for seniors, and the Social Security retirement program.

“This is about the people being punished by virtue of losing their health care,” Green said.

“This is the richest country in the world,” he said. “And health care is about to become wealth care, and we can’t let that happen.”

Green has said he is working on new articles of impeachment against Trump.

“This president is unfit,” Green said. “He should not hold the office.”

Woman killed by fallen tree on RV

VAN ZANDT COUNTY — One person has died after a tree fell on an RV in Van Zandt County on Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, Van Zandt County Sheriff Kevin Bridger said a woman died after the tree fell on her RV at the Reserve RV Park on County Road 4914. Bridger said her body was recovered from the RV and officials are working to notify her family. Additional information was not available.

Uber teams up with Waymo to start selling driverless rides in Austin

AUSTIN (AP) – Uber will shift into a new gear in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday when its ride-hailing service will begin dispatching self-driving cars to pick up passengers.

The autonomous option is being provided through a partnership that brings together Uber and robotaxi pioneer Waymo, which already sells self-driving vehicle rides through its own app in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Waymo is now trying to expand into more cities by teaming up with Uber — an alliance that was announced last September.

The partnership begins in Austin and will, later this year, expand to offer robotaxi rides in Atlanta.

Waymo’s robotaxis will be hitting the streets of Austin ahead of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s goal of launching a fleet of electric self-driving cars later this year.

Uber’s network of human-driven cars will continue to give rides in Austin, too, but tapping into Waymo’s robotaxis will give it another selling point that could be popular among passengers eager to try out a cutting-edge technology.

“With Waymo’s technology and Uber’s proven platform, we’re ready to bring you the ride of the future, today,” Uber crowed about the robotaxis coming to Austin.

Although there is no way passengers can guarantee that a ride ordered through Uber’s app in Austin will be provided by one of Waymo’s robotaxis, they can increase their chances of getting a self-driven car by going into their settings and turning on the autonomous vehicle preference.

When it sends a Waymo car to pick up a passenger, Uber’s app will send a notification that the ride will be provided by a self-driving car while also offering the option to switch to a human-controlled vehicle instead.

Originally started as a secret project within Google, Waymo has been making major inroads since its robotaxis first began charging for rides in Phoenix nearly five years ago. Waymo’s robotaxis are now averaging 200,000 paid rides per week, up from about 10,000 weekly rides two years ago, according to a recent post by Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who runs the Mountain View, California, company that owns Google as well as Waymo.

After expanding into Austin and Atlanta this year as part of the Uber partnership, Waymo also plans to begin offering rides in Miami next year through its own app, mirroring how it already runs its service in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Waymo, so far, has avoided a major traffic accident or other safety problems that might give regulators second thoughts about allowing its robotaxis to remain on the road.

Automaker General Motors tried to compete against Waymo in San Francisco with a robotaxi service operated by its Cruise subsidiary, but had its California license suspended in October 2023 after one of its self-driving cars dragged an injured pedestrian about 20 feet before coming to a stop.

Uber also struck a deal last year to eventually deploy Cruise’s robotaxis in cities that were never identified before General Motors pulled the plug on its fleet of self-driving cars.

East Texas Senator files bill to protect teachers

MINEOLA — Texas Republicans are making moves that they say will protect teachers. A bill filed by State Senator Bryan Hughes, of Mineola, would give protection to school workers who are facing complaints from transgender students, upset over being misidentified in the classroom. He says teachers should not be pressured to support something that conflicts with their deeply held religious beliefs.

The bill faces opposition from several civil rights groups, which testified at a hearing this week. They fear it will lead to bullying in the classroom.

School districts announce closings, delays due to severe weather

EAST TEXAS — As severe weather hits East Texas, several school districts have announced that they will be closing or delaying classes on Tuesday to ensure students and staff remain safe. Click here for the list.

TxDOT reports a drop in fatal accidents

TYLER — The Texas Department of Public Safety Tyler District reported a 22% decrease in fatal accidents in 2024. According to TxDOT and our news partner KETK, since Nov. 7, 2000, 87,000 people have died on state roadways and there hasn’t been a single day without a fatal accident since. TxDOT is working to end that streak and said the results are paying off. The report focused on five of the top factors found to contribute to accidents. The top two factors include drivers who fail to drive in a single lane and speeding.

“There were 164 total fatalities. Although that number went down from 209 in 2023, it’s still too many fatalities,” TxDOT Tyler District Public Information Officer Jeff Williford said.

TxDOT hopes to see fewer fatalities but said 2025 is already off to a bad start.

“Unfortunately, 2025 is starting off worse than 2024 did so far. Through the first 50 days, we’ve seen a handful of more fatalities so far and more crashes than we did in 2024 at this time of year,” Williford said.

Pilot injured in plane crash near airport

GLADEWATER — A 24-year-old pilot is being treated at a local hospital after his plane missed the runway Monday night in the midst of an apparent mechanical failure. According to the Gladewater Mirror, first responders from multiple agencies were called to the scene about 10:15 p.m. Feb. 17. Personnel from Texas Department of Public Safety are spearheading the investigation alongside Gladewater firefighters and police officers.

“The airport is going to be shut down pending the investigation,” Gladewater Fire Chief Mike Simmons said. “Based on what the pilot stated, he took off and lost power on takeoff, circled back to land at the airport and landed in the grass just on the side of the runway.”

It’s unclear what time the crash occurred. Read the rest of this entry »

East Texas Representative appointed to lead State HHS Committee

AUSTIN — East Texas State Representative Cole Hefner, R-Mount Pleasant, has been appointed to serve as the Chair of the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veterans’ Affairs. According to our news partner KETK, Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows appointed Hefner to lead Homeland Security committee and he also appointed him to serve as a member of the Committee on Transportation and the Committee on Redistricting.

“The Texas House stands ready to address the most pressing issues facing our state, and I have full confidence Chairman Hefner’s leadership of the Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs Committee will greatly contribute to the success of the 89th legislative session,” Burrows said. “Every Texas House committee serves an important role guiding the policies that shape our state and ensuring proper oversight of the legislative process. Chair Hefner is a proven champion of conservative policies that leave a positive impact on the lives of all Texans, and I look forward to our collaboration to deliver another monumental conservative session for Texans.” Read the rest of this entry »

Azalea home nicknamed the “engagement house”

TYLER — A home in Tyler has unexpectedly became the backdrop for proposals being deemed the “engagement house” on social media. According to our news partner KETK, while he was in Tyler for work, James Meador was driving around town and found a home that he knew would be the perfect spot to ask his girlfriend Laura Hammers to spend the rest of her life with him. The home is located in the Azalea District and it is a popular destination during Christmas season because of its beautiful decorations.

The lights hold a special meaning for the homeowners who had a tree in their wedding that was decorated with crystals.

“In our own wedding, we had a tree. It was not a tree with lights, it was a tree with crystals, it was an indoor tree that my parents actually made for our wedding,” homeowner Ashley Lesniewski said. Read the rest of this entry »

Traffic accident leads to fatal shooting

JACKSONVILLE – An East Texas man is dead after a traffic accident that led to a shooting on Thursday. According to the Jacksonville Police Department and our news partner KETK, around 9:50 p.m. Jacksonville police and firefighters responded to a traffic accident at the intersection of Myrtle Drive and Sam Boles Road. Officials said they saw that one of the occupants, identified as Angel Balderas Jr., 33 of Jacksonville, had a single gunshot wound. Balderas was transported to a local emergency room where he later died.

The shooter was detained and questioned but officials said no charges will be filed at this time. The police department said no other details will be released due to it being an ongoing investigation.

Standoff suspect arrested in Longview

LONGVIEW – The Longview Police Department said they arrested a man on Friday after he allegedly pointed a rifle at officers from a home on Tupelo Drive. According to our news partner KETK, Longview PD officers were responding to a domestic incident in the 200 block of Tupelo Drive at around 8:50 p.m. on Friday when they first made contact with Benjamin Howell, 41 of Longview.

After the officers arrived at the Tupelo Drive home, Howell reportedly fled inside and then pointed his rifle out at the officers. According to a Longview PD press release, the officers then took cover and called for the Longview SWAT unit and the Negotiations unit.

Officers reportedly heard one gunshot from inside the home and after negotiators made repeated attempts to contact Howell, the SWAT team had to resolve the standoff through non-lethal force measures, Longview PD said. Read the rest of this entry »

Arrests for illegal crossings fall in the Rio Grande Valley

MISSION (AP) — An idled Border Patrol bus sat empty this week, on standby for any migrants surrendering near the southern tip of Texas.

Agents in two speedboats zipped past pockets of sandy shores, known landing spots for people entering the U.S. illegally from Mexico on inner tubes but saw nothing suspicious.

Once busy river landings near the Texas border city of Mission were barren of the migrants who previously crossed there, though the river bank was littered with clothes, plastic bracelets issued by smugglers and a teddy bear on an unusually cold Thursday morning.

Arrests for illegal crossings have fallen dramatically from an all-time monthly high of 250,000 in December 2023, perhaps most strikingly in the Rio Grande Valley, the epicenter for migrant arrivals from 2013 to 2022.

Associated Press journalists accompanying Border Patrol agents in an SUV and on speedboats that traversed 30 miles along the Rio Grande Valley and river for five hours Thursday didn’t encounter a single migrant.

Arrests, already at their lowest levels since 2019 when President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, have fallen sharply in recent weeks. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said Friday they are currently about 350 a day, down from more than 1,500 daily in December, the last month of published data.

Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley, home to about 1.4 million people, have been making about 50 arrests a day, down from a daily average of 325 in December and nearly 3,000 on the busiest days of 2021.

Despite the relative calm, Trump declared a national emergency at the border on his first day in office.

In an immigration policy memo, as she took office last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote: “Unlawful border crossings and illegal migration into the United States have reached record levels, resulting in a substantial and unacceptable threat to our national security and public safety.”

Overnight Thursday, there were arrests along the Rio Grande, as well as a shooting Wednesday. The Border Patrol said an agent fired at someone in a suspected smuggling incident in the town of Boca Chica, wounding one suspect.

But migrants were nowhere to be found along the river by Thursday morning in former hot spots like Mission, a city of 87,000 where as recently as December asylum-seekers waited in open fields near a busy international bridge for agents to pick them up, or in many other spots along the winding river lined by thick, giant cane.

Heightened enforcement by Mexican authorities within their own borders and severe U.S. asylum restrictions contributed to sharp declines in illegal crossings before Trump took office.

In recent years, the Texas National Guard and state police have become a major presence under Gov. Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star,” a multibillion-dollar border crackdown. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently agreed to let the Texas Guard arrest and detain people for illegal crossings, which had been the sole domain of the federal government.

On Thursday, 300 Texas Guard members were deputized to conduct immigration arrests alongside Border Patrol agents and enlarge their show of force along the border.

Gregg County second in East Texas to have agreement with ICE

GREGG COUNTY — Gregg County is the second county in East Texas to partner with ICE to identify and report immigrants in the United States illegally. According to our news partner KETK, on Tuesday, Gregg County commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the sheriff’s office to enter an agreement with federal officials, which is the ICE 287(g) program apart of The Illegal Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1966.

This program gives deputies the ability to identify undocumented criminal immigrants through the federal immigration system then contact ICE directly and have the detainer put on immediately.

“The 287g program is not new. We’ve been doing it for four decades and if you’re not here illegally, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about, but if you’re here illegally and you commit a crime and come to jail, will you get a detainer on you? probably,” Chief Deputy Craig Harrington said. Read the rest of this entry »

East Texas residents calling in drug related crimes

HENDERSON COUNTY — In the past two months, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department has arrested 50 people for drug related charges, many of them have led to arrests made by residents. According to our news partner KETK, recent arrests have involved lengthy investigations that have led to warrants.

Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse spoke about how most of his recent arrests have initially been search warrants allowing them to enter their homes. “Most of them have been through investigations where we’ve gotten some information and been able to get a search warrant and go and actually search a house,” Hillhouse said.

Hillhouse has been the sheriff since 2016 and his main focus has been on getting drugs off the street. He has asked residents to call in credible tips to his office, local law enforcement and Crimestoppers, recently those tips have resulted in arrests. Read the rest of this entry »

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