Morning all. Two good friends will be joining us this week to provide updates from critical battleground states:
Today, 2pm ET Live - NC Dem Chair Anderson Clayton joins us to for the latest from the Tar Heel State. Click here a few minutes before 2pm to join us.
Friday, 11am ET Live - Author, fellow Substacker, and former Ohio Dem Chair David Pepper drops by for an update on what is shaping up to be a competitive cycle in Ohio politics. Click here a few minutes before 11am to join us.
Recordings of each interview will be made available here on Hopium for those who can’t join us live, and a reminder that all of our discussions can be found on the Hopium site under the Podcast tab, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify too. Hopium’s Events page is the place to go for an updated list and links to our upcoming live and in person events. See you at 2pm today!
The weekly Economist/YouGov tracking poll just dropped, and Trump’s job approval stumbled in at 39% approve, 58% disapprove. It’s down two points since last week and the worst result for Trump in this poll this year. Here’s our weekly breakout of the poll. Ugly, ugly stuff for our ugly, ugly leader!
Big Senate Tariff Votes As Early As Today! - As Leader Schumer promised a few weeks ago Senate Republicans will be forced to defend Trump’s terrible tariffs in votes that are now scheduled for this week, perhaps as early as this afternoon. From Politico:
Vice President JD Vance will meet with Senate Republicans during their weekly lunch Tuesday before key tariff votes this week, a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to share the plans told POLITICO.
The Senate is expected to vote this week on terminating three of the national emergencies President Donald Trump declared in order to impose tariffs: one to block the 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian goods, one to block the 35 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and one to block the 10 to 50 percent tariffs Trump imposed on nearly every country in the world.
Vance is also likely to face questions from his former Senate colleagues about a potential way out of the shutdown, which will be in its 28th day.
The tariff votes mark the latest opportunity for Senate Republicans to push back against the Trump administration’s far-reaching trade policy, after months of building tension in the party over how the duties are hurting farmers and small businesses. Senate Republicans already challenged U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during a private lunch this month, urging him to focus on securing more export markets as China has stopped its purchases of several crops.
The most recent Senate vote on Trump’s tariffs was only narrowly defeated — and likely would have passed if it weren’t for the absences of Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). The Senate already voted against the tariffs on Canadian goods in April.
Yesterday the House Dems’ Litigation Task Force filed an amicus brief in the upcoming Supreme Court case over Trump’s illegal and destructive tariffs. 36 Senators joined the brief, including Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski. Here’s the release:
171 House Democrats and 36 Senators took their fight against President Donald Trump’s sweeping and chaotic on-again-off-again tariffs to the highest court in the land, filing an amicus brief before the United States Supreme Court. The lawmakers’ filing stands up for Congress’s Article I legislative powers and argues that the IEEPA is not a tariff statute and that Congress did not intend or provide for the IEEPA to be used as a tariff statute.
These chaotic on-again, off-again tariffs are not just lawless, they are hurting Americans, driving up prices for consumers and crushing small businesses.
The amicus brief was led by Task Force Chair Joe Neguse and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard E. Neal, House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, as well as Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen and Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden. It was filed in the matter of Oregon, et al., v. Trump, et al., which was brought forth by 12 States’ Attorneys General.
See what the lawmakers had to say below:
“In a surprise to no one, the president didn’t get what he wanted, and now he wants a new audience. But that doesn’t change what Courts have repeatedly affirmed: Trump does not have the power to unilaterally impose these tariffs under IEEPA.” said Ranking Member Richard E. Neal, House Ways and Means Committee. “Democrats remain committed to a trade policy that protects the people and their wallets and outlasts one man’s bullying and corruption.”
“Donald Trump and congressional Republicans promised to lower the cost of living on day one. They lied. Instead, prices and inflation are rising and Republicans are unleashing harm on everyday Americans,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “Trump’s unlawful and repeated imposition and then abandonment of his reckless tariffs creates economic uncertainty, and the American people are forced to shoulder the burden. I thank Rep. Raskin, Rep. Meeks, Rep. Neal, Assistant Leader Neguse and the Litigation Working Group and Rapid Response Task Force for leading House Democrats in standing strong against this illegal and dangerous assault.”
“Donald Trump is forcing skyrocketing costs onto households across the country through the unlawful implementation of his chaotic, on-again-off-again tariffs. And congressional Democrats, in defense of Congress’s Article I legislative powers and working Americans everywhere, are pushing back. We’ve already successfully challenged the administration’s unlawful use of IEEPA twice, and now intend to do so once and for all before the highest court in the land,” said Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse.
“Donald Trump’s attempt to invoke emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs and start chaotic trade wars was never about national security. It was about usurping Congress’s powers over trade and commerce so he can personally control the U.S. economy, punish and reward private companies, and subject them to his eccentric whims,” said Ranking Member Jamie Raskin. “Now we’re taking this fight to the Supreme Court to defend Congress’s Article I power to impose tariffs and regulate commerce. Two federal courts have already sided with us and affirmed that this power belongs to the legislative branch. We’re joining twelve state attorneys general once again to finish the job and end this reckless abuse of emergency authority for political purposes once and for all.”
“Lower courts have already found President Trump’s tariffs to be an abuse of power, and unlawful. As our amicus brief makes clear, IEEPA was never intended by Congress to give a President tariff authority, and Trump’s emergency declarations are clearly baseless. It’s time for the courts to strike down these illegal tariffs and bring economic relief to American families suffering from the skyrocketing costs they’ve caused,” said Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“President Trump’s abuse of emergency powers to levy tariffs on everyday goods is an unlawful overreach that hits American families in their wallets and undermines Congress’s constitutional authority,” said Senator Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “President Trump has circumvented Congress in imposing the biggest tax increase in modern American history at huge costs to families and businesses. This bipartisan brief makes clear that no president—Republican or Democrat—can sidestep that responsibility. The Supreme Court should affirm what every lower court has already found: these tariffs are illegal, and the American people should not have to pay the price for President Trump’s reckless and self-defeating trade policy.”
“Congress passed IEEPA to respond to crises, not to create them. This law doesn’t even mention granting tariff authority to the president, let alone the power to slap sweeping tariffs on products from almost every country on earth,” said Senator Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. “I’m proud to join with my colleagues to support Oregon Attorney General Rayfield’s effort to strike down Trump’s illegal tariffs. The courts should follow the plain text of this law and strike down the global tariffs that are harming American families and threatening American jobs.”
In addition to the 207 Congressional Democrats, the brief was signed by Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski—marking the Task Force’s first bipartisan legal challenge against the administration.
Friends, I know folks are focused on winning elections across the country this week but need every Hopium subscriber to call their two Senators today and urge them to roll back these terrible tariffs. Votes could be as early as this afternoon. Let’s make our calls people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dozens Of States Will Sue Trump Today To Get SNAP Funded, Prevent Americans From Going Hungry - Just as we are rallying now against Trump’s terrible tariffs, leaders from our party are rallying to prevent Trump from causing 42 million Americans to go hungry. From Politico this morning:
Dozens of Democratic attorneys general and governors are planning to sue President Donald Trump’s administration Tuesday over its decision to not tap emergency funds amid the government shutdown to keep food aid flowing to 42 million Americans next month, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of a public announcement.
Trump officials concluded in a Friday memo that they cannot legally tap a $5 billion contingency fund for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program amid the shutdown to pay benefits in November. Some in the administration believe, with $9 billion needed to fund SNAP payments for the month, there is no time to distribute smaller payments to individual states.
Administration officials anticipated their legal determination would be challenged in court, POLITICO reported last week, and there are no serious efforts underway at USDA to find other sources of funding, according to two other people granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations. But some GOP lawmakers whose constituents would be clobbered by a first-ever lapse of federal food benefits, are pushing for some kind of patch to prevent that from happening.
Senate Republicans are divided over whether to vote on a standalone bill to keep SNAP beneficiaries — many of whom live in rural and Hispanic-majority Republican districts — from losing assistance. Many argue Democrats will be at fault if the Friday deadline barrels past with no fix as they continue to push Democratic senators to vote for the stopgap spending bill the House passed last month.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune argued Monday the best way to fund SNAP was for Democrats to vote to reopen the government, though he said GOP senators would discuss the issue during their Tuesday policy lunch.
Republicans, for now, don’t believe Thune will put a SNAP funding carve-out to a vote this week, according to two senators and three aides granted anonymity to discuss GOP party strategy.
But a growing number of Senate Republicans — including some within Thune’s own leadership circle — are publicly saying Congress needs to fund SNAP whether or not Democrats relent on overall government funding, lest millions without food aid before Thanksgiving.
In your calls to your Senators also demand they fully fund SNAP this November. We need to keep the pressure on peeps! For as we discuss here all the time little cracks can become big cracks, and I’m just not sure Trump can keep his narrow majorities together to “defend the indefensible” (his rancid agenda of sabotage, plunder, and betrayal) in the coming months. Keep working it everyone!
Hopium paid subscribers get together this Wednesday at 7pm ET. Register here.
Winning The Fall - Support Our November, 2025 Candidates and Yes On 50
Enjoy this message of thanks Abigail Spanberger sent to the Hopium community a few days ago:
Winning The Midterms - Support Our 2026 Candidates
Expanding The Map - Support Our Audacious Expansion Fund (2026-2032)
Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $250,000 goal, $173,000 raised - Join our new campaign to invest in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas | Donate To all five state parties | Watch interviews with all 5 State Party Chairs | Many thanks to two generous Hopium community members who have audaciously donated $10,000 to each of our five state parties!
Our updated fundraising goals are now for the end of the year, December 31st, except for the 2025 races, which are now for Election Day, 2025.
Hopium members in CA/NJ/PA/VA or wherever you have elections on November 4th - please vote on Day 1, or as early as you can, either by mail or in-person. When you vote early your names comes off the campaign GOTV rolls allowing them to move on to lower propensity voters, which increases D turnout and makes it more likely we win. Voting early = another way to help us win.
Defending America, Winning The Big Arguments With Trump - We have two recommended actions today:
1 - Call Your Senators and Member Of The House And Demand They Act Upon Our Four-Part Agenda - We need to be loud people, very, very loud and make the case for our our emerging four part agenda. Demand that your Senators and House Member work to:
Roll back Trump’s terrible, illegal tariffs that are re-igniting inflation, driving up prices, shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to working people, hurting small businesses and farmers, reviving tyrannical “taxation without representation,” and alienating governments and people throughout the world and fully fund SNAP FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Defend our democracy, rule of law, and our liberties by blocking the expansion of ICE, restoring due process for immigrants across the country, vigorously defending the 1st Amendment, warring against his outrageous targeting of his domestic political opponents, and ending the use of the military on our streets and the unlawful occupation of our cities
Fight Trump’s war on science, higher education and our public health; reverse - not delay - the cuts to the ACA and Medicaid; support and co-sponsor Rep. Haley Stevens’ effort to Impeach and remove Robert Kennedy
Stand with Ukraine and our European allies, and far more forcefully challenge Trump’s traitorous efforts to sell out the US and the West to Russia and China
2 - Bring “Resolutions Of Condemnation” To Your Community - Inspired by the tactics of our Founders learn about how Hopium members are advancing “Resolutions of Condemnation” in their communities across the country and consider bringing this initiative to your state, country or city/town. Be sure to check out our new discussion with Deborah Potter and Rachel Poliner who have passed resolutions in New Mexico and Boston. They offer practical advice on how to get a resolution passed in your own community.
Remarkably, members of this community have passed or are advancing 85 (!!!!) resolution projects in 23 states + DC. Can we get to all 50 states by the end of the year?
Finally, please self-report your activities to our daily paid subscriber chat. These reports help inspire all of us to do more and fight harder! Please include reports of voting early and consider sending photos of your completed ballot or or your “I’ve voted” sticker to community@hopiumchronicles.com.
Keep working hard all, and remember Hopium is hope with a plan. We don’t just hope tomorrow will be better than today.
We do the work to make it so - Simon
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