A few years ago in the halls of the US Capitol, "the temple of the democracy" (according to NPR), sinophobic (etc.) warmonger Nancy Pelosi of the Democratic Party accused CODEPINK protesters of having their "headquarters" in PR China; Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' administration targeted the Uhuru 3 and the APSP; and, further back, Obama and Biden targeted FRSO for their Bill of Rights-protected anti-war organizing, and now warmonger Trump, Marco Rubio, and the Republicans have their turn. (See previous posts on this blog.)
[See also: durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/07/return-to-venezuela-what-belongs-to.html and durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/07/adc-sues-dhs-secretary-mullin-over.html ]
A few typos were edited.
Sent out in the early afternoon on July 23rd:
The National Lawyers Guild Reaffirms its Solidarity with Cuba in the Face of Increasing McCarthyite Repression
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[Re-posted:
"On July 20, 2026, the State Department released a 100-page McCarthyite propaganda report bearing the name of Secretary of State Marco Rubio—a document that endeavours to serve as the ideological justification for an escalating assault on Cuba, the Cuba solidarity movement, and all political dissent on the left. The report casts a wide net of unfounded accusations, maliciously painting over 40 left-leaning social movement organizations and individuals as purported Cuban "front groups" while employing guilt-by-association tactics to smear even elected officials like Zohran Mamdani. It goes so far as to cite reports from the long discredited House Un-American Activities Committee, reviving Cold War conspiracy theories from the 1950s and repackaging them for the present.
As an organization that has stood in solidarity with the Cuban revolution from the outset and one that has been long targeted by the state for its principled positions, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is proud to be named and written about extensively in this report. We wear this political targeting like a badge of honor, a sign that our work opposing US military and economic domination of other sovereign states has been effective.
Through this report, the State Department attempts to demonize and criminalize decades of broad-based organizing in solidarity with the Cuban revolution, its people, and what they have achieved. This movement has advocated to end the more than 60-year old U.S. economic and financial blockade against Cuba that has amounted to a crime against humanity and a slow genocide of the Cuban people. For many years, a Global Majority of states has voted to end this illegal and inhumane blockade through the U.N. General Assembly. Yet not only has the U.S. consistently ignored these votes, in the last several months it has intensified the blockade, denying Cuba vital fuel shipments, while increasing threats of regime change. In the face of this ongoing imperialist aggression, Cuba stands as a beacon of global solidarity and a living example that another world is possible.
This report is one of the latest actions taken by the Trump administration to criminalize and persecute groups that oppose the inhumane and illegal actions of U.S. fascism and imperialism,U.S. at home and around the world. Only days prior to issuing the report, Secretary Rubio and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller hosted an international red-baiting conference at the State Department with representatives from dozens of states, focused on alleged "resurgence of far-left political terrorism” referring to left movements as "enemies of civilization".
The Trump administration is clearly consolidating its legal architecture of fascist repression, as seen in the recent Prairieland convictions and the ongoing trial against anti-ICE organizers in Minnesota, but also through a broader assault that includes the weaponization of OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control), which on June 4, 2026, designated Cuban President Díaz-Canel, ICAP, and the Amistur Travel Agency as SDNs (Specially Designated Nationals). The Trump administration has also begun issuing "Requests for Information" letters to organizers in order to chill travel and humanitarian work through threatened financial and criminal penalties, alongside the threatened deployment of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), historically used to target left-wing organizations. The combined effect of these tactics represents a coordinated campaign to silence all forms of dissent. These efforts are designed to chill solidarity speech, weaken collective organizing, fragment alliances, and coerce organizations and individuals into retreat.
Recently, we helped publish this memo detailing this legal architecture and its potential impact on the Cuba Solidarity movement. We will continue to update this guide as things progress.
[ ... ]
We will not be silenced in the face of resurgent fascism. We will not be divided. We will not retreat. The more they attack our movement, the more determined we become.
As members of the NLG, we pledge to continue to use our legal expertise and platform to expose the crimes of the U.S. empire, support the Cuba solidarity movement, and defend those targeted by the State in the face of this McCarthyite assault. We pledge to continue organizing as the NLG and together with our comrades in other organizations to end the genocidal U.S. blockade of Cuba and all forms of imperialist aggression towards Cuba. We pledge to continue sending delegations to support and learn from the incredible successes of the Cuban Revolution, delivering humanitarian aid, and amplifying the voices of the Cuban people. We pledge to defend our First Amendment rights against every attempt to criminalize anti-imperialist solidarity.
It is our right and responsibility as lawyers, legal workers, civil society organizations, and individuals in the Belly of the Beast to challenge this illegal and inhumane policy and uphold domestic and international law in furtherance of justice and people-centered human rights."]
Sent out in the early evening on July 22nd:
Congress attacks TPF. Help us fight back!
Dear [ ],
The Trump Administration and its allies in Congress are on the march against left-wing, socialist and progressive forces. Our basic First Amendment rights are under attack. The stakes of this battle couldn’t be higher.
In its latest moves the government wants to silence The People’s Forum. With your support we can defeat this assault on our organization and on everyone’s democratic rights. Sign on to the letter here demanding an end to these assaults on free speech.
On July 21, 2026, the House Ways and Means Committee, led by Chairman Jason Smith [R-MO, in District 8, born June 16, 1980 in St. Louis, a FIRE capitalist? – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Smith_(American_politician) ], issued a compulsory congressional subpoena to The People’s Forum, demanding the production of internal communications, organizational records, and financial documents by August 7. This legal action follows a State Department propaganda report, "Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism," which advances false and sweeping allegations that everyone opposing the criminal blockade of Cuba or supporting social justice movements are left-wing terrorists. The State Department report specifically attacks The People’s Forum.
These latest attacks on The People’s Forum are not about our organization alone. It is part of an escalating crusade against all progressive organizations and any group or person who expresses opposition to the ultra-right, racist, and pro-war policies of the Trump White House.
Only by standing together can we defeat this assault on Free Speech rights, and defend civil liberties and civil rights.
Why are we being targeted? The People’s Forum played an important role since October 2023 in mobilizing mass opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. We, along with many others, have been central in the mobilizations against ICE’s terrorist assault against immigrant families. And we have joined together with people all over the United States and the world who are outraged by the lawless US blockade that is designed to destroy the people of Cuba.
The House Ways and Means Committee subpoena is not legitimate legislative oversight. It is a political witch-hunt, modeled on the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) led by Senator McCarthy. Rubio’s State Department Report openly credits Joe McCarthy’s witch-hunt for the destruction of a robust socialist movement that existed in the United States until it was crushed following World War II.
The witch-hunting report targets The People’s Forum and other organizations that defend constitutional rights and human dignity—including the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), CODEPINK, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the Venceremos Brigade, and IFCO/Pastors for Peace and many others.
The People’s Forum was founded as a hub for working-class movements, political education, and solidarity with people in the Global South who are fighting for independence, sovereignty and self-determination.
We will not be silenced. We will continue to defend our constitutional rights and expose the political nature of this witch-hunt.
We are asking you and all people of conscience to make a contribution to help us fight this assault on our basic democratic rights. Mobilizing mass support, assembling a first-rate legal team and continuing all of our ongoing mass organizing work depends on our ability to raise funds from those who believe in our mission and work.
We ask you to make an urgently needed tax-deductible donation today at peoplesforum.org/donate.
When we all stand together against these attacks, we win!
Say NO to the New McCarthyism!
Sincerely,
Manolo De Los Santos,
Executive Director of The People’s Forum
Sent out in mid-afternoon on July 29th:
Congress Subpoenas Pro-Palestinian and Anti-War Groups: A Time to Stand Up
The ANSWER Coalition urges all our friends and supporters to show their support for BreakThrough News, which has played such a critical role in covering the genocide in Gaza, and all the activists and mobilizations in support of the Palestinian people.
Dear [ ],
The MAGA-dominated House Ways and Means Committee has issued subpoenas to BreakThrough News, The People's Forum and the Tricontinental Institute – demanding internal communications, financial records and more.
They've given us a deadline of August 7, and ever since we received it, we've been reaching out for donations and support from organizations and individuals who see this attack for what it is: a flagrant abuse of power, and a direct attack on First Amendment protections for journalists and activists.
Our experience as anti-war and Palestine solidarity organizers was one of the main reasons we founded BreakThrough to begin with in 2020. We saw how mobilizations of tens of thousands of people would be totally ignored by the corporate-controlled media, and erased from popular consciousness. So long as that media could control information, they could manipulate narratives, and shut out dissent.
For six years, we've worked to change that, and in the process have reached tens of millions of people. Now popular movements for justice have independent outlets, like BreakThrough, to present their perspectives.
While corporate media demonized the Palestine movement, we stuck to our principles and made sure the voices of brave activists opposing genocide were heard. When the federal takeover of Minneapolis began, we were there on the ground, telling the story that would come from everyday people — not from pundits or politicians.
Now, we’re being targeted for this kind of journalism, with a wave of McCarthyism / Red Scare type tactics. We’ve been charged with no crime, because our only “crime,” in fact, is that we've made an impact.
They fear how a change in consciousness can lead to social change, and they want to nip it in the bud.
We’re not going to let these attacks intimidate us, and we know it won't intimidate you. There's been a sea change in consciousness that no amount of fear-mongering and witch-hunting can reverse.
But BreakThrough can’t win this battle alone — we need you by our side. That’s why I’m asking you personally to do the following:
- Sign our petition: Tell Congress to drop this witch hunt and end their attacks on the press.
- Make a donation: We know this fight is going to take a long time, and we need your help to keep funding and defending our work.
- Spread the word! Please forward this email to five friends. That’s how movements are built, one by one.
This isn’t just about protecting BreakThrough News — it’s about protecting our First Amendment rights and our movement as a whole. Now is one of those moments where standing up matters, and we hope you join us.
In solidarity,
Ben Becker
Editor-in-chief
BreakThrough News
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