Hey, Raw America family. Welcome to the Sunday Wrapup. I’m here with my cup of coffee, and today I’m going to explain Democrats’ first moves if they win.

Election Day is 30 days away. To those of you who became paying subscribers this week, as early voting started: thank you. You’re the reason we could spend the week reading an 84-page memo so you don’t have to.

If you’re reading for free, make today the day you show up. We’re getting ready to sue the White House for blocking our reporter, and we need you to join the fight. Paying for Raw America costs just 22 cents a day, and it keeps this reporting free for people who can’t afford it. If you can afford it, upgrade your subscription today.

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Three Things Trump Can’t Stop

Yesterday we walked you through the polls. Democrats need a net gain of three seats to take the House and four to take the Senate; both are within reach.

So I spent this week pondering. What do they actually do with it?

Let’s start with what they can’t do. Ordinary legislation needs 60 votes in the Senate, and Democrats won’t have 60.

So let’s set the campaign promises aside. Here are three things a Democratic Congress can do that Donald Trump can’t stop.

One: Subpoenas

Hakeem Jeffries has declared that on Day One, House Democrats will “hold the crooks accountable.” And they’ve been quite specific about who.

First up is Todd Blanche, Trump’s erstwhile personal lawyer and acting attorney general. Robert Garcia, who’d chair the Oversight Committee, told NOTUS he’s ready to subpoena Blanche on Day One over the Epstein files. He also says he wants the testimony on camera.

Garcia also says he’ll work to subpoena JD Vance. Further, he wants to question Susie Wiles, the first lady and Trump himself. And he’s going after Epstein’s bank records and the estate’s files.

Then there’s the money. Jared Kushner appears to be making money on government “service.” His investment fund is backed by Middle Eastern dictators while he works on Middle East policy.

The Trump family’s crypto venture is also in Democrats’ sights. Jamie Raskin, who’d chair Judiciary, is already digging into contracts tied to Donald Trump Jr.’s venture capital firm and Trump’s pardons.

Three other committees are also planning probes. Armed Services will investigate how we got into the Iran war and the illegal boat strikes in the Caribbean. Natural Resources wants to know who’s paying for the ballroom. Homeland Security will have subpoena power over ICE.

House Democrats have also learned from Trump’s first term. When Trump officials ignore subpoenas (and they will), Democrats plan to go straight to federal judges with lawsuits.

“We are not taking no for an answer,” Raskin told CNN.

They’ll also go around the White House entirely. Banks and contractors can’t claim executive privilege. And Democrats have whistleblowers lined up, inside the government and out.

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Two: No More Cuts, No More Judges

Nothing reaches Trump’s desk without Speaker Jeffries. No second “Big Beautiful Bill.” No new tax cuts for billionaires. No more Medicaid cuts, or clawing back money Congress already approved.

In a Democratic Senate, nobody gets confirmed without Democratic votes. On Wednesday, Chuck Schumer said that means Trump’s judges, up to and including the Supreme Court.

Samuel Alito says he’s thinking about retirement. It seems likely no new Trump appointee would make it to the Supreme Court.

It also puts the focus on Blanche. He’s still only the acting attorney general. To get the job for real, he’d need the Senate.

Three: The Checkbook

Every dollar the government spends has to pass the House. Trump needs Democratic votes to keep the government open and to fund the Pentagon, including his war in Iran.

That’s where real wins come from. Not speeches. Trades. You want your budget? We want the healthcare subsidies back.

Also: budget bills can pass the Senate with 51 votes. It’s how Republicans cut Medicaid.

Thus, Democrats could send Trump a bill restoring Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act subsidies, and make him veto healthcare for millions of people on camera.

A vote to end the Iran war gets the same fast track. Trump would veto that too. But every Republican in Congress would have to pick a side, with 2028 on the horizon.

And Then There’s the Wish List

Leader Jeffries has also identified four things his whole caucus agrees on: reversing Trump’s Medicaid cuts, restoring the ACA subsidies, repealing the tariffs and ending the war in Iran.

An 84-page healthcare memo obtained by Politico identifies wish lists (that won’t be able to pass the filibuster). Abortion rights restored nationwide; hospitals barred from charging more than a doctor’s office for the same service; a long-term care benefit in Social Security.

It’s a good list, but there’s little chance it becomes law in 2027.

Think of it as the 2028 platform. Every bill the House passes is one Republicans have to vote against.

Subpoenas are the real whammy. And the checkbook. After two years of a Congress that did nothing, that’s a lot.

ICE Just Closed Out Its Deadliest Year

I also want to keep you updated on ICE, even though the news here is bleak.

At least 37 people died in ICE custody in the fiscal year that just ended, according to Bloomberg. That’s the most on record. More than 60,000 people are locked up on any given day, and the watchdog offices that were supposed to supervise them have been gutted.

One of the 37 was Carlos Josue Marchena Marchena. He was 36, from Costa Rica, and he had type 1 diabetes.

His sister and his girlfriend told the Associated Press that as he was moved between facilities in several states, he complained about missed insulin shots and missed meals.

After he arrived at Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, he was dead in less than a week.

He’s the third person to die at that facility since April. Homeland Security’s own inspector general recently found it fell short of federal standards for medical care.

ICE’s icy response? “Marchena received proper medical care.”

At least 58 people have died in ICE detention during Trump’s second term. Diabetes was a factor in at least six of those deaths.

Insulin isn’t exotic medicine. It’s a shot.

Immigration enforcement is on the Democrats’ list. We’re just 30 days now from the election.

Two More Things That Went Right

On Friday, a federal court in Texas temporarily blocked the administration from building a border wall across Big Bend. The project managed to unite Democrats and Republicans in opposition.

And workers won in Seattle without walking out in a strike. Boeing’s engineers and technicians rejected the company’s first labor offer in August and voted nearly 90 percent to authorize a strike. On Thursday they approved a contract with a 10 percent raise now and 4 percent more in March.

In Oregon, union employees at all seven public universities got a deal on Monday, just before their strike was set to begin.

Nobody handed them that. They stuck together and the other side blinked.

What I’m Taking Into the Week

For two years, the question I’ve heard most is some version of “what would Democrats even do?” Now there’s an answer.

We need more people like you — readers who believe their individual voice can make a difference. If you value journalists who actually show up, join our community today. Take a second and upgrade your subscription. You’ll be glad you did.

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We’re just 30 days from the midterms. Go find three people and make certain they vote.

Thanks for spending part of your Sunday with me. I hope you enjoy the rest of it!

—John Byrne, Founder, Raw America and Raw Story

Hey Raw America readers. It’s John here, and welcome to the Sunday Wrapup. I’m here with my cup of coffee — with full-fat pumpkin spice creamer — typing this newsletter with hopeful things in mind.

But first, a special thanks to our paying subscribers. You’re helping us fight to get back in the White House, and to have a dedicated reporter in the halls of the Capitol. I’m so grateful you’re here.

If you’re reading for free, make today the day you change that! It’s hard these days to find news outlets truly worth investing in, but Raw America is definitely one of them. We share your values, and you share your time, and together we’re building something great that will make a difference. For just 22 cents a day, you keep real reporting alive.

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Reclaiming Your Time: Do This Instead of Scrolling

I’d like to take us on a slightly different track this week. We’ll get to the hopeful stories, but first I want to pause. If you’re a regular Raw America reader, you probably have a tendency to doomscroll — endlessly scrolling bad news you can’t stop.

The other day, I came across a list of things you can do besides doomscrolling to brighten your day.

In a quieter time, I made puzzles in a cottage by the beach with my grandmother. She’s 92, a Raw America reader, and she still makes puzzles. There’s something uniquely satisfying about completing something new, and watching it come together piece by piece.

We also made origami. The Japanese art of paper folding is equally challenging and satisfying, especially making cranes.

In our goal-driven world, we’ve lost sight of small joys. Getting stuff done can seem fulfilling, but pausing to enjoy your life can be worth twice as much. Here are 15 ideas of what you might do today — or tomorrow — rather than look at your phone.

• Make a flatbread pizza (it’s easier than you think!)

• Go to a grocery store and eat a food you’ve never tried

• Plan a game night

• Find a drive-in movie theater

• Dust your plants

• Do some mild decluttering

• Write thank-you notes and send them by snail mail

• Buy a beer-brewing kit and make beer at home

• Find a local awe-inspiring place to explore

• Go for a picnic and get some prepared food & cheeses from a nice grocery

• Purchase the cheapest ticket to a baseball game and wander around the park

• Introduce yourself to a neighbor

• Watch a black-and-white film

• Watch Schitt’s Creek

• Do nothing

To make it even easier for you, here are some links where you can dive into a new task. (I’ll try to remember to resurface them for you around the holidays.)

• Colorful origami paper and a guide to fold 50 patterns

• Visit the most underrated park in all 50 states

• Jigsaw puzzles from the Museum of Fine Art, Boston

• A massive collection of puzzles from Fine Art America

• All-in-one craft beer brewing kits for beginners

• Espresso martini infusion kit (I’ve tried this one, it’s easy!)

• A great recipe I use for pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting

• A great flatbread pizza recipe — but better yet, buy the Half Baked Harvest cookbook

Need more ideas? Here are 100 things you can do instead of doomscrolling, as compiled by Wirecutter.

Cable News Stands Tough, Then Backs Down

Earlier this week, I was a bit surprised that cable news media was sticking together in their fight with Trump.

After Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, the outlets took Trump to court and won. But when CNN remained banned from the press pool, Fox News joined CNN in refusing to film Trump’s events at all.

Trump’s big week went dark: the UN Assembly, a state visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the introduction of his shiny new White House helipad. Trump cut the ribbon on the helipad with no network cameras rolling, and you could barely hear him.

When Fox had pool duty, it declined to film him arriving home from the UN. When Xi landed at Joint Base Andrews, Fox, CBS and NBC crews stood there with their cameras off.

But now, in classic mainstream media cowardice, the networks are backing down.

According to the Times, the four TV networks in the pool will begin filming again, and may just skip coverage when it’s CNN’s turn.

This pathetic lack of media solidarity is another win for Trump.

When Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico, he was stopped in court by Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump himself put on the bench.

Here’s where I’m proud. The precedent Kelly leaned on? Karem v. Trump, the case Raw America’s White House reporter Brian Karem won in 2020 after Trump yanked his pass. The due process rule Brian fought for is what got CNN back in the door.

Though the White House also banned Brian, we’re not backing down.

Our next step is sending our Congressional correspondent, Luke De Cresce, for a White House day pass. If he’s blocked too, we’re primed for a fight.

If you’re reading for free, make today the day you show up. We have no billionaire owner and no boardroom: this newsletter is paid for purely by readers. For 22 cents a day, you keep reporters in the fight that this White House would rather leave outside the gate.

Support the media that supports you

A U.S. Citizen Took On ICE in Alabama and Won

Leo Garcia Venegas was born in Florida. He moved to Alabama at 14, and today he works in construction in Baldwin County. He’s an American citizen; he carries an Alabama REAL ID to prove it.

None of that stopped ICE.

Immigration agents have detained and handcuffed him three times at job sites, starting in May 2025. Every time, he showed his ID. Every time, agents brushed it off, called it fake and kept holding him anyway.

So he sued.

Backed by the Institute for Justice, Venegas filed a class action last fall targeting what he says are three ICE policies: entering private construction sites without a warrant, rounding up workers without any individual suspicion, and holding people even after they prove they’re here legally.

On Monday, he won.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock in Mobile found that Venegas is likely to succeed in showing those practices violate the Fourth Amendment, and he froze all three while the case moves forward. It’s a temporary stay, not the full injunction Venegas asked for. But it’s real, and it’s in Alabama.

The Trump administration leaned on Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s opinion allowing brief immigration stops, which many critics have dubbed racist. Alabama’s judge turned that around, too. There’s nothing brief, he said, about holding an American citizen after he’d already shown his papers.

Venegas says he’s been traumatized by what happened. Now he can finally go to work without worrying that he’ll be arrested for no reason.

That’s what due process looks like. One man, one lawsuit, and a judge willing to read the Constitution the way it’s written.

Monday Is Good Neighbor Day

In the early 1970s, Becky Mattson of Lakeside, Montana, dreamed up Good Neighbor Day. Her elderly mother was her personal spark; she complained that nobody called her during the day while Becky was at work.

In 1978, Jimmy Carter made it official. Good Neighbor Day falls on September 28. That’s this Monday.

So here’s my ask. Pick one thing from that list up top and do it with a neighbor. Knock on a door. Drop off some pumpkin muffins. Share a moment with someone you don’t usually see.

We’re Winning Fights the Billionaires Hoped We’d Lose

I feel good today.

An American citizen in deep-red Alabama took ICE to court and won. A Trump-appointed judge told the White House it can’t yank press passes on a whim, and the precedent he relied on was ours. And tomorrow is Good Neighbor Day, a reminder that we’re all in this fight together.

But we can’t get this done without readers like you. If you think what we’re doing here matters, upgrade your subscription today. If you want journalists who don’t fold when the pressure hits, become part of our community. Will you join us? It takes just a moment to upgrade, and it matters more than you know.

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No one is going to rescue this country for us. We’re going to win it back the old-fashioned way: showing up, again and again, in the streets and at the polls.

Thanks for giving me a slice of your Sunday. We’ll see you tomorrow.

—John Byrne, Founder, Raw America and Raw Story

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