Latest news with #GoodTroubleLivesOn
The Hill
17 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
CEO of paid protest company says it works with both sides of the aisle
(NewsNation) — President Trump alleged Friday that Democrats are paying protesters to fight his Washington, D.C., crime policies. But how do paid protests actually work? NewsNation spoke with Adam Swart, the CEO of Crowds on Demand, about his company that provides services 'for impactful advocacy campaigns, demonstrations, PR stunts, crowds for hire and corporate events,' according to its website. 'All of our protesters are sincere advocates for the cause at hand. We've been in business 13 years, so we have a large roster of people we know and have networks of others we can call upon to be compensated for expressing their sincere points of view,' Swart said. Swart said compensation for protests is typically in the low hundreds of dollars, depending on the assignment. He said organizing a protest 'is like buying an ad.' He said his company receives requests for both conservative and liberal causes. 'We have been clear that we work with both liberals and conservatives on causes that align with common-sense values. Democrats are hiring our company, and so are Republicans,' he said. He did not disclose what protests his company has been asked to be a part of. Swart previously told NewsNation that he turned down $20 million to provide protesters for ' Good Trouble Lives On ' protests in July. 'I'm rejecting it not because I don't want to take the business, but because frankly, this is going to be ineffective; it's going to make us all look bad,' Swart said of the anti-Trump protests at the time.
Newsweek
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Epstein Scandal Is Just the Beginning of Government's Failures To Protect Kids
If people are really concerned about child sex trafficking, they should not treat it like a political tool. While it's always a good thing when child sexual exploitation receives the attention it deserves, the issue should be more than political fodder or a talking point for conspiracy theorists. It is, of course, important for the public to recognize and expose powerful people who exploit the vulnerable. That list is long—allegations have plagued Matt Gaetz, Bill Cosby, Robert Kraft, Linda McMahon, and Sean Combs, to name a few from recent headlines. The circumstances around Jeffrey Epstein's ability to obtain a secret plea deal while running an international child sex ring should absolutely be exposed. That being said, the problem of child sexual abuse and exploitation merits sustained attention. If people really care about sexual exploitation and trafficking, their focus should be on how the powerful fail to put children first both in politics and in society. A major battleground in the fight to protect children is social media and AI regulation. Following reports that leading Big Tech companies knew about their products' negative effects on children—including increased risks of sexual exploitation—legislators sprang into action. At the same time, however, other leading congressional figures have disrupted those efforts, allowing the exploitation to continue unchecked. People holds signs calling for the release of files regarding late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein participate in a protest as part of the 'Good Trouble Lives On' national day of action against the administration of... People holds signs calling for the release of files regarding late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein participate in a protest as part of the 'Good Trouble Lives On' national day of action against the administration of US President Donald Trump in Houston, Texas, on July 17, 2025. More RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP/Getty Images Last year, for example, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) did Big Tech's bidding to sink the Kids Online Safety Act, preventing it from receiving a vote in the House after it passed the Senate 91-3. Conservative news outlets identified Meta's control over House leadership as key to killing child protection legislation. This was the same congressional leadership that slipped a Big Tech-friendly non-budget provision into the budget bill that would have repealed all state legislation trying to curb AI exploitation of children. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) tried to do the same in the Senate, but was fortunately defeated when Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) had the courage to amend it—their amendment passed 99-1. But now that courage is being rewarded by Big Tech efforts to sneak the regulation moratorium into other legislation. Big Tech spent $51 million lobbying just last year, including to defeat legislation such as child online safety measures. Meta alone spent nearly $6 million dollars last quarter lobbying against, among others, child online safety provisions. The public should condemn these actions and, as we've already seen, if this child protection legislation can actually get to a vote, it passes in overwhelming margins. If those who are upset about Jeffrey Epstein really care about child sex trafficking, they should also be outraged at the Trump administration, which is currently undermining child sex trafficking protections. The Department of State "shut down" the office primarily responsible for combating human trafficking—the Office to Monitor and Prevent Human Trafficking—a move which one former U.S. ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat trafficking in persons describes as making it "impossible" to carry out what the law requires to address human trafficking. The administration also cut funding to a group that was tracking the nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russian soldiers from their families and brought to Russia, a well-known hub of human trafficking. Domestically, the Department of Justice cut more than $500 million in grants to victim services including "direct funding for victims' services for survivors of human trafficking." Additionally, it gutted the Civil Rights Division, which houses the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. If those following the Epstein scandal really care about the sexual assault of children, they should continue to act when the Epstein story fades, to address the government's assault on the nearly 40 percent of trafficking victims who are children. The government—by carrying Big Tech's water in legislatures, by cutting offices that enforce trafficking laws, and by cutting services to trafficking victims—is not only abandoning victims but facilitating their exploitation. Activists who truly care about child exploitation must continue to pressure Congress and the executive branch to act to protect children as vigorously as they demand answers in the Epstein case. Mary Graw Leary is a Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America focusing on criminal law and human trafficking and a former state and federal prosecutor. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Newsweek
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Democrats Get Good News from Most Accurate Pollster About Key Trump Issue
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. American voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on immigration, which has been a key issue for President Donald Trump throughout his political career, according to a new poll from AtlasIntel. Heath Brown, professor of public policy at the City University of New York, told Newsweek in part that "it could come down to the difference between campaign rhetoric and actual governance." Newsweek reached out to the Republican and Democratic national committees for comment via email. Why It Matters Trump, for a decade, has emphasized immigration as his key policy—launching his 2016 presidential campaign with a promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, with a focus on mass deportations during his 2024 campaign. Polling suggested immigration was a key issue as to why many of his voters supported him over former Vice President Kamala Harris last November. However, a flurry of recent surveys suggests the GOP's grip on immigration has slipped amid backlash to his mass deportations. This includes the latest survey from AtlasIntel, which was the most accurate pollster during the 2024 election. What to Know The pollster found that Democrats now have an advantage over Republicans on most key political issues, including inflation, healthcare, and foreign policy. It also found that Democrats have chipped away at Republican support on immigration issues. Demonstrators hold up signs outside an immigration court in New York City during the Good Trouble Lives On protests on July 17, 2025. Demonstrators hold up signs outside an immigration court in New York City during the Good Trouble Lives On protests on July 17, 2025. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images Only 45 percent of respondents said they trusted Republicans more on immigration, while 49 percent said they trusted Democrats more on the matter. Meanwhile, a majority of Americans also disapprove of Trump's handling of immigration, with 53 percent giving him negative marks and only 42 percent approving of his approach, according to the poll. The poll surveyed 1,935 respondents from July 13 to July 18, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Heath Brown, professor of public policy at the City University of New York, told Newsweek that "it could come down to the difference between campaign rhetoric and actual governance." "Vague campaign promises to address immigration policy may have been popular among voters in 2024," he said. "However, faced with the reality of extreme immigration policies that curtail non-US students enrollment at US universities, raid places of work and education, and prohibit due process for deportation cases, a majority of Americans are very much opposed." The poll is a "reflection of the overall dissatisfaction of many Americans with the Trump policy agenda," he said. Throughout Trump's second term in office, there has been an increase of ICE raids across the country that have sparked protests in places like Los Angeles. Thousands of immigrants, including some who are in the country legally, have been arrested. Other measures, like the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center in Florida's Everglades, are unpopular among most Americans. Proponents of the fast-build center, however, say it is necessary to deal with the number of new beds needed. Supporters of the GOP's immigration policy note that border crossings have decreased under his administration. What People Are Saying Representative Mike Levin, a California Democrat, wrote in an X post Saturday: "Latest Reuters poll shows disapproval for Trump's immigration policy has surged since February. Americans want security AND humanity, not cruelty and chaos. That's why we need bipartisan, common sense reform like our DIGNITY Act, rooted in real solutions." CNN Harry Enten said earlier in July: "The American people have turned against President Donald Trump on what was his best issue. One in which he had a positive net approval rating for most of his term, and arguably the issue that got him, of course, the GOP nomination all the way back in 2016. And one of the issues, of course, he used last year to quite a successful degree." What Happens Next Trump's mass deportations continue across the United States, though parts of his immigration agenda have been held up in court. Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" increased funding for ICE.
Sydney Morning Herald
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump protesters have a dream for a better America
Last Thursday was the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights hero John Lewis. He was with Martin Luther King Jr at the 1963 March on Washington (King's 'I have a dream' sermon from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial). Lewis was beaten by police on a civil rights march over the Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Lewis served heroically in Congress and championed voting rights – the bedrock of democracy. John Lewis often spoke about Rosa Parks who, in 1955, refused to relinquish her seat on a public bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks sparked a bus boycott that lasted until the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. 'Rosa Parks inspired us to get into trouble,' Lewis recalled. 'And I've been getting in trouble ever since. She inspired us to find a way, to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.' After Lewis' death, a movement of motivated people was joined, Good Trouble Lives On, to advance his causes. Good Trouble came to the streets of Frisco, Colorado and around the US last Thursday evening. In a town of less than 3000, 150 came out after work to say that they were done with Trump, and that it was high time America was done with Trump. 'I assume this is the resistance,' a man said, approaching the crowd. 'He's stealing our future.' 'We are for free speech and free press.' 'Make good trouble – we must save our democracy.' 'I came here because we are not OK.' It was modest and peaceful. Hundreds of cars passing by honked in support. To be sure, Colorado is a strong Democratic state in presidential elections, Congress and the state legislature. But those gathered in Frisco knew there was no clear road forward to stopping Trump. 'The problem with Democrats,' a fellow said, 'is that Democrats are f---ing lazy.'
The Age
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Trump protesters have a dream for a better America
Last Thursday was the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights hero John Lewis. He was with Martin Luther King Jr at the 1963 March on Washington (King's 'I have a dream' sermon from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial). Lewis was beaten by police on a civil rights march over the Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Lewis served heroically in Congress and championed voting rights – the bedrock of democracy. John Lewis often spoke about Rosa Parks who, in 1955, refused to relinquish her seat on a public bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks sparked a bus boycott that lasted until the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. 'Rosa Parks inspired us to get into trouble,' Lewis recalled. 'And I've been getting in trouble ever since. She inspired us to find a way, to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.' After Lewis' death, a movement of motivated people was joined, Good Trouble Lives On, to advance his causes. Good Trouble came to the streets of Frisco, Colorado and around the US last Thursday evening. In a town of less than 3000, 150 came out after work to say that they were done with Trump, and that it was high time America was done with Trump. 'I assume this is the resistance,' a man said, approaching the crowd. 'He's stealing our future.' 'We are for free speech and free press.' 'Make good trouble – we must save our democracy.' 'I came here because we are not OK.' It was modest and peaceful. Hundreds of cars passing by honked in support. To be sure, Colorado is a strong Democratic state in presidential elections, Congress and the state legislature. But those gathered in Frisco knew there was no clear road forward to stopping Trump. 'The problem with Democrats,' a fellow said, 'is that Democrats are f---ing lazy.'
