Instead of the Democrats prompting a larger fight to check Trump and the Republicans’ position, the wider US government is now at risk of dying in tiny, closed-door hearings across the Congress. The Democrats’ failure has broken fundamental faith in the party from rank-and-file Democrats across the country, with the party’s support now reaching new lows — according to recent polling, just over a quarter of Americans have a positive impression of the Democrats.

Schumer’s betrayal in voting for the continuing resolution also means abandoning the people of DC, who spent last week surging onto Capitol Hill to fight against an arbitrary budget cut mandated by the House. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of DC residents, the Senate passed a bill (S.1077) freeing DC from this mandate. Trump has indicated that he wants to see the DC error fixed — acknowledging Bowser’s naked appeasement of Trump over the past few months — but the House doesn’t seem to be in a rush to reconcile. Locals, channeled through Free DC, are organizing a pressure campaign against Congress to push for adoption in the House.

Deeper fears about a federal takeover of the city are unfolding. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police Department was called to the Institute of Peace, an independent, non-profit organization, to boot the staff who work there (“unauthorized individuals”) with no arrests. A letter sent to Mayor Bowser and MPD Chief Smith from the Free DC movement — signed by Metro DC DSA and a constellation of local organizations opposed to the action — included a list of questions to clarify MPD’s role. In a statement published to Instagram, Councilmember Janeese Lewis George demanded a full investigation of the move: “MPD is funded by the District… Treating the District as an extension of the executive branch is inappropriate, dangerous, and must be rejected. I am demanding a full investigation into this incident to ensure MPD continues to uphold the law and our community receives answers.”

Capitulation of MPD to this coup is not unexpected by socialists, who have long stressed the connection between the police state and fascist ambitions. As Trump’s mafia state ramps up, local law enforcement will increasingly become the foot soldiers of this burgeoning regime, expanding its duty to deliver “public safety” to include punishing and criminalizing opponents of the Orange Emperor. With Congress apparently rolling over, only the judicial branch stands in the way, but law enforcement’s subordination will likely limit this path. With judges unable, and the police unwilling, to enforce legal protections, the Administration is now flagrantly ignoring the courts by ignoring the civil liberties of immigrants on American soil — most shockingly in the trafficking of immigrants to El Salvadorian concentration camps on flimsy pretense, and in illegally detaining green-card holders on free-speech charges. These failures will leave resistance to this regime to live or die at the state and local levels.

Early in the morning of Tuesday, March 18, the Israeli government launched a series of surprise airstrikes across Gaza, killing more than 400 Palestinians (174 of whom were children) and shattering the fragile ceasefire deal that had been reached just two months prior. The Israeli government claimed that this re-escalation of the Gaza genocide, which took place with the sign-off of the United States, was due to the Palestinian resistance’s “repeated refusal to release our hostages” — despite the fact that prisoner exchanges had already taken place in accordance with the deal that was struck in January. In reality, it appears the ruling coalition is using Gaza as a shield to stave off domestic threats, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the latest round of strikes were “only the beginning.”

The brutal assault on Gaza came as negotiations to enter the second phase of January’s three-stage ceasefire stalled after Israel delayed the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners and unilaterally demanded an extension of the first phase — even though Palestinian resistance forces had held up their end of the deal by releasing all of the 33 living hostages that they had committed to releasing within the specified timeframe. During the first phase of the ceasefire, which was meant to last just 42 days, Israel committed more than 900 documented violations of the ceasefire agreement — an average of 23 violations a day — and cut off all humanitarian aid and electricity to Gaza. The ceasefire’s end brought the Knesset’s ultra-right back into Netanyahu’s coalition, bolstering his protection against prosecution.

Protests broke out across the US in response to the Zionist regime’s renewed acts of genocidal aggression — including here in DC, where hundreds gathered outside the White House for a rally led by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Maryland2Palestine, and other anti-imperialist groups to protest against the United States’ ongoing support for Israel’s regime of apartheid, occupation, and genocide. MDC DSA’s Internationalism Working Group led a contingent of chapter members to show support at the protest, continuing the trend of growing our chapter’s response and turnout to Palestinian-led mass actions. Socialists interested in participating in protest movements and solidarity actions in the district can fill out this sign-on form.

The American-version of fascism has become increasingly multiracial. This widening appeal is not happenstance, but a deliberate strategy that coordinates with racist nationalist movements across the world. As local DSA member Pranay Somayajula reports in Jacobin, the alliance between ethno-nationalist movements in India and America is an intentional effort.

Chapter members and everybody who wants to understand the contemporary fascist movement in India are invited to register here for our next Socialist Night School, the Hindu Supremacist Movement in India and the US, on Thursday, March 27 at 6pm at the West End Library or online. The Night School will be led by Pranay Somayajula of the Internationalism Working Group and Hindus for Human Rights, and will focus on the Hindutva (Hindu nationalist/supremacist) movement that currently holds power in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, and which has been described as “the world’s longest running fascist movement.” The Night School will examine the movement’s key ideological tenets and historical development over the last 100 years, charting its rise to political power in India and its expansion to other countries of the Indian diaspora, including the United States. Make sure to sign up for the Night School in advance to get the link or day-of contact information.

As a part of her many capitulations to the Trump regime, Mayor Muriel Bowser has done an about-face in her rhetoric about DC’s status as a sanctuary city, going so far as to have any references to it removed from city webpages. Migrant Families Collective, a newly-formed grassroots group led by directly impacted community members of diverse ages and backgrounds, is calling a press conference to defend the city’s sanctuary status at 5:30 on Friday, April 4 at Lamont Plaza. They are calling for neighbors and allies to show up in solidarity with their demands, and have already been coordinating with MDC DSA’s newly formed Migrant Justice Subcommittee to help drive turnout. As socialists, we believe it is not only important to stand up in defense of our immigrant neighbors, but also push against Bowser’s cowardly submission to Trump, which will not stop at our city’s sanctuary status. DSA members interested in canvassing to defend DC’s sanctuary city status can reach out on the #migrantjustice Slack channel or fill out their interest form.

We Power DC, the District’s socialist-led campaign for a publicly-owned power utility, is hosting its next wheatpasting event on March 22 at 1pm. Come join fellow ecosocialists putting up flyers around Ward 4 to inform the public of Pepco’s corruption and dirty reliance on fossil fuels. Register for the wheatpasting here. People can also stay up to date on We Power DC’s action-packed 2025 with their new website and newsletter, and can join the team to help DC move towards a public power alternative by filling out their interest form.

Over eighty community members gathered for a Rockville rent stabilization community forum this past weekend. Tenants, union representatives, and even a landlord shared why they need rent stabilization. Rockville City Council Member Izola Shaw and Montgomery County Council Members Kristin Mink and Will Jawando also spoke in defense of rent stabilization. After the event, ABC7 spoke to tenants about the push for rent stabilization in Rockville, highlighting that limiting rent increases is one way that the Rockville City Council and Mayor can protect local federal workers and contractors facing job insecurity.

This coming Monday at 6:30pm, Rockville tenants and allies plan to attend a budget hearing to advocate that the city prioritize standing up and enforcing rent stabilization to keep Rockville residents in their communities. RSVP for the budget hearing here.

Dozens of tenants gathered at the Wilson Building this week to demand the DC Council reject Mayor Muriel Bowser’s RENTAL Act, which attacks tenants’ rights in DC, including the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). TOPA is a DC law that preserves affordable housing, prevents displacement, and gives tenants an unparalleled opportunity to negotiate better living conditions or even become homeowners. Since its passage in 1980, tenants have successfully used TOPA to preserve affordability for over 16,000 households across the District. But the Mayor has put TOPA on the chopping block. Stomp Out Slumlords went to the Council to send a clear message: reject the RENTAL Act. Tenants need TOPA to be expanded rather than gutted, and will not sit idly by as the landlord lobby pushes their anti-tenant agenda with talking points about TOPA not based on real data. DC residents can send a letter to Chairman of the Housing Committee, Robert White, urging him to stop the attacks on tenants and protect TOPA.

This past Monday was crossover day in the Maryland General Assembly, the day that bills must pass at least one chamber to have hope of passing the legislature before the session ends on April 7. All three bills included in CASA’s Maryland immigrant justice package have passed at least one chamber. All of these bills seek to limit ICE’s ability to terrorize Marylanders by limiting ICE’s access to local and state databases without a warrant, establishing guidelines on ICE’s access to sensitive locations such as schools and houses of worship, and ending agreements between local police and ICE. The top priority for housing justice organizers and tenants this session was passing good cause eviction legislation, which would make retaliatory evictions illegal. That bill failed to pass either chamber after lawmakers tried to insert a poison pill amendment to weaken local rent stabilization laws. However, another Renters United Maryland priority bill, the Tenant Possession Recovery Act, is still in play after it passed the House of Delegates. This bill gives tenants a 10-day grace period to retrieve their possessions after an eviction. The Maryland CAMPUS Act also failed to pass either chamber after Jewish and Muslim community representatives and student groups raised concerns that the bill would lead to censorship of student voices in support of Palestine.

MDC Dispatch (new feature!) The MDC Dispatch is the chapter’s new video news series, published on the first and third Sunday of each month. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and enable “All” notifications to be alerted to new installments.

On the record: Learn more about our local MDC DSA chapter — structure, campaigns and working groups, Night Schools, and reading groups — HERE. And live from our studio, Wednesday, April 9, 7 – 8pm, Why You Should Join DSA: New Member Orientation (with Q&A). Want to fight fascism from the heart of the empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism!

Staying current: MDC DSA members: Join our all-member Slack for real-time info on working group and campaign events, convo, and inspiration. Email [email protected] with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get Slack access. Chapter members are also invited to read — and edit — MDC DSA’s internal wiki. Email [email protected] to get set up or ask in #helpdesk.

Making MDC DSA hum: MDC DSA Publications Working Group is information central not only for MDC DSA but the entire DMV left. #publications (our working group’s Slack channel) is always ready to onboard new socialist communicators. Weekly Updates like this one are scheduled and emailed on Fridays; current and past Updates are on the web here. Not subscribed? DSA member or not, sign up to get the Update here. Submit your Update suggestions or DMV scandal tips to our tip line. The Washington Socialist, published since the 1970s, offers in-depth articles on a quarterly schedule; the Winter 2025 edition is now live; Spring’s quarterly issue is now in editing — wait for it but don’t stop writing. Check out our indexed and searchable archive to see what we write — and what you can write. Anyone, MDC DSA member or not, interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions to [email protected]. Get your socialist self on the record. Donate to our Comradery page if you would like to financially support socialist publishing in the DMV.

Defend Rock Creek Trees Educational Picnics | Defend Rock Creek and Extinction Rebellion

Resist the destruction of Rock Creek Park! Help bring an end to the ongoing destruction of 1,200+ trees to expand a golf course. Defend Rock Creek and Extinction Rebellion are hosting educational picnics on March 22 at 10am and again on March 28 at 7am. Learn more and plug in here.

Reel & Meal Film: How I Got Over | New Deal Café

The Reel and Meal film series at the New Deal Café (113 Centerway, Greenbelt MD) presents the film How I Got Over on March 24 at 7pm. The film depicts the deep traumas of 15 formerly homeless and incarcerated African-American women in DC as they grapple with the social causes of their plight and transform their experiences into a sold-out performance at the Kennedy Center. The documentary covers the group’s development over 12 weeks — from acting novices to crafting an original play based on their lives through The Theater Lab’s “Life Stories” program. Deb Gottesman, Co-Founder/Co-Director of The Theater Lab at the Kennedy Center, will lead the discussion following the film. Register here to attend the film screening virtually.

Renters’ rights training | Empower DC

Join Empower DC on Thursday, March 27 at 4pm on Zoom for a Know Your Rights training around building conditions and repairs for renters. Learn about DC tenants’ rights related to decent housing conditions and ways to take action to secure livable housing, free from hazards for you and your neighbors. RSVP here.

Tesla Takedown Dance Party | TeslaTakedown
Join dance lines, stand up to the Broligarchy, reject the attack on our freedoms on Saturday, March 22 by coming out to the Tesla Takedown Dance Party. The stakes couldn’t be higher but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. Get ready to strike a pose in your favorite dance attire and head out to the sidewalks of Georgetown next Saturday where you’ll (peacefully) fight for your right. RSVP for the dance party here.

Join or Die film screening | Mt. Pleasant Join Fair

Spend Friday at Lamont Plaza watching Join or Die, a documentary that explores civic life, democracy, and community in America. On April 4, start with a “Join Fair” at 6:30pm to meet and get involved with local community organizations, and stay until 9:15pm with film director and Mt. Pleasant neighbor Rebecca Davis. RSVP here.