by Mansa Musa | Sep 22, 2026 | elections, midterms, Politics and Movements: US, Rattling the Bars, video
What will a DSA-led state look like — will it back defund and community control of police, or bow to the powers that block affordability? Lawrence Grandpre, political commentator for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, explores this question in his recent Baltimore Times article, “The Dangers of ‘Law and Order’ Leftism: Toward a Black Power Public Safety,” asking whether DSA will embrace the outmoded Law and Order politics that fueled America’s prison boom. As officials like AOC and Mamdani backtrack on defunding police — one of the biggest carceral drains on housing, healthcare, and education funding — Grandpre sits down with former political prisoner and Rattling the Bars host Mansa Musa to unpack these contradictions ahead of the midterms, where Democrats hope to retake the House and Senate. Tune in for an unflinching look at the Left’s relationship to the state and to law and order.
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The Dangers of “Law and Order” Leftism- Toward a Black Power Public Safety
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Credits:
Production/Post-production: Cameron Granadino
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
Mansa Musa:
Welcome to Rattling the Bars. I’m your host Mansa Musa. Today I’m joined by Lance Grandpre, political commentator with Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, to discuss his recent article for Baltimore Times, “The Dangers of ‘Law and Order’ Leftism—Toward a Black Power Public Safety.” Thank you for joining me, Lance.
Lawrence Grandpre:
Thank you for having me.
Mansa Musa:
Alright, so let’s start like this here. At one point we had in 2020 where you had a push for the abolishment of prisons and to dismantle the police system as
by Ariana Figueroa | Sep 18, 2026 | 2026 election, 2026 Elections, 2026 midterms, Civil Rights, DHS, elections, FBI, ICE, Kash Patel, Markwayne Mullin, midterms, NAACP, News, Trump Administration, Unions, Voter Intimidation, Voting Rights, Voting Rights Act
A coalition of civil rights groups and union organizations Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent the deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling locations during November’s midterm elections. The suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is the second this month, following comments from top Trump officials citing a federal policy to…
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by Derek Seidman | Sep 16, 2026 | 2026 election, 2026 Elections, 2026 midterms, Abdul El-Sayed, AIPAC, BDS, BDS movement, Billionaires, California, Colorado, Donald Trump, elections, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, Gaza, Israel, Michigan, Midterm election, midterm elections, midterms, New York, News Analysis, PACs, Palestine, Paul Singer, super PAC spending, Super PACs, United Democracy Project, Wall Street, Zohran Mamdani
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, has been spending tens of millions of dollars on political races during the current election cycle, aiming to defeat progressive candidates who are critical of Israel and who express support for Palestinians. Many voters might not even be aware of this, because AIPAC-funded ads and mailers often omit any mention of Israel…
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by Jon Queally | Sep 15, 2026 | Article, midterms, Politics and Movements: US, Reprint, Supreme Court, Trump, Voting Rights
This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Sep. 14, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license.
The US Supreme Court on Monday night rejected a bid by the Trump administration to keep onerous US Postal Service rules for mail-in ballots in place, which voting-rights defenders said risked depriving millions of people of the franchise in this year’s midterm elections.
After a back-and-forth legal battle over the USPS rules that dragged on for months, the nation’s highest court issued the 7-2 ruling without elaborating on its legal reasoning, though right-wing Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued dissents in favor of President Donald Trump’s side.
The ruling in USPS v. California was in response to a legal challenge brought by the League of Women’s Voters, the attorneys general of numerous states, and others who argued that newly-announced rules by the Postal Service regarding mail-in ballots, changes prompted by an executive order issued by Trump, would prevent people from having their ballots counted and cause chaos for those trying to administer this year’s elections.
A victory for democracy, a defeat for election deniers. https://t.co/MKjfKmgyTv— David Crowley (@DavidCCrowley) September 15, 2026
In response to the ruling, the plaintiffs’ legal team said the decision was “a critical step to ensuring free and fair elections this November by maintaining access to mail voting for millions of eligible voters across the United States and lifting the dire threat that the Postal Service would disenfranchise them.”
“Mail voting is safe, secure, and reliable—and the Trump administration has presented no evidence to the contrary, as the courts have repeatedly recognized,” the statement continued. “We will remain vigilant in countering threats to free and fair elections and ensuring that every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot and
by Jessica Corbett | Sep 15, 2026 | Article, midterms, Politics and Movements: US, Reprint, Voting Rights
This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Aug. 25, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license.
Democratic leaders and a “pro-voter” coalition on Tuesday announced separate actions to combat President Donald Trump’s attack on voting by mail after the US Supreme Court’s right-wing majority delivered a “painful setback” for critics who argue the Republican’s executive order is unconstitutional.
The president’s March order directed the US Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of citizens eligible to vote, states to provide voter information to the federal government, and the United States Postal Service to craft new regulations for absentee ballots—for which the USPS published a final rule last Friday, less than three months away from the midterm elections.
The nation’s top court said in a 6-3 decision on Monday that Democrat-led states had not demonstrated sufficient standing to challenge the president’s order and paused a lower court injunction blocking its implementation. The attorneys general in that case, Trump v. California, vowed to keep fighting back, and as of Tuesday evening, others already are.
The chairs of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Democratic Governors Association, US Senate and House minority leaders, and heads of the party’s campaign committee for each chamber of Congress on Tuesday announced the filing of a new motion for a preliminary injunction.
“Today, we are taking strong, joint legal action to stop Trump’s unlawful attempt to restrict mail-in voting through the Postal Service,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), and Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.) in a joint statement.
“Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling did not say that Trump’s executive order attacking voting rights is constitutional,” they stressed. Rather than ruling on the merits of the challenge, the majority of justices simply said
by Chris Walker | Sep 15, 2026 | 2026 Elections, 2026 Republican Convention, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, midterms, News, Polls, Ted Cruz
The second night of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, this week featured racist remarks from speakers and a call for violence against Democrats from an audience member — before concluding with President Donald Trump demanding a loyalty oath from viewers. At one point, while arguing why voters should back Republicans in the midterms, Vice President JD Vance objected to the…
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